Naruto: A Red Eye Hidden by Shadow
by Tatanka4Life
Summary: On the fateful night of the Uchiha Massacre, a girl of Uchiha and Nara blood is spared and left with no memories of her past. Now she must walk on the path left by her family to help her build a new future for herself. Her path will be hard, full of struggles and pain, but as long as she has her friends and family at her side she will keep forging ahead, even if it was a drag.
1. Prologue

Naruto: A Red Eye Hidden by Shadow

Prologue

"Mama, why are we out here in the forest?" the little Uchiha girl asked as she walked next to her mother. In response to her honest question, her mother smiled down at her and poked her forehead before continuing to walk in silence. The poke eased her nerves slightly, but the young girl still sighed in defeat, submitting to the fact she wasn't going to be getting any information out of her mother until they reached their destination…wherever that may be.

Today was clearly going to be a drag. It had already started strangely with her parents waking her up earlier than usual only to then inform her she was staying home from the Academy today. After coming to grips with her loss of sleep for apparently no reason, the strangeness continued when her mother decided they were going to go deep into the Nara Clans forest together.

Why? The girl concluded it was either to collect deer antlers or for some sort of special Nara Clan training. There were two separate problems with her two conclusions, though. Firstly, her mother never brought her to collect deer antlers. Unless she spontaneously decided to teach her the responsibility, which she doubted, it was unlikely that it was their reason for being out here.

That left the special Nara Clan training, but that conclusion also didn't make logical sense. Her mother had taught her Clan jutsu at home before, so why would she decide to teach her out here?

The jutsu could be something her father wasn't allowed to see. He wasn't a Nara by birth so perhaps that negated him from being allowed to see how this particular jutsu worked. Then again, the seven year old wasn't even sure her mother was still even considered a part of the Nara Clan after marrying her father.

It wasn't that her father was a bad person. He was one of the nicest people in the entire village as far as she was concerned, but he was also of the prestigious Uchiha Clan. How marriage affected Clan status was an unknown to the child, and to be honest she didn't really care to find out.

What she did know, however, was that she had family within the Nara Clan in the form of a blood uncle, his wife and their child that was her age. She had never met them, partly because she was too shy to ask to meet new people. The possibility of meeting them also just never came up in conversation. Her mother rarely visited them as it was.

" _Only when things aren't too troublesome,"_ she would say.

Maybe there were problems between her mother and the rest of the Nara Clan that she simply didn't know about or wasn't old enough to understand. _I don't see why Mama would be at ends with them. She's too nice._ The young girl decided to let it be. Without any information to work on, thinking too hard about the subject would lead her to dead-end after dead-end.

Clan politics were just too troublesome.

She twirled a few strands of her long, wild blue hair around her finger as they walked and let her thoughts wander to what her father was doing right now. When she had asked him what was going on, he had given her his loving smile and told her she would understand the point of why she had to come out here one day.

His onyx eyes had been abnormally saddened behind his smile, but the young girl didn't push any further on the subject. Silently, though, she wondered if something bad was going on. A few weeks past she noticed the same look in her cousin's eyes when he was hanging out with his friends, but he had easily switched the subject on her.

The change of subject was done smoothly and might have fooled anyone else, but she had noticed it from a mile away. She chose not to call him on it. Despite her age, she knew that sometimes adults had to keep secrets for the safety of others. Whatever he decided not to tell her must have fallen into that category otherwise she was certain he would have told her. They had made a promise to each other to never lie, and they kept their promises no matter what.

He was still out on a mission right now and wasn't going to be back for a while. It was something he had to do to make sure the village and his _"favorite little cousin"_ as he called her would be okay.

The young girl had to remind him that she was his only little cousin and that to her he was more of a big brother than a cousin. That was when she had seen the saddened look behind his onyx eyes. Now that she thought about it, his smile seemed rather sad too. _Whatever is going on with everyone is starting to freak me out. Part of me wants to know so I can try to help. Yet, at the same time, the other part of me really doesn't want to get involved._

Eventually, after what felt like miles of walking, her mother came to a stop and turned to her. "Okay, it's time for you to train." She disappeared in a blur of speed then returned with a leaf she had plucked from the canopy of one of the several trees surrounding them. "I want you to keep this leaf stuck to your forehead using only chakra like we practiced back home," she explained as she handed the leaf over.

Chakra control training had been one of the things her mother had been teaching her over the last few weeks to help her conserve chakra when she used the Shadow Possession Jutsu and for when she finally learned the Fire Style: Fire Ball jutsu.

The latter jutsu was a coming of age for Uchiha's or something of that sort from what her father had explained to her. He didn't want her to be upset if she didn't get it right away, though. He wanted her to move at a pace she felt comfortable with and supported her desire to study the jutsu and work on the basic steps a little longer.

He had told her once that his father had forced him to learn faster than everyone to live up to an impossible standard. In the process of doing so, he had missed out on some important lessons, both of the life variety and jutsu based. Once he slowed down and took the time to study everything in a greater depth he became stronger and better than he had ever been.

" _Living in a shadow and trying to live up to a narrow sighted man's idea of what I should be hindered me significantly, and I want you to learn that lesson now. Having a strong bloodline means nothing if you live under so much pressure that you can never actually access that potential. You have an amazing gift locked within you, a gift only you can unlock and give to yourself. No one else can give it to you, and forcing it open will never let you achieve true greatness. Your path to achieve your potential may be difficult and take years to walk, but I know without a shadow of a doubt you'll reach your destination and unlock the power to surpass your mother and myself."_

His lesson had been followed by one about the journey to becoming stronger and not seeking the strength for the simple want of power. Power led down two roads, one being a dark road that was hard to get off of and the other being a lighter path that was by no means easy and had many points where one could turn off onto the dark road.

While the young girl had learned that shadows and the dark weren't bad, she understood that a dark road was not something she should seek out.

Her mother leaned down and planted a kiss on her forehead, which was covered by the purple bandana that her cousin had given her. "I'll be back later tonight. The deer may be curious about their new visitor, but they shouldn't bother you. If one of the Nara's find you let them know I sent you here to train." She gave her forehead a poke with a loving smile pulling onto her lips. "I love you, Haya. Make me proud."

She too had a sad look in her eyes but Haya gave her a closed eyed smile in return. "I will, Mama. Love you and don't be troublesome and forget me out here."

Her mother gave her a soft laugh, ruffling her hair as she did. "I won't. On the off chance I do, consider it survival training of finding your way to the ramen shop from here."

With her instructions given, Haya sat down on the grass to begin her attempts at keeping the leaf connected to her forehead. Her mother turned to leave, but stopped halfway. "Haya?"

Haya quirked up one of her blue eyebrows and tilted her head in question at the hesitation in her mother's body language. "Yes, Mama?"

The older woman walked back over to her and crouched down to her level to wrap her up in a warm embrace. "Train hard and never forget that your father, your cousin and I will always believe in you," she said quietly.

Haya returned the embrace and shut her eyes as she did her best to return the love she was feeling from her mother. "I'll train extra hard for all of you, and I would never forget that," she responded softly. She wasn't sure why her mother was acting so strange. Maybe she was worried about her lack of confidence and the bullying getting to her. Regardless, she hoped her words reassured her that she would be fine.

"I know. I love you, my little shadow. No matter how difficult training or life gets, stay strong." Her mother released her and smiled down at her. "Your family walks with you wherever you go, whether that's in here." Her mother tapped her head. "Or in here." She placed a hand over her heart. "So if your strength seems to fail you, just remember that we're with you and push on."

Haya gave a sharp nod and a confident smile. "Right!"

Her mother gave her one last peck on the top of her head then bid farewell with a reminder about the deer and Nara's possibly finding her out here. It would be easy enough to distinguish a Nara considering they practically all had the patented ponytail her mother still flaunted proudly. It was one of the things her father loved about her mother besides her personality and naturally beautiful looks. Her ponytail was something everyone saw her with but he was the one that got to see her without it, and he believed that was special.

The young girl couldn't help but wonder why her own father didn't ponytail his own wild black hair. She had his hair except colored blue, which was somewhere in her mother's genes a few generations back from when one of the Nara's married someone outside of their clan. Then again she didn't wear a ponytail either because she enjoyed the feel of her long hair being free so maybe that was his reason too.

She had a lot of mixed traits from her parents, she had both of their intelligences, or at least that's what they told her. Haya personally felt like she was still behind them, but they told her that her perfect grades and ability absorb text information like a sponge and turn it into action after a little while begged to differ.

Other than that, though, she had inherited her parent's expression filled eyes that were " _mirrors to her true feelings_ " as her father had told her. According to him, she had gained her mother's smirk when she outsmarted him and had his broad smile when she smiled fully. The latter was a rarity due to her shy disposition, which made it all the more special in her parents' eyes.

Haya also had her father's long eyelashes and had a nose that was between the broad nose her father had and the smaller nose her mother had. For clothes she wore a purple tank top and mesh long sleeve under it, only instead of both sleeves being long she had cut the right one off to make it like a tank top on that side as well. She didn't brandish her clan symbol on her clothes since she was technically from two and was not being forced by her parents to show that she was from either.

" _Define yourself as an individual instead of the crest of your clan,"_ her parents told her. It wasn't that they didn't teach her to be proud of her origins or who she was; it was quite the contrary actually. She was proud of being the child of an Uchiha and a Nara regardless of the sideways glances she received from both non-clan members and the full bloodied Uchiha's who were really stuck up.

Not all of the Uchiha's were really happy to be around Haya since she was "the half-breed" of her class. The only Uchiha's other than her father and cousin that liked her was the Uchiha Clan Head's eldest son and a kunoichi both her cousin and the Uchiha Clan Head's son were friends with. To be honest, the boy of the pair was actually really hard to read so saying that he liked her was a guess at best, but he didn't give her the estranged looks like she was some sort of hybrid demon so that had to count for something.

The leaf dropped from her forehead down to her black knee length shorts, reminding the young girl that losing focus didn't help her training in the slightest. She readjusted her feet under her so her black ninja sandals didn't push against her legs at the strange angle they had been before then returned the leaf back to her forehead.

Hours seemed to go by in a flash as Haya, through trial and error, attempted to keep the leaf attached to her forehead for longer than a few minutes. She awoke from her meditation when a gust of wind cut through the forest. She opened her eyes to find herself surrounded by darkness, the sun having set beyond the horizon some time ago when she was focusing more on her chakra than the world around her. Within seconds of registering her surroundings, she became acutely aware of how alone she was and how troublesome her mother had to be to leave her out in the wilderness as "survival training."

The leaf dropped from her forehead as she muttered, "Troublesome," under her breath. _Should have seen this coming. Mama's sense of humor can be such a pain sometimes._ Clearly it was long past time to head back to the village to go to the ramen shop if that's where her mother was waiting. _I hope there's a nice bowl of ramen waiting for me. She owes me one for "forgetting" me out here. Troublesome adult._ If her mother wasn't there then she would head back home.

 _At least my near eidetic memory will serve some use in finding my way out of this maze of a forest and back to the village._

Before she could even move to get up, a figure appeared out of a Body Flicker Technique. The sudden appearance made her recoil at first in preparation of an attack. She prepared to use her Shadow Possession Jutsu but let her body relax when she was able to actually make out more than a shadowed blur. Confusion quickly replaced her relaxation when she locked eyes with the familiar red eyes of the arriving figure. "…Itachi?" Haya questioned. She looked him up and down again, checking every aspect of the boy to make sure her eyes weren't tricking her. "What are you…?"

Haya cut herself off when she noticed the tears staining his cheeks, changing his usually stoic look into one of pain and regret. His forehead protector was also on sideways, weirdly enough, but that conundrum was moot in comparison to the tears. Not liking to see one of the few friends she had sad, she poked the center of his forehead to see if he would give her the small smile she usually gave her mother for doing it.

He didn't smile.

"Are you okay?" he asked without acknowledging the poke.

"A bit cold, but I was about to head back to the village to get some ramen and find Mama. She told me if she didn't come back to get me that it was survival training to find my way back home. I kind of figured she'd be troublesome and do it," the young girl explained with a sigh.

"No one has seen you out here?" the elder Uchiha asked.

She shook her head. "No. Not to my knowledge at least. I've been trying to keep this leaf attached to my forehead." Haya showed him the leaf. He nodded shortly then cast his Sharingan ablaze eyes around in search for…something. What that something was the blue-haired girl couldn't say. "What's wrong, Itachi? You're crying."

He looked back into her eyes with an apologetic look from what she could tell. "I'm sorry, Haya."

"Sor—"

Everything suddenly went black as she was cast into a state of unaware limbo. Within her mind, however, everything she knew, everyone she loved and cared for began disappearing like they never existed. The final thing she heard was her cousin's voice in what felt like a memory being given to her.

"… _Haya…You're going to have to make your own way from here on out, forgetting everything and everyone you know until the time is right…I won't lie, it will be a hard road, one that will come with the responsibility your heritage entitles…and a lot of pain I wish you didn't have to suffer through." He took a steady breath before continuing. "I'm sorry I can't be there with you on this path and watch after you like the big brother you considered me. One day I hope you can forgive me for that, but I know you'll stay strong and never back down. If there is one thing I can give you to remember about yourself, it's this: Haya Uchiha doesn't give up no matter what. She stands strong against any storm and carries the very best of her family and Clans on within her heart…I love you with all my heart, little cousin."_

The voice faded away and left the young girl floating within the dark limbo of unconsciousness. It wasn't until she felt someone flick her forehead that her eyes shot open. "Hey, look who's finally awake. Ryu! Check it out! I told you it would work!" a messy brown-haired boy called, turning away from her immediate personal space to face whoever he was talking to.

"Kasai, I didn't say it wouldn't work. I told you _not_ to do it," a calmer voice scolded back.

A million questions were at the girls tongue. She didn't know where she was, who this boy was, why she felt so disoriented or what her own name was. The mysterious brown-haired boy named Kasai smiled a large smile regardless of the scolding he received. "Yeah but she's awake. That's what counts."

There was a sigh and suddenly another boy approached her, this one had lavender eyes with no pupils, long brown hair that went to his waist and had a calmer personality compared to his green eyed counterpart.

All the blue-haired girl could feel was fear. Why couldn't she remember anything? She should have been able to recall something, anything! But no matter how hard she tried she couldn't grasp a single memory. Something was wrong, something was very wrong.

On what felt like instinct, she tried scrambling backwards away from the two boys out of fear they were a danger to her. No one just waited around unconscious people and flicked them in the forehead. They could be responsible for this despite their innocent nature. What stopped her scramble was the sudden collision of her back against a solid surface.

Kasai noticed this and reached his hand forward with a friendly smile. "Hey, we're not going to hurt you."

In her confusion, the extended hand seemed to be a threat against her life. Again with what was seemingly primal instinct, she shot her shadow forward and attached it to the two boys. The feeling of their connected shadows was strange. She could feel their attempts to move their bodies within the new connection, yet the twitches were not enough to break free. The girl wasn't sure why she could do this technique or how she had done it in the first place, but she knew they were restrained completely. That bought her time to figure out what was going on, hopefully.

"Whoa. Ryu, do you feel this?" the boy named Kasai asked in confusion.

Neither boy could move other than the mimicked movement of her own quivering that she hadn't realized she was doing until they started doing it. "Yes I do and this is why I told you not to approach her so hastily. She doesn't look to have any idea of what is going on and appears to be operating on frightened instinct. Had this been any other sort of jutsu, you may have been smeared on the walls."

"Aw, you do care," the green eyed boy wisecracked.

Ignoring them, she again reached into her mind to try to find some kind of clue to what she was doing here or who she was. Normal people couldn't move their shadows, so that meant she wasn't normal. But what did that make her then? Was she some kind of freak?

None of her questions ever received answers. She reached and reached, trying to grasp onto anything solid within her mind. All she found were slippery surfaces that sent her falling back into the darkness of ignorance. Lacking any other options, she turned her questions to the two strangers in front of her. "Where am I? How did I get here? Who are you two?" the blue-haired girl asked.

"If you release us, I will explain what my friend did not. You are draining your chakra and if you hold this any longer, it will either end or you may knock yourself unconscious," the boy named Ryu answered.

 _Chakra…_ The familiar word flicked on a singular light bulb in her darkness. _Yes, chakra is the basis for all…something._ And just like that she was back in the darkness. _But if I can get this boy to keep talking then maybe I can figure out more about myself._ The knowledge was clearly there in her mind, she just needed help remembering it.

She didn't necessarily trust these strangers, but they were the only way to get more information currently. Maintaining her…jutsu? That's what the boy called it and it seemed to fit. Regardless, maintaining it would continue to drain her chakra until she was left in a weakened state or unconscious, an undesirable outcome overall and one that could leave her at the mercy of these two individuals. With no other options, the young girl decided to place a momentary trust in the boys and let her shadow recede back to its natural state.

Both boys reacted similarly to their returned control; they shook their limbs a bit and bounced on their toes to confirm their control before sitting down at a few feet away from her with looks of passiveness and bewilderment on their faces. "Where would you like to start? The where or the who?" Ryu asked.

"Where."

"You are in an orphanage in the Land of Fire on the edge of the Hidden Leaf Village, which is also known as Konoha," the lavender eyed boy answered.

Kasai nodded next to him and let his bright smile return. It almost looked like it was impossible for him to lose it, and that made her feel just a bit more comfortable. "Yup that's where we are, but how you got here is unknown to all of us here. One moment we were all asleep, the next our caretaker woke us up because he found you mysteriously unconscious on our doorstep."

It sounded ridiculous. One did not simply appear on a doorstep in the middle of the night, but there seemed to be no other explanation possible. She examined them for a brief moment, trying to gauge their honesty, but their eyes revealed that they weren't lying. "As for who we are, I am Ryu once of the Hyūga clan in Konoha, or so I'm told."

"You're eyes are kind of famous Ryu," Kasai added in.

"Yes, well I'm sorry I never grew up in the village or among my clan," Ryu responded curtly. _Sounds like a tender subject._ He then motioned to his partner. "This is Kasai. He's our village idiot in the orphanage, just not a complete moron in terms of real knowledge."

The green eyed boy frowned for a moment at the "village idiot" comment only to start smiling again. "Ryu, you gave me a compliment!" He hugged the boy with one arm. "I am so happy! Our friendship is finally growing."

These two were definitely quite the pair and the blue-haired girl found herself trying to stifle her laugh at the partially irritated look Ryu gave Kasai. Her stifled laugh only fueled the green eyed boy's musing. He spared her a happy glance before continuing. "Next thing you know we'll start writing each other love letters and sitting next to each other at dinner so we can share our meals an— ow!"

Ryu jabbed him in the side to shut him up but the boy continued smiling while the blue-haired girl began giggling to herself. "Aw, come on Ryu, look." He motioned to her. "I got her laughing and you had to go ruin it." Ryu shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose like he had had this argument before only it wasn't about her. "So what's your name?"

The young girl ceased her giggling at the question only to come up completely blank once again. "I-…I don't know." Both boys frowned genuinely this time. She couldn't remember anything. Not a name, not a clue of how she got here and apparently no parents that cared. She brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them as she tried to fight off her growing sadness and the tears pricking at her eyes. "I can't remember…I can't remember anything."

There was nothing, it was all black. She could remember being lost, cold and unbearably lonely but nothing else. It was like she was being told to seek something other than that, to find her own path and to find new people to call family.

 _Family._

The word hit the girl hard. Someone had to have cared for her. She didn't just suddenly wake up in a child's body. She had to have had a family once. So…did that mean she was abandoned like trash at a young age? Had her parents never given a damn about her and decided she was a worthless waste of space? The thought made her feel pathetic, like she was some sort of disease that nobody wanted around.

"In that case, we'll give you one. Any ideas Ryu?" Kasai asked.

"You're the one who offered, shouldn't you have a name?" the lavender eyed boy questioned in return.

"Eh, I figured you'd have something up in that genius head of yours."

Ryu brought his hand to his chin in thought. A few silent moments passed before he finally dropped his hand. "Amaririsu."

"Hanakotoba, the language of flowers," Kasai said thoughtfully. The blue-haired girl made a confused noise at his statement. "It's an old tradition in which flowers were given meanings and were used to convey feelings or other things without speaking, kind of like secret passwords. For instance Amaririsu has the meaning of shy where Shiroibara can have the meaning of innocence, devotion and/or silence."

The name felt like it fit her in more than just name. _Shy…_ Internally she nodded at the word. Yes, that matched. She could feel the shyness inside herself, sewed into her heart along with other pieces of information out her reach. _I just have to keep searching until I am able to remember everything._

Despite her initial perception of these two boys being a threat, they were surprisingly really nice. She expected to be given sideways glances from them for some reason, but maybe they each had something in common other than being orphans.

"So Amari, welcome to our cozy little family," Kasai said with a smile reaching his hand out again.

Amari looked at his hand. _Family_. The word was something she had a hankering for, a semblance of normalcy after this confusing wake up. She reached forward and took his hand a shy smile making its way onto her face.

This was her new family.

* * *

 _A/N: I do not own the Naruto series nor do I make any profit off of the writing of this fanfiction, except personal enjoyment of course. The copyrights of the anime belong to Masashi Kishimoto and Viz Media. Been working on this for about two years and am excited to finally be getting it out there. I'll be updating this story once a week. Thanks for reading and enjoy!_


	2. Chapter 1: An Ending to Start Anew

Chapter 1

Ending to Start a New Beginning

"Come on Amari! This isn't a challenge of who can run the slowest!" Ryu called over his shoulder.

Amari wasn't far behind him but she was, unfortunately, taking up last place in this race to their designated hangout spot away from the orphanage and just outside of the Leaf Village. It was a secluded place that no one back at the orphanage knew of as well as the location they trained whenever they could.

Kasai had taken a head start, as always, and kept the lead with ease while Ryu stayed behind to keep Amari in line of sight. Over the three years she had been at the orphanage, he had grown protective over her, likely because of her lack of self-confidence and how fragile she was.

Unlike the boys, Amari didn't have thick skin. She was a sensitive person who saw herself as others saw her. If they saw a failure, she saw herself as one. Of course this was an unhealthy way to see herself, she understood that, but she couldn't help it. Even when she put everything she had into whatever she was working on, she always felt like she was coming up short and that only made the feeling so much worse when others gave voice to the silent negative voice in her mind.

Ryu and Kasai did their best to always encouraging, but Kasai had an extremely competitive attitude when it came to races and the like. Ryu, on the other hand, never let a competition change his attitude. If she was lagging behind in the event, he restrained his abilities so he could stay within arm's reach of her to offer aid if she needed it. Amari knew this as a fact because she had seen how fast Ryu really was and his speed now was only half of his real speed.

She didn't mind him staying behind for her and watching after her. She had come to care a lot about Ryu and Kasai in the three years since she woke up to the latter flicking her forehead, but her care for Ryu had steadily become a crush.

When he was around she felt stronger, although she never told him that. It wasn't that she didn't want to tell him. She wanted him to know how much she appreciated him and his patience…But she could never summon up enough courage to say it. If she tried she'd only end up stuttering and blushing feverishly and that would be embarrassing.

She had only turned ten years old three days ago on what was the anniversary of her arrival at the orphanage. By her estimation, that wasn't anywhere near old enough to fully understand romance, or at least that was one of her excuses for not speaking up. Ryu probably didn't hold the childish feelings she had for him anyways. He looked after her more like a big brother would a little sister instead of a boy who wished to protect his crush.

 _Maybe I'm not his type,_ Amari considered. She shrugged it off and kept running.

Over the past few years Kasai had taught her about ninjutsu and how to control her chakra better while Ryu had spent time teaching her taijutsu and the importance of ninjutsu, genjutsu and taijutsu as a whole in the ninja world.

In their few years of training she began to advance quicker than all of them expected, especially Amari herself. She didn't know it, but somewhere deep inside her the genes her parents passed on were reawakening. The Nara in Amari allowed her to become a quick study and a better tactician while the Uchiha in her helped to make her a stronger and better fighter.

Her appearance hadn't changed much in the three years. She had grown a few inches, but she was still the shortest of the group and she still kept her wild blue hair long. Clothes shopping wasn't exactly available at the orphanage so her clothes hadn't changed at all.

Despite her lack of memory, she still wore the purple bandana she woke up with. It was the one thing that she felt extremely protective over that wasn't a person. Her friends believed it had been a gift from someone she could no longer remember and Amari was willing to agree because of how personal the piece of cloth felt. Everything else was just material items that held no meaning to her.

Amari smiled to herself in response to Ryu's taunt and began focusing her chakra towards her legs and feet to speed up. This was supposed to be a race after all so she had to at least make him work a little bit. She channeled her chakra as best as she could then let it surge through, allowing her to speed past Ryu while giggling.

"Come on Ryu! You'll never catch me from back there!" Amari yelled over her shoulder.

"Using your chakra to speed yourself up is cheating!" Ryu yelled back. He quickly sped up with his natural speed to match her new speed. She couldn't help but laugh at his response as they ran shoulder to shoulder. Laughing was the best kind of medicine there was even if you weren't feeling sick. Everything seemed so much easier when you were laughing and having a good time. It was like no matter what the world threw at you, as long as you could laugh you would be okay.

That was one of the things Kasai had taught her and the reason why he always smiled. Depression was easy to fall into in their circumstance and insanely difficult to climb out of. For him, the best way to combat their less than glamorous life was to keep searching for the positive in everything so he could smile and laugh every day. His lesson helped her in recovering from waking up without knowledge of who she was better than she expected. Being accepted by Ryu and Kasai as their little sister was another big help and something she cherished dearly.

This race had become their ritual since they began training. For the boys it was so they could work on their normal speed and stamina while Amari used it to improve her athleticism and work on her chakra controlled running.

The boys out matched her in strength and stamina, but her chakra control had become better than Kasai's and was on the path to becoming on par with Ryu, who also surpassed Kasai's great control in the last year. The Hyūga had managed to do it thanks to his passion for Medical Ninjutsu, which required superb chakra control to use properly. A bonus was that he was able to heal them after training all day so they weren't limping around or bruised badly.

None of them were masters of their practiced ninja arts, but they were definitely stronger than anyone they knew back at the orphanage.

Amari and Ryu were nearing the finish line where Kasai was waiting for them up in a tree. He looked bored as he watched the two running on the forest floor but that was normal Kasai. He liked to be active instead of sitting around waiting to begin training.

Patience was not a virtue he held.

It actually seemed like Amari was going to win this time. Ryu still probably wasn't running full speed, but that didn't stop the Shadow user from getting a little bit giddy over it. She was shoulder to shoulder with Ryu and neither was able to keep ahead for very long before the other would speed up.

They were tooth and nail and mere strides away from their designated finish line. When it seemed she was about to win, something snagged Amari's foot and sent her tumbling, rolling and skidding across the ground at her chakra running speed. She tumbled across the ground until she crash landed into a tree trunk back first. She cried out in pain and fell chest first back onto the ground. Almost immediately the pain receptors in her back began screaming bloody murder at her.

 _What the hell did I trip on?_ Amari questioned as she attempted to push herself up.

It wasn't as if there was a root or stump she hadn't noticed. They had run this forest dozens, if not hundreds of times by now. She knew what was on the ground for almost every inch of the run and the ending where she had just tripped didn't have anything she could trip on.

Before she could even get onto her knees, a hard kick landed square in her ribs, knocking the wind right out of her lungs and forcing to crumple back to the grassy floor in a ball of pain. She tried to breathe through the pain, but each breath elicited jolts of agony through her chest. As she struggled through the pain, she glanced up to see who was behind this assault. Her eyes widened in shock when she found Kasai staring down at her with an evil glint in his eyes.

 _No, he can't have._

Ryu suddenly appeared in the air behind him and kicked him hard enough in the arm to send him flying away from her and out of her line of sight.

This wasn't normal, this wasn't training. This was something that Amari didn't understand as she felt tears welling in her eyes from the amount of pain each breath caused.

Ryu crouched down next to her but didn't take his eyes of Kasai who was supposed to be their best friend. When and why had that changed? What made Kasai set a trap for Amari or Ryu to trip on? What caused this sudden change in their best friend?

Ryu checked Amari quickly with a diagnostic jutsu. "Just broken ribs," the Hyūga assured her.

It didn't feel all that assuring, but it was better than whatever the alternative could be. Amari didn't know what the alternative was or how bad it could have been, yet if he was confident that broken ribs wasn't that bad who was she to doubt him. His eyes could see more than hers could and his medical knowledge far exceeded her own. That meant he was the one she needed to listen to right now.

Ryu looked back to Kasai—who had picked himself off the ground—with an ice cold stare, colder than Amari had ever seen the lavender eyed boy look at anyone. "Why?" he demanded in an infuriated tone.

Kasai merely shrugged at them. Something had changed in their best friend and not just because he had hurt Amari. That was the most obvious change, but the more subtle changes were in the look of his eyes and his posture. His eyes had been full of life and fun over the years. In all the time Amari had known him he never once lost his smile except when something serious was happening.

He always had a joke or a one liner at the ready to make the others laugh when they needed it most. His posture had been straight all the time, a very proud person but not to the extent that it ever got in the way of their friendship. Now his eyes held nothing but the evil glint she had seen and his posture was slouched like he had lost his pride and hated his friends for it.

Her friend looked like a completely different person, his normal green eyes didn't hold the same life anymore, his short brown normally messy hair was spiked like pitchforks and he looked at his friends with the deepest contempt.

Where was the boy Amari had once called friend? What happened that caused him to look at them like he wished their death?

"I want one of your eyes Ryu." The air seemed to still around the forest as Kasai began walking towards them. "I will become the strongest ninja that this shinobi world has ever seen, rivaling that of Hashirama Senju, the god of shinobi, and your eye will help me achieve that goal. I will kill you both if you try to fight me," Kasai said.

 _He wants to take one of his eyes? Can he do that? Is that actually possible?_ Amari looked to her other friend in confusion but Ryu seemed to understand what was going on.

There was a sad look on his face but it was also one of understanding at the same time, like he had expected something like this to happen. Amari couldn't allow her friends to fight; she had to bring them to their senses. She tried to push herself up only for pain to explode from her side.

She cried out in pain and grabbed at her ribs, hoping that by putting her hand near it would somehow miraculously ease the pain. It was like her ribs were exploding from the inside, numbing the rest of her body so she could only feel the crippling pain they caused. "Your little shadow is down for the count already." The green eyed boy let out a sigh of disappointment. "It would really be a waste to kill someone so _pathetic_."

Ryu growled in irritation as Amari whimpered in pain and struggled to breathe. His words struck a deep wound in her heart. Kasai was like a brother to her…and he believed her to be pathetic. Old feelings from when she had woken up came back; the feeling that she was pathetic trash that no one wanted was filling her already aching heart at this sudden betrayal with more pain.

"Amari, stay down. Your broken ribs will only get worse if you try to fight him. I will deal with Kasai," Ryu said as he stood up all the way.

 _Deal with him? He means kill him._ Amari attempted to grab at his ankle to stop him but he moved away from her. _Damn it, don't do this you two. We're supposed to watch after each other, we're in the same boat and have to stick together._

Amari couldn't voice her thoughts, she felt paralyzed with shock as she watched her two best friends stare each other down.

She felt so weak.

Her best friends were about to fight and she couldn't do anything but stare and watch. Had she actually improved at all? Had all that training been for nothing? Was there truly nothing she could do to stop this madness?

"I knew one day I would have to fight someone from stealing my eyes, but I never expected it would be youof all people, _Kasai_ ," Ryu spat his name.

Kasai smiled evilly. "What can I say? I aim to surprise." Ryu took up his fighting stance and by the snort of amusement from their former friend she had to assume he had activated his Byakugan. "So you are going to fight this futile battle I see? You know you could never beat me in taijutsu or ninjutsu."

"We shall see about that when you are face down in the dirt, as always," Ryu responded calmly. Kasai growled in agitation and threw two kunai at the Hyūga. Ryu dodged with ease and blocked the kick that the green eyed boy attempted to go for immediately after it.

Amari watched helplessly as her friends began to battle one another using shurikens and kunai they found on their walks in the forest and taijutsu to hurt one another. Ryu outclassed Kasai in them all and managed to hit multiple impactful strikes, but Kasai managed to land more than a few physical blows as well as managing to cut Ryu in a few places with a kunai.

Tears finally poured over, burning down her cheeks like acid but not blurring the two people she cared about in this world trying to kill one another. _Why do they have to fight? Why can't they stop and remember that we only have each other? Why would Kasai do this?!_

She couldn't take it anymore. When the both of them pushed away from one another and began panting from the tiring fight, Amari lashed out with her shadow. It captured both of them with ease from the amount of shadow she had to work with and stopped their fight completely.

"Stop it! Stop fighting each other!" Amari cried.

"Great, the crybaby is out," Kasai groaned.

That stung and made her tighten her hands into fists to fight off the emotional pain it caused. "We're a family, remember? Please stop fighting each other, we have to stick together," she pleaded.

There was a snort of amusement from Kasai but Ryu was the one to speak. "Amari, you must let me go. Kasai won't stop this now. The boy we called friend is no longer alive, he was killed by the corruption of power I always feared from him," Ryu stated calmly.

She knew he was right, but this entire situation still wasn't right. Amari wanted to keep her only friends; she didn't want to be alone again. She remembered the feeling of loneliness very well, it made her feel cold and like she couldn't breathe. It was like something was purposefully constricting her and tightening its grip around her as it dragged her further and further away from others.

"Don't worry Ryu, her jutsu will only last a few more seconds and then I can kill you and take what I want," Kasai said. Just as he said it, the Shadow user could feel her jutsu wearing off from both boys fighting to break free until it slithered back to her and exhaustion began to set in. _I'm still too weak. I can't stop them._ "And there goes the weakest link. But now that I think about it…how about we take out the weakest link so we can fight in peace." Their former friends smile turned murderous.

"If you touch her again I will tear you apart!" the lavender eyed boy growled as he jumped forward to strike Kasai. Ryu appeared to hit nothing and it looked like Kasai had disappeared.

 _Maybe he left,_ Amari hoped. If he left then her friends wouldn't have to fight and everything would be okay, or mostly okay.

"Amari!" Ryu shouted. She managed to look up momentarily to see Kasai's hands in the seal of Tiger. _Fire style_. Digging down deep, she found what remaining strength she had left in her small body and pushed herself up through the tsunami of pain that washed over her and began weaving her own handseals. _Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger._

Against her common sense and what her pain receptors were telling her, she took a large intake of breath and struggled to keep from exhaling it too early. _Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!_ The friends turned enemies released their flames at one another at the same time. Through the pain of her wounds, Amari could feel her chakra draining faster and faster as each second went by. He had more chakra than her right now and if this kept up he would push her own fire and his into her.

Amari closed her eyes and did her best to calm her nerves by focusing her remaining chakra into the jutsu. _Control what chakra you have, that is what is important. If you can keep it up long enough he'll have to stop._ The fires pushed against one another until finally they both disengaged their jutsu with neither fire reaching their intended targets.

Exhausted from the expense of chakra, Amari collapsed forward right back on her already broken ribs. A mere whimper escaped her as she struggled to look back up at Kasai.

From what little she could see from the ground, he appeared pensive and angry. Internally she felt a small hint of pride. Not for his look, but because her stupid plan to try the jutsu she hadn't been able to do until that moment actually worked and kept Kasai's fireball, who had been practicing it longer than she had, at bay. She would have been even happier about it if it wasn't for the terrible circumstance surrounding her.

"Impressive. You actually managed to use the jutsu correctly." He smirked an evil smirk. "It only took you three years to get it right and it still wasn't all that good."

Of course he would attack her verbally. There was little that was below someone who willingly betrayed their friends and attacked a mostly defenseless girl. Amari did her best to keep her breathing calm, but it was steadily becoming more ragged through a combination of the broken ribs and raw emotion.

He was right, wasn't he? She was weak. If it hadn't been for her calm mind and good chakra control she wouldn't have lasted a second against his Fire Ball Jutsu.

Kasai jumped back to the ground and began fighting with Ryu again without another word or glance in her direction. The two traded blows again until finally their former friend played his trump card. He had one play on the field that the Hyūga boy didn't and that was the use of Amari to get to Ryu.

"Say goodbye to your little shadow."

Amari turned her head away when she saw him throw a swarm of kunai at her.

This was really it. Her so-called friend had turned into a monster. After everything they had been through together, after all the long days and nights of training, after all the time they spent helping and caring for each other he was just going to kill them both. He was going to sever their friendship by killing them like they had never really been friends in the first place.

There was a sound of air being cut and then the sound of kunai being batted away and puncturing its target. It took a few seconds but Amari realized that she felt no pain aside from her ribs. She hazard opening her eyes, fearing what she might see…and then she saw Ryu standing in front of her, kunai scattered around him and blood dripping from several that hit their mark.

She could hardly hear him panting in pain over the sound of her heart beating hard and rapidly in her ears. Amari's eyes grew large in shock and even Kasai seemed surprised by the action.

"Ah, you used the Body Flicker Technique just like I did, you copycat." His voice was condescending. "And all for what? To save some _pathetic_ girl who isn't ever going to be good enough to be a ninja."

"You're wrong," Ryu coughed. Kasai raised an eyebrow in question. "She'll become stronger than you or I ever could. She is not some pathetic girl. Amari is far more than you will ever realize," her friend responded between sharp breaths. Kasai looked at Ryu with a pointed stare but said nothing as he started walking towards them.

Horror had sewed itself into the young girl's body. Her mouth hung agape as she stared at the back of her friend, unable to find her own voice in all this. _No no no no. He can't have._

"Ryu!" Amari found her voice.

He grunted in response to her shrill scream.

 _No. No. Ryu why would you do this? You can't leave me here alone._

Kasai approached Ryu and struck him hard in the chest, pushing the kunai further in and making him fly into the tree trunk that she had crashed into with a cry of pain from the boy. Kasai then picked her up by the throat and looked deep into her onyx eyes, his eyes revealing his attempt to understand what his former friend had said. Amari wasn't even sure what Ryu saw in her that made him say that. Was he just bluffing? It was possible, but why would he waste his breath on a bluff?

His green eyes bored into her until Amari had enough and attempted to throw a punch at him. He easily brushed it aside and landed a solid punch into her ribs that took what fight she had left out of her. Then he punched her again. And again. And again until her cries of pain were accompanied by waterfalls of tears streaming down her face.

"What am I going to do with you?" After a moment of thought, he reached down and picked up a kunai, gripping it tightly in his hand. "I know. Let's give you something to remember me by." In a flash of speed, he sliced the kunai upwards from her cheek bone, up through her left eye and eyebrow.

A horrible shriek of agony reverberated through the quiet forest.

With a grunt of effort Kasai tossed her to the side away from Ryu and out of his way so he could get on with the atrocity he was about to perform. Amari crashed hard into the ground, which only served to send another eruption of pain through her ribs and continued wails of pain from having her eye destroyed.

Amari only managed to hear the scuffle between the two over the sound of her own cries and the throbbing pain that seemed to echo from her left eye and ribs into her ears. Her heartbeat never seemed as loud before as the pain continued to peak to higher and higher levels. She attempted to open her left eye, and she succeeded, but all she found was impenetrable darkness.

Warm blood trickled from the wound onto the hand she returned to the wound, down her cheek and onto her lips, coloring her skin with the crimson mask and bringing with it the taste of iron she wished to never know.

"Now that I have what I need it is time for me to depart before _real_ ninja show up. Goodbye _friends_ ,it was fun while it lasted," Kasai said then ninja jumped his way away.

 _Damn it…Damn it._ Amari lifted her head to see the broken form of Ryu still resting against the tree trunk. _Ryu._ Tears formed in her right eye as she summoned up the scraps of strength she had left to crawl her way over to him. He was still breathing from what she could see in her blurry eye, but he had one eye shut with blood running down his cheek the same as her.

Kasai had gotten the eye in the end and succeeded in killing her friend and leaving her for dead. He had betrayed them and they weren't able to stop him from getting what he wanted.

It was doubtful that anyone would find them now. No one knew of this spot from the orphanage and the only chance of anyone finding them was going to be real ninja. What would they do then? It wasn't like they could fight if the ninja decided to kill them. What if they thought she had been the one to kill him? What would they do to her?

She finally reached Ryu and forced her shaky body to her knees before wrapping her arms around his neck and allowing herself to cry for his inevitable death and likely her own.

Amari cried like she had never cried before as she held her best friend as tightly as she could, hoping by some miracle it would stop death from taking him. No amount of Medical Ninjutsu could keep him alive at this point and he appeared to lack the energy to use it. "I'm so sorry Ryu," Amari cried. "I- I should have let you go! I just wanted-" She just wanted to save her two friends…but her actions cost her them both. "I was…I was too weak to do anything. I was just a burden to you, I always have been."

And now she was going to be all alone again or die in the wilderness, if she was lucky.

She sobbed into her friend's neck until he grabbed her shoulder and moved her back so he could meet her single eye with his own. "You have never been a burden to me," he told her. "Strength is not just your skill in a fight, Amari, but your will to never back down as well. You were strong, you are strong," Ryu assured her.

Amari shook her head in refusal of his comment but he shushed her retort before it formed. "Shh. It's okay, Amari. Everything is going to be okay."

"How- how can you say that?"

He smiled. "Because….you're safe. You'll survive this and keep moving forward, just like you did when we met."

Again she went to shake her head because it wasn't on her own will she moved forward. She had him and Kasai there at her side…and now she'd have nothing. Ryu stopped her argument by speaking again. "My time is short, my friend. Please, do not disregard my words." He flinched in pain then continued. "I have a favor to ask of you. It won't be an easy task that I will ask, but it is important all the same."

She nodded while tears cascaded down her face. She would do anything for her friend even if it meant carrying him all the way out of here and to a hospital just for the chance that he may survive.

Ryu grunted as he brought his hand to his remaining eye. "I want you to take my left eye. You won't be able to see out of your left eye again and you are the only one I can trust with its power." The boy forced a weak smile. "Consider it a late birthday present." His smile faded. "But this is not all I ask of you. I want you to become a ninja and take down Kasai. I…I never wanted to ask this of you, I would've preferred us to fulfill our dream of becoming our own team, but I fear I have no choice. He seeks a dark path and if he finds out you lived he will undoubtedly come for you."

Take his eye? There was no way she could take her friends eye just as Kasai had done, not to mention she was probably too weak to handle having it. "Ryu I- I can't take your eye. I'm not strong enough for this." Kasai was too strong for her to beat. How could she even think to stand a change when he went toe to toe with Ryu?

"I wan- I want to do this for you but I'm just too weak," Amari said. There was no way she could defeat Kasai, let alone become a strong enough to be a ninja. She was a weakling. A no-count. Useless.

Her friend smiled at her but she couldn't find anything worth smiling about right now. This was the end of her entire world for a second time.

"Then you will become stronger," Ryu said with his smile in place. He rested his raised hand on her shoulder. "Never let someone's words ruin your courage and never give up, no matter what happens or what anyone tells you. You are a ten year old child, you can't be expected to be a master of your jutsu's just yet. You have a hidden gift, Amari. You just have to open it up and give it to yourself.

Amari bowed her head slightly and bit her lip to hold back the emotions his words gave her. Finally, she nodded. If he believed in her and wanted this of her, then she would become stronger for him to honor his memory.

"Do not become consumed by revenge but do not forget what happened here. It will make you stronger in the end."

She wasn't sure about that, not when this entire situation was stealing from her the one person who made her believe and feel strong enough…and good enough.

Ryu twitched at the sound of a branch cracking. "You must take my eye now before someone with bad intentions gets here. I'll use what remaining chakra I have left to perform the procedure."

It took time but he performed the transplant by using his Medical Ninjutsu to keep her out of it as he worked blindly yet with perfect accuracy.

 _He would have made a great medic,_ she thought bitterly.

After it was over Amari's left eye socket held his lavender eye. She could actually _feel_ the difference between her regular eye and the Byakugan eye. It was like gaining a new limb with an unknown power lurking within it.

Accidentally she activated the new power. The colors through her left eye changed to an inverted black and white yet also allowed her to see the smallest of intricacies of a leaf bending under the wind as it fell to the forest floor in front of her. Another new ability she found was that her vision could extend to even further lengths in front of her and at almost every point three hundred and sixty degrees around her.

There was so much she could now perceive that she wouldn't have been able to notice before like the bird that was directly above them and the squirrel climbing a tree only a few meters to the left of them. A more pressing matter, though, was that she could see the fading chakra network of Ryu.

She could now literally _see_ him fading away in more than a physical sense, that was not something she wanted to be able see. With a gasp, she immediately deactivated it and her eyesight returned to normal. There wasn't any significant draw on her chakra but it felt so foreign in her eye socket.

"...I'm sorry," he apologized. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to stop Kasai. Sorry I've made you the target of power seekers…But I believe my eye will be in good hands, and now you can see a better future for both of us. One where we aren't bound to the life we've lived. Until you've grown stronger, though, I would ask that you cover it up so people don't know. It will keep you safe."

Amari nodded to her now blind and dying friend as she pulled her bandana down to cover her left eye. _From now on I won't show anyone my eye and I'll tell them I'm actually blind. I won't let them know I have two eyes, I promise…And I will see a better future for us both._

Ryu managed another smile as he rested his hand on her shoulder. "Stay strong for me Amari…I'll be at your side to the end, I promise."

She choked out a sob and hugged him one last time.

Not long after Ryu passed away in her arms.

Tears burned down her cheeks as she held Ryu's lifeless body, sobbing until her eyes no longer shed tears and her sobs became whimpers. She was alone again. Her friends were gone and now she was going to have to find some way to fulfill the dying wish of Ryu. The pain was overwhelming and burned inside her like a fire she would never be able to douse.

She was lost and alone. No friends and no parents.

Everyone she cared for _died_.

A gust of wind blew through the forest and was followed by four individual thumps landing on the forest floor behind her. An hour had passed since the fight and she had repeated to herself that she was alone and everyone she knew and cared for died over a hundred times during that time. It was only right that she torture herself mentally for being too weak to save her friend.

"Go away," Amari whimpered. There was only pain in her heart right now. She did not want to fight with anyone right now. "Just leave me with him." Her voice was but a whisper in a raging storm of anguish and suffering.

Amari heard the sound of a foot stepping forward. "Kurenai wait," a gruff voice called. The walking didn't continue. There were whispers that she didn't listen to but a heavier foot suddenly stepped forward.

They were organized. Someone was definitely in charge here.

 _Ninja squad._ _ **Real**_ _ninjas._

"What happened here?" a more relaxed but stern voice asked. Amari didn't answer. She didn't have it in her to explain how one of her best friends turned into a metaphorical monster and killed her other best friend in an attempt to gain an eye.

 _A damn eye. He chose power over friendship_.

Anger started to well up in the young girl. She couldn't comprehend the betrayal of Kasai any better having the thing he desired. All it did was grant a strange power to her that she didn't fully understand yet. Was their friendship so meaningless to him that he betrayed them for something she saw as trivial?

She turned her head and body around to face whoever the people were, ignoring the pain in her ribs the action caused. If they wanted to know what happened all they had to do was look at her bloodied face and her dead friend to get a good grasp of the situation. The ninjas looked at her with studious eyes and small shock, undoubtedly caused by her bloodied face and pathetic look.

Based on the symbols on their forehead protectors they were ninja from the Village Hidden in the Leaves and without a doubt Jōnin's if she could sense their chakra correctly.

One was a woman with fair skin, a slender build and red eyes. She had long untamed black hair and wore a red mesh armor blouse with only one long sleeve similar to Amari's mesh top only this woman's sleeve was on her right arm not her left. She also had bandages wrapped around her hands and upper thighs. Judging on the lack of any other woman in the squad, she had to be the one named Kurenai. Her red eyes felt vaguely familiar and unknown at the same time.

 _I feel like I've stared into red eyes before and found comfort, yet hers are different in a way I can't quite put my finger on._

The man next to her had dark spiky hair and a big beard with a cigarette between his lips. He wore the standard ninja uniform with his sleeves rolled half way up and the flak jacket that the other two men also wore. He had a sash that had the kanji for Fire marked on it around his waist.

There was a man in a green jump suit, an unzipped flak jacket and orange leg warmers. He wore his forehead protector around his waist with a red cloth and to top it all off he had a black bowl cut and bushy eyebrows. Definitely the odd ball of the group if Amari had to guess. In a lighter atmosphere his leg warmers and eyebrows would have made her giggle.

She was not in a giggling mood. No amount of laughter could heal this wound on her heart.

The man who had spoken to her and taken a step forward had silver hair. He wore a similar outfit to the spiky-haired man with a green flak jacket, dark blue pants and a long sleeve just without rolled up sleeves. This silver-haired ninja also wore fingerless gloves with metal plates on the back of them while his left eye was covered by his headband and the rest of his face, with the exception of his right eye, was covered by a blue mask.

His uncovered eye was lazily half open but his stare was still intense. He had seen a lot of bad things if she had to hazard a guess. Seeing how he looked practically unfazed by her appearance, she had to doubt he was the most compassionate person of the group.

"I- I failed him," Amari whimpered. The woman looked at her with sympathy, probably because she looked so damn pitiful. She sure felt pitiful. If these ninja were to attack her she'd be dead in seconds if they were kind, it would be hours if she was really unlucky.

"Kakashi," Kurenai pleaded.

The silver-haired man, Kakashi, didn't even glance back at her. He looked the most serious of the four and he was definitely not taking any chances with the situation at hand. "Don't forget, Kurenai, that there are kids that can be stronger than us."

 _They are being cautious of me? A weakling like me?_ Amari turned away from the ninjas and back to Ryu. Couldn't they tell she was a pathetic excuse of a fighter? It had to be obvious enough for Kasai to notice it and continually make remarks about it.

"What exactly happened here?" Kakashi asked firmly.

His firm tone on any other occasion wouldn't have brokered much argument from the young girl, but as she glanced to Ryu she couldn't find it in herself to speak. She felt the pain and tears coming back as the memory of the fighting and eventual death of her friend played through her mind again. "I- I don't want to talk about it…Please, I just want to be alone." Yet that was actually the thing she wanted least. What she wanted was her friend back, but there was no way that was possible.

There was a sigh behind her then another set of footsteps forward. "Did you know the boy well?" Kurenai asked. Her voice was soft and filled with care; it was gentle and almost motherly.

Amari nodded silently. _My best friend, the only one who cared about me._ The woman crouched down on her left and rested a hand on her shoulder. The young girl glanced to her and caught the comforting look she was giving her.

She should have voiced it but she didn't have the strength to. She knew her voice would falter and she would cry again even if no tears actually fell. "I'm sorry." The woman looked truthful in her apology for something she had no part in. "I understand this is hard. Losing someone close to you is never easy, but we need your help finding who did it. Who killed him?"

 _A monster, a savage being with no remorse, a boy I will kill when the time is right and I have become strong enough._ Those were the thoughts that crossed her mind but she knew that was not what they were searching for. They were looking for who he was so they could find him and bring him in or kill him or whatever mandate the ninjas had for this instance.

 _I can't tell them. They aren't the ones who are meant to kill him._ His life wasn't theirs to take; it was hers for failing to save Ryu and then promising the same boy that she would stop him. Instead of answering her question, she asked her own. "You are Jōnin of Konoha, yes? I don't know why I ask, I can tell by your chakra. You are all far too strong to be Chūnin or Genin," Amari said.

While it was possible they could have remained at those ranks, the strength and chakra she could sense from them was far too strong for those ranks, definitely this woman next to her and the man who was standing close behind her as if he thought she didn't know. She could feel their strength irradiating off of them.

The air seemed to still with her comment. No answer was necessary, but the tension in the air was so thick it was almost palpable. Was it abnormal for someone her age to have such a keen ability to sense chakra levels? Did that make her a threat? If this was going to be the end, she wasn't going to go out without saying her final goodbye to the boy in front of her.

Amari wrapped her arms back around Ryu's neck and rested her forehead against his. This would be her last chance for goodbyes. "Goodbye Ryu…watch after me, please. I wish I could have helped you…to have saved you from that _bastard_." She felt her tears coming back against her wishes not to cry anymore. Kurenai stood up next to her and took a step back, giving her the courtesy of privacy. "…you will always be in my heart and I will make you proud. I will grow stronger and become the ninja you wanted me to be."

A man crouched down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her…and then rested his other on Ryu.

That was a bad move.

No one was allowed to touch Ryu, least of all someone she barely knew. Who were they to think they had the right to touch her dead friend? Amari lashed out with her shadow, attaching herself to all four Jōnin in an instant despite her dwindling chakra. There was no way she would be able to hold it for much longer, but what time she had would allow her to issue out her threat. "Shadow Possession Jutsu? But that's impossible. This is the Nara Hidden Jutsu," one of the men behind her said. It was the only voice she had yet to hear so that meant it was the bushy browed Jōnin.

The Shadow user turned to look to her right where the silver-haired Jōnin was crouched next to her. His uncovered eye seemed unimpressed at first with his head only being slightly turned but still in visual sight of her right eye.

Amari felt her anger surge around her as a new but slightly familiar feeling in both of her eyes formed. She had activated her newly acquired Byakugan in her rage and now she could see the chakra network of the silver-haired Jōnin as well as the other three through her bandana.

Suddenly Kakashi's eye widened in shock.

Dust particles in the air were easy to see in the air and she could make out the slight twitches of leaves falling to the ground behind him as if they were moving in slow motion for both of her eyes. "Remove your hand or I'll kill you," Amari threatened, her tone cold.

An instant later her shadow receded and slithered back to her as exhaustion made her anger dwindle away.

With the rage gone from her mind, Amari was able to consciously perceive the odd change in both of her eyes. Her right eye felt similar to the Byakugan eye, yet completely different. She understood why her left eye could catch small details, but her right eye now could see the same things, minus the inverted black and white.

Everything appeared so much clearer, like someone had wiped away the fog from her originally perfect sight and gave her better vision than what was initially considered perfect. Instinctively she deactivated both her Byakugan and whatever had happened in her right eye as she brought her hand to it. "What the hell was that?"

Why had her eye felt so…different? It was the only word she could think of. It had felt like it was drawing on her chakra just like the Byakugan had and granted her better perception than her eye had ever given. _But my right eye is normal…right?_

"Kakashi?" the voice that had mentioned Shadow Possession asked in question.

Kakashi let go of Ryu and looked over to the other Jōnin and shook his head. "Not now, Guy."

The silver-haired Jōnin looked back to Amari, who was lowering her hand from her eye with the unfulfilled desire to have a mirror or something to see what had happened.

The strain on her chakra was beginning to take its toll and she could feel her body crashing hard. Never before had she felt this tired, but the man next to her had no intention of letting her sleep. "You are coming with us back to the village. Do your parents know where you are right now?" Kakashi asked.

She shook her head. _What parents?_ she questioned bitterly at herself. "We're orphans." Whoever her parents were, they hadn't been around for the last three years and Amari couldn't remember past that. Maybe her parents had loved and cared for her. It was always possible. The bitterness she had now wasn't really at them; it was more towards herself for losing Ryu and at Kasai for killing him.

"I figured as much. There was a third boy who you considered your friend who did this," Kakashi stated instead of questioned. Amari nodded regardless. "Where are his eyes?" he asked, motioning towards Ryu.

Amari gulped, the truth was the only thing she could answer with. This ninja knew that his eyes were stolen. Maybe they had been watching her or saw the transplant and were waiting for her to waste her remaining chakra. "He took one…and Ryu…" she trailed off.

The masked Jōnin looked at her with a watchful eye. "Your covered eye?" he asked. She nodded again knowing that either way she would have to tell them. She was not in a position to do anything else. If they took it and killed her then that would be that. Right now she didn't have a chance in hell of fighting back. She barely had enough chakra to grab them with her Shadow Possession Jutsu before and there was no way she would be able to do anything to fight them now.

"Byakugan?" he asked. Amari nodded again. Kakashi let out a sigh. "We'll take care of him then. We'll let you know where he is buried when you get better. For now let's get you back to the village."

She felt something tap her neck then everything went dark.

* * *

The three Jōnin surrounded Kakashi and the kids once they saw the girl crumple to the ground unconscious. Kurenai silently picked up the girl with a compassionate look on her face while Kakashi respectfully picked up the boy.

 _This was an interesting turn of events,_ Kakashi thought.

The four began ninja jumping their way back to the Leaf Village carrying the two children who were at the center of this strange day. Guy was the first to speak up. "Kakashi, what happened? Why did you look at her in shock?"

How was he going to explain this to the others? Truth was as good of a start as any. "From what I can tell, the boy was an orphaned Hyūga from the main branch considering he doesn't have the seal on his forehead."

Which was strange in of itself. Someone should have at least taken him in among the clan to protect his eyes from this happening. How he ended up out this far away from the compound and away from his clan was unknown for now.

The others nodded in understanding to his explanation. They followed along on that much easy enough.

"Whoever he fought took one of his eyes from him. She has the other in her left eye." Kakashi stopped himself as he tried to figure out the best way to phrase his next words. _No sense dancing around it. It's going to shock them regardless._ "Her right eye now holds the Sharingan."

"What?" the three Jōnin asked in shocked unison.

He was aware at how crazy that sounded. The only living members of the Uchiha that he knew of were Itachi and Sasuke with the former being a rouge ninja and the latter being inside Konoha. Sasuke had yet to unlock his Sharingan, which left Itachi and Kakashi as the only holders of the dōjutsu…until now.

This mysterious girl now held two of the great dōjutsu's in her eyes and somehow also knew Shadow Possession. She was definitely of Uchiha blood, but as far as anyone knew Itachi had killed everyone. How did she manage to survive and remain hidden for so long? Did she even know of her heritage?

 _With the way she reacted, I doubt she even knows who the Uchiha Clan are._

"How is that possible? The whole clan was murdered by Itachi save for Sasuke," Guy pointed out. Kakashi wasn't sure how it was possible, but it was. The pain of losing her friend had activated her Sharingan with only one tomoe.

"I don't know," Kakashi conceded. "Her knowledge of a Nara Clan jutsu and unlocking of the Sharingan eye means that somehow her real mother or father were born into the Nara clan and knew the jutsus and one of them was also an Uchiha. There is no other way it is possible for her to know that jutsu and have the Sharingan."

If one of her parents happened to be a Nara and she hadn't learned the jutsu through other means then that would give them a lead to follow to find out exactly who this girl was. It would all depend on how forthcoming the Nara's would be with that information and if they actually had records of whomever this girl's parent had been.

There was a thoughtful silence between the four Jōnin for a few long minutes.

"Do you think we should split up and look for the other boy?" Asuma asked at length.

Kakashi had thought of that but they didn't even know where to start other than he had a Byakugan eye. If the kid was smart he would have gone to ground and had a place to hide before betraying his friends in the case he failed or ninja had shown up.

Their mission had been to find what the disturbance was and see if it was another village's shinobi fighting a squad of Leaf ninjas or if it was rogue ninjas. The boy had a Byakugan eye now, but he was working alone. Currently they had more pressing matters with solving the mystery of how this girl was part Nara and part Uchiha.

Kakashi finally shook his head after thinking a bit longer on the question. "No. He was on his own and betrayed his friends. By all means he doesn't deserve to go free but…this girl has a purpose in becoming stronger to defeat the boy who betrayed her friendship. If we take that away, what does she have then?"

Another thoughtful silence fell between them until all three nodded in agreement.

Hopefully the Hokage would know more about the origins of this girl.

"She'll want to become a ninja then," Guy stated.

The Copy Ninja nodded. That was a fact he knew for certain. Becoming a ninja was the only way she would be able to perfect her jutsu's and become stronger, and she would definitely become stronger if that cold red stare was any indication.

 _The killing intent that came off the girl…_ He had experienced far more potent levels of it in his time as a shinobi, but the amount that flooded off of her in that moment…He'd be a liar if he said it didn't send a shiver down his spine.

"What's wrong Kakashi?" Kurenai asked, clearly seeing the faraway look in his eye.

 _It was strong…not strong enough to paralyze an enemy with fear, but I could feel it irradiating off of her. This girl is no ordinary kid._ In that red eye he could see the depths of her feelings as if it was a real mirror to her soul. He saw the anger, the pain, the sadness, the growing hatred and the intent to kill him if he didn't let go of the boy.

"The killing intent that came off of her was strong…She would have tried to destroy me had she had the strength and chakra to attack."

Concern filled Kurenai eyes as she looked down at the girl in her arms. The look wasn't because Kurenai feared for her own safety. She was worried about the kid, worried that she would turn into someone who enjoyed hurting others. _She'll need to be watched until we know her intentions and her personality better._

"For now she'll need to see the doctors while we talk to the Hokage about her."

This girl was going to be one of the rarest cases the village was going to have next to the boy with the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed in him.

Time would tell if that would be a good thing.

* * *

 _A/N: A note here regarding why Amari/Haya was given the Byakugan. I know her having both eyes may lead some of you to stop reading here and now because of that choice, and to those who do and actually read this note, thank you for taking the time to read these two chapters and have a pleasant day. To anyone hoping to stop me from posting this with negative comments, don't waste your time. Nothing you say will make me stop posting this story._

 _Now, to those sticking around the reason she was given the Byakugan and Sharingan was because when I first came up with this story I wanted Amari/Haya to be of Uchiha and Hyuga blood. I really liked the idea of a child with both Sharingan and Byakugan eyes. But I loved the Nara Clan techniques and characters too much to pass up the opportunity to write a Nara and Uchiha child. I couldn't get the idea out of my head, though, and I knew this would likely be my only OC based going through the Anime Naruto story, so to sate my desire for it, Ryu and Kasai were created for this moment...and then their characters became so much more later on beyond just a way to give Amari/Haya one Byakugan eye. I won't spoil that, obviously I don't want to spoil the surprises ahead, but if any of you are worried that her having both eyes will make her overpowered, don't. Eyes alone do not change the course of a fight, one needs to be physically capable and intelligent as well to win a fight._

 _Final words, this story goes beyond just the fight scenes within it. There are plenty of emotional struggles ahead for the characters in this story, and those struggles, in my opinion, are what make this story awesome. I have made the people I've let read this story before I posted it cry, and that to me is a victory. So, all I ask is if you're on the fence between leaving and staying, I won't beg you to stay or ask you to read something you don't like, but if you can look beyond my self-indulgence of a Byakugan and Sharingan warrior, you may find this story to be as entertaining and emotional to read as it has been to write it._

 _Anyway, thanks for reading and I will see you next week!_


	3. Chapter 2: A New Life

Chapter 2

A New Life

Amari groaned in pain as she awoke from unconsciousness. Everything hurt. Her ribs ached and throbbed, her left eye and the surrounding area of skin burned and tingled…but what hurt more than all of that, what truly left her incapacitated now was the pain residing in her heart. She refrained from opening her eyes to prevent herself from seeing what new, foreign world she was waking up to this time. But it didn't matter if she opened her eyes or not, not when she remembered everything that happened in the forest between herself, Ryu, and Kasai.

Even if she were to lay here forever with her eyes closed, the memories would persist and never stop playing on the back of her eyelids as they did now. The memories would torment her with the sights, smells and all the sensations of pain dealt to her, both the physical and non-physical wounds.

Waking up in the orphanage with no memories had frightened her. It left her with an ache in her heart as she waited for her parents or someone else to come pick her up and tell her it was all a mistake that she ended up there. That she wasn't abandoned like a piece of trash. She waited for a long time for someone to arrive, silently weeping to herself at night when no one would know how bad it was hurting her to be forgotten and to not know her own history.

But now all she wanted was to have her memories wiped. She wanted to forget the familial relationship between herself and the two boys. She wanted to forget the ache in her heart over losing them both. She didn't want to remember anything about her past.

 _No._

It was a lie. Amari didn't want to forget all the smiles, all the laughs and good times they shared. To do that would hurt exactly as it had when she awoke with no idea of who she was or where she came from. She would be left again to wonder if she was just a piece of trash thrown to the side of the road, and she didn't wish that upon anyone.

 _I won't throw away the only memories I have left. I may have lost both Ryu and Kasai, but I won't lose their spirits._

To the young girl, the Kasai she knew and loved as a brother was dead. He died along with Ryu and part of her heart back in the forest they trained in at the hands of that damned _imposter_.

 _One day…_ One day she would make him regret heartlessly murdering her best friends. For killing the amazing grin Kasai had and his intoxicating laugh that could keep her in giggles until she was crying, and for killing Ryu's soft smile that made everything feel okay even when she was hurting inside, this new Kasai would pay a thousand fold.

That wasn't today, though. Today she had to figure out what new life awaited her, and what kind of pain it would bring.

Unable to avoid the inevitable any longer, she creaked her right eye open and nearly slammed it shut again as blinding white light pierced through the fog of her vision. _A hospital_ , she deduced. How nice for someone to care enough to bring her to medical care to spare her pathetic life and give her medical bills to pay.

 _I'll need a job_.

Another problem to solve along with the lack of housing, food and experience to actually have a job that didn't involve humiliating herself or being treated like she wasn't even human. _I hate my brain_. Why did she have to actually think like this? Calculating every problem and trying to come up with solutions that would need kami's intervention to succeed, it was like her brain wanted her to know how screwed she was.

 _Stupid brain. Ryu and Kasai—_

The thought of her dead friends sent a sting of pain into her heart, halting the thought as she tried not to let any tears fall. _Ryu and Kasai aren't here to bail me out anymore. I have to figure this out…alone._ She feared that more than death. Loneliness wasn't fun. It was painful, and dark, darker than the monstrous black heart of the new Kasai.

Contrast to the looming dark cloud hanging over her was the sterile white room finally coming into view. Her left eye was shielded by her bandana still, thankfully, but as her awareness increased she felt a presence in the room…the presence of a powerful shinobi.

"Troublesome," she cursed under her breath when her ribs screamed in agony at her for trying to sit up.

"I wouldn't try sitting up right away if I was in your position. Broken ribs can be quite painful, but I suppose I don't have to tell you that," a familiar voice called from the right corner of the room. Annoyance was the first emotion to hit Amari—because seriously? Did the voice really needed to have that air of amusement to it? Here she was, broken ribs on top of a broken heart, and some shinobi was making light of her situation.

 _If I wasn't a weakling…I wouldn't even be here in the first place._

Internally resigning to defeat at her own thought, Amari lazily rolled her head across the pillow under her to at least look at the silver-haired ninja that had found her in the forest. "Hey," he greeted in a cheerful manor with a wave that betrayed his serious body language.

 _Sheesh, it's like he thinks I'm some master escape artist._ Every inch of his body was tensed and at the ready as if she would spring out of the bed and dash out the window faster than he could react. "No need to play nice if you're going to look all serious," she told him. Any other day she might have appreciated the attempt to be friendly…just not today.

Today shouldn't have even existed the way it was. _I should already be sneaking out with Kasai and Ryu to go train today._ But she wasn't. She was stuck in this stupid hospital without any of her friends or any semblance of solid ground to stand on.

Amari rolled her head back to its natural position and stared up at the ceiling with a solemn look. "Not like I have the chakra to do anything anyways. Even if I could I'd be too weak to make a difference."

" _Pathetic girl who isn't_ _ **ever**_ _going to be good enough to be a ninja."_

Kasai was right, wasn't he? She was too weak. Too weak to save Ryu, too weak to do anything but cry like the pathetic waste of oxygen she was.

 _I am weak…_

" _Then you will become stronger."_

Ryu's words hit her hard. Tears pricked at her eyes, forcing her to shut her eyes to keep them from falling. His words…his parting smile, she could almost reach out and touch it. _Just…just one last time. I just want to hug him one last time and tell him how much I appreciated everything he ever did for me._

This one wish…she would give up her left eye and the ability to become a shinobi to have him in her arms again one more time. Not as a crush, not even as a best friend, but as the brother he would always remain to her.

 _I'm…all…alone._

" _Stay strong for me Amari…I'll be at your side to the end, I promise."_

No. _No_. She was not alone. Ryu was still with her in her heart, fighting to get her to stand back up and fulfill his dying wish.

Maybe she was too weak to defeat Kasai…but for Ryu she would pick herself up and grow stronger. She would prove that his trust in her wasn't misplaced, that his sacrifice wasn't a waste.

"Who says I look serious?" the ninja asked still feigning his playful tone.

"Your body language," Amari answered in a flat voice to conceal her inner turmoil. At least this shinobi was offering some sort of distraction, even if she didn't really want to partake in a conversation. "You're tense, your eye looks bored but under it you're analyzing every detail about me. Your eye checked the distance between this bed and the window three times when I looked over, and even though you're sure you could stop me easily, I noticed you shift in your seat to make sure you could launch if you needed to."

Her right eye had caught every movement he made and picked it apart to the tiniest details. From there her tired mind went to work in putting together the pieces of the puzzle to make a coherent analysis on her watchdog.

"All that from one glance?"

 _Crap._ Opening her mouth was a mistake. How had she forgotten her current predicament so damn easily? She was an unknown to these shinobi, and none of them had any reason to keep her alive if they didn't need her. _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ They were probably keeping her around to gather information. The more she talked the less valuable she was.

"You just went rigid. Something wrong?"

"Just worried I dug my grave quicker." She tried to imitate his light tone and conceal the truth in her fear. She failed spectacularly. _I'm testing my luck when I have no way to fight back? Nice work, Amari, nice. Why not just cut your wrists, you may bleed out before they send you into interrogation._

"Do you really think we'd waste our time trying to heal you if we were going to kill you?" the silver-haired ninja asked.

In one hand Amari understood the logic of his statement. Why would they waste resources such as medicine, time and a room when there were others of their own village they could use it on? It made logical sense that they were indeed trying to help her if she looked at it from that angle.

On the other hand, if she was dead then they had nothing to go on for why there was a fight, who Kasai was or if they were going to take the eye away from her. They needed her alive for interrogation if that was the final destination of this all.

"I…I don't know."

Everything she knew had ended up flipped upside down on her. Knowing what these ninjas really wanted with her was so beyond her depth of knowledge, the Shadow user didn't care to attempt to figure it out. Regardless of what they wanted, she would cooperate willingly. No sense in making things harder than they already were.

For the next hour Amari struggled through her pain to sit up so she could get a better view of the room. The ceiling was just _so_ boring. The least she wanted was the ability to see outside to distract her from the memories. Every attempt was met by failure. Her ribs would scream unpleasant things at her until she fell rather unceremoniously back onto the bed, and then scream more from the landing.

It wasn't until the ninja, Kakashi, helped adjust her pillows to rest vertically against the wall after helping her sit up that her mission was a success. The young girl muttered a thank you then rested her head back against the pillow as she gazed out the window. She couldn't see much outside of a blue sky and a few buildings, but it was enough for her right now.

Neither Kakashi nor Amari felt the need to fill the silence with useless conversation, or at least that was her assumption on why he kept silent as it was her own.

What did they have to talk about anyways?

He was obviously here to watch her for one reason or another and talking about what happened in the forest seemed pointless if someone else was going to come question her. Initiating small talk didn't make any sense considering her severe lack of social skills.

The only question she could think to ask was what book he was reading, but she honestly wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer. At a glance it looked like some kind of pervy book Kasai would read, which gave her even more reason not to ask. Not only did she not want to know the contents of the book, but the reminder of the old Kasai was troubling.

Silence seemed best.

So they sat in relative silence. The silver-haired Jōnin was nose deep in his book—and was he giggling? Amari shook the thought off and continued to wonder about the meaning of life and her purpose in it.

Actually she was thinking about sending a fire ball at the ninja after she found a way to regain some chakra to destroy the book in his hand, but if anyone asked that was her planned answer.

The door suddenly sliding open broke the Nara from her stewing thoughts of destroying the book to see the other three Jōnin from the forest walk in.

… _I wish I woke up with amnesia. At least I wouldn't feel this pang of worry at my chances of survival and I might believe they aren't going to hurt me._

A fourth man joined them, a man whose chakra was stronger than each of the Jōnin currently in the room. His presence alone was enough to make the young girl instinctually repress herself and begin backing into her pillows as she tried to shrink away. Her right eye darted across his outfit, taking it all in to try to figure out who he was. He wore a full length kimono, a hat and haori with the kanji for Third Hokage written on it.

Her eyes widened at the sight of it. The…the Third Hokage was in her room. The Hokage, leader of the Leaf Village and the strongest among them, was in her room.

 _Oh…I am so screwed._

As the young girl began damning herself for being able to sense his chakra and showing how scared she was in the presence of four Jōnin and their leader, she mentally wished for her death to be quick and painless.

His eyes held no hostility in them despite her reaction, but she had to be in deep trouble. The Hokage was _here_ , in her room! She was just some orphan, a nobody of no particular talent or interest. No logical reason existed for him to be here; none that she could think of anyways and she was thinking really hard.

The Jōnin, minus Kakashi who had yet to look up from his book, made themselves comfortable across the room. As they did, the Hokage began to regard Amari with careful eyes. It took her hand clenching the sheets of the bed out of view of his eye sight not to tremble. Intimidated didn't cut how she felt. This man was the strongest in _all_ the Leaf Village. That was what the title of Hokage meant. If he wanted to, he could kill her before she even flinched.

Despite his title, he was actually short statured compared to the other four and a lot older than the blue-haired girl imagined he would be. Wrinkles and age spots marked his weathered face and was paired with a grey goatee, showing he had seen far more years than she had, _and a lot more fights, too_. Even if he was old, the strength he possessed was far greater than she thought was humanly possible.

His eyes stared at her thoughtfully yet suspiciously, like she was going to spring some sort of trap on the room. _Are shinobi just that naturally paranoid?_ And why did they have to stare at her silently? Didn't they realize how uncomfortable that made her? It didn't help that it felt as if he could read her mind just by maintaining eye contact. She was vulnerable and defenseless, but she had to keep herself from having a panic attack.

Amari brought her right hand to her left arm and held onto it to try to soothe her own nerves. He was strong, but having four Jōnin in the room with him was for a mission debrief as much as it was for protection.

Against what?

The young girl wasn't sure.

She wanted to believe four Jōnin and the Hokage weren't scared of her, but the suspicious part of his gaze and the way the two male Jōnin stared at her as if she could strike them down made her heart pound against her chest.

"I- uh-…" Amari gulped nervously and tried again to form a coherent statement. "You're really strong and all of you are staring at me like I shouldn't exist, which really worries me because I don't know why and its making me really nervous…" And she always babbled when she was nervous. It was such a pain. "…I'll just stay quiet."

 _Smooth Amari,_ the young girl chastised herself. She sounded like a bumbling idiot and nothing she had said helped her case. _Keep digging. Maybe someone will eventually pull you out…or fill in your grave, might be easier that way._

A chuckle came from Kakashi. "You're not very good with people, are you?"

 _Seriously?_ Was he seriously doing this _now_? She was already having trouble trying to keep a level head. Pointing out her terrible skill at conversing with other human beings wasn't helping! _And he can't be one to talk. He met a girl crying in the forest and he decided it was good idea to quiz her on what happened. On top of that, that jerk knocked me out!_ She hadn't even figured that last part out until just now, but still! _Troublesome adult._

"Says the man who knocks out children and reads pervy books," she mumbled.

To her utter surprise, each ninja chuckled or smirked at the words she hadn't meant to be heard by anyone, bringing on an embarrassed blush. _Why do I keep doing this to myself?_ At this rate, she was going to die via being a smartass. _At least I'll make the old Kasai proud if I do._

The Hokage approached the bed and sat down near her legs. He offered her a comforting smile and said, "Let us start from the beginning."

"I- I don't know where I'm from. I woke up in the orphanage," the young girl replied nervously. It sounded like she was trying to hide something, but she wasn't. It was the truth. That was the only beginning she knew of.

The Hokage nodded understandingly. "Then start from there."

* * *

Amari went over all the details of her time in the orphanage to how she ended up being found in the forest. She managed to make it through without falling into tears thanks to the comforting nature of the Hokage, who was far nicer than she expected.

After explaining all of that, the Hokage showed her two symbols on cards asking her if she knew either. She did but that was thanks to the ratty old history books at the orphanage. When she first woke up, those had been her go to guides on figuring out where she was and the history behind the Land of Fire.

The first card shown to her was the Uchiha Clan crest; a fan with a red top and white bottom. The other was a far more intricately designed crest belonging to the Nara Clan; a circle with three swerving lines going from the top right corner to the bottom left plus three shorter vertical lines, one at the top connecting the first swerved line to the top of the circle, the second connecting the middle swerve to the top swerve, and the bottom connecting the final swerve to the bottom of the circle.

She knew little else about the two Clans. The books back at the orphanage were missing pages, and even if they hadn't been she doubted they would have explained anything else about them. One didn't put the secrets in a book anyone could pick up, especially children at an orphanage.

"So…I'm of Uchiha and Nara blood," she stated rather than asked. She didn't really need to. What other reason would the Hokage show her these two symbols for?

"Yes," he answered anyways.

"Is it…possible my family is still alive?" She wanted to hope, but the last three years of waiting made it extremely difficult to. Amari wasn't even sure how she would react if they were. Happy? Angry? A mixture of both?

The deep sigh of the Hokage deflated any chance of hope reigniting. Her eyes fell to her lap as he explained the fate of the Uchiha Clan. Every single member, save for a young boy in the village, was slaughtered in one night…three years ago. Worst part about it, the birthday she had been celebrating was the anniversary.

A hand gently resting on hers brought her attention from her lap to the sorrowful eyes of the Hokage. "I am deeply sorry, Amaririsu."

"I…eventually accepted I would never see my family again. I just…" There were so many feelings she harbored over the past three years. Feelings she never aired to anyone…but to find out that the family she couldn't remember had been killed…it hurt. Badly. Amari swallowed hard, trying to keep her voice from being the broken sob it wanted to be, and attempted to redirect the conversation. "That's why you all have been staring at me like I shouldn't exist. Because…I shouldn't…be alive."

The hand holding hers squeezed it, unconsciously she held on tighter. "What matters is that you are alive, and you have finally made your way back home after three years."

Awe filled her eyes as they returned to the kind eyes of the old man. "…I can stay?" She hadn't dared to hope, but…if she could stay, she would have access to their shinobi academy. That was all she needed to fulfill Ryu's last wish.

The Hokage nodded and smiled warmly. "Of course. Konoha is your home. And from what I have heard you intend to become a shinobi."

Yes, yes she did. Amari immediately moved to bow, only for shooting pain to tear across her chest. "Argh!" She retracted her hand and grabbed at her ribs, her features contorting to show the agony she was in.

"Easy," the soothing voice of the sole woman in the room reached through the pain to her ears as her hand rested on her shoulder and forced her to sit back. "It will take time for your ribs to heal, so don't push yourself."

"Th- thank you. Both of you," she thanked through her pain.

They didn't owe her anything, not kindness and not open arms back into what had once been her home, but she appreciated it all the same. The woman offered a kind smile and a small nod, but when she met the eyes of the Hokage, his were far more serious.

"You are welcome, but know this is also for your own safety for you are now in possession of two highly coveted powers."

"Two?"

He nodded and went on to explain the two powers resting in her left and right eye. In her left was the gift from Ryu, his Byakugan eye. She considered asking if she was allowed to keep it, but decided against it. If she didn't bring up the possibility of removing it, maybe they wouldn't either.

What she did learn was her right eye held another dōjutsu called the Sharingan. It was her Kekkei Genkai, or bloodline limit, and it had been unlocked from the immense pain of losing Ryu right as Kakashi touched him. It had a different set of abilities according to the Hokage, but he didn't go too far into explanation. He chose instead to warn her of the same people Ryu had: the power hungry.

"…I have a bigger target on me than I thought," she murmured.

"Yes. It is in your best interest to never activate it around others, and to keep the Byakugan covered under your bandana as it is now," the Hokage explained.

"I'll keep them hidden," she promised. _For Ryu…and for my own safety._

After informing her she would be discharged in a few more days and that for the time being she would remain under guard, the Hokage and the Jōnin departed from the room. The next few days were a mixture of boring and emotionally draining. Dreams of Ryu and Kasai haunted her sleeping hours and followed her through the rest of her day stuck in the dreaded hospital.

Nothing felt right. Even though this village had once been her home and was now her home again, it was all so foreign to her. She should have probably known different locations or landmarks, but nothing she could see from her window registered in her mind.

When she was finally discharged, Amari was guided to the Hokage's office by the Jōnin Kurenai. The meeting with the Hokage was about her new living arrangements. According to the doctors she was underweight by several pounds; a point Amari tried to protest since she had some muscles. The doctors didn't have any of it, and neither did the Hokage.

Because of her lack of weight, the fact everyone rightly doubted she wouldn't eat properly without supervision due in no small part to depression, her eyes _and_ how much training and school work she would have to catch up on before being admitted to the Academy, sending her to a different orphanage was out of the question.

The solution to this problem: Amari would temporarily share housing with a shinobi who would serve as both her guard and her caretaker. Who was said shinobi? None other than Kurenai Yūhi, the first person to volunteer for the mission.

Her schedule for the rest of the week consisted of a bunch of running around to gain the materials needed for training, studying and general necessities, like spare clothes. She was also to meet with the Hokage again in two days for a special meeting, _whatever that means._

After being dismissed, Kurenai showed her the way to her home while trying to engage the blue-haired girl in conversation. They were going to be sharing the same housing for a while so it was best they got to know one another to make it more comfortable, right? Amari did her best to be respectful and answer her questions, but being social with a stranger was a bit intimidating; something the older woman ended up thinking was amusing much to the embarrassment of Amari.

Eventually they arrived at a cozy looking two-story house a bit of ways away from the center of the village. Timidly, Amari entered behind her new caretaker, removing her sandals at the door before she was given a short tour of the first floor. The living room was nice and spacious, far more spacious than anything back at the orphanage, with a love seat and a couch awaiting use. The kitchen was neatly organized with a dining table that didn't seem to get as much use as the owner intended.

 _Life as a shinobi does keep people away from home, I suppose._

Everything was neat and clean, though. Hardly a speck of dust anywhere, no clothes or other items left sprawled across the floor or countertops. "I'm happy you're neat." Her voice was barely a whisper, but Kurenai paused at the sound of it, almost as if she already had training with shy girls who didn't speak above whispered levels.

"Oh?"

Amari immediately began blushing in embarrassment at revealing one of her quirks. "…everyone else at the orphanage didn't really care to put things away or clean up after themselves. It drove me crazy sometimes, to the point I'd start cleaning up after them. Ryu and Kasai would inevitably join in…but not without a few complaints."

Kurenai's lips pulled into a warm smile. "Well, I'm happy you like it here so far." She dipped her head towards the stairs. "This way. I'll show you to the guest room."

Silently, Amari followed her up the stairs and to the right to what was meant to be her temporary room. She didn't place her expectations too high. A guest room probably was rarely used so it wouldn't have the best furniture or a lot of space, but she didn't really care about either of those. The orphanage was crowded and the furniture couldn't really be called furniture.

Anything was really an upgrade from that. Even a carpeted floor would be an upgrade. _I wouldn't mind a carpeted floor._

Kurenai reached the door first and opened it then motioned her to enter first with a wave of her hand. Amari entered cautiously then went rigid at the sight before her. "This will be your room," the woman behind her said.

Amari barely even recognized her voice. Her eyes, even the one under her bandana, were wide with shock. "This…is my room?" It had to be a mistake. Surely the Jōnin was pulling her leg and the couch was really her bed.

"Yes…is something wrong?"

The young girl found her footing and walked to the queen sized bed that had pillows, _real_ pillows, comforters and sheets all on it. She placed a hand on it and felt the comforter. _So soft._ She cast her eyes across the room as she held onto the bed; there was a closet, a desk with a window looking out to the rest of the village and _space_.

"I…" This was too much. Too much for her to take in, and far too much for her to accept. "Miss Yūhi…I can just sleep on the couch. You…you don't need to use this room for me."

"Nonsense. This room hasn't been used since I moved in. It's yours for as long as you need it." Amari felt her move to her side but she dared not meet her eyes and reveal the tears welling in them. "Do you not like the room?"

"…we didn't have beds at the orphanage. They were worn out cushions on top of wood." Painful and uncomfortable to say the least. "Because of how many of us there were, we had to share everything with each other. Food, beds, everything. Ryu, Kasai and I used to be squished together all the time." And she was actually going to miss that. Having them close by always comforted her against the despairing feeling of loneliness.

Amari saw rather than felt the sad look Kurenai was giving her as she realized the internal turmoil the girl was having. She hadn't asked to sleep on the couch because she didn't like the room; she asked because she never had these simple luxuries before and felt she didn't deserve them.

Overwhelmed by everything, tears streamed down the Nara's cheeks as she turned and fell to her knees, bowing her head before the woman who had volunteered to take her in. "I swear I will repay your kindness!" she sobbed. "I- I will keep track of everything I cost you and repay it all when I become a shinobi. I promise I won't be a burden! I won't—"

A hand rested gently on her shoulder, cutting her off and making her lift her eyes from the floor to see Kurenai kneeling in front of her. "Amaririsu, you won't have to repay anything."

"But—"

"All you need to focus on is getting healthy, training and catching up on your studies." She shook her head. "Don't worry yourself one bit about repaying anything. This was my choice, and I have a good feeling about it." She smiled warmly. "Call it a hunch, but I think a lot of good is going to come out of this."

More tears streamed down her cheeks along with a few broken whimpers and sobs until finally Amari couldn't restrain herself any longer. She tackle hugged the woman for her kindness and let out all of her tears. The comforting arms of Kurenai wrapped around her and held her tightly as she sobbed into her shoulder.

Overall, her first day out of the hospital was a good day.

Kurenai was an immense help in getting Amari settled in to her new home, but even with the soft bed, warm showers and healthy food, it wasn't easy. The bed felt too empty, the house was silent as a graveyard and the food actually had taste to it. The last one wasn't a problem she wanted to solve, but the other two would take time to get used to. When things seemed to quiet, she would hum to herself, and when she couldn't sleep because there wasn't another person breathing next to her, she would hug one of her new pillows and pretend it was Ryu or Kasai.

Nightmares still chased her, leaving her to find her pillows soaked with tears in the morning after a long night of reliving the loss of her best friends.

Amari was early on the day of the meeting with the Hokage, but the old man didn't seem to mind. Together they went for a walk through the village towards a set destination he did not inform her of. Their walk was as peaceful as it was insightful to Amari in how popular the Hokage was among the entire village. No one had a cross word to say to him; all greeted him with wide smiles and sparkles in their eyes at being graced with his presence.

Honestly, it made her feel honored just to walk with the man.

Over the course of the walk he would ask her questions ranging from how she was settling in to her recovery. The Shadow user did her best to answer honestly, but some questions were just too soon for her to talk about. The Hokage understood, and also seemed to get the answers he was looking for even when she didn't say much.

The true purpose of their walk came to light when they reached their destination: the head of the Nara Clan's home. "We're here because of my knowledge of their techniques, aren't we?" she asked.

"Yes, but fear not, you are not in trouble." Relief filled her at the reassurance. "While Kurenai's skill is irrefutable, she will not be able to teach you anything in relation to the Nara Clan Hiden Jutsu's. For that, you must learn from your Clan."

"O- okay," was her shy response. Not that she wasn't excited to learn more about a technique she knew relatively nothing about, but learning more from the Clan meant more interactions with strangers—her worst skill.

The Hokage went up to the door to knock while Amari hung back and stared shyly at her toes. She did her best to mentally prepare herself for social interactions with a new face, but the door opened before she could even formulate a good motivational speech. "Ah, Lord Hokage. Welcome." There was a space of silence the blue-haired girl assumed was filled by a bow, though she couldn't be sure due to the nerves keeping her eye pinned on her toes.

"Shikaku, I would like to introduce you to Amaririsu. Amaririsu," the voice of the Hokage beckoned her to raise her eye to meet the stranger. Their eyes met, and in the eyes of the man she saw a sudden flare of…recognition, perhaps? Maybe not. "This is the Head of the Nara Clan, Shikaku Nara."

Amari bowed deeply. "Sir." Silence followed as she remained in the bow, uncertain of how to continue without sounding like a babbling fool.

"Amaririsu, huh?" A short chuckle her ears sensed was equally amused as it was strained by something she wasn't sure of. "A fitting name for a shy flower like yourself." Pink tinted her cheeks as she raised herself from her bow and resumed staring at her toes. "Care to show me what technique you know? I would like to see for myself if you truly know our Clan Jutsu."

Without speaking a word, Amari focused inwardly on her chakra and on the instinct she relied on to move her shadow. Sure enough, her shadow extended forward and captured the man. "Impressive. You can use it without handseals, but is that out of laziness or lack of knowledge?"

She let her shadow recede and shook her head. "I don't know any handseals for it. It…It's hard to explain. I don't have any memories of my past, but when I woke up in the orphanage, I ended up using it on fear filled instinct." She shrugged helplessly. "I just latch onto that same instinct to use it."

"Seems we'll be starting at the basics then."

Amari raised her eyes from her toes again to meet his. "You'll train me?"

Shikaku nodded. "I will as much as I can, but I have other duties to the Village that may get in the way." He hummed thoughtfully then suddenly smirked. "But my son could learn about responsibility and leadership from teaching you."

The Hokage shared a knowing smile with the man then politely asked for Amari to wait outside for him as he went inside to discuss important matters with the Head of the Nara Clan. Amari obeyed and sat herself down on the front porch to stare up at the clouds. It was relaxing and one of the few things she could still find enjoyment in.

"I wish I could be a cloud," she murmured.

"You and me both," a lazy voice agreed.

If she could have jumped out of her skin, she would have. Instead she embarrassingly squeaked and moved to hop off the porch only to end up tripping and falling into the grass with an _oof_. Looking up from the grass, she found a boy that seemed to be about her age with his hair pulled into the same fashion as Shikaku. Based on his eyes and facial structure, he was his son.

The boy was staring at her with an amused smirk and an eyebrow cocked up in confusion. It only furthered her blush. The boy came down to her level, but instead of offering a hand to help her up, he sat next to her and laid all the way back. "Sorry about that. But the clouds look better from down here anyways, so I guess it works out."

Hazarding a glance up, she found that he was right. "I'm Shikamaru. Just found out I'm going to be teaching you about our Clan Jutsu." He didn't sound all that enthusiastic about it, but she couldn't blame him. His father had sort of thrown them together and it was mostly her fault.

"…I'm Amaririsu. Sorry about…this."

"About what?"

"Me…intruding on your life." Because that's what she was doing, wasn't it? Being an intrusion on his life because she didn't know the mechanics behind her own Clan Jutsu?

"Ah, don't beat yourself about it. As long as you don't be a drag, we'll get along fine."

"I'll do my best…" She glanced down to the boy, who had his eyes closed, and consider her next actions carefully. This was her first chance at making a new friend…and he was a clan member. "Can I…watch clouds with you?" she asked timidly.

"I don't mind. Make yourself comfortable. Knowing dad it'll be a while before he's done talking with the Hokage." Amari beamed with pride internally at her first successful interaction with another kid her age while lying down next to him. Maybe she wasn't a hopeless cause.

Thus started her relationship with Shikaku and Shikamaru Nara.

As Shikaku expected, he hadn't been able to always be there to teach her. On those occasions she would be taught by Shikamaru. The boy thought the whole affair was troublesome, but Amari took no offense once she realized he thought everything that required exerting more than minimal energy was troublesome.

Shikamaru was, however, in possession of the information she was supposed to know at their age since they were both ten years old. When he would go cloud watching she would tag along for the very slow walk and listen to him explain what she needed to know in detail.

He taught her how to use it tactically in a battle, how to train to become better with it and keep a hold of a target longer. Amari soaked up that information every time he spoke that way he wouldn't have to repeat himself. He hated that.

Troublesome in his words.

Upon reaching their destination they would watch the clouds go by. Amari believed he enjoyed having her there despite his insistence that teaching her was such a drag. Just lying down silently with him, both of Nara's getting lost in their own thoughts or not thinking at all gave both of them a peace of mind.

The Nara family wasn't the only one she was bonding with. Kurenai was an active part of her life for the following five months. She helped her get healthy physically before they started any sort of training and offered her help with her studies when it was needed. The five months weren't without their strife or struggle. Between the nightmares and the voice in her head telling her she would never be good enough to be a shinobi, Amari's self-confidence hardly existed.

Through it all, Kurenai was at her side doing her best to help her rebuild a foundation to stand on, but it wasn't something that would be fixed over five months. The more they were around each other, though, and the more they worked together, the closer the pair became. Amari began to see her as a mother figure, and she hoped the woman hopefully, maybe, saw her as something like a daughter.

The time they shared together became precious to the Shadow user, to the point she felt pain in her heart anytime she thought of the inevitable day that would come when Kurenai's mission to watch over her was over. She…she didn't want to lose their connection. Their bond, it gave her something to hold onto when everything else was hurting.

 _Maybe someday I'll gain the courage to ask her to adopt me…someday._

Today wasn't that day. Today was the day she began attending the Ninja Academy. Kurenai entered Amari's bedroom just as the young girl finished adjusting her bandana to cover up her left eye. "Are you ready?" Kurenai asked.

Amari nodded. "As ready as I can be."

In truth she was nervous. Five months around the Nara's and Kurenai hadn't changed her lack of skill in conversing with new people. Going into a class of complete strangers who had been in the same class for who knows how long made her anxious. The young girl had a feeling she would be the outcast, but she had hope there would be other outcasts who wouldn't mind her being around.

 _Maybe Shikamaru will be there. At least he'd be nice._ Kurenai smiled at her and poked her forehead, in turn making the young girl smile after falling into a worried frown. The gesture was something she herself had started doing to show the Genjutsu Master she cared. Having it reciprocated made her feel more comfortable, easing her nerves from the troubling thoughts she had.

"You will be fine."

"And if anyone asks about my eye, I say a crazy orphan cut my eye, blinding me and leaving a nasty scar so I keep it covered." Amari spent time repeating the story when she was alone to sound believable in her half-truth.

That was if she didn't have a nervous breakdown.

Kurenai walked Amari to the Academy. Due to Amari's habit of waking up early and internal desire to always be on time, she was one of the first kids there. Kurenai guided her to the classroom to give her the ability to soak in the layout of the Academy without the fear of getting lost along the way.

Her new sensei was waiting in the room already drawing on the chalkboard what appeared to be the lesson of the day. _Fundamentals of Chakra and Jutsu…_ It sounded incredibly dry, but she would apply herself to become the best. That was the only way she would catch up to Kasai and avenge Ryu.

Her new sensei had long brown hair kept in a ponytail, dark eyes and a scar running across the bridge of his nose. He wore the standard Konoha shinobi outfit, though his sleeves were rolled up a quarter of the way. He stopped writing on the board once he noticed Kurenai and Amari enter the room. "You must be the new student I was told to expect," the man greeted with a warm smile.

"Amari, this is Iruka. He's your new sensei," Kurenai provided introductions for the shy girl who was doing her best not to look to her toes.

"Hello," the young girl greeted, her quiet voice barely making its way out of her as she bowed. A pat on the head from Kurenai gave her some small comfort to keep her shyness at bay.

Trying not to be rude, Amari looked to the board to see what he had written with the hope of showing she wasn't a complete waste of time to teach. A lot of the information written down she had learned over the past five months of studying and training. The reason she was even here was because Kurenai believed she was ready to join the others, having caught up in four months and excelling just a bit more ahead of the class in the fifth.

She…she was just trying really hard to prove her worth to everyone, especially herself.

"Is it too early for Nature Transformation? Like Fire Ball Jutsu?" Amari questioned quietly.

Iruka's eyes widened at the question and Amari swore she could sense pride irradiating off of Kurenai. It hadn't been her to teach her how to use it, but it was because of her training she didn't feel faint after one use. Three was about all she had in the tank. "Fire Ball Jutsu? Kids your age don't have the chakra for that jutsu."

Apparently that was three more than she should have been able to do.

Amari raised an eyebrow in confusion. "They…don't? But I…" _Kasai and I both can use it and he was preforming it long before I was._

Her new sensei raised his eyebrows in genuine surprise. "You can?" She nodded. "Interesting. How many?"

The question was simple, but her voice died in her throat. How was she to explain her abilities without sounding like she was boasting? She didn't want to sound arrogant. More importantly, she didn't want to walk in and graduate the same day to be sent out into the field. There was no way she was ready for in the field work yet.

Nerves gripping her heart left Amari gripping her mesh covered arm as she tried to find her voice. As all hope seemed lost with Iruka still waiting for an answer, Kurenai swooped in to save her. "Five months ago it was barely one. Now she is fully capable of using it two times to her full ability, the third is weaker and leaves her vulnerable."

"Incredible!" Her new sensei sounded genuinely impressed as he was shocked. "Does she have large reserves or is it all chakra control?"

"Both," Kurenai answered. "Her reserves exceed most kids her age, but she's been working hard on controlling what chakra she has to its full potential." Another proud smile sensed. "She continues to exceed my expectations; I have no doubt she'll do the same here."

"No pressure," she mumbled. _Troublesome woman._

Iruka nodded then offered her a kind smile. "I look forward to teaching you, Amaririsu. By the sound of it, though, I don't think it's going to take you long to find your footing here."

"I...hope so."

"Do your best," Kurenai said before pushing her forward to give her no say in the matter.

Once everyone arrived for class, Iruka immediately started the class by introducing her to the rest of it. Horrifying didn't scratch the surface of what it felt like to have everyone's attention. Her quiet voice earned her a few hecklers, making it even harder for her to speak in front of so many people. Others, the more invasive, asked questions about why she was covering one eye while a few others asked why they had seen her walking with the Hokage.

Where was she from? Was it another Village? Why was the Hokage taking interest in her? Who was she, and this time speak up. The bombardment of questions left her on the verge of breaking into a sweat. Then she was saved, not by Kurenai or Iruka, who did his best to try to field off the bombardment, but by another student. He didn't realize he was saving her, due in no small part to being dropped off by another ninja who looked angry, but that blond-haired kid's interruption was all she needed to slip into the shadows and find a seat.

Shikamaru, who was in this class, waved her over and let her sit between him and a girl named Ino; a choice she couldn't say she regretted because it was next to the only person she knew that was her age, but when she found out she was next to the gossip monger of the class…well, it deflated her optimism of being left alone pretty quickly. _But at least Shikamaru is here to ride it out with me._

Her first day went over well, for the most part. She did her best to learn everything while also being engaged by Iruka with questions like he did with other members of the class. Being the new girl was bad enough, being the new girl who answered questions that stumped the smartest members of the class didn't help her situation at all.

At lunch she brought all of her studying materials with her to avoid any further interactions. She ended up choosing the shadow of a tree with a swing hanging from it to hide behind. _Finally alone._ Amari exhaled a sigh of relief for surviving half the day and went to work getting out her lunch and textbook to continue studying.

She finished her lunch and devoted the remaining time left to studying more about chakra control in her peaceful sanctuary…until _it_ happened.

"Hey!" The shout earned a squeak of shock out of her. Peering around the tree next to her was the blond-haired boy from earlier, wearing a bright orange jacket and pants. His eyes were a bright cerulean color and he wore a confused look on his face. "What are you doing hiding back here? No one hangs around here."

"I…I was just studying," she replied timidly.

"I've never seen you around before." He moved around the tree and knelt down to her level, leaning in close into her personal bubble to seemingly analyze her.

"…I'm a new student."

"New student?" the boy questioned.

Amari nodded. "I was…saved by the Leaf shinobi after I was left for dead in the forest nearby. The Hokage allowed me to stay." _Because this was my home once_. She left that part out. The Hokage had told her to keep her Uchiha heritage a secret for her own safety; she wouldn't second guess his judgment.

"That sounds rough, but at least the Old Man let you stay. He's pretty cool." He leaned back onto his haunches and out of her personal bubble. A grin suddenly pulled onto his lips as he jabbed his thumb to his chest. "Not as cool as me, though! All I have to do is get stronger and then I'll be the next Hokage! Naruto Uzumaki, that's my name and don't you forget it!"

His enthusiasm was…contagious, admittedly. His grin was bright and warm and filled her with a bit of confidence just being on the receiving end of it; it reminded her of the past Kasai as well as someone else she couldn't quite recall. _Naruto Uzumaki, huh?_ A small smile pulled onto her lips. "That's a good goal. I hope you succeed in it."

Enthusiasm and confidence disappeared to be replaced by honest confusion and what looked like hope. "You…do?"

"I do," she affirmed with a nod. "Just make sure you don't forget to be kind and generous like Lord Third when you do become one. I may be new, but even I can see how much everyone cherishes him." _Because I do, too._

The boy's bright grin returned as he chuckled. "All right! You bet I will! Uh…" He opened his eyes and she noticed a hint of embarrassment in them. "I never asked you what your name was. Do you have a name?"

"Oh. My name is Amaririsu."

Naruto extended a hand to her with his smile returning. "Nice to meet you, Amaririsu!"

Amused by his energy, Amari took his hand in hers and shook it. "Likewise, Naruto Uzumaki."

And that was how she met the boy who would become her best friend; a boy who would end up inadvertently teaching her about the Will of Fire and push her to become stronger than she ever believed she could be.

The next two years consisted of going to the Academy and training heavily with Kurenai when she wasn't out on another mission. Life at the Academy was…difficult at first. She was able to improve her social skills, but two small factions ended up forming within the class. One group consisting of all girls absolutely adored her because of how much they enjoyed playing with her hair and her shyness making her _sooo adorable_ in their eyes.

It was such a pain.

The other group formed out of social mistakes she made. At first it was caused by her smashing the pride of one of the boys by turning him down when he offered her protection. She made it abundantly clear she did not want protection and that he couldn't protect her even if he wanted to. _Too weak, too focused on being cool instead of real training._

His faction of friends became her tormentors, and it only grew as she continued to grow in strength and skill. Eventually it encompassed a legion of fan girls belonging to the only other Uchiha besides her when she started out shining them and catching up to him. They called her names like one-eye and did their best to put her down at every corner.

Sometimes they succeeded. It wasn't an unknown fact to anyone close to her that words could tear her down. But Amari was not without defenders. Naruto had latched onto her as much as she latched onto him and stood up to the male bullies as much as he could. Even Shikamaru joined in after they started referring to each other as cousins.

The two years weren't without their good memories, though. One of her happiest moments was given to her by Kurenai. A few months before her first year anniversary, the amazing woman surprised her by doing what Amari secretly wanted with all her heart: she adopted the young girl. Amari cried her first happy tears because of her and hugged her so hard for it.

Not only had Kurenai given her a place to stay, but now she was giving her a home and a family. No longer was she just the orphan child with no home or family to speak of; she was Amaririsu Yūhi of the Leaf Village. That was something no one could take away from her, not even Kasai.

Graduating was her next goal, and it was right around the corner. While she had no fear of passing it, Amari was worried about Naruto. For all his enthusiasm and effort, he couldn't perform the simple Clone Technique. After brainstorming hard on it, and with advice from the mysterious Kakashi who had popped in every now and then over the last two years, she decided there was only one way to get him to pass: he was going to have to create solid clones instead of illusions.

Amari made a promise to Kurenai and herself to get him to pass this way. All she had to do was learn the technique and show him how to do it then everything would be fine. He would get to pass and maybe they would be lucky enough to end up on the same team.

Most adults would have laughed at her for the idea of creating real clones at her age, but she proved her inner demons wrong by pushing herself to her limitations to reach the goal. The moment she created one she rushed to teach Naruto how to do it too. It was in his hands to learn it from there. She couldn't train for him or create a clone in his place for the exam.

The difficulty of the technique was going to push him to frustration and pain just as it had done to her, but Amari knew in her heart he would be able to do it. What was left in her hands to handle was keeping him inspired and motivated, and to do that she did something her shyness went into panic mode over: the young girl announced to the class she would create one hundred thousand Shadow Clones for the exam. A chorus of laughter was what she received, rightly so considering the ridiculous levels of chakra necessary for it, but Naruto was quick to up her ante by saying he would create two hundred thousand.

That was her entire intention and in the end it worked. Now all they had to do was pass the exam and then they'd be real ninjas, bringing him one step closer to his dream of becoming Hokage.

A dream Amari wished to help him achieve someday.

 _Someday._


	4. Chapter 3: Training for the Exam

Chapter 3

Training for the Graduation Exam

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Amari shouted.

Kurenai watched closely from the shadows as clones began appearing. One turned to two, two turned to four, four turned to ten. Her eyebrows rose in shock as her eyes continued to dart from one clone to the next. Ten turned into fifteen, fifteen turned into twenty-five.

The red eyed Jōnin could barely believe her eyes. She knew her daughter set out to find out how many clones she could create at full chakra, but this was beyond her expectations. Adult Jōnins like herself would be lucky to even maintain ten strong clones simultaneously, but twenty-five corporeal clones without incredibly diminished strength?

 _She's really developed her chakra control over the last two years._ Any normal twelve year old could only dream of pulling this off, but not Amari. Her drive to become a shinobi was stronger than any of her class, and her goal to one day face Kasai kept her dialed in on her number one priority: training to become stronger than him.

She wasn't done yet, though. Twenty-five turned to thirty-three, thirty-three increased to forty-nine, forty-nine jumped to sixty-two. A few seconds of stilled silence passed then Amari dropped her hand sign and bent forward at her waist like a hinge to rest her hands on her knees as she panted from exhaustion.

Kurenai found herself staring at her adopted daughter in a bit of awe and thoughtfulness. _Incredible. Two years ago she was severely underweight, barely able to use Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu and struggling to find her feet. This feat, this amazing feat shows just how far she has come since we found her in that forest_. A proud smile pulled onto her lips. _Amari, you've grown so much in the last two years. But you're not done yet, are you? This last week of learning the Shadow Clone Jutsu shows how much potential resides within you. I know you weren't trying to achieve one hundred thousand, but sixty-two is just as impressive._

 _I'm proud of you._

Thankfully Amari was fully aware of the dangers of using too much chakra and promised to not push too far when using this jutsu. Pouring every sliver of your chakra into a jutsu did not mean the jutsu would be successful; using too little would, at best, end in failure without major consequences. In this case, to create real clones the user had to distribute their chakra evenly between them for the clones to be a success, otherwise the clones wouldn't work or the overuse of chakra would kill the user.

Neither of which were an ideal situation in any circumstance.

If Amari was stopping now it was because she knew she couldn't distribute her chakra any further without risking her life or a failed clone. _When it comes to chakra control, Amari is leagues ahead of her classmates._ Despite that fact, Amari still needed to work with it, but that was a training session they would discuss later. Right now Kurenai wanted her to revel in her ability to create sixty-two _solid_ clones.

"Only…sixty-two," Amari panted. "I can do more…I know I can."

Eventually, maybe, but Kurenai was positive this was her limit. Any chance of creating more would require finer tuned chakra control or several more years of training to increase her reserves. There was no real sense in increasing the number outside of pride, which Amari did battle with from time to time.

The only use she would have in using this many clones at once would be intimidation—that was about it. Creating this many clones drained her chakra significantly, which meant she wouldn't be able to maintain them for long in a combat scenario. Once the clones were gone, she would be vulnerable to attack.

At best she would have a minute before it became too much to maintain, though that was being generous. In the end she would collapse from chakra exhaustion. _But_ , the red eyed Jōnin thought, _if she masters controlling her chakra, she could use at least ten clones without feeling exhausted. She would be able to keep the jutsu active for a longer time and overwhelm lower ranked shinobi._

Amari let out a deep breath and stood up straight. "Just not right now. I've used too much chakra. I need to rest."

Kurenai smiled. _Good, she's aware of her limit._

Amari's announcement of being at her limit, much to her shy dismay, led to all of her clones starting to cheer and high-five each other. Kurenai watched with an amused smile as the real Amari's cheeks flushed in embarrassment and she shyly tried to scold her copies. None of them listened. They kept letting out whoops and cheers, showing her real excitement over her achievement even though she wasn't willing to show it herself. _Modest even when she has every reason to be cheering with them._

This was an impressive achievement.

Impressive as it was, Kurenai couldn't stop a pensive look from pulling onto her features. _Still, this is no longer just a Shadow Clone Jutsu. This is the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, an A-Rank Jutsu in the Scroll of Sealing…and she even changed her handseal._ A small smirk pulled onto her lips. _Only one person that could have taught her that. Isn't that right, Kakashi?_

Seemed Kakashi had more interest in Amari's growth than he pretended to have. Not that she blamed him for his interest. This girl, her daughter, was something special.

 _I'll have to inform the Hokage that she has learned this jutsu._

Kurenai turned to leave from her where she was watching, which was far enough away that Amari couldn't sense her or see her without her Byakugan, only to turn into both Iruka and the Hokage himself. How long the pair had been there was unknown to her, having been far too engrossed in witnessing her daughter's ability than she was to her surroundings.

"Lord Hokage," she bowed, "I was just coming to speak with you."

Lord Third nodded and motioned to Amari in the distance with a small dip of his head. "I can see why." Kurenai looked back to the clones and smiled as she saw Amari's clones in the process of giving their original a huge group hug. She didn't even need to see the blush to know that her daughter was red as a tomato. "She has mastered an A-Rank jutsu in a week just as she promised. I am very impressed, as well as worried," the Hokage said in a stern tone.

 _Worried?_ Kurenai raised an eyebrow in question. Hearing that Lord Third was worried over her daughter's safety activated her protective instinct instantaneously. "Worried about her hurting herself or of someone hurting her?" she inquired. She understood that her daughter was pushing herself to her limits and how dangerous it was, but if someone was targeting her daughter she wanted to know.

Her daughter was in possession of two very special eyes that certain individuals were willing to kidnap or kill her for just to have them…and Kurenai would _not_ stand idly by and let any harm come to her as long as she had breath in her body. Anyone who dared to threaten her life would learn the meaning of pain.

"I always worry over someone else hurting her, but for now I am simply worried about Amari hurting herself."

That was a relief, enough of one to make her exhale a soft, relieved sigh. For now her daughter was still safe in Konoha, and Kurenai hoped it would remain that way for the years to come.

The Hokage stared thoughtfully out at Amari. "She seems to know her limits, but if she pushes herself too far in an attempt to push Naruto, she may end up hurting herself physically or emotionally."

He was right, of course. Amari may have stated that she understood that her limit could be far below what she thought it would be, but that didn't mean she wouldn't feel disappointed. _The kids won't be able to make fun of her for not reaching that goal considering she achieved more than they thought was possible, but that won't stop any of the cruel kids from berating her anyway._

Amari was fragile when it came to handling people verbally assaulting her for being so shy or for not acting as the other girls in her class did. It only grew worse when she started surpassing boys and girls alike. None of them understood her or her drive. Boys were too focused on being cool, girls were too focused on boys and looking beautiful.

The Nara didn't care for any of that. She wanted to be a better ninja. She wanted to be strong so she could not only defeat Kasai, but so she could protect the people she cared about.

Even though there was a group of girls that constantly called Amari unpleasant names, Kurenai believed those girls were only serving to make her little shadow stronger. She took on whatever pain she was given and she responded by becoming better and stronger than the others.

She was the top rookie kunoichi this year; this was proof of that right now as far as Kurenai was concerned.

Taking into consideration the bullies Amari dealt with and her level of skill, it would be easy to assume she would grow arrogant and closed off to everyone else. Such an assumption would be false, however. While Amari did have far more confidence now than when she arrived, she did not treat anyone like they were lesser than her. She was kind and respectful to those who were the same to her and used the skill level of all her fellow students as a challenge to become the best.

Her challenge with Naruto to create an impossible amount of clones was part of that.

"Do you think it worked? Pushing Naruto I mean?" Kurenai asked. Pushing Naruto to pass the exam was the core of Amari's goal, but she couldn't know for certain if it was working without spying on him.

 _Amari won't stand for Naruto flunking the exam_ , she thought, glancing over to her daughter. _She'll take it upon herself to find some way help him pass if the worst happens._ Shy as her daughter was, when it came to something important to her she didn't shy away from fighting for it. _She wants him to chase his dream and she has the determination to make sure he gets that chance._

Iruka nodded in response to her question. "I think so. Naruto has become more driven since her announcement. I'm curious Kurenai, are Naruto and Amari friends or rivals? I was under the impression they were friends, but they seem like arch rivals right now. The way they stared at one another after class made me a little worried they had a falling out."

Kurenai smiled at her daughter's antics to keep up the façade of being rivals. Amari had no intention of leaving behind Naruto's friendship. To her, he was like a brother, even if she was too shy to show it all the time.

Over the years, Amari listened and learned about Naruto from the boy himself, though it was possible he didn't know she was quietly studying him, picking apart his words to understand hidden meanings and looking deeper into his eyes to see the truth with her mirror like onyx eye. As they grew closer, her observations reached a solid conclusion: he was suffering even if he didn't seem like it.

" _Before we met, he was suffering, Mom. He's been suffering more than anyone even realizes. And the parents of our class are to blame for it."_

" _The parents?" Kurenai asked, wondering just how much she had observed from the shadows._

 _She nodded. "I've been watching them for a while now. They look at him with disgust and pull their kids away when he gets near. They even warn them to stay away from him. Because of their actions, their kids treat him the same way by either ignoring him completely or treating him badly. Naruto…he's been suffering because he's alone, because no one cares about his existence." Amari furrowed her brow and shook her head. "No, that's not true. Because I care. He's my knucklehead and as long as I'm alive he won't have to suffer through being alone."_

 _Your reasons went deeper than that, didn't they, Amari?_ Kurenai already knew the answer to her question, knowing her daughter's reasons and Naruto's situation better than Amari realized. _You didn't want him to suffer the same loneliness you live in fear of._ _You opened your arms to Naruto and latched onto him the moment he walked into your embrace. Naruto latched onto you in return because you were the first to open your arms to him, the first to treat him as a fellow student and friend._

Admittedly, she had been skeptical of their friendship blooming. They were complete opposites; Amari was shy and reserved, choosing to remain quiet to explore her thoughts or listen intently to what someone wanted to talk about. Naruto, on the other hand, was loud and brash like a bull wearing bells on its horns as it crashed through a china shop. Where Amari was patient and analytical, ready to scope out a situation and all of her options before acting, Naruto was a restless ball of energy that acted before thinking and rarely sought other options outside of the direct approach.

Against what seemed to be stacked odds, the pair became best friends. They balanced each other out; Amari served as the calm thinker and Naruto brought all the energy and inspiration. _Amari may have been the first to accept Naruto, but it was Naruto that inspired her with his dream of becoming Hokage someday. He doesn't care that the odds are stacked heavily against him; he swears he'll do it and prove everyone wrong. His never give up attitude inspired Amari and gave her the strength and courage necessary to keep fighting for her own goal, though I doubt the boy knows this. Now she is trying to repay that. To help him take the first step on the path towards his dream._

"They haven't fallen out, Iruka," she answered. "Amari has long stopped seeing Naruto as just a friend. To her, Naruto is a brother." _And she'll never let him give up on his dream._

" _I'm going to protect his dream, Mom. No matter what it takes, I'll protect it."_

Iruka looked at her in a bit of shock, though it was understandable. As Amari astutely pointed out, hardly anyone ever gave Naruto a chance. Their parents feared him and looked at him like he was the Nine-Tailed Fox, although the kids didn't understand this reasoning due to the decree.

They just saw the way their parents looked at him with fear and distrust which caused them to feel the same thing. To hear that someone consider him like a brother was surprising to those who didn't understand the bond the pair shared.

"Like a brother?" the Chūnin Sensei asked.

Kurenai nodded. "Naruto is the reason Amari is pushing herself like this. He unknowingly inspired her to become a great ninja. When doubt would consume her," and it did consume her over the years, "Naruto's will was one of the things that kept her going. He gave her such an invaluable gift in her eyes that she wants to repay it by helping him take the first step towards his dream," she explained.

"I see."

"It seems Naruto has passed the Will of Fire to Amari," the Hokage observed. Both Kurenai and Iruka nodded in agreement. "She has grown much since she returned and I look forward to seeing how much she grows in the future."

 _As do I. And I know three others who are also keenly interested in her growth._ Guy, Kakashi and Asuma had just as much interest as Kurenai and the Hokage did, each keeping their eyes on her progress over the last two years in their own ways. Kakashi popped in now and then during her training sessions to offer advice or moral support, Asuma played shogi with her or joined Kurenai on walks through the village to ask after her daughter's progress…among other reasons. Guy watched from the shadows and, according to Kakashi, was scouting her because he was under the belief she was going to be Kakashi's protégé.

 _I really hope they don't drag her into their challenges._ That was a problem to keep her eye on for Amari's sake, but not an imminent threat. There was a far pressing matter she had yet to ask about.

"Is Amari in trouble for learning this jutsu herself, Lord Hokage?" Kurenai asked.

Besides the obvious dangers of the jutsu, she had worried she was letting Amari cross lines she shouldn't be. The jutsu was far above her daughter's rank and it was in the Scroll of Seals; there was also the killing intent Kakashi felt two years ago to consider. But Amari's determination to learn the jutsu to help Naruto pass stopped Kurenai from warding her off.

Whatever killing intent Kakashi had seen in Amari when they found her had not surfaced since then. Amari held no evil will in her heart; she cared deeply about her friends, and though she was too shy to physically stand up for kids like Naruto, she comforted them as best as she could afterwards. To Amari, the whole village was one giant family that she could never bring harm to.

It was possible that her killing intent laid dormant within her and would only ever show itself in situations where her friends were being hurt. But one didn't need to be inherently evil to show killing intent. The only hatred Amari harbored was for Kasai, but even that had receded as she found purpose in helping Naruto achieve his dream.

Lord Hokage smiled at her. "On the contrary, I couldn't be more proud of her. She has surpassed my expectations and is sure to graduate this year. I believe she will be an excellent ninja."

"Hey, do any of you know when I ate last?" Amari questioned her clones. There was a chorus of "I don't know" and "so hungry" from the clones who began rubbing their stomachs. "Can one of you carry me home?" The sound of dispelling clones caused Kurenai, Iruka and Lord Third to beam in pure amusement. _Only Amari,_ Kurenai mused. "Ah man, don't be a drag! I'm tired!" Her remaining clones dispelled. "Fine, be that way. I'll walk myself home. Troublesome clones."

Amari took a few steps but then immediately collapsed to her hands and knees. Kurenai's watchful eyes darted over to her as her protective instincts began to override her. Was her daughter hurt? Had she pushed too far?

Lord Hokage simply chuckled at the sight of her stuck between rushing over and remaining in the conversation. "Go ahead, Kurenai. Take her home to rest. She'll need it if she plans to train tomorrow as well."

"If I had my way she'd take the day off," Kurenai responded, though she knew her daughter wouldn't take sitting at home as an option. _At the least I'll make sure she doesn't train with clones tomorrow._ Taijutsu training plus this surplus of clones clearly was not a good combination.

She bowed to the Hokage then briskly walked over to her exhausted daughter. As she approached, Amari looked up and gave her a bright closed eyed smile that Kurenai returned.

It would be easy for anyone to confuse Amari as Kurenai's actual child if it weren't for her blue hair and different colored eyes. Their strong bond of love made them mother and daughter in everything but blood.

"Looks like you pushed yourself a little too hard, little one," Kurenai stated as she opened her eyes. Amari bashfully rubbed the back of her head as she laughed. Kurenai knelt down with her back towards her daughter. "Come on. Let's get you home and get some food in that empty stomach."

Her daughter used her remaining strength to climb onto her shoulders. Once she was all set and secured, Kurenai stood up and began their trek back home. "So, against the odds you were able to create sixty-two Shadow Clones." Amari hummed in acknowledgement, causing Kurenai to look up to her daughter with a smile. _Bashful as always. Still hasn't gotten used to taking compliments._ "I'm proud of you."

There was an all telling blush on her already rosy cheeks as Amari leaned forward on her mother's head, clearly exhausted. "Thank you, Mom," she mumbled. Kurenai's smile grew at the shy response. _I'm surprised the girly horde she faces at the Academy hasn't made her immune to blushing yet._ "...but." Amari sighed, "I knew one hundred thousand was impossible, but I guess a part of me hoped…Today reaffirmed to me how impossible it is. No amount of training will ever give me the chakra necessary for such a huge number."

Kurenai patted her daughter's leg to comfort her and let her know it was okay. There were just some feats no amount of training or genetic inheritance could make possible. One hundred thousand Shadow Clones was just one of those things. "Maybe it is impossible, but that doesn't mean what you accomplished is lessened in any way," she comforted.

She couldn't make one hundred thousand, sure, but sixty-two was still an amazing feat. "Few kids your age in any generation can pull off an A-ranked jutsu like the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu, let alone create sixty-two with no mistakes within them. Be proud, little one."

"I…I am," Amari reassured. "I just have some thoughts I'm trying to work out."

"Like what?" Kurenai asked.

Amari sighed, a hint of disappointment within it. "My chakra control still isn't close to perfect. I know I have better control than anyone in my class," she interrupted the argument on the tip of her mother's tongue, "but to pull that off in a fight would end in my death. I waste too much chakra between each clone, even when I do it on a small scale of five clones, and the result is me getting exhausted too quickly."

A valid analysis of her abilities. Kurenai nodded along in agreement but remained silent, encouraging her to continue her analysis until she reached the logical conclusion to her situation.

Controlling your chakra was the best step towards being able to execute techniques more effectively. What most kids her age failed to understand was the amount of time and training necessary to gradually build up their chakra. It took years of intense training to build up the total supply of chakra at their disposal, so the key to success was being able to sufficiently control and conserve what chakra you had.

Amari already had those bits of knowledge at her disposal, now it was up to her to piece it all together. "You and Iruka-sensei have always told me that without proper control, my jutsu's will either waste my chakra or the jutsu will fail. I've tried really hard to get better at it, but I'm still expending too much chakra on one clone."

 _Good start, now you just need to figure out how it is happening and how to solve it,_ Kurenai thought.

"Naruto has a similar problem. He doesn't have a good grasp on his chakra so he uses a lot of his chakra trying to make one, but he doesn't distribute it evenly to create a working clone. I've tried coaching him on it, teaching him different training methods you use with me to increase chakra control…Hopefully it worked." Kurenai sensed a headshake. "Anyways, when I do it, I distribute my chakra even enough to create a working clone, but I give them more of my chakra, likely out of worry that it won't work and be too weak. This causes me to use more chakra than necessary. While the clones are effective, I drain myself and shorten the time I can use them," Amari explained.

 _That explains both her exhaustion and Naruto's inability to create one working clone. Too much chakra put into the jutsu with no control makes Naruto's clones completely useless while giving too much chakra to her clones out of fear of the jutsu being weak causes Amari to expend more chakra than necessary._

Kurenai looked thoughtfully up at her daughter who was gazing at the sky as she worked through her thoughts. _Her fear of never being strong enough has left her without confidence in her abilities, causing her to put more than the needed chakra into her jutsu. She could seriously hurt herself if she pushed herself past her limits._

"I put more chakra in than they need and my Byakugan sees the difference. If I fought someone who had the ability to sense the chakra like you, they could pick me out easily because my clones would all have more chakra in them than me."

 _Not just sensors like me; Kasai would be able to pick her out with his Byakugan. He would be able to attack her directly, conserving his own chakra and energy by avoiding them completely. Even though she is training to become a great ninja, she isn't losing sight of her goal. She knows that if she is to beat Kasai eventually she will need to not only become stronger, but also be able to out think him as well._

 _Kasai was over-confident in his abilities and will only continue to become overconfident as he grows, that will be his downfall and her opening._

Kurenai smiled knowing it was only a matter of time, training, and field work that would make her daughter stronger than her enemy. _As long as she doesn't run into him soon._

For now they would continue focusing on training. Chakra control was important to every jutsu and was exactly what the Jōnin had in mind for training tomorrow. "Then it seems I will have to teach you new Chakra Control Techniques," Kurenai said.

Her daughter stilled at the revelation then immediately she leaned her head around to look Kurenai in the eyes. "New Chakra Control Techniques? Like meditating or that leaf trick that Iruka-sensei taught us?" Amari asked.

Kurenai only offered a hum with a sly smirk playing at her face. She wouldn't tell so easily.

Her daughter gave her the puppy dog eye and curled out her bottom lip, "Come on, Mom, what it is? Is it some super-secret technique only you know? You've got to tell me. Pleaseeee!"

Kurenai laughed joyfully at her daughter's begging; she was really too cute for her own good sometimes. "Okay okay, fine, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow. Tonight's priority is getting you fed and into bed so you can be ready for training tomorrow."

Amari gave her a closed eye smile then returned to her relaxed state.

The pair made it home and after dinner they lounged in the living room together with Amari sitting between Kurenai's legs as she braided a few strands of her hair. The pair spoke of her classes and her friends while also laughing and joking with one another.

After a while, Amari ended up curled up on Kurenai on the verge of sleep with each passing moment. "Mom?" Amari asked. Kurenai hummed at her daughter's tired whisper. _She'll sleep like a rock tonight._ "Do you think it would be possible to combine my Shadow Possession Jutsu and my Shadow Clones?"

That was an interesting question and one Kurenai wasn't sure she could answer. "How do you mean combine them? Your clones already have the ability to use any technique you know so that wouldn't be anything new as far as I know," she responded thoughtfully.

Shikamaru trained with Amari, albeit reluctantly due to his laziness, helping her become better at her Shadow Possession Jutsu, but Kurenai wasn't sure about the specifics when it came to the jutsu. It _was_ the Nara Clan Hiden Jutsu so that was understandable.

"No, that's not what I mean. I know my clones can use the jutsu, but do you think I have the ability to allow my clones to use it without it draining my chakra faster than normal? If it doesn't I'd be able to fight while my clone tries to capture my opponent. It could help save lives and keep me and my friends from danger. I could end fights before they started maybe."

It was an interesting idea, one that, as she said, could save lives if the use did not drain her chakra instantly.

Amari was thinking like a ninja instead of like a twelve year old. Whoever her Jōnin Sensei would be when she became an official Genin would definitely see that as a positive.

Kurenai didn't have an answer, though. This was something her daughter would need to ask Shikamaru or Shikaku. "I don't know. You will need to ask Shikaku or Shikamaru if they know. It is also a possibility it is forbidden."

If it was then Amari wouldn't be allowed to learn it. A forbidden jutsu like that wouldn't be met with the same leniency that the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu granted her. Amari nodded into her chest. "I didn't try it for that same reason. I didn't want to get in trouble or hurt myself or someone else. After training tomorrow do you think we could go ask him if he isn't busy?"

"Of course." While she wanted to give her daughter the chance to ask Shikaku herself, Kurenai knew that with tomorrows training she was likely to have more time than her daughter would. Knowing Amari's determination, it was unlikely she would rest until she either climbed the tree tomorrow or was too exhausted to continue practicing—the likeliest of scenarios.

Amari passed out in her mother's arms a few minutes later. Kurenai put her to bed and kissed her forehead before leaving and heading to bed herself. Tomorrow would come bright and early for them both.

The Next Day

Amari thudded to the ground for what felt like the hundredth time, sending jolts of pain all across her body. She just couldn't get this to work. From her new position of lying flat on her back she cast her eye up at the tree to see her progress only to let out an exhausted groan.

 _I've only made it halfway up this tree with a running start and mom just walked straight up it with ease…She is a_ _Jōnin for a reason, but still. I've been doing this since six in the morning and it's already dark out._

The blue-haired girl sat herself up and leaned back on her hands as she laid her aching legs out flat in front of her.

" _You're focusing too much chakra to your feet, Amari. You fear like feeling you're going to be weak when you are quite the opposite. Clear your mind of all those thoughts. Focus solely on your chakra and ignore all the thoughts of people telling you that you can't do it. You_ _ **can**_ _do it. Have faith in yourself and you will master this."_

She sighed. _I'm trying, Mom. I can see my progress, but I just don't have it down yet._

Her latest attempt to gain control by applying less chakra led to her falling straight to the ground from the halfway up the tree. Progress was always going to be slow being the amateur she was, but Amari had thought…had hoped she would make it farther up the tree. _Once again setting my standards higher than my skill level._ Amari sighed with a smile tugging onto her lips. _But what else can I do? If Naruto already set his goal as Hokage, how can I do anything less than give myself a goal that is only achieved through hard work. I'm so troublesome._

A giggle made its way out of Amari before she let herself fall back onto the grass to relax. She rested her hands on her stomach and closed her eye, inhaling and exhaling softly as she allowed herself a small break before getting back to training.

A cool breeze blew across training field, winding its way through trees and carrying leaves through the air as it gently caressed her sweat covered skin. It coaxed a sigh of content out of the hot and sweaty girl, yet there was something unnatural about it. Only moments before the air had been still as a statue just as it had been for most of the day.

 _Someone is out here now watching me. The only question that remains is who? I'd bet its either mom, Kakashi or Uncle Shikaku._ For some strange reason the silver-haired ninja had made his presence known throughout the last two years to Amari. He was sort of a weird stalker mentor who popped in only to give a few words of wisdom before disappearing as quickly as he came.

Amari wasn't sure why Kakashi had such an interest in her. Maybe it was because they both shared the Sharingan, or maybe because he was making sure she wasn't being watched by another ninja.

 _I don't know…I only know about his Sharingan because I asked Mom about him. Kakashi Hatake, The Copy Ninja, the man who copied over a thousand jutsus. Talk about an impressive feat. I can't wait to learn more Sharingan techniques once I get it to mature more. If I could freak out my enemies by copying their jutsu's then that is a huge bonus to having the responsibility of holding the Sharingan._

Kurenai teased her about trying to steal Kakashi's title then said, in jest, if she really wanted to get at Kakashi she would have to copy one of his jutsu's. _I'm just waiting for the right moment and the right jutsu. Whether or not Kakashi will be impressed or scold me will be up for debate whenever I do…It'll probably just depend on the jutsu._

"Halfway…Impressive 'Risu, very impressive." Amari easily distinguished the laid back voice as Shikaku Nara. _I wonder why Uncle Shikaku is here?_ The dōjutsu wielder opened her eye to see the elder Nara crouched next to her looking up at the tree she was climbing. He looked…impressed? _No, he looks more thoughtful than anything._

Was it such a surprise that she had gotten this far?

She was still not even a full-fledged Genin yet so maybe she was pushing the boundaries a little. _Although, if I was doing pushing further than I should someone would have told me to stop or would have stopped me themselves. Maybe I've just surprised them with how much I've advanced since arriving in the village._

She _had_ only spent two years at the Academy. The difference between her and her peers, however, was how serious she took training. _I wonder if I had gone to the Academy earlier if I would have advanced as quickly as I have._ Amari mentally shook her head, lacking the energy to do it physically. _I wouldn't have had the same drive that I do now so…probably not._

Shikaku turned his gaze to her with a warm smile on his lips. "Sixty-two Shadow Clones in one week and halfway up a tree in one day. Graduating is inevitability for you, little shadow."

A blush made its way to Amari's face as she sat up. Kasai had called her that once to be condescending, but coming from Shikaku it was different. It was an affectionate nickname he used with her in the same way he and Shikamaru used the last half of her name to call her 'Risu.

"I've been trying my best. Is the wind gust just a Jōnin thing with your Body Flicker Technique?" she asked, humor in her voice as she changed the subject away from praise. Shikaku reached up to rub the back of his neck as he chuckled lightly. "Coincidence?" Amari pressed in a teasing fashion.

"Someday you'll learn more about it. Kakashi may need to watch out for you, little shadow. You're onto him already."

Amari giggled. _Kakashi watching out for_ _ **me?**_ _The mere thought is ridiculous. Kakashi is an elite shinobi for kami's sake and I'm not even an actual Genin despite Uncle Shikaku telling me it's inevitable._

"So your mother tells me you have questions about the Shadow Possession Jutsu. Something about combining it with another jutsu?" Shikaku queried.

 _Taking the initiative I see, Mom. Guess you knew I wouldn't stop training until I was barely able to stand._ Amari inhaled deeply to catch her breath before asking, "Do you think having a clone use the Shadow Possession Jutsu will drain my chakra too quickly? I haven't tried yet because I didn't want to do a Forbidden Jutsu or hurt myself or someone else on accident, but I figure if it doesn't I'll be able to keep my friends from danger better."

The elder Nara's look turned pensive as he began considering her question. _I think this is the first super hard question I've asked him._ In all her time knowing Shikaku, which wasn't that long anyway, she had never seen him look so deep in thought over a question she asked. Her questions always seemed like a breeze, like the answers should have been obvious when he answered. He never answered like she was an idiot; it was just how quick he would answer that made Amari feel like she was so stupid.

Shikaku was a genius and was able to answer questions with ease most of the time, but it seemed this question wasn't one of those. There was so much to consider from her chakra reserves to her clone's ability to maintain their strenuous jutsu without the drawbacks affecting her. Could it have side effects and if so what were they? _I doubt I'll get an answer here and now._

"Hmm…I don't recall it as a Forbidden Jutsu, but I don't think it has ever been tested either. What I can say with certainty is that having your Shadow Clones using Shadow Possession Jutsu would drain what chakra they have fast, in turn draining your chakra as you try to maintain the clone itself. You don't have the sizable reserves to keep it active long, in theory at least," Shikaku explained.

That wasn't the full answer based on the elder Nara sitting down cross legged next to her as he brought his hand to his chin while he rolled the thought around. _This doesn't sound like such a good idea now, more like a last resort technique._ If she was even capable of using it, she would have to hope that she could end it fast enough before she ran out of chakra.

"So it's a bad idea?"

The Jōnin put one finger up telling her to wait as he continued to think. Amari was okay if it ended up being a bad idea. She wouldn't attempt it then and would disregard the idea completely.

"No, not a bad idea, just one that I need to investigate further before giving you a yes or no answer. Give me a day or two and I will have an answer for you," he finally said.

Amari nodded in understanding. _As long as Uncle Shikaku doesn't hurt himself trying to figure this out I'll be okay with him researching it._ If he got hurt researching something she asked about she'd never forgive herself for asking.

Her fears must have been noticeable on her face or in her eye since Shikaku smirked at her and patted her head. "Don't worry about me, little shadow. I'll be fine."

He left soon after, and after another failed attempt at climbing the tree Amari finally decided to head home herself. She would have to train more tomorrow after school in preparation for the exam the next day. _At least it won't be a written exam, not that I wouldn't be able to pass it. I just hate written tests_.

Even if Shikaku and her mother were one hundred percent positive she would pass the exam, Amari wasn't going to take it easy. Slacking off wasn't an option here. Slacking off as a ninja could lead to failure or death. Even if Shikamaru was lazy, he was damned smart and knew tactics like the back of his hand… _Or at least when he exerts the energy to look at the back of his hand. Lazy bones._

She wasn't going to run herself dry trying to climb the tree or trying to get a ridiculously high number of Shadow Clones again. Doing that could leave her unable to pass the exam and failing was not among the options available for the young girl.

 _I just can't sit home all day and relax._

There would be one day of rest, and that would be when she became a Genin and received her headband. _It's probably going to be the last day I'll be able to rest anyways. After getting a headband I'll have the orientation and being assigned to a_ _Jōnin Sensei. Then my path as a ninja will start and I will have to kick my training up another notch._ This was all if she passed, but Amari was confident in her chances at passing.

 _One thing I do know for sure, though, is that mom won't be my Jōnin Sensei. Putting us together was probably struck off the possibility list the moment I looked like I was going to graduate. Conflict of interests I'm sure. Save your daughter or the mission, save my life or save the mission important data and/or people._

Amari understood this already even without speaking to her mother about it. It just seemed to make sense, but that left the mystery of who she would have as a Jōnin Sensei. She didn't have any particular hope for any special teacher, and the only ones she knew were Asuma, Kakashi and her mother. Her mother was already crossed off so the only ones she had to choose from were Asuma and Kakashi. _At least I get along with them if I do end up with one or the other. I just hope the kids on my team understand teamwork._

After getting home Amari found that her mother was gone, which likely meant she was either out on a mission or out getting stuff for the house. Feeling too tired to do anything else, Amari threw herself unceremoniously onto the couch and crashed hard. She didn't hear her mom come back home or feel her bring her back to her bedroom; zonked out was a good way to describe what she was the rest of the night.

The next morning Kurenai woke Amari up early as always and they ate breakfast together before going through some morning training. First was going over the Transformation Jutsu. Her mother had her transform into her, Iruka and Lord Hokage. For fun the young girl turned into Asuma just to get a rise out of her mother.

Kurenai blushed before poking Amari in the forehead and telling her to focus. _Somebody is still trying to keep things secret_ ,Amari mused. The next part of training was her new Shadow Clones and combining that jutsu with the Transformation Jutsu. After three Shadow Clones transformed into Kurenai, Iruka and Lord Hokage she got packed and walked to the Academy with her mother.

Walking to the Academy was always enjoyable. Well, walking through the village in general was enjoyable. People always seemed to be bright and smiling as they shopped, ate or worked. There obviously were bad parts still, Amari wasn't fool enough to believe everything was sunshine and unicorns, but the parts she traversed consistently were nice areas.

Before they parted ways, Kurenai gave her a book to study about chakra control. It was meant to give her a better understanding so she could gain mastery over the Tree Climbing Technique.

Amari soaked up text information like a sponge soaked up water so reading material would definitely lend a hand for her training. After hugging and saying goodbye to her mother, the Shadow user entered the classroom and as usual she was one of the three people to be there bright and early. Iruka-sensei was there and two other kids she didn't know well were reading books while they waited for the class to fill out.

The young aspiring ninja took her usual seat at the back of the room and opened up her book to start reading. No matter how boring the text might have been, Amari read it like it was a story of adventure and hardships mixed with triumphs. All the words just flowed into one another, imprinting the pictorial descriptions and explanations into her mind to bolster her understanding of it.

Time passed quickly, or at least it seemed that way being nose deep in the book. Sure enough, the classroom began to fill up and shortly after she was suddenly surrounded…by her love struck posse.

Every morning before class started was like this with the girls seemingly having a rotation to keep at least three sets of hands playing or braiding her hair. This left Amari with no break from having her classmates' hands being deep in her wild blue hair or giving her small braids that would undo themselves as the day passed.

"Amari you are the _prettiest_ girl in class!" one girl complimented.

"Your hair is so soft and _absolutely_ gorgeous," girl number two said as her hands created braids.

A new set of hands found themselves feeling her hair as Amari found herself blushing feverishly. Per usual she began stuttering in an attempt to bat away the compliments. "I- I'm not th- that pretty."

"Soooo adorable!" one girl gushed.

"You are just too cute!" another girl said.

The blush grew deeper as Amari wished she could shrink or turn invisible. Whoever thought it would be funny to give her a girly horde that constantly raved over her really needed a punch to the face. Give her a new technique that pushed her to her limits and she'd dive in head first. Give her a book to study on a boring subject and she'd read it.

But this?! This was just so painful!

 _I know they're giving me compliments and I am grateful that they think I'm so pretty, but_ _ **every day?!**_ _I'm shy and shyness and girly hordes don't go hand in hand._

A snort of amusement reminded her that she was not alone, even if Shikamaru wasn't going to help her ride this out. "Shikamaru, _help me_ ," she pleaded in a whisper for only him to hear since the other girls were too busy gushing over her cuteness.

Another snort of amusement came from Shikamaru as he shook his head. "Not a chance 'Risu. If I try to help you then they'll come after me for interrupting." He shook his head. "Girls are just so troublesome."

Amari let out a dramatic sigh of defeat as the girls continued to play with her hair and ask her about what hair products she used and what make up she used since it looked flawless.

 _Is that really important?_ _I don't understand why they care so much about this stuff instead of focusing on their training._ To prevent further questions she gave a non-committal answer of "I don't know" and answered the second by saying none.

Her makeup was flawless because she didn't wear any. Too much time to use and since she was constantly training using it just didn't seem like a good idea. Add in that her mother told her she was naturally beautiful and didn't need it and that left Amari without ever using or wanting to use makeup.

Telling the girls she didn't wear any was a costly mistake that caused the girls to become even more star struck. _Can I not get a break? Will I die of compliments and shyness before I ever face Kasai?!_

When all hope of escaping was lost, Iruka-sensei cleared his throat, acquiring the attention of Amari and the girls. _Please tell me you are here to save me Iruka-sensei, pleeeaasssee!_

"Excuse me, but I would like to have a word with Amaririsu." He sounded very professional using her name like that despite calling her Amari most of the time. _Holy crap, he_ _ **is**_ _saving me!_

Reluctantly, the girls released her from their grasps to once again be free. Amari mouthed a thank you to Iruka then she stood up and followed him down and out of the classroom. Outside of the room, her sensei turned to her with a broad smile on his face. "You okay, Amari? You looked like you could use a hand."

Looking like she needed a hand was putting it nicely. _Could have used an army wielding shields to keep them at bay._

Amari was grateful to be saved, but something was up. He never saved her before and there had been a lot of mornings like this. Her sensei usually took enjoyment in seeing her suffer at the hands of the girls.

"Just overwhelmed, Iruka-sensei. I don't get why they are so fascinated with me. Well, I do know why since they tell me but…I guess I just don't see myself as they see me."

Self-confidence in how she looked never got above a minimum no matter how much the gushed and raved over her. The young girl just couldn't see what the others saw. Amari believed she was average in looks, not the drop dead gorgeous being the girls seemed to think she was.

 _Mom_ _is really pretty, beautiful actually, but me? I look like I only have one eye and when I do take it off I have two different looking eyes. And most of the time I'm a ball of sweat from training…I just don't see it_. She grabbed her right arm nervously and looked down slightly. "Um…was there anything you needed Sensei or were you saving me?"

Iruka's smile faded for a serious look. _Uh-oh. That can't be good._

"Would you happen to know where Naruto is?"

Confusion made its way onto her face as she shook her head. _Come to think of it, I haven't seen Naruto since I taught him how to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu._

He sighed at her answer. "And I assume you haven't seen the Hokage faces?" His voice held a slight agitation to it.

She shook her head again. _What do Naruto and the Hokage faces have in common right now?_ A bit of dread filled her. _Naruto, what did you do now?_ What kind of prank did he do this time? Had he permanently vandalized the Hokage faces?

"Okay, I'm going to go find him then and I would like it if you would join me. Well, that is unless you want to go face your horde of fans," Iruka said, his lips splitting into an amused smile.

Amari shook her head rapidly. _Not the horde again. Please not the horde again…But why would he want me to join him? Is this some kind of test?_ But what would he want to test her with? _Guess there is only one way to find out._ "I'll go with you. Any idea where to start?"

Iruka motioned her to follow him and they both began to jog towards the exit. "No, but I do know there are ninjas already chasing him. If we find them, we find Naruto."

Amari nodded in confirmation of the plan. Sounded easy enough. As soon as they got out of the school building, the pair of them ninja jumped their way towards the Hokage faces.

Iruka moved quickly but the young aspiring ninja managed to keep up without breaking a sweat as she looked around for Naruto. "Iruka-sensei. Do you want me to use my eye to try and find him?" Amari asked as they jumped. Her Byakugan would be able to find Naruto's chakra signature if he was within the general vicinity. His chakra stood out compared to the others; it was very warm and bright just like the blond-haired knucklehead.

"If we can't find him soon then yes, but for now let's see if we can find him without it."

 _So if this isn't a test of tracking with my Byakugan then what is this test about?_ Amari just couldn't figure out why he would want her to come along other than it being some type of test. _It's the only rational reason. I'm not even a ninja yet._

When the faces finally came into sight, Amari couldn't help but halt completely to pinch the bridge of her nose. _Narutooooo_ , she groaned mentally.

"That is exactly how I feel right now. I can't believe he would do that to the Hokage faces," her sensei said as he jumped back to her.

Graffiti covered the Hokage faces. Every single face had something drawn on it, and despite how disrespectful that was towards the great leaders of their village, Amari found herself moderately impressed. Her friend actually accomplished tagging up the Hokage faces without getting caught until after it was done. _Brash mostly all the time, but sneaky when he wants to be…guess it could come in handy._ _He is going to be in so much trouble when Iruka-sensei finds him._

Amari looked around from the building they were on for the boy in question. He couldn't be too far if ninja were chasing him. He was energetic, sure, but he would try running the same path until he could throw them off his trail. Naruto was a prankster and knew how to escape using the simplest of tactics so he wouldn't get in trouble right away.

She searched until she saw two ninjas chasing a blond-haired, black shirt and orange pants wearing kid laughing his head off with a paint bucket in his hand.

"Found him," she stated as she motioned to her sensei to look.

Iruka nodded and they watched the knucklehead jump around the buildings until he went back down and pushed off the ground with the two ninjas right on his tail. They continued to follow after what they had thought they saw, but Amari knew this trick. _He's right behind that sheet painted like a fence._ She sighed again. _I can't believe he fooled them._

Talk about embarrassing for those two older shinobi.

"They just got fooled. He's right there." She pointed at the fence. How the ninja had fallen for it was beyond her; it seemed like they should have been able to see through a disguise like that. _Probably too blinded by their anger to see through it._ Iruka looked at her with a little disbelief. "I've seen this trick before," she offered in explanation.

"Okay, I'll grab Naruto. You can head back to class." Her sensei smiled. "Your training is doing you good. Most of the students would be out of breath."

 _So that's what the test was about. You were testing how I could hold up in a chase scenario,_ Amari deduced. _Could I keep up with you or would I fall behind? Would I be out of breath by the time we reached our destination or would I be fine? You knew where we were heading the whole time, that's how we ended up here and why you didn't want me to use my Byakugan._

It was tricky, but it still worked in the end. He definitely got his answer.

"I uh- I'm just- My mom _is_ a Jōnin," Amari deflected. She had never been good at accepting compliments and it was easy to say it was due to her mother. Her training was the reason she had gotten so far, after all.

"Maybe some of it, but you are the one who pushes yourself, Amari. You could have given up many times, but you didn't." He rested his hand on her head and ruffled her hair gently. "I'm proud of you."

He removed his hand then disappeared with the Body Flicker Technique, appearing down on the ground below. Amari was left to smile through a blush on her own, happy he had departed since she was too incoherent to say thank you.

"Oh yeah Naruto!" Iruka's voice echoed from the street. A scared scream from the boy broke her out of her stasis by making her laugh before she began jumping back to the Academy.

She made it back to the Academy without breaking a sweat, though her hair was a bit more disheveled than it had been before leaving. _Good thing I train as much as I do otherwise I'd be panting up a storm and sweating profusely just like Iruka-sensei said._

Shikamaru gave her an odd look for her absence when she sat down next to him again. "Where'd you run off to?" Amari just gave him a closed eyed smile and picked up where she had left off in her book. A few seconds later Iruka came back into class with a tied up Naruto. "Catching Naruto?" She nodded slightly which led to Shikamaru shaking his head.

Iruka began giving Naruto a lecture in front of the whole class for his antics. Based on what her sensei was saying, he was at the end of his rope with the knucklehead since he had failed the graduation exam the past two years. Though he seemed harsh, Amari believed that Iruka wanted Naruto to pass. He was never intentionally mean for no reason. Her sensei enjoyed teaching his students including the troublemakers; he just had to be sterner with them to try to get his lessons through their thick heads.

Naruto was a prime example of thick-headedness and he proved that when he turned his head away from Iruka in a pout. Amari swore she saw a vein bulge on Iruka's forehead and one of his eyes begin twitching before he turned quickly to face the rest of the class. "Fine! Because you missed it, Naruto, everyone will review the Transformation Jutsu!"

There were groans from everyone in the class except for Amari, who just put her book away and waited for her sensei to get them in line. _Don't know why everyone is groaning. All we have to do is transform and then dispel. Sure it seems mundane to us now, but they forget it wasn't that long ago when they couldn't do it perfectly._ Iruka then looked to her with a slight amused glint in his eyes that immediately made her pale.

 _Oh no._

"Amaririsu, you can be the example for the class," Iruka called to her.

 _Aw crap. What a drag._

There were whispers among the class as Amari gulped down her nervousness and made her way to the front of the class. The past two years of her arrival and then continued growth left the whispers split between people thinking she'd knock it out of the park and the others who questioned why Iruka seemed to play favorites with her.

Amari ignored them all to focus in on the objective at hand. After everyone was at the front of the class waiting for her to perform the Transformation Jutsu, she performed the jutsu and let Iruka use her as an example before finally being congratulated by her teacher and told she could go back to her seat.

The dōjutsu wielder sighed with relief mentally as she moved to take her seat. Shikamaru gave her a nod of congrats while Naruto had a mischievous look in his eyes. _What are you planning Naruto?_ _His look will not bode well for either the class or Iruka-sensei…but what exactly does he have planned?_

Amari took her seat at the back of the classroom away from all the eyes of her fellow students who were likely either still gushing over her or feeling a bit jealous about Iruka-sensei's praise. She didn't mind the praise, but the aspiring ninja didn't want to be a show off. She didn't want the extra attention.

 _Guess I should have thought about that before announcing that I would make one hundred thousand clones. Now everyone is looking to see what I do._

Amari exhaled a sigh as she began reading her book again. She wanted to prove that she had become stronger, but she didn't want to seem like she was showing off, that wasn't her intention in the slightest. If she inspired by showing her skill that was fine, but she didn't want to ward off others because they weren't exactly at her level…It probably didn't help that she was reading a book about chakra control right now. _At least the theory is becoming easier to understand, but in theory and in practice is always two different concepts._

A few transformations from the students went by then Amari heard Naruto's voice and the sound of his chakra swirling around him. Hazarding a glance to see what he was up to, she let her eye leave the book to find a sight that made her face turn as red as a tomato.

Naruto had transformed into a girl with long blond hair in pig tails, and if it wasn't for the smoke swirling around her she would have been completely naked for all to see in the seductive pose he chose.

Blood burst out of Iruka's nose while Amari was doing her best not to faint from shock. The girl version of Naruto was just so…pretty _._ Naruto dispelled and began pointing and laughing at their sensei not a moment later. "Hahaha! Gotcha, that's my Sexy Jutsu."

That was definitely the word Amari would have called it as well. The color red stayed on her face for a few more seconds before she slammed her forehead onto the desk. _Oh thank Kami he changed back._

"Cut the stupid tricks! This is your last warning!" Iruka screamed.

Class was dismissed at the usual time with Iruka taking Naruto to clean the Hokage faces and Kurenai picking up Amari as she always did. They made their way to the training grounds with Amari telling her mother about her day at school starting with the fan girls swarming her and the chase with Naruto to every that happened in class, all save for the Sexy Jutsu incident.

 _No one will ever know._

Just as Amari thought, Iruka had used that chase as training. Kurenai confirmed it with a very vague comment about how she needed to make sure she was ready for anything. _"People are watching you now. They want to see how strong you've gotten, and they want to see how far you go."_

 _Nothing like knowing there are people watching me to see how much I've grown. No pressure whatsoever._ She still didn't know who was watching her exactly, but she was definitely going to show just how much she had grown. _I'm not the weak little girl anymore; I will prove that to myself and whoever is watching._

Once they reached the training grounds tree climbing training started once more. Amari's control had gotten slightly better, but she still burst off the tree on the first try, forcing her to have to backflip to land on her feet. _Only passed the halfway point by a few inches._ She bit back a sigh. _Improvement is improvement._

"Again," Kurenai ordered.

Amari nodded and focused her chakra to her feet again. She needed to distribute the right amount to keep that from happening, but the right amount wasn't so easy to find as it sounded. This type of control was forcing her to work it to the very minute percentages of chakra dispersion. One over meant she would push herself off the tree, one lower meant she would slide down the tree and land hard on her back or butt. Even part of a percentage off lead to failure of control which made learning this now an invaluable skill.

Then there was the Water Walking Technique that required more advance chakra control than tree climbing. You were working with moving water instead of a still tree, the former of which required you to readjust the correct amount of chakra constantly. If you didn't have the correct amount you would be taking a swim. Eventually with enough training in both tree climbing and water walking you would be able to do it unconsciously, and that was a skill Amari wanted to have.

Put into practice with regular jutsus meant she would have absolute control of her chakra, granting her the ability to control every scrap of chakra within her body. She wouldn't waste extra chakra trying to make her jutsu work like she was with her clones right now; instead she would be able to use that reserve chakra to make the jutsu more effective. In theory, Amari would be able to increase the strength of her fire jutsu or maybe even keep her Shadow Possession attached longer or her final goal of creating clones without expending unneeded chakra.

A few hours later Amari managed to make it up three quarters of the way before bursting the tree again, sending her flying off. Her energy was at nil and she couldn't find it in herself to flip so she didn't land on her neck. Every inch of her hurt, the fires of energy she once had were burnt out.

Before she met the ground, secure arms caught her and kept her from sustaining any sort of physical injury. Kurenai landed safely on the ground and set her down with a slightly worried look on her face. "I'm- I'm okay," Amari assured through tired breaths. Her mother looked her over with a protective motherly eye then nodded. Her breaths came out sharp and quick as she looked up at the tree then back to her mother. "I'm so close," Amari groaned through her breaths.

Her mother smiled at her. "Yes, you are, but you're done for the day. You need to rest for the exam tomorrow so you have enough chakra to preform your new jutsu."

Amari wanted to argue that she would be fine, that she had enough chakra left to continue her training, but her aching legs spoke otherwise. She was running near empty right now and she could still feel the effects of training yesterday. _Pushing myself now will only lead to messing up more and hurting myself if being caught by Mom is any indication that I was about to hurt myself._

Finally, with a slightly reluctant nod of agreement from Amari, Kurenai picked her up to piggy back her back home. As Kurenai ninja jumped in the direction of their home, Amari rested the side of her head into the back of her mother's upper back and neck, "You're doing great, little one. You just have to keep training and you will get it," she reassured.

Amari nodded into her back, feeling way too tired to speak. _Mom's right. I can't be too upset with myself. I can see myself advancing so I just need to focus on that._

 _Just can't wait to collapse on my bed and sleep._

Kurenai looked over her shoulder at her with a small smile. "Go to sleep, little one. We'll be home soon."

Amari didn't argue. She let her eyes shut and sleep take her.


	5. Chapter 4: Graduation

Chapter 4

Graduation: Taking the First Step

"Rise and shine, little one," Kurenai's voice called through the fog of sleep and dreams to Amari.

Whining softly, Amari creaked her eyes just enough to see the obscured shape of her mother standing beside her bed. "Can't you…just tell Iruka-sensei I created a real clone?"

Because she really wanted to sleep. Her tired body and mind were already calling her back to sleep, her eyes falling close as she remained in her curled up position with an extra pillow held in a tight embrace.

An amused hum was the only warning she had to the two fingers assaulting her forehead with a poke. Again she whined and opened her eyes. "I thought you wanted to show everyone how far you've come in two years. You don't want to miss out on the one opportunity you have to show your abilities to your peers, do you?"

Goading her pride was not going to work. Nope, she was going to stay right here, under the warmth of her blankets and close her eyes because she was smarter than this. She would not fall for such a dirty trick to get her out of bed.

"I'm sure Iruka would beam with pride if you actually showed him your new technique."

Nope.

"You're his top student, the one who dedicated herself to every lesson and never stopped trying, even when you failed. Now's your chance to show him what his lessons taught you; today is your chance to show what perseverance and dedication can do."

This was a dirty trick…

"…Troublesome adult."

But also incredibly effective.

Against the desires of her body, Amari forced herself to sit up to face the morning. She pinned her tired eyes to Kurenai, who was wearing an infuriating victorious smirk. "Good morning, little one."

"Cheater."

Her mother's smirk grew all the more victorious. "Perhaps." She gave her another poke to the forehead. "But you allowed it to work, little one. That makes it fair game."

Amari sighed in defeat. "I know…"

"Don't take too long getting ready. Breakfast will be done soon," her mother informed before ruffling her already messy hair and departing from her room.

"I'll—" The tired girl covered her mouth as a yawn broke out of her. "I'll be down shortly," she said through her yawn.

Amari extended her arms above her head and stretched out her back before sliding lazily off the bed onto her feet. Dormant aches awoke in her legs the moment her feet touched the floor, regret followed.

 _Troublesome._ Maybe training so hard the night before wasn't such a good idea. _No use complaining about it…_ Amari let out another yawn. _It's a drag, but this is the only way to keep getting stronger._ With that, Amari tiredly trudged to the shower with her feet dragging the whole way as her eyes barely remained open.

Nothing was new about this for her, well, nothing except her mother goading what little pride she had to get her out of bed. Amari liked to think she was like a carriage going up a steep hill in the morning; it took her some time to reach the top, but the moment she made it over that hill she was moving at high speed from then on out.

So her climb to full awareness and energy began, starting with a shower that served to get her nearly fully wound up for the day. After getting dressed, brushing her hair and teeth, she finally headed down to the kitchen for breakfast—the final stop on this journey to wakefulness.

Sunny side up eggs with toast and a side of bacon was waiting at the table for her while her mother was cleaning the pan she had used; a soft smile was on her face as she hummed a soothing tune.

Amari cleared her plate, savoring each bit of food in a timely manner before washing her plate as her mother finished drying off her remaining utensils. By the time she was done she was fully awake and ready for the day.

Once all the morning chores were done, Amari returned to her room to grab her backpack so she could leave for school. Admittedly, now that she was awake, she was excited and nervous enough to give her jitters.

Today was finally the day.

Today was the final test at the Academy

 _And once I pass this I'll be one step closer to fulfilling part of the promise I made._

Kurenai was waiting for her at the door when she got there with a smile on her face. "You are ready, little one, but be prepared for anything. Your test will be different than the others," she warned.

Amari nodded confidently. She had been the one to openly say she'd create a hundred thousand clones. That warning was obviously the repercussion of it. _Doesn't matter. I'll show how far I've come. I'll show everyone what I can do._ She pulled her purple bandana down over her left eye. _Here we go._

And after one final hug to her mother, she was off and on the path to the Academy where she would be able to turn the page of this last two year chapter of her life and begin a new one.

Getting to the Academy didn't take long, Amari once again being early as she liked to be, but that earliness came at a cost today. Upon entering the classroom she found not only Iruka and the usual early birds, but also a few members of her love struck posse already there as well. Internally she was slamming her head against every solid object imaginable the whole walk up to her seat, because she knew, she knew the moment she sat down they would swarm her like moths drawn to flames.

Carefully, and as silently as possible, she set her backpack down and sat down, hoping not to attract any of their attention. It didn't work. They still made their way over to her and started this other morning ritual she found no pleasure in whatsoever. _One day is all I ask._ _ **One**_ _! One day without the horde. Is that too much to ask?!_

Shikamaru, much to her despair, refused to help once he arrived, instead choosing to watch her with his annoying smirk at the torture of social interactions and touching no amount of therapy would ever help her recover from.

Eventually, and Amari meant a _long_ eventually, Iruka started the class. "We will now begin the final exam. When I call your name, please proceed to the testing room. The final test will be on the Clone Jutsu," Iruka explained.

A glance to Naruto revealed to her trained eye hints of panic in his body language. _Naruto…you didn't master it did you?_ Amari sighed, not in disappointment at the boy, but at her plan failing completely. _I should have been more hands on. I just thought because I could do it…because of how much of a weakling I am…was, that he'd knock it out of the park with his determination._

The theory seemed so solid at the time. Naruto's lack of chakra control and larger reserves to her meant he'd be able to perform the Shadow Clone Jutsu easier. The amount of chakra necessary to get one solid clone, in her theory, should have given Naruto no choice but to expend enough chakra that he'd inadvertently create a solid clone.

Clearly she was wrong either completely or in only a few areas. It was hard to say without having been hands on with him, but that was a mistake she'd fix as soon as the test was over. _I'm going to force you to train with me all night until you master this jutsu, and then I'm going to get Iruka-sensei to pass you._

She'd get him to pass, rules be damned. There was no way she was going to move on without the blond knucklehead. She was going to make sure that he would one day see his dream come true and the first step was going to be taken tonight. No matter what, Amari swore on everything she held dear she'd see him pass by the end of the day.

"Amaririsu Yūhi, as I recall your goal was one hundred thousand real Shadow Clones. Did you succeed?" Iruka asked.

And just like that, all of the attention in the room went from her sensei directly to her. The need to shrink away until she too small to see or but a shadow on the floor flared in her heart, but Amari kept it at bay by remembering how proud her mother was and how proud she was of herself. "No. No- not one hundred thousand I mean," Amari answered. Iruka nodded for her to continue. "I managed…"

Internally she paused, realizing that if she was to train Naruto she'd need to conserve her chakra instead of pushing herself to her limit here. Unfortunately her pride was arguing to go all out. This was her chance to show what she could. Doing only a few clones might make her seem more like a joke than the people who laughed at her already thought.

 _But…I need to be smart about this. I need to put my pride away so I can do better for Naruto. Him passing matters more to me than showing off._

"Fifteen. I can create fifteen real clones," she said.

Despite what sounded like too small of a number to her pride, Iruka still beamed with pride at her while other students gasped in shock. Even Sasuke Uchiha raised an eyebrow in surprise, or maybe he was unimpressed at her learning something he didn't think was difficult.

Amari didn't know. She couldn't read the boy very well other than the cold attitude he projected at everyone he didn't like, which was pretty much everyone from what she had seen from the shadows.

"Care to let me use you as an example then?" Iruka asked, dragging her back from her reverie.

The young girl gave a small nod. _Not that I probably have much of a choice. Mom said my test would be different, guess this was what she meant._ "Okay, let's take a trip out to the field where Mizuki-sensei is waiting for us. From there, however, we will continue as I said by proceeding to the testing room as your name is called."

The Nara in Amari was setting off all of her instinctual warning alarms to pass on the message at full emergency volume that something was _really_ off about this, other than the obvious. Iruka-sensei wouldn't use her to discourage the class or even to show how far she had come compared to the others.

 _Who exactly is trying to see what I am capable of? And why the field, I could easily create fifteen in here to show I know the jutsu…_

Amari hummed in discontent and grabbed her backpack before standing up to walk with her sensei. As she walked down the stairs she caught Iruka's gaze and tried to silently question what was going on; the look he gave her in return told her she was right to assume there was another purpose for this little field trip.

 _No pressure, I just have to do my best and I'll be done_ , she tried to reassure herself only to groan inwardly. _Oh who am I trying to fool? I'm so damn nervous now; my stomach feels like it's doing backflips. I can feel my heart beating against my chest._ Jitters turned into rogue waves of shakes sheer willpower kept to a moderate twitch in her hands.

Who was scouting her? Why did they want her to do this in front of the whole class? Was she being examined for a special team because of her growth or was it something else entirely?

No matter how many different questions she asked herself, Amari found no answers on her own. _Focus, I just need to focus on performing the jutsu and nothing else._ Thinking of anything else was going to make her too nervous to think, too jittery to control her chakra without wasting any.

 _Focus. I just need focus._ Amari inhaled a deep breath and exhaled it, hoping to reach something close to a meditative state to keep her nerves in check.

The whole class made their way out to the field following behind Amari and Iruka while whispering amongst themselves. She ignored them all. Their hopes or criticism or random conversation about nothing in particular could not be allowed to drag her mind off elsewhere when she needed focus. Their voices needed to become unintelligible background noise to her ears.

As Iruka opened the doors that led them out to the field, the light from the sun poured in, causing Amari to hold her hand up and block it from hitting her eye. After a moment her eye readjusted to the change in light and she slowly made her way to the center of the field with Iruka right next to her.

 _Focus. Breathe. Focus. Breathe.…Oh man, this is so troublesome! I can't stop wondering what this is all about. It's driving me crazy! Why would anyone want this? What purpose does it serve? Are they trying to test my ability to do the Shadow Clone Jutsu or see if I get stage fright?_

"Amari, I'm happy you've chosen to aim for a smaller number of clones."

Amari had to keep herself from snapping her head to her sensei—who was on her left and out of her main line of sight—in shock of his knowledge. "How did you—" The question died on her tongue. "You were there that night," she realized quietly.

"I was," he agreed. "You've grown tremendously, Amari, and given the choice I'd hand you your headband now to spare you from this situation." He sighed. "I argued against this actually. I didn't want you to be put in a position where others could perceive you as a showoff and resent you, or for your ability to sew doubt within them. You've probably already realized that possibility."

"…I have, but I'll be okay, Iruka-sensei. I can take their resentment if it inspires them to become stronger."

"You shouldn't have to bear that kind of burden, Amari."

"I'll be okay, Iruka-sensei," she tried to sound more reassuring than she felt. "I've dealt with worse than a little resentment."

Compared to losing her two closest friends, dealing with kids her age talking trash or sneering at her wouldn't bring her down. It'd still hurt, but she'd handle it.

"I know…" A resigned sigh left Iruka. "Anyway, Lord Hokage was the one who asked for this." _Lord Hokage wanted this?_ The Shadow user felt her confidence slip a little. "He and many Jōnin are watching this from the roof of the Academy. You have already passed this exam, but he wishes for the Jōnin who will be training this year's Genin to see how far you've come, which will help with your placement," Iruka explained in a whisper.

 _Jōnin_ _and Lord Hokage? Remain calm. Breathe. Focus. Remember to breathe— oh screw it, there is no way I can calm down now!_

This was nerve racking! Not only were _all_ the students watching her, but a group of Jōnin _and_ the Hokage were as well.

Amari inhaled a deep breath to fight the need to hyperventilate. _I can't crack now. I cannot fail this._ She took in another deep breath and let it out. "No pressure, Iruka-sensei," she said with a bit of humor in her voice.

Iruka smiled down at her and patted her head. "You'll do great, Amari. Just put your all into it as you always do…Just don't push yourself too hard, okay?" Amari nodded and put her backpack down on the ground next to her as Iruka walked back over to where Mizuki was standing.

All eyes were on her now.

 _I can do this, just relax and focus._

She closed her eye, again seeking out her meditative state to push all the nerves away and keep herself from even glancing up to the top of the Academy. When she felt ready, she exhaled a final breath. _Okay, time to show what I've got._ Amari brought her fingers into the clone seal as she focused her chakra into the jutsu. "Shadow Clone Jutsu," she whispered to herself.

Her eye remained closed as she felt her chakra drain with each individual clone forming until fifteen heads of blue hair littered the field.

Amari opened her eye and let her hands fall to her sides as she looked around to see the fifteen solid clones standing around her. _I can do more…_ Biting the inside of her cheek, she struggled to keep herself from adding more to surprise everyone. _I know I can do more…and that's enough for me._ Her teeth released her cheek. _I've already proven myself to Iruka-sensei, Mom and myself. I don't need to do anything more. Besides, I have other plans._

She had a new goal to achieve today, and that goal did not revolve around this test. All she had to do now was receive her headband and figure out where to go from there. There were plenty of scenarios she needed to run in her head and training techniques to think over so she could get Naruto to pass as well.

 _If he doesn't pass on his own._ She wouldn't write off her best friend yet. Perhaps the pressure of the exam was exactly what he needed to get it right.

 _Hopefully. Now where is Iruka-sensei?_ The Shadow user went to look for her sensei when a sense of danger hit her. Quickly looking to her clones, she found them trading glances while grins were plastered on their faces. _Oh no._

"High fives anyone?" one clone asked.

Amari's eye bulged in pure fear. _Don't you dare! Don—_

There was a thunderous cheer and several whoops from her clones as they began high fiving each other with all the zeal and pride she kept hidden and locked away. _Ah man, why do my clones have to be so troublesome!_ Amari, feeling insanely self-conscious and nervous, could only grab her left arm and hope it all ended soon, forgetting completely that she had the power to end it herself.

Why did her clones have to act out her hidden emotions? Sure she was so proud of herself, and part of her wanted to join in the high fiving, but couldn't they keep it hidden until they weren't in front of people?

Openly gloating wasn't in her nature, and seeing as most of the students jaws were agape as they found out they were real clones and not just illusions it didn't seem right. Everyone in the class had worked really hard and she didn't want the others to feel like they didn't do well enough…although her clones weren't helping her achieve that.

Iruka approached her with a headband in his hands and a proud look on his face. "Should I dispel them?" Amari asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Iruka laughed heartily at her ask for permission of a jutsu she controlled and the chorus of "no's" from her clones.

"Why do I even ask? You'll all have your own when I create Shadow Clones next," she muttered to herself before dispelling them all.

"Congratulations Amari, you are now a full-fledged Genin," her sensei said as he bent down to her. He handed her the headband with a bright smile. "The road won't be easy, but I believe you will become a great ninja, maybe as great as your favorite Sensei!" Iruka said with a laugh.

Amari couldn't help but stare down at the headband in her hands for a moment, a sense of disbelief coming over her now that it was in her hands. Even though she had been told that her graduation was an inevitability by Shikaku and Iruka had told her she already passed, none of it had felt really real until this moment.

Their words, supportive as they were, had seemed too hopeful to the inner doubter still residing within her heart. But only now could the doubt be silence. Only now could she really say she graduated from the Academy and earned her headband.

This was _hers_. Her headband, her symbol that she had actually become a ninja despite being told by Kasai that she would never be good enough to be a ninja.

 _I…I did it._ Her reflection stared back at her in the headband, her onyx eye full of the memories of the past two years from the fight between Ryu and Kasai and ending at this achievement.

All the hard work, the long days and nights of studying and pushing herself until she collapsed, it all paid off. Amari clenched the headband tight in her hands, feeling tears beginning to well in her eyes from pure happiness.

 _I did it._

She looked up to Iruka, who gave her a bright smile, and then she did something that was likely against all regulations: she tackle hugged her sensei as tightly as she could.

Iruka gave her a friendly hug back with a laugh coming on from the action. _I really did it. I really became a ninja!_ Amari smiled into his chest. _I did it Ryu, just like you said I could…but I'm far from done now. This was the first step on a long road, and it will only get harder as Iruka-sensei said._

She released her sensei and looked down at her headband again. _But for now I'll enjoy this moment while it lasts._

The Shadow user tied the headband around her neck, the new weight keeping her smile in place.

"You're not going to wear your headband over your eye?" Iruka asked.

She had considered it, but there was one big reason she decided against it.

"Kakashi Hatake would never let me live it down. He'd call me a copycat," Amari explained. Iruka smiled and shook his head in amusement. _I'm sure I'll wear it on my forehead at some point, just not now._

Amari hazarded a look up at the roof of the Academy only to wish she hadn't. Up on the roof was not only the Hokage, who was smiling with a pipe in his mouth, but her mother, Asuma, the bushy browed Jōnin named Guy, Shikaku, several shinobi she didn't recognize, and of course Kakashi.

Her mother had a proud smile on her face, nodding to her as they made eye contact, and Asuma and Shikaku wore big smiles as well. She couldn't tell what Kakashi was doing under his mask, but he was staring at her intensely as Guy was speaking to him with fire in his eyes. Every now and then he made wild gestures with his hands, perhaps to accent the importance of whatever he was saying, or possibly at the fact Kakashi wasn't responding to him.

Hard to say. Either way the look Kakashi was giving her filled Amari with discomfort; it was as if he could see right into her very soul with his eye.

Had she done something wrong or was he just evaluating her performance? What was Guy saying to him?

Kakashi finally gave her a closed eyed smile before she looked back down at the ground. Seeing them up there made Amari acutely aware of her situation again. She couldn't hide amongst her clones any longer and she could feel the eyes of every single person boring into her.

"Um…Iruka-sensei. What do I do now? People are staring at me like I revealed that I have two eyes," she whispered.

Realization crossed Iruka's face. "Oh, right." He stood up fully and looked to the students and Mizuki before looking back to her. "You can either wait in class for everyone to finish, which means you'll face your fans," he offered option one, an amused grin splitting onto his face.

Amari visibly gulped at the notion of facing the horde. "Or you can wait on Academy grounds away from everyone and read or tree climb," Iruka offered the saving grace.

"Tree climbing!" Amari said immediately without second thought.

"But your fans," Iruka pleaded like he was trying to coax her to face the horde. She shook her head feverishly, earning a chuckle from him. _They'd be more relentless now than they were before, and that's saying something!_

"Okay, I'll send for another teacher to watch you, but until then don't push yourself too hard."

After a sigh of relief, Amari nodded and picked up her bag. Though her chakra reserves were nowhere near as depleted as they had been when creating sixty-two, it was still good to stay cautious.

Her sensei spared her one last smile and patted her on the head. "I'm proud of you, Amari. You've come a long way in such a short time. I can't wait to see how much you grow in the years to come," Iruka said.

"Thank you, Iruka-sensei," Amari said, bowing her head to him. He left afterwards to deal with the rest of the students. As they all filed away back into the Academy building, Amari only caught the back of Naruto's orange jacket. _Do your best, Naruto, or you'll have to face me and my training, and I won't go easy on you._

Until then she would train. Amari looked down at her headband and saw her thick and wild blue hair cascading over her shoulders nearly blending in with the sash. _I earned this headband, now I just have to continue to prove that I am deserving of it…and one day I will be strong enough to take down Kasai._

One day. She had been saying that for two years, but now one day was realer than it had ever been. Soon as she had enough experience under her belt and enough strength she would find him and bring him down. For Ryu. For the Kasai she lost. For the little girl who lost everything she loved in that forest.

 _One day._

When she approached the tree, a gust of wind blew across the field, bringing a humored smirk to her face. She knew this trick now. "If I had to pick one Jōnin that would be watching me, who would it be?" Amari asked aloud, feigning ignorance. Silence followed but she knew better.

She could wait him out.

After a few more seconds, a deep chuckle rumbled above her. "Still catching on I see, little shadow." Shikaku appeared in front of her looking equally amused and impressed. _Definitely his impressed look this time._ "I see you chose to create fewer clones than Kurenai said you were able to. A good plan if you're intent is to teach Naruto should he fail."

An embarrassed blush tinted her cheeks; he had caught her red-handed on why she held back. Her blush made Shikaku smile genuinely at her. "Congratulations on becoming a Genin, 'Risu. Your hard work has paid off."

She bowed her head in gratitude for his praise; the elder Nara wasn't one to hand out praise for no reason. If he was congratulating her, it meant she deserved it. "Thank you, Uncle Shikaku. Are you supposed to be watching after me while I train?"

Shikaku nodded and moved off to the side so Amari had room to run. "Yes. For now at least, I also wished to speak to you about your idea for having your clones use Shadow Possession Jutsu." The young girl paused before running, curious to hear what he had found out about her idea. "It is possible, but it comes at a cost."

Shock filled her being, causing her eye to bulge in dread and fear at the one possibility she feared the most. _Did someone get hurt because of my questioning?_

It only began to dissipate when Shikaku raised his hands up for her to stop her train of thought. "Nothing as bad as you assume. Remember this, 'Risu: never jump to conclusions. Jumping to conclusions without all of the information can lead to you missing important details that others miss."

Amari dipped her head in a nod of understanding. _It's a good lesson to remember, not only will it save me from worrying myself to death but it'll help me to see outside the box on missions._

She began focusing her chakra around her feet as the elder Nara continued. "The Shadow Clone and Shadow Possession Jutsu together will drain your chakra as fast as we assumed. You may have a larger supply than most children your age, but it would still drain you of most your chakra within twenty or thirty seconds at full strength."

 _Leaving me vulnerable or killing me if I wasn't too careful or wasn't able to immobilize or kill my target._ "Meaning if I used it I would have to end it fast and be sure I did end it, otherwise I'd be out of chakra and out of the fight," Amari finished for him.

She ran at the tree and rushed up it at a quick dash, reaching three quarters of the way up before she felt lack of traction under her feet. Amari hastily pushed off the tree to spare herself from a dangerous fall. _Not enough chakra that time,_ Amari scolded herself as she landed. _But for me to even be able to have my clones use Shadow Possession Jutsu effectively, I would have to train harder over the next several months and years._

The thought actually made the new Genin smile slightly. Training had become as much of a hobby as it was a necessity to become stronger for Amari. She enjoyed pushing herself to her limits and seeing how far she could go; add on the incentive of being able to use her jutsus to better protect her future allies and she was left with excitement bubbling up inside.

 _Still, I have a lot of time and training before that. Right now I have to be careful with it._ "I would have to practice it supervised to be sure I didn't go past my limits and become chakra exhausted or worse." _Because I'd try to push further than I should without supervision._ "If I do practice it enough, would I be able to hold it longer without losing too much chakra?" Amari asked as she began to focus her chakra again. She wanted to know if she was right to assume she was looking at months and years of training to achieve an efficient use of the technique.

"Over time yes, but it would take more than a few weeks of training to accomplish that. If you do practice, do not under any circumstance push yourself too hard. The cost of the jutsu is not dire when you are careful, but like any chakra intensive jutsu…" The elder Nara trailed off and looked to her to see if she remembered the lesson he had taught her.

"Push too far and you could end up dead," she repeated what Shikaku had told her once. He gave a nod of approval for not forgetting such a simple lesson because of what she accomplished.

 _So I_ _ **can**_ _do it, I just have to be extra careful when I do. If anything, I'll only use it in the most desperate of times._ "So practice supervised, use it only when the need is dire and don't push myself hard. Who knows, maybe it will become effective enough that you will use it," Amari joked.

The corner of Shikaku's lip pulled up in a smirk. "Who's to say I haven't started already?"

The new Genin giggled then ran up the tree again; she reached the three quarters mark again but as her right foot stepped again, the bark of the tree burst underneath her from too much chakra. Amari back flipped to land on her feet then frowned up at the tree. "Damn," she muttered.

"You almost have it. Take a breath and try again."

Listening to the orders of her elder, Amari took a breath and focused her chakra to her feet again. _I can feel my control getting better with each try._ _If I just focus a little bit less than last time, I should have my perfect medium of control._ A moment after adjusting the chakra flow at her feet, she ran towards the tree again.

Her feet hit the tree and carried her up the bark to the three quarters mark again, making it three strides higher before she instinctively back flipped off out of fear of bursting off again.

Upon landing she looked up at the tree and noticed that she hadn't actually busted the tree or had too little chakra. _No way._ "I…I had control," Amari said in a bit of shock. _I might have been able to make it all the way up if I didn't push off._

Shikaku nodded to her in agreement, his eyes examining the tree for a brief moment before meeting hers with seriousness in them. "You feared that you had focused too much chakra to your feet as you had before. You feared that you were going to fail, and in doing so you failed."

 _He's right. When I had passed my last burst off the tree, I was almost certain I was going to have to push off. I didn't trust in my own abilities._ A consistent trend in her training that hindered her every step of the way over the last two years. Even after all of her accomplishments, it still lingered on in her heart, bringing forth the failures Kasai would expect from her.

"Trust in yourself, 'Risu. You can do this," Shikaku reassured.

 _Take a deep breath and focus. You can do this._ Amari focused the same amount of chakra as she had before to her feet. The moment she felt ready, she ran up the tree. _Trust in yourself_ , she coached herself. _I can do this._ Instead of paying attention to how far she was up the tree, she focused on the top of the tree as her goal.

 _It's just like walking, if you lose your feet you won't go where you wish to be._ Before she knew it, she had to grab onto one of the final branches at the top of the tree to stop herself from flying off of it.

"Uh…Uncle Shikaku?" Amari called down. "I just climbed this tree…You didn't boost me up or anything did you?"

There was a humorous laugh from the bottom of the tree. "No. Congratulations, 'Risu, you just climbed your first tree," he called up to her.

 _Guess it was a dumb question anyways. He isn't one to give me an easy out. Hard work is the only thing that helps me advance._ Amari jumped from branch to branch until she reached the ground again. She paused for a moment to look up at the tree in a bit of disbelief that she had actually done it. _It has to be a fluke._ _There is no way I did that just now without it being some kind of fluke._

"Try again," Shikaku coaxed as he motioned to the tree.

Amari nodded and focused the exact amount of chakra she had before to her feet again then climbed to the top of the tree once more.

 _I- I actually did it?_ Casting her gaze across the tops of the tress and buildings she could see, a feeling of content swarmed her being. _This is more than I thought I could accomplish in the time frame I had given myself._ _I just have to keep putting one foot in front of another so I can reach my goal._

For many minutes the new Genin stared out at the village as the breeze pushed cool air over her body. This place had once been completely foreign to her, a strange new place she felt she didn't belong. Yet…looking at the village from this tree, thinking back on her time within it and the people she met…This place really was home for her.

 _Killer view. I wish Naruto or Shika were here to enjoy it with me._ She frowned slightly at the thought of the pair. _Problem is that Naruto hasn't learned this yet and Shikamaru is too lazy to climb a tree when he could just lie on the ground and watch the clouds._

With a shrug, Amari let the thought go. _Oh well, at least I got to see it._ Alone as she was, it was still nice to see this all. It was made all the more special with the accomplishments she made just today.

"Amari, come on down! All the other students have finished the exam and it's time for you to go home," Iruka-sensei called up to her.

Awoken from her thoughts, Amari heeded her sensei's words and jumped her way back down. When she reached the bottom she noticed a distinct lack of Shikaku's presence. _Must have left when I didn't come down right away._

Her sensei looked up at the tree then back to her, an impressed glint in his eyes. "Amazing, Amari. Keep this up and you'll have a mastery of your chakra control in no time."

"Thank you, Iruka-sensei…" She paused, hesitating to ask the next question on her mind. Alas, she pushed the hesitation aside to learn the truth. "Did Naruto pass?"

Iruka's smile fading told all she needed to know. _Well Naruto, you are now forcing my hand._ "Amari, I know you tried your best to motivate him, and he did take it seriously, but you can't blame yourself for this."

"I know." A kind sentiment, but she still felt guilt over not being so actively involved in his training. Things may have been different had she been. _Seems like I'm going to have to go with plan whip Naruto into shape._ A plan she needed to make sure was going to work before getting her friend's hopes up. "…If I can get Naruto to learn the Shadow Clone Jutsu by the end of the night, would he be allowed to pass?" Amari asked.

Iruka raised an eyebrow in question, but before he could answer a strong and familiar chakra presence appeared behind her.

The chakra presence was soon followed by a hand resting on her shoulder, causing her to look up and see her mother standing behind her. The Genjutsu Master gave her daughter a bright smile which she returned. "Ah, hello Kurenai. I'd just like to tell you Amari has been a magnificent student and one of the brightest and strongest this year. I am very proud of her accomplishments."

"As am I," Kurenai responded with a pride irradiating from her. Amari shyly looked down at her toes, a small smile tugging onto her face for making her mother proud. "I don't mean to interrupt, but Lord Hokage has asked for you Iruka. He is waiting in front of the Academy for you."

Iruka nodded in thanks for passing the message on and Body Flickered away. The new Genin looked up to her mom in question of why Lord Hokage needed her sensei, but the look her mother's face showed that she was unaware as well and wouldn't tell even if she did. "So, I was thinking Ichiraku," the red eyed Jōnin said with a sly smile.

Normally Amari would have agreed to it in a heartbeat. Part of her was actually jumping with joy at the thought of having some Ichiraku ramen and spending time with her mom. Naruto had introduced her to the restaurant, being the fanatic he was when it came to ramen, and thanks to him she was nearly as crazy about ramen as he was.

The only difference was she actually had a diverse diet.

Despite her love for Ichiraku ramen, she couldn't just ignore Naruto's situation. _I know Mom wants to spend time with me and celebrate my graduation, and I_ _ **really**_ _want to enjoy this final day before being assigned a Jōnin Sensei with her…but there is something that I have to do. Naruto_ _ **needs**_ _to be trained so he can pass tonight and move on with me. If I am able to teach him the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu then Iruka will have to pass him._

"Mom, I would love too, I really would…but I have a plan to help Naruto pass."

Much to Amari's surprise, her mother's smile remained. "I know you do, which is why I wanted to take you there for lunch and give you the gift I have so you can get to work with him."

… _Wait, what?_ It took a second to register what her mom said, but once it did Amari beamed and gave her a big hug. _She's been planning this all along._

Kurenai hugged her back and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. "Come on, little one." The mother and daughter duo left the Academy together, though Amari did notice Mizuki and Naruto leaving together as well. A noticeable frown creased her mother's lips at the sight of the pair leaving together, Amari would even say it was on the border of suspicion, but they continued on their way to Ichiraku.

After a bowl of ramen each, Kurenai had her daughter close her eye before giving her the gift. Amari couldn't even begin to guess what it would be, but she felt excited just the same. Everything her mother had ever given her had been heartfelt; no doubt this would be the same.

"Okay, open your eye." The dōjutsu wielder opened her eye and saw an open jewelry box with two earrings inside of them. They were silver hoop earrings with a purple gem on the bottom that seemed to shine brighter than any gemstone she had ever seen.

"They're beautiful," she gasped. "May I?" she asked, barely able to restrain herself from examining them up close. Kurenai nodded and allowed her to take the box so she could look deeply into the gems. Not only were they beautiful, but the amethyst purple matched her bandana and shirt perfectly. Amari giggled with excitement at the new gift and nearly tackled her mother out of her seat. "Thank you! They are so pretty."

Kurenai gave a gleeful laugh as she hugged her daughter back. "I'm glad you love them. Let's go get them in then I'll let you go find Naruto."

After saying farewell to the Teuchi and his daughter and thanking them once more for their kami blessed ramen the pair departed Ichiraku to get Amari's ears pierced. Once they were in and they were out of the store, the young girl hugged her mother tightly again.

"I am so proud of you, Amari. You will become a great ninja, I just know it," her mother whispered into her ear.

"Thank you, mom. I love you so much," she whispered back.

Kurenai's grip tightened around Amari. "And I love you, little one." They remained attached to one another for a few more moments until finally they let go. "Don't push yourselves too hard and be careful. Something feels off," the Jōnin warned.

With a nod and one more hug, the young ninja left and began her search for the spiky-haired knucklehead.

It was time for some training.

* * *

 _A/N: A quick but kind of important note, I'm still posting on Friday this week and then returning back to once a week posts, but because this was a shorter chapter and I didn't want to leave this story for a week on this not very action oriented or extremely emotional part, I decided to post today so Friday's post could jump you all right into the fun and action waiting beyond this final world setting chapter. A heated encounter is coming. Perhaps bring tissues._

 _Anyway, thanks for reading and see you Friday!_


	6. Chapter 5: The Rage Within

Chapter 5

Amari's True Power Released: The Rage Within!

Reaching Naruto's home did not take Amari long. Then again, she was on a mission of the highest importance; nothing could deter her from the path she was on, not even the promise of a lifetime supply of Ichiraku ramen or mountains of the sweetest ice cream known to humankind.

 _Ice cream…_

Amari shook of her sudden need to find the closest ice cream shop and bankrupt herself on the greatest food ever created; an ice cream celebration could wait until after she got Naruto to pass.

At the door, she lifted her hand up and knocked to announce her presence. "Naruto, its Amari! Are you in there?" she called to him. There was no answer; a bit unnerving but the Nara refused to give up so easily and knocked again. "I have a plan to help you become a ninja. It'll be tough, but I know for sure if I train with you in using the Shadow Clone Jutsu that you'll learn it by the end of the night. Then Iruka-sensei will pass you and we can continue on as ninja together."

Silence again. _I don't want to barge in, it wouldn't be right…but I can find out if he is ignoring me._ Amari shut her right eye and began channeling her chakra into her left. _Byakugan!_ The activation of the dōjutsu changed her vision, allowing her the ability to see through the bandana and solid walls blocking her view.

Her vision penetrated through the surfaces, scanning over every inch of the small apartment room; a few empty cups of insta-ramen littered the kitchen table, clothes scattered the floor with no real care of where they landed or what they covered, his bed was unmade and school books were stacked at strange angles or with the spine facing walls rather than the viewer.

 _Repress need to organize and clean…repress need to organize and clean._ Amari's eye and finger tips twitched in struggle to not barge in and do a full clean of his room. _Must…resist. Must…scold him and teach him how to clean his own room._

The struggle to resist the need to clean was insurmountable, to the point she realized her hand unconsciously was gripping the door handle in preparation to go in. _Have to focus. Have to find Naruto. Have to teach him jutsu so we can graduate together._ _Have to help him for ice cream celebration later._

Amari was pulling out every card she could to resist the powerful need to clean. She hadn't felt such a struggle or seen such a mess since her days in the orphanage.

Taking a deep breath, she released the door handle and took a step back. Naruto was not home, of that she could be certain. _He also has a giant mess, but that's a mission for a different day._

He was _soo_ getting an earful later.

 _Okay, if he isn't home then where is he?_ Amari thought as she deactivated her Byakugan. She looked out at the horizon and saw that the sun was on its descent. Between the exam and lunch with her mom she had lost a few hours of time she could have spent training Naruto. That was fine, though; she enjoyed the time she spent with her mother and wouldn't trade it for a few extra hours.

Less time to train just meant doubling or tripling the effort.

 _I have to get Naruto to pass…but where did he go? The longer it takes to find him, the less time I have tonight to help him…_ She flicked her eye in the direction of the nearby staircase leading up to the roof. _I need to get to the roof and use my Byakugan. If he is within a fifty meter radius I will be able to see his chakra signature._

With her plan decided, she moved to the stairs and then up to the roof, from which she could see across a lot of the Leaf Village. Once again she activated her Byakugan and began searching for Naruto's chakra in every direction. As she searched, realization on just how many ninja roamed through their village hit her.

Strong chakra presences were in every direction she looked. Some wore their village symbol on their headbands or the standard shinobi gear; others, she noticed, were in casual clothes on a casual stroll or hiding among the civilian population as undercover guards.

 _I knew our force was large, but I never realized how many there were._ Using her three hundred and sixty degree vision, she could see several just within the fifty meter radius, which could hardly be called even a fraction of their village. _If anyone ever tried a head on assault, they'd never realize how many ninjas we had until it was too late for them. Wait…is that Kakashi?_

Curiosity piqued, she singled out the chakra and used her enhanced vision to zoom in on it. Sure enough, Kakashi's chakra network and body came into focus; he was lounging in a tree, leaning on a tree branch with a book in hand. Checking the cover only made Amari groan. _Two years and he's still reading the same pervy book as he was when I woke up._

She really needed to burn that someday.

Moving on from Kakashi, she finished her initial search without finding any sign of Naruto or his chakra network. _I'll have to change positions and check from that building over there_ , she decided before moving out to the taller building designated as a small resort outside of her first fifty meter radius.

From the top she started her search again, her eye scanning high and low and through several chakra signatures in search for the knucklehead.

 _No sight of him._ Again she changed positions, and continued to do so each time her search came back negative. On one such search she found her mother walking through the village with none other than Asuma. _You two are so cute!_ The new Genin giggled to herself. _No sense in hiding it you two. You're in love!_

Putting aside her love for romance and the adorable bashful nature of the two adults, Amari was forced to keep moving in her search. Yet it seemed no matter where she went Naruto was nowhere to be found.

The continued negative result required her to switch her plan of attack. Instead of just searching from a static position, she started ninja jumping across the buildings with her Byakugan activated and actively searching for Naruto's chakra.

The search went on for several hours, sewing seeds of worry into Amari's being until she was forced to stop on another building to catch her breath. _Where could he possibly be?_ _I've checked everywhere within the village and I can't find that knucklehead anywhere._ _Naruto just doesn't up and disappear like this and with my Byakugan activated he should have stood out like a giant tree amongst a river of sand when I searched through the village._

Dwindling light was just another reminder that she had made no progress whatsoever except working on her own stamina and the use of her Byakugan—nothing she wanted to be training right now. _The sun is nearly set and most of the village is inside their homes. Naruto, where are you? I'm starting to worry and I don't do well with worry. I— What the—_

Amari turned sharply in the direction of the sound of the warning bells suddenly sounding off across the village. _Uh-oh. That can't be a good sign. I should head home or Mom will chew me out for sure, if she doesn't come find me herself._

Before the dōjutsu wielder could deactivate her Byakugan and head home she caught a large spike of chakra that matched Naruto's. Honing in on it, she finally located the knucklehead on the outskirts of the village, currently at the very brim of her sight.

 _Narutooo, you are so in trouble when I get to you._ She would drag him back to her home by his ear if she had to, and then they were going to train as soon as they received an all-clear. _Until then I'm going to grab that knucklehead and head home. I'll have to explain the plan on the way back…I'll also have to make sure we don't get busted for being out right now._

Being caught after that alarm went off would just be troublesome.

Amari began ninja jumping her way across the buildings all the while keeping Naruto in her Byakugan sight as she did. _You are not escaping me this time_. As she was jumping, chakra signatures belonging to several shinobi started appearing in masses, usually on the fringes of her sight, in what she detected as a search pattern. _Can't be caught by them or they'll chew me out for sure. I'm barely a Genin and that bell was to make sure everyone who shouldn't be out wouldn't be. I have to hurry._

Although Amari's chakra sensing skills without her Byakugan were nowhere near as sharp as her mother's, she had the ability to sense familiar and strong chakras at a very close range. For that reason, she felt first rather than saw two familiar chakra signatures ahead of her, both following a similar path towards Naruto.

 _The one closest to Naruto is Iruka-sensei_ , she learned after using her Byakugan to zero in on the source.

As she jumped between two buildings, she honed in on the next and found Mizuki with two large, arm-length shurikens on his back.

 _Mizuki-sensei? Why does he have two giant shurikens? And why is he heading in the same path as Iruka right at Naruto…_

Realization had a funny way about it. The moment you believed you had it all figured, suddenly it set in just to prove to you how little you really knew. Pieces of a puzzle she didn't realize she was in the center of fell into place. The way Kurenai looked at Mizuki suspiciously earlier in the day—and several other times in the past—the warning bells, Naruto practicing some type of jutsu outside of the village to cause a large surge of chakra from him.

Every piece fell into place, and with it, dread consumed her. _Oh no. No no no no no._

The shinobi of her village were hunting Naruto. _And I'd bet Mizuki-sensei is behind it._

A chill ran down her spine at the situation she was falling into. _No, no. This can't be happening. This can't be happening._ Why, why would Mizuki do something like this? The village already treated Naruto like dirt, but to do something to warrant a search party to hunt him down? _That…that traitorous bastard!_

Fury replaced dread. How _dare_ Mizuki betray _her_ home and frame _her_ friend! No one would get away with that unforgivable transgression ever again! No one! Amari had to make a decision, though. The warning bells were a clear signal for her to return home. Disobeying it and getting caught by higher ranked shinobi would land her in serious hot water.

Yet, in a way, the choice felt obvious to her, and not because she was furious. This choice was the one to test her true commitment to her new self. The old her would've obediently listened to the order and let someone else fight this battle. But that was the past her, the one too frightened to do anything except sit and cry as her friends battled to the death.

 _Never again_ , Amari swore, her eyes hardening. _I will_ _ **never**_ _stand by like that again when I have the strength to do something._ _I'm sorry, Mom, but this is my fight, my final test to prove to myself that I've changed._

It was a good thing she hadn't overdone her clones _and_ had her ninja tools strapped to her right leg and her backup pouch on the back of her left hip. _I need to move fast to warn them_. Amari focused her chakra to her feet and legs and, with a boost of speed, started closing the distance between herself and Naruto and Iruka at a faster pace.

As she jumped, she considered any and all possibilities as to why Mizuki would concoct such a scheme. _Why would Mizuki be doing this? He's planning to use Naruto as a scapegoat for something…but what? And why Naruto? Why would the village so easily believe it with him?_

Sure adults in the village treated him badly, and yes Naruto did pull of pranks, but it wasn't them that would judge Naruto, it was shinobi. So why would shinobi believe Mizuki? What reason would they have to hate Naruto enough to hunt him down?

Once again realization hit Amari like wall suddenly appearing in front of her, proving how ignorant she really had been all this time. The whisker like marks on his face, the Fourth Hokage's battle with Nine-Tailed Fox happening exactly as many years ago as Naruto was born, the hate and fear in every villager's eyes just at the sight of him.

She had seen it for years now, had told her mother of her hypothesis on why the kids disrespected Naruto and casted him out. The parents, the adults, they all looked at him with hate and fear and because of that they treated him badly. But she never understood why so many people felt that way.

It all clicked into place right in front of her to create a frightening realization. _Oh kami, they sealed the Nine-Tailed Fox inside Naruto. That's why everyone stares at him like he is a demon. Because…he has one inside of him._

It had to be the reason. The Nine-Tailed Fox was responsible for so much death and destruction, according to the stories she picked up through the last two years; it left its mark on the people who survived it and the orphans it created. _That_ was why so many people had the same look of disdain and fear when they looked at Naruto.

When they looked at him they didn't see the boy, they saw the demon that hurt so many people, and in their skewed view they placed the same blame and hatred on the innocent child containing the demon.

Amari immediately shook her head at the thought. _It doesn't matter to me if he has the Nine-Tailed Fox inside of him. Naruto isn't the Nine-Tailed Fox. He's a kind and caring boy I am glad to have in my life…But Mizuki must have some plan to use that as a reason to blame Naruto for whatever he is doing._

How the Fourth Hokage managed to seal the Nine-Tails away boggled the young ninja's mind, but he _was_ the Fourth Hokage so maybe no explanation was needed. _But why put it in Naruto? Why seal away the Nine-Tailed Fox inside a little boy and call it a victory?_

Again she shook her head to shake away the thought. _That doesn't matter now. The Fourth Hokage saved this village and Naruto will only become stronger because of it._ Determination set on the new Genin's face, _and right now Naruto and Iruka-sensei are in danger. I will do whatever is needed to protect them and Naruto's dream._

Amari jumped to the ground then up into the trees even faster towards Naruto and Iruka. Mizuki was still ahead of her, his longer legs giving him more speed than she had in her small body at this time. _I will stop you, Mizuki. Count on that._

She brought her fingers up in the clone seal and whispered, "Shadow Clone Jutsu." Two clones popped up next to her and managed to keep jumping with her. "Listen up. This is going to be our first real mission as ninjas. We've got to stop Mizuki no matter what," she told them. "I'm going to go down first when we get there, so just wait in the trees and be ready for anything. This isn't training, this is real."

The pair of cloned Amari's nodded with determination set on their faces as well, though they already knew all that. The speech was really to keep Amari concentrated on her goal and ignore any jitters about the coming fight.

 _Whatever his plan is, I will stop him and protect my friends._

Just as the young ninja was able to see Iruka and Naruto in a clearing in the moonlit forest, her sensei push the blond boy out of the way as a bunch of kunai began pelting him.

 _No!_

On instinct driving her to protect her precious people, Amari pulled out two kunai knives and dashed down to the ground in front of Iruka while her clones stayed behind as she asked. For her the kunai seemed to be coming at her in slow motion, but that was just a combination of training kicking in, fast reaction speed and her Byakugan helping her pinpoint each remaining ninja tool aimed at her precious sensei.

Without even have to think about it, Amari blocked every single tool, knocking them off course and into the ground where they could no longer bring harm.

Upon the final kunai hitting the grass, the young girl turned her murderous gaze to the man betraying her home. _You will pay for this_ , she put into her stare, hoping for a moment he could feel the same palpable feeling of fury she felt tingling across her skin.

 _I need to assess the situation and keep my feelings in check._ Letting her emotions consume her would give her enemy an opening. She needed to remain in control of the volatile emotions erupting inside of her.

The Nara took an unnoticeable breath then glanced to Naruto and back at Iruka using her Byakugan to check them over for injuries. Fear and confusion were clear on Naruto's face, but he also had a giant scroll of some type attached to a sash that he was wearing. _That must be the target he's after, aside from trying to kill Naruto and Iruka-sensei._

Her sensei was pinned to the wooden shack behind her by kunai, in pain but nothing vital appeared to be hit. He looked a bit shocked that she was there along with a mixture of being thankful and a look that told her to get the hell out of there.

"Iruka-sensei, Naruto, I'm sorry I'm late," Amari apologized.

 _I should have been faster but I wasn't and Iruka-sensei paid for it._ It was something she would need to work on. In the field of battle there was no time for being slow. That was later, though. Now wasn't the time to get lost in thought of future training sessions.

Mizuki stared at her with a blank, unimpressed look as Naruto finally seemed to see her. "Amari? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked.

Despite the serious situation at hand, Amari chuckled and deactivated her Byakugan. No need to drain her chakra when she could see through her enemy and his tactics without it. "I've been looking for you for the last few hours actually." He raised his eyebrows in surprise. "I had planned to correct my lack of helping you train the Shadow Clone Jutsu by helping you learn it tonight so you could graduate with me, but it would seem there were other plans in motion, isn't that right, _Mizuki-sensei?"_ Her tone was cold, filled with venom she never realized she had.

While naturally a very shy person, seeing her friend and sensei in danger burned all the nerves and shyness away, fueling her warrior spirit; a spirit that had laid dormant and only appeared in glimpses during training ever since the day she lost her memories of her past life.

No one was going to hurt them as long as she had breath in her body. No one would take away any of her friends ever again!

Mizuki only sneered at what he undoubtedly thought was tough talk.

"You've got a lot of nerve betraying my village."

That earned her a barked laugh. He obviously thought she was a joke, a feeling she decided was mutual considering the trash he was. "Are you the one going to stop me, Amaririsu? Please, you are just a little girl who is barely even a Genin. What hope do you have of stopping me when you couldn't even save your friend?"

That single phrase was enough to hit the young girl right in her heart. Pain and fear pumped alongside her heart, each beat spreading the fear throughout her body and intensifying the aches in her heart. _How…how does he know about that?_ Her history was kept secret from almost everyone, save for a few trusted individuals who were close to her. _He…he shouldn't know that. But…if he does, then he must know about…_

"Amari, take Naruto and the scroll and get out of here right now! You must inform Lord Hokage or a Jōnin of Mizuki's betrayal," Iruka ordered. His voice was enough to keep a full-blown panic attack from rising within her to refocus on her mission. Whatever Mizuki knew didn't matter. He would not get away with his betrayal and he would never speak a word of her history to another person so long as she had a choice in the matter.

So no, she wasn't going to take Naruto and the scroll and leave Iruka behind. If she couldn't handle the stress of this situation then she would never be ready to be a ninja. Amari was tired of being the weakest link, tired of people always having to fight her battles while she watched from the sidelines like a coward. Running now after all of her training meant throwing away all the blood, sweat and tears she had shed trying to become better.

Amari glanced over her right shoulder back at Iruka with a look of pure seriousness unbefitting of an innocent twelve year old. But, then, she was neither innocent nor just some twelve year old. Unlike others in her class, she bore scars on her body and heart they would _never_ understand.

"I'm sorry, Iruka-sensei, but I can't leave you to die." Because that's what leaving him meant. Leaving him to sacrifice himself in a battle where Mizuki already had the upper hand. "I will not stand by and let another person I care about give their life to protect me. It's selfish, I know, but if I leave you behind and run, I will be exactly as I was when I lost Ryu." She turned back to Mizuki. "I refuse to be that pathetic weakling ever again. This is my village now, too. My home, my family, it's here in this village. If I don't stand and fight for that now, what the hell was the point of all my training then?"

"Amari…"

"I know you're worried. But you gave me my headband, remember? You believed in me throughout my entire time at the Academy, you motivated me to become better just as much as my mom did. Please, all I'm asking for is you to believe in me now. I may just be barely a Genin, but he is just a lousy traitor who barely is a Chūnin. Ranks mean nothing if you are all talk with nothing to back it up."

Mizuki glowered at her for the mental strike she just landed. Shinobi battles weren't just about jutsus and physical blows. A well placed psychological strike could turn a battle into anyone's favor; all you had to do was find the weak point and strike it viciously.

"Wait a minute. What's going on here?" Naruto questioned.

A swarm of kunai came flying at Amari, but she had seen it coming before Mizuki even finished reaching for them. Each blade cut through the air in an effort to reach her, yet each only found her cold blades as she blocked them all with lightning fast reflexes honed through the rigorous training her mother put her through the last two years.

The blades fell around her like rain, but the Nara wasn't lost among the storm of kunais or her internal wish to beat her enemy into the ground. Her eyes were still clear, and in that clarity she was able to see a kunai flying at such an angle one could easily confuse it as a shadow of the one ahead of it. _Not going to get me with that lame trick. How about I send it right back!_

Amari calculated her next actions in a brief second no one could perceive. Immediately she initiated her plan, tossing one of her kunais at one of the final kunais aimed at her, the eventual collision causing her kunai to bounce off it and hit two others, changing their trajectory to the ground. As the kunai left her hand, she was already in the next stage of her plan, jumping up into the air and channeling chakra to her right foot.

As the kunai hiding in the shadow of another went under her, she could almost feel Iruka's eyes widening in sudden shock. He had nothing to fear, however. Amari's foot landed on the weapon and connected it to the bottom of her foot. She then spun her body three hundred and sixty degrees and used the momentum of her spin to send the kunai right back at Mizuki.

The action caught him by surprise, but he nevertheless deflected the weapon. _I'm not just some little girl_ , Amari thought as she grabbed another kunai to replace the one she threw as she landed. _I've trained so hard these last two years and I will prove you wrong. I'll show you why you shouldn't mess with my friends!_

"Naruto, don't let Mizuki get the scroll," Iruka ordered, clearly changing his plan from convincing a stubborn Nara to keeping the knucklehead from handing over whatever that scroll was to their enemy. "Within that scroll is Forbidden Jutsu that could put our village in imminent and grave danger. Mizuki _used_ you to get the scroll for himself, for his own power. Amari, protecting that scroll is your primary objective."

 _No it's not, but I won't just disobey you this time. If that scroll holds Forbidden Jutsu then it needs to be protected just as you and Naruto need to be protected. I'll just have to compromise._

"Girls, you heard him. Take up a protective stance around Naruto. Remain as close to him as possible and keep that traitorous _bastard_ away from him," the young Genin said.

Her two clones jumped down with dual kunais as well and the same murderous look she held. They stood in front of Naruto protectively so there would be no way Mizuki could pelt him with kunai or with the giant shuriken on his back.

Nobody was going to hurt them while she drew breath.

"Naruto, Iruka is just trying to scare you 'cause he doesn't want you to have the scroll," Mizuki said. His voice was _so_ innocent, _too_ innocent to be real.

"Don't listen to him, Naruto. He is a liar!" Amari growled.

"Stop lying Mizuki! Don't let him trick you, Naruto." Iruka said.

The traitor laughed evilly, a clear indication to Amari that he had some trick up his sleeve. "Oh I'll tell you who's really lying. Let's start with Amaririsu. Naruto did you know she actually has a working eye under that bandana."

Shock pulled onto Naruto's features, but Amari didn't see it due in no small part to her heart crashing itself against her chest in a mixture of anger and fear. Mizuki _knew_ one of her most carefully guarded secrets. How? How did he know? Barely even a handful knew, and they were all people with close ties to her.

There was only one reason she could think of for his knowledge on her secret: he was searching for power and somehow found out about her eye, a source of power someone she once loved as a brother was willing to kill over. _He…he knows about my eye and Ryu…_ Internally Amari shook her head, trying to shake off the fear and refocus.

Replacing her fear was the anger over Mizuki using her secret to drive a wedge between her and Naruto. For so long she wanted to tell her best friend the truth just so she didn't have this guilty feeling tying her guts in knots for hiding truth from him. Finally seeing the shock on his face only made the knots so much worse.

Damn it, she wanted to tell him…but she had made a promise that she wouldn't tell anyone. A promise forged by the betrayal of a dear friend she'd have done anything for on any given day. Could anyone really blame her for fearing the inevitability of another friend betraying her over the power of the Byakugan she now carried?

 _Damn it…damn it all!_ Amari's hands quivered against the vile concoction of emotions flooding through her veins. _He's…he's going to ruin everything…_

"Oh yes, Amaririsu has been lying to you since the day you first met. You see, Naruto, her eye gives her more power than you realize. And she's used it to ascend to new heights while letting you wallow in _failure_!"

"That's not true!" Amari shouted. She was angry and emotional and really in the mood to kick Mizuki's teeth down his throat. "I have never…" She had never what? Hid her eye from him? Concealed its power? "I haven't…" Let him wallow in failure? How could she even defend herself there without looking at how she let him fail the graduation exam?

"Look! She can't even defend herself because she knows everything I've said is the truth!" Mizuki proclaimed. "The only reason she even takes the time out of her day for you is because she pity's you. Amaririsu has _never_ cared about you or your success. She calls you her best friend, but you would think as your _best friend_ she would feel that she could trust you with something like this."

Betrayal was thick in the air and shadowed the blond's features. "It's…that's not true…" Amari tried to defend herself, looking to Naruto as she tried to get him to look her in the eyes. "I didn't…I just wanted…" Tears pricked at Amari's eyes from the pain of the twisted lies she was struggling to find an appropriate defense for.

Mizuki had struck a lethal psychological blow; a blow that she wasn't sure she could come back from. All this time she spent sheathing her past in shadows to keep a promise to Ryu and keep herself safe for him…all of it rendered pointless because someone found out. And to make it worse, they were using her lie as a blade to sever Naruto's bond with her.

"Mizuki, you…" Iruka sounded furious.

"Is that true Amari?" Naruto asked. Hearing the pain in his voice crippled her heart and knocked the wind right out of her. Mizuki was trying to destroy the friendship and trust the two shared…and he was succeeding. "Has it…has everything been just one lie after another?"

"No!" Amari shook her head as if it would somehow convince him more than her voice. "I do care about you, and your success! That's why I was out searching for you because I thought…" _Because I realized not being more active in your training might have helped you fail._

Why? Why was she screwing up so badly?

"I just…I never wanted to lie to you about my eye!" she cried. Quivers took over her hands along with the rest of her body as emotions were beginning to overcome her. Mostly guilt. "Please, just let me explain why…you have to understand."

He had to understand that it wasn't a lack of trust, but for simple protection.

"Understand what? That you lied to your _best friend_?" Mizuki prodded.

"Shut up, you bastard!" Amari screamed, her eye locking back onto the traitor with fiery anger. "You know nothing of what I've suffered! _Nothing_! All you see in this eye is a means of power! An ability that's somehow going to give you an edge!" She shook her head. "People like you are the reason kids like me exist. Kids who have had the people they loved stolen from them because of monsters like you hunting for whatever abilities they can steal to gain power. None of you ever give second thought to the pain you cause!"

"You say that," Mizuki grinned sadistically, "yet you're the one who stole that eye and have used its ability to surpass your peers, Amaririsu."

Fury struck Amari like a bolt of lightning. "You. Know. Nothing! You think I wanted this eye?! You think I wanted to lose the people I loved to gain some stupid power that isn't my own?! If I had it my way, I'd pluck this eye out in a heartbeat to hold Ryu in my arms again!"

And she meant that, too. She'd do it without second thought if she could hold Ryu in her arms again. But she couldn't. Ryu was dead. All she could do was walk the path he left for her.

"Amari…you're crying," Naruto said, his voice soft.

The Nara's right eye bulged at the information. She quickly rubbed the back of her hand against her cheek and…Tears…Tears she hadn't shed since she committed to her path of becoming stronger were running down her cheeks, making her eyes burn.

"This eye of yours…it has to do with that Ryu kid you told me about from your orphanage, right? The one you never finished telling me the story about?"

She nodded as she wiped her tears away roughly. "Yes…I only had two friends there. Ryu and Kasai. I never told you the end of that story because…"

"It still hurts," Naruto finished for her.

"Yes," she answered, feeling hopeful he might understand if she could just tell him the truth. "Ryu had special eyes, a kekkei genkai belonging to the Hyūga Clan that could be transplanted into another person. Kasai, our best friend, betrayed us to take one of his eyes for himself as a means to gain even more power. In the ensuing battle, Ryu was forced to…to sacrifice himself for me because of how weak I was."

The pain in admitting that still hadn't faded. "I was just a burden. A pathetic waste of his brilliant life. Before Kasai stole his eye, he blinded me with a kunai blade." Tears returned as her past emotions broke through their cages and crashed through her being.

"I didn't just lose my eyesight that day. I lost everything. My home. My family. Everything I knew, everyone I loved was stolen from me over a damned ability." An ability she still didn't believe was worth killing anyone for. "In Ryu's last moments, he performed a transplant of his remaining eye to give me back my vision and a mission, his dying wish."

" _Stay strong for me Amari…I'll be at your side to the end, I promise."_ The slumped over body of Ryu flashed through her mind along with the memory of his voice.

"He gave me this eye to hunt Kasai down and stop him, but I made him a promise to hide it from everyone out of fear that someone else would betray me for this eye. To hide it from people just like Mizuki who seek only power and care nothing about their comrades."

Anger surged through Amari as her grip on both of her kunai tightened. The shakes stopped immediately after. Anger, furious anger and pain swirled within her like a raging tornado on a path of destruction. This anger, it was just like the same anger she felt when Kakashi touched Ryu's body.

It felt like a poison seeping into her veins being steadily pumped through the rest of her body by her heart. Soon it would take over her body completely and then her feelings would seep out of her into the physical world, thus allowing the traitor to understand just how furious she was.

He would understand that she too held a demon within. A demon that really didn't like seeing her friends hurt.

"People like him would use it to hurt those I care about just as he is trying to do now. And I won't let them," Amari seethed.

"If you really considered Naruto your _best friend_ , though, you would have told him out of trust. You wouldn't have feared that he would take it," Mizuki prodded again.

Who was he to say any of this? He was a betrayer, a piece of trash who had no idea what it was like to care for people the way she did.

"Do not lecture me on the aspirations of friendship, Mizuki, when you obviously do not understand what it means to care more about your friend's dreams and lives than your own," the dōjutsu wielder growled, failing to notice her tears stopped.

The traitor smirked evilly again. "Then let's move onto the lie that everyone is keeping from Naruto, shall we?" Iruka yelled to Mizuki but he ignored him. "They've been lying to you your whole life, Naruto, since the decree twelve years ago."

Of course he would stoop to this, not only would he try to shatter her friendship and make Naruto distrustful of her, but he would ruin his whole world.

"What decree?" Naruto asked, clearly confused. The boy didn't put the number of years to the Fourth Hokage's sacrifice and his age together as she had. None of the kids had and she wouldn't have if it weren't for this situation coming up.

"Everyone knows except you. Iruka is trying to hide it from you even now and by the look on your _best friend's_ face she must have figured it out as well. They would do anything to shut me up."

"What is this decree? Why does everyone else know about it?" Naruto asked.

"Don't tell him, it's forbidden!" Iruka yelled.

No amount of moral sense was going to matter now with Mizuki, Iruka's shouting was useless against this man. _There is nothing we can do now to protect Naruto from learning the truth. If we did stop him now, Naruto would remain distrustful of us both for hiding something from him._

"You see, Naruto, the decree is meant to keep everyone from telling you that the Nine-Tailed Fox is inside you. The fox spirit that killed Iruka's parents and destroyed our village is in control of your body. You are the Nine-Tailed Fox!"

"That's not true! Naruto is not the Nine-Tails!" Amari yelled.

"Stop it!" Iruka shouted in anger.

 _I have to do something to shut this bastard up! He is going to destroy Naruto's dreams. But what can I do? A regular attack won't work and I can't leave Iruka unguarded or use my clones to risk leaving Naruto and the scroll unguarded._

What was she going to do?

"All these years they've been sneaking around, hiding the truth from you your entire life. Haven't you ever found it strange how the villagers and shinobi treated you? Like **dirt**. Like they hated you for just being **alive**!"

Each word thrown only caused Naruto more pain until blue chakra began to surge around him in uncontrolled emotions.

 _Naruto…_

"That's why you'll never be accepted in this village. Even your beloved Sensei hates your guts!"

The abnormal anger within the young girl finally snapped. The memories of Ryu and Kasai becoming prominent once more, Mizuki using her history against her and talking about her eye as if it was some trophy she won, all of it made her Uchiha blood boil over.

 _I can't hold it back anymore! Make him stop! Make him stop!_ _ **Make him stop!**_

" **Enough**!" Amari's voice cut through the forest like a sharp blade, full of rage that had laid dormant for too long. _**He must pay!**_ "Girls, shut him up!"

The clones needed no other order. They dashed forward in a burst of speed and engaged Mizuki in taijutsu while Amari dropped her kunais at her side and began going through her handseals. _Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger._

He was going to pay for everything he had said if it was the last thing she did!

The traitor batted away her clones, sending them falling to the ground but not dispelling them. The smile curled on his lips was cocky and she knew he was probably about to insult her yet again, but what he didn't realize was he had just fallen into her trap. Now he was distracted and completely open for an attack.

 _I will finish you! Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!_ After a giant inhale, a huge stream of fire poured out of her mouth and flew at the traitor. Shock pulled onto Mizuki's face right before the flames collided against the tree and scorched the area until the smell of burning leaves and bark filled her nostrils.

Amari ended her jutsu and immediately activated her Byakugan to search for Mizuki. _Did I get him?_ A flash of chakra caught her attention. _No, there he is!_

"Die Naruto!" he yelled as he was jumping between trees. In his hand he was spinning one of his large shurikens; he released it directly at her friend just as he was about to land.

Naruto jolted onto his feet and moved to run but ended up tripping back onto all fours; a small portion of her mind noted it as a sign of exhaustion from whatever he had been doing before. Never one to give up, he attempted to start crawling away despite clearly not having the strength in his body to move fast enough to avoid the shuriken.

Without second thought Amari's clones jumped into action, rushing over to the boy while their original grabbed a set of kunai and began throwing them as fast as she could to try to knock it away.

The kunais simply bounced off the surface without changing its course.

"Naruto, get down!" Iruka shouted from behind her. Naruto ducked his head down and prepared for the inevitable blow. _Naruto!_ Amari shouted mentally since she couldn't find her voice. Her clones covered Naruto with their bodies but Iruka still jumped and covered them all with his own.

Amari froze in shock as she saw the shuriken pierce Iruka's back. _No no no no. Iruka-sensei!_

The strange anger that had been building hit critical levels as it exploded within her. Her chakra reserves seemed to increase to her peak level, feeling as if it was irradiating within her and trying to break free of the body containing it all.

Slowly, her glare found Mizuki and turned demonic. The young ninja could _feel_ her hate flooding off of her body in tsunami like waves towards the man that crossed the final line he would not come back from.

The clones that covered Naruto appeared at her side with kunais in both of their hands while all three held furious looks.

"But…why?" Naruto asked to their sensei.

"Because we are the same, Naruto. All three of us. When I lost my parents, no one seemed to care. They didn't have time for me or just forgot I was even there."

Hearing the pain in Iruka's voice caused tears to prick at her eyes again, but she would not shed anymore tears. Tears were not going to end the traitor who had just successfully harmed the people she cared about. Amari picked her kunais off the ground and shut her eye.

 _For so long I've just stood by, letting others fight my battles and watching them fall as I stood by like the weakling I was. Never again. I…will not…stand by and let him get away with this!_ Amari's eye shot open with her Sharingan ablaze. _I'll kill him for what he's done!_

If he wanted to see what she was capable and see what kind of power her eyes held, she would gladly make him regret ever bringing it up. She lifted the bandana off of her left eye with her clones following her actions as they too activated their Sharingan's and lifted their bandana's up.

So lost in her fury, Amari did not see her chakra burst to life around her.

* * *

Iruka was overcome by too many emotions at the moment, each of which served to block out the pain of the shuriken sticking out of his back. He was furious with Mizuki for attacking such personal subjects to one of his favorite students, he felt guilt over not always being there for Naruto like he should have been since he knew to an extent his pain…he was hurting for the pain still residing in these two young kids who, like him, had been forced to confront such painful emotional experiences at such a young age.

"I…I should have been there more for you, Naruto, and you Amari. And I'm sorry," he apologized with tears streaming down his cheeks. Naruto, who was lying on the ground below him, could only stare in shock at him for his words, his tears and his actions.

For a long time he struggled with teaching Naruto, not because of his pranks or because he acted out in class, but because of what remained of his pain from losing his parents to the Nine-Tailed Fox. He naïvely let it get in the way of being a better teacher and mentor to this young boy.

It was wrong of him. He shouldn't have ever let Naruto be alone for so long or treat him badly because the Nine-Tailed Fox killed his parents. This boy, this knuckleheaded kid, had a good heart and was not responsible for the destruction of a demon he did not ask to be placed inside him.

Furthermore, the Fourth Hokage, the man who had saved the village and sealed the Fox away within Naruto had wanted the boy to be seen as a hero, not a villainous monster who was waiting to destroy everything they loved. If one of their great leaders believed that, why should he believe anything less?

As for Amari, she had been forced to face a different set of burdens than Naruto, though not any less hard for one as young as her to carry. She had suffered the pain of loss, had held the person she cared for in her arms as they passed and blamed herself for everything that happened that day. That wasn't even taking into account that she lost her original family and had dealt with the feeling of abandonment because of her lack of memory.

Over the last two years he did his best to be supportive to her, but maybe he could have done more. If she was still struggling deep inside, maybe there was something more he could do to help her.

"What is this?" Mizuki asked suddenly from behind Iruka and Naruto.

Pulled from his thoughts of his own shortcomings, Iruka and Naruto looked over to Amari and her two clones. What he saw made his eyes widen and his gut twist. Chakra, visible green chakra like flames surrounded the young girl; the sharp edges colored a foreboding black, mirroring the dormant anger now exploding at the seams.

 _Amari?_ Unlike Naruto's sudden rapid surge of chakra bursting around him in pure emotional distress, Amari's chakra was far more stable, but still reflected the flickering flames of a forest fire; each black tip like a sharp intangible blade flickering in any and all directions. An unnatural chill filled the air, pressing down on the three other occupants of the forest as a single red eye and lavender pierced through the shadows with their fiery rage aimed at one person.

"Is this some kind of genjutsu?" Mizuki questioned. Traitor or not, Mizuki knew chakra like this wasn't the cause of genjutsu; it was the result of Amari releasing every ounce of chakra she had at once in her unstable emotional state.

What his question pertained to was the feelings irradiating off Amari as if it was heat from the very fire she could control.

 _No, this is no genjutsu_ , Iruka realized. He knew exactly the cause of this show of chakra and the emotions weighing down the air. _This is the rage that lies within her, the killing intent that Kakashi warned us all about._ No longer was it locked behind its cage where it had remained hidden from them all. Now it was free; ready to lash out at the person who was causing people she cared for pain.

The air was thick with her intent to kill or severely harm to Mizuki, and the traitor was feeling its effects. Iruka could tell from the bead of sweat forming on his brow and the nervous look starting to take over his features. Those feelings were doubled when the green chakra suddenly appeared on both of her clones as well.

"What's happening to Amari?" Naruto asked below him.

"She is angry. Very angry," Iruka responded, his voice relaying a sense of sadness rather than worry. For her to be in this state…Mizuki's words and his actions had pierced through her walls directly into her heart. _Her emotions are now the air we breathe. I can feel all of her hate being pushed towards Mizuki, her sadness is thinning the air and the only rational part of her mind that is left is focused on protecting us._

 _I can't do anything. Not in this state._ With no other options, Iruka let out a sigh. _Amari…be careful._

* * *

"You will pay for hurting my friends!" Amari roared. Both she and her clones jolted forward in a burst of speed almost untraceable to the human eye as they charged Mizuki. The clones diverted from her and ran up the tree Mizuki was on and the one next to it as the real Amari jumped straight up and in front of the man.

Fear pulled onto his face when he came face to face with a pair of eyes that bored into his very soul. That fear alone wasn't enough to prevent him from being ready for her attack, unfortunately.

Her clones attacked from the side, one going for a sweep kick and the other attempting to slash Mizuki with the intent to kill. _**He will not get away with this! He will pay for causing Naruto and Iruka-sensei pain! I will never forgive him!**_

He dodged both attacks but was only able to block the front kick with his forearms from the real Amari that was aimed to cave his head in. He struggled against her leg but she pushed off him, backflipping away as her clones once again went for their own attacks.

Grabbing the tree branch as she fell, Amari proceeded to use her strength to swing herself forward and around right back up at the back of Mizuki feet first. The traitor was too preoccupied blocking her clones punches and blades to notice the real Amari's attack, which sent him falling to the ground after her feet slammed hard into his back.

Amari landed on the branch in-between her two clones and turned to face her enemy again. As all three looked down at the ground they saw a vulnerable Mizuki in midst of trying to discern how she had landed a blow and get his bearings after the fall. Not a word was spoken between the trio, but each knew exactly the next step to eliminate this piece of trash. All three dropped their kunais in synchronicity and started going through their handseals with amazing speed.

 _Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger._

Mizuki finally looked up at them with a sneer as he prepared his next attack, only to suddenly stop as fear colored his face at the sight before him. Behind her, completely unknown to enraged Amari, the three chakra shrouds connected and formed a black demonic dragon spirit bearing the same hatred and unbridled rage she felt in its searing red and lavender eyes.

"Let these eyes be burned into your soul forever!" the three Amari's yelled in unison. "Fire Style: Synchronized Shadow Clone Fire Ball Jutsu!"

Elsewhere

 _So her rage has finally awakened_. Lord Hokage let out a breath of smoke from his pipe as he monitored the battle from his crystal ball. _Had she not grown to care for all her friends and family, she would be a danger to many. Amari doesn't even seem aware of her chakra around her or the killing intent she is letting off._

This had to be what Kakashi had seen in the girl two years ago, the rage of a child full of sorrow, guilt and anguish who wanted to make her enemies suffer a gruesome fate. _Mizuki's big mouth has gotten into trouble with the one Genin he should have never underestimated._

Amari kicked Mizuki off the tree and she and her clones went through her Fire Ball Jutsu handseals quickly. It was impressive to see such growth and such ability from the child, but the Hokage wished it was under different circumstances. He did not wish her to go down such a dark path, and neither would her family.

"Let these eyes be burned into your soul forever!"

Even from his crystal ball, the Hokage could see the black demonic dragon form from the chakra shrouds of all three Amari's.

 _I do not doubt that her eyes will haunt Mizuki's dreams from this moment forward…if she doesn't kill him._

"Fire Style: Synchronized Shadow Clone Fire Ball Jutsu!"

The Hokage let out a hum of discontent. _If she doesn't hit this, Amari will begin to feel the strain of all the chakra she has expended today._ Her chakra reserves had not had adequate time to fully recover from her use of clones and her rush around the village in search of Naruto. She had already used the Fire Ball Jutsu once against Mizuki, to now use it three more times at the same time with two clones would come with a cost.

He let out a worried sigh. _Hurry, Kurenai. Your daughter needs you._

* * *

"Fire Style: Synchronized Shadow Clone Fire Ball Jutsu!"

"No way!" Mizuki shouted in surprise. All three Amari's inhaled then released their flames, combining their jutsu's into one as they blew a huge wave of orange fire with very faint green edges.

The combined flames headed directly at Mizuki, creating a wider range of destruction and heat to scorch everything in its path into ashes. But, although she was in an abnormal rage, she did calculate the distance between Iruka and Mizuki to ensure the people she cared for were not collateral damage.

As the flame impacted on the ground, the orange and green flames shot up higher than the tree tops like an explosion without the shockwave. With her Byakugan she saw that Mizuki jumped up into the air just above the length of the flames at the last second. He was still there now, floating helplessly with a look of pure shock and fear on his face.

The three Amari's brought their hands down from their mouths, letting the flame die out as they prepared for their next attack. Her chakra reserves weren't nearly exhausted just yet and Mizuki was right in the open.

 _ **He's a perfect target with no collateral damage. Let's end him!**_ Her rage commanded.

"Turn to ash, Mizuki!" Amari yelled.

She was so angry she hadn't noticed that Naruto ran off or Iruka's cry for Naruto to come back. Blinded by rage was close to where she was at except she could still see her sensei and was focused on protecting him. _Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger. Fire Style: Synchronized Shad—_

Amari was pushed back off the tree by her clones as Mizuki launched his giant shuriken right at them. The clones took the shuriken themselves and dispelled as it cut straight through them both, leaving Amari to land on her feet alone after coming out of a backflip.

Lifting her head to find her target with both eyes, she saw Mizuki pull the giant shuriken out of Iruka's back with only a small, frightened glance passed back at her before he started ninja jumping away. _You can't hide from me!_ With her Byakugan she could see that he was chasing in the direction of Naruto. _**I will find you!**_

* * *

 _Where are you Amari?_ Kurenai landed on a rooftop with a worried expression on her face as she used her eyes to search for any signs of battle and her chakra sensing abilities to locate her daughter's chakra. She had known something was off but she hadn't expected her daughter and Naruto to get caught up right in the middle of it.

Suddenly a large orange and green fire climbed above the tree tops with what looked like another ninja trying to dodge the blast.

That had to be her daughter and Mizuki fighting, but how had she managed such a large fire and why was there green within it? Kurenai shook her head. _I will find out later._ Her protective instincts took over her as she focused on the fire. _I'm coming, little one._

* * *

"Amari, I need your help," Iruka called for her as he struggled to his feet. Everything seemed to still as Iruka's voice dragged Amari out of her rage and back to reality. Her head felt a bit fuzzy, but she let it go for now to rush over to her sensei's aid, deactivating her Sharingan and Byakugan as she did with the chakra cloak disappearing without her realizing it.

"Iruka-sensei, you shouldn't be moving so much," Amari said as she reached his side. Iruka gave her a small smile that told her everything she needed to know. "But we have to stop him from getting to Naruto."

They were ninja, as long as they were able to attack they had to complete the mission and stop Mizuki.

He nodded to her. _Well I'm not going to let him get away with trying to kill Naruto and injuring my sensei._ Her blinding rage may have faded, but her anger still remained.

"We have to hurry. Find Naruto and the scroll and keep them safe. I'll get Mizuki."

She attempted to argue that she was still okay to fight Mizuki, but the look Iruka gave her brokered no debate. He wasn't telling her something about what she had just done. _I remember fighting Mizuki and I remember my anger, but did I do something while I was fighting that caused this look?_

She received no answer from her sensei.

"Where is Mizuki from here?" Iruka asked.

Amari reactivated her Byakugan and searched for Mizuki's chakra. "Tree tops north of us," she said, pointing in the direction of the traitor. "Naruto is about thirty meters ahead of him on the ground in the same direction." Something caught Amari's eye to the east, it was just outside of her fifty meter range so the chakra level was very faint, but she could still tell it was a Jōnin. "There's a Jōnin to the east heading this direction just out of range of my Byakugan. The chakra signature is very faint but it is still strong enough for me to catch hints of it."

"If we're lucky we won't need the backup, but I won't be against it if they do show up in time. You have your mission now Amari, be safe," Iruka said then Body Flickered away.

 _Time to move._ Amari deactivated her dōjutsu to conserve her dwindling reserves on her chase after Naruto. _My clones and that fire jutsu took more out of me than I thought._ From here on out she needed to carefully monitor her chakra to keep from becoming a burden.

Even at this low level of chakra, the young ninja knew she would still be able to pull off at least one more powerful Fire Style Jutsu or at least a large Shadow Clone Jutsu to pummel Mizuki into the ground. Anything after that was in the hands of Iruka.

One of the things she had done during her rage had suddenly clicked and it made her smile. _Synchronized Shadow Clone Fire Ball Jutsu_ ,Amari mused. _I guess it would actually just be Fire Ball Jutsu, but the name just felt right in that moment. Stupid name or not, that combination with my Shadow Clones was effective and powerful and it scared the living crap out of Mizuki._

Despite the direness of the mission, Amari giggled to herself at the look of fear on Mizuki's face. _Who's a little girl now, Mizuki? Hmm?_ She broke from her mental musing once she saw Naruto running in the distance. _But is that the real one?_ Amari activated her Byakugan just to check and was pleased to find it was the real knucklehead, but much to her dismay Mizuki was disguised as Iruka right above them with Iruka disguised as Naruto.

 _Their Transformation Jutsus are flawless. Without my Byakugan or Sharingan, I'd be none the wiser if I ran into them first_. After deactivating her Byakugan, Amari practically tackled Naruto to get him to stop and covered his mouth as Iruka knocked Mizuki out of the air with a head-butt. She pressed them against the tree and watched carefully as the two Chūnin landed still in their transformations.

 _Good, Iruka-sensei hit him hard. Now we just have to stop Mi—_

A finger suddenly glided across her scar with a touch that was as gentle as it was curious. A jolt of fear shot through Amari at having someone touch the area, but she quickly recovered when she saw the curiosity on Naruto's face.

If they hadn't been in such a dire situation she probably would have blushed at the innocent touch and look the boy was giving her, but her mind was still focused on getting them all out alive.

"Hey, your eye looks like Hinata's," Naruto mumbled under her hand.

She shushed him as the Transformation Jutsus faded. "Like I said earlier, Ryu was a Hyūga like Hinata," Amari whispered quickly.

Immediately she felt a pang of guilt for not explaining any of this before Mizuki tried to sever their bond. Naruto was her best friend and had earned her trust long ago.

"I'm sorry for not telling you earlier, but Naruto I need you to keep my eye a secret. It makes me feel safer around other kids and ninjas when everyone thinks I just have one eye. Besides, deception is a great ninja technique, right?" It took a moment but he nodded in understanding. "Good. Now stay quiet so they don't hear us. We can't let Mizuki get the scroll or Iruka-sensei get hurt," Amari whispered as she removed he hand.

"You look prettier without the bandana covering your eye," Naruto whispered back. That did it. Now she was blushing in the middle of combat scenario. She gave him a poke below his goggles and shushed him which caused him to grin in victory.

"As if you could stop me, Iruka. Why don't you get it? Naruto and Amaririsu are just like me," Mizuki said.

Amari grit her teeth in returning anger. _No we're not._

"How's that?" Iruka asked, not sounding the least bit convinced.

"Come on, think about it. All it took was a friendly face telling him he could gain more power by stealing the Scroll and he leapt at the chance. That's just how beasts like us are. We're searching for more power to become forces of nature no one can stop! And Amaririsu is no different. That eye she stole, that demonic chakra. She pretends to be an innocent sheep, but she's a demon in the search of power and blood."

His words only fueled the raging inferno within Amari's heart. Her hands began trembling again as she used all of her willpower to keep herself from shouting and rushing in like an idiot.

"You're right," her sensei said. Amari's eyes bulged in shock and pain at the agreement. Naruto, too, appeared crushed by it. _But…Iruka-sensei never…_ "That is how beasts are. But that is _**not**_ who Naruto and Amari are. They're nothing like that."

Amari smiled in relief and at the shell-shocked look on Naruto's face.

"Naruto and Amari are one-of-a-kind. Both of them put every ounce of their blood, sweat and tears into their work. Sure Naruto messes up sometimes and everyone jumps on him, and Amari keeps to the shadows when she can, but those two know what suffering is like. Their experience with pain is what makes them stronger than everyone else and what separates them from beasts. So you're wrong, Naruto is nothing like the Nine-Tailed Fox, and Amaririsu is no demon. They are Naruto Uzumaki and Amaririsu Yūhi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves."

Tears glistened in Amari's eyes at the proud declaration but Naruto had tears pouring out of his eyes. "You are my best friend Naruto," she whispered.

Naruto nodded slightly but more tears made their way down his face. "You're— you're mine too."

Their tender moment passed when Mizuki unhitched his giant shuriken and began spinning it in preparation of an attack.

Amari and Naruto had a moment of understanding as they bolted out from behind the tree. _You won't hurt my sensei!_ She approached Mizuki at high speed and slid across the ground, going low while Naruto was going high. She planted a hard kick right in Mizuki's gut, making him double over in pain, which also set him up for Naruto's hard head-butt to land square in his jaw.

The giant shuriken was sent flying away and the pair skidded to a stop on the ground. Amari glanced back to Iruka to make sure he was still okay to see him, finding a look of shock on his face. "We've got your back, Iruka-sensei. Mizuki won't get away with this," she told him before turning back to Mizuki and Naruto.

"If you ever lay a hand on my sensei…I'll kill you!" Naruto seethed. Amari walked up next to him and got ready to fight alongside her best friend. This would be their final chance to end this and stop Mizuki once and for all.

It was going to be all or nothing here and now, two Genin going against a Chūnin. _If this is the end, at least I will go out fighting side by side with Naruto protecting my favorite sensei._

Naruto brought his fingers into the clone seal; the sight at first shocked Amari, but then she felt herself beaming brighter than the sun in the summer. _He mastered the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu!_

"Amari, you ready for this?" Naruto asked with a gleeful but predatory smirk on his face.

Amari felt herself smile the same predatory smile Naruto had. This was going to be the end for Mizuki.

Was she ready?

There wasn't even a sliver of a doubt left in her body.

"Oh yeah." She brought her hands into clone seal. "Let's do it, Naruto!" Amari shouted in glee.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" the pair shouted in unison. A huge horde of Amari and Naruto clones appeared all around them, up into the trees and all surrounding Mizuki. There were definitely more Naruto's, but there were fifteen Amari's spread through the pack.

"Girls, lets show Mizuki our synchronized jutsu one last time as a parting gift…to the afterlife." Mizuki's mouth hung agape in shock as he looked around at the pack surrounding him. Amari would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy seeing the traitor who hurt her friends in such a state.

Yet…internally she could feel her limit approaching like a runaway wagon down a hill. Her creation of fifteen clones and the chakra necessary to maintain them wouldn't give her the ability to use another synchronized attack, not unless she wanted to die.

"Naruto, I don't have enough chakra to fight," she whispered as all of their clones began jeering in preparation for the pummeling they were about to give Mizuki. It pained her immensely to admit it, but she didn't have enough chakra to keep them active much longer.

"I'm going to fake him out with an attack. You will have to finish this. I know you can do it, because you're going to be Hokage someday."

Naruto's eyes lit up at her declaration and he gave a small nod of appreciation and acknowledgement to her plan. The fifteen Amari's jumped into the air and started going through their handseals for their fake out plan.

"Fire Style: Synchronized Shadow Clone Fire Ball Jutsu!" the Amari's shouted. She looked to Naruto as Mizuki collapsed to his butt looking in horror at the Amari clones he believed were about to incinerate him. "Go now."

The Amari's began dispelling and as they did the horde of Naruto's charged with their fists and feet ready to leave Mizuki in a ball of pain. A smile formed on Amari's face as she watched all the Naruto's pummel him into the ground, letting out every bit of frustration and anger they had restrained over the years.

 _Serves you right, you traitor._ She pulled down her bandana back over her eye before the runaway wagon of exhaustion finally crashed into her. _I've reached my limit. I can't wait to lay on a comfy bed or the comfy looking grass, which looks to be coming first._

She closed her eye and let her body collapse sideways with a smile on her face. She had done it. She had stood tall and fought to protect her friends to a successful end. Sure she didn't land the final blow, but just being able to open up the path to victory for someone else was fine by her this time.

This time she wasn't a burden.

 _This only the first fight of many to come, but I will become stronger and protect the dreams of my friends._

Before she hit the ground she felt someone catch her and lay her down. The young ninja creaked her eye open and found two comforting, but also _very_ scolding, red eyes staring back at her.

"Sorry I'm late," Kurenai apologized.

"…Sorry I didn't come home right away," Amari whispered back.

She should have headed back home the minute the warning bells echoed, but she hadn't. She went head on into a fight with no back up, a wounded Sensei and a certain blond knucklehead who was oblivious to the happenings around him. It was not a stellar situation nor would it be a good debriefing when the time came for it, but for now she was just happy she had done everything in her power to protect Iruka and Naruto.

Kurenai shushed her and brought her into a hug. "Don't apologize, just rest, little one." Her mother lifted her up and walked over with her to Iruka. "Are you okay, Iruka?" she asked.

"Yes, thanks to Amari and Naruto I am," Iruka answered with a smile.

Amari smiled tiredly as Kurenai sat her down next to her favorite sensei. He was okay, injured but okay.

"Amari was incredible. She and two of her clones were able to overwhelm Mizuki and use a combined Fire Ball Jutsu in an attack. She almost got Mizuki with it too."

Amari saw the look of shock on her mother's face, when he put it that way it did sound pretty astonishing for someone of her age and skill. It sounded a bit farfetched even to the girl who had performed it, like some kind of dream really.

"And she still created fifteen clones after it," her mother stated, surprise detectable in her voice. The young ninja shyly looked down and grabbed her left arm with her right hand.

She was _soo_ in for a troublesome lecture later.

"That certainly explains her exhausted state. I saw the huge fire ball when I was looking for Naruto and Amari. I also saw green within it."

 _Green?_ Now that she thought about it, she faintly remembered seeing green herself. Iruka just nodded and the adults shared a single look that seemed to hold an entire conversation. "I remember green, but I don't know why it was there. I was just really angry and I wanted to stop Mizuki," Amari said mostly to herself trying to jog her own memory.

"Iruka?" Kurenai questioned. What the question she was asking Amari was unsure of but she doubted she would get to know.

"She knew we were still there and was fighting her hardest to protect us," he answered.

Her mother just nodded in understanding and dropped the conversation completely before Amari could ask any more questions. _This is probably one of those "we'll talk about it when you are ready" conversations._

 _Now I'll never know. Troublesome adults._

"Hey Iruka-sensei, Amari, are you two okay? Oh, hey you're Amari's mom, right?" Naruto asked as he approached the three of them.

Kurenai nodded with a smile, a smile either caused by finally meeting the blond knucklehead or because she just enjoyed being called Amari's mom. Despite the great friendship she had with Naruto, he had never met her mom personally. He had seen Amari go up to her, but never had he actually been close enough to meet her.

"Mom this is Naruto, Naruto this is my mom Kurenai Yūhi. Sorry I didn't introduce you two earlier," she provided introductions in a tired voice.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Naruto. Amari speaks highly of you. I see her trust and friendship is not misplaced," her mother greeted with a smile.

Naruto blushed slightly as he rubbed the back of his head and gave a sheepish smile. "Amari has been a great friend to me and I'm doing my best to return the kindness she shows."

It was funny to see the normally loud and brash Naruto be bashful around Kurenai. Judging on the smile on her mom's face, she thought it was funny as well. He didn't know it, but she knew more about him than he realized.

Kurenai looked back to Amari as she said, "Amari will be fine. She's just exhausted from using too much chakra." The Nara flinched at the reminder of her future lecture. "All she needs is some rest and she'll be okay."

The young ninja nodded in agreement but as Naruto stepped in range of her she pulled him down into a big hug. He let out a yelp of surprise but hugged her back once he realized what she was doing.

"I'm proud of you, Naruto," she whispered only for him to hear. "You mastered an A-Rank jutsu without any help, unlike me. You are something special, never forget that." Naruto clenched her tighter for a few seconds then let go with tears glistening in his eyes and a smile on his face.

 _I remember Ryu telling me that I had a hidden gift within me; all I had to do was open it and give it to myself. I see the same thing in Naruto. He will become a great ninja someday; I just hope I get to see it._

"Mom, are we heading home?" Amari asked as she turned back to her mom. Kurenai nodded with a pleased smile. _I forgot she had such good hearing…_ She blushed and shifted her eyes away.

"Don't let us keep you. I have something I want to give Naruto anyway," Iruka said.

"Okay, let me just restrain Mizuki and we'll be on our way," Kurenai said.

Internally Amari was caught between a shudder and a maniacal laugh; her mother was going to make Mizuki regret his choices for the rest of his life. _I almost feel bad for him._

Only almost.

Amari summoned up her remaining energy to give Iruka a hug and then waited for her mother to return from placing Mizuki under what was certainly the most frightening genjutsu she could think of. When Kurenai did return, she picked her up and gave the other two a nod and a smile before leaving.

Resting her head on her mother's shoulder, she had the perfect spot to see Iruka tie his headband around Naruto's head.

Amari smiled at the achievement. She hadn't been the one to teach him, but he had learned the jutsu and passed. That was all that mattered to her.

 _Congratulations, Naruto. No matter if we are on separate teams or on the same, you will always be my best friend. Thank you for giving me the strength of will that you hold in your heart at all times. I hope that this step we took together today leads you on the path towards your dream._


	7. Chapter 6: A New Team and Sensei

Chapter 6

Seeing through Deception: A New Team and a New Sensei

"Narutooooo!" Amari roared as she chased after the boy she was going to pummel thoroughly into the dirt through the streets of the Leaf Village. Next to that infuriating knucklehead was the Lord Hokage's grandson, his little legs carrying him surprisingly fast, but then he was running for his life so perhaps that had something to do with it. "I can't believe you are corrupting a young boy by teaching him your Sexy Jutsu! Get back here so I can knock some sense into you!"

He wailed in terror and grabbed Konohamaru before ninja jumping away in a futile attempt to escape the wrath of Amaririsu Yūhi.

 _He won't escape, not after what he did!_

Up until running into Naruto a little while ago her day had been uneventful. Her plan was to use the day off before orientation to rest and recuperate after the fight with Mizuki the night before, and it had been going fairly well. She watched clouds for a little while, had some Ichiraku ramen for lunch and helped retrieved a ball for a group of kids who had accidently got it stuck on a roof.

Overall her day off was nice and relaxing.

That ended when she ran into Naruto and Konohamaru. She had not known at the time how it was all going to spiral out of control from there; Amari had been happy to see her friend and had been properly amused by how similar the two boy's personalities and goals were. Konohamaru, like Naruto, wanted to become Hokage and was sure he'd do it soon despite being far too young and inexperienced.

Then she learned they were practicing the Sexy Jutsu, and Naruto in his infinite wisdom decided to try it on Amari.

In Naruto's defense he was just showing Konohamaru how it was done again so he could get a better hang of the jutsu and he hadn't expected Amari to be effected. _But I was…_ Amari blushed deeply again as she began gaining on the boys.

Her face had turned several shades of red as she stared at the Sexy Jutsu version of Naruto and nearly fainted, but he thankfully dispelled the jutsu before the lights went out on her. Without even noticing her frozen state, he began explaining the technique again to Konohamaru, trying hard to get the boy to understand about how to get curves in the right places or something. She hadn't heard it all due to her heart pounding in her ears.

That was when Konohamaru pointed out that she was still really red and frozen in place. _"Hey Boss, your jutsu sure is effective! Amaririsu hasn't moved an inch, and look at how red her face is!"_

His comment awoke her from her stunned silence and turned her several shades of embarrassment into a hundred shades of anger.

Thus the chase began.

"I'm going to pulverize you!" she shouted at them.

Another satisfying wail of terror from them both.

"I'm sorry, Amari! Bu- but he asked me to train him and teach him the jutsu! How could I say no?!" Naruto called back.

"By saying no!" Amari yelled back.

Farther and farther she chased them, herding them closer and closer towards where she would hold the most power. In the back of her mind she applauded Naruto for being as quick as he was when he felt his life was in danger, but the rest of her knew he was too blinded by his fear to realize the forest he was running towards was where she would seal his fate.

Both entered the shadow covered forest, and it was then Amari stopped holding back her speed to close the distance between. When she was only a few feet away from them, she launched her shadow forward and caught his feet the moment they touched the ground.

Frozen in place by her Shadow Possession Jutsu, there was nowhere he could run or hide to escape her wrath.

"Now I've got you."

She turned her head, which forced Naruto to do the same, until one of his terrified cerulean eyes met her enraged onyx eye.

"Amari, hey! We can talk about this," he attempted to negotiate, a nervous laugh escaping him.

Her eye twitched. Talk about this? Oh no, they were never going to speak of this again!

Seeing the twitch and failing to escape her jutsu, Naruto resigned to defeat. "Just don't fry me with your fireballs, okay? Tomorrow we're official ninjas."

A few beats of silence passed before Amari let out a sigh of defeat and let him go. _Damn him for being my best friend._ She couldn't fry him, not when they had successfully become ninjas together. _But he's not getting out of this unscathed._

Naruto sighed in relief when control of his body returned then turned to Konohamaru with a triumphant smile on his lips, failing to notice the approaching kunoichi wearing an annoyed look. "See! I told you she wou— OW!"

Amari retracted the hand she used to slap Naruto in the back of the head with a huff and crossed her arms in preparation of scolding him. "You're teaching him the Sexy Jutsu?" she prodded when he turned to face her. "You do realize that he's just a child, right?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and gave a nervous laugh and smile. _I can't be too surprised. We're both only twelve so he probably wasn't much older than the boy when he learned it._ Internally, Amari huffed out an annoyed breath. _And Shika says girls are troublesome. Boys are just as troublesome as girls, if not more._

"Just make sure he learns it right so no one makes fun of him for doing it wrong. Better yet, you _are_ going to teach him to do it right or I'm going to test how fast you can run when a fire is chasing you." Amari's eye became a slit as she stared a hole into Naruto. "Understood?"

The fearful look returned onto Konohamaru and Naruto's faces as they nodded quickly. "I was just telling him he needs to practice. Ri- ri- right?"

"Ri- right Boss."

She gave them a big closed eyed smile. "Good! I'll be up in the tree resting." She jumped up and into the tree that was right above them and sat down with her back against the trunk and one leg lazily hanging off.

"She's scary when she's mad…I thought you said she was the shy quiet type," Konohamaru whispered to Naruto.

Amari hummed humorously to herself at his response.

"She usually is all the time. Don't worry about her though; she won't chase us anymore…as long as you learn the jutsu we'll be okay." Naruto shook off whatever horrifying thought crossed his mind. "Okay! Time for some practice. Now the trick is to get all the curves in the right places. You ready?"

 _I can't believe I'm allowing him to train Lord Hokage's grandson the Sexy Jutsu…Iruka-sensei is going to kill me if Konohamaru uses it on him in class and he finds out that I could have stopped it._

As the young ninja relaxed further against the trunk of the tree, she closed her eye and exhaled a soft breath as Konohamaru and Naruto trained together. _Well, at least he'll learn some of the fundamentals of the Transformation Jutsu_ , she conceded. It wasn't like she could stop Naruto anyway. Yes he was scared of her when she had been chasing him, but she couldn't hurt him willingly.

 _It'll probably be good for both of them anyways. Konohamaru is stuck living in his grandfather's shadow from what I picked up in our interactions before the incident. If I understand correctly, he's been trying to attack him all the time to earn the title of Hokage…I wonder if anyone has tried telling him assassinating the Hokage isn't how one becomes Hokage._ Amari shrugged off the thought. _I'm sure being around Naruto will probably help him to stop that…I hope._

Honestly she wasn't too upset about him teaching the jutsu to the boy as she was the fact that Naruto made her turn many shades of red with the jutsu again. If no one had seen her turn red like the time in the classroom she wouldn't have freaked out, but Konohamaru did and Naruto saw as well since he pointed it out. _And then he had to ask why I was so red_ , she banged the back of her head against the tree, _it's so embarrassing it's unbelievable._

Time passed without any eventful changes ruining her bliss until Naruto and Konohamaru took a break from training. She eavesdropped on their conversation for a little while, listening to Konohamaru explain his obsession with becoming Hokage and vent his frustrations at no one ever seeing him as Konohamaru, but the Honorable Grandson of the Third Hokage.

Amari cut off her eavesdropping when her senses picked up a strong chakra signature heading directly at them at a lightning fast speed. With a presence of calm betraying her alarmed state, she activated her Byakugan without her body tensing or her right eye snapping open. _He's a Jōnin for sure if I can sense him without my eye._

In her Byakugan sight she could see he wore rounded glasses and his forehead protector as a full bandana. The only thing different about his uniform was the lack of a flak jacket, but that didn't necessarily mean he was lower in rank.

 _He's moving fast, really fast. He'll be here in less than a minute._ Little time for them to prepare or figure out what he was after. _Unlikely he's here for me. Which means…_ She deactivated her Byakugan and opened her right eye to look down to Konohamaru and Naruto. _Someone is coming for the boy._

"Well I've got news for you, if you want to become Hokage then you're gonna have to defeat me in battle!" Naruto said with a daring grin.

 _Boys and their egos_ , Amari thought with a roll her eyes.

"Boys," she called down to them, "we've got company coming in hot. A Jōnin by the feel of it. You wouldn't happen to have gotten on the bad side of a Jōnin, have you Naruto?" Naruto met her eye with a look of pure confusion before shaking his head. She motioned to Konohamaru with dip of her head. Barely a second passed before sudden realization crossed his features. "…Great…" she muttered.

As if on cue, the man suddenly landed on the tree branch on the opposite side of the tree that Amari was sitting on. She did her best not to tense up at all, though the difficulty of that task was insurmountable. _Being this close to him…_ She could feel his chakra and all its potency. _This is definitely a Jōnin not to be trifled with._

"I found you." His voice was full of authority befitting of a higher-ranked shinobi sneering down his nose at lowly Genin. The boys stood up at the sound of his voice, and judging on the angry stare pulling onto Naruto's face, Amari guessed this Jōnin was staring at him like he was a beast.

Amari clenched her hands into fists at the mere thought of the word beast and Naruto in the same sentence. _Careful what you say,_ _Jōnin. You may be able to beat me without trying, but I will try my hardest to prove that he is not a beast and is worth fighting and caring for._

The Jōnin jumped down from the tree with grace before speaking again. "Amaririsu, I did not expect you to be involved in this," he said without looking back at her, he didn't need to, though. She could hear the apparent disappointment in his voice for simply being in the same vicinity as Naruto.

 _So he knows me. Don't know if that's good or bad, but seeing as he works with the Hokage's grandson and our latest incident with Mizuki, he probably has heard about me in crossing. Why he thinks I wouldn't be involved is beyond me, though. Wherever Naruto is I will do my best to be at his side._

"Naruto is my friend and I will stand by his side regardless of _popular_ opinion," Amari retorted evenly.

She would not stand for insults against her friend. Shy or not, this was her chance to stand up for Naruto.

Naruto smiled and nodded at her in thanks. The Jōnin merely shook his head in what she again perceived as disappointment for her answer. "Time to go home, Honorable Grandson," he shifted focus back to his goal.

"No way! I'm here to train so I can beat my grandfather and become Hokage! Don't get in my way!"

Amari could sense his sneer as he started walking towards the boys. "Simple training is not enough to be Hokage, Honorable Grandson. A Hokage must know virtue, wisdom, honor and he must be skilled in over a thousand jutsu.

 _As if he really knows anything about virtue, wisdom or honor with that high and mighty attitude of his_.

This man needed to back off, now.

Amari got up from her sitting position then jumped down in-between the boys, ready to stand beside her friend in yet another fight against someone higher up the food chain. Her entrance didn't deter the Jōnin at all. "You don't even know one jutsu," he sneered at Konohamaru.

"Must make you feel super strong to insult a child with that stupid condescending smile on your face. Tch," Amari hissed out a breath, "I can't believe Lord Third still lets you work directly with his grandson."

That actually gave the Jōnin pause. Before he could respond, Konohamaru brought his hands into a seal and yelled, "Transform!" A swirl of chakra whirled around him before he disappeared into a plume of smoke. Once the smoke cleared the young girl instantly began regretting jumping down between them. Warmth crept up her neck and her face turned strawberry red as a tall, dark-haired and _very_ naked woman was suddenly standing next to her. "Hi there, like my jutsu."

The jaw of the Jōnin nearly dropped to the grassy floor below him as a blush formed on his face. His hilarious reaction was enough to break the blush on Amari, bringing on a giggle at his expense. _He may not be blasting off with a bloody nose like Iruka-sensei, but that look is priceless._ She took a mental snapshot her near eidetic memory would never forget.

The dōjutsu wielder elbowed Naruto's side as she continued to laugh. He grinned victoriously and triumphantly at her in return.

Konohamaru dispelled his jutsu but his face was shadowed by disappointment. "Hey, he's not defeated."

"Wh- wha- What kind of scandalous technique is thaaattt! Such tasteless vulgarity can never influence me! I am far above it!" The Jōnin grabbed Konohamaru's blue scarf and tried pulling him away by force, but Konohamaru held his ground and tried to keep from moving. "Honorable Grandson, you must come with me right now! Naruto will turn you into a delinquent! Only my special training can put you on the path to becoming Hokage!"

Naruto and Amari exchanged a look then nodded in agreement.

This Jōnin needed a lesson in manners and humility.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto and Amari yelled in unison. Eight Amari's and twenty Naruto's appeared around them, each wearing looks between slightly annoyed and straight up irritated. The Jōnin had enough sense to stop trying to drag Konohamaru and notice the Shadow Clone users had bad intentions for him.

At the sight of their clones, Konohamaru's eyes grew wide in amazement and admiration at them both. The kunoichi of the pair lazily looked to her best friend. "Naruto, I think this guy needs to be taught a lesson in humility. What do you think?"

"Heh, yeah, this stuck-up jerk really needs to learn who he's messing with," Naruto responded.

The Jōnin smirked at them both and pushed his glasses up as he gave them his full undivided attention. _Oh I am going to enjoy knocking you down a peg._ "Hmph, you think a few Shadow Clones is enough to scare me? I'm not impressed. I'm a Jōnin, an elite ninja warrior, not some lightweight like Mizuki." The Jōnin cockily took his position in the center of the horde of clones. "Watch, Honorable Grandson, how a real ninja defeats two upstarts."

Amari snorted in disgust. _Yeah, definitely needs a lesson of humility._ "Overconfidence was Mizuki's downfall, as it will be yours. Naruto, let's go with that combo we used to defeat Mizuki." She was confident Naruto would catch her meaning and would use the proper technique to put this overconfident Jōnin in his place.

Her friend smirked with mischief. "After you, Amari."

The Jōnin took up his fighting stance and had a look of pure confidence in his skills. In a fair fight he could have wiped the floor with them, but this wasn't going to be a fair fight.

This was going to be a lesson he never forgot.

The eight Amari's jumped up into the air and went through their handseals for their Fire Ball Jutsu. "This is straight from the Amaruto Ninja Handbook." The Jōnin raised his eyebrows in question at Amari's voice. "Never forget that from today forward you were the second to fall to the future Hokage, and his name is Naruto Uzumaki!"

As her clones got closer to the Jōnin, she gave Naruto a nod for him to complete his jutsu. He was practically glowing with joy over what she had said, but the sound of her clones dispelling and creating a smoke cloud around their opponent made him refocus quickly.

The sudden dispelling of clones caught their opponent off guard. He stumbled out of whatever attack he was initially going for, thus leaving himself open to the mass transformation from Naruto.

Amari closed her eye as the horde of Sexy Jutsu Naruto's appeared. She could hear them grabbing onto their opponent and doing everything possible to make the Jōnin, Ebisu the clones called him, stutter in horror. _Maybe pleasure,_ the young ninja giggled to herself.

Then there was a wordless yell similar to that of Iruka's when Naruto made him blast off with a bloody nose. It was the sound of yet another victory, an admittedly childish and perverted victory, but a victory all the same. _He let it work on him so that makes it fair game_.

"Gotcha with my Harem Jutsu," Naruto said proudly after dispelling his clones and the transformations. _Only Naruto would think of something like this and have it actually work._ Amari smiled and gave Naruto a soft slap in the back of the head. He turned around to her with a big grin on his face. "What? It's a part of the Amaruto Ninja Handbook."

A shy smile pulled onto her lips as her eye fell to her toes. "I- uh- I was trying-…Did it- did it sound that bad?" she stuttered out the question. Her combination of their names had been done in the heat of battle…but that didn't mean she didn't like it. It was kind of cool in her eyes.

Her friend just laughed at her sudden shyness and shook his head. "See? I told you she was shy," he said as he looked back to Konohamaru. Amari grabbed her mesh covered arm with her right hand and walked side by side with Naruto as she tried to fight off her embarrassed blush. "We make an awesome team, Amari."

That didn't help her blush at all. "I-" She glanced away. "You did most of the work, Naruto. I just used a distraction to buy you time for your jutsu," Amari deflected.

"Give yourself some credit, Amari. You and I stood up to a snobby Jōnin together and came out on top just like we did with Mizuki. Together we're unstoppable." Slowly, she lifted her eye back to him, finding a warm grin on his face and a hand held out for a high five. After a brief second of hesitation, she smiled big and brightly and high fived him.

 _He's right. Together we achieve so much. We push each other to get better and we stand by each other's side when it really matters. We are becoming stronger because of this bond we share._ Bonds like these were important to hold onto. _If only Kasai had seen that…_

Amari did her best not to let the sting of pain the thought gave her appear on her face or ruin her good mood.

Although Konohamaru looked impressed at them beating the Jōnin, he was also really upset with himself for not being able to beat him himself. "I'll talk to him. Want to wait for me and I'll walk you home?" Naruto asked.

She nodded and stood behind him as he offered wise words to the boy about why becoming the Hokage wasn't easy or wouldn't happen overnight. "You have to prove yourself so everyone believes in you. Look at me, I've been through a lot already and I only just earned my headband. I've been ignored, pushed away and treated like I have the plague or something. And after everything I've been through I found two people who actually believe in me."

Naruto looked over his shoulder to Amari with a meaningful look on his face. It made her heart feel warm and fuzzy knowing he cared about her as much as she cared about him.

Konohamaru looked back at her as well, his eyes attentive and relaying that Naruto's words were reaching him. To their looks, she smiled and nodded to her best friend with confidence. _I'll always believe in you, Naruto._

"To find those two people I had to get knocked down a lot. So you better make sure that you're ready."

Konohamaru's eyes returned to Naruto full of question, but the blond turned around to face Amari. "For what?"

"For a lot of sweat and tears while you're learning to be a ninja." A gust of wind blew through the forest, ruffling their clothes as it brushed against them and lifting strands of Amari's hair. Naruto smiled softly and breathed out a laugh then looked back over his left shoulder to Konohamaru. "By the way, there is no easy way to become the Hokage. Believe it."

His words brought a fond smile to Amari's lips. _That's right, Naruto. It won't be easy, but you'll do it. We still have a long road ahead of us since we don't even have a Jōnin Sensei yet, but I'll be pushing you closer to your goal as you push me._

"Bah! Listen to you giving me a big lecture. Who do you think you are anyways?"

Konohamaru turned his back to the pair, earning a puzzled look from them both. _Don't tell me he's ignoring such honest and kind words._ She'd have to pulverize him if he was, and then she'd have to explain to Lord Third why she pulverized his grandson and that'd be a drag.

"There's no way I'm going to be your apprentice anymore." The boy turned halfway to look back at Naruto with a serious expression. "For now on, we're rivals!"

The young child broke into a grin that made Amari's smile return. _He's a good kid._

"Well I can't be your trainer anyway because tomorrow I start on my path to becoming Hokage. But I accept your challenge, and someday you and I will fight for the title of Lord Hokage. So let's both look forward to that day, Konohamaru," Naruto responded with a closed eye smile.

Naruto shoved his hands into his pockets and turned around to start walking away. Amari followed along at his side with her smile still in place. _You both have a long road ahead of you to reach that goal, but it is a goal worth striving for. With hard work you may both reach it and prove everyone wrong._

Her friend raised his hand up above his head in farewell goodbye to Konohamaru so she turned part of the way around to give him a shy wave.

He saluted them both.

 _It's been a long day_ , Amari thought as she noticed the sun setting in the distance. _I've been hit by the Sexy Jutsu, I've chased after Naruto for hitting me with his jutsu and then helped in defeating a_ _Jōnin._ She couldn't help but shrug. _All in the days work I guess._

As they continued their trek back into the village, a sudden thought crossed her mind and made her smile. She knew how to cap this day off, how to turn it into an even better memory to look back on.

She bumped Naruto's shoulder with her own, causing him to look over to her in question. When her eye met his, she smirked and took off running. "Race you to my house, Slow Poke! Last one there will end up stuck with Sasuke!" she yelled to him.

It took a second, but then she heard him yell back at her as he took off to keep up. "Hey! You cheater!"

All throughout the race the duo laughed and taunted each other all in the name of innocent fun. They tried to cut each other off, bumped one another to try to make them stumble to take the lead and other antics that made Amari's heart beat pleasantly in her chest.

When they finally reached her front door at the same time, they were both winded, leaning on their knees with sheens of sweat covering their skin.

"We- we tied…" Amari panted. "Does- does that mean we're both going to be stuck with Sasuke?"

Naruto chuckled tiredly. "There is no way we'll end up with him."

She smiled at him then took a deep breath and stood up. "Do you want to come in for something to eat? I'm sure if my mom is home she wouldn't mind and if she isn't I can always make something."

"I wouldn't mind, but I think I'm going to head home so I'm ready for orientation tomorrow." Amari nodded in understanding. _He's right. I should definitely take a shower and go to bed so I'm ready for tomorrow._ "Well, I'll see you tomorrow! Bye Amari!" Naruto yelled as he began running home.

The fact he still had the energy to run made her smile as she waved to his retreating form. _That boy has too much energy._ "See you tomorrow, Naruto!"

After taking a shower and eating dinner with her mom she went to bed. The next morning started early as always, and after getting through her morning routine and breakfast, Amari found herself in front of her bedroom mirror tying her headband around her neck. As she finished securing the knot she looked at herself in the mirror and into her two different colored eyes with a look of determination.

 _Ryu…Today is the day I take another real step on the path to fulfilling your dying wish…but I have to protect my friends and their dreams as well. I_ _ **will**_ _avenge you and stop Kasai without becoming blinded by revenge._

Kurenai appeared in the mirror behind Amari and put her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "He'd be proud of you," she said softly.

Amari dipped her head in a small, thankful nod of her reassurance. "I know…" And she did know. If Ryu was still alive right now he'd have been so proud of her for proving she could be a shinobi to who it needed proving to most: herself.

 _I miss you._

"I was thinking about visiting him at lunch today, but I'll have to ask my team if they are okay with it first."

"Are you sure?"

Kurenai's question and worried eyes were well warranted; the last time she visited his grave she had cried for what felt like an eternity. That was soon after her return to the Leaf, though, and she hadn't been back since. It hurt too much to stand there. Staring at his name made the pain come flooding back like she was waking up the day after it happened all over again.

But she felt stronger now and it had been too long since she visited her friend. Besides, she was a ninja now. She had to share the news with him personally so he could still be proud of her from beyond the grave.

Amari gave another nod, this one sharper and full of confidence.

The response took away the worry in her mother's eyes and replaced it with a proud smile. "You've grown. So, any guesses as to who your teammates will be?"

 _I haven't even attempted guessing at it. There are just so many combinations possible with all the students involved._

"I don't know, and I guess I don't have any particular choices except maybe Naruto."

She'd like having him as a teammate since they were friends, but despite her excitement to finally gain a team, she was also worried they could end up being too involved in themselves to understand what it meant to be a real team.

"I just hope they understand working as a team and putting the team before their own goals. Teamwork is essential to being a ninja squad and if you don't understand that then you aren't thinking like ninja."

Her mother, Kakashi and Asuma had hammered that point home numerous times throughout the last two years.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine," she soothed. Amari nodded and pulled her purple bandana over her left eye. _I will make it work no matter who I am placed with._ "I'm going to have to meet with the Hokage." She planted a kiss on Amari's head. "I'm proud of you, little one. Now come, I don't want you late for your orientation."

The pair exited the house together and walked with each other until Kurenai diverted to the Hokage's office. _I wonder why she has to meet with the Hokage right now…Probably has to do with the placement of the students and seeing her new squad._ Amari shrugged the thought off.

She made it to school early again and took her seat at the back of the class. As time passed the classroom filled out with eager students ready to hear who they were going to be teamed with. Naruto actually made it early for one of the first times ever, offering a wave and grin to her before he sat down in the row of desks in front of her.

Surprisingly enough, the girly horde was nowhere near her. They were all spread out talking to one another about being ninjas, and as far as Amari was concerned that was perfectly fine.

"Um- Amaririsu," a shy voice called to her from the side. Looking up from her book in the direction of the shy voice, she found the only girl in the entire world that could beat her in shyness sitting at the desk across from her. Hinata smiled at her then lowered her eyes as she tapped her index fingers together. "I- I wanted to say congratulations on becoming a ninja…Yo- you worked really hard to get to the level you are at."

 _Too cute!_ Amari gave her a closed eye smile in return. "Thanks Hinata, but don't forget all the hard work you put into becoming a ninja. You worked just as hard as I did."

Kurenai had been training Hinata for some time before she adopted Amari, but from what she had seen since coming into the Village Hinata had improved tremendously. She was so shy with no confidence in her own abilities—a similarity they shared—yet just like the Uchiha girl Hinata pushed herself to become better. To prove that she could change and be strong instead of the shy girl that everyone saw her as.

 _She has a strong goal and one day she will be as strong as she is trying to become. Hinata is already getting stronger, and with some more time and training she will become even more powerful. Maybe she'll finally speak to Naruto without hiding behind something or in barely a whisper._

One thing that Amari liked about Hinata, besides for her being so nice, was her secret crush and belief in Naruto. Unfortunately he was so oblivious to her secret crush because of his crush on Sakura, but just as Naruto inspired Amari, he also inspired Hinata.

Hinata's cheeks tinted pink at the compliment given to her. "Th- thank you, Amaririsu."

"Hinata, how many times do I have to tell you to just call me Amari?" Amari teased good-naturedly with her smile still in place.

"Ah-" she squeaked in embarrassment at the tease. _Too cute!_ A smile tugged onto Hinata's lips. "One last time, Amari, I promise."

 _There is only one Sensei she will have and that is my mom. She is the only one who can watch after Hinata and be patient with her to better nurture her growth._

"Let me put it to you this way: I look amazing in this headband!" Naruto boasted to Shikamaru. Hinata's attention snapped to the sound of his voice, earning a teasing smirk from Amari she was unaware of. _I'll have to do something about them in the future._ Playing cupid for those two would certainly be entertaining if Hinata remained this shy forever.

She shifted her eye down to her friend. _Be proud Naruto, you earned that headband…just don't get too big of a head that you become overconfident._

Shortly after the sound of the door slamming open startled Amari into full alert and made her hand instinctually grab at her right leg for her kunai in preparation for an attack. When her eye settled on Ino and Sakura barging in she let her body relax and her hand drop away from her tools. _Just those two and their ridiculous rivalry. Honestly, what is their issue with one another besides fighting to gain the attention of Sasuke? It honestly can't be only over that…right?_

"I'm first!" the pair yelled in unison. After the two declared their victories to one another, their eyes fell upon Amari and immediately their gazes hardened to glare holes into her.

 _Well, that's welcoming._

"One-eyed show off," Sakura growled.

 _Jealous much? Think I'm going to take your dear Sasuke away from you when I have no interest in the brooding boy._ She rolled her eye in annoyance. _These two are such a pain._

"Listen _girls._ " She now had their undivided, angry attention. "What I did was not for the attention or to show off my skills. I had other goals far more important than something as petty as your rivalry with one another, but there is no reason to be _jealous_." Nerves were struck and it was time for the kill. "If you two focused more on training instead of your _insufferable_ crush on a boy who shows no interest whatsoever, then maybe you wou—"

Amari dodged out of her chair as the two charged her while yelling incoherent threats.

 _Maybe I went a little too far and hit a very raw nerve!_ She jumped over her desk and onto the one below her where her friend and the brooder were sitting. "Hey Naruto!" she greeted quickly with a smile as she landed in front of him. Confusion pulled onto his face at her sudden entrance. His lips upturned into an awkward smile before she jumped off the table to the front of the class.

 _Did they take the bait?_ She looked back to check her pursuers location. Just as planned they were no longer focused on her, the sight of Sasuke distracting them enough to start their fawning over him.

 _That wasn't too hard. Note to self, if I ever want to distract them, all I have to do is run past Sasuke._ With a sigh of relief, Amari walked up the opposite staircase and took her seat again. As she sat down she noticed Naruto had been batted away by Sakura in her desire to be even closer to her crush. The action made her growl in irritation. _You look at Naruto like he's a complete idiot, yet you're the one who is gushing over a boy who cares nothing about anyone but himself._

 _Girls are weird_ , Amari decided.

No longer in the mood to read and worried about Naruto doing something incredibly stupid to Sasuke in front of his fan girls, Amari put her book away and watched the actions of everyone involved closely.

 _And knowing the knucklehead it's only a matter of time before he does something stupid._ Naruto got back onto his feet and rubbed the back of his head to nurse the bump he had been unjustly given. Seeing the sudden horde of Sasuke fangirls in the way of his seat and how Sakura was throwing him praises made her friend let out and annoyed growl and moved him into action. He hopped up onto the desk and crouched right in front of Sasuke to glare at him. _Watch your step, Naruto. You're surrounded by a rabid horde of Sasuke fangirls._

They were the worst kind, even worse than hers.

"Naruto! Stop glaring at Sasuke!" Sakura yelled.

Amari sensed movement by the door again and flung her eye over there to remain vigilant of her surroundings. _Just another studen_ —

Shrieks of terror cut off her thought and tore everyone away from what they were doing to see what had just happened. The Nara wasn't sure how it happened or the moments leading up to it, but somehow, someway, Naruto and Sasuke ended up accidently locking lips.

Amari could only drop her head and slap her hand against her forehead at the pure stupidity of the situation. _Naruto you just pissed off a horde of girls that wanted to be his first kiss…I guess I'll have to take a stand against them to protect that idiot._

She hastily moved out of her seat to the stairs only to notice the girls getting way to close to Naruto for her liking. _Not today, girls._ Thinking quickly, she jumped down in-between Naruto and the horde of angry girls ready to pummel him into the ground. "Hey Naruto, I have a question for you." _How do you manage to piss off an entire horde of fangirls so easily?!_

"Move it, One-Eye!" Sakura yelled. A hand pushed her shoulder in an attempt to shove her out of the way but Amari didn't budge. Naruto looked between her and the horde behind her with fear and worry growing in his eyes.

"Amari—" he tried to warn her.

"Didn't you hear me? Move it!" Sakura yelled again. This time a fist hit the back of her head, an action that caused Amari's own fangirls to begin shouting at the others.

Despite being hit, she didn't budge from the punch. Instead she chuckled lowly. "You're going to have to try harder than that," Amari spoke in a calm whisper for only Sakura and Ino to hear, "to stop me from standing between you and my friend." She looked over her right shoulder to stare a hole through them. "I politely suggest you take a seat and not touch Naruto."

"Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it One-Eye!" Sakura wound up for another punch. _Your mistake and my opening._

Before she could even extend her punch forward, Sakura found herself bent forward while her hand was securely held in Amari's, twisted and pushed in a way that would cause her pain no matter what move she tried to make.

Gasps and whispers about her quickness escaped the rest of the class since most hadn't even seen her move. "Can't move, can you?" she asked in a deadly whisper to Ino, whose arm was cocked back for a strike but left unmoving. Ino could only growl in frustration as she tried to struggle free. "You're struggle is pointless, Ino. You're too close to me and far too weak to break free of my jutsu.

"You two think you can march around here like you own the place and pummel whoever you like over petty crap like this?" Amari cast her piercing gaze between her two subdued opponents. "Grow. Up. We're all shinobi now, start acting like it!"

"Hey, Amari," a hand rested on her shoulder, "you don't need to do this. It's fine."

She grit her teeth at her friend's acceptance of his situation. "No, it's not. It's not _fine_ , Naruto." She refused to believe it was _fine_ after everything Mizuki said the other night. These kids didn't know the reason their parents shunned her friend, but she did now and it did not soothe any of her anger towards those individuals. Who were they to resent him for something he had no hand in? Who were they to blame this boy for a burden he didn't ask for?

What gave them the right to treat him like trash when he was innocent?!

"These two, those girls behind them, they're acting like _brats_! You don't deserve to be treated as something less than them because of their ridiculous and childish infatuation."

"Why you- ah!"

Amari wrenched Sakura's wrist to shut her up. "You two," she seethed, "you two don't even understand what the real shinobi world is like yet. You're just playing a game." Her eye flicked between them and then to the others in the class. "All of you need to think about what it takes to be a shinobi, what it means to you and why you trained to get here. This isn't some game. You can't continue acting like kids when lives are on the line."

Silence was the appropriate answer she received for her speech. Finally settling down, Amari turned her attention back to the two who tried to attack her. "If you ever raise a hand to me or Naruto again…" She wrenched Sakura's wrist a little. "I will _break_ you."

Egos broken and point made, the Uchiha girl let go of Sakura's hand and released Ino from her Shadow Possession Jutsu before turning to the rest of the Sasuke fangirls who had stared in fear of their angry adversary. "Now I suggest you take your seats since class is about to start." She glared at the group. "Now."

The groups dispersed at her behest, some because class was about to start, others because they didn't want to test their chances against someone who subdued two opponents faster than their eyes could track.

Amari turned back to Naruto, who wore a shocked expression on his face. "Try not to get on the bad side of too many girls, okay Naruto?" she said in her usual cheerful but shy tone.

Naruto smiled bashfully and nodded. "Hehe, yeah." His features sobered. "Thank you, Amari. You didn't have to do that."

"Sure I did. You're my best friend. It's only right that I stand by your side when you need me."

A grateful smile made it onto his lips. "Thanks."

"Anytime."

He took his seat at the end of the desk so there was one seat between him and Sasuke. Amari didn't miss the determined stare and set brow Sasuke was leveling her with, so she fired back with a serious look that begged him to try something. His response was a disinterested huff before he turned his attention elsewhere.

Amari turned away to return to her seat where Ino and Shikamaru were already waiting for her. _At least I have Shika._

Sakura ended up taking the seat between Naruto and Sasuke but Amari didn't miss the glare and challenging look she gave her. _Good, use this experience as a reason to become better than me. At least then she will have a_ _ **real**_ _drive to become stronger. That is what is important._

She took her seat between Shikamaru and Ino and pulled her book out again, ready to return to her studies with the danger over.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side, 'Risu," Shikamaru said with a humorous smirk pulled onto his lips.

"You wouldn't ever be there, Shika. It's just…no one ever stands up for Naruto and he isn't a bad kid. And everyone is still acting like being a shinobi isn't dangerous work." She shook her head and unconsciously rested a hand over her covered eye. "I'm no seasoned veteran, but I've seen enough, lost enough to know what to expect." Her hand fell back to her side. "I admit, I lost my temper and that was unworthy of me, but my friends are precious to me and I'd do anything to protect them."

Shikamaru nodded with a warmer smile in place. "I know."

"Keep it up, Cyclopes. One day I'll knock you down a peg," Ino whispered.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes in irritation and muttered something about girls being troublesome. Amari chose a different path, one involving a smile she aimed directly at Ino. "I wish you the best then. Your intentions might not be the best, but if it helps you have a goal to becoming stronger, I'll take your hate and all its fury."

The response made Ino falter in shock with no witty remark or threat to return such kind words from someone she obviously perceived as an enemy.

Returning to her book once again, she picked up in her studies about chakra control, only this time it was about walking on water. Her mother had told her that it was the next step to mastering her control so she had begun studying before she would try to take on the technique.

 _If I ever fought in a place with a lot of water, the ability to walk on it would help me not to become defenseless. If I was fighting someone who used Water Style as their main source of attack then not falling under the water would keep me safe._

"Hey Shika, would my shadow work on water?" Amari asked. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow in question at the random question. "I'm studying the Walk on Water Technique and I figured you might know."

"Yeah, it would work. Remember what my dad said: our shadow can go across any surface," he answered. She hummed in understanding. "Why are you studying Water Walking? You need to learn to climb trees without your hands first, don't you?"

Amari ducked her head down to conceal her blush. "I uh- I can climb trees already."

"What?!" Ino shrieked next to her.

Amari did her best to keep her smile hidden from sight. _Guess you have a lot of work ahead of you, Ino._

Shikamaru just smiled and shook his head at her. "You're going to work yourself to death, 'Risu," he chided.

"And you're going to bore yourself to death by doing nothing, Shika," she retorted. He rolled his eyes with a smile but offered no retort.

Iruka entered the classroom soon after and started going through their orientation. "As of today you are all ninjas. To get here you faced difficult trials and hardships, but that's nothing. What comes next will be far more difficult. Now you are only Genin, first level ninjas. All the Genin will be grouped into three man squads except for one group which will hold four," he explained.

 _One four man squad….that's probably my squad. I came in late and created an extra number of students that graduated causing their usual three idea to no longer be possible. Unless they were to not allow one of us in, but everyone here worked hard so they must be allowing this to happen. What Jōnin could handle four Genin, though?_

"Well somebody is going to have to be on Sasuke's group. I wonder who?" Ino taunted Sakura.

All it did was make Amari groan. _And just like that all my hope for you is lost._ Sakura didn't just fall for the bait, she actively jumped after it. _You two can't stay focused long enough on anything else besides Sasuke. If it wasn't for your high scores, Sakura, I would wonder if you had any other focus…hmm maybe that's another reason she doesn't like me. Maybe I have a higher score than her._ She sighed. _And I gave Naruto a hard time for making enemies easily. Everything I do seems to irk someone the wrong way._

"We want each squad to have a balance of strengths and abilities, so that's how we set them up. I will now announce the squads."

Amari rested her head on her hand and listened to Iruka start calling out names, _I wonder who they'll partner me with. I can use ninjutsu and taijutsu well enough and my genjutsu…well, I have some ability in it, just nothing close to mom's talent or enough to brag about. Who would I even out?_

Humming softly to herself, her eye was first drawn to her best friend. _Naruto now has the same Shadow Clone Jutsu I have so that might put an X on being in his squad._ _But…his smarts and taijutsu aren't the best so that may end up with me being with him. I also have some tracking abilities because of my Byakugan._ She glanced over to Hinata. _So that means me and Hinata won't be in the same squad and she will be with Mom anyways so that was an obvious._

Amari flicked her eye over to Shikamaru, who was lazily staring out the window next to him. _We both have our Shadow Possession, but from what I learned about how close the Nara Clan is with the Yamanaka's and Akimichi's that means they are going to put together the new generation of Ino-Shika-Chō with him, Chōji and Ino._ The young ninja giggled internally at the trio. _Oh, she's going to love that. Adding Amari or 'Risu to that would just complicate it so those three are no goes. That leaves Shino, Sakura, Kiba, Naruto, Sasuke as well as the other Genin here. That is still a lot of possibilities._

"Team Seven: Naruto Uzumaki. Sakura Haruno." Amari couldn't help but giggle at Sakura's expense seeing as Naruto began cheering and she lowered her head in defeat. "Sasuke Uchiha." Iruka continued. This time she had to giggle at her best friend's expense since he lowered his head and Sakura began to cheer. "And Amaririsu Yūhi."

Naruto perked up and turned back to Amari with a grin, to which she gave a closed eye smile in response to. _Good, he won't be alone with two people who could hurt his feelings._ Sakura turned around to likely boast to Ino, but stopped short to glare daggers into the blue-haired ninja.

Amari shrugged at her glare. What else could she do? Ask for a different team because Sakura didn't like her? _Right, like that would happen._ Sasuke only glanced back at her through the corner of his eye but returned his eyes forward quickly. _Get over your bruised ego, Sasuke. And you too, Sakura. We're a team now and we have to work together and watch each other's backs if we want to survive as ninja._

"Team Eight: Hinata Hyūga. Kiba Inuzuka. Shino Aburame."

 _That makes a lot of sense. They're basically the tracker squad. Hinata with her Byakugan, Kiba and Akamaru and Shino with his bugs. They can track anything and anyone together._

"Grrrr! How did you get in his group?!" Ino growled at Sakura.

Shikamaru let out a sigh right at the same time Amari did. "I just don't get it. What do you see in a guy like that? He's not so special," he said.

The kunoichi of the Nara pair couldn't agree more with his question of what they saw in Sasuke. He was okay looking for a boy in her opinion, but the other girls thought he was the hottest thing to walk the planet. _Must be a bad boy syndrome thing._

"You are so clueless Shikamaru. Don't you get it?" Ino asked.

"No, I don't get it 'cause I'm not a girl," Shikamaru retorted. Amari raised an eyebrow at him. "Excluding you of course, 'Risu since you're the only girl I know that doesn't think like the others."

"You two are so full of yourselves." Ino lifted her nose up at them with an arrogant smile pulling onto her lips. "Jealousy is a terrible thing. I'd hate to be on your squad."

The giggle that escaped her was meant to stay inside, it really was. But oh, it was impossible not to laugh when she knew what exactly was coming.

Ino furrowed her brow at her giggle. "What's so funny, One-Eye?"

"Team Ten: Ino Yamanaka. Shikamaru Nara," Iruka called out.

Amari pointed to Iruka and mouthed "That" as she continued to giggle at the shocked look on Ino's face.

"Heh! Did you say something about hating to be on _my_ squad," Shikamaru taunted.

 _Poor Ino. And it isn't over yet for the goody goody._

"And Chōji Akimichi," Iruka finished.

It took all of her power to keep her rampant giggles from becoming roaring laughter at the sudden look of despair on Ino's face. Even Shikamaru cracked a smile at the look of despair before returning to watching the clouds outside the window.

"Iruka-sensei, why does a great ninja like me have to be in the same squad with a slug like Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

With a roll of her eye, Amari tuned out the commotion in favor of cloud watching with her fellow Nara. _Face it, Naruto, we're stuck with him whether we like it or not…oh and you so cursed us last night._

"Hmm? Sasuke had the second best score of all the graduates. _Naruto,_ you had the worst scores," Iruka reprimanded.

 _I wonder who had the best scores then,_ she pondered as she watched a big white cloud shaped partially like a leaf go by. She never paid much mind to that kind of stuff. Her mother often told her she was the best in her class, but she figured that was talking about her overall skill level rather than actual class work.

"Iruka-sensei, if that's the case then why am I stuck with Amaririsu?" Sakura asked.

Amari slowly dragged her perturbed eye from the cloud towards the pinkette below her. _Seriously?_

Exasperation was written on their sensei's face at the obvious disunity already sewing itself into their team. "As I said, we put the squads together to create a balance of strengths and weaknesses. Amaririsu was put on Team Seven as _the_ balancing point. She had the best scores of all the graduates and is not only good at taijutsu, but ninjutsu as well, and her chakra control is far above any other Genin."

There were growls of irritation from Ino, Sakura and Sasuke. Iruka paid no mind to them, instead choosing to turn his gaze up to the blushing girl who was struggling between wanting to sit up straighter at the sight of his pride and shrink away so no one even knew she was there.

 _Iruka-senseiiiii! Why must you torture me like this?!_

"She also knows the values of teamwork, which is an important skill along with bravery in the face of a strong opponent. So, Amaririsu, can I trust you to watch after your squad and keep them in line?" he asked with a pride filled smile.

Against her shyness, she sat up straighter and nodded firmly. "You can count on me Iruka-sensei. I won't let you down."

Iruka beamed. "I know you won't, Amaririsu." He focused back on the class. "Now after lunch you will meet your Jōnin teachers. Until then, class dismissed."

The class proceeded to shuffle out but Amari remained seated to watch what her teammates did. Sasuke was one of the first to leave with Sakura right on his tail, obviously wanting to have lunch alone together to say or do…whatever it was that she wanted to say or do.

 _Getting them to work with me is going to be a challenge._

Naruto, on the other hand, stayed behind with her, smiling happily from his seat to her. "Told you we would be together!" He shifted his eyes away bashfully as he itched his cheek. "Though I guess we did end up with Sasuke in the end."

 _That we did._ Perhaps it was for the best this way. Her personal opinion of his attitude aside, Sasuke was without a doubt good, great even for their age. He'd bring a lot of strength and intelligence into their team to help balance out Sakura's lack of the first and Naruto's lack of the second. _Maybe I'll even eventually get to tell him I'm an Uchiha too._

Doubtful, but she hoped she wouldn't have to keep her secrets from her team for long.

"So you want to go get Sakura and eat lunch together?" Naruto asked.

Amari held back her cynical chuckle for the sake of future unit cohesion. _For some reason I think the last thing Sakura wants to do is eat lunch with "the blue-haired one-eye" and "the blond knucklehead."_

This was already looking to be a lot more work than she expected.

Outwardly she shook her head. "You go ahead…I have something I need to do before we meet our Jōnin Sensei." Her words earned her a confused stare. "…I have to visit Ryu's grave before I'm too busy with training and missions. I haven't seen him in years," she whispered.

Shikamaru hadn't left yet, having been too preoccupied with the clouds to invest his time in getting up and moving through the crowd, but just that last sentence captured his immediate attention and attached his full attention to her. His look was sympathetic, yet full of question as to _why_ she would go back since he knew just about everything about that fateful day, save for her eyes.

 _Why? You know what kind of pain is waiting for you there_ , his look seemed to ask her. She knew that, she knew standing in front of his gravestone would test her emotional fortitude as it had before. But she needed to go and face him again so he could see how strong she had gotten since that day.

Those reasons reflected in her solitary eye, earning her a barely visible nod from her fellow Nara. "You want company?" he asked. Naruto nodded in offering that he would join her as well.

Maybe deep down she did, but she needed to face him again with the strength he believed she'd one day gain. Plus, she was almost certain bringing anyone else would cause her to cry and she didn't want to cry in front of anyone.

"No…but thank you both. I need to do this alone and face it with the strength I have gained," Amari said.

Shikamaru gave an understanding nod then motioned for Naruto to go with a lift of his chin in the direction of the door. The boy listened and got up to leave along with Shikamaru, who got up from his seat and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder before leaving to go find his teammates.

Amari finally got up when the foot traffic was near its minimum and began her trek to the plot of land where Ryu was buried. The walk was quiet and peaceful enough to relax her as she made her way towards what would be a battle of a different kind.

On her way she bought an amaryllis flower from the Yamanaka Flower Shop, which was thankfully absent of Ino, then continued her silent walk until she reached her destination.

Standing in front of his gravestone was hard.

Seeing his name, knowing how it happened, remembering his dying breaths in her arms. Every memory, every touch, smell, sight, sound and taste came swarming back as Amari stood there with the flower stem gripped tightly in her hands.

For several minutes she simply stood there silently, staring at the name etched into the stone as she thought of all the time they shared together. From all the fun they used to have with Kasai to their hard days of training where they always pushed each other to grow stronger…to that final battle where all she could do was watch her world be torn apart.

"I miss you so much Ryu," she finally found the words that followed her every time she thought of him. "Not a day has gone by in the last two years that I haven't thought about you, our Kasai or the bastard who stole you both from me. You two…you two were my world. My bed still feels empty without you two there squishing me or Kasai's arm flying in the middle of the night to hit us both."

Amari inhaled a deep breath through her nose and shut her eye to keep her emotions in check. When she was sure she wouldn't break down, she opened her eyes and continued to speak. "Sorry I haven't visited often, but I've been working really hard to reach my goal. Though, I suppose you know that already since you've been watching after me, which means you also know I finally did it. I finally became a Genin and have grown in strength."

A fond smile creased her lips. "I also met this boy named Naruto who reminds me a lot of a more knuckleheaded version of our Kasai. I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. He's my best friend." Intense emotions slammed into her heart, making her swallow hard and grip the stem even tighter "…He makes me feel strong like you did. He makes me believe I can fulfill your dying wish and stand strong through any storm that comes my way."

Tears pricked at her eyes as the battle against her emotions became harder, but she kept fighting to stop any tears from falling.

" _Stay strong for me Amari."_

"I've been pushing myself really hard so I can protect him and his dream, but now I have two more teammates and a new sensei that I will protect. I know it sounds like I doubt their skills or like I am pushing myself too hard, but I'm not."

Whoever her sensei ended up being didn't need her protection, and the others would prove their individual skills as they all grew, but she would still do what she could to protect them and their dreams.

"Protecting my friends, having people that I care about, it makes me feel strong. Fighting for Iruka-sensei and Naruto against Mizuki made it finally sink in that I had grown, that them and Mom were worth fighting and dying for…That maybe I could save them from what I couldn't stop from happening to you…"

That failure never stopped hurting.

"I…I don't care if my other two teammates like me or not. I will protect them, I will become stronger for them and keep them in line just like Iruka-sensei asked of me."

A gust of wind blew through the field while she laid the flower on his grave then stood up. She closed her eye, clasped her hands together in front of her and bowed her head to give Ryu a moment of silence.

In the silence, a hand rested on her shoulder but Amari didn't look up. "I miss you Ryu…but I won't fail you or my team. Strength is not just my skill in a fight, but my will to never back down as well. I will be strong."

" _I'll be at your side to the end, I promise."_

"You are strong," a soft voice told her.

 _Keep watching over me, Ryu._

Amari gave a small nod while holding back her tears. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei…Am I late for the meeting?" she asked. _I've been here for an hour at least judging on where the sun is_ , she thought with a glance to the bright orb of light.

"Don't worry about that. Take your time if you need it," Kakashi said.

She appreciated the sentiment, she really did, but Amari didn't want to drag this out any longer. "Thank you, but I think I'm done…" The young ninja turned to face her new sensei. "I don't know what else I could say and I don't know if I could go much longer without shedding tears." Kakashi dipped his head in an understanding nod. "You are our new sensei, right?"

Again he nodded with a small wave of his hand to motion her to follow him. "Yep. Did you figure that out when you were assigned to the four man squad?"

 _Unfortunately I didn't solve it that quickly. I didn't really put together the team dynamics and the only_ _Jōnin who could handle such a group with a prideful Uchiha, an obsessed fangirl, a brash knucklehead and a shy but protective girl._

He was the only one who could really handle Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura on one team. As for the shy girl herself, he was the only one who could teach her more about using her Sharingan.

"No…not right away at least, but I knew Mom would take Hinata's team and Asuma is the only who could get Shikamaru, Chōji and Ino to work together. You're the only other Jōnin I know and the only one who can handle this kind of mixed group."

"Hm. Good inference. So what do you think about your teammates?"

The fishing nature of the question made Amari groan in embarrassment. _He knows about the little spat I had with Sakura and Ino._ "You all saw the confrontation with me, Sakura, Ino and Naruto didn't you?" His humorous chuckle was all she needed as an answer. "Mom was either really mad at me or proud of me for sticking up for Naruto." Hopefully she wouldn't end up on the receiving end of another lecture, again. "Are you asking about their personalities or their skills?"

"Well I was asking about their personalities, but how about you give me both."

"Hmm." _This is Kakashi-sensei who is asking so there has to be some purpose to this all. What that purpose is I will just have to find out._ "For skills I'd say the three of them balance each other out very well. Naruto's lack of general strategy and battle smarts is balanced by Sasuke's and Sakura's intelligence, but what he lacks there he makes up with a strong will that makes up for the others.

"Although Sakura is smart, she lacks a drive other than being with Sasuke. Well, maybe she wants to become strong enough to pulverize me so I guess that works. As for Sasuke, I don't know what his drive is. We haven't really spoken at all to each other. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say he wants to restore the Uchiha Clan, but much else I don't know. He seems very cold but his calm demeanor balances Naruto's jump in headfirst demeanor."

Amari brought her hand to her chin as she continued to nitpick her team's weakness and strengths. "But one thing that they all lack equally is working together. Naruto and I can work together well, but otherwise, as I said, he has a tendency to go in headfirst on his own."

 _Literally when it came to Mizuki_ , she mused.

"Sasuke is a loner. He sees others as a hindrance to himself and knowing that I might be just as strong as him or stronger will make him want to work together even less. Sakura is infatuated with Sasuke so I could see her trying to work with him, but she would leave Naruto out in the open if it meant saving Sasuke and making him see her…That's where I balance I think."

It was still hard to say if that was why she was on this team or if that's what she was being told for the time being. "Either way I have my work cut out for me trying to get them all to work together," she noted out loud mostly for herself.

The seeds of disunity were already planted within their team despite none of them having gone on a real mission yet. There was Naruto's dislike for Sasuke, Sakura's dislike for Naruto and Amari and Sasuke's indifference to them all. Then there was Amari, stuck in the center of it all as the only one willing to put aside her differences to work together. _What a drag_ , Amari thought, sighing outwardly at the situation she was in.

"I have no problems with any of them particularly. We're a team now and that means we're going to have to watch each other's backs. I want to protect them, but I can't say that Sasuke or Sakura would go out on a limb for me as I would for them."

That doubt alone in a fellow Leaf shinobi was disastrous enough to have.

"What about Naruto? You said he was one to rush in alone," Kakashi asked.

 _Now he's just playing along with my thought pattern. Whatever his goal is, I doubt I'll be able to find out._

"He is but…" _How to word it._ "Naruto cares. He wants people to notice him instead of ignore him and though most of the attention he gets is negative, he wants people to care about his existence. If Sasuke and Sakura even acknowledge him a little bit, he's going to latch onto them until they see him as a friend and comrade. I'm sure if he and Sasuke were thrown into a deadly battle right now, he'd do everything he could to not only fight and prove himself to Sasuke, but to protect him as well. It's just who Naruto is. He may be a prankster and a troublemaker, but under all that he is a caring person."

The Jōnin hummed but said nothing immediately.

 _What am I missing?_ Amari pondered. _He had a reason for asking me this and it wasn't curiosity. I can guarantee he already knows about all four of us better than we know ourselves, but why ask me?_

"So, does Sasuke know about your Sharingan or that you are part Uchiha?"

Amari furrowed her brow at the question. _That can't be it. He didn't ask me all that for this simple question_.

"…No…do you think I should? I mean you have one yourself, but I only know that because I asked Mom about you. Isn't passing knowledge around about my eyes dangerous for me?"

"In a way, yes it would, but shouldn't you trust your team with that information?" he quizzed.

 _I see….this is where you were leading me. You know I would work with my team regardless if they liked me or not, but you want to see if I trust them fully with my deepest secret…But a ninja must see through deception, so is he trying to make me admit I'd give away secrets to my team even if I wasn't supposed to or is he wondering if I would trust my team with the knowledge of my eyes._

She pondered on her answer for a silent minute until she finally made her decision. "Normally yes, but some secrets need to be kept until the time is right. The time doesn't seem right to me. Sasuke already sees me as a nemesis and if I revealed that I had the Sharingan to him he would likely ignore that I am part Uchiha and focus on the fact I unlocked it before him, causing him to hate me more. That in turn would make Sakura hate me more and cause group conflict," Amari answered.

"Hmm. Good work, Amari. I wasn't sure you would catch on to my questioning or not, but you did." He sounded genuinely pleased with her answer and ability to catch onto his quizzing of her team.

"So you were quizzing me." He gave her a closed eye smile as they walked. "If I may ask, what was the point of the quiz on my team? Was it to test my ability to assess the strengths and weaknesses of my allies?"

Kakashi dipped his head slightly. "In part. I wanted to see if you understood the importance of knowing your team's strengths and weaknesses, but I also wanted to get to know who your teammates were from a non-biased view."

 _Non-biased view?_ Realization hit her like a bolt of lightning. _Of course._

"If I were to ask Naruto about this, do you think he would have talked about more than his own strengths or how weak Sasuke was?" Amari shook her head no. If there was one thing that the knucklehead didn't lack it was the ability to talk about himself like he was the Hokage already. "Now reverse that train of thought, do you think Sasuke or Sakura would have anything positive to say about you or Naruto or anything negative to say about Sasuke?"

She shook her head again. Sakura would without a doubt gush over Sasuke and call Naruto an idiot and call her something even less pleasing. Sasuke on the other hand didn't consider Sakura or Naruto strong so he would only call them losers and think that he was the strongest. _Wonder what he would say about me. He'd probably just give a noncommittal grunt or something._

"So I was the only one you could ask for more information. Scouting us and looking at scores only gets you so far; you needed someone who knew them and understood them," Amari deduced. Kakashi nodded. _That makes a lot of sense but…_ "Why ask about the Sharingan then?"

"To see if you understood that sometimes you have to keep secrets even from the people you trust most. You shouldn't keep secrets from your comrades if it could affect the mission, but sometimes you need to know when the time is right to tell that secret and when it is wrong. If you don't you may end up hurting the mission or the dynamics of the squad. For instance, if Sasuke hates you then Sakura hates you and are less likely to watch your back in a fight. That hurts not only the mission, but could end in someone getting killed."

 _And by my standards, even if the mission succeeded, someone dying on it is a mission failure._

The Copy Ninja rubbed the back of his head and stared out ahead of them. "Well, at least I have one Genin who thinks like a ninja already."

Amari giggled at the compliment and exasperation in his voice. "It could be worse, Kakashi-sensei. You could be stuck with Ino, Sakura and Sasuke on one team."

The mere thought of the combo made his one eye bulge in horror.

They reached the Academy and walked inside towards the classroom where the others would hopefully be waiting. "Interesting," Kakashi muttered as they neared the door. Confused, Amari followed his gaze to the door where an eraser was wedged at the top of the door. _Narutoooo_ , she groaned. "I suppose I should spring the trap since they took the time to set it up."

"You could just slide the door open and let it fall to the ground or catch it in mid-air," the young ninja offered. "No sense in getting hit in the head for no reason."

Kakashi offered her a closed eye smile, immediately sending suspicion through the Nara. _He's up to something. What that something is I have no clue of._ "True, but sometimes being underestimated is better than being seen as a threat." After a moment of thought, she nodded in agreement to his line of logic. _He has a point, but why would he want the others to underestimate him?_

They finally reached the door and, just as he said, he sprang the trap, sliding the door open and letting the eraser fall right on his head. A burst of cackling laughter echoed inside the room from Naruto and was quickly followed by the _innocent_ apologies of Sakura.

 _Right_ , Amari thought with a scoff, _because you totally didn't want to see it happen._

They all had a lot of growing up to do in the coming years.

Their new sensei picked up the eraser and put it back before turning back to the group. He brought his hand at his chin in feigned deep though. "Hmm. How should I put this? My first impression of the three of you is…you're a bunch of immature idiots."

 _And here come the death glares._

On cue Sakura and Sasuke shot glares at her while a dumbfounded look fell onto Naruto's face at such a harsh reaction. "You certainly have your work cut out for you if you plan on keeping your promise to Iruka, Amari," Kakashi teased.

"I know," she whispered through a sigh. _I'm going to make it work though. I won't let Iruka-sensei down._

The Copy Ninja patted her on the head with a smile under his mask. "You'll figure it out." _I'll have to if we want to survive._ "Okay, the four of you meet me on the roof in five minutes."

With a poof of smoke, the clone of Kakashi dispersed. The eyes of her teammates each bulged at the revelation that their sensei had used the Shadow Clone Jutsu; Amari let her lips upturn into a smirk as she turned back to the door to head up to the roof. _Heh, he's going to be an awesome sensei._

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura followed behind her towards their inevitable destination. Five minutes was a little over excessive for time, but maybe he was accounting for one of them walking too slow.

"Hey Amari, do you know that guy?" Naruto called to her from behind.

Carefully, she turned her body to face the three while walking up the stairs backwards. "Yes, we've known each other for two years actually."

"Are you two friends?"

"I don't know if he considers me one. At a guess I'd say he sees himself more of a…mentor to me, I guess is the best way to explain it. But I do consider him a friend just like I do Iruka-sensei. I'll explain up on the roof, okay?"

He smiled and nodded. _I will do my best to not lie to him anymore. I won't break that trust again._

They reached the roof with time to spare where Kakashi was already waiting for them, leaning against a rail on the outer ring of the roof.

"Take a seat on the stairs." His tone was firmer than it had been when his clone had been walking with her, but that was too expected. _Here he has to be our sensei and keep us all in line while gauging how this team is going to work out._

Amari took her seat at the bottom stair directly across from Kakashi with Naruto sitting one stair higher on her right, Sasuke on the highest step and furthest away from the others and Sakura a step down next to him.

"All right, how about you introduce yourselves one at a time. I'll start: My name is Kakashi Hatake. I don't really feel like telling you my likes and dislikes, I've never really thought about my future. As for my hobbies, I have lots of hobbies," Kakashi offered.

"Talk about vague. We didn't learn anything about him," Sakura whispered to them all.

 _That's Kakashi-sensei for you._ He was a private and reclusive individual from what she dissected of him over the last two years. Amari didn't mind it at all. Even though he could be troublesome and appear aloof to others, she knew deep down he cared deeply about the village and those within.

Eager to get her own introduction done and out of the way, Amari raised her hand to go next. "Kakashi-sensei, I'll go next if that is okay." He nodded, so she lowered her hand back down before speaking. "My name is Amaririsu Yūhi. I like ramen, training to become a stronger ninja, being around my mom and fighting for or side by side my friends like I did with Naruto."

She could feel Naruto beaming behind her but didn't dare to see how the other two reacted. "Things I hate? Attention of several individuals at once for sure, but the thing I hate the most is the feeling of helplessness." _And Kasai._ "My hobbies are cloud watching, playing shogi with my cousin Shikamaru, my uncle Shikaku and Asuma-sensei. The only other hobbies I can think of are meditating, training and studying as much as I can to understand concepts of chakra control and jutsu's. As for my dreams for the future…"

 _What are my dreams for the future?_ Amari pondered as she was forced to pause in her introduction. She didn't hold a particular dream for the future, only two goals to complete, so maybe those were her dreams?

"I have two goals if that counts. One is to kill the boy who killed my best friends two years ago, but even though it is important to me, it isn't my primary focus. My main goal is to protect my friends and their dreams so that one day they can see their dreams come true."

Kakashi nodded to her. "Good example, Amari." His eye moved to Naruto. "You with the blond hair, your next."

Naruto immediately started rambling on about ramen, the different kinds of microwaveable versions and the best ramen in the world from Ichiraku, which made Amari giggle as Kakashi's eye revealed how disinterested and bored out of his mind he was with the rambling.

 _He already knows about us. This is all for appearances._ Between his own scouting and her report, he didn't need any other information to gauge their skills or personalities. This face to face meeting was more to see it for himself and to listen for anything that might have slipped past him or Amari.

"And my future dream is to be the greatest Hokage! That way the whole village will stop disrespecting me and treat me like I'm somebody, somebody important." That declaration earned Kakashi's attention and an impressed look.

 _And that's a dream I plan to protect._

Sakura went next…and it was exceptionally difficult not to groan, sigh, roll her eye and face palm all at the same time. Sakura was squealing in giddiness over Sasuke, _squealing._

 _This is so unbearable to watch and listen to_.

Kakashi seemed to be of the same mind as his blue-haired student judging on the unimpressed stare he was giving her. _If she could actually focus…_ Amari groaned internally. _So much wasted intelligence. Most of the girls my age don't even care about actually training or putting in the hard work to grow stronger. Instead they are infatuated by boys and trying to make them notice their appearances, namely Sasuke._

"And what do you hate?" their Sensei asked lazily, probably already knowing the answer he was going to receive.

"Purple bandanas and Naruto!" Sakura nearly shouted for the entire village to hear.

 _So immature._ Amari sighed and brought her knees to her chest so she could wrap her arms around them. _You might as well have said my name Sakura. I'm the only one with a purple bandana around here. And a purple tank top and purple earrings._

She really liked purple. Was it too obvious?

Next up was Sasuke who apparently hated a lot and didn't like much of anything, according to the broody boy himself. His goal was, as Amari guessed, to restore his clan but he also wanted to destroy a certain someone. Amari could sense without looking the worry in Naruto and the near fainting from fan girlism from Sakura, but what caught her attention was the intensity in Kakashi's eye as his gaze locked on the boy.

 _There is definitely something I don't know about between Sasuke and the massacre of the Uchiha._ A sudden thought crossed her mind. _Lord Hokage never mentioned who murdered the Uchiha's so the person must still be alive and above my rank for information._

"Good. Your each unique and have your own ideas. We'll have our first mission tomorrow," Kakashi said at length. "The task is one the five of us will do together. Let's call it a survival exercise."

Amari raised an eyebrow in a mix of intrigue and worry. _A survival exercise? What are you hiding Kakashi-sensei?_ "I'm sensing the word _exercise_ is a giant understatement?"

In the corner of her eye she could see that Naruto and Sakura were giving her confused stares for her question. She ignored it and kept her eye on their sensei. _You two just don't know Kakashi-sensei like I do. He is a ninja, a_ _Jōnin. Deception is his game and if you three don't get your act together you are just going to be pawns on the board designed for unwilling sacrifice._

"You're quick, Amari. I might have to step my game up with you around," he praised. "You are right; this isn't just some exercise like the training you four received in the Academy. It'll be completely different from any of your previous training through the years. The only one here with the closest experience to what I have planned is Amari."

"That's…definitely not good," Amari muttered. If she was the only one with any experience close to their training, that meant it was going to be something extremely physical or would push them to bring out every bit of skill they had.

Kakashi chuckled in amusement at her while the others were still confused over what he meant. "I could tell you what it will be, but none of you are going to like it." He paused briefly for any objections but received none. So he told them. "Of the twenty-eight graduates who you just sat side by side with in that classroom, only ten of you will actually be accepted as Genin. The other eighteen will be _weeded_ out and sent back to the Academy. In other words, this is a make it or break it pass-fail test. Considering those numbers your chances of failing are naturally high, possibly a guarantee."

To say the information shocked the three behind her would be an understatement. It would be more accurate to say that a bolt of lightning struck each of them out of their sandals and left them in a smoky heap of electrically charged limbs.

"See? Didn't I tell you that you wouldn't like it?" Kakashi prodded, humored by their reactions.

Amari herself did feel some of the electric charge from the lightning bolt they were just struck by, but her analytical mind was already processing it and coming to a conclusion she doubted her teammates would reach.

"Hmm, that makes sense." Naruto yelped in surprise at her words. "Think about it for a moment. Life as a ninja isn't meant for everyone and not everyone is at a level where they should be being sent into the field. What if someone was really good in class but cracked under pressure? Would that person be fit for duty?"

The answer was simple to her mind. It didn't matter how much skill you had with a textbook or in ninjutsu, taijutsu or genjutsu; if the pressure of a real battle was capable of breaking you, you weren't ready to be a shinobi.

A bird flying overhead caught her attention due to how it seemed to be circling around their area in an effort to gain someone's attention. _Hmm. Must be a messenger bird for Kakashi-sensei._ She glanced back to him to see he wasn't budging from his seat. _Must be finishing this first._

"Exactly Amari. When lives are at stake you can't afford failure. Failure can be directly failing a mission or losing comrades in the field. If there are graduates who cannot handle the pressure and danger of ninja life then they are not fit to be ninjas."

"Wait a minute, how do you two know each other?" Sakura asked.

"Who? Me and Amari?" Kakashi asked in return. The others nodded. "You do know how she came to this village, right?" Naruto nodded but Sakura and Sasuke did not. _I guess they've already forgotten Iruka-sensei introducing me to the class._ "I'll give you the quick version then.

"She was an orphan and had two friends who were boys. One day one of the boys became power hungry and killed her other friend to test his skills. He is the one who blinded her and left her for dead. On that same day she was found by four Jōnin; her mother was one and I was one. That's how we met and I've kept my eye on her ever since," he let his eye fall onto her, "and maybe given her a motivation boost here and there." He returned his eye to the others. "Clear?"

The three nodded silently at his quick summary of one of the worst moments in her life. _It's weird hearing it from someone else. But he told the truth fully, he has kept his eye on me and given motivation when I did see him._

"Good. Back to the subject at hand. I'll be the one who decides if you pass or fail. Be at the designated training spot at five A.M. and bring your ninja gear."

 _That'll be early for the others but I'm used to that wake up time._ Curious to see where the others were mentally, Amari looked to them to find their eyes all set on the ground or into the open air around them. Naruto seemed to be attempting to build up confidence and ease his nerves, Sakura actually seemed extremely determined, though the Nara would wager it was for the chance to be with Sasuke, and the broody Uchiha was as pensive as ever.

The dōjutsu wielder just remained relaxed and didn't let the possibility of failing the test even worry her. This was all part of Kakashi's test to get under their skin and put the stress and tension on them of real stakes. Her relaxed look actually earned her a small smirk from her sensei before he stood up and turned away.

"That's it. You're dismissed."

 _You're not done yet Kakashi-sensei. I know you better than that. You have something up your sleeve to test our ability to understand what you are saying and what you aren't._ "Oh." He looked over his shoulder with a closed eyed smile. "Tomorrow you better skip breakfast. Or you'll puke."

Another bolt of lightning. _Don't eat breakfast or we'll puke? Is this some kind of trick or is he dead serious?_ Was he really planning to push them hard enough to make them puke?

Before she could even try to get a read on his intentions, Kakashi disappeared in a flash of speed her eye couldn't track. _This isn't good. I wasn't able to tell if he was serious or not to make preparations._ She fought off a groan of agitation. _Damn. He must have done that because nothing else he was saying was getting to me._

A well-played move by her superior. If she wasn't able to discern his true motives, she couldn't ward off her teammates properly and keep them from making a mistake. _Just like a real battle._ Now she was thrust into a minefield where one wrong step would lead to disaster, ensuring she would at least have a shred of doubt and worry due to the stakes.

 _If he's serious that means the exercise will be super hard…but still, a ninja has to eat even on the most difficult strenuous missions._ It was common sense, right? Without food on long, arduous missions, a shinobi wouldn't be able to operate at peak performance. They had to eat what they could when they had the chance. That could be right before a battle or after one.

But…what if the task he had in mind was so difficult that they would actually puke if they ate breakfast? If what he had in mind was something only she had close experience with, that meant what he had in mind would be enough to leave them face flat in the dirt, bruised, possibly bleeding, covered in sweat and completely out of energy. Eating anything before something like that would guarantee seeing their food twice.

 _Argh, troublesome adult._

Turning back to her new comrades to try to work her thoughts out with them, she was shocked to see they were all already walking away. _So much for a team discussion._ The least she could do was try to get them to prepare. "Hey! Make sure you at least have a big dinner tonight if you aren't going to eat breakfast!" Amari called to them.

That would negate puking and if they ate a large enough meal they wouldn't even be hungry that early in the morning. Sasuke ignored her and kept walking which led to Sakura doing the same. Only Naruto stopped to actually hear her out. _At least someone will listen_ , she thought as she stood up

One was better than none.

"Aren't you worried about puking tomorrow Amari?" Naruto asked.

"Well…kind of," she admitted. She couldn't shake the feeling that this last bit of information was meant to throw her specifically off his scent. Kakashi was extremely intelligent and would know before she did what decision she'd end up making. Both decisions were highly possible and any decision she made could be exactly what he had in mind.

Amari shook her head to shake the feeling of doubt off. "But a ninja must see through deception. I'm not sure about not eating breakfast tomorrow. Even on strenuous missions a ninja has to eat something." She scratched the back of her head. _But Kakashi-sensei might not be kidding and that would be dangerous to the mission of us passing._

Her gut feeling was telling her to ignore his words, but he had seeded enough doubt into her to turn this into a tug-of-war she wouldn't win alone. "Just eat a big dinner tonight, okay? I'm going to talk to my mom and see what she says, but if she thinks something is up I'll eat my breakfast that way I'll be the only puking if Kakashi-sensei isn't kidding."

Naruto nodded. "Okay, I'll make sure I eat a big dinner then. Hopefully the others actually listened."

 _Yeah…hopefully._ Amari walked with him down and out of the Academy before parting ways to head to their respective homes. The whole walk home was consumed by her thoughts on the situation and the second guessing of her gut.

Would it be possible that Kakashi-sensei was serious? Yes, in fact it was extremely possible he planned to drill them into the ground.

Was it possible that he was testing their ability to see through his deception by understanding the needs of their bodies on hard missions? Absolutely, definitely considering he was technically their enemy right now rather than their ally.

Two possibilities that were both so likely that Amari wasn't sure which to follow. It _was_ Kakashi so her gut feeling was telling her to not listen and eat breakfast… _but I also think it is a possibility that he is using my thought pattern of thinking against me to outsmart me. If that is the case he would be doing it to eliminate me with ease tomorrow._

If he did plan to push them to the point of puking then by all means eating breakfast would be a hindrance to the team by slowing her down significantly.

 _A ninja must see through deception_ , Amari reminded herself as she turned the corner that led to her house. _I have to be able to figure this out without seeing his face because out in the field I won't know my enemies plans. I have to make a decision and I need to make it soon. Big dinner or eat breakfast?_

She entered her home and took her shoes off at the door before proceeding further in. As she walked she took her bandana off and tied it around her right wrist. When she entered the living room she found her mother sitting on the couch reading a book. Amari walked around the couch and sat down next to her. "Kakashi didn't keep you long," Kurenai stated.

"I think he was called by a messenger bird. That and he already knows us like the back of his hand," Amari responded as she rested her head on her mother's shoulder. _Or glove, I suppose._ "We have a survival exercise tomorrow with him. _Weeding out_ the teams that aren't ready to be ninja, as he put it."

 _He won't weed me out that easily though._

"What time do you need to be there?" her mother asked.

"Five in the morning. Says not to eat breakfast or we'll puke." Her answer made her mother drag her eyes away from her book to her daughter with a pensive stare. "My gut tells me he is testing our ability to see through his deception, but I'm slightly worried he is serious because he knows he can't fool me easily."

Kurenai closed her eyes, exhaled and shook her head. "Trust your gut, little one. Kakashi will be tough tomorrow… and late." She opened her eyes and shook her head in what seemed to be disbelief. "Five in the morning." _He must be late a lot if that look is anything to go by._ "Make no mistake, you will be challenged tomorrow. Kakashi has high standards, so high he has yet to pass a squad."

 _He's never passed a squad?_ Learning this was definitely news to Amari and made her worry for her and her team. If he had yet to pass a team, how were they supposed to pass?

"Why hasn't he passed a team? Is there any specific reason or they just never lived to his standards?"

Any hint to why would be helpful, though based on the frown forming on her mother's lips it seemed she was in the dark on his reasons. "I don't know, little one. I just know he had reason to keep them from moving forward. Kakashi may be tough, but he wouldn't just fail every team over something trivial like not liking them. They missed the real goal of his exercise. You have so far seen through many of his deceptions. This one will be your true test."

Amari nodded slightly. So far she had proven that she was capable at figuring out certain ploys, but this new test wasn't just her mind against Kakashi. It was her whole team against the Copy Ninja.

This was a pass as a group fail as a group test. There would be no special treatment for any single member which didn't bother her in the slightest. If she wasn't capable of getting her team to work together to figure out what the real test was then she wasn't ready to be a ninja.

"I just have to remember everything I know about Kakashi-sensei and what I have learned these last two years and I'll be able to solve it."

Kurenai wrapped her arm around her daughter. "You'll do fine. Just do your best and you'll pass."

 _I'll figure this out and I'll make sure we are the first team he passes…_

 _This is going to be so troublesome._


	8. Chapter 7: Kakashi vs Amari

Chapter 7

Survival of the Fittest: Kakashi vs. Amari!

Amari sat crossed legged in the grass at the designated training spot with a new technique book in hand. Her eye traced along the words and diagrams given as she tried to ignore the onset of sheer boredom caused by Team Seven's _extremely_ late sensei. _I can't believe he's_ _ **this**_ _late._ After talking to her mother she expected a half an hour or two hours if he wanted to push it. But almost _seven_ full hours?

Seriously?! _Seven_ hours was absolutely ridiculous! Did he have any idea what she could have accomplished with seven extra hours? She could have gained an extra hour or two of sleep—which would have been wonderful on so many levels. She could have meditated, practiced yoga, watched clouds _and_ read this book all before he got here given his current lateness.

 _Today is going to be a pain._

Still, despite how much she _detested_ personally being late, Amari wasn't too upset it about his tardiness…Okay, maybe she was more than a little perturbed. But at least his decision to be late, because it was definitely a conscious decision, gave her time to study. It might have even been peaceful if her three teammate's stomachs weren't growling around her while they let out perturbed noises or whispered curses due to their tardy sensei.

 _I'm sure Naruto and Sakura will start bickering any second now._ _Or perhaps they'll be united in their irritation._ The Nara snorted quietly to herself. _Yeah, like that'll happen._ The chances of them uniting together were about the same as Kakashi rewinding time to arrive when he said he would.

Out of the entire team, Sasuke was the only one who chose to stand despite Amari attempting to coax him to sit and rest. He didn't listen, of course, and by all accounts Kakashi was already winning. Not only had the three skipped breakfast, but even if they had eaten a big dinner it wouldn't matter because of how late it was now. _Not that any of them took my advice anyways._

Naruto had let it slip his mind for some reason, Sakura was apparently on a diet and Sasuke just didn't do it because she asked. He didn't actually say that; he just ignored her when she asked. She wondered if he realized silence in of itself was an answer and was blatantly being a jerk, or if he was just ignoring her existence as he seemed to do with everyone else.

How he felt didn't really matter in the end, not to the overall mission or to Amari personally. As long as he wasn't unwilling to actually work together as a team in the coming years they'd spend together on Team Seven, she wouldn't have to pummel his ego into the ground.

Noon was nearly upon them when the young ninja finally couldn't stand sitting down any longer. "I'm going to work on my chakra control," Amari announced to no one in particular as she snapped her book shut and stood up. She wouldn't exert too much chakra by attempting the Walk on Water Technique, but that didn't mean she couldn't try walking up a tree instead of running while they waited.

If Kakashi was going to be late, she was at least going to get some practice in today so the day wouldn't be a complete waste.

Before she could take more than ten steps, a hand landed on her shoulder to halt her movement. Following the hand, she found Kakashi standing right next to her wearing his usual eye smile. "Morning everyone. Ready for your first day," he greeted the group.

"You're late!" Sakura and Naruto yelled in unison.

Amari gave him a flat stare. "Do you realize how much I could've gotten done in seven hours?"

"Well, you see a black cat crossed my path so I decided not to take any chances and take the long way here," he answered innocently enough to make her almost believe he was being honest.

She tried to remain serious, she really did. But his lame excuse broke her serious face for a fit of giggles she couldn't rightly control at first—because seriously? He was pulling out that superstition to explain his lateness? He might as well have said there were a bunch of ladders blocking his path and he couldn't bring himself to walk under them.

He ruffled her hair and chuckled lightly while the others stared at them silently, dumbfounded by his reason for being late. "Fine, I forgive you," she conceded in mock exasperation, brandishing a smirk. She jabbed him in his side with her fingers. "But only this time, you cheater."

He smiled down at her then cleared his throat and let go of her shoulder. "Now, let's get started."

Amari retraced her steps back over to her team as their sensei sauntered over to a nearby tall wooden post and placed an alarm clock on it. "Here we go. It's set for noon." He started the clock then pulled out three silver bells held by a little red string. "Your assignment is very simple. You just have to take these bells from me. That's all there is to it."

 _Simple?_ The Nara rolled her eye. _Uh-huh, right. This will be anything but simple…The real question is if this about the bells or something else entirely?_ Kakashi jingled the bells; the sudden action and chime of the bells made Amari glance to her team to see their reactions. Each of them were directly focused on the bells, paying no mind to anything else around them, not even each other.

 _Does he already have them beat? Are the bells just a distraction?_

"If you fail to capture them before noon, you will go without lunch." Naruto shrieked in horror at the high stakes of their test. "You will be tied to those posts and watch while I eat my lunch in front of you."

It was then the others realized exactly _why_ they were told not to eat breakfast. Naruto placed his hands on his cheeks and let out a wordless cry, Sakura grabbed at her empty stomach and Sasuke's features fell into a sad frown.

"I tried to tell you," Amari whispered to herself. _Sensei is five steps ahead of us and just continuing to get farther and farther ahead. Mom wasn't kidding; this going to be really tough._

"You certainly have great instincts, Amari. I thought for sure I would have had you with that one," Kakashi complimented.

 _You almost did, but Mom told me to follow my gut instinct and not to second guess it._ She considered voicing her thought, but the growl she heard from Sakura and the glower from Sasuke was enough to keep her from speaking anymore.

"What do you mean by you thought you had her?" Naruto asked in confusion.

Their sensei chuckled in amusement which only confused the three even more. "It's a little game I like to play that Amari has caught onto."

 _More like a training regimen of the mind that you've been using on me since I integrated into the village._

"A ninja must see through deception," Amari repeated the phrase he beat into her skull over the last two years. Sometimes literally.

" _You let your guard down again. How many times do I have to tell you: a ninja must see through deception," Kakashi scolded playfully as he sat on her back, keeping her arm bent at an awkward angle so she couldn't move._

" _Troublesome adult!"_

Amari sighed. _I can see through it all I want, but if I can't get the others to see it we're screwed._

Kakashi nodded to her. "Right."

 _But what is the main game here Kakashi-sensei? The bells are a secondary objective, I can see that much. So what is the main goal of this training? What are you trying to get us to understand?_

"Wait a minute…there are four of us. How come there are only three bells?" Sakura asked.

 _That's a good point, why would there only be three bells?_

The closed eyed smile he gave the group did nothing to ease her nerves. "Well that way at least one of you will end up tied to the post and ultimately disqualified for failing to complete the mission. That one goes back to the Academy."

 _Now I see,_ Amari realized, _you are making it seem like we are pitted against one another to make them believe one of us will have to go back to the Academy._ Her eye turned to a slit as she stared intensely at Kakashi. _But that isn't really the goal. Not even close. You already beat them, hell you won the moment they fell for the "don't eat breakfast" trick you pulled._

 _What you've done, Kakashi-sensei, is guarantee disunity between the team. Sakura will try to win to be with Sasuke and leave Naruto behind. Sasuke won't even lift a finger for either of them so he can continue to advance and Naruto is so bull headed he'll try doing it himself so he can become Hokage._

This was all just a bunch of smoke and mirrors. A Genin squad wasn't meant to work with only two people or even just one person, but the others either didn't know that or had forgotten it completely.

His test wasn't about beating him in combat or capturing an objective alone, it was about putting the mission above yourself and using teamwork to accomplish the goal. _It's not even remotely possible for us to even get close by ourselves, but if we work together…If someone self-sacrifices for the sake of the team then the mission will be passed._

Yes, that had to be the answer. It was the only thing that made sense for someone as intelligent and cunning as Kakashi. He wouldn't give them an impossible goal and expect them to somehow succeed. That was too simpleminded.

" _Kakashi may be tough, but he wouldn't just fail every team over something trivial like not liking them. They missed the real goal of his exercise,"_ she recalled her mother's words.

Of course! If he used this same test on each team before them then what they had to have seen was the bells only, not the real objective Kakashi had in mind. The bells weren't a real objective, not really. They weren't the ultimate goal the team was meant to reach; the ultimate goal of this test was seeing if the team understood the most fundamental part of being a shinobi: teamwork.

 _You may have beaten those other teams, Kakashi-sensei, and you may have even outsmarted these three already, but you haven't beaten me yet_ , Amari thought. _This is a pass as a group and fail as a group test, yet at its core it is a test for my biggest commitment to my team, and I won't fail that. The team comes before the individual, teamwork above all else and these three won't get that._

Amari glanced to the others. _How can I even begin to explain that to them though? Sakura and Sasuke have already proven they won't listen to what I have to say. Naruto and I might be able to team up, but I know that knucklehead too well to believe he won't just wing the plan and get knocked around._

So what was she going to do? How was she going to get her team to listen to her and work together rather than separately?

Kakashi caught her eye in the midst of her examination and matched her intensity when he realized she was on to him. _I know your plan and the only way to succeed is for me to be the self-sacrificing pawn for the sake of the team…but how do I get the team to realize your plan? Think, Amari. Think._

"Then again, all four of you could flunk out."

Despair hit the Nara like a mad bull. _Damn it. You just cemented them not working together._ She could feel the tension in the air, the aura of every shinobi for themselves was ripening. _They are so blinded by their own arrogance and desire to move forward that they're underestimating you when none of us stand a chance._

The memory of Kakashi letting the eraser fall on his head hit her next and made her features contort into horror. _You…you were planning this the whole time. That eraser drop was just the beginning of this. You've gotten so far ahead already…I'm not even sure I can get this to work._

"You can use any weapons, including shuriken. If you're not prepared to kill me you won't be able to take the bells."

Sakura's eyes widened in shock at the prospect of using lethal ninja tools against their sensei. "Those weapons are too dangerous, Sensei," she pleaded.

Naruto laughed and clasped his hands together behind his head. "Especially since you couldn't dodge that eraser."

Kakashi leveled the boy with a bored stare. "Class clowns are usually the weakest links. You can safely ignore them, lowest scores. Losers." He let his eye leave him without a second glance back. "When I say 'start' you can begin."

Naruto growled in agitation and grabbed a kunai from his leg. He spun it in his hand then gripped it tightly. "Naruto don't!" Amari warned, but she was too late. He was already charging forward right at Kakashi. _Hotheaded idiot! I was really hoping to save this for later._ Amari quickly brought her hands up into Rat and extended her shadow across the ground, snatching the boy…right as Kakashi did.

 _So fast._ Kakashi was standing between them all, having used the Body Flicker to disappear and reappear without even a sound or a handseal. "Damn it." The Shadow user let her shadow recede back to her in defeat.

"Quick, but not quick enough, Amari," Kakashi chided as he held Naruto's kunai to the back of his neck while his left hand was firmly on the blond's head.

 _If this was real, Naruto would be dead._ She had to become quicker in action and in thought if she had any hope of surviving as a shinobi.

"Don't be in such a hurry, I didn't say start yet." His voice was cool but held such unnerving confidence. "The three of you should start listening to your teammate. Unlike the rest of you, she actually knows what she's talking about."

It sounded like helpful advice, but all it did was breed more resentment from the others. _Probably part of his plan to make it even harder on me. Or_ _he was actually trying to give help but it backfired._ She could feel the glares coming from Sasuke and Sakura without even having to look in their direction. _My job just got a whole lot tougher._

He released Naruto and let him, Sasuke and Sakura to take a few cautionary steps away from him. A smirk made its way to Kakashi's masked face. "But you came at me with the full intention of destroying me so," he chuckled in amusement, "how can I say this? I'm actually starting to like you guys."

"You sure have a weird way of starting to like people," Amari mumbled.

Kakashi turned his smirk to her. "What does that say about you, Amari?"

She frowned. _Set myself up for that one._

Their sensei's features turned serious. "Get ready. And. Start."

The others jumped away from not only Kakashi, but each other to hide alone in the nearby trees. Amari was left to stand by herself, her mouth opened to try to explain the true nature of the test. Seeing that they were already gone killed the words and replaced them with a disappointed sigh. _Aw man, you guys aren't making this easy on me at all._

"Huh, so you already figured it out?" Kakashi asked.

She dipped her head in a depressed nod. _This is such a drag, and I prepared for it to be difficult._

"I had a feeling you would catch on, but it's not enough for you to know the answer to this test, Amari. You have to successfully get your team to work together, otherwise there's no way I'll be able to pass you."

"I know." Amari sighed then turned a weak smile to her sensei. "You never make it easy for me, Kakashi-sensei."

He gave her a closed eyed smile in return. "If I made it easy, you wouldn't grow." He opened his eye and lifted his chin towards the trees. "You should go before the others get suspicious. Oh and good luck. You'll need it."

"Thanks," Amari responded before jumping away into hiding. _I…hope I can prove myself to you._

The young ninja landed on a tree branch out of plain sight and crouched down, resting her hand against the trunk of the tree as she peered through small opening in the canopy of leaves to watch Kakashi. _I've got to get my team to capture these bells. Even on the chance Kakashi-sensei is serious about going back to the Academy, I'd go back just so they could continue. Naruto would be upset and so would Mom, but I know what I'm doing and what must be done to beat Kakashi-sensei and get him to pass one team. That is my goal now and I won't allow him to fail them all._

Kakashi stood in the center of the field with his left hand in his pocket and his right hand rubbing the back of his neck, but even if he looked like he was relaxed or unaware of their positions, Amari knew it was just façade. A shinobi of his legend couldn't be tricked by simple hiding techniques taught to Genin.

He was waiting. For what? Probably for the team to work together, but he'd suffocate waiting for that without any action from the Nara.

 _I need to find the others if I'm going to get this to work._ Amari shut her right eye and brought her right hand into Tiger as she channeled chakra into her left eye. _Byakugan!_ The vision in her left eye changed to inverted black and white upon the activation of her dōjutsu, granting her the sight to see every member of her team on the field of battle.

 _There's Sakura_ , she noted as she unconsciously turned her head in the direction of her teammate. _She's lying flat under that bush about ten meters away from Kakashi-sensei._ Her head shifted left to the form of Sasuke crouching up in a tree, his eyes staring intensely at Kakashi's position. _And there's Sasuke. He's fifteen meters away._ Each in good positions for an ambush of close range and long range combat, if either even realized that was a different question altogether.

Amari's head shifted closer to Kakashi to Naruto, who happened to be standing right in the open. _Troublesome boy. I'd say I can't believe he's going to try, but this is Naruto. He's probably gotten a big head thanks to our fights with Mizuki and Ebisu._

The problem was Mizuki wasn't even close to Kakashi in talent, and Sexy Jutsu had a fifty/fifty chance of ending up a complete failure against their sensei. It wasn't worth the risk, or the blush it'd cause.

 _Only one real option if I'm going to get these guys working together. I've got to join Naruto and speak loud enough about working together to reach them…hopefully._

The plan was a long shot, but it was all she could do right now with her knuckleheaded counterpart already doing something incredibly stupid.

Amari jumped out of the tree down into the open of the grassy field right as Naruto charged Kakashi. "Naruto! Don't be a fool! You can't beat him in hand to hand combat; none of us can! Our only real shot is working together!"

Naruto paused in his charge and had enough sense to hop back a step and reconsider his attack. _Time bought. I'd really like it if the others came out now._ Sasuke and Sakura hadn't moved an inch. _I just have to keep trying._

"Shinobi battle tactics part one: Taijutsu, the physical art," Kakashi said cooly as he reached into his waist pouch.

His movements were enough to spur the Nara into action. _No time for words. Just have to show through actions._ Amari dashed across the field to close the distance between her, Naruto and Kakashi until she was opposite of her teammate with Kakashi between them.

She took a calming breath and took up her fighting stance, sliding her left foot back and to the left and her right up and right until they were shoulder distance apart and ready to spring her into action. Her hands lingered close to her ninja tool box on her right thigh and the pouch on her left hip in preparation of grabbing a tool she knew Kakashi would dodge with ease.

If this was going to be a taijutsu showdown then she was going to have to oblige.

Kakashi suddenly pulled out a familiar orange covered book that made Amari immediately groan and blush simultaneously. _Make-out Paradise? Seriously Kakashi-sensei? You have to have read that a hundred times in the last two years!_

Naruto's features contorted into confusion at the sudden presence of a book. "What the?"

"Well, come on. Make your move," Kakashi coached lazily with his attention fully attached to the page he opened to.

"Don't be distracted Naruto," Amari followed. "Kakashi-sensei is a Jōnin. He doesn't need to watch us to fight us one on one, maybe not even two on one."

 _But what the hell is my plan? I can't just stand here forever_. A quick glance to her surroundings revealed Sasuke and Sakura still unmoving. "Sasuke, Sakura, stop lying around and group up! We can only do this as a team!"

No response. Not even a flinch of movement.

"She's right again," Kakashi said lazily. "Don't let it bother you three too much. With your weak attacks it doesn't really matter if I'm reading or…whatever. Wait…" Her sensei raised his head to the sky in deep thought. "Did I leave the oven on back home?"

Frustrated by Kakashi's nonchalance, Naruto clenched his fist and charged. _Crap, not making my job any easier Kakashi-sensei._ She brought her hands up in clone seal. _Shadow Clone Jutsu!_ Two clones appeared next to her, the sound of which managed to draw the attention of the Copy Ninja from his musings about his oven.

"Come on Amari, I just started reading. No need to make me work so soon right?" he pleaded.

All three Amari's groaned and rolled their eyes. _If I wouldn't feel bad afterwards for destroying your property, I'd burn that book with my Fire Ball Jutsu._

Naruto reached Kakashi and went for a punch, but he blocked it with ease; the boy followed it up by going for a jumping kick that sailed over their sensei's head as he crouched down quickly, once again nose deep in his book. The Shadow user looked to her clone on her left and nodded for her to join the fight, hoping to buy herself more time to think of a better plan.

Her clone dashed in and went for a kick just as Naruto was going for another strike. The silver-haired shinobi made easy work of dodging around the punch of the blond, but was forced to block the kick of her clone—something he made look easy despite how hard her clone tried to strike. He held her foot with apparent ease and closed his book, marking the page with one of his fingers still inside as he created a fist and punched the clone in the stomach hard enough to send her flying into the water before dispelling from the damage.

 _Whoa, that was one hell of a punch. If he hit one of us with an attack of that power we'd probably be knocked out or severely bruised depending on where he hit us._

Clearly he wasn't going to hold back on attacks.

"Don't let your enemy get behind you all the time," Kakashi said as he appeared behind Naruto in a crouch after the boy tried for another strike. Their opponent brought his hands up into Tiger seal. _Fire Style? He wouldn't go that by far, would he?_ Amari shook her head to get the thought out of her mind. _Doesn't matter, I can't let Naruto get hit by whatever he is planning._

The young ninja and her clone charged in quickly, closing the distance fast, but not fast enough. Kakashi glanced over his right shoulder despite his eye being hidden by his headband. "Too late, Amari. Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu!"

 _Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu?_ Both Amari's stopped in confusion and in preparation of a trap being sprung on them before blushing when they saw him poke Naruto in the butt.

"A Thousand Years of Death!"

Naruto was sent flying into the water by the poke due to a sudden burst of chakra sent through Kakashi's fingers.

 _Well…so much for teaming up with Naruto, or Sakura and Sasuke for that matter since they still haven't moved._

Seeing no other way, Amari and her clone charged again. Kakashi gave her the courtesy of shutting his book and putting it away to give them his full focus. It was appreciated…even if deep down she knew it only meant the fight would be harder.

The Nara went low for a sweep quick as her clone went in for a flying punch, but Kakashi was too quick for such a basic attack. He moved behind them both at a speed only her Byakugan was able to track. _Not going to get me with that, Sensei._ The odds were stacked against her, but as long as she had her Byakugan activated he wouldn't be able to get her with simple attacks like those. She'd see right through them.

As she came around in her sweep kick, she planted a hand on the ground and flipped herself forward away from the Jōnin; her clone followed with a jump of her own. On landing the pair took up mirrored fighting stances next to each other. _Come on Naruto. I know that isn't all you have in you. I can only stall so long before I'll have to retreat._

"Stalling Amari?" the Jōnin asked. Amari kept her features flat to hide her surprise. _Does he really know? No he can't possibly know just yet._ Perhaps that was a terrible underestimation on her part, but she needed to keep hopeful to fight the sinking feeling of despair starting to pull her further and further away from believing she could succeed.

Two shurikens suddenly flew out of the water aimed at Kakashi, but he simply caught them on his two fingers without any effort. "He just endangered his teammate."

 _Endang- Oh crap!_ In unison, both Amari's pulled out two kunai knives to block the shurikens aimed at them, sending the sharp weapons harmlessly into the ground.

 _He isn't going to go easy on me in the slightest._ A predatory smile made its way to her face. _Good, that means I'll give him a show of my own._ She had been waiting for the opportunity to take him on in a real spar. Considering her teammates weren't listening to her, the least she could do was have a good spar on the chance they flunked.

The knuckleheaded blond came crawling out soon after and from what her Byakugan could see there were Shadow Clones waiting in the water. She and her clone shared a look of understanding then jolted forward in a haste filled dash, both zigging and zagging to create intersecting lines in an attempt to throw Kakashi off.

The real Amari reached him first and jumped up to go for a spinning roundhouse kick. Kakashi caught her leg. "Normal attacks won't work, Amari. You know that," he chastised.

An evil smirk made its way to her face as her clone came sliding in for a kick with chakra glowing on her foot. Amari didn't miss the sudden eye bulge before Kakashi was forced to let go and push himself back to narrowly escape the kick. _Time bought. Now I just have to wait for Naruto to spring his attack._

From there they could work together and get the bells.

"Can't let my guard down around you one bit. And here I was looking forward to getting a good read and finding out what happens," Kakashi whined.

Amari couldn't hold it in any longer. "You've been reading that book for _two years_! How do you not know what happens?!"

"I don't expect someone as young as you to understand the narrative depth of this book, but each time I open the book I can't help but be pulled along just like it's the first time," Kakashi explained. He looked from the Shadow user to the knucklehead kneeling on the ground. "For someone who plans to _surpass_ the Hokage, you look pretty wobbly."

There was a stomach growl that came from Naruto, signaling the cause of his lack of strength, though not his lack of sense. Amari shook her head and deactivated her Byakugan while she waited. There was no need to put strain on herself if Naruto was going to take his time.

"Amari, as I recall we were having a fight?" Kakashi asked as he walked away from Naruto without a second glance back.

 _Yes…we were._ Though calling it a fight was being gracious considering the gap of power between them. _I can't beat him in taijutsu and my fire jutsu's are too dangerous to use against him. He'll just turn them against me and I'll waste too much chakra without getting any closer to retrieving the bells. Kakashi-sensei won't go all out because he doesn't have to, but I could push him to exert a little effort while I wait for Naruto to act, and hopefully for Sasuke and Sakura to join in…_

Looking around at the current battlefield and the options available to her left her feeling pretty hopeless. Two teammates were outright ignoring her, the other was being an idiot and she couldn't think of a good plan. Grabbing Naruto and running wouldn't do her much good. Sure she could hide with him, explain the purpose of the test and hope he understood, but what good would that do?

His hunger weakened him significantly, and time spent talking was time wasted when they didn't have much time to capture the bells. There was also a chance he'd still not understand the purpose.

 _The only option I have…is to fight._

Amari exhaled a defeated chuckle and put her kunai's away and her clone followed suit. "Yeah but I already know I can't beat you alone. Trying is a waste of energy. The only real way to win is working together…unfortunately no one is listening to me, but that's my own fault and my own problem."

Her scuffle with Sakura at the Academy, Sasuke's normal attitude towards everyone intensified by her growth, these issues were caused by her and not Kakashi's problem to deal with right now. It was her job to make it work, to figure out a way to bring unity to the team…but how?

 _Keeping my clone here will drain my chakra too much, but that means…_

She'd be alone, one on one with Kakashi in an impossible fight she had zero chance of winning. There were so many risks to this admittedly stupid plan to buy time for Naruto to actually launch his attack. But if there was a better option, she couldn't see it.

Her clone dispelled next to her without warning. Kakashi took on a curious look at the action. "If I keep her around I'll continue to drain my chakra, and if I fail in this fight I won't have enough for a fight later."

"I see. So you're going to take me one on one then?" he asked.

 _I don't have much of a choice right now._ She glanced over to Naruto to see him still kneeling on the shore. _He's got clones in the water waiting for his sneak attack, but otherwise he's hungry which is affecting him._

Unconsciously, she flicked her right eye in the direction where she knew Sasuke and Sakura were hiding. _They aren't going to help me now. Sasuke is waiting for a chance to catch Kakashi-sensei off guard so he'll suffocate holding his breath for that. Sakura knows she can't take on Kakashi-sensei one on one and is too prideful to team up with me. She'll stay close to Sasuke in hopes he'll help her or for the chance to help him get the bells._

With a mental sigh of resignation of such a terrible situation to be caught in, Amari gave a small nod. "Yeah."

 _Hurry, Naruto_ , she thought as she prepared to attack. _I don't know how long he'll toy with me for, and if he takes me out he'll have you all in the palms of his hand._

She activated her Byakugan and charged forward at Kakashi. _Time to go full blast!_ Amari reached her sensei and dodged under a hard kick, going for a sweep of her own to take out the leg he had still on the ground. Kakashi hopped over the attack and nearly clocked her with a punch her Byakugan gave her the foresight to dodge her head out of the way of.

Wind whipped past her ear before she continued her assault, feinting a right jab then going for a left uppercut that narrowly missed Kakashi as he dodged to the side to go for his next attack.

Again she was able to see the attack coming thanks to her Byakugan; quickly she threw herself into a back bend to avoid the strike and force it to go right over her. Amari was already moving before his leg finished its initial strike. In a quick succession of movements she put all of her weight onto her hands and used her core to lift her legs up into a partial handstand. She then spun on her hands and pushed herself feet first in a mule kick—an attack that actually caught him off guard.

Kakashi dodged at the last second, leaving Amari to flip out of her strike and land on her feet. The moment her feet touched the grass, she whipped out a kunai and spun her body one-eighty just in time to block the set of shuriken aimed at her. _Heh, actually almost had him with that one._ She holstered her kunai again and watched her sensei carefully as she stood up. _He isn't trying his hardest, but he definitely has stepped up his aggressiveness._

Kakashi watched her with an impressed glint in his solitary eye before suddenly disappearing in a burst of speed. Amari ducked down into a crouch avoid the strike coming from behind her, then spun back up to her full height, braced her legs and held up her left forearm to block the next hard side kick coming to knock her into next month. _He's starting to hold back less and less now. But…_ She quickly snatched his leg with her right hand and gripped it tightly. _I've got you now!_

The young ninja channeled her chakra to her right foot while simultaneously holding onto the Jōnin's leg as tightly as she could. Kakashi, unaware of the chakra in her foot and how good of grip she had, attempted to pull away with ease only to find that he couldn't move his leg. Before he could react, she gave him a stiff kick in the stomach and released his leg at the same time, sending him sliding backwards with the force of her released chakra.

He managed to stay on his feet since Amari didn't channel much into her strike, but if she was lucky he may have a bruise.

"Whoa. She actually hit him," Naruto awed.

She glanced to the boy on the shore. _Why haven't you sprung your attack Naruto? It would have been the perfect time when he was busy with me._ Amari fought back her groan. _Man this is such a drag._

Kakashi casually brushed off his flak jacket where the kick landed then looked at her with a steely but impressed look. "In a real fight you would have channeled more chakra to your foot to break ribs…but you didn't want to actually hurt me so you held back."

He was right of course. She wanted to pass, but the point wasn't to hurt him, it was to outsmart him. A difficult task, bordering on impossible without help.

"Didn't want to hurt you, Sensei. You still have to be able to read that book," Amari wisecracked. "I don't want to be rude Kakashi-sensei, but don't forget that I can predict moves just by slight body gestures."

"Hmm. Can't say I've forgotten, but I definitely underestimated how much you've grown in two years. You may be able to predict movements by slight body gestures, but without your honed reflexes you wouldn't be able to dodge them." He dipped his head in an appreciative nod. "It's easy to see why you're considered the best of your entire class and not just of the kunoichi. Your skills have grown quite nicely." His eye changed back into determination. "But don't lose sight of your mission. This test isn't about who can hit the hardest or dodge more of my attacks. Stay focused."

Amari paused momentarily at his words, the unconscious smirk on her lips falling. She was losing herself to the heat of battle, wasn't she? Getting so lost in her enjoyment of sparring with Kakashi, she had almost completely spaced the real purpose of this test just so she could show him some of her growth.

Taking a deep breath, she gave a nod of understanding but remained at the ready for the next attack. She truly appreciated his words and would've bowed to him to show her gratitude, but that would leave her wide open when they were still very much in a combat scenario. Still, it was nice to know that despite the aloof nature he had been exuding to the others that he was taking this very seriously; both the test itself and his role as a mentor to her.

Suddenly seven Naruto's came popping out of the water. _Right on cue,_ she thought as Kakashi glanced at them. _Now I just have to play my part and get the bells through teamwork._

"So you _were_ buying time," he accused.

The dōjutsu wielder's smirk returned and nodded as she prepared to attack. "Of course. I told you that trying to beat you one on one was pointless. Just had to bide my time for one of my teammates to finally team up with me to get those bells."

 _If I time this right I can catch him in my Shadow Possession Jutsu and hold him long enough for Naruto to pull the bells off of him._

She wasted no time in charging in with the clones as they rushed the silver-haired shinobi from the front while another Naruto was sneaking up behind him. _Heh, so that's what he was doing. Getting a clone to sneak around behind him before springing his attack._ Overall the plan wasn't all that bad, but there was one flaw glaring brighter than the sun above them.

 _Kakashi-sensei isn't stupid; he probably knows that clone is there and is planning on using the jutsu against us. Too many clones will cause confusion if he just sneaks out with a Substitution Jutsu._

Much as she hated to admit it, her friend was dense enough to fall for a lame trick like that. That's why she had to act fast; Amari wasn't about to let this first real moment to capture the bells pass when all it would take was one jutsu to end this battle. She channeled chakra to her legs and dashed forward at a higher rate of speed; a purple blur zooming past the Naruto clones and the real Naruto in what was essentially a double fake. Not only were the rushing clones a distraction tactic from the one sneaking up behind them, she was also creating the appearance of engaging once again in close range combat.

 _I just need one second to catch him and that will be all three bells taken._ The other Naruto caught Kakashi from behind just as she got in perfect range. Immediately she hit her brakes, causing her to skid across the grass closer to her sensei, thus making it even easier to hold him. As she slid she brought her hands up in Rat and sent her shadow shooting forward right at the Copy Ninja.

Kakashi, who had been momentarily distracted by the grab from behind, only had enough time to see it within mere inches of catching him. His eye bulged in shock at the sight of the tendril, but right as he was about to use the Substitution Jutsu, the shadow snatched him and paralyzed him in place. _Yes! Shadow Possession success!_

"Got you! Naruto, I have him with my Shadow Possession Jutsu! Get the bells while I have him immobilized!" she ordered. The clone peered around their sensei's head in confusion to both his sudden stiffness and her request. That alone was enough to send Amari into a panic. She couldn't hold this jutsu on someone of Kakashi's level for long. They had seconds, maybe even less considering her previous use.

That strength revealed itself barely even a second later. Strain consumed her as Kakashi's limbs were beginning to shift and move on their own. "What are you doing?! Grab the bells _now_! I can't hold him much longer!"

"Funny, if you would have actually listened your teammate you would've passed, Naruto. You're far too late now," Kakashi admonished.

Amari could feel her knees shaking under her as she put her entire will into keeping her shadow from slithering back to her. _I can't…hold it…any longer!_ Just as Naruto reached for the bells, her shadow failed and slunk back to her. Kakashi did not waste the opportunity given to him; he disappeared from the blonds grip without any trouble and dashed right at her with speed she could barely track with her Byakugan.

 _Too- too fast!_ The strain from his breakage of the Shadow Possession Jutsu had drained her energy significantly, which left her unable to do anything except let her legs cave under her and bring her arms up to try to block the attack.

A solid kick landed right in her left arm with enough force to send her flying across the field towards a group of trees. The young ninja hit the ground and skipped across the grass several times before landing on her side and sliding into the trunk of a tree.

 _That…that hurts._ Amari shut her eye and deactivated her Byakugan as she tried to move the heavy, limp limb resting on her side. "Argh," she grunted weakly at the shooting wave of agony rushing across the entire limb from trying to move it. _Can't move it without it hurting. How troublesome._ She started to push herself up on shaky limbs. _He wasn't holding back much on that kick. I don't know if that was a lesson meant to knock me down a few pegs or if it was just a lesson for Naruto that not listening to your teammate could cause them pain._ Amari groaned in pain. _I know it worked on me. Let's hope it worked for Naruto, too._

One of the disadvantages to her Shadow Possession Jutsu, other than the obvious drain of chakra, was that she became an easy target once she captured someone. If Kakashi had a partner or used a Shadow Clone before she grabbed him, she would have been stuck in the open and likely unaware until the last moment, which was far too late.

 _My other problem was that because Kakashi-sensei is stronger than me he can resist my shadow's forced imitation, which puts strain on me to maintain it. I…I thought I was using my jutsu wisely, and maybe I did, but now the next time I try it the strength of it will be even weaker, and that's not including the toll it took on my chakra._

Foolishly Amari tried to put pressure on her left arm to push her onto her feet, but the limb had about the same strength as a cooked noodle at this point. The limb buckled under the pressure and left her to collapse to the ground again. Her blue hair sprawled out around her on the landing; obscuring most of her view in a sea of blue, save for a small crack between strands of hair where she could see Kakashi standing before Naruto as the boy was hanging upside down by a rope from a tree.

 _Damn it, I can't give up yet. One arm or not I have to get those bells for the others._

Amari grabbed at her right leg with her right hand and pulled out a kunai. _Come on, on your feet_ , she coached. She slammed the kunai into the tree next to her and used it as leverage and a brace to pull herself up. As she got on both feet she saw a swarm of kunai and shuriken blast Kakashi, puncturing him from his head to his legs.

 _What the hell?!_ A log appeared a second later. _Ah, Substitution Jutsu._ Clearly Kakashi never let his guard down, ever. _I need to find him. Byakugan!_ Amari turned her gaze to the trees across from her and searched through the canopy of leaves until she found Kakashi blending in near Sasuke.

The Uchiha boy wisely began running away with Sakura following not long after, leaving both Naruto hanging in the tree and Amari down to one arm without even a second glance. _Figures. Two teammates right in front of her in need of assistance and she leaves to go find Sasuke._ Amari groaned in pain and irritation at such a ridiculous decision. That wasn't the decision of a shinobi; it was the decision of a fan girl still ignorant to the reality of shinobi life.

 _I hope we can train that out of her. She may not like me, but even I can see that she has the intelligence to do some good._ That was a problem for later, however. Right now she needed to get Naruto out of the tree and get her team to work together.

"Naruto, think fast!" She threw the kunai across the field and cut the rope, severing enough threads for the weight of her teammate to break the rope. Naruto spun out of his fall and landed on his feet. He aimed a grin at her, but his moment of pause made her eye bulge. "Move Naruto!"

Another rope suddenly tugged Naruto up by his other foot. Amari buried her face in her right hand and groaned. _This is going to be a long day._

"Don't worry about me, Amari! Go for a bell, I'll catch up!" Naruto yelled to her as he pulled out his own kunai.

 _I…suppose if he's going to cut himself free that I can at least get a head start._ She nodded and began ninja jumping after Kakashi's chakra, which was departing away from Sakura. _There is something different about Sakura's chakra._ The blue-haired ninja furrowed her brow, _it's distorted._ She landed on a tree branch only to see Sakura scream her head off then faint.

"Genjutsu," she noted. _Knowing Kakashi he probably used_ _Demonic Illusion: Death Mirage Jutsu. A genjutsu that reveals the fears that dwell deep inside your heart. Done to me it would probably show me the deaths of all those I care about…or Ryu dying._

She sighed softly. _I feel slightly bad for her. Showing you your worst fear is pretty brutal. I'm lucky enough to have two separate_ _dōjutsu's that can see through genjutsu where Sakura got hit with this with no real chance of breaking it. Sure she had time to break free, but she isn't accustomed to this kind of in the field action and fell straight into the genjutsu._

Amari hopped down to her and tried to shake her teammate awake. "Hey, Sakura. Come on, wake up."

Nothing stirred her. Not even a slap to the face. _She's out cold, and it's not even the genjutsu that's causing it. Whatever she saw was bad enough to knock her out cold._

Things were not going well for Team Seven and time was moving against them all.

 _Now it's just me with my one good arm and Sasuke who I'll have trouble trying to get to work with me._ Amari jumped back up into the trees to chase after Kakashi. _You better be coming soon, Naruto._

She found Sasuke and Kakashi in a different clearing, though still large enough for a battle of their size where the only hiding places would be the trees that surrounded them. The Nara landed on a branch overlooking them both and said, "I think you overdid it with Sakura, Kakashi-sensei. I tried waking her up but she's out cold."

Kakashi, who was nose deep in his book again, gave a slight shrug. _But she should have been able to break it, or should have never left her comrades behind. Hard to tell which one he means._

She couldn't waste time worrying about it. They only had a little more time before noon came and their pass or fail test was over. She jumped down next to Sasuke and glanced over to him. "Just us two for now."

Sasuke snorted at her. "Stay out of my way. I don't need your help."

Amari huffed in response. "You really think you can take him on by yourself? Who the hell do you think you are?" He shot a glare her way. "We're supposed to be the best rookies this year and you saw just how much that meant when I was on my own. The only way we can pass this test is by working together, that's the whole point. You need my help whether your _ego_ will let you admit it or not just as I need your help to get those bells for you and the others."

The boy growled at her then charged forward without hesitation to take on Kakashi by himself. _Stubborn fool!_ She forced her left arm to cooperate and created the clone seal. _Shadow Clone Jutsu._ Two clones popped up next to her then charged in after the boy to hopefully use enough one-sided teamwork to win. By the time her clones caught up, Kakashi already had one of Sasuke's legs gripped and one of his arms as well as the Uchiha boy went for another kick by turning himself upside down in the silver-haired ninja's grip.

Kakashi suddenly slid backwards and released the boy, but his slide also sent him right into Amari's clones. One of her clones went for a low kick, forcing Kakashi to jump right into the hard kick of the second clone and diverting his attention away from the first clone, who was already moving to jump off the ground to attack him.

As he attempted to block the first kick, Amari herself charged forward in hopes to overwhelm the Jōnin and get Sasuke back in the fight since he was just watching her clones fight. "What are you waiting for? Come on! We can take him if we work together!" she shouted. She almost reached Kakashi but was forced to dodge one clone he kicked right at her and then catch the second he tossed into her with enough force to make her slide backwards.

"Good technique, if you were a little quicker and if Sasuke actually tried to help the attack could have been successful," he offered.

Amari nodded slightly as she let her clone back on her own two feet. _The problem is my broody counterpart apparently doesn't understand the fundamentals of teamwork._

"Well Sasuke, you are definitely different than the other three, I'll grant you that much. Though just like Naruto and Sakura, you could learn a thing or two by listening to Amari," Kakashi said lazily.

Sasuke growled at Kakashi then lifted his hands up to start going through handseals Amari knew all too well. _He's planning to use Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu when I'm in the blast zone?!_ Amari's eye bulged as his hands set firmly in Tiger and he inhaled a large breath. Thinking quickly, the Nara dispelled her clones and jumped backwards up onto a tree branch just as the stream of orange flames scorched the area where she and her sensei had been.

After taking a deep breath to relax, she aimed a searing glare down at the boy who had nearly scorched her. _He didn't even lift a finger to help me when I was trying to help him and then he uses that jutsu while I'm in range! What a jerk!_ "Are you crazy?! You could have just killed me!" Amari yelled in anger.

The flames disappeared without Sasuke even sparing her a glance, but Kakashi was nowhere to be found, not without a dōjutsu anyways. Amari wasn't too keen on telling the boy where he was, definitely after he continually ignored her and would've let her be collateral damage without second thought. _But I should even if he deserves what Kakashi-sensei is going for._

Amari released a reluctant sigh before speaking. "You better jump. He's right under you."

Two seconds of being ignored again passed before a hand shot up out of the ground. "Yet another teammate who refuses to listen," Kakashi rebuked. Their sensei proceeded to drag the Uchiha boy down into the ground all the way up to his neck before leaving him there.

Amari deadpanned at the sight. _And I'm half a part of the clan he's from. You would think he would understand that Kakashi-sensei is going to attack from where you least expect him to._

"Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu," Kakashi informed the boy of the jutsu name. Sasuke did his best to struggle to get out, but no matter how hard he struggled, nothing changed.

 _He'll be there for a while. With this jutsu you first conceal yourself underground and then when you get under their feet you just drag them down into the very earth we walk on. You can't move once you're underground and if this was a real fight sensei could just kill his target right then and there._

"Can't move, huh? That's ninjutsu, the third shinobi battle skill. I admit, you do have talent, and you certainly are… _different_ than the others, but different isn't always better." Kakashi stood up and turned his gaze to Amari. "Amari, it seems you are the only one left. Would you like to try one last time to take the bells from me on your own?"

There was little chance that Amari could do it, but she couldn't just give up after coming all this way. If she could get the three bells she could give them to the others and maybe that meant they'd all pass. She nodded. _I just know I'm going to regret trying this one way or another._

"Okay, come on down then."

She jumped down and grunted through the pain as she brought her left arm up again into the clone seal; a clone popped up next to her again and they took up their fighting stance.

 _I need to outplay him, but how?_ That was the question of the day, wasn't it? How to outsmart one of the most intelligent and toughest shinobi in their entire village. The answer, as far as she could tell, was there was no way. Not for her anyways.

 _He's infuriatingly perceptive and I'm down to one arm with no sign of Naruto showing up and my other teammates taken down._ Yep, this was looking like a mission failure. But she'd still give it a shot, even if it was recklessly stupid.

"You have heart Amari, I can't deny that. Even with one working arm and all your teammates out of commission you're still willing to fight to get the bells for _them_ and not _yourself_."

"As long as I have breath in my body I'll fight for my team," Amari said.

Kakashi nodded. "I know. That's why I'm giving you this last chance. I'm not going to go easy on you despite your current state. You understand that, right?" She dipped her head in a nod. "Okay. Then come at me when you're ready."

Without another word spared between them Amari jolted forward to push offense to buy her time to think of a new tactic to get the bells. Just attacking wouldn't be enough, not on her own or even with a clone. She also didn't have the chakra to keep creating clones indefinitely should he take her clones out repeatedly. _Had I just been able to convince them to work together I wouldn't be here, but I failed to do that. I have no one to blame but myself for this troublesome situation._

She attempted to go for a right punch only for Kakashi to dodge with more ease than their first fight. Not at all deterred, she braced her weight on her left leg then jumped up into a backflip, corkscrewing herself through the air to land a kick he blocked then pushed away. Amari's clone tried to attack from behind, but only hit air as Kakashi disappeared from immediate normal sight. _He knows he can't hide from my Byakugan which means he's going to strike from…_ Her clone landed on both feet. _Right there!_

The clone back flipped over Kakashi as he appeared behind the clone going for a straight kick.

 _Good, she has her Byakugan activated too. At least I don't have to worry about her failing to see an attack coming. But what now?_ Amari bit her bottom lip hard in thought. _I won't use a fire jutsu, it'll just waste my chakra and he'll use something like Headhunter Jutsu against me. My clone and I can keep this fight up for a few more minutes, but doing so is just wasting my chakra in a futile attempt to defeat someone who is higher skilled in taijutsu than I am. I'm not fast enough normally and my Shadow Possession won't do me any good here because he'll just break out of it easier than before…unless…_

A smile broke onto her face at the new plan forming in her mind. _Unless I use what I studied in that book to overwhelm him and use the one jutsu he probably doesn't think I can do._

It was a risky plan, but considering the lack of any good plans currently coming to mind, she didn't see any reason not to use it. _I don't have enough chakra to use either long, and I'll have even less when I finish my initial attack. I've got nothing but this to go on though. If I hadn't wasted my opportunity when all my teammates were able to fight I wouldn't be in this troublesome situation._

With her decision made, she disappeared from the ground with a huge burst of speed then appeared in the air next to him with her leg swinging right for him, earning a look of pure surprise from Kakashi. _Now it's my turn to push you._

* * *

 _So that's what she was reading before I arrived_ , Kakashi realized right as he blocked her leg. _The Body Flicker Technique, a supplementary ninja technique that, if mastered, can turn the tides of a battle._

Kakashi went to grab her but only found air in place of the young kunoichi. "Such speed," he muttered.

 _The technique uses chakra to temporarily vitalize the body to allow a ninja to move short or long distances at almost untraceable speeds, appearing to others like they are teleporting._

Kakashi bit back a sigh. _I'm not going to have an easy time with her. She's already planning something, but what is it? She knows in a one on one fight she can't win, but she smiled like she knew exactly how to beat me. Amari looked confident, and with this new technique she appears to be a bit overconfident._

 _That isn't Amari._

 _What am I missing?_

* * *

"Over here, Sensei," Amari taunted as she appeared in the air on his other side with her fist cocked back for a punch. Before her punch connected, Kakashi's foot came flying right at her gut in an effort to kick her away and end her final burst of momentum before it gained any traction.

 _I'm not letting you stop me now!_ Amari let her chakra flow through her again and blurred out of sight via the Body Flicker Technique before the kick had a chance to touch her. "Missed again, Kakashi-sensei. You getting old suddenly?"

She heard an acknowledging grunt as she appeared and disappeared out of sight at random intervals all around Kakashi. Somehow he was tracking her, turning his head and body to face her mere milliseconds after she would appear out of her dash; each time though she would disappear again before he could act, leaving him to try to prepare for where she would appear next.

 _Good, I just have to keep making him think I'm going for a frontal assault. So long as he thinks I've gained overconfidence because of my new technique he'll be blind to my real goal._

Amari appeared on the ground in front of Kakashi, bracing herself on one hand and one foot as the other was moving at high speed to hit his chest. He snapped his surprised eye to her at the sudden appearance, but shocked as he might have been, his shinobi instincts did not let his guard fall in the slightest.

His hand launched through the air with lightning reflexes and snatched her foot before it could land; clenching her foot tightly, Kakashi's eye locked onto hers with determination to finally put an end to her offense. _Not done yet!_

Kakashi's hand retracted from her foot just as he snapped his head up and to his left to see her clone appear out of a Body Flicker to attack at his blindside. Another grunt, this one sounding highly annoyed towards himself possibly for forgetting the clone was there or for forgetting it could match her in every skill she could perform.

He brushed the punch off to the side then kicked the clone in the back to knock her face flat into the grass. Distraction over, he turned to face the young Genin again but only saw a purple blur in her place.

 _This is starting to take a toll on my chakra_. Kakashi couldn't see it, but her breathing was beginning to become heavier with each second that passed. _I've got to finish this soon._

"Up here!" Amari yelled. Kakashi blocked her attack with his forearms. _Time to pull my trump card._ She spun herself in air and kicked again, but even with her new burst of speed she was still too slow to catch the Jōnin off guard with her kicks.

Dropping to the ground, Amari fell into a one handed back handspring to narrowly dodge out of the way of Kakashi's strike. As her feet touched land again, she Body Flickered away from a blow that would have sent her sailing. "Here! Thousand Years of Death!" Amari yelled as she appeared behind Kakashi.

For a moment she believed her bluff worked, but when Kakashi blocked her incoming kick with his own she knew she hadn't tricked him. The meeting of their blows sent her flying back into the dirt from the overpowering strength of her sensei's blow. Amari rolled out of her tumble back onto her feet and immediately charged back in with the Body Flicker, reappearing in front of her sensei to unleash a flurry of punches and kicks he dodged and blocked.

 _I have to get those bells. I won't let him fail my team!_

Kakashi dodged out of the way of a punch and then hopped back and away from her as she jumped up, spun and tried to kick him—the response she was hoping for. _I've got you now!_ Just as she landed she locked eyes with her clone to signal her attack. Her clone's shadow shot across the grass and captured Kakashi as his feet landed on the grass, paralyzing him in place and making his eye bulge in shock when he realized it wasn't the real Amari that caught him.

"Shadow Clone Shadow Possession success," Amari said as she reached for the bells. Excitement filled her as the cool metal of the bells brushed against her hand. _I've got them!_

Darkness crept into her vision an instant later; following the darkness was the sudden dispelling of her Shadow Clone and the deactivation of her Byakugan. Every inch of her body felt weakened and the sound of her heartbeat beating rapidly in her ears as well as the world beginning to spin around her was the final warning to the inevitable.

 _Ah…crap._

Without much preamble she fell onto her side hard.

"Amari!"

Everything went black.

* * *

Kakashi turned Amari over in worry but exhaled in relief when he found her pulse still beating on despite her state of unconsciousness. _She pushed herself too far by using that jutsu._ He looked down at the three bells scattered on the ground. _Yet she managed to pull them off. Had she not expended so much chakra between her clones, using the Body Flicker Technique and then grabbing Naruto and I with the Shadow Possession Jutsu, she might have had them all._

The Sharingan warrior thought back to the incredible speed she had shown between the Body Flicker Technique and how absolutely fierce she was throughout the entire battle. _Amazing how far she's come in two years._ He still remembered how frail she looked when they first met, almost as if a steady breeze might knock her over.

But it wasn't just the physical changes that impressed him. He could hardly believe the sobbing girl in that forest was the same person as the fierce warrior he just sparred with. She'd brush it off and say it was thanks to others she was different, but Kakashi would never fully believe that. The dedication and will required to change from who she was then to the girl she was presently was her own.

 _Her ability to read a simple text on the Body Flicker Technique this morning and then use it so proficiently is a talent worth noting._

He paused momentarily as a new thought crossed his mind. _Amari has an affinity towards Fire and she can already use a Yin Release technique through her Shadow Possession Jutsu. If I force her to actually take the time to start reading more about genjutsu it will help her further down the line when she unlocks her Sharingan's full power. Fire jutsu's will come naturally for her, but giving her some reading material on Wind Style jutsu's will also be good for her._

She wouldn't be able to pull of the same stunt she did today with any of those techniques, but the point was simply to get her started in the right direction. After all, there was a reason Kakashi requested Amari to be placed on his squad before he found out about what team he was getting.

 _When she does take on that kid she needs to be ready._ Wherever Kasai was in the world, he was certainly training just as hard as Amari was. Their fates were entwined because of that day, and he wanted to make sure when their paths did cross again that she would be the one to walk away this time.

 _Amari has the intelligence and the natural ability as a shinobi, but she needs to become even better than she is before she encounters him again._ He looked from the bells back to the unconscious girl. _For now I still have a test to finish._

Kakashi stuffed the bells in his pocket then lifted her off the ground bridal style and used the Body Flicker Technique to arrive at the three posts.

 _Amari tried her best to get her team to work together, but in the end they were all too focused on working alone to achieve their goals instead of listening to her. Had this been only about the bells then she would've passed._ He set her down with her back resting against a stump. _It's up to your team now if you guys pass or fail. If they can stop thinking like kids and put the team before themselves as you have, you will become a ninja. Then your real training begins._

He patted her head softly. _You did good kid, but you still have a lot more room to grow._

Minutes Later

Awareness came back slowly to Amari, and with it her senses reawakened at slow intervals. Sound was the first of the senses, that of voices sounding as if she was underwater trying to eavesdrop on a conversation, yet still familiar. Her vision was next, blurry but clear enough for her to make out her purple tank top and black shorts. When she attempted to swallow and take a deep breath she immediately started coughing due to the saliva going down the wrong pipe.

 _Ow._

"-mari!" a voice called out in panic.

 _Who was that? The voice was loud and brash…_ Amari tried to chuckle but didn't have any energy to. "Naruto." Hardly anyone else could match him in sheer volume, and the fog burdening her senses was slowly clearing enough for her to start recognizing more. She squinted her eye as she lifted her head to check the area around her. The knucklehead was tied to a post on her left with Sakura sitting down next to him and Sasuke actually sitting next to Naruto and within a foot of Amari herself.

"Quiet Naruto," a stronger voice ordered. She turned to stare straight ahead of her to see Kakashi standing a meter or two away from the team. Relief showed in his eye that she was awake and coherent enough to notice Naruto's voice. "You okay Amari?"

Physically she felt…fine was the best way to put it. Her arm was still heavy and she felt extremely tired. Topping all of that was the headache rumbling behind her left eye from the extended use of her Byakugan, but otherwise she was fine.

Judging on the frowns around her, though, they had all failed the test. Amari sighed. "Tired…So, I take it we failed?"

Kakashi nodded shortly.

 _Can't say I blame him. We completely failed to work as a team and I knocked myself unconscious by using too much of my chakra. I would have died in a real fight because I would have been completely helpless to my enemy._

With a tired nod, she rested her head against the stump behind her. "Makes sense," she mumbled.

"What do you mean 'makes sense!' He's dropping us from the program!" Naruto yelled to her. That in of itself was a bad thing, yet Amari couldn't stop one corner of her lips from pulling up into a smirk she aimed at her sensei. Kakashi carried himself with a dead serious aura, but for all his seriousness it was clear in his eye that he knew she was onto him.

 _One final chance for us all, huh?_

"Stop smiling! He can't just do that when he said we'd go back to the Academy! Argh! You can't just change your mind and kick us out! Why would you do that?!"

His screaming didn't help her headache in the slightest and acting as he was wasn't going to help any. They were in Kakashi's world now, he made the rules and they had to follow along enough to what he was saying and what he wasn't to win.

"Naruto. Calm down," she attempted to sooth in a tired voice.

"Because you three haven't even begun to think like ninjas. You three think like little kids, like _brats_ ," Kakashi scolded.

That exempted Amari judging by intense way Kakashi was staring at the three. _I'm only exempt because I tried. Still, I wish he would count me among them. I failed my goal just as they did._

A faint growl rumbled from Sasuke before he bolted off the ground directly at Kakashi. If she had the chakra and desire she would've tried to stop him from being a complete fool by capturing him with her Shadow Possession Jutsu. She had neither, and deep down she believed he was in dire need of a lesson in humility.

 _Fool still hasn't learned that his pride will be the end of him._

Kakashi took him down so quickly that Amari didn't even get to see it because she blinked. When her eye reopened Sasuke was face first in the dirt with Kakashi sitting on his back with the boy's arm bent behind his back and his foot placed on the boy's head.

 _At least he didn't place his foot on my head when he pinned me down. Talk about showing him how inferior he is, sheesh._

"You think it's all about _you_ ," the Copy Ninja said coldly.

His ice cold voice was one Amari had never heard before; serious enough to make her wonder why she ever thought threatening him for touching Ryu was a good idea.

"Let go of Sasuke! You can't step on him like he's some bug!" Sakura screamed in anger.

 _Yet if it was me or Naruto you wouldn't care_. Amari stared at Sasuke and Kakashi with her one eye lazily half open, unmoving and uncaring of her could be teammate's new friendship with the dirt. It was his own bad attitude that got him there; maybe now he'd stop acting like a jerk. _And clouds will one day be a puffy pillow I can lounge on._

What a wonderful turn of events that would be.

"You three don't understand what it means to be a ninja. All three of you think of this like some kind of game where you're the only player." Her three teammates gasped or stared in shock at the huge shift of tone that was mixed with anger and utter disbelief. "Did any of you even consider for a moment why we put you on squad?" His eye shot directly at Amari and made its way through her eye into her very tired soul. "You're forbidden from telling them, Amari. Out of this entire team, you're the only one here that actually took the time to think about this exam, and had your team actually _listened_ to you, all of you would have passed."

Everything about Kakashi's voice and his aggravated body language told Amari to obediently nod her head and keep her mouth shut. This was not the time to be stubborn.

"I…I don't understand what you mean," Sakura responded in shaky confusion.

Amari shook her head in disbelief. _It's so damn simple. He even gave you a hint by telling me not to talk. Think about what I was doing and saying!_

"What I mean is the three of you never realized what this entire exercise was about despite Amari saying it blatantly several times. Figuring that out was what determined if you passed or failed."

"What it's about?" Naruto questioned.

"But that's…"

 _What Kakashi hinted at when we started_ , Amari finished Sakura's sentence in her own thoughts. _"It's a little game I like to play." Remember that guys?_

"I mean I wanted to ask you about that from the beginning," Sakura finished.

Their sensei hissed out a breath. "Tch. Use your head. Why do you think we would put four people on a squad?"

"Ahh! How are we supposed to know why you picked four people! We didn't make the rules!" Naruto shouted.

Amari released an exasperated sigh. She couldn't take it anymore. "Seriously guys?! It's so damn simple! Teamwork, the whole point was teamwork!"

"Wait…are you serious? Just us working together?" Sakura questioned.

"Exactly. 'You can't beat him in hand to hand combat; none of us can. Our only real shot is working together.' Ring any bells?" Kakashi scolded. "It's too late now, but if all four of you had come at me then you would have had a chance to take them. Amari tried to get her point across through her words and actions, yet none of you listened. Well, anyway it's over."

A few seconds passed before Sakura finally came to the conclusion Amari had figured out right at the beginning. "You set it up with four people but there were only three bells. If we worked together and got the bells then only three of us could keep them. That would lead to group conflict and the squad would break up."

Amari actually managed a chuckle. _True, but you're still missing the point._

"Exactly," Kakashi said slowly. "Yet Amari was willing to give it all up. Sasuke you heard her yourself. 'You need my help whether your _ego_ will let you admit it or not just as I need your help to get those bells for you and the others' does that sound familiar?" Sasuke could only grunt in annoyance and pain, earning him a searing glare from Kakashi. "Yet you discarded her." Their sensei locked his eye on the two across from him. "I purposely pitted you against each other. I wanted to see if you could overcome that and put the _squad_ ahead of _yourselves._ A Genin should have a natural feel for _teamwork_ , but you three." His eye turned to a slit. "It never even crossed your mind. Sakura!"

Sakura gasped in shock at the sudden raised voice. "Naruto and Amari were right in front of you and yet all you did was _obsess_ about Sasuke, who was already gone. Amari was injured and couldn't use her left arm. Naruto was upside down in a tree and Amari had to cut him down herself. But you were too busy, weren't you?"

Kakashi left her to stew on that as his eye flicked over to Naruto. "Naruto! You are so focused on doing everything on your own. _Everything_. Instead of working as a team you wanted to beat me on your own to prove you weren't a loser, which led to you hesitating and questioning Amari's order when she caught me with her Shadow Possession Jutsu and _specifically_ told you to grab the bells. All it takes is a split-second decision to change a battle, and your lack of decision allowed me to hurt your teammate. Had I been an enemy, I would have killed her in that moment. Her death would be on _your_ head."

Then her sensei's eye snapped to her without softening. "Amari. I grant you that you tried your best to get your team to work together, but _trying_ doesn't cut it in the ninja world. You can't go around using jutsu's that leave you vulnerable when you have no one watching your back. Your decision to use your Shadow Clone Shadow Possession when you were already low on chakra was a foolish move born of desperation when there would've been no shame in forfeiting. Even though you managed to get every single bell on your own, you still failed."

She nodded in understanding, taking his honest criticism without flinching, but then stopped when she realized he said she had managed to get every bell. _Wait, what?_

The shocked feeling she had must have shown on her face as well as the others based on what Kakashi said next. "Yes, she out of all of you managed to get every bell before collapsing with just one arm, speed and her Shadow Clone Shadow Possession Jutsu. Had she not collapsed she would have given them all to you. And you Sasuke."

His tone was thick with admonishment as he turned his attention to Sasuke. "You thought the others were _sooo_ far beneath you that they were worthless. _Arrogance_ ," Kakashi seethed. "At any point you could have joined Amari in fighting me in the first fight, and in the second she was willing to fight beside you to get those bells. But you just stood and watched her, unwilling to lift a finger because you couldn't let go of your pride long enough to actually accept help. Then you used your Fire Ball Jutsu while she was in range of your attack. You could have severely hurt her or killed her if she hadn't moved. _Despicable_.

"Ninja missions are carried out in squads. Of course individual skills are important, but teamwork is the most essential element to the success of a mission and the survival of the team. When individuals put themselves above the squad this can lead failure and death."

He reached into his ninja tool pouch. "For example." The Copy Ninja pulled out a kunai and placed it against Sasuke's throat. "Sakura! Kill Naruto now or Sasuke dies." Her two teammates gasped and froze in shock at the mock ultimatum given to them. "That's what happens on a mission. The enemy takes a hostage and you've got an impossible choice…and someone ends up dead. On every mission your life is on the line."

Kakashi got off Sasuke and walked towards the nearby memorial stone. "Have any of you taken a look at this stone, the names engraved on it?" he asked, his voice softening from agitated scolding to sobered somberness.

Amari actually had once with the Hokage. He had used it during a lesson to her about what it meant to be a shinobi, discussing both war itself and the sacrifices of those who fought in them. Each name engraved into the stone was one of the people who had fought and died to protect their village.

That was when she had first learned about the Will of Fire and what it really meant but it was Naruto who awakened it in her.

"They are all ninja who are honored in our village as heroes," Kakashi explained at the silent response.

"Heroes? Awesome! What kind of heroes are they?" Naruto asked excited.

Amari let out a sad sigh as she brought her shaky knees up to her chest and hugged them. _He doesn't realize what it is really for._

"They are a special kind of hero," Kakashi said slowly.

"Special huh? Then that's what I'm going to be too! I'm going to get my name placed on that stone and then everyone will know my name!" Naruto continued as Sasuke sat down on her left.

"Naruto…They're all K.I.A." Amari tried to explain gently.

"Ah, that sounds super cool! What does it mean?"

Sakura's features twisted into sadness as she looked to their tied up teammate. "It means killed in action. They all died."

Those words killed his hyperactiveness and turned it into sadness. Even Sasuke let out a sad sigh next to her. _What I find sad about life is that it's only after you lose someone that you understand how precious and fragile this life really is._

"This stone is a memorial for all those who sacrificed their lives for the village…The names of my closest friends are engraved here," Kakashi said at length.

Amari hugged her knees closer to herself at the soft, near on vulnerable voice of their sensei. Losing one friend was hard, but _all_ of her closest friends…the thought made her dig her nails into her legs to fend off her emotions.

They each sat in the silence left behind by that statement, each falling deep into their own thoughts as their sensei stood staring at the stone. Eventually the silence was broken by Kakashi's voice. "All right." _The ultimatum._ "I'm going to give you one more chance, but I'm going to make it much harder on you. You'll have three hours to get a bell. Eat lunch now to build up strength, but Naruto doesn't get any." Naruto growled. "It's your punishment for breaking the rules and trying to eat by yourself."

 _So that's what he was doing…trying to outsmart Kakashi-sensei no doubt._ Their sensei walked towards them and leaned down closer so his eye was level with them. "And if anyone tries to feed him that person will immediately fail." His look turned cold and his eye began to bore through them. "I make the rules. You follow them. Got it?"

The four nodded and Kakashi left soon after delivering their lunches to them. Amari received hers with a warning that she was not to give her food to anyone so she could regain some of her strength. That was the only hint she needed to figure out the goal of this new exercise.

 _We won't even get another chance at the bells. This is all up to Sakura and Sasuke choosing to feed Naruto. They have to disobey Kakashi-sensei to help a comrade just as I disobeyed the warning bells and Iruka-sensei and fought Mizuki._

She couldn't explain it to them though, that would defeat the purpose and understanding of what Kakashi really wanted. If they couldn't make the decision on their own as Amari could then they still didn't understand what their sensei had said.

As they all ate their food Naruto's stomach growled audibly. It took a lot of willpower not to giggle at her friend's expense because of how loud it was. "This is no big deal! I can go without eating for days! For weeks!" His stomach growled again, causing him to lower his head in defeat. "No problem."

Sasuke without prompting offered his food to Naruto, bringing a smile onto Amari's face. "Here." It was reluctant, even a bit irritated, but it was still a sign of teamwork.

Both Sakura and Naruto gasped in shock but Amari kept eating her food. "What? No! Sasuke, you can't do that. You heard what Kakashi-sensei said," Sakura pleaded.

"Can't do what you're told forever, Sakura," Amari commented between bites. "Sometimes you have to follow your heart rather than the rules laid out for you."

"Besides, Kakashi's gone," Sasuke said. "We need to get those bells as a team."

Amari's heart fluttered. _Well, well, you just said the magic word, Sasuke. I'm so proud of you._

"If Naruto is hungry he'll be weak and ineffective, that hurts the team and jeopardizes the mission. Amari was the strongest of us all, but the chakra she expended will mean she can't push Kakashi like before."

 _Did I wake up in a parallel universe or am I in a genjutsu casted by Kakashi-sensei_ , Amari thought as she stared at Sasuke in awe. He had actually complimented her by calling her strongest of them all and essentially called her helpful.

Sakura looked down at her food then lifted it up with both hands towards Naruto. The boy looked down at her and she gave him a closed eyed smile. "Okay, thanks," Naruto said.

"Don't thank me, just hurry up and eat it before Sensei gets back," Sakura ordered.

 _You three are finally getting it….or parallel universe and/or genjutsu._

"But isn't that your food?"

"I- I- I'm on a diet. I mean…Just take it Naruto!"

"He can't move his arms. Looks like you'll be feeding him," Amari pointed out.

"Hurry up. He could come back any minute," Sasuke said as he looked around.

The tired ninja nodded in agreement then continued eating her food. "Argh! Fine! I'll do it this one time and then never again, is that clear?!" Sakura pretty much shouted.

Naruto chuckled. "Clear as a bell, Sakura."

Sakura picked a large piece of rice in her chopsticks then gave it to Naruto who ate it with a big bite. She fed a few bites but then they were all shaken by an explosion of smoke suddenly appearing in front of them. The wind picked up too, almost as if a giant storm was blowing in without any clouds to serve as a preamble.

Amari couldn't help but shake her head when Kakashi came flying out of the smoke cloud. _Seriously Sensei? Isn't this a bit much?_

"You!" Kakashi yelled as he dashed forward.

 _Such a drama king._

She continued to eat her food as best as she could while her hair was being blown around in every direction. It wasn't easy to eat without getting a mouthful of hair, that was for sure.

Naruto and Sakura each shrieked in panic while Sasuke put his arm up to block the wind. "You broke the rules! I hope you're ready for the punishment!" Kakashi began weaving handseals that seemed to actually summon a storm out of nowhere.

 _Geez, if I didn't know better I'd think he was actually mad._

"Do you four have any last words?" he asked in a serious tone.

Sasuke and Amari were the only two sitting strong while Sakura was covering her head and quivering. _Poor girl,_ Amari thought with a frown. _I wish I could tell her he isn't seriously going to kill us all like she thinks he is._

Next to her Naruto's teeth were chattering audibly. _And he has no chance of running at all even if we could outrun Kakashi-sensei, being tied to the post as he is._

"Bu- bu- but you said," Naruto tried to speak through his fear.

The wind died down, granting Amari the ability to eat her food in peace, which actually earned her a look of disbelief from Sasuke. She glanced up sharply at him in an attempt to convey her thoughts. _Part of the test, don't screw it up._

"Yes?" Kakashi asked towards the three, trying to lead them to understand what he was doing and that they were on the right path.

"You said that there were four of us! That's what you said and that's why…Sakura and…" Naruto stopped.

Amari widened her eye at Sasuke in another attempt to get him to realize her thoughts. _He is on the right track, take it from there!_ Realization crossed his features only to be replaced by a steely look he turned to give Kakashi. "We're all on this squad and we're all in it together!" Sasuke declared.

Sakura found her strength suddenly at his declaration. _I never thought I would think this, but it seems her infatuation for Sasuke has some uses._

"Sasuke's right! We gave our lunch to Naruto because the four of us are one!"

"Exactly! Yeah, that's it! Believe it!" Naruto followed.

Kakashi stared at them intensely, seeking out weaknesses and a breakage in their confidence. _Make it or break time guys. Don't falter now, you're dead on._ Their sensei walked forward and dropped his handseal. "The four of you are one?! That's your excuse?!"

The three didn't falter under his cold look and Amari gulped down a bite of her bento before giving him closed eye smile. _They get it now, they understand that we pass as a team, we fail as a team, we live as one and die as one._

When she opened her eye she saw him giving them his eye smile. "You pass."

There were sounds of confusion from Naruto and Sakura but Sasuke remained ready for a trap.

"Uh…what?" Sakura questioned.

"You. Pass," Kakashi repeated.

"We…passed? How did we pass?"

The dark clouds dispersed to let the sun shine down on all of them once again. Amari smiled at the sight and ate the last bite of her bento. _Still not fully recovered, but at least I have some strength now._

"Simply put: you followed your hearts instead of the rules." Hearing her words repeated made Amari blush. "You're the first squad that ever chose to think for yourselves instead of doing exactly what I said. Everyone else fell into every single trap I set for them."

"A ninja must see through deception," Kakashi and Amari said in unison. Her sensei gave her a praising nod and smile, making her smile shyly in return.

"In the ninja world, those who break the rules are considered scum. And there is truth to that statement, but I want you four to remember this…" Kakashi raised his head to look up at the sky. "Those who break the rules may be scum, but those who abandon their friends are worse than scum."

His words hit them all in the heart and brought smiles to their faces, and some tears to Naruto. "He's uh- you know. He's kinda cool."

"The exercise is over. Everyone passes!" Kakashi gave them all a big thumbs up for their success. "Team Seven starts its first mission tomorrow."

"I did it I did it! I'm a ninja!" Naruto cheered with tears in his eyes.

Amari giggled at Naruto. _Yes Naruto, we all did it. We are now ninja._

"Do you need help, Amari?" Kakashi asked. She shook her head and got up on her own two feet. Her legs were a still a bit wobbly but she was going to walk off this field and back home triumphantly. She wouldn't allow Kakashi-sensei or one of her teammates to carry her. "Let's go home."

Everyone, save Amari, departed without turning back, forgetting for a moment that Naruto was still tied to the post. Luckily for him, the Nara still had a kunai to cut him loose. The moment he was free he took off running, grabbing Amari by the hand and dragging her behind him.

"Naruto!" she scolded through a laugh as she struggled to keep her feet.

"Hey, knock it off!" Sakura yelled as they were about to pass her, stopping Naruto with a slap to the back of his head. "She's not one hundred percent you knucklehead! You're lucky she didn't fall on her face!"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head where he got hit. "Er- sorry Amari."

Amari responded by giving him a hug. As she let go there was a telltale blush on Naruto's face which made her blush and giggle. "It was no big deal. Come on, let's get back home so you can tell Iruka-sensei and I can tell my mom." Once again realization crossed the boy's face and he zoomed off shouting something about Iruka-sensei and ramen. Amari couldn't help but smile. "That boy has too much energy."

"I know," Sakura groaned next to her. They began to walk side by side and much to Amari's surprise no death glares were given the whole way. They didn't speak much, only trading a few words with each other about chakra control and how to improve it.

Amari explained a few techniques, starting with the leaf trick Iruka-sensei used and then moving onto tree climbing. Sakura had her goal set on becoming better at it so how could she not help? They were now teammates after all.

Maybe it was water under the bridge now.

 _Unless she's doing this to pulverize me when I least expect it…hmm._

They reached the village and went their separate ways and soon after her walk Amari made it home safe and sound just as her body was starting to ache as it had before. As she entered the house she collapsed to one of her knees with a groan. _Triumphant walk, bad idea. I should have just asked sensei for a ride back. He would have just Body Flickered here and I wouldn't have had to walk._

"Amari!" a shy voice called to her. The Nara looked up in confusion to see Hinata running over to her.

"Hey you don't look so well," Kiba called from behind Hinata.

Hinata checked Amari over with her Byakugan activated, her worried eyes searching for internal injuries. Amari smiled softly at her and patted her hand that was on her shoulder. "I'm okay. I may have just pushed myself to my limits." Kiba crouched down next to her with Akamaru in his hoodie. "Hey Akamaru. You're so handsome," she said as she scratched Akamaru behind his ears. "Nothing like Kiba."

"Hey!" Kiba whined. Akamaru gave a satisfied bark. "Traitor…"

Amari let her hand drop from Akamaru just as her mother and Shino approached. "May have pushed yourself to your limits?" Kurenai asked pointedly. Amari smiled and rubbed the back of her head bashfully. "Kiba, Hinata could you please help Amari to the couch?"

They both nodded and helped the wounded warrior up and to the couch. Of course that led to having to explain the happenings of how she got this way minus mentioning her Byakugan. That led to an impressed look from all four of them since she managed to get not only a blow on Kakashi, but get the bells detached before her limit caused her to collapse.

The story then led to why her mom and her team were in the house, which was because they had just finished training and debriefed here. The squad left soon after and after her mother looked over Amari to make sure she was just exhausted, she let her rest on the couch between her legs while she braided her daughter's hair. Eventually night fell and after dinner Amari headed to bed, passing out within seconds of her head hitting the pillow. _Tomorrow will be our first day as ninja's on a D-rank mission._

 _It can't be worse than Kakashi's exercise._


	9. Chapter 8: Be Careful What You Wish For

Chapter 8

Be Careful What You Wish For: A New Danger in a Distant Land!

The sun was shining high in the sky as Amari got into position. Her eye was set on their target; her mind was calmed of any storm as it worked over plans to take them down. "I'm at point D," she whispered into the headset connected to her entire team. She couldn't act, not yet, not while her team was still moving into their respective positions to keep their target boxed in.

 _You won't escape me._

"I'm at point B," Sasuke followed.

"I'm at point C," Sakura's voice came a few seconds later.

Using her Byakugan she could see the pair already set up and waiting. A moment of pause passed before their final teammate reached his position. "I reached point A. Believe it."

"All right, Team Seven let's— Hm?" Their target dove from the tree and dashed away, having sensed their presence before they could act. "Target has moved! Follow it!"

The four Genin moved into action without much coaxing. _Stop running coward!_ She jumped up onto a tree branch and followed their target as it dashed quickly across the grassy floor below until eventually coming to a stop in a clearing to search for its hunters. Its head moved side to side, scanning the area, seeking out any sign of them.

Team Seven halted their movements and hid themselves by blending in with their native environment of plentiful trees and bushes surrounding the clearing. Silently, Amari guided her shadow down the tree. Her chosen position in the tree was working perfectly to her advantage. At this time of day with the position of the sun and canopy of leaves above them she was in her element, and their target was right in her grasps, unaware of the black shadow sneaking up behind it.

"Give me ten more seconds and I'll have it in my Shadow Possession Jutsu. Once I give the signal, move in."

"Right," Sakura answered.

"Ready," Sasuke replied.

"We'll be ready, Amari," Naruto responded.

Her shadow slithered across the ground like a snake without the excess movement, inching closer and closer to the target. "Keep it steady, Amari. You're almost there," their Sensei coached.

 _Just a little closer…_ Her shadow shot forward and attached to the target, paralyzing it in its place. She could feel their targets futile efforts to break her hold, but no amount of strength would it help it here.

This was her domain, and their prison.

"Now!"

Not a second later her teammates charged the target. Naruto dove headfirst through the air to grab and restrain it, all but tackling their target into the dirt. Seeing the situation was under control, she let her shadow recede back to her.

The cat, having regained its ability to move, proceeded to freak out and start scratching Naruto in an effort to do everything possible to break his hold. Yelps and cries of pain and struggle broke through the quiet forest as her teammate did his best to maintain his hold despite the vicious attack he was receiving.

When it became clear Naruto was beginning to lose his fight with the cat, Amari sighed and jumped down to his aid. With quick reflexes she grabbed the cat by the back of its neck and hooked her other hand around to restrain its front paws. Their target spun in her grasps to turn the attack onto its newest assailant but froze in fear when it met her irritated onyx eye.

"You better stop trying to run away or I'll dunk you in a bucket of ice water," she threatened. Their target relaxed into submission at the warning, allowing her to return the cat back to her teammate without it offering any fight whatsoever.

"We've got a positive I.D." Sasuke relayed to their Sensei.

"Right. Lost pet Tora captured. Mission accomplished."

Amari was about to breathe a sigh of relief for the sake of the mission being over when she noticed a vein suddenly bulge on Naruto's forehead. "Can't we get a better mission than this?! I hate cats!"

Sighs of understood frustration echoed out of her other two teammate's right after. By all accounts Naruto was right about the mission being lame and boring, but this was all a part of becoming familiar with one another and working on the fundamental skills…

 _But its soooo boring!_ Amari exhaled her own sigh and slumped in defeat. This wasn't exactly what she had in mind when she signed on to be a shinobi. She expected danger, hard work, and moments of limit breaking.

Pet retrieval, not so much.

The cat took it upon itself to once again scratch the boy for his outburst, earning an irritable grunt from Amari as she once again snatched the cat by the back of its neck and restrained its front paws. This time when it met her eye she gave it a murderous stare.

"Stop."

 _Or else_ went unvoiced between them.

If the cat could, it would have nodded in quickly in response. Instead a look of understanding crossed its furry face. Target restrained, she took it upon herself to lead the way back towards their meeting point. "Come on, I'll hold her since she doesn't seem to want to risk my wrath."

Behind her she could sense Sasuke and Sakura giving Naruto teasing smirks. A growl from her friend all but reinforced it. "Stupid, evil cat," he grumbled.

After meeting up with their sensei they made their way back to the Village and to the Mission Assignment Desk to finish the mission and receive their next one.

Tora remained on her best behavior the rest of the way while Naruto gave it sidelong glances, clearly thinking the pet would strike Amari at any moment. She didn't. Obviously even animals knew the wrath of Amaririsu Yūhi was not to be trifled with.

When they finally reached the office, the Wife of the Land of Fire's Daimyo was waiting for them. She was a larger woman, and in Amari's opinion reeked of too much older lady perfume. Seriously, how did anyone think that smell was remotely nice? She was certain every Inuzuka Clan member could smell her from inside their homes even when she was at the front gate of the Village.

 _Ugh, I think I'm going to puke or pass out. Maybe both._ Amari bumped into Kakashi's back just to bury her nose into his flak jacket and take a long inhale so she could hold her breath long enough to return Tora to the Daimyo's wife without dying. Kakashi cast a suspicious glance back at her, but when he noticed she was holding her breath he chuckled apologetically.

"Can't…breathe," Sakura muttered under her breath. "Hurry up, Amari."

Oh she was hurrying. She nearly cleared the distance at a sprint, all but shoved the cat into the Daimyo's wife's arms and concealed her rush back to her team.

If she wasn't struggling to breathe she might have felt bad for Tora when her owner began hugging, or squashing in Amari's eyes, and rubbing her cheek against the terror stricken feline.

Naruto, on the other hand, was cackling at it. "Hahaha! Stupid cat! That kitty deserves to be squashed."

Although she understood his point of view, she did feel sympathy for the poor animal. _If you were a dog and didn't belong to the Daimyo's wife, I might have tried to keep you or save you._ Unfortunately for Tora she wasn't much of a cat person and had no intentions of stealing from the wife of the Feudal Lord, let alone standing that close to the woman ever again.

 _Almost out of air._ After payments were made and the like, the Daimyo's wife departed, though her stench lingered. Amari, unfortunately, couldn't keep holding her breath any longer. She was almost purple and fighting against the instinct to _breathe damn it!_

"Sensei, sleeve please," she begged on her last bits of breath.

Kakashi chuckled and offered her his sleeve, which she buried her nose into and inhaled precious oxygen that smelled like some sort of man scent she didn't care to question the origin of. All she knew was it was the equivalent of breathing in the smell of rose petals at this point.

"Oh, thank kami," she said quickly, trying not to exhale too much air. Oxygen, how she had missed it so. "How are any of you alive right now?" she asked, looking to her team and even the Hokage for a real answer.

Most offered her shrugs of indifference or looks of sympathy.

"Over time you grow immune to it," Lord Third stated flatly.

"Over time?" she questioned in horror, her eyes wide.

That meant she'd have to encounter her _again_?!

No one knew for certain, but they all sensed the internal cry of " _Noooooo!_ " when they saw her entire body bend slump forward in depression.

Lord Third picked up a sheet of paper without so much as a sideways glance at the scene in front of him, almost as if he had seen it before in another group of Genin. His weathered features rested in-between pure indifference and boredom.

"Now there are several available tasks available for Team Sevens next mission."

Amari had to fight back a groan and the need to fall to the floor when the Hokage began listing off their available missions to pick from, all of which were between babysitting children to babysitting adults as they went about their business. Depressed and on the verge of slamming her head against the wall, the Nara stood back up and let her eye roam to the window just behind the Hokage to seek out the clouds on the horizon to make this whole process less painful.

 _Really wish I could be a cloud. Just float along wherever the wind brings you with no responsibilities or worries._ Responsibilities weren't too bad, she supposed. They weren't these dreadful things that Shikamaru made them out to be… _But these missions are just_ _ **sooo**_ _boring. I understand we are Genin, but seriously? Babysitting? Escorting someone's wife around while she shops?_

"Noooo!" Naruto groaned loudly as the voice of all of Team Seven's inner thoughts. "We want a real mission! Something that challenges us and is exciting, not this little kid stuff! Come on, Old Man!"

Reluctant agreement crossed each of the other three Genin's faces, though none of them verbally backed up their teammate. They were each too respectful to outright whine to the leader of their village, where Naruto was…well, Naruto was Naruto.

Enough said.

Next to her Kakashi was rubbing the back of his neck at the outburst in what was probably embarrassment for his student's action.

"How dare you!" Iruka reprimanded.

Amari once again chose to tune them out and drift off back into her own thoughts as her eye watched a cloud casually drifting across the blue sky. She had no interest in listening to an argument between her admittedly immature teammate and former sensei.

Suddenly Kakashi nailed the blond on top of the head with a hard punch, knocking him to the floor and silencing his childish argument.

 _This is going well_ , she thought with a roll of her eye.

Again her attention to the situation was disregarded to something far more interesting, like how much she wanted to create a clone to either take her place or to go train while she waited for this all to work itself out. _At this rate we could be here for a few hours if Naruto keeps acting up, and I would really like to train._

She glanced to the Hokage, Iruka and then Kakashi. Each were focused either on scolding Naruto or watching him, but their attention wasn't drawn far enough away for her to sneak a clone or two out of here. _They'd all know I created them and then I would be dragged into this mess._

 _Troublesome adults._

There was just so much she wanted to train with. There was a new genjutsu and taijutsu technique Kakashi wanted her to continue working on, the continuous practice of her Fire Jutsu's, clones, regular sparring, the Body Flicker Technique; so much to be learned and improved so she could become stronger. _And here I am, stuck listening to a stupid argument._

Two weeks had passed since their pass or fail test, and during the first four days after Kakashi had met with her early in the morning to teach her four new techniques: one taijutsu, one genjutsu and two ninjutsu. To speed up her learning process he had her watch the moves with her Sharingan activated so she could analyze each move to the tiniest detail.

This didn't grant her the ability to pull the moves off right away, though. Unlike her previous belief that Kakashi's Sharingan had given him the ability to just copy any ninjutsu, genjutsu or taijutsu, that was not an accurate description of how the Sharingan worked. While the Sharingan granted its wielder the ability to copy techniques, what it really came down to was having the physical ability and able body to perform the jutsu.

For that very reason it was impossible to copy a kekkei genkai or a Nature Transformation a wielder of the Sharingan didn't know. You could analyze and understand how it worked all you wanted, but not having the bloodline trait or the knowledge of how to perform such a Nature Transformation made it impossible to use right away.

That wasn't to say one couldn't memorize the handseals or body movements needed and put their body through rigorous training so they could use them eventually, excluding kekkei genkais of course. This was how Kakashi had Amari learning. She watched him perform the moves and after that it was up to her to train herself to be able to use the moves somewhere down the line in the future.

And train she did, but not without one last stipulation. Off mission she had to wear seals on her biceps and forearms as well as her thighs and calves under white bandages to make sure they didn't get ripped or ruined. Didn't sound so bad in passing, but that was because there was far more to it than keeping paper wrapped under white bandages.

To start, off mission was the inclusion of sparring, training alone or moving around on a daily basis. The only time she was allowed to take them off was when they were on real missions so she didn't slow the team down or turn herself into a slow moving target for enemies and night time when she returned home.

Now what exactly was so special about the seals that would slow her down on missions? The seals were weight seals, meaning upon activation the seal would no longer weigh like a piece of paper, instead they would weigh as much as the set weight Kakashi decided on. They looked like paper, they even felt like paper, but each seal weighed five pounds each once activated.

Quick recap: two seals per arm and leg, ten pounds per arm and leg, forty pounds total.

Amari had never felt so heavy in her life.

She had been fit before the weights and had more physical strength than most girls her age, but this new training was _really_ becoming a huge struggle. About forty pounds of struggle to be exact.

The first time Kakashi had activated the seals she ended up face flat in the dirt. An hour later she finally made it onto her hands and knees after constant interruptions from Kakashi "accidently" bumping into her and knocking her back to the ground. After that he furthered his "help" by sitting up in a tree as he read his _Make-Out Paradise_ book and provided "motivation" by telling her she needed to do this on her own to become stronger.

Honestly Amari couldn't help but feel he was sadistically enjoying her struggle to get back on her feet, definitely since she caught him watching her with an amused glint in his eye longer than he had his nose in the book at some points. By the time she actually got back onto her feet they had to train.

Needless to say, Amari was silently cursing her sensei's name for what he was putting her through.

Tree climbing, which she had become quite good at, became harder to do, not because of lack of chakra control, but due to the new weight she had. She had a hard enough time walking with the new weight, but forcing her to try to run up the tree was pure torture. More weight also equaled a harder and faster crash to the ground, granted it also forced her to adapt quicker to avoid the crash, but still! What had she ever done to deserve this punishment?!

In the analytical portions of her mind, the parts not screaming for the pulverization of Kakashi, did realize this training was needed since intense training and exercise was the best way to increase her physical energy. She already was increasing her spiritual energy through consistent studying and meditation so she needed to balance that out by working even harder physically.

The end goal was to increase both energies so she could create more powerful chakra. More powerful chakra would help her to defeat Kasai and protect her friends—two goals that made the strain of the weights worth the drenching sweat and repeated stings of bruises forming on different parts on her body.

Two weeks later she was finally getting used to having the weight on her, but getting used to it and being able to move around without an issue were not the same things. Her reaction time normally was fast enough to block attacks; unfortunately now she could see the attacks coming but couldn't block them like she used to. The fights started out really bad, suddenly the top kunoichi could no longer keep up with any of her teammates moves no matter how fast or slow they were.

Their secret weight training didn't remain secret once the others caught onto her sudden change of talent. Explaining it had gone over fairly well…kind of. Naruto persistently questioned why their sensei wasn't having them train with the weights until Kakashi placed a one hundred pound seal on his shoulder and activated it without warning.

Thus Naruto and the dirt became close friends. If she didn't understand the feeling she would have laughed. But she understood what it meant to be acquainted with the dirt. They were like roommates.

After watching him struggle for a moment or two, Kakashi deactivated and explained that because Amari had managed to hit him and get the bells he believed she deserved a reward. Team Seven firmly believed she was being punished and let it be so they wouldn't end up with the same fate.

Amari really couldn't blame them.

Everything was still difficult to do being weighed down, but for this recent mission she was allowed to finally move freely without weights in what was an excellent reprieve she was soaking up. In all fairness, she had noticed she was far lighter on her feet and quicker in short bursts of speed, but she was struggling to figure out if her brain was being hopelessly optimistic to combat the despair of the weights or if she was really improving.

As for the techniques she was learning, the first was the taijutsu technique called Dynamic Entry, and Amari couldn't shake the feeling there was some hidden reason behind Kakashi teaching her it. The technique was nothing entirely special, nothing at all matching the likes of Shadow Clone Jutsu or Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu. It didn't even provide a struggle to master, which was a drag because she enjoyed a good challenge.

In no way was it nearly as helpful as Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu that she deluded herself into believing she was on the verge of succeeding with or the genjutsu she was trying to learn called Demonic Illusion: Death Mirage Jutsu.

Dynamic Entry was…well, its name was kind of the purpose of the move. It was a jumping kick to the face that she figured was best used for surprise attack.

The good news, for her at least, was that she was tweaking the move a bit to make it far more useful. Her main version was having one or two clones transform into shuriken or kunai before or during a battle then tossing them at the person and having them dispel the transformation to nail the move. Doing so would make it a far more handy ambush technique in the heat of battle, plus it was forcing her to increase her skill so clones using the Transformation Jutsu became easier to maintain.

Total bonus points there.

But still, this was Kakashi teaching her this strange move. Out of any and all taijutsu techniques he had seen and learned through the years he was teaching her this one? Her suspicions were furthered by the amused glint in his eye every time she practiced it.

 _Why is it so funny? I've got to ask Mom about it, maybe she'll know._

The other weird thing was he had read a few books on other elemental chakras. The second day he showed her the Headhunter Jutsu he used against Sasuke to see if she could do it after analyzing the move. She failed, miserably. Truly it would have been mortifying if failure hadn't been her closest adversary when Kurenai first started training her.

But, at the same time, that was also the lesson Kakashi was trying to teach her.

" _You knew I'd fail,"_ she had said without accusation or anger.

" _I did. I wanted you to fully understand that no matter how great of a tool the Sharingan is, and no matter how much of a genius you are, learning a new nature is not something you will achieve in a day or a week of training. You will have to work hard, harder than you have before if you want to pull off these techniques. It'll take you even longer to master them."_

" _Which is why you're starting me with it now?"_

" _Exactly. I know nothing I can say will turn you away from your path to find and defeat Kasai. When that fateful day comes, I want all of your skills sharper than any blade he can find. I want your weaknesses hidden in the darkest shadows no dōjutsu can see through. And I want to see you return with your head held high, knowing in your heart that you won with your own strength and your own power because you are strong shinobi and person. That's why you're real training begins today."_

Her inner warrior spurred her to work even harder so she could prove to him his belief in her wasn't misplaced.

This is where her physical, spiritual and chakra control training was going to come in handy. To perform a different elemental nature of chakra meant learning to mold her chakra in an entirely different way than she did for her Fire Jutsu's or Shadow Possession Jutsu. Hard work was the only way forward, and that was what excited her most about learning a new element.

Difficult or not she wasn't going to give up. She was going to continue to push herself until she was finally able to get it to work, even if that meant training herself until she couldn't stand up with her own strength. Of course learning it also didn't mean she'd be a master of the Earth Style chakra nature. It would take years of practice to be able to pull off strong Earth Style techniques even after she eventually learned Headhunter Jutsu. But the texts given to her and the jutsu itself were meant as a stepping stone to help move her towards that goal.

Demonic Illusion: Death Mirage Jutsu was a relatively easier technique to learn, but still was giving her trouble. Luckily her mother was aiding her to understand how to use it at night when they were both just relaxing after a long day of training or missions.

Learning it was going okay. Genjutsu had never been one of her prime focuses ever despite living with a master of it. But even though she wasn't all that great with it, that just made it even more important to learn about. She needed to strengthen her weaknesses whether they were weak because of lack of interest or because she wasn't very good at it.

As for the final jutsu Kakashi showed her, she hadn't even been able to take the time to try learning it. It was a wind based jutsu called Wind Style: Gale Palm; not an ultra-powerful wind attack but it would strengthen her fire based jutsus if combined with each other. Such a combination, though, would require far more training to pull off successfully, especially since the amount of chakra necessary would be on the level of Shadow Clone Shadow Possession, possibly beyond it.

A sudden new thought hit her like a bolt of lightning. _Wait a minute…I thought about sending my clones out to train while I wait but…why not create five clones and have them do the same training? It would cut down time since I would gain all the knowledge and experience they did. Doing so would definitely drain my chakra as well but…I could cut the time it takes me to learn something in half…maybe._

She'd have to run it by her sensei or mother first to see what they thought about it. If it was too dangerous now she wouldn't risk it; not for a while anyways. Besides, it wasn't like she listened about her Shadow Clone Shadow Possession. She blatantly ignored that. _And got scolded for it, rightly so._ Still, unless this one meant absolute death it was unlikely she could be warded off.

As for the Body Flicker Technique she was still working on it as much as she could. She wanted to master it…No, she felt moved to master it for a reason she couldn't quite explain. Either way, traveling across the village and through the forest to meet up with her team with the added weight before missions and after was definitely helping.

Kakashi even took the time to teach her a little more information on the Sharingan, mostly so she could understand how analyzing jutsus worked. Otherwise he told her to start using it and her Byakugan more when she trained with her mother to help her advance them.

" _Your Sharingan prowess will not grow if you don't use it while you train. The same goes for the Byakugan. You need to start practicing with them far more than you have so you can unlock their full potential. Unlike my Sharingan, your eyes don't drain the same significant portion of chakra mine does. Utilize that advantage, because if Kasai is half the shinobi he believed himself to be, he will."_

She took the words to heart and had started doing her best to incorporate more training with them both. The Byakugan was the easiest to do since her bandana kept it and the veins bulging on her cheek hidden from sight, which allowed her to use it while training with her team. The Sharingan was something she had to do when she was alone or just with her mother or Kakashi.

 _I wonder when I will have to tell them about my eyes…probably no time soon._

"What are you thinking about so intently?" Kakashi whispered to her as the Hokage lectured on about…something.

"I'm wondering about the meaning of life and my existence in it," the young ninja wisecracked softly.

"If you get that crystal ball working let me know; I've got some questions that need answering. How's training coming along?"

Amari shrugged slightly and unnoticeably. "I've got the taijutsu technique down and I feel like I'm getting closer with Earth Style. Though I still have a while to go if I'm being honest with myself. I haven't even attempted anything with the Wind Ninjutsu yet, and I think I'm starting to understand the genjutsu. Yin Release is kind of the basis of genjutsu, and since Shadow Possession Jutsu is a Yin Release jutsu I have a better handle on my spirit energy than most others. Plus mom is a master of genjutsu so she really helps me in breaking it down to the basics."

"Good. Earth and Wind will take you time to master, years to be exact, but your dedication helps."

"Would using my clones cut down the time?"

Kakashi remained silent for a moment, a contemplative silence from what she could feel. Then he spoke. "Yes, but we'll discuss that another time. That takes a lot of chakra, chakra you may or may not have to use. As for the genjutsu you'll be able to use it much easier later on when you mature more and make it more powerful. Trust me, it may be supplementary but even a supplementary jutsu can become extremely powerful."

 _At least it wasn't a straight no on using clones._

While saying she needed to mature more would have offended others, Amari knew what he truly meant. Her Sensei was really referring to her Sharingan but they had come to a silent agreement that saying she needed to mature more would be code for it. First she had to learn the genjutsu and be able to cast it, then she would figure what he meant by using her special eye to make it powerful.

"Like the Body Flicker Technique?" she asked in regards to his final words.

"Exactly. You should really focus though. Any second now we'll be given a mission and you'll want the details."

She nodded in response as the Hokage finished whatever speech he was on about only to notice that Naruto had turned around to start talking to the team about ramen. The young ninja suppressed her giggle and hid her smirk behind her hand as Lord Third shouted at him for his disregard to his speech.

Once again the blond started yelling at the Hokage about not being a little brat pulling pranks anymore; usually Amari would have listened and agreed but she once again found her attention waning and returning to the clouds.

 _I wish I could go practice the Water Walking Technique or something._ The Nara forced back her bored sigh. _This is such a drag. Even doing a D-rank mission would be better than listening to them bicker. At least I'd be doing_ _ **something**_ _. Even if Naruto just got us a C-Rank mission…Wait what?_

Amari snapped out of her thoughts at the details coming from Lord Third regarding their new mission.

"You'll be bodyguards on a journey," Lord Third said with an amused smile.

 _His smile is_ _ **so**_ _not comforting in the slightest. This C-rank mission is probably just the Hokage placating Naruto with the idea that the mission will be tougher only for us to end up really bored or something. Wait, did he say bodyguards…_ Amari fought back her groan. _Aw man, we're going to get stuck traveling with someone who is going to be terrible at traveling or will complain the whole time. What a pain._

Traveling sounded nice for the most part to the untraveled ninja, but being around someone who probably wouldn't be all too nice plus the bickering between her own teammates would grate on the nerves of even the most patient people.

The door sliding open brought Amari out of her thoughts as the smell of alcohol suddenly attacked her senses. _Even worse: A drunkard. Naruto, sometimes I want to smother you._

"What the?! A bunch of little snot nose kids?!"

 _Yep, totally going to smother him tonight._

The man took a long drink of his alcohol before leaning on the doorframe in either an unconscious action or to keep his balance so he didn't tip over. He wore light brown shin length pants with a brown tank top. A white towel hung around his neck and the man already had his large bag for travelling ready to go. The man had a large gray goatee and spiked back gray hair and wore glasses.

 _Not just a drunkard, an old drunkard. Why is our luck so terrible?_ Amari sighed in defeat. _Well, at least I will be able to practice my skills as we travel…not that I would cast a genjutsu on my teammates or this drunkard for entertainment._

She wouldn't _actually_ cast a genjutsu on them, but that didn't mean she wouldn't think about doing it.

"And you, the short one with the stupid look on your face. You really expect me to believe you're a ninja?" the man asked very impolitely.

Before Amari could make a witty remark to shut him up, Naruto foolishly started laughing at the verbal joust. "Hahaha! Who's the short one with the stupid look on…his…" The blond paused as the words hit him. He looked at his teammates, who had all stepped closer to him to help him realize he was the shortest of their entire team. Although it wasn't necessarily a great plan, Amari found herself giggling when his face contorted into incredulity and then anger at the man calling him stupid.

The knucklehead attempted to charge while shouting about demolishing the old man but Kakashi was quick to grab him by his collar and stop him from going anywhere. "You can't demolish the client, Naruto. It doesn't work like that," he scolded.

"I am Tazuna, a master bridge builder and I must return to my country. I am building a bridge there that will change our world, and I expect you to get me there safely, even if it means giving up your life."

That was a bit…dramatic for a C-rank mission. Obviously shinobi missions did have risks, and higher ranks brought more danger…but his delivery flipped on her suspicion alarms. His bloodshot eyes didn't reveal much to her, yet she couldn't quiet the feeling he was hiding something.

 _His intentions of changing their world sound really noble, but he also makes it sound like we should expect some major problems._ Amari looked to his drink. _He is also incredibly inebriated so he is either a dramatic drunkard or he is trying to cope with something…Mortality inching closer perhaps._

All the gears within Amari's mind started turning as she tried to solve the new puzzle while they made short introductions to the bridge builder. Her wary eye watched him the entire time, gauging every single inconsequential word spoken and shift of body language. By the end all she gathered was how much she despised the smell of alcohol, but nothing groundbreaking or enough evidence to warrant her suspicions or to dissuade them.

Afterwards they went their separate ways to go home and get packed for the mission that they were about to go on.

All the way home Amari rolled Tazuna's introduction around in her head. _Laying down your life for your comrades or your clients or the mission is all a part of being a ninja. I'll stand and fight regardless of the outcome…I just can't shake these feelings I have._

Something was up but she didn't know what it was just yet. As she entered her home, though, she let the thoughts go to focus on packing her long term equipment.

"Where are you going?" Kurenai asked when she entered Amari's room.

"Land of Waves for a C-rank mission. We're bodyguards for a bridge builder named Tazuna…but…" She paused as she thought about his introduction again.

" _Even if it means giving up your lives."_

"…I don't know. Something about him rubs me the wrong way."

Red eyes examined everything from her uneasy body language to her pensive onyx eye. "How so?"

"His goal is noble and I can tell he isn't lying about that, but he was a bit dramatic on the delivery. He drank a lot in our meeting so that may be it…It's like he is really expecting harder trouble than a C-rank, yet the Hokage wouldn't send us on it if it really was a B- or A-rank."

And the Hokage had been around a lot longer than she had been. If a client was lying surely he would have noticed.

Kurenai nodded slowly, evaluating her explanation as she moved further into the room and began helping her pack her remaining items. "Lord Hokage wouldn't put Genin in a position that they weren't ready for…but if your gut is telling you that he is not being fully truthful then you should not let your guard down."

"I wish I could discern intentions as well as you," the young ninja mumbled to herself while she pulled her pack on.

Her mother merely smiled and poked her in the forehead; a loving gesture that put her mind at ease and brought a soft smile onto her lips. _Something about it seems familiar, strangely enough. Kind of like my bandana having meaning to me._ The girl stopped her thoughts with a mental shake of her head. _Not a big deal since it's not a bad familiarity._

"You can. You just have to listen and trust your feelings more than you do and you'll realize it." The duo moved to the kitchen to get the traveling rations that they had yet to pack. "Keep your senses open to the world around you. You will do great on this mission; you just need to stay focused."

The wild blue-haired ninja nodded as she closed her pack and put it on. "I will. I know if anything bad happens we have Kakashi-sensei to fall back on if we can't handle it, but I won't let my guard down one bit." They walked to the door and Amari gave her mother a big hug. "I'm going to miss you," she whispered.

She hadn't been out of the Leaf Village since she was brought back to it. Kurenai in the past had had to leave on missions, but this was different. This time she was the one leaving and she'd have to worry more about her own safety than over her mother's.

Kurenai hugged her back and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "I will miss you more. Stay safe for me, Amari."

"I will. I love you."

"And I love you, little one."

She let go of her mother then gave her a big closed eye smile before leaving to meet with her team at the front gates. Instead of Body Flickering there the young ninja chose to conserve her chakra and walk it normally. _If anything does go bad I need to be at full strength._

Kakashi was waiting for the team with Tazuna at the gate. By the looks of it he appeared to be bored out of his mind, though it was hard to say if that was his normal look since recent D-rank missions made it a prominent look as of late.

"Amari, punctually as always," he greeted.

She nodded with a smile in greeting and took her place by his side while they waited for the others to show up. "Kid, what's with the bandana over your eye?" Tazuna asked rather rudely.

Under her bandana she felt her eye twitch slightly at his attitude, but she remained docile in her other eye. _Maybe I_ _ **should**_ _cast him in a genjutsu to train as we go._

"It's a fashion statement," the young ninja retorted slyly. "Right, Sensei."

"Heh, yeah," he chuckled and ruffled her hair.

"Hmph. Got a mouth on you, I see."

"Actually she's the shyest of our squad, surprisingly enough," Kakashi responded.

The bridge builder raised an eyebrow in question, so Amari decided to give an explanation in short. "A boy rendered me blind when I was ten."

"Rendered you blind?" Tazuna asked like she had tried to explain the complexities of combining multiple chakra natures.

"He cut my eye with a kunai knife and killed my best friend," Amari explained, her voice short and to the point. "I can fight perfectly fine with one eye before you question that too."

"You're talking to the number one kunoichi and rookie of the year, Tazuna," Kakashi informed, a tease in his voice. "Trust me when I say you aren't going to be able to question her skills and get away verbally unscathed."

Amari faltered in her seriousness and felt her embarrassment begin to rise at the reminder of how she had whipped her team into shape during one of their missions. It wasn't entirely her fault. They sort of asked for it when the questioned how she advanced so quickly in two years.

" _I trained really hard?"_ she offered in her confusion.

" _Ah, come on, Amari! Don't be like that! Seriously, do you have any tricks?"_ Naruto had asked for the others.

" _You think I've used tricks to get stronger?"_ To say she had been offended would be understatement.

" _Well, your mother is one of the elite shinobi of our village. Obviously there's some kind of special trick she uses with you for you to be the number one kunoichi,"_ Sakura decided to point out.

That was the last straw.

" _First off: yes, my mother is an elite and without her I wouldn't be who I am today. I will never deny that. But don't any of you dare insinuate that I've used some sort of trick to become as strong as I have. I have worked day in and day out to change who I am. I have trained to the point I couldn't walk on my own all to catch up and see some sort of value in my abilities and myself._

" _I won't deny I've had help along the way. People close to me have given me guidance, have helped me understand the complexities of jutsu I never would have understood without their help. And those same people helped to pick me up off the ground when all I wanted to do was cry and give up because I was hurting inside. And because of them I kept fighting to become stronger, no matter how much it hurt. So don't you_ _ **dare**_ _insinuate I haven't worked hard enough to earn my strength!"_

She hadn't realized how angry she was at their thinly veiled insinuations until Kakashi rested a calming hand on her shoulder.

Presently she was losing the battle against her blush. _We swore to never talk about that again after I realized I had given a lecture!_ "Sensei!" she whined. "We said we were never going to talk about that again."

"And just like that the shy side reveals itself."

Amari groaned in embarrassment and turned her head to conceal the warm blush from the sight of her sensei and client. She wouldn't give them the pleasure of seeing her flustered.

When the others finally arrived Kakashi had the team do an equipment check to make sure they were all ready for the trip while Naruto rattled on about traveling outside of the village for the first time.

A small part of her was actually really excited to be traveling beyond the borders of the village. Amari kept that excitement in check, however, refusing to let her guard down for even a moment. Beyond the safety of their walls was an entire world that was ripe with danger waiting to spring out of the shadows.

 _I have to keep my senses open until we know for certain if I'm just being paranoid or if the bridge builder is lying about the rank of this mission._

She kept to herself as she waited for Kakashi to give the order to leave, half listening to an argument between Naruto and Tazuna about…something. She wasn't really paying attention.

Then she felt as if a ghost brushed up against her body, sending shivers down her spine and causing her body to tense as her senses picked up a surge of strong chakra somewhere nearby. Just like a bolt of lightning it was gone in a sudden flash leaving in its place feeling of dread building in her gut.

 _I…I've got a bad feeling about this._

She looked to their Sensei to see if he had sensed it too or if she was just imagining these things. He seemed as aloof as always, which didn't necessarily answer her silent questions but eased her just enough to think it was just another Leaf shinobi or her imagination. The latter was, of course, highly unlikely since she sensed the chakra, but she was trying to be optimistic.

 _I should keep to myself about it so I don't worry the others needlessly._ _Just have to keep my senses open on this journey and I'll be able to sense an attack before one happens, if one happens._

Hour upon hour passed as they made their trek to the Land of Waves in mostly relative silence. The silence was broken sometimes by idle chatter between the team or a question to Kakashi or Tazuna about one thing or another. At the moment they were at one of those breaks as their Sensei was answering Sakura's question about ninjas in the Land of Waves.

"The Land of Waves holds no shinobi, but as you all learned in the Academy there are other shinobi villages out there. On our continent the existence of a shinobi village means a specific land holds military strength. In other words, shinobi are a means of protection that maintain the balance of power with neighboring countries. Shinobi villages like ours are not controlled by any government; they're independent and have equal status.

"Now a small island, like the Land of Waves, has natural protection from the sea so they don't necessarily need to build a shinobi village. The five ancient lands that possess shinobi villages are the Lands of Fire, Water, Lightning, Wind, and Earth."

Amari nodded along to the lesson being given. "And each of them hold massive territories that form the Five Great Shinobi Nations," she continued off his statement. "The Land of Fire contains the Village Hidden in the Leaves, the Land of Water contains the Village Hidden in the Mist, the Land of Lightning with the Village Hidden in the Clouds, the Land of Wind which contains the Village Hidden in the Sand and the Land of Earth with the Village Hidden in the Stones."

"Exactly Amari. Only these nations are…"

Another ghostly touch shot shivers down her spine. Amari ceased listening immediately and tried to find the source without the help of her Byakugan—an unsuccessful endeavor. But hope was not lost, her team halted momentarily for one reason or another she hadn't been paying attention to, in turn granting her the chance to activate her Byakugan and start searching covertly for the source. Once again it disappeared before she could even lock onto it, but there was one thing she knew with certainty now: _We're being followed._

 _Not good._

Amari made the clone seal then created two Shadow Clones. _I can track them with my Shadow Clones and find out who we're dealing with and their strength._ Before she could send her clones off she noticed the entire group staring at her like she had grown two heads… _I suppose I did, in a way._

"Sorry, just looking to get some training in as we walk," she lied.

Kakashi took note of the terrible lie and gave a slight nod of understanding. "Save your chakra, Amari. We'll get some training in later."

 _I can't protest him or the others will get suspicious about what I was doing. Sensei looks like he wants me to keep what I know quiet for now._ With a reluctant nod she dispelled her clones and deactivated her Byakugan then motioned for them all to continue walking.

They continued to travel forward, though this time Amari was taking up the rear at a slow walk as she was lost in troubling thoughts regarding who was tracking them and how strong they could be.

 _Definitely not Genins. You don't send a Genin on a high stake mission unless you are misinformed or that Genin is very powerful. They've slipped up twice now so it's unlikely that they are Jōnin. A Jōnin wouldn't take chances, even against a team of Genin and one Jōnin in case there is a sensory type among the group. So if we're lucky we've got a Chūnin or two who are new to their rankings. If we're unlucky we've got high level Chūnin's who are arrogant in their strength._

While she was deep in thought Kakashi, ever the covert ninja, fell in line with her pace without anyone noticing. "What is it?" he questioned quietly.

"I felt a chakra presence back at the gate and again back there but I couldn't get a lock on them. My hunch is they are Chūnin leveled ninjas, whether they are new to the post or strong enough that they don't care if someone catches them I don't know. I do know whoever is out there _is_ following us." She narrowed her eye at the back of Tazuna. "He's hiding something. I just know it."

"Hmm. Guess I was being too hopeful that I was just getting jumpy. Keep it to yourself for now. We need to figure out if whoever this is means us harm…" Kakashi lifted his chin towards the bridge builder. "Or him. Move up to the others and keep your eyes open. Protect your comrades and Tazuna if this ends in a fight."

"More like when it ends in a fight, Kakashi-sensei," she muttered before jogging to catch up to the others.

As she fell in step with her team Naruto looked at her with slight worry at her sudden presence after there being a lack of one. "You okay Amari?"

"Yeah. Just got caught up in my thoughts about different techniques I'm trying to learn." An easy and believable lie given her obsession with training constantly.

"Anything super cool?" he asked, getting excited at her lie.

The Shadow user smiled softly at his own desire to grow even stronger by learning whatever she was trying to do. "Water Walking Technique for chakra control." Her answer earned a frown. Obviously he was expecting a giant fire jutsu or something of the sort instead of what he saw as a stupid chore. "Chakra control is important, Naruto."

Naruto offered a reluctant nod, though his eyes showed he was remembering her original lecture. "Hey Amari, how hard is the Water Walking Technique anyways?" Sakura asked.

"Well, there is a big difference between the Tree Climbing Technique and the Water Walking Technique at the very core of their techniques. When it comes to water walking you have to be constantly changing the amount of chakra you focus to your feet to keep from falling into the water.

"But with tree climbing you are using a fixed amount of chakra. You still have to work it until you get the perfect amount, though. Both techniques are difficult but learning them will help you control what chakra you have until you can build more. You should also not attempt water walking until you've gotten tree climbing down."

"Why not?" Naruto asked as they walked.

It was weird teaching her squad these things, even Sasuke was listening to her speak with interest. Strange as it was to no longer get the death glares from them, it was also nice to be able to share what little knowledge she picked up over the years from the people closest to her. To say that Sakura didn't want to pulverize her still or Sasuke didn't hold a slight envy for her skills was still an unknown to her.

"For starters it would be like trying to cast a jutsu you've never casted before in an element that you aren't accustomed to." Her example led to a lost look from their resident knucklehead. Amari sighed. "Naruto, if Iruka-sensei saw you make that face he would stop taking you to ramen and drag you back into class."

Naruto's eyes widened in dramatic horror at the mere thought of being dragged away from ramen back to class. _Well at least I'm well read up on this now with my previous studies and the new ones sensei has given me, not to mention knowing how hard it is._

"Okay, as we spoke earlier there are Five Great Shinobi Nations each named after an element. Fire, Wind, Earth, Lightning, and Water." The blond nodded with his two teammates. "These nations are named after the five basic Nature Transformations. Nature Transformation is a form of advanced chakra control where you are molding and defining your own chakra into a certain chakra nature to use techniques like Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu."

All nodded once again following along as she spoke, even Tazuna and Kakashi seemed to be listening to the young ninja, though Amari was unaware of them. If she had been she would have shied away from speaking.

Blissful ignorance was best when it came to knowing you were speaking for an audience.

"I remember this," Sakura said, her emerald eyes lighting up as her brain flashed on. "Naturally each element has another element it is weak against and one it is strong against. Like Fire and Water or Earth and Lightning."

Amari gave her a praising and agreeing nod. _Looks like we both dove into some extracurricular studies._ "Right. Now the five elements are our basic elements that you will see in the ninja world, but each ninja has a different affinity. Sasuke has an affinity to Fire and so do I. Because of that Fire Style jutsu's are easier for us to create and control the nature of, though calling learning a jutsu easy is an overstatement."

Sasuke grunted in agreement.

"So we all have one affinity?" Naruto asked.

"With the exclusion of kekkei genkai users, I'm actually not sure. What I do know is we are not limited to one. Jōnin, like Kakashi-sensei, master more than one nature, but this takes a lot of training and time to do by normal means. Mostly Jōnin just learn two. Some have learned more and even fewer have learned all five."

Few enough that the only ones she knew for certain were the First, Second and Third Hokage.

"So using an elemental chakra you don't have an affinity for, like if you tried a Water jutsu, would be very difficult or impossible at first," Sakura said.

Amari dipped her head in a nod and it seemed even Naruto was following along with it as they crossed a bridge over water.

"So there are just five elemental natures?" Naruto asked.

"Well those are the basics, but there are more. You also have to include Combined Nature Transformations like Wood Style, which was the kekkei genkai—or bloodline trait—of the First Hokage, which combined Earth and Water natures."

"But aren't Combined Natures rarely seen outside of kekkei genkais?" Sakura asked.

She nodded again. "Yes, that is true. But that's not it for Nature Transformations. There is a second set of natures called Yin and Yang. Most genjutsu and techniques like my Shadow Possession rely on Yin Release, which is the basis of imagination and spiritual energy while Yang Release is the basis of vitality and physical energy."

"How do you know all this?" Naruto asked, surprise in his voice.

Amari giggled. "Some of us paid attention in class and studied as much as we could when we weren't training." The boy frowned, earning a smile out of her. "Honestly I've barely scratched the surface. Everything I've said is really a simplification of very complex subjects. You'd really need someone like Sensei to get a real in depth understanding. As I was saying before, attempting water walking before tree climbing isn't something I'd advise. Water walking is difficult even after you've learned tree climbing so trying to learn it before would be like me trying a Water Style jutsu."

All three nodded and let it be. Curious as to why Sakura was asking, Amari decided to ask, only for her mouth to snap shut when her foot landed in a puddle. Chills shot up her spine and nearly paralyzed her place in sheer fear. By willpower alone she kept moving, glancing back to Kakashi to try to warn him. _That wasn't normal water._ The Jōnin caught her eye and she gave a barely noticeable lower of her head in the direction of the puddle with a look of worry on her face.

He just nodded and continued marching forward.

 _That chakra…they want to kill us no matter what._ The chakra she felt was coming from the puddle and whoever it was definitely was between Chūnin and Jōnin level…and vile. Extremely vile. _Why couldn't they just be easy low rent_ _Chūnin leveled guys?_ She took a deep breath to calm her rising nerves and try to get rid of the cold chill running up her spine. _Stay focused, you know they are about to spring their trap so counteract it._

Amari activated her Byakugan to keep the new ninjas in sight only to find the two of them already in the midst of going after her sensei.

"What the?!" Kakashi's surprised voice snapped the others to attention.

Spiked chains unraveling from the mechanisms on the arms of their enemies destroyed the quiet walk they were having in an instant. The chains wrapped around Kakashi, making him gasp in a mix of shock and pain. Their mechanisms also had sharp knife like blades for claws. One of their enemies wore a large black cloak that covered his torso and the other a grey tank top with a camo pattered shirt under it. Both had spiky long black hair of varying lengths.

Her fellow teammates gasped in shock with only Amari and Sasuke reaching for their ninja tools when they turned around.

"Do it!" one of the ninjas shouted. Suddenly the chains tightened and ripped apart Kakashi like he was paper, causing horror to cross Sakura's and Naruto's face.

 _Nice play, Sensei._ Amari smiled mentally as she noticed her sensei take cover in the trees.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted in horror.

Naruto had taken his eyes off the ninja, giving them ample opportunity to jolt forward when he was blind to their movements.

 _No!_ "Sasuke, the chains!"

The Uchiha boy grunted in agreement. He jumped into the air with a shuriken in one hand and a kunai in the other while Amari crouched down to one knee and brought her hands into Rat.

Hopefully Sasuke's attack would stall the ninjas long enough for her to catch them in time.

Sasuke's shuriken nailed the chains and pinned them to a nearby tree. His kunai cut through the air and landed perfectly in the little hole in the center the shuriken, making it so the chain had no way of getting free. He landed on their mechanism covered arms just as her shadow captured the pair, paralyzing them and preventing them from retaliating against her teammate.

"Huh?!"

"Sasuke, now!" Amari shouted. The shadows weren't to her advantage here. The moment these two realized they could force their way out of this jutsu she'd be screwed.

Sasuke gripped the arms and mule kicked both ninjas in the face. Only through perfect timing of releasing her jutsu did she not have to feel the kicks they received through her jutsu. Amari wasted no time, however, in gloating over her amazing skill at not being hit by friendly fire.

She jolted forward as they stumbled backwards, the action breaking the chains off of their mechanisms. The one with the cloak was the first to recover, dashing away and leaving his camo shirt partner to receive her next attack alone.

"Dynamic Entry!" Her flying kick nailed his face hard, the force of the blow knocking him to the ground. At the same time she could see his partner targeting the bridge builder.

"Guard Naruto!" Sasuke ordered before running to protect Sakura and the bridge builder.

 _Good luck, Sasuke._ She gripped her two kunais tightly in her hands as she watched her opponent get back onto his feet quickly. Behind her was Naruto, frozen in fear with shaking hands.

"Come on Naruto! Snap out of it!" she scolded. There wasn't time to be gentle like she wanted to be, not when these ninjas would kill them regardless. "This is no different than Mizuki! I need your help!"

He didn't come to his senses in the slightest. He was stricken by the horror of thinking their sensei was ripped to shreds. There wasn't time to tell him differently and then there was the fact she didn't want these ninja to know that.

 _Damn it._

The camo shirt wearing ninja charged at her with a growl. Amari prepared to send her shadow at the man in an effort to keep him at bay a little longer so she didn't have to cross blades with that giant claw, but then Kakashi suddenly appeared in front of him, lodging his fist into their enemies gut before locking him in a tight headlock.

He disappeared without a word so Amari deactivated her Byakugan and looked back to see Kakashi stop the other with a clothesline that halted him dead in his tracks before he even reached Sakura or Tazuna, both of whom had Sasuke standing defiantly in front of them.

Their sensei stood in the aftermath of the fight with his eye lazily half open and no tension in his body whatsoever, save for his the arms keeping the pair firmly in place.

"Hi."

Glee gleamed in Sakura's eyes at seeing their sensei alive and well while Sasuke on the other hand looked at him with surprised annoyance. Amari couldn't help but snort at Kakashi's entrance. "Show off."

"Who? Me?" Kakashi wisecracked. She just let out a light laugh, choosing to shake her head instead of offer another retort. "You have great instincts, Amari. Ordering Sasuke to trap the chains to give you time to capture them both in your Shadow Possession Jutsu took these two by complete surprise. Your execution of the Dynamic Entry was also on point."

"Thank you, Sensei," she thanked.

Kakashi turned his head to look at Naruto. "Naruto, I'm sorry I didn't help you immediately. I didn't mean for you to get hurt, I just didn't think you would freeze up like that." The Jōnin turned away and walked towards Sakura, Sasuke and Tazuna. "Good work Sasuke, very smooth. You too, Sakura."

For the most part everything turned out pretty well, Amari just felt bad about Naruto freezing up like he did. She couldn't understand why he did. When Mizuki had tried to hurt Iruka he fought without fear, yet when these guys looked like they murdered their sensei right in front of them he froze up.

 _Hmm. I knew Kakashi was okay, but had I not known he was or that we were about to be attacked would I have frozen up?_ After a moment of thought, she shook her head. _No. I didn't even hesitate for a second against Mizuki. Protecting my comrades and Tazuna would have made my instincts take over regardless…It's just something he'll have to work on._

A far more important point to be focusing on was how their enemies reacted in the previous fight. Rather than focusing on the four Genin, their focus was dead set on the bridge builder once Kakashi was out of the picture, providing all the evidence Amari needed to confirm her theory that Tazuna was hiding something from them. Although she would've taken pleasure in being the one to fire off questions at him, she knew that it wasn't her place to be the one to do that. She would likely shy away from it anyways.

"Hey," Sasuke spoke up to Naruto.

"Yeah?"

"You're not hurt are you?" A vindictive smirk pulled onto his lips. "Scaredy cat."

Had he not been her teammate she would have decimated him right where he stood for being such an arrogant jerk. Unfortunately for her he was her teammate, nixing any plan of pummeling him so far into the ground that they'd come out the other side of the planet. Instead she huffed in annoyance, choosing to walk away from the boys back to Kakashi and Sakura. _Boys are so strange with their egos and rivalries._

There was a growl of anger from Naruto followed by a shout. "Sasuke!"

"Naruto!" Kakashi cut off the boy with his stern tone. "Stand still. These ninja have poison in their claws. We need to get the poison out of you quickly."

Amari came to an abrupt halt as fear for her friends life took over her. _Poison?!_ Of course tactically it made sense, but Naruto was poisoned?! When did it happen? How had she not seen it? Better question, did they have the materials necessary to heal him?

Naruto let out a wordless cry laced with fear as his anger at Sasuke vanished in fear for his life. "You have to open the wound and remove it. Because the poison is in your blood you need to limit how much you move otherwise you'll end up spreading the poison faster through your body."

"Why didn't I study Medical Ninjutsu?" Amari groaned at herself for having no motivation whatsoever to even dive into the healing arts. Why was it always the things she didn't take the time to learn that always ended up being the most helpful? Maybe she was just overthinking it, but could anyone really blame her? One of her teammates was poisoned and based on Kakashi's orders none of them had antidotes to help.

She quickly unslung her pack and opened it up in search of any basic first aid equipment she might have packed. _Ration bars, hair brush, ninja gear…books on genjutsu, body flicker and other ninjutsu's…Why did I pack my first aid at the bottom?!_

"By the way, Mr. Tazuna…"

The bridge builder turned to Kakashi with worry set in his features. "Yeah? What?"

Kakashi merely peered over his left shoulder with his covered eye. "We need to talk."

Amari hid her smirk at hearing her sensei calling their client out. _At least we aren't letting this go without actually getting real answers from him._

Being more or less tricked by this man to be sent on a mission against stronger ninjas took away a lot of the remorse she would have felt otherwise for Tazuna.

Kakashi brought the two ninjas over to the tree and tied their unconscious bodies to it while the group formed a half circle with Naruto on the outer right side followed by Tazuna, Kakashi, Amari, Sakura and finally Sasuke on the outer left side.

They didn't remain unconscious much longer, and even though they were defeated they still looked like they wanted to rip the group to shreds.

 _I forgot what that look felt like…_ Amari grabbed her left mesh covered arm as old feelings began to well up inside her heart. _To be looked at with pure unadulterated hatred and disgust. Like you are so worthless and unworthy of life or being killed by them._

She fought back the shudder that she felt coming to remain strong on the outside. Old feelings or not, these guys wouldn't get under her skin if she kept a focused mind.

"These two are Chūnin from the Village Hidden in the Mist. Their specialty is relentless attack; they keep fighting no matter the sacrifice to their comrades or the amount of blood they have to spill to achieve their goals," Kakashi explained.

"How did you know about our ambush?" one of the ninjas prodded angrily.

"Simple, your arrogance made you careless, and because of that arrogance our sensory ninja caught your chakra signature. Even against Genin a good shinobi takes precautions against revealing their presence before an ambush, a lesson you two clearly never learned," Kakashi chastised them.

At hearing the mention of their sensory ninja, everyone—save Amari and Kakashi—began looking around in an effort to figure out who he meant. Nervously, Amari gripped her mesh covered left arm tighter and kept her eye drawn away to the side so she didn't have to see them all staring at her when they finally realized who he meant. Not a second after her hand tightened did she feel the entire group turn their gazes to her, her team in confusion and their enemies in rage.

"She had you pinged the moment we exited the village."

"Amari is a sensor?" Sakura asked.

"Wait a minute, Amari _knew_ we were being followed?" Sasuke asked with disbelief in his tone. He didn't doubt her ability to sense them; he was far more irritated she hadn't mentioned the attack coming.

Before she could defend herself Kakashi jumped to her aid. "She wasn't sure exactly who was, but yes she knew something was out of the ordinary, Sasuke. To answer your question, Sakura, Amari does have sensory abilities but we'll talk about that at a later time."

Both nodded but she could feel their suspicion growing. Truth was she knew them better than they knew her. Granted she didn't know everything about them or their darkest secrets, but she knew their abilities, fighting styles, how to rile them up in a fight and their weaknesses.

Being able to use her mind to beat them and not showing all of her techniques or telling them why she could find them or sense their presence with ease had left Sasuke and Sakura confused and somewhat suspicious. Naruto thought she was really cool and strong, not unbeatable though, after all he was going to become the greatest Hokage ever so one day he was going to become stronger than she was.

Amari looked forward to that day.

"When she created her two clones originally she had sensed them once again but I decided it was best to wait them out and sent her to the front with the rest of you. That way in case I was overwhelmed someone was already preparing a defense."

The others nodded again. It was a sound tactic and for the most part it had worked with the exception of Naruto freezing up. Kakashi returned his attention to the two ninjas. "The most obvious hint was your terrible disguise. A _puddle_ on a _clear day_ when it hasn't rained in weeks? If I may ask my student a question, Amari how did you know the puddle wasn't a normal puddle."

Eyes were all on her again and the shy ninja attempted to shrink away mentally. "I-…The puddle felt wrong. Not just because of what you said, but when I stepped in it I felt their chakra. The feeling sent chills across my body and it nearly paralyzed me."

"Why?" Naruto asked.

"I hadn't felt something so…evil in years," she answered while fighting off a shudder at the reminder of their chakra.

 _Not since Kasai._ Kasai then hadn't had nearly the same amount of killing intent these guys had, but his betrayal and the spiteful look of pure hatred still was scarred into her memory. Even Mizuki hadn't felt so evil despite trying to hurt and kill her friend and sensei.

"I see. You did good, Amari."

She nodded then lowered her head in an attempt to get the attention off of her. "Wait, if you both knew there was going to be an attack, why'd you leave it for the Genin to do the fighting?" Tazuna questioned.

"I could have taken them out quickly." _Show off._ "But then I'd have learned nothing. I had to know who their target was…and what they were after."

 _Time to figure out what we are really in for._

"Hmm? What are you getting at?" Tazuna sounded taken aback at the veiled accusation.

"This: I wanted to know if they were after us, ninja attacking ninja, or if they were after you, the master bridge builder. When you put in your request you asked for standard protection from robbers and highwaymen. You didn't say there were shinobi hunting you down with the intent to kill you and anyone else around you."

The others seemed a bit confused at the sudden line of conversation, yet there was an air of understanding of the new situation that Kakashi was getting at. Amari watched and listened intently, gauging the bridge builder's body language and eyes for anything else he might be hiding.

"If we knew this, it would be a B-rank mission or higher." Tazuna lowered his head, his features falling into sadness at being caught in his lie. "Our mission was meant to be simple: get you to your destination and protect you while you finished building your bridge. Highwaymen and robbers would've been no issue for my students."

Kakashi's eye became intensified. "But had we known we would be fielding attacks from enemy shinobi this team of young Genin would not have been selected and the cost for would've been raised to that of a B-rank mission. Apparently you have your reasons, but lying to us is _not_ acceptable. We are now beyond the scope of our original mission."

Getting this into the open was good. It would help everyone understand the reality of their situation and force the bridge builder to be honest with them from here on out…Still, Amari wanted to help him. Even though he lied about what they'd be dealing with, and in doing so knowingly put them all in an incredibly dangerous situation, she knew in her heart that his cause was noble. She could feel it.

 _The problem is this mission is above our rank and by all protocols we need to head back to the village…But I've done a terrible job at following protocol before. Don't know if this one would be a good idea to go against though._

She cast her glance to her fellow Uchiha. _Me and Sasuke are highly skilled for Genin. We both can hold our own in taijutsu and ninjutsu…but against someone as strong as Kakashi we wouldn't stand a chance alone._ Her eye flicked over to her best friend. _Naruto is strong as well in his own right and his usually unwavering will is enough to keep him in a fight normally…but if he freezes up like he did earlier we'll have an issue. A fatal issue._

Her eye moved to her fellow kunoichi. _Sakura probably wouldn't be able to fight too long on her own against these higher ranked ninjas, but her intelligence would keep her out of trouble, I think. She knows how to fight; it's just getting her to the point that she will that is tough. I should really ask her if she wants to train in taijutsu with me to help her become stronger physically._

A problem for another day.

"We're Genin, this is too advanced for our level of training. We should go back." Sakura was right in a logically sound world and with Naruto having poison in his hand, as Sakura was pointing out verbally, that complicated matters. The logical part of Amari's mind was hitting the same points as her teammate…Yet her heart was telling her that leaving the bridge builder was not only condemning an entire land to whatever life they had that he was trying to change, but also condemning him to death by these ninjas.

Her heart was winning out in her own internal war.

"Hmm. Amari, I saw you analyzing your teammates. What do you think?" their sensei asked.

"I don't know, Sensei. Sakura is right about this mission being higher leveled for our training and about needing to heal Naruto's hand but…I guess I just want to help the bridge builder and complete the mission." Her answer earned her raised eyebrows from Tazuna. "He may have put us in danger, but I don't have a doubt in my heart or mind that his cause for his home is noble."

"How do you know?" Sakura asked.

How to explain the complexities of reading eyes and body language and the gut and heart based feelings she had? "…It was in his eyes when he told us about building the bridge and it's even in his eyes now. I…I don't know how to explain it."

She clenched her arm a bit tighter as she struggled internally with explaining her assumption without real tangible facts. "I don't have evidence you guys can see and know. Everything I've based this off of is what I can read in his eyes and the feelings in my heart and gut. It's only ever led me astray once…and I paid the price for that, but that was when I was still an orphan…" she trailed off slightly at her own reminder of Kasai but then mentally pushed it all away to refocus. "I've learned more about people and how to read intentions better because of all of my training with Kakashi-sensei and Mom.

"Anyway, the only problem I see is us running into a ninja stronger than these guys. While we all have our individual strengths and we can work together, that won't matter against someone like you, Sensei. We still have you and your skills to counteract that against at least one shinobi of your level, but if there are two or three at your level our ability to protect the bridge builder isn't high enough to repel those attacks."

She let out a sigh as logic won out that fight. Logic dictated that if they were sent against multiple strong ninjas they'd be lucky to survive the encounter. The question was should they leave him out of cowardice for their own lives or stay by his side and face certain death in the worst case and probable injuries or near death instances in the best case.

"As I said, I don't know. By protocol we should head back, but my heart and gut are telling me we should push forward and help this man complete his goal of changing their world, even if it seems bravely stupid or stupidly brave of us to do it."

Kakashi remained silent a moment after her dissection of their chances. "All good points. I don't doubt you've read Tazuna better than you realize, yet Naruto's hand could become a problem." The Jōnin exhaled a sigh that sounded fake. _Is he egging him on? Does Kakashi-sensei really want to work or something?_ "I guess we should go back to the village."

Much to everyone's shock, and Amari's horror, Naruto grabbed a kunai knife and imbedded it into the wound, splattering blood everywhere. "Naruto! What the hell are you doing?!" Amari yelped, rushing to his side with her medical tape in hand.

He turned away from her and kept the blade in his hand. "Why am I so different? Why am I always- arghh!"

 _But…_

"I worked so hard to get here, pushing myself until it hurt! I trained alone for hours, doing anything and everything I could to get stronger so I could reach my dream."

Amari lowered her head as understanding of where he was coming from came over her. _I see. You and I aren't so different, Naruto, but while you saw me doing something you think you're incapable of…I saw you doing what I have fought to change in myself._

She closed her eye while her thoughts trailed back to her early days of training and even present day training. _I've replayed the memory of myself watching with fear as my friends fought and tried to kill each other over and over again, reminding myself that_ _ **I**_ _failed them because_ _ **I**_ _was too weak and scared. I could've stopped it. I could've saved Ryu at the least, maybe even the Kasai I cared for if we could get through to him…but I was too emotional, too weak to do anything to help._

 _Since then I have tried so hard to train my body and mind to never freeze up so I never have to witness it again. It took me a long time, to be honest, to stop freezing up. To stop closing my eyes in the middle of a fight because I was afraid or hurt…I got hurt a lot. But Mom never let me quit, even when I tried to. Even when I was balling my eyes out because of how much a failure I saw myself as, she never let me give up. It's because of her guidance I was able to find my strength to be who I am today._

"I will never back down again and let someone else rescue me. I will never run away, and I will not lose to Sasuke. Upon this wound I make this pledge."

A smile made its way to Amari's face at hearing him find his own strength and resolve without the guidance she needed. _But that's why you're special, Naruto. You have that spark and strong will I lacked…a will your friendship helped me to strengthen within myself._ "And I'll make sure you keep it, you knucklehead."

He gave a faint smile at her comment. "Bridge builder, I'll complete this mission and protect you with this kunai knife." The boy turned around with a struggled smile. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Naruto, uh, that was really cool how you took the poison out an all. Eh- but if you lose any more blood, you are going to die." Silence filled the air at the information Kakashi revealed, leaving their sensei to slide in behind the scared boy who was beginning to sweat a waterfall of water. "Good idea to stop the bleeding now. Seriously."

Amari just shook her head and tossed him the medical tape with a smile. _Well this will definitely be interesting. Only going to get harder from here on out._

 _No wonder they tell you to be careful what you wish for._


	10. Chapter 9: The Demon of the Hidden Mist

Chapter 9

Pushed to the Limit: The Demon of the Hidden Mist Strikes!

"We are nearly at the bridge now. The Land of Waves is just ahead," their boat captained informed in a whisper.

 _How this boat captain can see anything without something like my Byakugan is beyond me_. They were deep in a thick mist that made seeing two feet in front of her without her dōjutsu impossible. Traveling these waters consistently probably had a hand in his ability to paddle his motorboat with confidence, but Amari was still impressed. _Talk about a great natural defense. Anyone unfamiliar with these waters could get lost or crash their ship if they aren't careful._

Ever since they entered the mist she had remained utterly silent, refusing to speak unless spoken to so she could put forth her entire focus to searching for strong chakra signatures with her Byakugan. _We must be ready for any attack. Our next opponent, or opponents, will be tougher than the last two._

Their first enemies were to test the waters of those protecting the bridge builder, or at least that was what she believed. It was wholly possible the first group was actually meant to handle it without issue, but their failure would not go unnoticed. Whoever wanted the bridge builder dead would send more, and this time it would either be in a vast amount of enemies or one or two extremely powerful shinobi.

As they coasted across the water, a large, yet unfinished, bridge came into view through the fog, looming over them like a manmade mountain waiting to be completed.

 _So that's the bridge._ That was what was going to change the lives of the people in the Land of Waves. This structure, for Tazuna, was worth lying to shinobi and risking his life for his people.

This bridge was what they had to protect.

"Whoa! It's huge!" Naruto all but shouted at the top of his lungs in amazement.

 _Took the words out of my mouth, Naruto._ The bridge stood tall and defiant through the mist even in its incomplete state. If all went well it would become a beacon of hope among a people who had none; the commerce it would bring would change everything for these people.

The boat captain immediately started scolding the boy in a hissed whisper for forgetting the rule about no noise. The reason the captain was paddling instead of using his motor and traveling through the dense fog was because they were trying to remain hidden from…well, they still didn't know exactly who they were hiding from yet. All they knew was whoever it was caused Tazuna and this boat captain to fear reprisal of being caught in the open as they were.

Finally, Amari decided to speak without taking her gaze off the horizon ahead. "Who has imparted such fear onto you two? Who are we hiding from?"

Tazuna remained silent. Although they all knew he had lied to get them here, he still hadn't been forthcoming with who exactly they were dealing with. But his time of silence was at an end. They needed answers now. If he refused to give them the truth…they'd be given no choice but to abandon him.

"Mr. Tazuna," Kakashi's voice was calm, yet firm when he spoke. "Before we reach the pier you need to tell us why there are men coming after you. If you don't tell us I'm afraid I will have to end this mission when we drop you ashore."

The time for keeping secrets was over. If he wanted help he needed to tell them exactly who they were dealing with, otherwise they'd have no idea what kind of danger they should anticipate. Currently they were here voluntarily, and they could leave just as easily.

Tazuna stared at the wooden floor of the boat for a silent moment or two before exhaling a deep sigh. "The man who seeks my life is a short man who casts a very long and deadly shadow."

 _A long and deadly shadow?_

"He's one of the wealthiest men in the world, a shipping magnet. His name is Gatō."

Gatō was a well-known business leader, according to Tazuna and Kakashi, but apparently below the surface he sold drugs and contraband using gangs and ninja. One part that stuck out for Amari was his use of others to do his dirty work. Obviously without them he lacked any strength or ability to get what he wanted through threats.

The more Tazuna explained, the more her hatred for Gatō grew within her heart. _Profiting off of fear instilled in those who can't fight back because you have your lackeys slaughter them as examples. This guy needs to go down._ Amari looked to the bridge. _We won't fail this mission. We can't for their sake._

The bridge was the only thing that would break his control and Tazuna was the only one standing in the way. Without him the workers would cower away and Gatō would remain in power.

"That means those guys we fought in the forest were working for Gatō," Sasuke pointed out.

 _Right, and now we've taken them out. That means he'll send in the heavy hitters soon._ Amari deactivated her Byakugan. _I need to conserve my chakra then and give my eye a break. I need it at its full potential for the next fight._

No one was going to attack them on the water, that much was obvious. Whoever was going to strike next was waiting for them somewhere on the shore where they already had a place scouted out for their battle.

 _Unknown land with an unknown opponent…We're walking into a trap. Figuring out how to turn the trap against them or at the least counter it so we can create a new tactic will prove to be difficult._

Amari fell deep into her thoughts to strategize over how to counteract the coming trap. At the same time she vaguely heard their client attempting to guilt them to stay by mentioning how his grandson would cry forever and his daughter would condemn the Leaf Village shinobi. It was quite humorous, in a way, that he would stoop to guilt tripping them, but the Nara could see the double meaning behind it without a dōjutsu.

He was desperate; the whole island was.

Team Seven was their only hope of becoming free of Gatō's control.

What they were going headfirst into was dangerous. They were Genin on a B- or A-ranked mission with little to no real combat experience. Thinking about the odds of success and possible injury made heading back to the village sound like a better idea overall, but now they were committed and she wasn't going to back down from a fight.

 _We'll be fine. We have Kakashi-sensei and his Sharingan to fall back on if we need to._

As they were approaching the shore, after crossing under a different bridge, the fog dissipated to reveal a sunnier and lively looking village. It was a definite change from the foggy grey they had just been paddling though, and with luck maybe after they finished their mission all of the Land of Waves would look this way.

 _What a contrast of colors._ Amari's appreciation died in a heartbeat when her eye adjusted to the lights, allowing her to see far clearer exactly what kind of state the village was in. The houses were weathered and looked like they hadn't seen a new coat of paint or maintenance in years. If the young ninja had to guess, the people who lived in them would be mirror images. Weathered, broken down, rotting at their foundations until they would one day just topple over, unable to continue supporting their own weight.

 _Gatō has sucked them all dry of their very will to live._

Each thought added onto her already rising temper. The audacity of Gatō to keep people in such a state by using thugs and fear to rule over them like some kind of twisted lord. _And the people are just sitting there taking it. They could stand up and fight. Even if they died at least they tried to make a difference. At least they wouldn't be cowering in fear being herded like cattle as they live their lives suffering each day._

"Amari, you're thinking too much." Kakashi's voice was light and calm, but what was underneath his words snapped the Nara out of the dark place she was heading to. She unclenched her hand from the boat that she hadn't realized she had gripped tightly in anger.

 _We'll help these people._

They exited the boat after docking at the nearest pier. With their feet back on solid land they'd need to get back on high alert for any danger lurking ahead in the shadows. Amari was already scanning the area with her right eye, just doing a quick observation while the bridge builder thanked the boat captain. If an attack was coming soon she needed to be aware constantly to prevent any harm from coming to her team or Tazuna.

Once again the group set off on their journey to Tazuna's home. Amari found herself walking next to Kakashi, both sensei and student unknowingly in deep thought over the same matter. _Next up will be Jōnin, elite ninjas like sensei which means we'll be about as useful as a wooden shuriken against any real enemy._

"Amari, keep your eye open for anything out of the ordinary. We'll need all the advantages we can get now," Kakashi whispered to her.

She nodded faintly. An ambush was inevitable, they both knew that. And whoever was preparing it would have picked a location where they had the greatest advantage against any enemy. They wouldn't be as arrogant as the first two to give away their location against them too early. If their next enemy was on the level of Kakashi, Team Seven would have a brief window of opportunity to counter the ambush and prepare for defense.

They'd need any and all advantages they could make use of to keep counter the first attack and regroup. Her eye was just one of those advantages.

Naruto suddenly rushed forward and threw a kunai for some strange reason. Amari let her only visible eyebrow quirk up, unimpressed by his sudden action. _Trying to show Sasuke up no doubt. That or appear super cool._ She rolled her eye. _Naruto, you can be so troublesome sometimes._ Now wasn't the time to act like a kid. They needed to be thinking like shinobi in preparation of a dangerous fight, not playing around or trying to show someone up because of a bruised ego.

The others, exception of Sasuke and Amari, jumped to scolding the boy for different reasons. Amari wasn't sure if he was right or not about his first throw, but a sudden strong chakra signature jolted through her senses, snapping her attention straight to the area where Naruto threw his next kunai.

 _That wasn't a rodent…_ That chakra signature was powerful…and full of darkness she was hesitant to even believe was possible. Kakashi must have sensed it too because instead of scolding Naruto again he went to check where the kunai knife landed.

Amari quickly activated her Byakugan and scanned the area in front of her first and then behind her… _There he is._ She could see him and the chakra signature clearly in a nearby tree with a giant sword in his hands.

Even at a distance she could feel his cold and dark chakra, like all he saw and believed in was to kill all those who he saw unworthy of him. Just by feel that was everyone he was staring at right now. Immense strength irradiated off of him, the likes of which she had only ever felt in shinobi like Kakashi.

He suddenly took a backswing with his sword. "Everyone, get down now!" she shouted. She wasn't going to wait for her order to register just in case they had a moment of hesitation. One second of hesitation would be a death sentence today. Amari launched her shadow across the ground and attached it to the others, with the exception of Kakashi who was out of reach.

"Look out!" he yelled a second after her. The sword was huge; a blade of at least several arm lengths long and about her body in width, maybe even a bit more since she was small. Yet it whirled through the air like a tornado, seeking to eviscerate them and douse their blood all across the grassy floor.

Thankfully no one was struggling to move, making her forced dive to the ground a whole lot easier with four people attached to her. She dived down chest first, forcing her teammates and Tazuna to mirror her exact movements so they too were chest first in the grass.

The sword flew overhead, barely missing them all if the sound of air being cut right above her head was anything to go by. Once it passed she let her shadow recede back to her to let the others gain control of their bodies once again.

 _Too close._ Far too close for her tastes anyway. But their new fight hadn't even begun yet. The flying sword was but a warning shot to again test their abilities and see if they were worth any effort whatsoever.

 _If I can sense his strength right, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and I aren't going to be fighting this fight. This guy is in an entirely different league compared to us._

Good news was they had survived the initial ambush. Now they just had to keep that up.

His sword impaled itself into a tree, almost cutting it in half from the single throw. Not a second later the man behind the attack appeared from a body flicker standing on the hilt of his blade. He wore bandages covering the lower half of his face with his ninja headband tied around the side of his head. The symbol etched into the metal part of his headband marked him as a shinobi from the Village Hidden in the Mist.

The color of his skin was a greyish color, ghoulish in a way. His black hair was spiky; his eyes were brown in color, yet colder than any winter storm and almost as piercing as the Sharingan. He didn't wear a shirt but he did wear blue pants with black and white sleeves that matched his shoes.

Strength and evil chakra rolled off of him in waves. Shivers made their way across Amari's body as she tried to regain her courage in the face of such foul chakra. _This guy blows those other two out of the water in strength and killing intent._

"Well well, if it isn't Zabuza Momochi, rouge ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist," Kakashi said as took a few steps towards the man to be between them and him.

The mention of his name made a light bulb flash on in her brain and her eye widen. _So that's who he is, the rogue ninja from the Hidden Mist who tried to assassinate the Mizukage. He was in mom's bingo book._ She cast a worried glance towards her teammates. _The others are crazy if they think we stand a chance against him._

Naruto suddenly rushed forward only for Kakashi to put his arm out, stopping him in his tracks. "You're in the way. Get back," he ordered sternly.

"But why?!" Naruto questioned.

Amari walked in front of Naruto but still behind Kakashi's hand. This was not the time for arguments. This was a time to heed their sensei's words instead of trying to prove they were courageous. "Naruto, this guy is way out of our league. If you want to help then we need to stay out of the way. Trust me."

He looked upset, and she could see there was an argument on the tip of his tongue. She shot him a meaningful look, stealing any argument he might have given before it could form.

"Fine," he conceded, still clearly displeased about the decision.

He had an undying will for sure, but trying to fight this guy without a plan would be suicide. They needed a strategy and the resident Nara was working hard to make one.

"Amari keep a calm mind and see through deception."

The last half was code for her Byakugan, but why had he told her to remain calm? _I'm usually always calm in a fight…_ Why was everyone so worried about her anger?

An understanding then dawned on the young ninja. _The green chakra showed when I was angry in the fight with Mizuki and whatever it means or is obviously is still a worry amongst everyone. Is it just the color of my chakra or are they worried I'll lose my mind or something?_

Questions for later. Now wasn't the time to start trying to understand why her anger made everyone worried.

"If he's our opponent, I'll need this." Kakashi brought his hand to his headband and lifted it up partly without revealing his eye.

"If you need that then this is worse than I thought," Amari muttered.

"Kakashi of the Sharingan eye. Did I get that right?" the rogue ninja asked curiously, his voice deep and gruff.

 _If he knows of the eye and isn't showing any sign of worry then we're in trouble_ , Amari thought worriedly. _Sharingan is essentially his trump card and this guy doesn't even look concerned about facing it._

"It's too bad, huh. But you'll have to hand over the old man."

She couldn't suppress her snort of amusement. She tried, she really did, but it just slipped out. Although this guy was a whole lot stronger than she was, his belief that he could just waltz in and kill Tazuna without them giving him a fight was cute. "Right, like that'll happen."

The rogue ninja's eyes flicked over to her without showing any sign of emotion. His cold gaze pierced straight through her body, into her soul then out of her body like she was completely transparent. It was…unnerving, to say the least. But she kept a calm mind. He would not succeed, not while Kakashi was fighting and not while she drew breath.

"Be careful, Sensei," she whispered.

He grunted in affirmation to what she meant.

There was a huge difference between her Sharingan and his, other than his being stronger. While the Sharingan normally did not drain a significant amount of chakra on an Uchiha, when it was implanted into a non-Uchiha like Kakashi the drain on his chakra was significant. It was the reason he kept it under his headband and kept his eye closed. Because he was a non-Uchiha, he could not deactivate the dōjutsu like she could, which meant the only way for him to conserve chakra was to keep it covered at all times.

 _A long drawn out fight would be disastrous for us_ , she analyzed. _Kakashi-sensei knows he can't use his Sharingan without consequence. For him to be pulling it out at the start of the fight is telling to how dangerous Zabuza is._ Kakashi wouldn't use his Sharingan for an enemy he didn't need it for, and he certainly wouldn't reveal it at the beginning of a fight if his enemy wasn't dangerous.

The consequence of that decision wouldn't be felt if he could end the fight within a few minutes. But if Zabuza could draw out the fight long enough, if he could evade any deadly or incapacitating blows and force Kakashi to overuse his Sharingan, they'd be doomed.

 _I can't allow that to happen,_ Amari decided with fiery determination. _If I see an opening where I can help Kakashi-sensei and not get hurt, I am going to take it._

"Now quick, Manji Formation. Protect the bridge builder and stay out of this fight. I taught you teamwork, now is the time to use it."

Teamwork was about the only thing that would stop Zabuza from taking them down quickly while the formation would allow them to watch all sides. The Manji Formation would have the four Genin with their backs facing each other so they were protecting their center, which would hold the bridge builder. While usually the only blind spot would be the center, with Amari's Byakugan that was no longer the case.

Their only blind spot would be hers.

Kakashi lifted his headband up the remaining way with everyone, including Zabuza, watching intently to see what it looked like. As he opened his eyelid his red eye with three tomoe was shown, and Amari couldn't help but dream of the day hers looked like that. _Can't focus on that now, but at least when I do mature it the eye will look a lot cooler._

"I'm ready."

"Well…looks like I get to see the Sharingan in action. This is an honor," Zabuza said. He sounded honored, oddly enough, though it was somewhat understandable. With the Uchiha Clan gone the Sharingan was all but extinct. The only person who wielded it aside from Kakashi was Amari, and while Sasuke didn't wield it at the moment his lineage made the Sharingan his inheritance just as it did his female counterpart.

Naruto turned to Kakashi and the others with confusion on his face "Everyone keeps saying 'Sharingan' 'Sharingan.' Will someone please tell me what Sharingan is?"

It would have been a pleasure to explain the dōjutsu to her friend so he wasn't so in the dark on what was going on, but letting on that she knew more than any normal ninja her age should know would create even more suspicion in the others. Their suspicion would hurt the dynamics of the team and force her to come clean earlier than she wanted to.

So far their team had only been together for two full weeks, which was just enough time for them to figure out how they worked together. Telling Sasuke 'hey I have the Sharingan and I'm part Uchiha' would splinter the last two weeks of work like a bolt of lightning splintering a tree.

She needed to keep biding her time until she was certain Sasuke wouldn't totally freak out about her hiding her heritage or the Sharingan from him. Until that time, she would keep her Sharingan a secret and refrain from using it in battle unless it became absolutely necessary to the survival of her team or her own life.

Besides those perfectly valid reasons to not explain anything about the Sharingan, she couldn't bring herself explain it because her own knowledge on the subject was very mundane and basic. For all the studying she did on her own heritage, the amount of information she was permitted to read wasn't exactly a full well of knowledge. It was more like an empty well with a few drops of water left to salvage.

Frankly, she was left in the darkness when it came to her Uchiha heritage. Maybe it was for good reason, but that didn't sate her need for answers about her past. Even though she had a new family she cherished, she still had a lot of questions about the family she lost. She wanted to know about them, even if it was just a little bit of information like how strong they were…or if they'd be proud of her.

The latter was a personal question that may never be answered if no one currently alive knew them…but that wasn't the point. She just wanted to know _something_ about them. Was that too much to ask?

"The Sharingan is a rare power," their resident full-blooded Uchiha spoke. "It resides in the eyes. The user of this visual jutsu, or dōjutsu, can instantly see and comprehend any genjutsu, taijutsu, and ninjutsu and reflect the attack back on the attacker. However there is more to the Sharingan than that. A lot more."

"Hmph, you've only scratched the surface, boy. The Sharingan can analyze an opponent's technique and then copy it to the smallest detail."

 _Not just a technique, it can copy mere movements_ , Amari added mentally. _Mind games should be added to the list of techniques that can be used._

Copying your enemy's movements to the smallest of twitches would throw any ninja off, if seeing the red eye staring right through you wasn't enough to make your confidence waver. From there seeing your every move copied perfectly like the wielder knew what you were going to do before you did would just cement in the mind game. Throwing an opponent off balance would then allow the wielder to capitalize and defeat their opponent, or that was Amari's theory anyway.

A cold rush of air swept across the battlefield, bringing a thick fog rolling in with it.

"As for you, Kakashi, in the Assassination Unit of the Hidden Mist we had a standing order to destroy you on sight. Your profile was in our bingo book; it called you 'the man who copied over a thousand jutsu.' Kakashi, The Copy Ninja."

Amari stole a glance back at Sasuke in the silence that fell over the field as the two elite shinobi stared each other down. _He failed to mention that the Sharingan only formed in the Uchiha clan, our clan. Why would he leave that out? Embarrassed that he hasn't unlocked the ability to use it? Certainly would match his prideful nature, but seeing Kakashi-sensei with it might have confused him since he doesn't hold the Uchiha name._

She mentally pursed her lips in thought and returned her eye back to their enemy. _Though there is also the distinct possibility he doesn't want to risk letting this guy know he is of the Uchiha Clan. Zabuza could target him specifically and kill him just to kill off who he assumed was the last Uchiha in the world. Either way, deception is part of being a ninja and letting your enemy know more about you than they need to know only hurts your own chances._

It would be like explaining your jutsu's to the enemy so they knew exactly what handseals to watch out for. You would hinder your chances of success dramatically.

One huge bonus of neither holding the Uchiha name or the crest on her person was the immediate advantage when the time came for her to finally use the Sharingan in battle. No one would suspect it; they may even believe it was a trick thus making them vulnerable to her attacks. Even keeping her Byakugan hidden would almost always put her ahead of her opponent.

 _So long as I use it properly, that is._ Special abilities meant nothing if she couldn't or didn't use them the right way.

"Enough talking. It's time for me to exterminate the old man!"

Without further conversation all four Genin rushed over to Tazuna with Sasuke at the front of the formation, Sakura at the right side, Naruto on the left and Amari covering his back. She kept the rogue ninja in her Byakugan sight, but his current position was too close to her one and only blind spot to give her full view of him.

 _As long as I can keep part of him in sight, he won't be able to surprise us._

"Looks like I'll have to eliminate you first, eh Kakashi? So be it."

Their sensei remained silent as Zabuza moved to the water and stood on the surface of it, taking on a stance as he kneaded his chakra into the mist around them.

 _I really wish I would have learned that technique before coming here…_

Now only Kakashi would be able to fight him and give him chase if he used the water as the staging ground of all of his attacks.

"Ninja Art: Hidden Mist Jutsu."

Barely a second later the natural mist from before grew thicker and thicker until visibility of anything a few feet in front of her face was impossible. _Man, this is going to be such a pain._ Her right eye was useless now, and if the chakra threaded into the mist she could see in her Byakugan was anything to go by then her and her sensei's Sharingan would be useless.

The Byakugan's ability to see chakra was far above that of the Sharingan and could not be tricked by simple mist, no matter how much chakra was kneaded into it. But the Sharingan was a different story. It could see the chakra of others to a lesser degree, meaning in this thick mist all her sensei could see was the chakra of Zabuza all around him and not the man himself.

 _I'm the only one who can see him now_ , she realized nervously. No one except her would be able to track their opponent, not unless Kakashi had the precise chakra sensing abilities of her mother or a spare Byakugan on hand he could transplant himself. Everyone was blind to their enemy while he could move through it without fear.

This was a worst case scenario coming to life. _Stay calm. I have…I have to stay calm._ Amari inhaled deeply and exhaled to keep her nerves from overpowering her. If she lost her cool now Tazuna and her teammates would die. They needed her now more than ever, even if they didn't know it.

She had to give credit where credit was due though; Zabuza had really planned this out to the tiniest of details. He picked the perfect ambush area where he could not only make the most of his jutsu, but also turn it into his hunting ground without any resistance should they not have any sensory shinobi among them.

"Sensei?" Sakura's worried voice quivered in the foreboding silence that fell upon the battlefield.

"He'll come after me first."

 _Maybe._ Tactically speaking it would be wise for him to eliminate Kakashi first. He was really the only threat here to the success of his mission. With him gone he'd stomp through the four Genin with ease, definitely if he kept this mist actively blinding them.

Yet there was always a chance he'd go straight for the bridge builder by using the mist to cover his tracks. By attacking the bridge builder first and eliminating him he'd be able to get paid and leave them all to deal with failure to protect their client. With Tazuna dead they'd have no reason to stay because their mission could no longer continue without him.

Zabuza would escape into the mist and never be seen again by them…if he didn't kill them as well.

The rogue ninja hadn't even moved yet, however. He remained on the water, watching carefully through the mist, likely deciding on his plan of action. _Or is he playing mind games with the mist?_ All were possibilities that couldn't be underestimated. This shinobi was dangerous and knew they were all inexperienced Genin just by looking at them. Mind games would certainly work and would help to form a break in their defense.

"But who is he?" Sakura asked.

"Zabuza Momochi, the ex-leader of the Hidden Mist Assassination Unit. He's a master of the Silent Killing Technique."

"S-s-silent?" Naruto asked, fear for the name of the technique causing him to stutter.

"As the name suggests it happens in an instant without sound or warning of any kind. The attack happens so fast, you pass from this life without realizing what has happened. The Sharingan cannot fully neutralize it, so keep your guard up and your senses open."

The use of the mist now made even more tactical sense than it had previously just with that little bit of information. Although the mist helped to conceal his movements and effectively sent fear through the group with one of their main senses becoming useless, it also gave him the advantage for his special technique. Without sight the team was stuck relying on their sense of hearing—a completely useless sense when dealing with a shinobi who could move _silently_.

Zabuza had the advantage here and he knew it.

Amari could hear her team let out sighs mixed between fear and resignation of the situation as she continued to track the rogue ninja. The only flaw to his plan was her Byakugan sight. He didn't know she could see perfectly through this mist, and that advantage would likely be the only thing keeping her team and Tazuna from witnessing firsthand the Silent Killing Technique.

"Well, if we fail we only lose our lives."

Kakashi's rather lax way of talking about their death actually made Amari break into a short giggle. _Oh yes, just our lives. At least if he did use the Silent Killing Technique we wouldn't know._ "Of course, no big deal there, Sensei. It's only our lives we'll lose," she retorted wryly.

"How can you two say that?" Sakura asked, her voice hot with anger.

 _Coping mechanism?_ Humor was a great way to remain calm under such stressful circumstances, even if it was dry morbid humor. Laughing or at least smiling would ease the nerves and allow you to remain focused on the task at hand. Explaining that in detail in the middle of this situation, however, wouldn't do her any favors. It'd only let Zabuza know he was successfully making her feel fear, and she wouldn't give him the pleasure.

The mist continued to roll in thicker and thicker, taking their already terrible visibility and making it impossible for her to even see her hand in front of her face.

It was the perfect opportunity to strike.

Behind her, she could hear Tazuna explaining to Naruto how the mists in the Land of Waves were a common occurrence. Even if they were, this was not the same mist the Land of Waves was used to. This mist was created by a shinobi for one reason and one reason alone…

To kill anyone caught in it.

"This is no ordinary mist, Mr. Tazuna. This mist was created to conceal the movement of our enemy, and give him the battlefield advantage to use his technique," she informed passively, her eye remaining locked on their enemy.

"Smart girl," Zabuza drawled dryly.

"Amari, are you…" Sakura stopped short of finishing her question.

"I've got your backs. And your fronts. Oh and your sides covered as well."

Their enemy was overconfident in his abilities because of their rank as Genin's, but just like countless others his overconfidence would blind him while her eyes remained clear.

There were sounds of surprise amongst her team as their sensei disappeared among the heavy mist. Amari wasn't sure what Kakashi's plan was, but she hoped it was a good one. Although her eyes would remain clear, that didn't change the fact Zabuza was physically stronger than she was and could probably move quicker than her.

She didn't fool herself into believing that just because she could track him meant she could stop him by herself. Even with the help of her teammates she doubted they could take this guy and win. At the most they'd maybe be able to stall him long enough for Kakashi to beat him, _maybe_ , but to physically beat him was impossible.

 _He's moving in._

"Eight points. Larynx. Spine. Lungs. Liver. Jugular. Subclavian artery. Kidneys. Heart. Now which will be my kill point?" His voice remained level, almost casual if it weren't for the sadistic tone underneath it all.

Two years ago she would have been quivering in fear as the chill of possible death hovered in the air around them. Today she could only snort humorously at his childish scare tactic.

"You're a weird one, girl. You find your death funny?"

"No, I find your poor scare tactics and belief that no one can see you funny." Taunting and hinting at her ability probably wasn't the best tactic from a logical standpoint, but Amari wasn't attacking this situation from a purely analytical position. She couldn't, not when the rest of her team was falling into their fears. They needed her watching out for them with her Byakugan, and they didn't need Zabuza targeting them first until they could get a grasp on their fear.

If taunting and hinting at her abilities made him focus on her and her voice rather than her teammates or sensei it'd give Kakashi a distraction to work off of and find the rogue ninja within the mist. At the same time it'd keep a giant target on her instead of her team and the bridge builder, and if it did succeed in keeping their enemy focused on her then it would be a good plan.

If he killed her with his Silent Killing Technique before she could react then it would pretty much fail.

"I see. So that power I felt in you really is there, huh."

 _Is that why he stared at me originally? Either my natural strength caught his attention, or by some means he is able to sense my Byakugan_. She hoped for the former, to be honest.

"I must say I am impressed you are as strong as you are…for a lowly Genin that is."

"Oh, you got some bark, old man, but is your bite any good?" she shot back.

The rogue ninja chuckled darkly within the mist. "I think I'm starting to like you, girl. Even in the face of death you haven't even flinched. Not like that dark-haired boy at all." Amari hazarded shifting her Byakugan gaze away from Zabuza to Sasuke, nervous of what she'd find. Her fears were confirmed by the sight of trembling hands that were barely able to maintain hold of the kunai in his hands. "How pathetic. Not even worthy to be called a shinobi or the death of one. You, however, may yet earn the death of a shinobi, but I won't get my hopes up."

Sasuke was shaking so badly Amari could hear his ninja tools clattering around in their pouch. He couldn't get a grip on himself at all. _Come on Sasuke, you need to get a grip and stay focused_ , she pleaded mentally. At the rate he was breathing, he was going to send himself into a panic attack before the real fight even began.

Another problem was her glance to Sasuke gave Zabuza the opportunity to escape out of her immediate sight. Although the Byakugan allowed her to see three hundred and sixty degrees around herself, to find a shinobi actively hiding himself from her—an elite shinobi from an assassination unit at that—made it impossible to just glance and see her enemy. She was going to have to seek him out now with all of her focus, but she also couldn't just fall silent and leave her team to quiver in fear in the mist.

 _This mist needs to go. It isn't a genjutsu so I can't just release it, unfortunately. But enough chakra released from my chakra points in a controlled surge may force the mist to recede so we can at the least see one another again._

Without hesitation, Amari brought her hands up into Tiger seal and focused on summoning her chakra around her body as if it were a tornado. A green circle of chakra seemed to ignite around her feet, swirling around her rapidly with a few strings of chakra arcing up and over her to connect to the circle again. As the chakra arced around her, her blue hair began to shift and whip in response to the waves of energy cascading off of her.

"Interesting," Zabuza said with the least bit of interest in his voice.

A second surge of blue chakra burst to life from their sensei, far stronger than hers was and with far more control than she could muster. Together their surges created enough wind movement to clear the mist just enough for them to see Kakashi once more.

Amari lowered her hands back into a defensive stance and extinguished her chakra output. One problem more or less solved, now it was time to attack the next problem.

"Sasuke, I need you to focus on my voice," Amari said. The boy let out a startled grunt of understanding. "Remember that day we trained when it was you and Sakura fighting me and Naruto?"

"Is this a time for reminiscing?" Sakura questioned, her voice shaking with fear rather than the disbelief she meant to relay.

"Focus on my voice both of you, you too Naruto. Think about the day we trained. Remember the calm mindset you were in. Remember the sounds, the smells, the sights." The three remained silent but the jittering was becoming quieter.

 _Just like I planned._ They were all too focused on the possibility of dying and fearing for their own safety rather than what they needed to focus on: staying calm so they could prepare for an attack and not die.

To get them out of that she was just going to have to take their minds on a quick detour, remind them of their training, of everything they had done to get this far so they would regain their courage and be prepared for anything. Being filled with fear would only cause them to make stupid mistakes and get themselves killed, and she wouldn't stand for that.

"Now remember a moment of triumph. Naruto remember when you got Sasuke down. Sakura remember the trap you sprang that caught him. Sasuke remember your fight with me. Go to that moment and think of all the feelings you had."

The jitters began to quell until there was only a slight shake left. _Still not enough._ They needed another push, another stronger reassurance to keep them from losing their regained calm. Amari just wasn't sure she could give that push. Her practice of mediation and training with her mother was the only reason she could stay so calm right now in the face of what would be certain death if they failed.

Her teammates didn't have that same training. They were still fresh out of the Academy training, which was good training, but in theory and in practice were different continents in the grand scheme of things. As far as she knew, this was their first real brush with an enemy of such overwhelming strength. The fact he used to lead the Assassination Unit didn't help them at all.

"Using your mind to overcome the fear," Zabuza drawled from his hiding spot, which she still hadn't found.

 _Damn it he's going to ruin it all._ He was the source of their fear to begin with. Knowing what her tactic was would make it easy for him to break it apart.

"An interesting technique, girl. Not many Genin have the ability to keep the fear of death at bay as you do, as your team has shown you, and even fewer under the influence of fear would be able to come up with such a simple tactic to forget that their deaths are only moments away."

"I do not fear death," Amari responded calmly. "And I'm not going to die until I kill the person responsible for my pain."

"Hmph. You'd have done well in the Mist years ago. A shame you were born to such a soft Village. We'd have honed you to be a real shinobi."

His words made Amari shudder. She had heard once of the Mist Village graduation exam they put their aspiring shinobi through. She knew what kind of pain they had to endure, and now thanks to Zabuza and his unending waves of killing intent she knew what kind of monster it could turn her into…What he believed was a real shinobi.

 _And he thinks I would fit in there…_

Maybe he thought it an honor, all she felt was disgusted that he saw _that_ kind of person in her.

"Still, your tactic isn't enough to spare your teammates from their fear because this fear isn't something so easily forgotten."

He was unfortunately right. So long as Zabuza remained an active threat to their lives, her team wouldn't be able to calm their fears with such a simple technique. They needed a real push, a real reassurance that they'd make it out of this alive…They wanted something she couldn't give them.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi's firm voice cut through the tense air like a sharpened sword. "Calm down. I will protect all of you with my life. I will not allow my comrades to die." He turned to face them with his signature eye smile and a real one beneath his mask. "Trust me."

That finally did it for the entire team. That was the real push they needed from someone who Amari had no doubt would back up his words with action. Amari herself felt even calmer just hearing his promise, she even smiled a little in the mist.

 _Kakashi-sensei…_

Her mentor was the best.

"I wouldn't be so sure."

The rogue ninja was fast, and only by the grace of her Byakugan—and probably a lot of luck—was Amari able to see his sudden appearance in front of Tazuna and in-between all of her teammates.

"So slow, are you sure you're a Jōnin?" Amari snarked once more while channeling her chakra through her body in preparation of using the Body Flicker.

"It's over, little girl."

"Not while I'm still breathing."

Before the young ninja could initiate her attack, Kakashi dashed in, knocking away everyone so it was just him and Zabuza in the center of their grounded forms. Had she not been able to strike he probably would have saved all of their lives from being cut by that huge sword. How the rogue ninja was able to use it efficiently piqued her curiosity, honestly. Just the sheer size and its bulk made it clear it wasn't meant to be used as a dueling sword, and judging on its size it was probably heavier than all four Genin put together. The length of the blade was definitely an asset. With one circular swing he could have cut all the Genin and the bridge builder and be done.

 _My turn._

Quickly, while her team and enemy were distracted, she put into action a new plan, one she was certain would get her past the guard of their enemy should her assistance be needed. Her preparations would be necessary if Zabuza's next move was anything to go by.

The clone of Zabuza splashed to the ground into a puddle. Not a second later Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi. "Die!" he shouted as he swung his large sword at their sensei.

The sword cleaved him in half, yet to the surprise of all his body turned to water just as Zabuza's clone had. _Whoa. He already copied the jutsu. Even in this mist he was able to see through it and copy the jutsu…_ A sprout of giddiness jumped in her heart. _I can't wait until I can do that too!_

Kakashi appeared behind their enemy with a kunai to his throat. "Don't move." Zabuza lowered his sword. "Now it's over. You're finished."

His definitive statement was met by a deep, dark, unnerving chuckle. _That's not a good sign._ People didn't laugh when they failed. _Is he just another clone?_ Amari tried searching around in her Byakugan but didn't see any other sign of Zabuza anywhere. _I don't like this. If he isn't taking the kunai to the throat seriously then he must have an idea or something of that sort. I need to be ready._

"Finished? Ha! You really don't get it, do you? Your Water Clone is nothing but a crass imitation. A cheap trick. I'll never be defeated by a mere copycat ninja like you." Another low, disturbing deep chuckle. "I'll admit, Kakashi, you impressed me. You already copied my Water Clone Jutsu when you made your little speech. Very skillfully executed. You had your clone make a little speech as a distraction while you hid within the mist, waiting for me to strike. A good plan, but not good enough! "

Zabuza, the real one, appeared right behind Kakashi out of seemingly thin air. Amari hadn't even been able to see where he had come from with her Byakugan or sense his chakra normally. _How did he do that?_

Kakashi's face, or his eye really, contorted into shock as the clone in front of him dispelled. Zabuza swung his sword again, another attempt to cut their sensei in half, but all he met was air when Kakashi ducked under the strike. The heavy blade slammed and impaled itself into the ground.

 _He swings it around like it weighs nothing._

Zabuza spun his hand on the blades hilt, using it as leverage as he turned his body and aimed a kick right at Kakashi. He could have dodged it, or at least Amari believed he could have, but instead he took it and was sent flying into the water.

The rogue ninja darted after him without hesitation. _He's not just physically strong enough to swing that sword around like it weighs the same as a feather, he's fast and agile too_ , Amari analyzed in both appreciation of his skills and fear for the coming fight.

They needed an advantage and they needed one right now.

Grabbing two kunais from the ninja tool box on her left leg, she quickly threw them at Zabuza on the hope it'd either hit him or distract him even a little. Zabuza knocked them into the ground without even having to glance back in her direction. She narrowed her eye at his back and watched him closely while her mind continued to work two moves ahead, seeing the battlefield as a shogi board rather than the ground.

Pieces were set in motion already, pieces Zabuza couldn't see yet. She just had to keep him blind to her real intentions and then strike when he least expected it.

Their sensei surfaced after remaining underwater for a few seconds, but he was staring at the water around him and the water dripping off his body as if it was the strangest thing he had ever seen. Zabuza appeared behind him standing on the water with his hands speeding through handseals.

Amari didn't know what jutsu he was planning, but by the humorous laugh he gave made it clear he had bad intentions for Kakashi.

"Kakashi-sensei, get out of there!" she shouted.

"Water Prison Jutsu." A sphere of water formed around their sensei and captured him within it, leaving him to hover helplessly within the prison at the mercy of their enemy.

Today was looking to be one of the worsts they all had since becoming a team.

 _Wait a minute._ Amari honed her focus in on the jutsu and began examining it with an analytical eye. _His hand is still within the water prison and that hand has a focused chakra fueling the prisons strength or its form…Which must mean he can't leave the spot he's in._

She glanced to her teammates to gauge where they were at mentally to further her awareness of the situation so she could continue moving her shogi pieces intelligently. Each of them were in varying states of shock, even Sasuke though he was far calmer than he had been moments before. His level head would be handy, as would his strength.

 _The problem is he can create a Water Clone still and wipe the floor with us._ She shot her eye back to Zabuza. _Our best chance at victory and survival is to force him to release the jutsu by any means necessary. The jutsu takes chakra to hold it, so each second we take to get sensei out is also taking its toll on Zabuza's chakra._

Leaving their sensei in there to drain the rogue ninja's chakra wasn't ideal. The chakra she could sense in the jutsu wasn't going to drain his chakra in a few minutes. They'd have to hold out against Zabuza's assault for far longer than they were capable in that scenario.

Amari tossed that idea to the side and started working on a new plan centered on getting his arm out of the sphere as quickly as possible.

"So this is how the great Kakashi Hatake falls, eh?" Zabuza taunted, smirking behind his bandages at their sensei's misfortune. "I'll take my time finishing you off later. I want you to see your little friends be eliminated first." He brought up his other hand in a handseal. "Water Clone Jutsu."

A clone began to form out of the water. She still hadn't put all her moves together though, but she hadn't stopped thinking for an instant or analyzing her enemy. _The Water Clone only holds one-tenth of his real strength, so that's good._ She mentally sighed. _Unfortunately we still aren't strong enough to even take that on. A frontal assault is no good. We just have to outmaneuver him._

Their biggest hope right now was that he would underestimate them and decide to toy with them. She knew it was a cruel thing to wish upon her teammates and herself, yet being toyed with would allow her time to formulate a better plan to get Kakashi out. Bruises and cuts would heal; as long as they weren't fatal they would be okay.

"Tell me, do you brats think wearing that headband really makes you a shinobi?" Dark laughter rumbled from him. "Don't be ridiculous. When you've hovered between life and death so many times it doesn't faze you then you _may_ be called a shinobi. When you've become so deadly your profile is entered into my bingo book then you _may_ have earned the title of shinobi. But to call upstarts like you shinobi is a bad joke."

The mist started rolling in again and as it did the Water Clone dashed in right at Naruto. A hard kick slammed into her teammates jaw before any of them could even flinch in reaction to the clones charge, knocking his headband off and sending him flying through the air. Amari's instincts kicked into gear, her muscles jolted her forward and into the air to catch her friend before he crashed hard into the dirt.

Anger brimmed within her heart, but Amari kept it at bay as she checked on Naruto. "You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah." The blood trailing down the side of his face and the wince of pain he couldn't conceal begged to differ.

 _Keep a calm mind. We just have to out play him._ Try as she might, Amari couldn't shake her anger building up. _Keep calm. Getting angry won't help us here…or will it._

"You four are just brats!" Zabuza said as he stamped on the headband.

 _Yes, that's it. I know what I have to do._ She could see the plan clearly in her mind, how it would give them an opening to free Kakashi and keep her friends safe. So she let her anger begin to blossom, let it course through her veins as if it was her very life essence as she fed more fuel to the building inferno she was going to let loose.

 _No one is going to hurt my friends and get away with it. I don't care how tough he is!_

"Listen, get the bridge builder and run!" their sensei shouted from his prison. "You four won't be able to win this fight. He's using all his power to keep me in this prison so he can only fight you with his water clone, but the clone can't go far from his real body. If you get away from him he can't follow! Now run!"

A sound tactic under normal circumstances against a weaker opponent who didn't have someone she cared about captured. As far as Amari was concerned, running was no longer an option.

 _The moment you were caught, Kakashi-sensei, our chance to run was taken from us, but more than that I will_ _ **not**_ _leave you to this fate._ Amari looked to her teammates and met Sasuke's eyes with her one. _Zabuza will just track us down and kill us with ease. The Manji Formation is easy for him to get around and on our own we are all screwed. Our only chance is if we use all our power to free you._

Sasuke shared a curt nod of understanding. They were on the same wavelength.

"We've got to do it."

The Uchiha boy charged in throwing shurikens as he went as quickly as he could. Just like her, though, Zabuza deflected them away with ease using his sword. Sasuke jumped into the air and dropped down with a kunai in hand only to be caught by the rogue ninja in a chokehold.

 _Like I thought, the frontal approach is useless against him. We might as well be moving in slow motion. We have to take him by surprise._ Amari glanced to Sakura and Naruto. _I'll need their help to achieve that._ Instead of breaking his neck, Zabuza tossed the boy to the side like he was trash.

Again she let her hatred and anger for Zabuza thrive within her heart. She almost had just enough fuel to create the explosion of anger she needed.

Instead of revealing her anger outwardly, the young ninja felt a light chuckle come on as she thought back to all the struggles she faced in becoming the ninja she was today. All the training and all the studying, the nightmares, the tears of sorrow and of happiness. She had worked so hard to finally gain the strength Ryu believed she had, and now it was all going to come down to this fight.

A life and death battle between her team and a Jōnin.

"What's so funny girl? Has madness finally gripped you?"

"No, not madness. Clarity." She let out another soft chuckle. "You have no idea who you're messing with." Naruto stood up next to her, clenching his left taped hand into a fist. Internally she felt all of her anger reaching its boiling point.

The explosion was coming.

"You speak to us like trash because of your strength, but I have something far more powerful than your strength within me that will help me to succeed where you will always fail."

"Amari, you have to remain calm!" Kakashi shouted.

"Come on, Kakashi, let the girl humor me," Zabuza chastised his fellow shinobi. "This girl is actually gaining my attention for a change. So girl, what is it you hold within you?"

What power did she hold that made his strength obsolete? What ability sealed this battle in her favor before it began?

"What I have within me is a burning fire that cannot be doused by the likes of you, a fire given to me by having people precious to me. So long as they still live, I will fight to protect their dreams."

She spoke with conviction that kept Zabuza from retorting. He simply stared at her like he was seeing something in her that he had seen before somewhere.

Amari's anger was near its peak. It was getting to the point her hands were beginning to shake from the remaining restraints on the swelling emotion, but this was the only way she knew how to channel her green chakra shroud and the killing intent that frightened Mizuki so much.

Right now they needed that person she became to protect Iruka and Naruto. The one who would have killed the traitor given the chance. Her fiery will needed to burn bright, the flames needed to coat her in a hue of green and let her anger flood off her at their enemy and her will to protect her allies keep them safe.

She realized how she became that fearless warrior. It wasn't born out of pure anger, but born of the wish to protect her friends with her own life. To not fail them as she failed Ryu. For now her anger was the only way she knew how to channel it, but she would do her best to learn better later.

Right now her team and sensei needed the intelligence and furious strength of Amaririsu Yūhi at her full potential.

Naruto charged in with a war cry but Amari remained still as her team and sensei freaked out about him running in like an idiot. Stupid as the plan seemed, and was, she knew the reasoning behind this one and it was a good one. He was kicked back like he was nothing, like he was just a tin can on the side of the road to kick away.

The flames exploded.

"Lay one more finger on my friends…and you're dead!" Her voice was a calm and deadly whisper that cut across the field.

"Amari stay calm! You can't lose your temper now. Stay focused and get yourselves out of here!"

He was too late. The warrior within was awakened.


	11. Chapter 10: Team Seven Strikes Back

Chapter 10

Counterattack: Team Seven Strikes Back!

Sasuke stared at Amari in shock as he began to feel a new tension consume the air around them. The feeling it gave him was incredibly similar to the tension created by Zabuza, the same tension that made the air feel like it was devoid of adequate oxygen as a lingering intent to kill crashed into him like a wave of bloodthirsty hatred attempting to swallow him whole.

 _What is this? Is this coming from Amari?_

Zabuza, the real one, turned his eyes to the young girl with sudden new interest gleaming in his dark eyes."Interesting. You have some potent killing intent, girl. Such anger, such pure hatred…" He smirked behind the bandages on his face. "You have my attention, little girl. Tell me, as your anger boils in your veins, does it make you want to hurt me? Is it screaming at you to attack me until I'm at your mercy?"

His teammate shook her head, but he noticed that her whole body was beginning to shake with contained rage. "No." Sasuke felt his eyes widened as a green hue formed around her, a fully transparent hue that was still trying to take form but failing to. "It makes me want to kill you."

Her voice felt like it was reverberating through a cave and into his ear canal, continuing to echo even after she fell silent. A sudden gust of wind passed over the field carrying with it an unnatural chill. The source? Sasuke could only assume Amari since the green hue shifted into flickering flames matching the fire in her heart; each black tip like a sharpened kunai knife lashing out in all directions.

An unnerved grunt escaped him as gasps left Sakura, Kakashi and the bridge builder at the sight. Zabuza's eyes didn't leave her though, in fact he looked far more intrigued than before and a bit amused.

 _Is this a genjutsu?_ Sasuke glanced back to Sakura and Tazuna, finding them both staring in shock at the blue-haired kunoichi's back while Naruto, who was still right next to her, seemed perfectly calm despite the change in the air and the shy aura of their teammate.

 _No. This isn't a genjutsu._ He looked back to Amari. _I can feel her emotions._ _I can sense her anger being pushed at Zabuza, I can feel her need to protect us surrounding me, no doubt the others feel that as well. It must be there to keep us from feeling the effects of this strange energy._ _But what is this power? Is this just merely her killing intent as that rogue ninja said, or is there more to it?_

Where had this even come from in the first place? How was this coming out of Amari of all people? _And why was Kakashi actively trying to get her to stay calm?_ Sasuke furrowed his brow in confusion. Something wasn't adding up here. Was he just worried she'd be reckless, or was it something more?

Sasuke wasn't sure. He was having a hard enough time wrapping his head around the fact that she was surrounded by her green chakra without any apparent strain or handseals. Based on his previous glance, Sakura was in the state of confusion he was in. Yet, if she was feeling even a fragment of what he was, then Amari's determination to rescue their sensei, protect her friends and take this guy down would be prominent.

"Naruto, you've got your headband back now? Good, you earned that. Sasuke." Sasuke made a noise of question as her abnormal voice reached his ears. Where the Amari he had gotten to know was soft spoken and calm in the field, this new Amari was stern, her voice simultaneously commanding and reassuring, her posture straighter than usual filled with a level of confidence she rarely ever showed.

 _Amari doesn't shy away from fights, but I've never seen her like this before. This…it feels like a different person altogether._

She turned to look over her right shoulder at him, the onyx eye staring back at him was intense, filled with the same killing intent that filled the air…But deeper within he could see her protectiveness over the team and the gears in her mind turning far faster than he could even comprehend. _The look in her eye. I haven't seen such an intense look outside of Kakashi…and my brother._

To see it in the usually docile girl left him a bit shaken.

"I have a plan, but it's going to require every single one of us to succeed."

 _A plan?_ What plan had she thought of? Frontal assault had been proven faulty both times between himself and Naruto. A new thought bashed his initial question out of the way with extreme force. _How far is she ahead of this Jōnin_? _Has she already gotten Zabuza exactly where she wants him?_

"What kind of plan?" he asked hesitantly.

Amari's lips pulled into a sadistic smirk, sending a shudder down his spine, then she turned back to the rogue ninja. He knew that smirk all too well now. He had seen it near the end of their team sparring right before she secured victory. Now Sasuke knew what that twitch of her lips meant—it was a warning to inform the one on the receiving end that she had outplayed them right before their inevitable defeat. The lashing green chakra only made it more sadistic.

 _Whatever she has planned doesn't bode well for this Jōnin. I don't know if we can take him, but her plan may be the only chance we have at rescuing Kakashi._

"I'll need your fiery personality soon, until then just follow our lead. Naruto, you ready?"

 _Fiery personality._ Sasuke smirked. _She means my Fire Ball Jutsu. If we can combine our jutsu together, we'll have a chance to get that Water Clone either out of our way or destroyed completely. Good plan, Amari._

On the other hand if one missed the other would be able to hit the clone or aim straight for the real one.

"Hey you, the freak with no eyebrows." Naruto's voice earned him an annoyed glare from Zabuza. "How 'bout you put this in your bingo book: Shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves…" Naruto tied his headband around his head. "They never back down!"

 _But why follow their lead? What else is she planning?_ It was no secret the duo in front of him usually had polar opposite personalities; Naruto was frankly a brash idiot and Amari was as quiet and shy as a tiny mouse, yet it was also no secret they were able to synch up better than anyone the Uchiha boy had seen.

"All right guys, let's go wild," Naruto said.

 _Does he know what she's planning? What am I missing?_

There was something he was missing, there had to be. Even if they synched up perfectly, how could he know her plan without even saying a word to one another. She had hinted at what she wanted from him but not even a single word to the knucklehead of their group.

"Let's take this bastard down," said Amari.

Though he was uncertain of what they were going to do, Sasuke felt no doubt in their ability to actually pull this off. _Iruka was right. Amari serves as our balancing point, she knows our skills and how we fight like the back of her hand. If she has a plan…_ The Uchiha boy smiled, _then we have a shot._

"Heh, I admit for a shinobi of the Leaf your killing intent is quite strong, and showing your chakra was a surprise, but big words and cheap tricks won't help you, little girl. Do you really think your plan will actually keep you and your team alive?" Zabuza asked.

Amari chuckled darkly to herself, imitating their enemy's tones of darkness and flipping it right back at him. Zabuza caught the mirror laugh and furrowed his brow. _Now she's playing her own set of mind games. Mimicking him, showing her chakra, it is all a part of a grander scheme of plans._

As much as it pained him to admit it, Amari was far more intelligent and competent when it came to tactical analysis than he was. He wasn't too far behind her, no way near as low as the blond idiot of their team, but he wasn't on the same level as Amari either. She was infuriatingly perceptive, picking up on the smallest of details in a fight and turning them to her advantage too quickly for him to react in the few spars they had done.

But that wasn't where her mind stopped. No, that mirror-like eye of hers was like a microscope that could examine her enemy's emotional state and find cracks in their armor to get under their skin when she was outclassed. She had done it to him in their spar after Sakura had taken out Naruto with a trap that tied him to a tree.

Sasuke suppressed his smirk at the memory of seeing Naruto tied to the tree like a complete loser and that of Sakura ending up in the same state because she was too focused on celebrating and not on her other opponent. It was ingenious really. Amari predicted Sakura would gloat over her victory over Naruto, thus taking her eye off of the field of battle and leaving herself open to the trap she set with clones.

After setting the trap and getting tied to the tree next to Naruto, it was down to him and her. They matched each other in taijutsu and she had held her own against his Fire Ball Jutsu by holding it with her own until he had to disengage it to conserve what chakra he had left.

Amari stopped at the same time even though he could tell she could have kept going. During their entire fight she had been planting little thoughts into his head with small jabs at his pride and mimicking his moves like she had her own Sharingan.

His frustration continued to swell up until he just started attacking wildly instead of thinking through his attacks. The Fire Ball Jutsu had been the final straw for him. How was she keeping up with him at every level…No, she wasn't just keeping up at his level, she was lowering herself down to his when she had every opportunity to lay him flat. She was just toying with him, wasn't she?

In a flurry of anger, he rushed at her like an idiot. He was just so angry. How dare she hold back against him like he was a lesser opponent! Like he was on the same level as those losers tied to the tree. No, he would make her regret it. He would show her the true power of an Uchiha!

Losing his focus was the second he lost the fight. He tried to engage her in taijutsu again, but all she did was block and dodge, block and dodge, letting him tire himself out with every angry thrown punch or kick as she conserved her strength. Over the shrill screams of his internal frustration he could hear Sakura and Naruto cheering them on, but he ignored them.

When they neared the trees on the outskirts of the field, he dashed in for a kick. She jumped up onto the trunk of tree and then over him. The moment he saw her go over him he was spinning for another attack, but as soon as her feet hit the floor she paralyzed him with her shadow.

If he hadn't been so blinded by his anger he would have known he had lost. Amari didn't use her Shadow Possession Jutsu without cause and he had missed the intention completely.

 _I thought I had it all figured out. She couldn't do me harm because she would harm herself. She couldn't hold it long or she would end up draining her chakra._

Amari had given him an out, told him to forfeit willingly or she would have to do something she didn't want to do. In his frustrated arrogance he cited why she hadn't won and she would have to let go soon if she wanted to keep fighting.

" _Are you sure about that? Are you certain I have no way of winning?"_

" _Yes, soon this jutsu will break and I will have you right where I want you," he growled._

 _A sigh. "When you wake up, just remember I gave you the choice to forfeit."_

Then she moved into a back bend quickly, forcing him to do the same and causing his head to crash against the trunk of the tree and knock him out cold.

That was the end of the fight and after he woke up Sasuke couldn't help but understand why she was not only on their team, but why she had been placed above him as the top rookie. She wasn't just smart or strong; Amari was a tactician and a fighter—a dangerous combination.

"Are you trying to talk me to death, Zabuza?" Amari asked, dragging him back into reality.

"If I wanted to kill you, I would have done it already. I'm just having a little fun before I take you out."

 _His first mistake._ Sasuke smiled inwardly. _She's depending on his overconfidence and likely knew he would want to toy with us. However, the longer he waits, the better chance Amari's plan will work. This guy doesn't realize that she is planning hundreds of ways around him as he continues to speak._

Amari could think of plans like they were simple equations, and when one would get closed off another would show itself to her. Using the tree to knock him out had just been one of her plans. If the plan hadn't worked she had another trap waiting for him, and if he dodged that there was a clone waiting up in the tree. She had planned to jump up into it and as he jumped after her, the clone would knock him out of air back to the ground where she would be able to pin him down with a kunai knife to his throat.

No matter what, she would've won.

"Girl, what is it you hide under that bandana? It's no Sharingan, but I know a trick when I see one. There's an eye under there, an eye with power you are hiding from us all."

Instead of defending herself like Sasuke thought she would, Amari snorted at his comment. "You really don't want to know what's under this bandana."

Sasuke found himself staring at the back of his teammate like she had just grown another arm. _Is she bluffing?_

"Last man who saw it…let's just say he cowered in fear as my eyes burned into his soul."

 _Eyes?_ Sasuke's eyes narrowed. _Has she been hiding away some power all along? Kakashi said she is a sensory type to a degree. But what power does she have?_ He had so many questions, yet he knew he would receive no answers on this field of battle.

"You think that scares me, little girl?"

"I wouldn't expect it to, but I'm pretty sure the last guy didn't expect me to nearly kill him either."

"Amari what are you doing?! I told you to run! This fight was over the moment I got caught! Get yourselves out of here! Your mission isn't to prove your bravery; your mission is to save the bridge builder. Stay on mission!" Kakashi yelled from the bubble.

Naruto turned around to Tazuna. "Bridge builder?"

Intelligent as their teacher was, Kakashi wasn't thinking straight from the bubble. Granted he was giving them an order so they'd be safe, but it was a false sense of safety. If they ran away with the bridge builder, they'd be hunted down and slaughtered with ease. Only here and now did they have a fighting chance. With their combined strength dialed in on their enemy plus the plan Amari had set up and whatever secret was under that bandana they had a chance to save him and uphold their mission.

"Well I- I guess this has happened because of me, because of my desire to live. I put you all in this danger when I lied, but I won't stand in your way now." The bridge builder's eyes hardened with determination. "Forget about me and do what you must to save your sensei!"

Sasuke smiled in equal parts appreciation and amusement. His approval was nice, but what he didn't realize was that Amari wasn't going to take anything less. In the mindset she was in she wouldn't retreat and Sasuke didn't want to either. They had a chance here, a real tangible chance.

They couldn't let that go to waste.

"All right, sounds to me like we're ready," Sasuke said.

"Heh, you bet we are!" Naruto agreed.

* * *

 _My strength is flowing!_ Amari's thoughts were mainly dominated by the overwhelming feeling of strength emanating from her body. Her entire body felt alive, as if it had woken from a deep slumber and now was releasing the chains containing her strength so it could bubble up to the surface and unleash itself.

 _I didn't even realize I had this strength…but even though this cloak seems to be increasing my strength, I can feel my chakra draining faster and faster maintaining both it and my jutsus. I need to strike soon before I'm completely out of chakra._

Before they could do anything, a dark, rumbling laugh echoed out of Zabuza. It gave her body pause but her mind never once stopped moving. "You four hopeless fools. None of you have learned anything, have you? You're all still playing your little game, pretending to be a shinobi." He cast a long stare to his hand. "When I was your age my hands were already soaked with the blood of my opponents."

"Zabuza, the Demon of the Hidden Mist," Kakashi said.

"Ah, so I was in your book, too."

Amari remembered her mother explaining the story to her about Zabuza's legend when she had asked. Long ago, the Village Hidden in the Mist had been known to the rest of the shinobi world as Blood Mist Village. Why? Their final test for graduating shinobi was a kill or be killed fight where the only one who graduated was the last shinobi standing.

That story, it was the reason she was so appalled by Zabuza saying she would fit in well in the Mist. To kill kids she shared her dreams with, ate lunch with or called friend was what was forced upon them…until one day Zabuza showed up, a boy who wasn't even a shinobi who slaughtered over one hundred students.

Such heartless brutality…and somehow he saw that potential in her. Her words, her actions had somehow made him believe she was as heartless as he had been to openly kill people she spent time with. _I'm nothing like him_ , she quietly reassured herself.

Zabuza's point didn't go deaf on her, though. Essentially they were still green as grass Genin who had more or less survived without facing the dark side of the shinobi world. She didn't know if Sasuke had witnessed the massacre, but if he hadn't then she was the only one among her team who had been forced to face the darkness. She was the only one who had held someone she loved in her arms as they died, a moment she could still recall as if it were yesterday.

But compared to Zabuza…

"It- it felt so..." Zabuza's eyes fell into darkness as he looked up at the sky above them. Silence fell over the field, but then his eyes suddenly snapped back onto their team. "Good!"

Zabuza's clone rushed forward and nailed Sasuke with an elbow he had no chance of blocking. The boy was sent tumbling to the ground, but Zabuza was right on him and wasted no time slamming his elbow into his stomach. Sasuke coughed up blood and let out a cry of pain, only to be silence when their enemy stamped his foot on his stomach and left it there.

Not the best start, but Naruto was already moving to correct their course and free their teammate.

"Stop right there! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A large group of Shadow Clones appeared on the battlefield, all ready for a fight. _Okay, time for plan kick the crap out of the old man._ The group of Naruto's jumped into the air with kunais drawn and landed on top of the clone of the swordsman. He easily knocked them away with a large swing of his sword, but in that time Sasuke was able to scramble out of the way and onto his knees near her.

Amari rushed over to him to initiate the next part of her plan. "Sasuke, can you help?" He grunted in affirmation, bringing an evil smile to her lips she aimed at their enemy. "My turn."

"Bring it on little girl!" Zabuza challenged. The sound of a Transformation Jutsu dispelling earned a startled noise out of the clone of Zabuza, who barely had enough time to turn his head to see a clone of Amari already grabbing his leg from a prone position with a kunai in hand.

"Hehe, I've got your foot!"

"What the?! Argh!" he grunted in pain as the clone stabbed her blade through his foot and into the ground.

Neither Uchiha waited for a better moment to reveal itself. They moved through their handseals in synchronicity. _Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!_

Together they released large streams of fire, combining their jutsu's to increase the strength. Again her chakra shroud leaked into her jutsu and added green edges to the orange flames that earned surprised looks from the two Jōnin.

Much to Sasuke's despair, the water clone of Zabuza jumped into the air before being engulfed by their powerful combination, dragging the clone with him as he flew into the air. Their flames scorched the area where he had been, unable to go far enough to hit the real one, but that was all a part of her plan.

"We almost had him," Sasuke muttered.

"Good work Sasuke. I leave the rest to you and Naruto after this," Amari complimented. He looked at her strangely. Amari offered him a smile before disappearing in a flash of speed and reappearing in the air. _Right where I want you!_ "Dynamic Entry!"

She landed a kick into his gut and grabbed the hand of her clone. Her clone let go of Zabuza's foot with a knowing smile pulled onto her face. _We almost have this._ She spun around and fired off her clone headfirst like a cannonball to head-butt the Zabuza clone. The attack didn't do enough damage to dispel him, but Amari was already moving through her handseals as gravity was bringing her into pointblank range.

"Now burn!" _Fire Style: Fire Ball— wait move!_

A cry of pain echoed across the field as Zabuza's long blade sliced straight through the clone of Amari and cut across Amari's abdomen. The pain was excruciating enough to block out the pain of landing hard on the grassy floor and tumbling back towards her team. "No! Amari!" a voice yelled to her but she could barely comprehend who it was over the searing pain she hadn't felt since her eye had been destroyed.

 _No…this is far worse than that._

She felt someone grab her and begin dragging her away; a flash of pink hair was the only hint she had as to who it was. In the distance she could hear Zabuza laughing evilly and taunting someone, but to her it sounded as if someone was holding her head underwater while trying to hold a conversation with her. _I'm not done yet, just you wait._

Sasuke and Naruto continued to fight, the pair going with the Demon Wind Shuriken attack they worked on in training. Through the fog of pain she watched Sasuke jump into the air and toss it, only for it to soar past the clone. Zabuza caught it with ease when a second Demon Wind Shuriken suddenly appeared out of the shadow of the original.

"Amari stay with me!" Sakura shouted to her.

Amari poked her forehead as Kurenai always poked hers. "I'm going to be okay, Sakura. Don't you worry."

* * *

 _ **Don't you dare die on me Amari! I still have to pulverize you when I'm stronger!**_ Inner Sakura yelled. Sakura had her hands on her stomach as she tried her hardest to keep her teammate from fading into death right in front of her. The green shroud once covering her body was now gone and her onyx eye was duller in appearance than it should be.

"Just hold on Amari! You're going to be okay."

 _Now I get why Amari was wishing she knew Medical Ninjutsu when Naruto got injured_ , she thought in a flurry of panic and trained calm. _This is different, though. We had Kakashi-sensei to help then and Naruto managed to get the poison out of himself._ She shook her head at the reminder of his idiocy. _The knucklehead just had to go and stab himself with a kunai. Seriously, who does that?_

"Just promise me you won't be to mad later," Amari said.

"What?" _Mad? Why would I be mad unless…_ Shock filled the kunoichi. Did…did Amari feel herself dying? "No! Stay with me Amari! Don't die. Please…don't die." She felt emotions begin to take hold of her as tears threatened to fall. She had never gotten along great with her back in the Academy, but after being on the same team and actually listening to her, Sakura had begun to respect her skills and knowledge of battlefield tactics.

There was so much this girl knew and she could apply it in the field like it was second nature. A skill Sakura wanted desperately. One of her greatest assets was her intelligence, yet in the stress of this fight was making it nearly impossible to draw forth from the well of knowledge she gained to offer any real help.

Now she was using the cloth of her teammates sliced shirt to stop the blood from pouring out and to keep from accidently getting any dirt or germs into her wound. No matter how hard she tried, though, nothing she did seemed to slow down that much. All she managed to do was coat the entire piece of cloth in her teammate's blood. There had to be something she could do, something she could do to keep Amari from dying.

"…I'm so going to get hit by you. Just watch the fight for me."

Confused, Sakura cautiously looked up from her teammate to see the second shuriken flying straight for Zabuza's chest. _The second shuriken is right on target and he can't catch this one._ Zabuza suddenly jumped over it without releasing the Water Prison. _Huh?! He dodged it!_

Her eyes fell down to Amari only to see her smirking. "See you soon, Sakura."

Before she could say anything, Amari's solid mass disappeared in a poof of smoke. _A clone?_ Sakura started looking around in confusion as Tazuna did the same. _But then…where is the real Amari?_

* * *

 _Now is my chance!_ The real Amari dispelled out of the second kunai behind the Water Clone of Zabuza, her body shrouded in green and a satisfied smirk on her face. As expected both Zabuza and Kakashi wore shocked expressions. _Time to get him to release Sensei!_ She created a second clone quickly and dashed forward right at their vulnerable enemy. Everything had gone according to plan and now it was time to turn the tables back in their favor. Naruto dispelled out of the shadow shuriken with three kunai in his hand ready to be thrown at the unprepared Zabuza.

"Eat this!" Naruto shouted.

"This is the beginning of the end Zabuza! Don't mess with Team Seven!" The Amari's flashed forward into a jump using the Body Flicker Technique. "Double Dynamic Entry!"

As she and her clone flew at Zabuza's front and Naruto's three kunai came flying at his back, she saw in Zabuza's eyes the moment of realization that he'd either have to take the hit head-on or let go of the Water Prison to escape. There was no other way to escape this unscathed. Seeing his annoyance and anger grow was deeply satisfying.

 _You've been played, Zabuza. I just hope Kakashi-sensei has enough chakra left to take you down._ She felt her smile widen in victory at such a perfectly executed plan. _You're finished!_

Zabuza let go of the Water Prison to dodge the kunai, one slicing past his face as the others cut through the side of his pants. His free hand then came swinging right at the duo of kunoichi's and batted them both out of air with a hard strike that caught the kunoichi in the face and made her yelp in surprised pain.

That…That hadn't been according to the plan.

Amari landed in the water with a splash with her clone dispelling before she even hit the water. _Ow…_ She touched her cheek and winced. _That's going to be an ugly bruise._ Lowering her hand, she sighed internally in relief. _At least Kakashi-sensei is free._

His freedom was worth the bruise.

Amari let her shroud fade and resurfaced. She heard a _clang_ of metal on metal but she was far too preoccupied with a different fight altogether; the fight with her long, thoroughly soaked blue hair sticking to and covering the entirety of her face. A large set of strands covered her nose and made breathing incredibly difficult while others laid over her eyes and made seeing anything through the blue curtain impossible. Not wanting to get caught off guard by an attack, she quickly scooped up her hair and removed it from her face, allowing her to see and breathe unhampered once more.

 _Man, my hair is going to be such a pain to deal with later_ , a distant complaint groaned.

With her vision cleared she found Kakashi on his feet again with a murderous look in his eyes. Matched with his Sharingan eye, the fight was practically won with that single glare. Naruto came afloat across from her, a hopeful look turning into a wide grin when he saw their success.

"Great work guys! That went exactly how I imagined it!" Amari congratulated her team. _Except that last hit._ No one needed to know that. Her face was already bruised, and secretly her ego was, too.

"Excellent work all of you. Especially you two, Amari and Naruto. You two have really grown a lot, haven't you," their sensei stated with a slight struggle in his voice.

The struggle was caused by the deadlock he was holding Zabuza in. The Demon Wind Shuriken their enemy had caught was folded up and seemed to have been intended to be sent right at her, but Kakashi hadn't let it. The source of the clang became apparent when she noticed the metal plate on the back of his gloved hand holding back the shuriken that probably would have taken her head off. Despite the protection from the plate, blood was dripping from his hand, but a cut was far better than a severed limb.

A severed limb would be a drag.

Naruto beamed at the compliment. "Haha, you bet we have! Beating him with my Shadow Clones would've been impossible, so I decided to use them as distractions. Once I got my headband back I noticed the Amari next to me wasn't the real one. She had purposely formed her clone with her ninja tools on her left leg instead of her right like she always does. That's when I realized she was probably one of the kunais."

Amari nodded in agreement. Creating a faulty clone hadn't been hard and she was surprised the rest of her team and her sensei hadn't caught onto it. "I switched out when you knocked us all out of the way after Zabuza landed right between all of us. While you all were focused on the fight, I created two clones, one to transform into a kunai and one to act as the real me as I transformed myself into a kunai. From there I would always be able to catch Zabuza by complete surprise.

"My clone threw them when he was rushing at you because she knew he'd knock them away without paying any mind to them. With me and my clone set up on the battlefield, we had the perfect position to attack at any moment, but when he captured you and created a clone I knew I couldn't just attack on my own or with her. He'd just knock me away, that's why my clone did everything she could to distract him and get his focus squarely on her. She also knew if Sasuke and her combined their jutsu's, Zabuza would retreat into the air, so my other clone did her best to hold him down."

She could see Sasuke's lips twitch upwards in the distance at the acknowledgement of their combined jutsu. _Just don't get a big head, Sasuke. We did it together._

"When my two clones went into the air, she meant to hit Zabuza's clone at pointblank range with her Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu, but his clone reacted too fast. That's when I decided to keep fueling chakra to the one he wounded so it looked like he took me out and he wouldn't suspect the second kunai. Even though she didn't know, Sakura helped out tremendously by trying to stop the clone me from dying."

Zabuza growled in irritation at the group duping him. He had thought they were just lowly Genin but he hadn't expected her ability to plot out an entire scheme to rescue their sensei using clones he hadn't seen her create.

"Thinking he beat Amari left him wide open for me and Sasuke to attack," Naruto continued from where she had left off. "I used one of my clones he hit away to hide behind and transform into the shuriken. When Sasuke caught the shuriken he knew it was me instantly, that's why he spun around and pulled out his own shuriken. Now there were two shurikens—one was real, one was me! I hid in the shadow of the real shuriken and my target was the real Zabuza. Of course I knew that I couldn't fight Zabuza on my own. That wasn't mine or Amari's plan. We just wanted to get close enough to break up his Water Prison. I didn't know his clone would be wrecked too, ha! That was a bonus, you know!"

"Don't brag, you two just lucked out," Sasuke said.

"Wait, the whole thing was just a fluke?!" Tazuna roared.

Amari couldn't help but giggle to herself at their client's outrage at the possibility of their success being a fluke. He didn't need to know how much of her plan relied on luck and the hope to get their sensei out alive or at least die trying.

"Sensei, Sakura, I'm sorry about the scare. I thought you guys would have noticed the change of my ninja tools," she apologized. She hadn't meant to worry them so much, but that was because she was certain they'd notice how the tools changed from her dominate side to her non-dominate side.

"Don't apologize, it was a good plan. Now get yourself out of the water. You're nearly out of chakra from your jutsu's. And make sure you give your eye a rest," Kakashi said calmly as he stared holes through Zabuza.

 _Yeah, definitely going to pay for all of that chakra once I sit down._ Maintaining the shroud alone was taxing, but to use it in conjunction with all the other techniques was downright exhausting. The dōjutsu wielder nodded as she deactivated her Byakugan. As of now she was back to being a liability to her sensei in what was going to be an intense battle between elite shinobi. She and her team had done everything they could in this fight; now it was Kakashi's turn to fight the Demon.

Amari swam as fast as her tiring body could to shore and lumbered back over to Sakura, Sasuke and Tazuna. Water poured off of her the whole way, and as soon as she reached the group she allowed her body to give into its exhaustion and fell onto her butt while Kakashi and Zabuza exchanged barbs she couldn't quite hear at this range.

A fist suddenly slammed into the top of her head, earning a yelp of surprise and making her hands shoot up to cover the new pain from further assault.

"Next time you try faking your death in my arms I'm going to pulverize you!" Sakura threatened.

Amari couldn't quite help the laugh that escaped her as she rubbed her head. _I can't say I didn't see that coming or that I didn't deserve it._ "I said I was sorry. I couldn't ruin the surprise, and I tried to tell you I was fine." Shouldn't that have exempted her from the punch? Plus she didn't die. Didn't that count for anything?

Sakura huffed but didn't argue further.

 _Nice to know you care Sakura. Even if it is because you want to hurt me yourself._ It was an improvement from hating her. She'd take what small victories she could when it came to their relationship.

"Sakura, you know what to do," Sasuke said. She nodded and the pair moved to stand protectively in front of the bridge builder behind her. They were right to stay on guard. There was no telling if danger would be coming their way again in the coming fight. Amari kept her body relaxed but her hand near her ninja tool box so she had quick access to a weapon in case Zabuza attacked them again.

On the water the two elite shinobi were still staring each other down, and Naruto was doing his best to swim to shore without getting caught in the fight. _Zabuza's already made a mistake against Kakashi-sensei. Meeting his glare has captured him within Sensei's Sharingan, but that alone isn't enough to win the fight._ Sharingan didn't guarantee victory, not against elite opponents at least. _What comes next will certainly be a spectacle._

Kakashi flung the shuriken away and the pair jumped away from one another at the same time.

With everyone, except Naruto, behind her, Amari activated her own Sharingan so she wouldn't miss a single move or twitch. These two were in bingo books for a reason. They were the elite of the elite. The kind of shinobi they already told stories about because of the kinds of feats they pulled off in their careers. She didn't want to miss a single second of their battle.

Both shinobi started moving through handseals, and from the look of it Kakashi was copying Zabuza's verbatim. Unlike the jutsus she knew, the jutsu they were preparing for didn't have just three or five handseals to move through. So far she counted at least twelve and they were still going, never once pausing in them.

 _So many for a single jutsu…This must be one powerful technique and likely water based._ Her conclusions came from the amount of chakra she could see building around them and being kneaded into the water below them.

Unfortunately for her, what remained of her chakra was too little for her to continue maintaining the Sharingan for much longer without complications. Her left eye was already hurting from having her Byakugan activated since the beginning of the fight, having a second sore eye wasn't ideal.

Amari deactivated her Sharingan as Kakashi and Zabuza created their last handseal, forty-four in total. A second later the water in front of them began to move upwards and reshape itself into two large Water Dragons, their gold eyes gleaming through the natural mist of the Land of Waves.

The Nara felt her jaw nearly drop off at the sight of their giant forms, and some forgotten part of her beamed in excitement at the sight of dragons. _Whoa! That's a huge jutsu!_

The dragons clashed with each other, and the result of their duel was a large wave of water far taller she was in her seated position coming slamming onto the shore right at them.

 _Oh crap_. Not only was she about to get wet, she was also about to be taken by the tide.

Before she could even move to scramble onto her feet, Sasuke grabbed her and lifted her off of the ground bridal style…something she didn't even realize until the water crashed passed them.

An awkward silence fell between the two while she remained in his arms, a slight tint of pink coating both of their cheeks. _…Awkward…_

Sasuke never touched other people unless he was hitting them, and although she was more touchy feely than he was, that was only after knowing someone for a long time. It took her time to get to the stage of allowing people into her personal space, hence the pokes to the foreheads she gave in the place of hugs.

Beyond the awkwardness of their embarrassing situation came the realization of being the envy of every Sasuke fangirl everywhere. How had such a thought even dared to cross her mind? Simply put, there was a hole being bored into the back of her skull by a pair of emerald eyes that made her headache begin to pulse harder.

"Sakura's going to kill me," Amari mumbled morbidly.

Her mumble was enough to snap Sasuke out of his silence and banish his blush for a teasing smile. "You'll be fine."

That was easy for him to say, but he wasn't the one who was going to have to look over his shoulder every day and lock every door and window in her house each night to prevent the horde of fangirls from breaking in with their pitchforks.

The wave returned back to its source, allowing the boy to set her back down on the ground where she had sat initially. She received a pointed stare from her fellow kunoichi, a stare that made Amari tense in preparation of hammer like fists to slam her into the ground like a nail.

The look was dropped when the battle between the two shinobi picked up again. Amari sighed in relief. _Phew. I've avoided being pulverized after Sasuke holding me. That has to be a feat worth noting…unless she's still waiting until I least expect it…Hmm._ She was going to have to be extra cautious after today to avoid pulverization.

The two Jōnin stood under the clashing dragons with Zabuza trying to push his large blade into Kakashi while the Copy Ninja was holding it back with a kunai knife. Even at this distance, Amari could tell Zabuza was losing his dominate footing in the overall battle. Whatever Kakashi was doing was toying with his mind and making their enemy begin to doubt his own abilities.

 _Is it a genjutsu doing it or is it because his Sharingan is allowing him to mirror his moves so perfectly that it is throwing him off?_

Despite having the Sharingan and studying as much as she could about it—which wasn't very much officially and unofficially Kakashi had told her very little—her knowledge was, you could say, lacking.

At the same time, to read or talk about the Sharingan was one thing, but to see it action was another. On her level she couldn't actually pull off a perfectly copied jutsu in the same way Kakashi was, in fact she couldn't even pull off a less powerful jutsu perfectly. But to see Kakashi immediately start copying Zabuza's technique and use it without even breaking a sweat was, in her eyes, amazing. She couldn't even imagine how much training that it would take her to reach that level, but she was excited for it nonetheless.

The dragons disintegrated above them and created a light rain over the two fighting. Something was different now, though. Zabuza appeared even more startled and thrown off his game than he had been moments before. They backed away from one another and put their tools away. Then Zabuza took off in a run with Kakashi mirroring his exact movement the opposite way. They stopped at the same time and mirrored each other's movements down to the smallest twitches, even into the same handseal Zabuza had used for the Hidden Mist Jutsu.

"Your sensei isn't merely following him…he's moving the exact same way at the same time," Tazuna realized.

"It's like he knows what Zabuza is about to do next but…I don't know. Is the Sharingan able to do that?" Amari asked, looking back to Sasuke for confirmation. He didn't answer her; his eyes remained pinned on the two shinobi.

 _I suppose he doesn't know either and I can't say anything about it copying movements…but copying movements and_ _ **knowing**_ _what he is about to do are two separate concepts._ They were about as different as the sun and moon. Copying was based on seeing it and then repeating it. _Knowing_ meant Kakashi could somehow see into his opponents mind and then copy the movements before Zabuza realized he was thinking them.

 _If he does know what Zabuza is about to do, then the Sharingan is far more powerful than I've been told._ Zabuza's eyes were wide in what seemed to be true fear as they moved in synch. _By the look on Zabuza's face, Sensei is really getting to him…But how much longer can Kakashi-sensei keep this up?_

From the perspective of everyone around her, Kakashi was turning the tide and was going to put Zabuza down at this rate. Amari, however, was doing her best to hide her growing worry for her sensei. _He's had his Sharingan uncovered for a long time now. Copying jutsus plus whatever he's doing now has to be draining his chakra fast._ He couldn't keep this up forever. His body and chakra had limitations normally, using his implanted Sharingan only meant those limits would be reached even faster than usual.

 _Sensei…_ Amari's hand unconsciously clutched around the edge of her shorts. _Please…you need to finish this now._

"Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!" Kakashi said.

 _Giant?_ "Er…Sasuke? Would you mind getting me off the ground? This is going to be bad," Amari lifted her up without debate seconds before the giant vortex of water slammed into Zabuza and tunneled past them towards a tree, the total water and power behind the technique sending raging waves of water in all directions.

Everyone not previously soaked now was drenched in water, and thanks to the current, Naruto was unceremoniously thrown onto the shore. Amari looked down at her drenched clothes and the strands of soaked blue hair draped over her shoulders and frowned. _What a drag._ The normal wild thick mess was now straight like Sakura's hair, as if the life had been stripped away from her hair never to be seen again. As sad as it was to see, Amari knew the moment it dried it would be wilder than usual and _a lot_ more knotted.

 _Good thing I packed a brush._

The large vortex dissipated and revealed Zabuza in a weakened state, braced against the tree with what looked like a miniature, knee-high lake sloshing around him. Four kunai thrown by Kakashi cut through the air and pierced into his body—two to his legs above the knees and the other two at his shoulders.

Thankfully the water receded again so she could leave the second awkward silence behind her. _Any longer and I think Sakura would have ripped me from his arms._ A small glance revealed a vein bulging on her forehead on the verge of bursting. Amari wasn't positive, but she'd be willing bet there were internal shrieks of despair and anger as well as promises made to pulverize her.

Needless to say she was going to be sleeping with one eye open for the next few nights.

Two senbon suddenly embedded themselves into Zabuza's neck from out of seemingly nowhere, garnering a shocked gasp from everyone. _Where the hell did that come from?_ Amari searched around until she found a masked person standing on a nearby tree branch.

The individual seemed to be a teenage boy based on his height and body. Two long black ponytails bound by metal cuffs hung down in the front of his face while the rest appeared to be held by a white bun holder. His mask was mostly white, save a red wavy design in place of his mouth and the Mist Village symbol etched into the top. He wore pinstriped shorts and a green haori with white trimmings and a long brown sash wrapped around his waist twice.

"You were right, it was his last battle," the boy said to Kakashi.

His voice was calm, gentle, soothing even, yet Amari was still stuck on how he managed to not only appear out of nowhere, but also take Zabuza down like it was nothing. _Who is this kid? Even without my Byakugan I can sense his strong chakra._ He was strong for sure, possibly stronger than Zabuza by the feeling she had.

Kakashi jumped down and checked Zabuza for any vital signs, only to let out a sigh. "He's dead." He wasn't disappointed about their enemy was no longer a threat. Amari bet he was more upset that they hadn't been able to get more information out of him regarding Gatō's forces before he was killed.

 _Two senbon perfectly thrown to deliver a fatal blow and from the angle he had?_ No average shinobi could have pulled that off. In fact Amari was willing to go out on a limb and say even some Jōnin wouldn't have been able to land such a precise strike. _This kid has to be our age or a little older by the sound of his voice and height. I know there are child prodigies, but he's on another level altogether._

Amari stared at the masked boy in wonder and fascination as he spoke to Kakashi, not so much hearing their conversation over her own thoughts. How had he gotten so strong and so fast? She had been training for two years straight as hard as she possibly could, doing her best to learn everything she could for the inevitable day she fought Kasai…But her strength didn't even seem to come close to matching his.

 _I wonder if Kasai has advanced as quickly._ Even if he hadn't, the possibility of what power he could gain motivated her even further to train harder. If there was even a slight chance that Kasai was close to this kid's strength already then she had to train twice as hard to become stronger. There was no other option.

"I've been hunting Zabuza for quite some time, patiently waiting for my opportunity to eliminate him," the boy informed.

"So you're part of the Tracker Unit," Kakashi noted.

The Mist shinobi dipped his head in a small nod.

 _He's in a very important role for his village already._ No doubt about it, he was not a shinobi to be trifled with.

Naruto slid to a stop with his fists clenched in preparation of a fight. "Oh, so he's a tracker," he said, clearly having no idea what exactly that entailed.

She smiled at the blond. _Troublesome boy_. So long as they stayed out of this boy's way, he wouldn't bring any harm to them. _Then again from what I've picked up of his conversation with Kakashi-sensei, he appears to be very polite. That's not to say he couldn't or wouldn't kill us, but he obviously doesn't want to otherwise he would have already._

Sakura lectured the knucklehead on the importance of trackers. In short, when rogue ninjas left their home villages, they took secrets of their people with them. Because of the dangers that posed for the safety of the village, trackers were specifically trained to hunt down rogue ninjas and kill them so their secrets remained, well, secret.

 _Even though we ended up making his job easier, this boy was tasked to track down Zabuza. No one would send him if they didn't think he couldn't take him on._ Amari let her lips twitch up into a smile. _Well, now I have another measuring stick to grow into. If I can become as strong as this kid is, I'll be able to protect my teammates better and take down Kasai._

Naruto, unlike her, wasn't one to admire the strength of the stranger. Where she saw a goal of strength to reach, he saw it as their weakness and was shammed by it. He charged forward a few strides in sheer frustration and clenched his hands into fists. "Who do you think you are?!" The tracker remained silent. "Hey! I'm talking to you!"

"Easy, Naruto. He's not our enemy," Kakashi attempted to soothe.

Unfortunately that wasn't the point Naruto was getting at, which she knew Kakashi was aware of, but Naruto was being too emotional for common sense to reach him. She understood his anger, to a degree. Seeing Zabuza, who had kicked them all around, get taken down with such ease by someone around the same age as him was ego bruising.

But he wasn't alone in it. Next to her Sasuke wore a look of contempt while Sakura clasped her hands together and looked down to the ground where Amari was sitting in disappointment towards herself.

Their minor victory over Zabuza was based far more on luck than purely skill based, where this kid could handle him in a weakened state with only two senbon.

"We don't know anything! How can I accept that?!" Naruto shouted at their sensei.

"Well, you could simply ignore it, I suppose. Still, even if you don't like it, it _did_ happen, Naruto." Kakashi rested his hand on the knucklehead's head in an effort to provide comfort. "In the shinobi world there are kids who are younger than all of you, and yet stronger than me. But don't let that fact discourage you. Use it as a reason to surpass what you think you're capable of."

Amari found herself nodding to the lesson he was giving them. That's exactly how they needed to think of it. They needed to use his ability as a goal to surpass, and in doing so they would surpass their self-imposed limits.

The tracker ninja disappeared within a swirling wind only to appear next to Zabuza. He wrapped an arm of Zabuza's around his neck and lifted his limp body slightly off the ground. "For now your struggle is over. I must deal with the remains. There are many secrets in this body that cannot be allowed to get into the wrong hands. Please excuse me. Farewell."

Once again he disappeared within a swirling wind with Zabuza in tow, an action that set off every suspicion based instinct in Amari's body. _Wait a moment…shouldn't he have taken the secrets now?_ Groaning in sheer exhaustion, she let the thought go. _I'm too tired to work this out now._

Naruto ran towards the tree the tracker ninja had been in, trying to find where he went and maybe even put some distance between himself and the others so he could be alone in his emotional frustration. He then fell to his knees and started punching the ground. "What are we doing here? We're nothing!"

 _Naruto…just because we aren't strong now doesn't mean we won't become strong. Time and training is all we need._ Amari let out a sigh. She'd have liked to voice it for all those around her, but she knew her words wouldn't be enough to soothe bruised pride. Her team would have to work themselves through their inferiority on their own.

Kakashi walked over to the boy and snatched his wrist before he could punch the ground again. "Save your anger for the next enemy, Naruto." Her best friend lowered his arms and deflated but offered a small nod of understanding.

Keep moving forward, that's all they could do. It was the only way they'd ever grow to be strong enough to fight battles like this on skill instead of luck. _Don't know who our next enemy will be or when they'll be here, but we need to get moving. I'm not in any condition to fight and would be a liability to the team right now._

"Kakashi-sensei, we should get going. We don't want another group of Gatō's thugs attacking us now," Amari said.

"I agree. Besides, we haven't completed our mission yet. We still have to get the bridge builder to his bridge," Kakashi said.

Tazuna let out a hearty laugh. For all the stress they had experienced, right now it was all behind them. Gatō surely had more thugs, but she doubted they were even close in strength compared to Zabuza. "Sorry I caused all this trouble for you, but, ah, you can rest at my house when we get to the village."

"All right, let's get a move on. One of you needs to carry Amari. She's in no shape to walk now."

Sakura knelt down in front of Amari with her back to her before anyone else could move. _Probably doesn't want me in "her Sasuke's" arms again and this way she can threaten me._ Amari did her best to climb onto her back, wrapping her arms around her neck and letting Sakura brace her legs with her hands. Once he was certain they were ready, Kakashi turned to lead them to the bridge builders home.

Then his entire body suddenly seized up.

 _Oh no._

Kakashi collapsed face first to the ground, out cold before he even hit the ground. _Damn it Sensei, you overdid it._

"Wha- what happened?" Sakura asked, fear and confusion in her tone as the group rushed over to him.

"Chakra exhaustion," Amari stated with a sigh of resignation. _Now we really need to get indoors before the next attack. How troublesome._ "Sasuke, Naruto, carry Sensei. We need to get to the bridge builders house immediately."

The boys didn't hesitate to move into action, both doing their best to brace Kakashi's weight between them.

"Is it bad?" Tazuna asked.

"Yes, if a ninja exhausts all of their chakra, they die. In my scenario now, the chakra shroud and the amount of chakra I had to continue sending to my wounded clone to keep her active drained me significantly. Because of that my body is extremely weakened right now where I can barely support my own body weight.

"Kakashi-sensei, on the other hand, overused his techniques and expended enough chakra to exhaust his reserve to a few levels above instant death. The result was his body shutting itself down to conserve energy and begin refueling itself," Amari explained. She looked from her unconscious Sensei to the bridge builder. "Lead the way. We must get out of the open."

He nodded understandingly. "Right, follow me. We aren't that far away now."

As a group they moved with Sakura carrying Amari next to Tazuna and Sasuke and Naruto behind them carrying their sensei.

"Is Kakashi-sensei going to be okay Amari?" Sakura asked.

 _I don't know. He used way too much chakra back there. If he doesn't die then it'll be at least a week before he'll be at full strength again._ Amari glanced to her own legs. _I should be able to walk tomorrow, but I won't be able to fight at full strength for at least another two or three days due to my overuse of the Byakugan and the chakra shroud._

None of that information would reassure her team, however. Right now they needed her to be optimistic about their chances.

"I think he will be," she answered. "From what little I know of his Sharingan, it drains his chakra significantly, but for most ninja it is nearly impossible to drain all of our chakra. Only powerful jutsu's, stronger than any we have seen thus far, can do that."

"So sensei's Sharingan can't do that?" Sakura asked.

"Not to my knowledge, or lack thereof. Sensei used his Sharingan and its abilities too much, and even after the fight when his chakra was already hitting its low he kept it out."

 _The problem is we needed him to push himself past his limits because he got trapped in that Water Prison. Had he been able to finish the fight earlier we wouldn't be in this situation._

Amari exhaled a deep sigh. "Another problem is the Sharingan is a dōjutsu in his optic nerve, which is attached to his brain. The optic nerve is one of our cranial nerves and part of our central nervous system. I think by overusing his visual jutsu and exhausting his chakra, he also stressed his optic nerve to the point that the pain helped to knock him out."

"So that's why he was rendered unconscious. Not only was his body shutting down to conserve his energy and start healing, the moment he relaxed and his adrenaline faded, his optic nerves stress was sent directly to his brain," Sakura realized.

"Leaving Kakashi unconscious," Sasuke finished behind them.

"He'll come around. It's just a matter of when," Amari said, trying her best to sound hopeful for the sake of the team.

 _It just better be soon because if my hunch about that tracker ninja is right then we're going to need Kakashi-sensei at one hundred percent._

Amari glanced to her teammates who had fallen into relative silence.

 _We may have just angered a Demon who I doubt will take losing to a Copy Ninja lightly._


	12. Chapter 11: Revelations

Chapter 11

Revelations: Training for the Next Battle

The art of transferring ones chakra to another person was by no means a new concept in the shinobi world. Many shinobi throughout the Five Great Nations were capable of using the Chakra Transfer Technique; some even had special ways to transfer their chakra to multiple people at once. But even though it wasn't a new idea, attempting to learn even a basic variation of it within a few hours was proving to be incredibly difficult for Amari.

 _Theory and practice, always such different results_ , she thought as she continued to read over her scroll.

In a different situation where she wasn't exhausted of chakra, she would've tried out her idea of using Shadow Clones to help decrease the total amount of time to learn the jutsu. Unfortunately for Amari, and by extension her unconscious sensei, a few hours still wasn't enough time for her chakra to replenish itself to a safe amount after such a hard fight.

Kakashi was more or less stable, though that observation was coming from someone who knew nothing of being a medic-nin. She had checked his pulse, though, to make sure he was okay and bandaged up his hand in the meantime while waiting for him to wake up. At a guess, his lack of chakra was probably one of the causes for his continued unconsciousness. The other cause was without a doubt due to the strain placed on his body from overusing the Sharingan against Zabuza.

With nothing else to do, and with a growing fear in her heart over the status of their enemy, Amari decided she would try to transfer chakra over to him so he could at the very least be awake. Granted, the possibility of him waking up because of chakra alone was incredibly slim, but a slim chance was better than no chance at all in her eyes.

 _Just like my plan to release Sensei from Zabuza's prison._

Thinking of Zabuza made her frown in worry. While the others felt more or less triumphant that the rogue ninja was gone, Amari held onto a different silent opinion. So many things seemed and felt downright wrong or too close to being mere coincidence—something she didn't believe in when it came to shinobi life—but for the moment she was trying not to dwell on it.

Even if Zabuza did survive, the state he was left in meant they wouldn't have to worry about him for approximately the same amount of time it would take Kakashi to come around, or at least that was her optimistic diagnosis of their situation. Her pessimistic diagnosis was, quite frankly, depressing.

 _Zabuza will want revenge if he survived; he seems like the type to hold a grudge. That should keep the boy from coming at us on his own, if we're lucky. He could kill us all with ease right now, but if he is helping Zabuza then he'll have to take the senbons out of his neck and bring him back to their hideout. That's what I'd do to keep him safe on the chance the enemy shinobi were suspicious of a ruse._

Amari shook off the thought pattern completely to refocus back on trying to help her sensei recover. There was still a chance the boy was a legitimate hunter-nin and she was being overly paranoid. _A slim chance_ , her inner pessimist muttered unhelpfully.

For now she needed to remain focused on what was right in front of her rather than a slim possibility lingering beyond her reach.

 _If I had studied Medical Ninjutsu, I might be more help in this field. Problem is I have no aspirations to become a medic-nin. At all. I only started studying this technique out of necessity._

Amari blew a strand of hair out of her face then pursed her lips. Even as a supplementary technique this technique was proving itself to be a challenging foe. Honestly Amari didn't even remember packing this scroll when she packed up for the mission. She had grabbed a few pieces of studying material, but this? She didn't even know she had a scroll on transferring chakra… _which must mean mom packed it for me._

Thinking back on it, it was highly possible her mother snuck the extra scroll in when she helped her pack. Amari had been so caught up in her worry over Tazuna lying to them about the danger of the mission that Kurenai probably could have placed bricks in her pack without her noticing it immediately. _I don't know where she'd even find bricks, but I hope she never does place them in my pack. That'd be such a pain._

Thankfully she only put a scroll in, likely planting it for her daughter to find on the chance Kakashi did overuse his Sharingan. _I'll have to thank her when we get home._

Now she just had to learn it and then it would really be helpful.

The problem was the information within was pretty lackluster. By no means was it an intriguing novel that hooked her along each word, but the Nara continued to examine the 3D diagrams, picking apart how the depictions explained the transferring process and going back to the text for further information. One of the many problems she was having was her own lack of chakra. Even if she were to figure out the transferring process, she didn't have enough to make a difference.

To overcome this problem she would have to learn not only how to transfer her own chakra, but receive it—or steal it—from others and make it her own. With that solution came what some might call a minor hiccup, however.

 _This scroll doesn't give me all the information I need to learn how to do it._

Okay, maybe it was more than a minor hiccup. It'd be more accurate to say it was a derailing hiccup preventing her from actually doing anything helpful.

Amari lowered her head to look at her bedridden sensei, her frustration at her inability to be of any help growing significantly. _I don't know what to do! I need help or divine intervention or just a damn epiphany._

None came in her frustration.

She removed her bandana from her forehead and crossed her legs under her as she released a defeated sigh. _Kakashi-sensei put himself in this state to protect us…and I can't even do anything to help him._ No amount of tactics or physical strength could help her here. Everything she trained for was useless in this situation, not even her intelligence and ability to soak up text information was of any use.

Amari clenched her purple bandana tightly and lowered her eyes to the piece of cloth in her frustration. When she happened upon the scroll in her search for any techniques that might help she had given the others hope by telling them she could help, but now she was going to have to tell them she couldn't do it. That she was incapable of learning this technique and wouldn't be able to help bring Kakashi out of his unconscious state.

This time she couldn't be the savior.

" _You're not giving up are you? That's not like you at all, Haya."_

Amari's eyes widened in shock and her entire body froze in place as if put under a Paralysis Jutsu by the voice invading her thoughts. She…she knew that voice…yet she didn't know who it belonged to or why she suddenly wanted to cry. How could a voice be so foreign and familiar at the same time? And why did it make her heart ache something terrible?

" _Haya, you're just overthinking this. Sometimes when you're nose deep in those books studying you forget to take a step back for a moment and take a breath. You may surprise yourself."_

No one was in the room except Amari and her unconscious sensei, but she felt someone poke her forehead.

" _Now take a step back and breathe for a moment. You'll get this down in no time at all. After all, you're an Uchiha and my little cousin. You'll figure it out."_

There were no images to go along with the memory, all of it was auditory…But even then it was still immensely painful. _Haya…that was my name, wasn't it? Before the orphanage._ Amari took a deep breath to stop herself from hyperventilating and having an emotional breakdown. Tears pricked at her eyes and her breathing was becoming unsteady. _And that voice was my cousin. My older cousin._

The kunoichi slapped her hand to her mouth to muffle a choked noise that was close to becoming a full on sob. _Breathe, damn it! Breathe!_ She couldn't have a breakdown here and now. Kakashi needed her, her team needed her and it'd be mortifying to fall into sobs for a reason no one would be able to understand because she couldn't explain it.

How did she explain the sudden reawakening of a memory of someone she couldn't fully remember bringing her tears? How could she explain the tearing feeling ripping her heart apart? How could she explain how much she wished her cousin was still here to comfort her even though she couldn't remember his face or his name?

Several minutes and deep breaths later she was back in control of her emotional state…Sort of. The tearing feeling was still there, but at least tears weren't on the verge of spilling over anymore. Instead of questioning the source of the memory any further, she obediently followed the past guidance of her fallen cousin and mentally took a step back from her studying. Amari freed her mind of all the stress, of all her fears, of the pain now reverberating in her chest and closed her eyes as she let her breathing even out.

 _Take a step back. Breathe. Let your mind be free of the clutter and piece together the puzzle like one of those games Asuma-sensei gives you now and then._

Slowly, she reimagined the diagrams and words until she was seeing them as the wooden puzzle pieces. As she removed certain pieces, turned them and put them elsewhere in her mind, her facial features reacted to her mental actions. Sometimes it would pull into deep thought, other times in mild annoyance as she hit another roadblock, a smirk now and then as pieces began to fit together.

Eventually the entire puzzle fell into place and her eyes snapped open.

 _I understand!_

"Naruto! I need you in here now!" Amari shouted for her teammate.

Three sets of feet sprinting on the wooden floor echoed from outside of the room as the dōjutsu wielder tied her bandana back around her forehead to leave both her eyes visible. _Thank you, Cousin…I…I don't remember anything about you, but I…I missed hearing your voice._

Some dormant part of her heart knew he missed her too.

"We're here Amari! What's going on?" Naruto asked from behind her, skidding to a stop in the doorway.

"Is Kakashi okay?" Sasuke asked, faint worry in his voice.

"Still the same as before, but I finally figured out how to transfer my chakra," she said, waving the trio in without letting her sensei out of her sights. There were three sighs of relief from behind her. "Uh…sorry for worrying you," she added sheepishly.

There was also something else she needed them for besides helping their sensei…Although sooner than she intended, it was time to reveal to them her left eye. With all of the hints dropped by her during the fight with Zabuza as well as the blatant mentions of it, the best choice of action here was coming clean about it. She couldn't risk them growing too suspicious of her to the point of doubt when they possibly had a tougher fight coming.

Her Sharingan, however, would remain secret. That was a reveal she couldn't risk at a time like this, even after Kakashi revealed his to the others.

"Hold on a moment." They stopped at the sound of her voice. "Before you guys come closer, I want you to know that it isn't because of you specifically that I kept my eye a secret. The secret was forged from a promise I made to my friend who died defending me before Kakashi-sensei found me in that forest…so don't freak out when you see it."

A tension swept into the room sourced from Sasuke and Sakura. From feel alone it seemed they were under the impression she was going to be horribly disfigured under her bandana. Naruto, on the other hand, had no such reservations and moved to sit next to her immediately. Then Naruto proved to her once again why she considered him like a brother in everything but blood.

"It's no big deal you hid it, Amari. Definitely since it's kept you safe from power seekers. Besides, why would any of us freak out? You look a lot cuter without that bandana covering your eye."

As her blush set in from the unnecessary compliment, Sakura sat down on her right side while Sasuke sat across from her on the other side of Kakashi. Silence fell across the room, an uncomfortable silence for Amari. Her two teammates were openly staring at her like she grew a new appendage, though she supposed that wasn't too far from the truth, but why weren't they saying anything?

 _Why are they just staring?_

Trying, and failing, to hide how uncomfortable she was, Amari stretched out her back and flicked her eyes in pretty much every direction she could. "Um…can you please at least say something instead of staring?"

"Your eye looks like Hinata's," Sasuke stated as a question.

Amari nodded, internally relieved to have something to work off other than awkward staring. "I will explain everything I can to you three later. Parts of it are…still hard for me to talk about." Ryu's death and her weakness being the cause of it were the main parts to talk about, yet they were also the hardest for her to get through. It wasn't foolish pride that kept her from admitting how weak she was, but the pain of knowing had she just been stronger emotionally and physically that she could have changed the final outcome.

Naruto's gentle hand rested on her shoulder. "Hey, you don't have to force yourself to talk about anything you aren't comfortable with, Amari."

She gave an appreciative nod for his understanding, but she still planned on trying to explain everything. Sakura and Sasuke were her teammates. Now that the truth was out, they deserved to know as much as she could handle talking about. "Once I get enough chakra to use it without straining myself, it will change a little."

"Change?" Naruto asked after he removed his hand from her shoulder.

 _He must not have seen it when I fought Mizuki_. So long as that meant he couldn't remember her Sharingan as well then everything would be fine.

"Sounds similar to the Sharingan," Sasuke noted thoughtfully.

"It's another dōjutsu. I'm going to need all three of you to do this, though. How would you say your chakra reserves are right now?"

"I'm good to go with whatever you need, Amari!" Naruto boasted with a proud smile.

"I'm okay as well," Sakura said.

Sasuke nodded in confirmation of his own being well off. _They say they're fine, but once I have enough to activate my Byakugan without putting more strain on my low chakra reserves I will be able to tell better who I can take more from and who I can't._

"I'm going to do this one at a time so I don't overwhelm myself and mess it up. If something looks off, stop me through any means. Knock me out, release the jutsu, put me in a genjutsu. I don't care how, just do it."

"You've got this, Amari. There's nothing to worry about."

"No Naruto, she's right," Sasuke said slowly. Naruto looked over to him with a slightly perturbed look and a small growl. While his confidence in her abilities was motivating, Sasuke seemed to understand the dangers far better than their knuckleheaded teammate. "The technique is allowing her to effectively steal our chakra. If she accidently drained us of all our chakra, we could end up like Kakashi. Or worse."

Amari dipped her head in a small nod of agreement. Worse was a nice way of putting she could accidently kill them by trying to help their sensei.

"You'll be okay, Amari. Just don't push yourself," Sakura comforted.

"Naruto you're first. If you feel like I'm taking too much, tell me. I won't be able to see your chakra reserves until I get a little more chakra myself." He nodded but she knew him too well to take that as a real answer. "No tough guy antics, Naruto. This is life or death."

Amari appreciated his desire to do his best to help, but this technique was going to be dangerous for her to even attempt. Having no experience performing it and doing it in an environment where her fellow green Genin were her supervisors was a dangerous concoction for trouble.

 _No pressure, right?_

"You sure you should be trying this?" Tazuna asked from the doorway. The group looked over their shoulders to see the old bridge builder watching them intently, one hand resting on the doorframe. He had been a lot nicer over the last few hours compared to how he had been when they first met, though it could be argued that was because they saved his life and he believed the danger to be over.

The Shadow user gave a faint nod as an answer to his question. The dangers of using this technique without any previous training or without real supervision were worrisome, yet to her the risks were necessary because of how much they relied on Kakashi. They _needed_ Kakashi to be ready to fight at the same time Zabuza would be ready, if he was still in fact alive. Without his skills they'd be screwed if Zabuza or that boy turned up again.

Not to mention it had probably been a long time since he pushed himself this far. _I'd bet his chakra coils are screaming a lot of unpleasant things at him right now._ It'd be funny if she was one hundred percent certain their troubles were over. But she wasn't and that made his current situation far more frightening than funny.

"Yes. It's the only way I can ensure our sensei's safety. He will still need to recover on his own, but if I can get him at least coherent, I'll be happy."

"Aside from the risk of draining your friend's chakra, why is it so risky for you to do it?"

Ah, right to the core of the issue. She couldn't be surprised considering how straight forward he had been since they met. Still, admitting out loud the dangers wasn't going to do anything for her confidence in her ability to perform the technique.

"…I've never performed this technique in my life and I've only studied it since we've gotten back. Using a technique like this with such inexperience can be dangerous. I've pushed my limits many times, but that was under supervision by ninja like our sensei who could stop me from doing any permanent damage to myself. If I had adequate chakra I wouldn't even include my team in this."

She wouldn't have even called them in here if she was at full strength. Risking her own life was a personal choice; risking her friends without giving them much say was hard for her. "I'm risking their lives more than my own with this…If I somehow killed them…" Amari trailed off and lowered her eyes to the floor.

 _"Don't sell yourself short, Haya. You have to trust your gut, and if your gut is telling you that you can do it, then you can do it,"_ her cousin's voice came to her again.

 _That's a great sentiment Cousin, but this isn't something to just go with my gut feeling on. How do I know if this gut feeling is right?_

Something poked her forehead again, forcing her to shut her eyes to stave off the tears that started to form from the feelings his voice and the action were giving her.

" _You're selling yourself short again, Haya. Your gut feeling hasn't led you down a wrong path yet."_

Two separate hands rested on her shoulders a second after she actually felt an invisible hand rest on her shoulder.

" _Just keep following it. You'll be okay."_

Amari opened her eyes to see Sakura and Naruto giving her smiles of confidence. She looked across to Sasuke who nodded to her with a smile of trust. "You can do this, Amari. I know you can."

"Naruto's right. We believe in you, Amari. You won't mess this up," Sakura said confidently.

" _And if you doubt your gut, listen to those who do believe in you. You know I wouldn't lie to you, Haya."_

Again she had to squeeze her eyes shut to fight off the overwhelming feelings building in her heart. _I know you wouldn't, Cousin._

With her confidence returning, she nodded to her teammates in thanks for their belief in her abilities. _I won't let them down. I won't let Sensei down._

"Okay, I'm ready." She turned to Naruto in her crossed legged position. "The second you feel something wrong you'll tell me?" He nodded again. Amari brought up her right hand and formed the Tiger seal as a focusing point while she put her left hand out for Naruto to put his in. He gripped her hand and she closed her eyes to focus once more.

* * *

Sakura watched Amari and Naruto closely as nothing seemed to happen between the two. _Did it work?_ This was their one chance at getting Kakashi awake and in a better condition than he was. _Come on Amari. You can do this._ Another few beats of silence passed, and then a blue hue formed around the pair's hands, signaling the success of the technique and bringing a smile to Sakura's face.

Naruto closed his eyes in concentration to likely feel out what was going on within his own chakra network as their blue-haired teammate began absorbing his chakra. Only a handful of seconds passed before the kunoichi suddenly hummed in approval.

 _She must have just gotten enough chakra to allow her to use her_ _dōjutsu._

The next minute was entirely unremarkable. Naruto and Amari remained utterly still without sparing words to one another as Sasuke and Sakura watched on, watching for any sort of danger. At the end of the minute Amari removed her hand and disengaged the jutsu.

"You should still be okay on chakra. Enough to climb a few trees with no hands if I am judging correctly."

"Are you sure? I think I can…" The boy snapped his mouth shut and began to rub the back of his head as a nervous smile pulled onto his lips. "Life or death, I understand."

Amari nodded then turned to Sakura next. When she saw her left eye, Sakura had to suppress a shocked gasp. Veins were bulging around her temple and upper cheek leading to and from the eye while the originally solid lavender eye was now far more intense in appearance. The pupil was clearly visible, and with the scar going through her eyebrow, eyelid and cheek she no longer appeared like the docile girl from the Academy.

 _She looks battle-hardened…scarred on the inside and out._ Scars she had kept hidden underneath a mask that she was letting them see a little through now. The shy, reserved girl from the Academy was still Amari, but that girl wasn't the whole package. She was a fragment, a tiny portion of a larger picture Sakura had only seen glimpses of since their team formed. Seeing it again here revealed to her how little she truly did know about Amari as a person.

Despite the intense look, though, Sakura could still see her caring teammate underneath it. "Sakura, are you ready?" she asked.

The kunoichi nodded and offered her hand to her. Amari held it gently and brought her right hand up into the Tiger seal. Once again a few moments of nothing passed before a blue hue formed around their hands. Immediately Sakura began to feel her chakra slowly seep away and towards her hand, where it vanished permanently. The feeling was definitely strange, but she trusted her teammate in what she was doing.

Even though part of her still wanted to become strong enough to beat Amari, Sakura slowly found herself growing out of wanting to beat Amari to prove to her that she was strong. That part was being replaced by the desire to become stronger for the same reasons her fellow kunoichi had.

To protect her team and those precious to her.

She had seen and felt firsthand the determination Amari had and that fiery will she kept hidden underneath the layers of quiet shyness back home. Her ability to use her acquired knowledge in the field was something worth striving for.

Back at the Academy when she had claimed she was going to create one hundred thousand Shadow Clones, everyone had laughed at the ridiculous idea, Sakura included. A girl who was too shy to talk in front of the class and rarely showed any of her skills around others creating one hundred thousand _real_ clones?

The idea had been and still was laughable, but even then Sakura noticed something strange. Naruto, Amari's only friend outside of Shikamaru, grew determined to prove that he could beat her and do more. They formed a friendly rivalry and began pushing each other to reach for the impossible without a care for what anyone else thought about them.

One day she found Amari at the training field on her hands and knees panting with no signs of success around her. Sakura initially found it humorous to see her failing after Iruka constantly praised her as one of the best in their class. _Look at her now_ , she had sneered, _she can't create a single clone let alone stand on her own two feet._

Much to her surprise Amari stood right back up and created five shadow clones. They almost instantaneously dispelled, and with the last of her energy used up she fell forward into her mother's arms.

Sakura couldn't help but be stunned at Amari's persistence and unwavering will to not stop until she succeeded. Secretly, Sakura envied her; a bitter jealousy created because Amari never stopped rising higher and higher in intelligence and skill.

Where she was proud of a being able to do a Clone Jutsu or Transformation Jutsu, Amari was already trying to climb trees without her hands. When she boasted about her accomplishments and scores on tests, Amari never spoke a word of hers or settled even when she did succeed. When Amari was always reaching for a new goal or a new challenge, Sakura was satisfied with being an average shinobi.

Or…she had been until Amari came around and made her realize how inferior she really was. Now what she wanted most was to be able to stand on her own without the boys or Amari protecting her. She wanted to be able to use all the knowledge she gained through her studies in the field instead of freezing up like a frightened deer.

Ever since Amari's first lecture to their team she had taken up training a lot more seriously, but nothing seemed to be helping her. Why couldn't she see any of the results happening when it seemed like Amari grew every day back in the Academy? Sakura had almost given up on her new training, but then she remembered seeing her fellow kunoichi stand back up even in her exhausted state and her passionate words.

" _I have worked day in and day out to change who I am. I have trained to the point I couldn't walk on my own all to catch up and see some sort of value in my abilities and myself. I won't deny I've had help along the way. People close to me have given me guidance, have helped me understand the complexities of jutsu I never would have understood without their help. And those same people helped to pick me up off the ground when all I wanted to do was cry and give up because I was hurting inside. And because of them I kept fighting to become stronger, no matter how much it hurt. So don't you_ _ **dare**_ _insinuate I haven't worked hard enough to earn my strength!"_

 _I…want to change who I am too. I want to…I want to see the same value in my abilities and myself that she strived for_ , she had thought in her moment of defeat. _I won't lose to Amari. If she can push through her exhaustion to become stronger then so can I._ Even if it hurt, even if it took some time to catch up, she'd keep pushing until she could walk side by side with her teammates. There hadn't been enough time to see anything worthy of noting before this mission, but she had seen small improvements and that was incentive enough to continue to push forward.

Now after experiencing a real battle for the first time and seeing Amari not back down in the slightest against an enemy far greater in skill then her, Sakura found something more. Not only did she respect Amari more as a rival, but she found in herself a will to continue to push past her limits.

This did not mean that in their downtime she was going to be dishing out random challenges. Times like these she could be more amicable with her teammate. There was no point in causing bad blood between them when they were going to be on the same team for a long time. _I doubt Amari would fall into it anyways. She brushed off Ino's threats with a smile and told her she hoped she did get stronger regardless of her intentions._

Maybe instead of being so petty and too proud she could actually try to get to know her teammate and maybe ask for some advice…Maybe even some help training.

Amari kept her left eye open but her right eye closed as the seconds ticked by. The eye itself appeared to be looking straight into her very soul as it stared steadily at her. Honestly, this dōjutsu seemed even more intense than their sensei's had; yet even though both were somewhat strange and terrifying to be on the receiving end of, there was comfort in both of their eyes when they looked at their team.

 _Even though Sensei was focused on Zabuza, I could still see his care for us. He told us that he wouldn't let anyone harm us and his eye reflected that. In Amari's eye I can see her concentration and her protectiveness over me. I can see her worry of hurting me on accident being fought back by an unspoken promise to herself to never harm her friends._

There was comfort behind the eye, a hope that even though this was dangerous that there was still a trust between them. That Sakura understood she would never intentionally hurt her. The eye may have been staring into her soul, but it was filling her with comfort that she never thought she would feel by looking at Amari.

Before she knew it the blue hue faded and Amari took her hand away. "You will be okay. Sasuke?"

Sasuke stood up and walked to where Naruto had been sitting with the blond moving out of courtesy for the technique. "How is your chakra?" the boy asked.

"Nowhere near full, but with yours it should be enough to get sensei awake and leave me with enough to at least walk on my own," she answered as he sat in front of her.

"Take as much as you need then."

"Sasuke, I told Naruto this in front of you and I will tell you now face to face. Drop the tough guy crap. I'm not an expert of this technique. I'm being as careful as I can and the chakra I take from you will be enough and leave you still in good shape." Sasuke seemed to back down from her stare. "I will not threaten the lives of my friends when what I am doing _will_ work."

He sighed in defeat and nodded, putting his hand out for her to take.

Sakura examined the back of her teammate as her thoughts trailed back to their days in the Academy and how different she seemed then compared to now.

 _At the Academy she was always timid when attention was brought to her or when people would talk to her, but out here she doesn't back down at all. Amari still has her shy tendencies out of battle, but when it came to fighting Zabuza and taking care of us she doesn't allow herself to back down._

 _Not even for a moment._

Sakura could still see the green chakra form around her teammate in their battle and feel Amari's protectiveness all around her like she was being wrapped in a warm blanket. _When she had taunted Zabuza all those times, I thought she was just trying to be cool or impress Kakashi-sensei, but now I see she was drawing the attention from us and Mr. Tazuna to herself. She was trying to keep Zabuza from picking any of us as his target, even risked having to tell her secret about her eye to make sure we wouldn't be attacked._

 _After Naruto got his headband back I felt her determination and it made me believe in her. I never thought I would accuse Amari of having a strong will, but her strength goes beyond physical prowess. Her will is so strong and her goal and want to protect us with her own life only serves to make her stronger._

Sakura smiled to herself. As long as Amari never backed down, she couldn't allow herself to either.

"Okay, that's enough," Amari said suddenly.

"Are you sure…" Sasuke leaned backwards away from his teammate with surprise in his eyes. "Okay, no need to stare like that."

* * *

Amari turned to Kakashi next as Sasuke stood up and moved away from her working area. _Okay, time to transfer my chakra to Kakashi-sensei._

"How long do you think the transferring process will take?" Sakura asked.

"I honestly have no idea. Transferring my chakra into his chakra network will probably take longer since I have to be more aware of my own chakra than his." Internally she was going to be nervous the entire time. One accident of transferring too much chakra and she'd either end up out cold or dead. Her nervousness would make her hesitate if she even felt like her chakra was leaving her body too fast.

"In the meantime the three of us should continue watching the perimeter and the bridge builder," Sasuke stated.

"Shouldn't someone watch after Amari to make sure nothing bad happens to her?" Sakura asked.

A thoughtful silence fell between her three teammates regarding that very valid point. Amari ignored them in favor of focusing inwardly on her chakra. They didn't need her to figure out the best course of action here.

"Sakura, stay here and watch after Amari," Sasuke said. "Read over the scroll before she begins. Maybe the knowledge within will help you to see if anything is going wrong."

Sakura nodded beside her then picked up the scroll. "Right."

"Naruto, take first watch over the perimeter. If anything seems out of the ordinary then get inside right away. We all need to be aware of an impending attack so we can counter it accordingly," Sasuke said.

"That's not needed," Amari intervened in his orders. There were sounds of confusion from her teammates, though that was to be expected since they didn't know the full capabilities of her eye yet. "My eye allows me to see three hundred and sixty degrees for fifty meters in every direction. If there is someone coming, I'll know long before Naruto does."

 _However, my eye is already sore and the longer I maintain it, the worse my headache is going to get and the blurrier my vision will be._ Her head was already pounding and the vision in her eye was no longer clear as glass. Fog was beginning to form within it, and it would only get progressively worse over time. _I just have to hope my Byakugan will last long enough here._

"Whoa. That's so cool Amari!" Naruto beamed.

"In that case we'll keep watch on the bridge builder until Kakashi is up," Sasuke corrected.

Naruto jumped to his feet with a smile pulling onto his face. "Right! Good luck Amari!"

He left the room at a run with Sasuke following behind quietly muttering something about the boy being a loser. Amari didn't attempt to listen any longer. She was falling into her meditative focus where her breathing evened out, her anxieties dispersed on the coastal winds and the chakra running through her body became the sole focus point of her mind.

Just like when she took the chakra from her teammates, she was going to have to be extra careful with transferring her chakra to Kakashi. If she didn't do it in small increments then she would be risking her life. _This is how I prefer it. At least I'll only lose my life if the worst happened…not that I want it to happen._

Dying now would be a drag.

"Okay Amari, whenever you're ready," Sakura said.

Amari inhaled a deep breath through her nose then exhaled it out of her mouth. _It's time._ She lifted her right hand up into Tiger and rested her left on Kakashi's stomach. _Please work._ Focusing inwardly, she pushed her chakra towards the palm of her left hand and rather than attempting to absorb chakra from Kakashi, she focused on connecting her chakra network to his to begin the transfer.

When the "connection" was made, she began filtering her chakra into his network. The action created a green hue around her hand initially, but then the green hue steadily climbed up her left arm until she was covered in a green cloak similar to the one she created in battle. The difference here, however, was it was missing the black tips and the chakra was all flowing like an electrical circuit or a wave towards her left palm.

Mere moments passed before she could feel the slow and steady drain of her chakra leaving her. In her Byakugan she could see the green flow entering into Kakashi's network and revitalizing it faster than his body was doing naturally.

 _Come on Kakashi-sensei, wake up._

A minute passed before the drain became significant enough to warrant beads of sweat forming on her brow and a strained expression. _I'm…nearing my limit._ Her training with meditation was the only thing keeping her currently calm breathing from becoming sharper and without a calm cadence.

By her mental estimations before performing the technique, the chakra she had given him should have been suitable for his body to no longer be strained by the lack of chakra. Yet nothing she could see on him showed a chance in his condition. _Come on…I just need…to give him a little more._

Within his chakra network she saw another foreign chakra begin to enter. _That could only mean…_

Amari glanced over to her fellow kunoichi to see her right hand on his chest and a blue hue surrounding her hand as she transferred over her chakra. _Sakura…You managed to learn how to do it faster than I did._ Had she not been so focused, she might have smirked. But it was also evident by the strain on Sakura's face that she was struggling to keep the technique active.

"Sakura, don't hurt yourself. Please." Her pleading voice earned her a faint nod and the retraction of her teammate's hand. Impressed as she was, Amari couldn't bear to see her teammate hurting herself in an attempt to help. "You did very well on your first try after a quick read. All you need is a bit more focus and more time to study and you'll have it."

"Thank you, Amari," Sakura responded.

"If you would like, I could spar with you when we get back to the village to help you improve your taijutsu," Amari offered, using the conversation as a means to distract her from the strain of the technique.

"Huh? Seriously?" Amari nodded as she maintained focus. "Oh…Um, sure. I mean, if you're not busy training with your mom or anything."

Amari let a light and slightly pained laugh escape her. As much as she hated to admit it, her time training with her mom was quickly coming to an end. Between their missions and the missions Kurenai had to lead, they wouldn't be able to see each other as often as they used to. Or, that was her theory anyway. She didn't want it to end up that way, but if it did then that meant she would just have to train extra hard on her own and with her team.

That time would be perfect, and with a little work of her Shadow Clone Jutsu and the Transformation Jutsu she would be able to have private time with Sakura to help her improve. Out of all of them, Sakura was the furthest behind in physical strength and fighting instinct. The best way to get her to catch up to them was to put her through a rigorous training regimen where she wouldn't have to worry about being judged by Sasuke, Naruto or Kakashi, if that was her fear.

"If anything I could create two clones and transform one into you to spar with the boys during our normal training days while you and I train. They'd be none the wiser and by the time they did figure out the switch, they'd be exhausted."

A gloved hand suddenly snatched Amari's wrist and severed the chakra connection by twisting her hand off of Kakashi's stomach. Her chakra cloak disappeared immediately at the sudden breakage of focus and connection.

"What did I tell you about using a technique you've never used before, Amari?" Kakashi scolded tiredly.

 _To only do it under proper supervision_ , her mind recited. But he wasn't going to get away from her unscathed after worrying them all. No way. "And what did I tell you before you fought Zabuza?" she fired back with narrowed eyes.

Her sensei exhaled a tired sigh and released her wrist. "Be careful, Sensei," he repeated her exact words.

Amari smirked and hummed victoriously at him then turned her eyes to Sakura. "Want to go get the boys for us?" She nodded and left, giving Amari the brief alone time she hoped for with Kakashi. When she turned back to him she saw his eye barely creaked open as he stared up at the ceiling. "Too much Sharingan?"

"Yeah. How long has it been?" he asked.

"About three or four hours. I lost track in my studies." Her sensei dipped his chin down slightly in what she assumed was meant to be a nod. Amari wiped away the few beads of sweat that had formed then offered her sensei an apologetic look. "Sorry I can't give more chakra. I only took the amount from the others I thought would get you to wake up. If I used it any longer I doubt I'd have the energy to walk. Though by my estimation, neither of us will be fighting anytime soon."

Had he the energy, Amari bet Kakashi would have sat up to talk. Instead he lazily rolled his head on the pillow to look over to her. "Sounds about right. Good work learning the technique in such a short time. It will take you some time to refine it, but for now it worked as needed." He grunted as he tried to get more comfortable. "The bond you share with the others continues to grow each day just as you do. I haven't seen and felt what you show for your team in a new Genin in a long time."

Kakashi rolled his head back to its natural position to stare up at the ceiling. "Even in Zabuza's Water Prison I could feel your emotions once that green chakra began to form. Zabuza may not have shown it physically, but the chakra cloak and the emotions with it shocked him immensely."

Amari nodded in thanks of the praise he offered and rested her hands in her lap. "Thank you, Sensei. I just wish I knew what it was…and why it has to encourage him to think I'd be a good Blood Mist Shinobi."

" _You'd have done well in the Mist years ago. A shame you were born to such a soft Village. We'd have honed you to be a real shinobi."_

Just the memory of his words was enough to coax a shudder out of her.

Her sensei rolled his head back to stare her directly in the eyes with his singular stern yet comforting eye. "You are not Zabuza, Amari. You would never raise your hand to a comrade. Don't let his twisted words make you think otherwise."

"I…" His words filled her with an immense amount of warmth she was in desperate need of. Amari bowed her head in gratitude. "Thank you, Sensei. I needed to hear someone else say that." _Because I was beginning to doubt the truth to my own arguments._

"You don't need to thank me. Just look deep inside your heart and you'll find the truth in my words." She bowed her head again, humbled by his belief in her. "As for the chakra cloak and the emotions we could feel, I don't have a solid answer for you. From the reports I read of your encounter with Mizuki, I assumed all you exuded was killing intent because of the volatile emotional state he put you in.

"But there's more to it than that, a lot more. One portion of it is killing intent. That's what your enemies feel when you let it loose like that. I assume you tapped into all of the pain, anguish and anger you have been given by Kasai as a catalyst to the eventual state you reach."

Amari hesitated for a brief second before giving in to answering with a silent nod.

"I see. All I ask is you be careful with that. Hatred is a poison, Amari. If you inject yourself with enough of it, you'll eventually give in to the pain and become someone you don't want to be. Trust me."

"I'll…try my best, Sensei." Her eyes fell away to a spot of wooden floor on her side. "The others needed me to be…a warrior. Someone who was unafraid of Zabuza and willing to fight to the end, just like you. I learned I had that kind of person in me against Mizuki. But I know you're right about my hatred being a poison." She brought her hand to her heart and clenched her shirt tightly. "Every day since I lost Ryu and Kasai I've felt it inside of me, lingering in the darkness of my heart. I've had Mom, you and so many others helping me to fight it…But it's…"

 _It's always there and never goes away._

"It's not easy, I know. And I know you did it to help save me, and I'm grateful for what you were willing to do." Kakashi reached over and rested his gloved hand on her knee. Looking back to him she found an earnest look in his singular eye. "Just promise me you'll try to find some other way to access your inner warrior." He shook his head. "You don't need your hatred to do it; I've seen you become a fierce fighter without it. So promise me you'll keep searching within yourself so you never have to use your anger to become the fearless shinobi I saw today."

"…I promise, Kakashi-sensei."

He nodded. "Good." He retracted his hand back to his side. "The other portion of your emotions is your protectiveness over your comrades, and that does not fall into anything I've ever experienced in the field of battle. I'm thinking when you tap into your killing intent, you're reshaping it like you're shaping chakra to pass on your determination to those you want to protect. Your green chakra cloak is a different entity altogether.

"When you reached that state, you were releasing the full strength lying within you all at once. Essentially you're revitalizing yourself and putting every ounce of your strength into a final attack. Unfortunately, if you don't strike immediately your chakra is still being drained. My advice for you is this: if you ever have to use it again, don't hesitate to strike. You may only get one chance in a different fight and you may need all of your strength at its highest potency."

Sound advice she would do her best to implement in the future.

"The one theory I have for how you are accessing your emotions and passing them onto us is farfetched, but it's all I've got. You have a strong tie to your spiritual energy, and out of everyone on this team you are the most in tune with your emotions. My guess is your emotions and spiritual energy have been sewn tightly together either as you've grown or because of the major events in your life, and when you feel such intense emotions it seeps into the air, just like your chakra."

He was right, that did sound farfetched…yet it was still plausible. "That…actually makes sense...Kind of. Hmm." _Food for thought._ She wasn't sure there were any experiments she could run to test his theory or if what he said was even possible, but lacking any other better explanation left her with this single conclusion. That didn't mean it was correct, but it could very well explain the emotions the others could feel from her.

"Speaking of your emotions, I can see something is troubling you. Care to share?"

Amari hesitated to answer, earning her a look of worry from Kakashi. While they touched on almost everything she wanted to speak of, there was one matter she was struggling to bring up. Listening intently to the room around her, she could hear footsteps just outside of the room in a relaxed approach.

"Can we talk later…privately?"

He nodded but she could still she the worry in his eye. The door to the room opened up a moment later and Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter, entered the room. "Ah, so he's finally waking up. Are you all right?" she asked when she reached them.

Her blue hair was long and straight, unlike the Nara in the room whose hair was a wild knotted mess thanks to her swim. Tsunami wore a pink short sleeved shirt with a blue knee length skirt. Thus far she had been very polite to the team and was thankful for them protecting her father. Much else about the woman was unknown to Amari, though that was mostly due to her focus being on Kakashi.

"I've definitely been better, but without my team I would be far worse off than I am." Kakashi struggled to sit up, likely out of courtesy to the woman they were a guest of. "It'll be a week before I can move normally."

Amari shook her head at his stubbornness and placed her hand on his shoulder to stop him. "Sensei you need to stay down for now. I'm no medic, the chakra I gave you won't heal any wounds you have or make it so you can walk just yet. Rest is the best medicine you can have."

"Right," he sighed as he laid back down. Her sensei looked over to her with his eye half open. "You should really deactivate your Byakugan. You used it way too much in that last fight."

"Difference is mine doesn't drain my chakra like yours does."

" _Amari_ ," Kakashi chided.

"Fine." She deactivated it, shut her eye and rubbed her left temple where the worse throbbing of her headache was coming from. Truth was he was right, even if hers didn't drain her chakra to the same degree as his Sharingan, using it for extended periods of time did have its consequences. Besides the headache, she could no longer see clearly through her left eye, the vision from it being impeded by a blur she couldn't quite see through now.

Thankfully it wouldn't be permanent. The blur caused by overuse eventually faded away, allowing her vision to essentially reset to its normal sight. The more she trained with it, the longer she'd be able to maintain it before the blur and pain set in. She could also increase how far she could see, though thus far she hadn't extended it by much.

Tsunami's entrance was followed by the rest of the team shuffling in with Tazuna. Sakura took her place next to Amari on her knees, her features revealing her worry for their sensei's health. "Sensei, your Sharingan is amazing, but if it puts this much strain on you then maybe it's not worth using," Sakura said.

 _If only things were so simple._ As the others began to speak, Amari let her thoughts drift back to the fight. _While the strain it caused this time is definitely a big consequence, we needed his Sharingan. The four of us alone wouldn't have stood a chance against the real Zabuza. It took all our strength, and luck, just to get Kakashi-sensei free._

They were severely outclassed by Zabuza in the fight. Not only did he have a home field advantage of water and mist, but none of the Genin's had experience with going toe to toe with a foe of such power and skill.

Training over time would help them grow stronger, but their second encounter with an enemy who wasn't going to hold back his kill shots was an entirely different experience than their training. Add in Zabuza's potent killing intent and you had a dangerous concoction for a fresh faced team.

 _I still can't get past that boy's sudden arrival. His mask indicated he is an elite shinobi and likely part of the Mist's Anbu Black Ops but…I don't know. If he is a real tracker then finally killing Zabuza means he'll have to take the secrets and destroy the body so others don't get it._

In the case of Kakashi or even Amari dying in battle, a shinobi would want to analyze their Sharingan's and her Byakugan. Worst case scenario, they would steal their eyes and their entire jutsu and use it against their own village. The trackers duty was to stop that from happening and make sure the secrets that rogue ninjas like Zabuza carried were kept safe.

 _The weird thing is even if we're from different villages he should have destroyed that body right there to make sure its secrets were no longer a problem. He also used such a strange way to kill him._ Senbon were capable of hitting vital points, as he demonstrated, but even then they weren't meant for killing blows…

Amari's eyes widened. _Oh no._

"Amari? Sensei? What's wrong?" Naruto asked.

Both the Nara and her sensei were broken from their thoughts, apparently both having fallen into the same line of thought instead of paying attention to the others. Amari looked to her sensei, finding him sitting up instead of lying down with the same realization she hit in his eye.

His small nod of confirmation to her worst fears made her heart drop.

"Zabuza isn't dead," Amari stated.

She had suspected something was up, but this theory was her worst case scenario of what had been wrong.

"What do you mean he isn't dead? We saw that kid kill him," Sasuke said.

"No…he took the body away when he should have done his job right there. He also used senbon, throwing needles, to kill him. Senbon aren't meant for that Sasuke. Think about it."

Her teammate took in her thought pattern and hit upon the realization she had tried to explain judging by the shocked look that crossed his face. "Damn it," he muttered.

"What are you all yammering about? You demolished that assassin," Tazuna said.

"As much as I wish that were true, the truth is this: Zabuza is still alive," Kakashi reinforced the conclusion.

Alarmed wails escaped Sakura, Naruto and Tazuna simultaneously. Amari might have laughed if she wasn't biting the inside of her bottom lip in worry. _He tricked us and we fell for it. He used those throwing needles to simulate death so Sensei believed he had killed him, but it was a trick, and a good one at that. Senbon can pierce deep but rarely are they able to kill unless they hit a vital organ._

 _He used the simulated death and our exhaustion from the fight to his advantage to take Zabuza away. An intelligent plan, I'll give him that. But now we have an angry demon wanting revenge._ Amari released her lip and suppressed a sigh. _Man, this mission is becoming such a drag._

"Encountering suspicion, a ninja prepares quickly," Kakashi spoke to calm the others. "Hesitation leads to disaster. Every shinobi knows this saying."

 _And failing encountering suspicion we create suspicion to keep others at bay. One sword keeps another in the sheathe as the saying goes._

"Sensei, how are we supposed to prepare quickly when you can barely move?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi chuckled lightly. "I can still train you. By the way Amari, that means the seals go back on," he informed, giving her an infuriating eye smile. Amari groaned and lowered her head in depression. Secretly she was _really_ hoping Kakashi would have forgotten about that until she was fully recovered, but clearly he hadn't and had no intention of letting her off the hook.

"Troublesome adult," she mumbled.

"Hold on! A little last minute training isn't going to make us strong enough to defeat Zabuza. You could barely defeat him even with your Sharingan. We have to be reasonable about this," Sakura argued.

Amari couldn't help but agree with her fellow kunoichi, much as she hated admitting it. His water clone was just a tenth of his strength and they had struggled to just get past him.

Kakashi didn't even flinch at the argument. "Sakura, don't forget why I was able to defeat Zabuza. It's because of all four of you that I was able to escape. The four of you helped me to defeat him. You've grown. Naruto." She heard the boy behind him make a sound of questioning. Kakashi aimed a closed eyed smile at him. "You've grown the most."

 _He's right about that_ , Amari thought, unashamed by the truth. _Compare the Naruto who froze up to the Naruto I fought side by side with against Zabuza and it's like two different people._

A young voice called from behind them all voicing insults of some kind. Amari ignored it and the person voicing them. Obviously Tazuna's grandson had arrived and already had a low opinion of them for whatever stupid reason he decided on.

The boy, Inari, seemed to doubt things were going to change from what little she was picking up and believed they would all die against Gatō.

Naruto being Naruto wanted to crush him.

The Shadow user exhaled a tired sigh. _We're going to have to work on that._

She rolled up her scroll and put it back in her pack then grabbed the eight seals and the white bandages out of her pack so she could get it over with. She attached all the seals in the same places as before then moved closer to her sensei so he could activate them.

A few seconds later she was forty pounds heavier and really missing her light body. Kakashi gave her a smug smile under his mask when she gave him a death glare for coming up with this idea. His smugness only grew.

 _Damn him._

Defeated yet again by her mentor, and also growing incredibly annoyed by the insults coming from the child, Amari decided to take her leave. "Sensei, I'm going to go sit on the dock and meditate for a little while…I've got some lingering thoughts so just let me know when we're going to go out and train."

He nodded understandingly, his faint hint of worry returned in his eye but he left his questions silent for the time being.

"Be careful and make sure you cover those seals up. Keep your eyes and ears open," he told her.

Amari nodded then Body Flickered to the dock where she promptly fell onto her butt when she tried to sit down crossed legged. Her tired body did little to help in dealing with the extra weight, but the Shadow user would endure—it was the only way to get stronger.

First she covered her seals up using the white bandages, which took longer thanks to how heavy her arms were. Once she finished she closed her eyes and let all her thoughts go with the breeze.

The waves were calm compared to how they had been during the fight against Zabuza; then again Water Dragons and Giant Vortex's had a way of making waves, literally. Seagulls sounded off in the distance and a calm breeze brushed against her body, creating a mostly peaceful aura around her.

Learning that Zabuza had not actually died wasn't at all motivating, but it wasn't what was bothering her the most. Her cousin's voice from that memory still lingered in her mind, and with it she could feel her heart still tearing apart inside her chest.

She could hear his words in her head like he had just spoken them to her in person. Although she couldn't remember anything else about him, in her heart she knew the world was lesser without him.

Whoever he had been, the voice in the memory triggered her brain to remember small quirks about him without a visual of who he was or what his name was. Not even more words spoken, just little things that seemed to fit who he was. For instance, the familiarity of being poked in the forehead was definitely originally sourced by him, and she was happy to have even a small fragment of that familiarity still in her life thanks to her mother.

Then there was her original name, Haya. Ever since she woke up in the orphanage she had gone by the name of Amaririsu and Amari. Yet now that she knew Haya was her real name, did she need to give up the name of Amari? But…to give that up would be to abandon the first gift Ryu had given her.

 _What do I do with this information? Should I even risk using my original name? What if there are still threats out there?_

Time passed by with a flurry of confusing and emotional thoughts passing through her mind. Eventually Kakashi came out on crutches and told her to follow him from the trees while he and the others traveled on the grassy floor. Not only was it a way to make her train more, but he had an interesting plan for team training. She wouldn't be taking part in it due to the fact she still needed to recover, but her sensei had a plan to show the others what they had to do.

Even with low chakra and a tired weighted down body Amari followed along until her team stopped and began going over the fundamentals of chakra. Sakura—their go to guide on text from class—gave the other two a quick lesson on the fundamentals.

Basic or not, it was important and taught first for a reason—understanding it helped you in all areas.

Something the boys weren't getting.

Amari picked a few leaves off the tree she was standing on and stuffed them in her pocket while Kakashi scolded Naruto and Sasuke about chakra control being of the utmost importance.

Even though her level of chakra control was greater than her teams, she still needed to practice it and continue to evolve it. Tree climbing and water walking all day weren't going to be available in her state, so she'd have to use the old sticking a leaf to her and holding with chakra as a way to continue to do that. This time around she'd connect more leaves to different parts of her instead of just one spot.

"So what do we need to do to make controlling our chakra second nature?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi chuckled and pointed a singular finger up to where Amari was hiding. "Climb a tree."

"Climb a tree?" the three Genin echoed in confusion as they looked up the tree.

"Just one rule about it guys," Amari said as she walked on the underside of the branch with her arms crossed. "You can't use your hands."

Kakashi focused his chakra to his feet and crutched his way up the tree adjacent to Amari until he was hanging upside down like she was. "Now Amari, how about you explain the importance of this seeing as you already know this technique."

"I'll do my best. Now I know you three are probably wondering how using this will help us defeat Zabuza. The thing is this is the only way we can." Amari lifted up one finger. "First you will have to learn how to draw a precise amount of chakra to a precise point in the body—your feet in this case. Just a heads up, it's not going to be easy. You are going to be mixing both physical and spiritual energy for this type of climbing, and the bottoms of your feet are the hardest points to focus chakra."

"Are you getting the picture? If you master this, you can master any jutsu. Well, theoretically," Kakashi said.

Amari nodded. Training on her chakra control like she had was probably one of the main reasons she had been able to surpass her entire class. "Right. The second point is to learn to maintain your chakra levels. When we fought Zabuza I was maintaining Shadow Clones, Transformations, my eye and that shroud. If you were to ask me to do that and still manage to think through my plans at the Academy I probably wouldn't have been able to."

The young ninja began walking back towards the trunk and then down it with ease. Looking back at how much she had fell off trees, Amari felt a hint of pride at her ability to walk along it without really thinking about it. "Maintaining chakra must become second nature to you if you want to continue to get stronger and if we are going to stand a chance against Zabuza. So," she smirked, "no pressure."

"If you also remember Amari's lecture back in the village and then on the walk here you'll note she mentioned quite a good portion of information on this technique and its importance," Kakashi reminded. Amari felt her cheeks warm at the reminder. "Whoops. I forgot we weren't supposed to mention that again. Well, in any case, Amari why don't you head back and get some rest. You've already mastered this technique and overexerted yourself back in that fight just as I did. Keep the weights on."

"Right." _I thought I'd get out of it again. I hate him sometimes._ Amari waved to her teammates and her sensei and started the long walk back. "Good luck guys! Try not to hurt yourselves!"

 _If they get this down now we'll be better off against Zabuza…I just don't know if we'll stand a chance against that boy._


	13. Chapter 12: Strength and Heroes

Chapter 12

The Measure of Strength and Heroes: Remembering a Will Passed Down

A day had passed since Team Seven encountered Zabuza. At the moment the boys were gone training, trying their hardest to gain mastery of their chakra control while Sakura was guarding the bridge builder. Amari was impressed by her fellow kunoichi; she had expected maybe a few days of hard work for her to master the technique, yet all she had needed was an afternoon to really gain fine control of her chakra.

One possible reason for her ability could be previous training since the bell test. Her questions after Kakashi passing them seemed to hint at an interest in performing it. However, Amari wasn't unwilling to believe Sakura learned it within the first day of training. Through her Academy scores she revealed a latent pool of potential to become a great shinobi. All she had to do was learn how to turn the lessons of the Academy into action and increase her physical energies and she would become a force to be reckoned with.

As for the boys, they were at different levels of control. Sasuke was currently ahead of Naruto, but her knucklehead wasn't too far behind him in gaining control of his chakra. Both were pushing to succeed, and with their rivalry fueling their desire to surpass each other she was certain they'd succeed by the weeks end.

Today, however, the sun was setting, which meant the boys would be back soon…if they didn't knock themselves unconscious. Amari, on the other hand, was in the midst of studying since she was still recovering. Several books and scrolls laid opened up all around her, forming a sort of semicircle of information to absorb—or a diabolical séance summoning circle.

 _All I'm missing is a cauldron of green liquid and a pointy black hat_ , she mused.

Her eyes darted between the information as her arms struggled to keep books and scrolls held up thanks to her weighted seals. Troublesome in every way in her opinion, but if the training worked then it'd be worth it. _I just hope the lessening of the strain is more of my muscles growing stronger and less of them going numb._

She really couldn't tell right now, but ignorance was bliss sometimes.

Tazuna and his family were kind enough to let them stay on the upper floor of their home instead of camping outside for the duration of the mission. This was where Amari made her base camp of studying, currently nose deep in a scroll about chakra control. She still hadn't learned the Water Walking Technique, it being her goal to at the least be able to walk a minute on the surface of the water by the end of the week. Unfortunately, for the time being, she wasn't allowed to actually put her knowledge into practice, so any real training with the technique was off the table until she was back to full strength.

 _I need to be at one hundred percent when we finally face Zabuza. I need to become strong enough to stop him from hurting Mr. Tazuna and my team._

Studying while maintaining a leaf connected to her forehead and two more attached to the back of her hands was the only training she could do right now that wouldn't injure her. Doing this did require her to draw on her chakra, but it was nothing significant enough to leave her like the boys would be when they returned from training.

"Hard at work I see," a female voice called from behind her.

Amari half turned to see Tsunami looking down at her with a smile. She smiled back and earned a small laugh from the woman when she noticed the leaf connected to her forehead.

"I can learn a lot from reading. The leaves are to help me work on my chakra control since I can't go train like the others yet," she explained.

"I see. Tazuna and Sakura just returned with food, so dinner will be ready in an hour."

"Okay. I'll start packing up my mess then." Amari looked to all her books and scrolls. "It'll take me a little while to get all of this packed up."

Tsunami nodded and left the room and the young girl to clean up her mess. _I can see how it is meant to work in my head_ , she thought while bookmarking her books and rolling up her scrolls. _I get how the chakra is meant to be distributed, but in practice I know it'll be harder than it seems._ To be consistently changing the percentages of chakra would be difficult on its own; the real problem came with doing so while in the heat of combat. Until it became an unconscious action, like breathing, her mind would be split between trying to stay above water and trying to fight someone.

 _So much room for error_. She frowned. _My focus will be pulled in two separate directions, lowering my efficiency in both tasks_. How long would it take for her to make it second nature? How much time did she need? Would the remaining days of the week be enough? Amari shook her head. _Second nature won't happen so quickly. I need to focus on lasting a minute on the water._ That was a goal she could succeed in, and if she was lucky she wouldn't have to fight on the water anytime soon.

Amari packed the remainder of her scrolls and books up but paused when she got to her final item.

What was once in the middle of all her books and scrolls was a framed picture of her mother and herself after graduation that they had taken. Kurenai stood behind her, her hands resting on both of Amari's shoulders as she smiled brightly. Amari herself was beaming, her bandana no longer covering her eye, revealing the scar beneath it. Around her neck was her ninja headband; the source of the happiness and pride her past self was beaming about.

 _I miss you._ She missed training with her. She missed the comfortable silences as they sat together while she put braids in her wild hair. She missed hearing her laugh and call her little one every day. She missed Konoha and all the people she cared about that were still there, but it was Kurenai she missed the most.

All in all, the young girl was homesick. But she knew her first time away from her home and her mom would go this way, which was why she brought the picture with her. Having this small piece of her, being able to see her mother's smile and knowing that she was okay with her team helped her to conquer the homesick feeling.

 _I hope you aren't worrying too much, Mom._ _It's been almost a full week since we left home…and we still have another week until Zabuza will show up, plus whatever time is left afterwards to finish the construction on the bridge._

If things went smoothly they'd be back to Konoha after being gone for almost half a month. If things didn't go smoothly they'd be gone a full month…or dead.

 _We'll stop Gatō and Zabuza from getting their way and then we'll be on our way…_ She rubbed the edge of the frame with her thumb. _I love you. I'll be home soon._

Amari finished packing her stuff up and headed down for dinner. Sure enough the boys came in from training with what she could only describe as a stench of a full-blown competitive rivalry.

They took their battle against one another from training to who could eat the most—a grotesque sight, to say the least. The amount of food they shoveled into their mouths, it almost made her lose her appetite. She sat at the corner of the table between Kakashi and Tazuna. On the opposite side of Kakashi was Naruto and across from him was Sasuke. Inari was seated next to Sasuke with Sakura on the opposite end of the table opposite of Tazuna.

It took a lot of will power to ignore the two boys and their disgusting eating and table manners, but as soon as she finished her meal Amari got up and began helping Tsunami with the dishes. It was a familiarity that reminded her of home when she helped her own mother with dishes, and it also helped to block out the gross eating display.

In the back of her mind she could hear her mother humming a soft tune, granting Amari some peace as she followed along to her melody.

That all came crashing down once the boys made themselves puke from eating too much, too fast.

 _That's it!_ A hint of fury sparked in her. "Oh for the love of…Boys, do you make a habit of throwing up your food when your guests? If that's the case, I'm never inviting you over for dinner."

"I have to eat," Sasuke declared, glaring across the table at Naruto.

"And I have to eat more than him. It's the only way I'll get strong enough to beat him," Naruto argued, meeting his intense glare with a competitive grin.

"Perhaps, but puking helps no one," Kakashi said simply.

Amari groaned at their arguments and glares. Why were most boys so troublesome? Why couldn't they be more like her Shika? _He's pretty troublesome, too_ , she mused, frowning. _He's so lazy; it's a wonder how he even gets out of bed each morning. Though, I bet Aunt Yoshino has something to do with that._

Yoshino Nara's ire was not something any person wanted to earn. Ever.

Shrugging off her thoughts, Amari created two Shadow Clones who promptly walked over to the other two and slapped them in the back of their heads.

Ten pounds of back swing each.

"You're cleaning up your own puke. It is not Mr. Tazuna's or Miss Tsunami's job to clean up after you two."

"Bu—"

The glare the clones gave both boys shut them up immediately. "I'm sorry. Obviously the way other me spoke caused you to believe this was a negotiation," one clone said.

"Let me rephrase it for you two idiots," continued the other. "You two _will_ clean up your own puke, and you'll do it immediately. Understood?" Sasuke slunk in his chair in defeat and Naruto nodded vigorously in fear. The three Amari's smiled. "Great! We'll grab your plates and bowls so you can focus on cleaning up your mess."

Wisely the pair did not argue, though there were grumblings of discontent as they cleaned up their puke.

"And you said she's the shyest of your group?" Tazuna asked to Kakashi, humored by the scene.

"You would have to see her out of battle and off a mission…And probably make sure those two aren't fighting with one another," Kakashi replied.

Soon after all the others finished eating, Tsunami kindly dismissed Amari and her clones since she was still a guest. It wasn't until Sakura brought attention to a ripped photo hanging on a wall in the kitchen that things really started to unravel themselves. There was no big fight or slamming of doors, just the suffocating silence of sorrow left behind by a tender wound.

Inari was the first to leave without saying a single word to anyone. Tsunami followed after him, calling his name as it was made clear to each of the shinobi just by the actions alone what the source of the pain was. _He must have lost his father…_

Tazuna, without any coaxing, began to tell the group the story of the person the Land of Waves once called a hero…the man who hadn't been the blood father of Inari, but had become his father in everything except blood.

"Back then, Inari was never without a smile or laughter. But then…" Tazuna's eyes welled over with tears as he grunted to try and keep his voice in check. Despite his attempts, tears rolled over and fell to the table. "All of that ended. He never laughs or smiles anymore. Ever since the day the word courage was stolen from this island. We were left feeling powerless, hopeless. Inari has suffered ever since that day, ever since _it_ happened."

Tazuna continued his story of how the man came into the village and how he met Inari. Apparently some bullies took Inari's dog Pochi away and tossed him in the water despite the dog's inability to swim. As Inari was stuck in fear and sadness because he had yet to learn to swim, the bullies kicked him in as well.

The cruelty of kids never ceased to amaze Amari after seeing how everyone ridiculed Naruto and from her own experiences with bullies. Within her heart she could feel her anger beginning to surge at their cruelness. Her hands slowly clenched into tight fists until her knuckles were white and her nails were digging into the palms of her hands…Then all the tension released when a hand rested on top of her head.

Amari glanced up and found Kakashi looking down at her. He gave her his signature eye smile, and with those two gestures he guided her heart away from the darkness back towards the warm light. _Thanks, Sensei._

The bridge builder continued the story of how Kaiza, a simple fisherman and eventual stepfather of Inari, saved the boy from drowning. From that day forward they were inseparable.

 _Just like me and Mom._ The only difference was Kurenai hadn't saved her from drowning in water; she saved her from drowning in the darkness of despair.

Inari followed in Kaiza's footsteps like a real father and son and then when the town needed him most, Kaiza became something more. The floodgates opened and the water was rising, the result of which would lead to the lower district becoming flooded and uninhabitable. Kaiza had jumped into the rushing currents and swam across it until he was able to tie the rope he had to the floodgate. Using the rope the people were able to shut the floodgate and save the lower district from catastrophic destruction.

He became a hero of the town and Inari looked up to him even more, but then Gatō showed up. Naturally, he made an example out of the boy's father to destroy the fighting spirit of the people and keep a revolt from taking place. Without their hero, the man who inspired them to have courage, none of them would stand up to his disgusting abuse of power.

Kaiza was strong willed to the end and didn't break, not even after they broke his body—a strong man for being a simple fisherman.

A man with a will all others should aspire to.

Inari unfortunately was there and saw it all happen. With his spirit crushed and the despair Gatō spread infecting the entire Land, he turned into the boy he now was; someone who believed there was no use in fighting no matter how bad things were for the village…someone who believed the strong always over powered the weak and true heroes didn't exist.

"It's not right," Amari said quietly.

Naruto suddenly stood up but his legs gave out and caused him to fall straight to the floor.

"What are you doing, Naruto?" Sakura asked, a bit exasperated at his antics.

"You need to take the day off. No more training. You've used too much chakra, Naruto. If you push yourself any harder you could end up dead," Kakashi warned.

Amari watched on in awe as Naruto, with aching limbs and a shaky body, pushed himself back up.

"I'm going to prove it."

Tazuna made a questioning noise next to her as her team watched their teammate stand up with his legs quivering under him. He was lucky to be standing at all right now; his body had finally been able to register all the sore muscles and wasn't going to allow him to move around much more.

"Prove what?" Sakura asked.

"I'll prove tha- that it's true. That in this world…there are real heroes!" Naruto declared.

His will was another Amari believed all should aspire to. Unfortunately, his body today was going to win the battle between mind over physically pushed to the limit body.

"Naruto." The boy looked to Amari. "You've got five seconds until you collapse."

Just as she predicted, his body collapsed against his wishes.

With a sigh, Amari got up and helped the knucklehead up, allowing him to use her body as a brace. "I'll bring him to bed. Mr. Tazuna, please thank Miss Tsunami for a great meal and thank you for buying the food." Amari gave a faint bow of her head then began half helping, half dragging her friend with her up to their room.

"So, real heroes huh?"

"You bet, Amari. I'll prove it."

"Then I'll prove it with you. I won't stand by and let everyone give up hope," Amari said.

And she meant it too. She would not allow Gatō to have his way any longer.

Three days later

Amari walked cautiously across the surface of the water back towards the dock where she had originally jumped down. It had taken her the last three days of training to finally get this technique, but she finally did it. She walked on water for more than a minute without failing. She still really had to focus on the chakra she was channeling to keep herself from falling in, but she hadn't fallen in like she did the previous days.

It was an improvement and an accomplishment all in one surprise package.

Thankfully she was allowed to take the seals off for this particular training _and_ had packed extra clothes. If she hadn't, she'd still be dripping wet from all the times she fell in the water. Now it was just a matter of making it second nature. _That'll come in time. For now I'm happy to even be able to pull this off._

When she first started training to perform the technique, she tried to maintain two clones as they continued her training with Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu. They weren't training incredibly hard, though that hadn't mattered much in the end. The split of chakra and focus was too much for her to handle and ended up with two dispelled clones and an unwanted bath.

No one learned a new elemental chakra in a week, or even a few weeks. It would take time and more intense training without being distracted by other tasks to finally successfully perform the technique. Mastery over a new chakra nature would take even longer, but hopefully with the help of her clones it wouldn't take her twenty or thirty years.

In the shinobi world, living long lives wasn't exactly the norm for everyone. If one wanted to live a long life, they needed to learn as quickly as possible and gain the strength necessary to defend themselves. Or at least that was what Amari believed. It was why she trained and studied as hard as she could and as often as she did.

She needed to gain the strength necessary to protect her comrades and defeat Kasai. She needed to become stronger and smarter so she could fulfill Ryu's last wish and then help her friends fulfill their dreams. Everything she was doing, it wasn't to become the strongest shinobi their world had ever seen or for personal glory; everything she put herself through was for her friends. For them she would put herself through hell if it meant they lived long lives and fulfilled their dreams. For them she would sacrifice herself if it meant saving them from the same fate as Ryu.

It was her friends and family she lived and fought for…and it was for them she would die if she had to choose between their lives and her own.

Night had fallen over the Land of Waves and the boys were still out climbing trees while Sakura and their sensei were inside with Tazuna and his family. Sasuke and Naruto were progressing quite well; in fact she was certain they would succeed in reaching the tops of the trees soon.

Amari reached the dock and jumped back on it. _Tomorrow I'll be guarding Mr. Tazuna with Sakura so I won't have time to train with this anymore._ She turned back around to look at the water. _But at least I'm getting closer. After I learn this I can focus more on perfecting my jutsus._

"Looks like you've gotten the basics of this technique down as well. Good work, Amari," Kakashi greeted from behind her, the closing of a door following his voice.

"Thank you, Sensei," Amari thanked as she gazed out at the waves and the sky. "Do I need to put the seals back on?"

"No," he answered, joining her at her side. "You'd have to take them off tomorrow anyways." A comfortable silence fell over them both for a moment, the pair simply listening to the waves sloshing below them as they stared up at the stars or the reflection of the stars in the water.

Kakashi was the one to break the silence. "We never got to talk privately." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and turned his gaze down to her. "Are you okay?"

"…Depends on the moment. I have moments where I miss Mom badly, but at times like that I look at our picture and it passes."

But that also wasn't what Kakashi was asking about. He was asking after the reason why she wanted to talk privately in the first place. Amari wanted to talk about it…but the words were hard to form. She had so many emotions locked away right now that she was worried letting them out would lead to a chain reaction of explosive emotions.

The one solace she had was the peaceful environment surrounding them and the comforting presence of her sensei.

"What happened before I woke up?" Kakashi asked.

Straight to the point, but that was Kakashi's way. He offered comfort first and then targeted whatever the heart of the issue was head-on.

"When I was trying to figure out the Chakra Transferring Technique," she started slowly, "I nearly gave up because I couldn't figure it out. I didn't know what to do and the scroll I had didn't give as much information as I thought I needed. Nothing was falling into place like I needed it to. Maybe it was exhaustion, or maybe I was too worried to focus. I don't know. But…"

After a few brief internal moments of struggle, she exhaled a sad sigh. _I can't keep dancing around this._ "A familiar voice from before the orphanage suddenly spoke to me."

Kakashi's eyebrow raised in surprise. "A memory?"

She nodded and sat down with her legs dangling over the edge. His surprise was warranted. Years had passed since the faithful day she woke up at the orphanage and in that time she never once remembered a single memory from her past. Not even returning to Konoha triggered anything. No buildings reminded her of something from her past, no people or smells reawakened her dormant memories. Part of her always hoped she would remember even a small fragment of her past life eventually…but hoping for it and believing it would happen were polar opposite concepts.

Remembering her cousin's voice was the very first glimpse she had at someone from her past life…and it made her heart ache more than she could have ever prepared for. The ache in her chest made it abundantly clear to her how important he had been to her that a simple past memory of his voice was enough to almost break her down into uncontrollable sobs. This person…her cousin, they must have been so close.

She missed him.

Her sensei took a seat next to her but remained in respectful silence so she could gather all of her thoughts.

"I didn't…I didn't get to see them or hear their name…" Two points that made the aching in her chest even worse. She so desperately wished to know him again, to see a familiar figure from her past so she could remember him…but all she had was his soothing voice and no real memory of who he was.

"I knew his voice, though. He called me his little cousin, and based on the auditory memory I would say he was an Uchiha as well."

She fell silent after that. Dormant pains she had been ignoring resurfaced and made it even harder to speak than it already was. Kakashi didn't break the quiet. He seemed to be gathering his thoughts while his young student tried her hardest to restrain her emotions again.

Finally, Kakashi spoke, his voice softer than usual. "It hurts, doesn't it?"

Amari didn't hesitate to nod in confirmation. It wouldn't have mattered if she tried anyways. Kakashi didn't need a Byakugan eye to see right through the Barrier Jutsu surrounding the pain the memory caused her. The Nara hugged her arms around her body in an attempt to provide herself some warmth against the cold, empty feeling in her heart where she knew her cousin was meant to be.

"All these years…I never had a connection to my past. No memories of my old home, no memories of the life I used to have…nothing of my family. I hoped to one day remember, I really did, but now that I do…" Her fingers curled around the fabric of her tank top and tears welled in her eyes. "I can feel my heart tearing apart inside."

She had always known remembering anything would hurt…but she never expected it to be _this_ bad. _And it's only an auditory memory. What kind of pain will it cause me to actually remember his name, his face or any moments between us?_ Amari reached up and untied her bandana to lay it in her lap. She brushed her hand against the purple fabric, flattening it out all the way as she looked at it with a longing expression.

"I can't remember anything about him other than his voice, not even how close we were, but I can feel semblances of it here," she said, resting a hand over her heart. "The feelings are distant, almost as if they aren't even my own, but I can feel it. And the worst part about it is the day I remember him is the day I lose him."

By regaining her memories, she was regaining her bonds with them…and then they would be severed. No matter how amazing they were, no matter how much they loved her and she loved them, her family was dead. Nothing she could regain from her memories would bring them back, and her memories would finally force her to feel them as the people she loved rather than complete strangers.

"Sensei…I'm scared of remembering," she whispered hauntingly. "…I'm frightened of what kind of pain it'll bring me. Of the grief I know is waiting for me. I'm afraid…" she choked on a sob. "I'm afraid of how alone I will feel without them in my life. My hands tremble…and my heart feels cold when I think about what these memories might do to me. And I- I'm afraid I won't be strong enough to fight it."

A gentle hand rested on her shoulder. Its warm comfort easing the trembles and quakes her emotions were causing. Slowly, her tear filled eyes lifted to meet the reassuring eye of her sensei. "I won't lie and tell you that it'll be easy if you do remember your past. Remembering _will_ hurt. But no matter how much it hurts, know that you will not have to shoulder the burden alone. This team, Kurenai, even lazy Shikamaru will be here to support you when or if that day ever comes. Never forget that."

Through the aches of pain in her heart, through the lingering fears of what pain was to come, warmth flooded from her heart to crash through the rest of her body. A genuine and happy smile formed on her lips. "Thank you, Sensei."

Kakashi eye smiled back and let his hand return to his side.

Amari tied her bandana back around her forehead then went on to explain everything she could to Kakashi about what her cousin had told her. After she finished, the pair sat in relative silence. Her sensei seemed to be mulling over what her cousin had told her while Amari was gazing up at stars wondering if her cousin was looking down on her right now.

"Hmm. Definitely sounds like you being nose deep in a book," Kakashi said at length, his voice full of jest.

Amari laughed lightly in return. "I suppose I didn't change that much."

"We never found anything on you when you came into the village," he continued, turning serious once more. "Maybe now with a name we may have a chance to see who you're related to."

"…I don't know." She didn't want to risk a sudden flood of memories when she knew she wasn't strong enough to handle them. "I'm not sure I could handle learning more right now. Plus I don't want Mom to think I'm trying to replace her with the memories of my past. She's my mother now."

 _And I have you as something close to a father to me_ , she added mentally to be cautious. She didn't want to make him uncomfortable or feel any sort of obligation to act a certain way other than how he already did with her. It was the reason why she fought against the need to tackle hug him for his warm reassurance.

He gave her another eye smile and ruffled her hair before standing up. "I understand. If you do ever want to know, all you need to do is ask. It won't change anything about Kurenai being your mother. She'll always love you," Kakashi said before leaving.

His words struck her already vulnerable heart hard. _And I'll always love her. She took me in when I had nothing without asking for anything in return. All because she had a good feeling about me._ The young girl wiped away the one tear that escaped her fight. _I love her so much._

She sat on the dock listening to the waves roll into the dock—her heart feeling far lighter than it had thanks to Kakashi—until she heard tiny footsteps trying to sneak past her. "Inari, I can hear your feet creaking against the wood."

The feet halted immediately. Thus far she had yet to personally speak to the boy, but that was mostly on purpose. His poor opinion of them and constant sullen mood bothered her immensely. He was a boy who had lost the one man who ever gave him courage, yet he was squandering that man's will by giving up on ever changing anything.

His bond with Kaiza had been incredibly strong, one on what she would guess was of the same level of love she felt for Kurenai. What she couldn't understand was how he could give up. _If I lost mom…_ She would never let herself forget everything good about her and what she fought for. She would take on her will and do everything possible to make the person responsible for her death pay.

What she wouldn't do was cower in fear or give up until she was either dead or the person who stole Kurenai from her laid at her feet, bloodied and broken, begging for her mercy. Then, and only then, she would kill them.

 _Just like what I'm going to do to Kasai._

"How much did you hear?" Amari asked, trying to steer herself away from the dark place her mind trailed to, as it seemed to do when she saw Inari.

"All of it," he whispered from behind her.

"Good."

A sound of confusion escaped the boy as she stood up. "What do you mean 'good'?"

"You heard what my cousin told me about not giving up, so maybe it'll sink in with you." Sometimes it only took a nudge to get someone to break out of the funk they were in. Maybe hearing her conversation with Kakashi, his words of care and her cousin's would make it sink in.

"Don't you get it? There isn't any use fighting against Gatō; he'll just kill you all!" the boy cried from behind her.

 _Or not_ , Amari deadpanned internally.

He sure liked to act tough when he told them to give up, but when it came down to it he was just a child full of pain who was using anger as a defense mechanism. Somewhere deep in this boy, locked away behind his pain and anger was the will of his father, waiting to bust free and let him live again without being held back by his fear.

 _I know it's in there somewhere. I know because I've been where he is right now and I would still be without mom, Kakashi-sensei, Lord Third, Uncle Shikaku, Shika, Iruka-sensei and Naruto coming into my life._ Amari knew what he felt, the anger, the anguish, the suffocating sorrow. She had been in that dark place before, had fought her way out of it with the help of the people in her life.

 _But had I never met them, had I been left alone in that forest two years ago, what would I have turned into? Who would I have become? Would I be like him? Or would I have turned into someone like Zabuza?_

The scariest part of that question was how easy she could see herself turning into either one of them.

Not willing to stand by and let this child walk down that path, she decided to continue in her attempt to pull him from the darkness just as Kurenai had.

"You're right, with that kind of attitude I would fail everyone I love and die in the process. But I refuse to stand aside and let Gatō's tainted hand grip this island any longer. All he has is his greed and his money to buy people to do his dirty work. Without that he's just a man, mortal and fallible just like everyone else. Even better, he's a man who no one will ever miss. That just means he'll disappear from memory forever as soon as he's gone.

"I won't die so easily. I have a mission to fulfill here, a promise to keep and warrior within me that will never let me give up. Even if I'm severely wounded and barely clinging onto life, I will continue to stand up and cling to those scraps with every bit of willpower I have left until I fulfill the promise I made my friend."

"You- you talk about never giving up and fighting like you are some sort of invincible hero, but you know nothing of what it means to fight Gatō or his thugs. So what Gatō is mortal, it doesn't matter when his entire army will just beat you down and kill you." She could hear his anger rising in his voice, potent anger he let out in his final outburst to her. "You're no hero; you're just some stupid girl who knows nothing about this land or what it means to suffer!"

His cowardice and ignorant assumptions incensed Amari's heart faster like a spark to oil. Before it could get out of control, she reined in her overwhelming fury with a reminder of Inari's emotional state. He was just a kid, a kid who lost someone very important to him and had been fed everything he was currently telling her…words similar to the kind she used to tell herself.

 _Stop fighting, there's no point. You'll never become strong enough to beat him. You're too weak. Too pathetic._

It took her a long time to see any kind of worth in herself beyond being a useless, pathetic waste of life. The fight was hard, _but if I could do it, anyone can._

Being soft with Inari wasn't ever going to solve anything. The only way to get through to him was proving she knew what he was experiencing more than he realized.

"Inari…" Amari hesitated to continue. She wanted to help him, but talking about Ryu and Kasai and _that day_ hadn't gotten easier in two years. It still hurt, still made her yearn to hold them in her arms again…still made her wish she could go back in time and stop them with her new power. To stop them from fighting so she could tell them what would happen, get them to understand the pain that moment would cause them all…and if nothing else, convince her younger self that she couldn't save Kasai, no matter how much she wished to keep him from turning his back on them.

 _I know losing him would still fracture my world…but at least Ryu wouldn't have had to die._

Inhaling a deep breath, Amari pushed her hesitation away to keep on her path, but she still felt her features and heart falling as the words formed on her tongue. "When I was ten years old, the only two people I had in this world, the only two people who gave my existence any meaning were killed right in front of me. One of them died in my arms."

As she stared up at the stars, Ryu's stoic features and his smile came to mind. The warmth they once provided filled her heart…and then his dying breaths stole it away and left behind a cold, dark void behind.

 _I'm…I'm sorry, Ryu. For everything._

Kasai's big, bright grin came next. It left her with a sad smile on her face. _Your grin was so infectious…I'm sorry I couldn't stop that imposter from killing it._ She'd never forget the friend he had been and how they once looked after each other. Memories of their days training in the forest, nights when they were squished together but she was able to cuddle close to them both were memories she refused to let go of.

The Kasai of now had taken both of her friend's lives, and for that atrocity he would regret ever being born.

"They were killed by the same person, and one was taken before we could do anything to save him. The other died fighting to protect me when I couldn't do anything to help." _Because I was too weak and too emotional to understand what Ryu did._

A mistake she refused to make again.

"As he died in my arms, I cried into his shoulder and wished I could have been strong enough to do anything except sit there and watch him die. And as I cried for the people I loved leaving me, my friend didn't. He used his last moments to grant me the encouragement and the power to keep fighting. To keep moving forward so I could see a better life for us."

Right up until his final moments he was a great friend. No matter how much time passed, he would always hold a special place in her heart.

"I have no memory of who I was before I was seven. Those two became my family; they gave me my name, people to love and care for…and now they're gone."

She turned around and began walking towards the door where Inari was standing, his head bowed mournfully. "My family—who I still don't remember—were all killed in a massacre. Now I have a very small memory of the voice of my cousin and it tears my heart apart, but it also in some ways makes me feel stronger because I know I'm meant to inherit his strong will.

"You say there is no point in fighting because we will all be killed. You may be right. We may all be killed trying to fight."

Amari stopped next to him and looked down to him and met his eyes with a meaningful look that conveyed her feelings. "But I will die fighting for what I believe in before I bend to fear and cowardice again. Besides." She rested her hand on his bucket hat and gave him a small smile. "Evil only prevails when heroes stop trying to fight it. Your father was a hero and a hero's spirit only ever dies when we forget who and what they fought for."

She let her hand fall back to her side and continued on into the house to leave him to his thoughts. When she looked up upon entering she saw Kakashi leaning against the wall next to the door, clearly in position to eavesdrop on their conversation.

Instead of speaking any words, he nodded to her and motioned to follow him into the kitchen where dinner was waiting. Inari joined them soon after in his usual quiet presence.

"Sensei, Naruto and Sasuke are late again. Do you think they're okay?" Sakura asked during dinner.

 _If I know those two, they'll climb all night if we allow them to and stay asleep out in the forest._ They were aware of their limits, but that didn't stop them from trying to get past them the same as her. _Difference is I have a general idea of when I should stop. They'll keep pushing no matter what._

Before Kakashi could answer, the door to the kitchen slid open, revealing Sasuke and Naruto. Both were clearly exhausted, to the point the blond of the pair needed Sasuke to brace his weight to keep him on his feet. The pair were covered in scratches and sporting a few visible bruises, but by the victorious smile on the knucklehead's face spoke volumes.

"What have you two been up to? You look like something the cat dragged in," Tazuna said.

Amari stifled a giggle, her thoughts immediately being drawn back to Tora. Without that feline they probably wouldn't even be here right now.

Whether that was a good thing or not was still up for debate.

"We both made it," Naruto declared. "We climbed all the way to the top of the highest trees."

"Good." Kakashi congratulated, nodding to them both. "Now that your training is complete, you'll both be serving as bodyguards for Tazuna."

"Woohoo!" Naruto cheered and pumped his fists into the air. The sudden action threw Sasuke off balance on already tired legs and made him collapse backward onto his butt.

"Argh! You are such a loser!" the Uchiha groaned.

Everyone laughed at their expense and the two kunoichi helped them up so they could take their seats and get some food in their bellies. Much to Amari's appreciation, they didn't have a disgusting show of manners this time. Four plates each later, Naruto had his head resting on the table with his eyes closed and a satisfied smile on his face.

"In just a few days the bridge will be finished. I have all of you to thank for that," Tazuna said.

Tsunami picked up the last empty plate on the table to finish dishes. "You've all done wonderful, but you still need to be careful," she said. She was right, of course. Zabuza and whoever that boy was were still out there, and so was Gatō. Even with their training they still had to be cautious against the two rogue ninjas.

They knew nothing of the boy except for his precise throwing capabilities and his speed.

 _With my Byakugan and my Sharingan I may be able to see him move, and with the Body Flicker I may be able to keep up. Emphasis on the word_ _ **may**_ _._

She was fast, but it wouldn't matter how well she could read his movements if she was unable to make her body react quick enough to dodge or attack him.

"I've been meaning to ask you this but I haven't had the chance until now. Why did you stay and protect me even after you found out I lied to bring you here?" Tazuna questioned.

"Those who stray from the path of justice have no courage, but under the wing of a strong leader, cowardice cannot survive," Kakashi said. "That was a quote from the First Hokage, the founder of our Village."

The faint sound of tears plopping onto the table snapped Amari's attention to the source. _Inari?_

"But why?" he whimpered.

 _But why what?_ She wasn't sure if he was questioning why under a strong leader ended cowardice or something else entirely. To her the quote made a lot of sense, but then again she had grown up differently than he had.

Naruto opened his eyes and turned to the boy with a confused look on his face. "Hmm? What'd you say?"

Inari rose out of his seat and slammed his hands onto the table, silencing the rest of the room and ending their calm conversation. "All of this stupid training is just a waste of time! Gatō has an entire army that will beat you down and destroy you!" He shot a glare at every single member of Team Seven. "You all keep saying these cool things, but they don't mean anything at all! No matter what you do the strong always win and the weak always lose!"

Amari scoffed at his declaration. Apparently nothing she had said to him had sunk in his thick skull, but if she had to bludgeon a bit harder that was fine.

She could bludgeon very hard.

"Is that so?"

"Amari," Kakashi chided, a warning in his tone.

"Not this time, Sensei. I can't take it anymore." Amari slammed her own hands on the table as she stood up, earning her startled glances from her team. "I'm sick of you disrespecting my team and all of our hard work because you've given up! You know what kid, we all die someday. You can choose to live your life crying and believing what you do, but I will not stand by and let Gatō continue this crap. Even if I die, at least I tried to do something! All you're doing is standing in a fire and complaining that it's hot!"

"Easy, Amari." Kakashi grabbed her arm but she tugged it away as all her emotions were taking hold.

This boy had the _nerve_ to question everything they were doing to help his grandfather and his country. Every single one of them had put their lives on the line to protect Tazuna from Zabuza, and ever since they had been working as hard as they could to become stronger for the sake of defeating the threat keeping their land in a stranglehold.

And what was he doing? He was telling them to quit, that nothing they were doing meant anything. That no matter how hard they tried they would never succeed in defeating Gatō or Zabuza. He was crying and complaining instead of keeping hope alive for a better future.

It was infuriating.

"No Sensei, this is total crap! The weak do not remain weak and the strong don't always triumph! The only time people like Gatō and Zabuza are successful is when others give up; that's why Mr. Tazuna is working on this bridge and why I'd die willingly to protect him!" Amari jabbed her finger at the boy but continued to stare at her sensei in her anger. "He sits here each night with that sullen look on his face, squandering the will his father wished to be passed on when he could be just as strong as any of us."

She turned to the boy, who was in shock at someone finally raising their voice to him. "How can you just accept this fate?" Her question was mostly rhetorical, but if he had an answer Amari wanted to hear it. "Is this really the life you want? One of fear and pain? Can you really accept this life you live willingly? To just sit back and let someone walk over you?" She motioned to his mother and grandfather with a nod of her head. "To let some thug walk over your family? To be told you are nothing but the weakest link and be okay? Don't you miss the smiling, the laughter and the happiness you once had? Doesn't the memory of those you loved and love push you forward?"

 _Was this what I would have been like had I given up?_ Inari disappeared from her vision and was replaced by a younger version of herself, one wearing the same sad look as she sat in quiet submission over the fact she would never grow stronger. This child, he was like staring at a negative reality of herself where she had given up completely.

 _How can he just quit?!_ Amari's gaze fell to her hands—hands she did not realize were clenching the table or starting to have a green hue form around them.

He was giving up so easily and acted so self-righteous about it. His entire homeland lived in poverty and essentially were cattle for a slaughter when Gatō felt the need to make an example, and he had the gall to just give up. No, not just him. His entire homeland had given up. Every single one of them carried on with the same mindset, fueling everyone who ever had hope to quit before they even tried to make a change.

Gatō was a poison that needed to be eradicated. He infected this land and its people until they were just drones he could dispose of for his own entertainment without consequences.

 _He made them believe they're just pathetic, wastes of life that will never be anything except his toys to play with._

That final thought drove Amari over the edge. She slammed her fist into the table and let the dull _boom_ speak louder than her words ever could. "How. Can you. Just. Give. **Up**?!" she seethed.

A firm hand snatched her arm, this time tight enough to make it impossible for her to pull free. "Amari, you're releasing your chakra shroud." Kakashi's firm voice cut through her emotions and right to Amari, snapping her out of her overwhelming anger. With a glance to her arms she saw the green chakra shroud formed around her, black tips flickering like candle flames. "Count to ten, take a deep breath and calm down. _Now_."

Amari followed his order to the very letter. She counted to ten, breathed in deeply and reined her emotions in. By the time she reached ten the shroud was already gone. _Yelling won't solve anything_ , she decided as she sat down silently. If the boy wanted to remain like this, that was his own choice. _I've already made my choice and I won't back away because he already gave up._

"Amari's right," Naruto said as he laid his head back down. "You can just speak for yourself. That's not how it's going to be for us."

"Why don't you be quiet?! Just looking at you makes me sick!" Her anger began to build again at his insolence. "Always laughing and playing around like a bunch of stupid kids! You don't know what it's like to suffer and be treated like dirt!"

That was one line too far.

Amari didn't care if someone insulted her personally, but attacking the people she cared for was something she refused to stand for. For him to accuse Naruto of knowing nothing of suffering just like he did to her nearly made her snap instantaneously. If not for Kakashi's hand resting on her forearm under the table trying to keep her calm, she doubted she'd be able to hold herself back.

The pain Inari felt made him believe he was the only one who knew what it meant to suffer. And because they actually found a way to smile and laugh again meant their suffering was nothing compared to his.

He was a fool.

Instead of exploding on him again, Amari stood up calmly, tucked her chair in and made her way towards the door. Staying any longer would only continue to entice this argument to continue until everyone was mad or emotional. These people were kind enough to give them a place to stay and food to eat during their time here; the least she could do was walk away before she escalated it further.

Before Amari stepped out of the room, she stopped and looked over her shoulder at everyone sitting at the table, but mostly at Inari. "You know nothing of Naruto or his suffering." Her voice was quiet, but it cut through the silent room. "That boy has suffered the ridicule of an entire village for a reason he isn't to blame for, but instead of complaining about it he kept fighting to prove he was worthy of the same kindness as any other human being.

"You think that because we smile and laugh and joke that we haven't suffered? You think you're the only one who understands the dark, suffocating loneliness and the sorrow that comes with it?" Her frown deepened. "Open your eyes, Inari. We smile and laugh and joke because that's how we combat our fears, our anger, our sadness, our loneliness."

Somber looks appeared on the faces of every single adult and shinobi in the room at the mature words of a twelve year old who lost everything twice. "These smiles of ours, this happiness you see in us, we had to fight through hell to get it back…We had to fight through our demons and our nightmares until we found people unrelated to us who helped us to actually experience joy in life again. But you, you still have your family. You still have people worth fighting for. So why aren't you?"

Another rhetorical question she didn't give time to sit. "I'm going to go study. Thank you for dinner."

As she made her way up the stairs, she heard Naruto's scolding voice. "Hmph, she's right, you know. All you do is whine and complain like some sorry little victim. You still have two people who care about you, that should be more than enough for you to keep fighting. Me and Amari, we're going to keep fighting for the sake of this land and its future. We're going to help Mr. Tazuna finish his bridge, and we'll put an end to Gatō so he never causes trouble here again.

"But go ahead and keep whimpering all day for all I care. You're nothing but a coward!"

She heard his chair roughly get pushed back and his heavy footsteps follow her exit out of the room and up the stairs. The door to their room opened as she was sitting down, and his footsteps came towards her until he too was lying down next to her. Amari remained sitting up with one of her books in hand as she tried to forget about Inari's comments and focus on her studies.

"Amari?" She looked up from her book to meet Naruto's eyes. "We'll prove him wrong," he said confidently.

"I know." No matter what Inari said, they were going to stop Zabuza and Gatō from hurting his grandfather and the Land of Waves. No matter how much he told them otherwise, they would show that change was possible when one actually tried.

He would not turn them away so easily.

His serious look morphed into a grin. "And that green chakra thing you do when you're angry, it's really cool." A smile formed on her lips alongside the warm blush beginning to tint her cheeks. "Scary when you first see it but after a few seconds I can feel how much you care about us all."

Amari reached over to him and poked his forehead in appreciation of his compliment and silent begging to stop it. Her action only made his grin grow, in turn causing her cheeks to flush more.

After the poke they fell into the silence of their own thoughts. Amari enjoyed the silence; it allowed people to get lost in their own minds yet still remain connected to one another. She stretched out here senses so she could listen to the muffled waves outside sloshing around, the smell of the sea water and the feel of Naruto's presence next to her. Each sense granted her comfort and helped her to forget about the little spat they had.

"Thank you," Naruto said suddenly.

Amari cast a curious look his way and tilted her head to the side in confusion. What had she done to gain his thanks? "For what?"

"For always being there for me and believing in me even when I've doubted myself."

Nothing more needed to be said to coax a soft smile out of her. "You're welcome. I'll always have your back."

She put her book down and laid down next to him so they could stare up at the ceiling together. Unfortunately for Naruto, her wild blue hair sprawled out below her and took him by surprise as the ends tickled his cheeks. Had Amari noticed at first, she would have fixed it immediately. But she didn't, and Naruto sat through the torment without trying to reveal what was happening for a good minute. Only when she felt him swipe a hand at her hair did she realize, and then she fell into giggles. "You goof, why didn't you say something?!" she asked through her fit of giggles as she fixed her hair.

"I was trying to be polite!" he retorted.

It only made her giggles consume her. Naruto joined her in laughter and attempted to get his vengeance by trying to tickle her back, bringing out squeals of amusement and terror as she did her best to fight him off.

Eventually they settled down, both out of breath and smiling widely as they stared up at the ceiling together as if they were stargazing.

"Naruto?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you for being there for me, too."

Ever since they had met he had continued to stand by her side no matter what happened. He was a true friend and a brother to her.

He turned his head to look at her with a big grin on his face. "Hey, there's no Amaruto without you so how could I not be?"

Amari slapped him in his stomach and let her giggle bubble out of her at the combination of their name.

 _I'm glad to have met you, Naruto._

* * *

"Can I talk to you?"

Inari looked over his shoulder to see Kakashi standing just outside of the house with his hands in his pockets. The Copy Ninja found himself in need to talk to the boy after the display his two Genin had shown. While he believed they were both in the right on not giving up, how they went about it wasn't exactly how he would have preferred them to do it.

He had expected Naruto to be his usual brash self, but Amari losing her temper first was a surprise. She usually had a tight lid on her emotions. Looking back now, though, it was obvious that Inari's doubt and constant attempts to make them give up had been piling up over the last week.

Something interesting to come out of it was finally being in close proximity of his student when the green chakra shroud appeared; it allowed him to analyze it in closer detail before he decided she needed to cool off.

This time her emotions started out thick with anger and sadness aimed at no one in particular, but soon he and the rest of his team were surrounded by a protective feeling that she held for each of them. Strangely enough, she didn't put all her anger into the boy to make him cower when it would have been easy to do so.

He was actually almost certain she aimed her anger at herself.

His theory about her emotions tying into her spiritual energy still seemed farfetched, but he still wasn't sure what else it could be. What she was doing was almost similar to how an empath had the ability to feel the emotions of others, but instead of feeling their emotions, Amari was projecting hers onto others.

What that meant was something he still couldn't figure out.

Kakashi sat down next to the boy and the pair stared out at the sea and sky. "Naruto can be a little…harsh and Amari…she has had a rough time seeing this country suppressed by Gatō since we arrived. But they don't hate you."

In fact it was quite the contrary. What Inari didn't understand was they were both seeing little bits of their younger selves in him. Naruto had never known what it meant to have a family since he was orphaned as a newborn, and because of the decree he had been outcasted by his peers.

Tough as the boy was now, his situation growing up had undoubtedly left him in tears on several occasions and at different points believing nothing would ever change.

At least, not until he met Amari that is.

Amari, on the other hand, was seeing her fear to stand up for herself, the voice of doubt telling her she could never become strong enough and there was no use in fighting. What she saw was the child they found in the forest, the one who had only been able to watch her friends try to kill one another and weep for her friend as he died.

"Your grandfather told us about what happened to your father. Since you're so quiet you probably never really asked my students about their history. Naruto, for instance, grew up without a father or a mother in his life. He was alone at the very beginning. Amari can't even remember her original family. What you heard us talking about today is the first time she's ever had any recollection of her past life."

Nothing in the two years since she was in Konoha awoke any memories of her past; for her to now remember even something as simple as her cousin's voice was a strange occurrence. Although strange, it now gave them her name from all those years ago to look into. If she had been born back in a Konoha hospital then the possibility they had a record of her birth was all but guaranteed.

The strength she possessed and its constant growing garnered the interests of not only the Copy Ninja, but her mother, the Hokage, Guy and Asuma. He had to be careful about it, though. If she was related to a strong bloodline of the Uchiha's and certain people found out, the threat to her life from outside of the village and from within would grow significantly. So far they had kept her Sharingan and Byakugan a complete secret to all except the four who had found her, Iruka, the Hokage and a few other well trusted individuals.

Her eyes made her a prime target, a target he would never allow anyone to hit. Amari was a good kid; she had a good heart and had inherited the Will of Fire from those she cared for. He would not see that fire doused or the girl harmed as long as she was on his squad and under his watchful eye.

 _I'll get to the bottom of her origins when we get back to the village._

He wouldn't tell her once he found out. After seeing her hopeful yet saddened by the memory of her cousin, Kakashi knew dropping the information in her lap right now would be more harmful than helpful.

"Amari lost her family at the age of seven and for unknown reasons she has had no recollection for the last five years of who she had been or who her parents were. What she told you about her friends being killed and holding her dead friend in her arms as she cried, that was only part of the story."

Inari looked over to him with a confused look. Within his eyes he could see a desire to learn more about the young girl who had just showed glimpses of the scars she carried to the whole room moments ago. "Her friend, Ryu, was killed, but her other friend, Kasai, was the boy who did it." Inari's eyebrow rose in shock at the revelation. "He lost himself in a lust for power, and on that day Amari buried both of her friends, figuratively speaking. Kasai gave her that scar on her left eye then left them both for dead, but before Ryu died he gave Amari the task to find their former friend and stop him as well as what encouraging words he could. That's when we found her and brought her back to our village."

Kakashi still had the memory of the young blue-haired girl crying with one side of her face covered in blood imprinted on his memory. He had been wary of a trap, but in hindsight it was a bit foolish seeing as she had been completely crushed by losing her friend. In some ways that was what made him continue to visit her after she came into the village; he understood what it was like to watch helplessly as comrades died right before his eyes.

By no means was he an expert in moving past the pain it caused, not by a long shot, but he could give her words of wisdom he had learned and had yet to apply himself.

Once Amari set her mind to becoming a ninja, she began to change. It took her time to get over that first hill of struggle left behind by the loss of her friends, but she kept fighting to change herself to become the shinobi Ryu told her she could become.

From his observations, Amari pushed herself the hardest out of all the other Genin's in her class. She never settled for anything less than her best once she really got her footing, and from there she pushed herself to surpass her classmates.

Most of the time he watched her from afar. He saw her listening intently to Shikamaru and Shikaku when they spoke, he saw her sparring with her mother until she could no longer force herself to her feet. He witnessed her growth from the powerless girl from the forest to the focused and fierce kunoichi she was turning into.

Perhaps his interest stemmed from being inspired by her will to push forward and fight for her friends without growing cold. Or maybe he wanted to see her one day prove that boy wrong and beat him. Maybe it was because he knew what it was like to grow up without a father so he tried to stick around as much as he could for her. Or perhaps it was her youthfulness and dedicated attitude to her friends and training that made him continue to push her to become better.

 _Youthfulness…never telling Guy I said that._

"Naruto didn't have a single friend in our village until he met Amari, and Amari was too shy and focused on training that she didn't make any friends until she met him. Still, I've never seen either of them cry, sulk or give up once they both set their minds to becoming ninjas."

The last time he had seen Amari cry had been the first time she visited Ryu's grave, months after she was brought into the village. After that he never saw her break down in tears ever again.

From that day onwards she always pushed herself forward to become the very best ninja that she could be. Kakashi's gut told him she would one day become a great ninja, especially with her bloodlines and inheritance of the Sharingan and the Byakugan.

"Naruto's dream is to be respected as a peer by our village instead of how they have treated him over the years, and he'll put his life on the line for that in a heartbeat. Amari made a promise to Ryu to stop Kasai, and she won't stop until she does. But even though that goal is important to her, what she wants most is to protect everyone she cares for. She'll put her life on the line to prevent any harm, emotional or physical, from coming to them. My guess is they just got tired of crying and decided to do something about it."

Kakashi thought back to the day he heard Amari had stood against Mizuki for Iruka and Naruto. The little girl who he and the others had found crying in the forest had stood up against what could have been certain death with an unwavering spirit and came out on top. It was the same day she performed her Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu and managed to hit double digits without collapsing in exhaustion. He and the others who had watched had known she had grown a lot in two years, yet seeing it firsthand had surprised them all.

Guy had questioned him then about her advancing so quickly and what he was teaching her. Of course his apparent eternal rival wanted to know his secret so he could use it with his protégé since, according to Guy, Amari was his protégé.

He would have to apologize to her when his rival started including her in his challenges.

The thing was he hadn't taught her anything at that time; he gave her motivation here and there and _might_ have told her what handseal to use for the jutsu, but other than that he hadn't done anything to help. What she accomplished was all thanks to her constant training and never give up attitude no matter how small the improvement.

Amari had something special locked within her besides the Sharingan. Despite what she would say, Amari was a prodigy. That wasn't to take away from her hard work and dedication; his student put her all into everything she did and because of that she was constantly growing stronger.

"Even though they are young and still learning, those two know what it means to be strong in the face of overwhelming odds and pain…like your father did. I think they know better than any of us what you're going through." He turned his head to face the boy. "What Naruto and Amari said to you earlier, as cruel as they may have sounded," Kakashi gave him a closed eye smile, "they've probably told themselves that a thousand times."


	14. Chapter 13: Ice vs Fire

Chapter 13

Two Sides of the Same Coin: Ice vs. Fire!

"Amari, I leave Naruto in your hands," Kakashi said.

Amari gave a faint nod, flicking her eye back in the general direction of her still sleeping teammate before looking back to her sensei. "I'll look after him. When he wakes up, if he isn't stiff as a board, he'll probably drag me along with him to the bridge."

He wouldn't stand for sitting around today. Their week of chakra control training was over. Zabuza and that boy were out there somewhere, fully recovered and ready to complete their mission—just like Team Seven. Soon they'd strike. Soon their final battle would commence.

Admittedly, she was mildly perturbed at being benched for the time being. She was fully recovered and itching to take part in the final round of their fight with Zabuza, yet because the damn knucklehead trained too hard she was stuck watching over his sleeping form.

 _Such a drag._

Kakashi eye smiled at her, likely sensing her mild irritation at staying behind, and placed his hand on her head before setting off with the other members of her team.

"Stay safe you guys," she mumbled before taking her seat next to her passed out teammate and picking up one of her books to study. _Times like this I wish I had a novel to read rather than another text to study._ Much as she loved training and studying, sometimes she just wanted to take a break from it all and relax. _Too bad I didn't pack anything besides more studying material, and I can't go watch clouds because I have to watch over Naruto._ She glanced to her teammate and squinted her eye in a harmless glare. _Troublesome boy._

Sighing in defeat, she returned her eye back to the book without really reading it. While Kakashi was indeed leaving her here to watch after Naruto, there was more to it than that. His eye smile and pat on the head was a silent understanding between them that needed no words.

On the chance today was in fact the day, as they both suspected, she and Naruto would serve as the surprise team. Zabuza and the boy would be focused on the others, likely suspecting she and Naruto were left behind to watch after the family or some other reason. It'd give them the perfect opening to sneak in from the shadows and ambush the rogue ninjas, hopefully well enough to end the fight right then and there.

 _Although Naruto's placement on the surprise team with me is completely due to his oversleeping, I still can't help but question why Sensei made that choice._ She turned the page of her book. _I understand myself because I could work through any mist Zabuza uses if it is thick, but Naruto is quite literally one of the loudest people I know._

Tagging the Hokage faces without getting caught until afterwards didn't much change her mind on that belief. If anything it cemented her point. Even though he was able to graffiti their faces, his actions were so bright and colorful that everyone could see it from long distances away. He _wanted_ people to notice it, and him, so the likelihood he'd throw stealth out the door to announce his presence was highly probable.

 _Oh well, I'll just have to roll with it when or if that happens._ Amari's eye trailed over the words until she exhaled a troubled sigh. _I'm not even reading this._ The dull material wasn't the blame for it, nor was the thought of Naruto rushing in head first. What really made it hard to read this was the growing concern over her team.

If a fight did break out, it'd be tough even with their extra training. At the end of the day they were still fighting Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Hidden Mist and whoever that boy was. A boy who was quicker than her, far more precise with his throwing needles and of other unknown talents.

 _Not only is Zabuza highly skilled, but what little I could sense from that boy hinted at levels of strength possibly exceeding his master. There's also the problem of the boy scouting our abilities during that first fight. In fact, that's practically a guarantee._

He would know of every single ability her team used in their first fight, from her abilities with Shadow Clones and Fire Style to possibly even the intricacies of Kakashi's Sharingan. _And he's had an entire week to come up with strategies to combat our abilities. And what do we know about him? Nothing, other than he's fast and knows how to land precise blows with his senbon._ Amari thumbed the page she was on in her book, a perturbed frown pulling her lips downward as she lightly smacked her forehead against the hard cover. _Stupid, stupid! I was so focused on training I didn't even think to come up with strategies for Zabuza._

Not a fantastic or reassuring start at all.

Groaning, Amari smacked the book against her forehead again for being so dense. _I could have…I don't even know what I could have thought of, but it might have been really helpful for the others! Ugh._ She smacked her forehead again. _Stupid._

Okay, so she hadn't used one of her greatest assets during the week to increase their chances, but that didn't mean they were out of luck. She could still think up strategies during the fight or before she got there. Before would be better. _One thing going for me is the boy doesn't know I have Byakugan or Sharingan. If everything goes horribly wrong, activating both eyes may help me turn the fight around. The problem about that plan…_

Amari exhaled a deep sigh through her nose. _My team still doesn't know I have it and I don't know how Sasuke will react._ Making an enemy out of her teammate was not an ideal option in the middle of a battle with the bridge builder's and their lives on the line. _It has to remain my last resort. My Byakugan should be enough…hopefully._

She just had to trust in the strength of her team and her own. As long as no one grew overconfident because of their training, herself included, they would stand a far better chance at winning. Arrogance in this coming battle would get them killed or severely injured.

 _I hope they will be okay._

Eventually her knuckleheaded partner shot up from his sleep with a yell of, "Why didn't anybody wake me up?!"

"Because you overexerted yourself and needed some sleep, you knucklehead," she responded without looking up from her book. _Hmm, looks like his body has already recovered if he isn't writhing in pain from sitting up like that._ That was at least some good news. "They've only been gone an hour or so, probably just reached the bridge at the speed they walked."

"They totally ditched us!" Naruto yelled, scrambling to get on his feet so they could catch up.

Amari winced. _Still loud as ever_. She calmly closed her book and stood up as Naruto looked around for his usual gear. _Finally time to move…can't say I'm complaining._

As far as she was concerned, Zabuza and Gatō's time was officially up. Now was their chance to put an end to them so the people of the Land of Waves could live their lives in peace.

"Get dressed and we'll go. That is unless you want to sit and talk about being ditched?" she said, adding the last part in to tease him as she strolled out of the room.

By the time she reached the bottom of the stairs Naruto was already sprinting down it. He snagged her arm as he passed by to drag her with him to join their team. "Bye Ms. Tsunami! We'll be back in no time!" she called on their way out the door.

Once they were outside on the docks Naruto released her bicep so she could run on her own. Neither slowed down in the slightest, ninja jumping up into the trees when they reached the nearby forest with the precision gained by their consistent practice; each jump brought them deeper into the forest, closer to the bridge as they were fueled by sheer hope that they could reach the bridge in time to help.

"Amari, do you think Zabuza and that kid are there?" her friend asked as they jumped.

"I'd like to say no and say we sent them home with their tail between their legs, but I'd be lying if I did."

Naruto smiled initially but let it fall for a determined look as he gave a sharp nod of understanding. Seemed he was itching for a rematch just as much as she was. That was good, better was the determination she could feel from him and see on his face.

They'd need that determination and his fighting spirit in their next encounter. He couldn't freeze up like he did against the first two rogue Mist ninja. She needed him to be the energetic, never give-up fighter he had shown her over the last two years. And she…she needed to find that fierce warrior within her without her anger.

Currently she felt flickers of it in her heart. The closer they got the bridge, the closer they were to danger, the more she felt it. She wanted to put an end to the evil stranglehold keeping the people here stuck in the gutter, that was one of the main incentives to fight right now…yet there was another.

She wanted to fight. Even though her greatest desire was eventually finding peace, what she wanted most right now was to jump into the flames of battle and grow stronger through it. Fighting Zabuza and the boy would give her that chance, and she was ready for it.

 _I need to rein that in_ , she scolded herself. _I can't let myself lose sight of what is important all because I want to be pushed._ Hopefully that fierce warrior she was looking for within herself wouldn't blind her.

"Zabuza has had enough time to recover just like us," she continued, hoping to keep her mind off it. "I'd bet you a bowl of ramen he's looking for revenge. The boy, on the other hand, won't hide this time. He'll probably be there to go toe to toe with us."

Overall not a comforting line of thought. Caution would be of the utmost importance against him. "We need to be careful against him, Naruto. He's likely scouted our first fight to learn our abilities. Now he has the upper hand. Until we learn his abilities, we need to avoid reckless decisions," Amari explained.

"Right."

The pair came to an abrupt stop when the trees of the forest started to look as if a giant, angry bear began scratching and severing limbs of every tree in its way. Below them, a dead boar with several deep wounds laid motionless.

 _What the hell?_

Amari motioned for her friend to follow her down to the ground for examination of the scene. Naruto moved towards the animal while the Nara scoured the surrounding area in an attempt to get a better read of what happened. _The wounds on the boar, and these on the trees appear to be made from a sword_ , she analyzed, resting her left hand on a gouge of one of the many trees.

 _There's definitely a pattern here._ She moved to another tree and examined it as well. _Each cut was done as the person came from the direction we were going, and…_ She looked back in the direction they had come from, _the further they went that way, the less wounds they inflicted on the trees, but someone was still cutting to their hearts content._

 _But who would wreck a bunch of trees and kill a boar for fun?_

Amari furrowed her brow and looked back to her teammate as he stood up. "Sword wounds for sure, so they definitely weren't hunters. But why do all this damage?" Naruto asked to no one in particular.

"They were coming from the general direction of the bridge and heading…" Amari's eye widened in fear. "Tazuna's family!"

Naruto's eyes widened only momentarily before settling in for seriousness. "We've gotta go back!" he declared.

She offered a small nod before taking off at a hastened pace with Naruto at her side back towards the house. _Inari kept mentioning Gatō's army, but because I never saw any of them I never even thought…_

No, of course she hadn't thought about it. Why would she when she had seen no evidence of their presence? Why would she when she believed all he would do was send Zabuza to kill them again instead of taking hostages to stop the bridge builder? _Damn it! I'm such an idiot!_

Of course Gatō would do that. His first plan failed, meaning he'd have less confidence in Zabuza's ability this time around and would do whatever he could to secure bringing an end to Tazuna's bridge. He was using a contingency plan to keep his hold from being broken when the bridge was nearly finished.

 _I should have stayed behind, I should have known better! After everything I've heard about Gatō, I should have suspected he'd take this action._

"Nobody better have hurt them or they'll regret it!"

Amari remained in silent agreement, too furious at herself to agree outwardly with her friend. As she dashed from branch to branch and utilized every scrap of agility and flexibility she had, Amari activated her Byakugan in hopes of finding the ones who cut the trees before they reached Tazuna's house.

"I really hope we're not too late," she whispered to herself.

 _Hold on you two. We're coming._

The pair halted on a branch at the edge of the forest and cast their gazes to the dock where Inari was clearly standing in the open while his mother was being held hostage by two sword wielding thugs. Evil intentions were clear in their body language.

"We've gotta g— what? Why'd you stop me?!" Naruto questioned when she grabbed his arm to stop his rash actions.

Why did she stop him? Simple, they held the advantage of stealth right now and she intended to use it to its full potential. Thugs they may be, but they still wielded dangerous weapons she had no doubt they knew how to use. They didn't have the time for a long drawn out fight, and she did not wish for either of them to waste too much chakra.

"Because I have a plan." The Shadow user brought her hands up in the clone seal and created a clone of herself. Next her clone transformed into a shuriken, which Amari caught and handed to Naruto. "I'm going to transform into one as well. You'll need to be quick and use the Substitution Jutsu to get Inari and Miss Tsunami out of there. When you have their attention, toss me and my clone at them. We'll handle it from there."

 _Normally they might be dangerous, but they'll be overconfident since they're used to exerting control over defenseless civilians._ Amari smiled evilly. _They won't stand a chance against me._

Naruto snickered. "Oh man, their faces will be priceless! Straight outta our Amaruto handbook!"

She smiled bashfully then transformed herself into a shuriken. From within the transformation she waited patiently for her opportunity to strike. When she felt herself cutting through the air she knew the time for her strike was almost near. A surprise attack from the front, however, was too risky.

If these thugs were worth the money Gatō paid them they'd be able to react and try to cut her down in mid-flight. Being bisected would be a drag, so Amari waited until she felt them deflect her. Barely an instant later she and her clone dispelled behind the men, landing on their feet and immediately flashing forward with great speed.

"Bah! Try something else!" the man wearing a beanie said.

Naruto turned around with a mischievous and somewhat sadistic grin. "I did."

"Surprise!" both Amari's shouted cheerfully. Her enemies had only enough time to turn their heads in horror to see her incoming kick aimed right at their heads. Then her kick connected and sent them colliding head first into one another. Needless to say, they were unconscious before they hit the wooden dock.

Both Amari's landed next to one another, smirks clear on their faces as they looked down at the two unconscious thugs. "Who rules?" Amari's clone asked, a hint of arrogance in her voice as she put a hand out for a high-five.

"We do," Amari answered, high-fiving her clone, crossing her arms over her chest and deactivating her Byakugan. "I love it when a plan goes perfectly."

Two hysterically laughing boys broke the pair from their moment of triumph to see her friend and Inari both laughing. Feeling bashful, Amari's clone dispersed herself and left the original to rub the back of her head and blush alone. A small smile did form on her lips when the realization of Inari actually laughing and smiling for the first time since she met him.

 _It finally sunk in. He finally found the will to fight back._ Amari's smile became fond. _Kaiza would be proud._

She tied up the two wannabe samurais and gagged them while Naruto and Inari looked out at the sea together.

"Achoo!" Naruto sneezed.

"You know, they say when you sneeze that someone's talking about you somewhere."

Normally Amari didn't believe in superstitious stuff, but knowing Kakashi and the others were on the bridge made her worry a little.

A tickling feeling swarmed her nose and served as the only preamble to her incoming sneeze. "Achoo!"

 _Hmm, either that is a strange coincidence or Inari is right and someone is talking about me and Naruto._ Amari sighed inwardly. _I hope they're okay. If not, just hold on guys. We'll be there soon._

"Oh hey, sorry about yesterday," Naruto apologized.

"I'm sorry as well," Amari apologized as she moved to check on Tsunami. The woman was coming around from the hit she had taken, eyes slowly opening. Panic suddenly took over her features and she moved to bolt upright, but stopped when Amari rested her hand on her shoulder. "Hey, easy. You're safe now. Inari is fine. Actually." She looked over to the boys to see their smiles. "I'd say he's better than fine."

"Amari…" Tsunami looked over to see her son and Naruto smiling. The woman let out a sigh of relief. She sat up slowly with the help of the younger girl. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

Amari bowed her head faintly. "You're welcome, Ms. Tsunami. Your son is very brave and so are you. No matter what happens, it's been an honor meeting you all."

Tsunami's features fell into concern once more. "Be careful, Amari."

"I'll do my best, Ms. Tsunami."

She nodded and Amari stood up to walk over to Naruto and get him ready to go. Truth was she couldn't promise that she would be entirely safe. That would be tempting fate too much and probably impossible to promise in general. Life as a ninja pretty much ensured you were going to get into trouble eventually.

"Ready Naruto?" He grinned and nodded, which made her smile warmly at him. _As long as we have each other, though, we'll make it out okay._ She turned her smile to Inari. "Inari, you were very brave today. But it's up to you to take care of your mother for now and to keep fighting for your happiness. Trust me," she glanced to Naruto, "it's worth it." The boy nodded to her. Seeing that their work was done, she turned back to her friend. "Time to go give Zabuza and that boy a surprise they won't soon forget."

Together they took off back towards the bridge. Now it was time to join their friends to end Gatō's taint once and for all.

There were no delays this time on their way to the bridge. No signs of any other thugs on the move or signs of Zabuza and the boy either. All that meant to Amari was the real fight was on the bridge.

When they reached the bridge, Amari guided them into the shadows of the mist where their enemies couldn't see them. "Seems we were late for the beginning of the fight," she noted.

Sasuke was surrounded by what looked like mirrors made purely of crystal or ice, though which it was she couldn't say at this distance. The mirrors formed a circle around him, each floating above the ground with enough space to crawl under and spaced so someone of her small size would have a little trouble getting between them. They were about as tall as Zabuza's partner and did not only surround Sasuke at his level with twelve mirrors, but there was a second row of eight angled towards the ground and a final mirror lying parallel to the bridge like a roof.

 _A quite literal prison of ice or crystals._ Escape would be impossible for Sasuke from her examination. Not only were the mirrors themselves holding him captive, the tracker ninja was keeping him within by repeatedly pelting him with senbon. The Mist shinobi somehow was jumping between his mirrors at an amazing speed she couldn't track without her dōjutsu activated; it almost appeared that he was literally flying between them.

 _And if I can't see him without my Byakugan…_

Then Sasuke couldn't even begin to guess where he was being attacked from, and wouldn't have a chance to at this rate. Not without a miracle, or the Sharingan.

Any reinforcement—beyond her and Naruto—was impeded from reaching Sasuke due to Zabuza standing right between Kakashi and the mirrors. For their sensei to help Sasuke meant leaving Sakura to guard Tazuna on her own.

They'd be slaughtered.

It didn't take a genius to read the situation before them. Zabuza and his partner separated Kakashi from one of his students so he'd have no choice but to either leave the bridge builder and Sakura to die, or face Zabuza and have to watch Sasuke die. They masterfully put the entire situation in their favor. Did their sensei fulfill the mission or save a student?

By their standards, someone would die no matter what Kakashi did. And if the tracker ninja ended Sasuke's life before he could defeat Zabuza then the boy would just move on to his next target. Everything seemed to be a lose-lose situation for Team Seven.

 _But…_ Amari flicked her eye over to Naruto. _Now that we're here we can add ourselves into this equation. As long as Zabuza and the boy can't sense our chakra, I can attack from the shadows, throw him off balance and give Sensei the opening he needs to defeat him quickly. Then we can focus all our attention on the boy._

The plan she was formulating was risky. It'd require quick reflexes from her sensei and for her action—whatever it ended up being—to keep Zabuza so off balance and distracted he wouldn't be able to dodge Kakashi's attack. Depending on how long it took her to set it up and for them to finish of Zabuza, Sasuke would still be at risk.

He'd have to survive long enough for them to come join him, and no doubt the tracker ninja would increase the frequency of his attacks if Zabuza's life became endangered. A lot of risk all around, especially for her two boy teammates with what she hoped to accomplish.

The risk was great, yet it was better than hoping Sasuke could hold his own forever when he couldn't see his opponent or letting the bridge builder be killed. It'd be a drag, but if it came to it she'd let Zabuza use her as a punching bag so Kakashi could save Sasuke first.

 _Let's hope my other plan works. I'd rather not have any of us become a punching bag._

"Naruto, I'm going to need you to create a big distraction. Also take this." She pulled a kunai out of her hip pouch and handed it to him. "That is a clone version of me. If you need extra help, toss it on the ground and she will appear. If we are to beat these guys, we're going to have to split up: you with Sasuke, me with Sensei. Be smart about your attacks and don't waste your chakra needlessly."

She couldn't leave her sensei, Sakura and Tazuna to fight Zabuza and she couldn't leave the boys to fight the tracker ninja on their own. Her clone would allow her to be in both places at once, allowing her the ability to offer aid to both groups.

"Distraction huh?" Naruto snickered next to her. "Oh, I'll give you a distraction!"

Amari nodded. _Knowing Naruto it's going to be big. I just hope he doesn't get hurt doing it._ "Good luck, Naruto." She Body Flickered to the other side of the bridge, still hiding her presence within the mist from Zabuza and her teammates.

She hoped Naruto would be safe when helping Sasuke and think strategically, but she knew better than that. _Which is why I left him a clone of me. She'll be able to make a plan for them and hopefully take on this fake tracker for a little while to give Sasuke a break._

She pulled her bandana over her left eye as she let out a deep breath. _Mom, Ryu…Cousin. Please guide me and give me the strength to protect my team and stop our enemies. And if the worst happens…forgive me, Mom._

A large explosion of smoke signaled Naruto's distraction commencing. Amari activated her Byakugan. _Now I must wait for the right moment to strike._

If everything worked to plan her attacks would provide the distraction necessary to defeat Zabuza. If it didn't then they'd have to go with the backup plan she was beginning to formulate.

Unfortunately for Amari, Naruto's grand distraction was ruined the moment he went for his Shadow Clone Jutsu. Zabuza was no fool; he wouldn't sit and wait for Naruto to create a legion of clones to fight him, he was going to strike first.

Shuriken sped right at Naruto, who froze in shock at the sudden deadly weapons aimed for him.

With a mildly annoyed groan, Amari Body Flickered back in front of him, a kunai in her hand already and prepared to knock away the shuriken. Revealing her presence axed out her desire to use stealth to their advantage, but she couldn't just let Naruto get hurt.

Suddenly senbon connected with the shurikens, canceling them out and bringing forth a loud groan of pure agitation from Amari. "Seriously?!" she hissed under her breath. _If I had waited I could have remained hidden!_

This was such a pain!

"Naruto, when I asked for a distraction I didn't mean…Grh, never mind!"

Naruto offered a bashful laugh and had the courtesy to blush in embarrassment at his novice mistake. "My bad, Amari."

"Don't worry about it. I'll just reform my plans." _Even if it is troublesome._

Turning her focus back to the field of battle and those on it, she locked gazes with the fake tracker ninja. He still wore his mask, though there was a scratch through it from an attack likely launched by Naruto; the mask kept his thoughts and anything else she might have been able to discern from his eyes hidden. What his mask couldn't hide was his body language; nothing about it felt aggressive, nor did he have the same demonic feel as Zabuza.

Everything about him was collected and calm…yet she could feel something more, something strange tugging at her heart she couldn't quite describe.

"You're fast," he broke the silence first. "I must admit, I'm impressed. Your friend didn't even have time to blink between the throw and your appearance."

From her side she heard Kakashi's voice scolding Naruto, but all of her focus remained on this boy and the strange feeling in her heart. He fell silent after his initial statement and held his gaze on her, possibly to size her up further based on the barely visible motions of his head.

"So, you're their balancing point."

Amari's brow furrowed at his words. He wasn't taunting her or using it as an insult, but for him to use the exact words Iruka had used? That was no mere coincidence. Someone on her team must have used it in reference to her for him to be able use such mirror words to her former sensei.

Unsure of how to respond, Amari remained silent and held the gaze of her enemy. Where was he going with that particular statement? He wasn't questioning why she, the physically smallest kunoichi of the team, was given such a title. He sounded as if he was observing her, testing the waters of conversation between them for one reason or another.

And why did she have this weird tugging feeling in her heart? Why did it feel like they were the only two on this bridge right now? Why did staring at him make her feel…?

"You showed great cunning in your battle with Zabuza, and I have no doubt you are very strong. Whoever made you the balancing point of this team was very wise."

Again there was no hidden blade in the words or blatant insult. He meant what he said, whether it was to be taken as a statement of fact or a real compliment was left for her to decide.

Amari let her lips quirk up in a small, arrogant smirk to hide her confusion his words caused. "You haven't seen anything yet. Compliments aren't going to make me hesitate from protecting my team from you. And for what you've done already," her eye intensified, "I won't let you walk away unscathed."

"I see. Your team must be very precious to you. Are you fighting to protect their dreams?"

This time she offered a curt nod to conceal the sudden acceleration of her thoughts. _His question…why does everything about it only further this strange feeling I have? And why does it feel like I've heard it before?_ She sifted through her memories quickly until the realization hit her. _In our first fight with Zabuza I mentioned my precious people making me stronger and how I was going to protect their dreams._

And he had stared at her like he had heard it all before and didn't say anything about it. Did this kid feel the same thing as she did for her teammates for Zabuza?

"As long as they still live, as long as I have breath in my body, I will fight to protect them and their dreams." She paused, gauging her next words carefully before speaking again. "You…you feel the same for that uncaring demon over there?" She intended it to be a statement, not the question filled with disbelief and pain.

"Yes."

No hesitation in his answer, no doubt, not even a hint of regret. This boy truly considered Zabuza precious to him to the same degree she consider her team and mother. Yet…she didn't curse the boy, she didn't feel unbridled hatred or any further disbelief. Instead a sad smile formed on her lips, and the strange feeling in her heart gained two new feelings: pain and empathy.

"I…I want to say I'm sorry that you feel so strongly about him, but I can't cast judgment." No, she couldn't and wouldn't cast judgement. How could she when the tugging in her heart was becoming easier to describe the longer they spoke. "I…I guess all I can do is say I'm sorry we had to meet under these circumstances. I have a feeling you and I…" _Could have been friends. Could have understood one another_. "We probably share some commonalities."

A momentary silence fell between the two ninjas as they stared at one another. No heat laid in their eyes, no anger, no judgement. Just silent understanding that neither one of them wanted this. That the longer they stood here, the more they wished they wouldn't have to do this…but would because they had precious people to protect.

For Amari, the tugging feeling in her heart became describable in that moment of silent understanding—the question she failed to ask herself became abundantly clear. Why did staring at him make her feel like she was staring into a mirror? Why did it feel like they were two sides of the same coin?

Why? The answer was simple: because they were. Their pasts certainly were unique to them, but not the feelings they held in their hearts. Their pain, their reasons for fighting, their search for purpose…The only difference in their paths was who took them in when they had no one else to hold onto. When no one else cared for their existence.

 _We're the same._ Underneath that mask she knew there were eyes with the same pain, the same sorrow, the same purpose she looked at in the mirror every day. _I could have been him, and he could have been me._ Their positions on this battlefield were dictated by a single point in their lives, the point where someone reached their hand out to them to give them purpose.

In another world, she wore the mask and he stood with a team of friends.

Sorrow pierced through her heart at that thought. _Do we really have to fight?_ This was worse than staring at Inari when she saw the negative reality of herself in him.

They didn't need to do this…they shouldn't be doing this. Killing each other didn't have to be the answer.

"Before we continue…is there any way you can see this ending without us killing each other besides us giving you the bridge builder? I need to know if we…if you and I can put aside our blades here and now and end this peacefully."

If there was even a small chance at ending this peacefully, she had to try. She wouldn't hesitate if it wasn't…no matter how much it hurt, but if he was feeling even a fraction of what she felt, he had to hope for this to end peacefully too.

"That would be the only way. It means something that you sought to seek a peaceful resolution, but I'm afraid one is not possible."

A sad sigh escaped Amari at the unfortunate truth of their situation. _In a different circumstance…in a different life this wouldn't have to happen._

"You are right, though. I believe you and I share the same interests. I apologize for what I must do."

"Don't," she pleaded. The last thing she wanted was an apology; it would only cloud her judgment if she had to kill him. "I have to do the same, so you don't need to apologize. This is our life and what we must do to protect what we consider precious." The boy bowed his head in a mutual understanding. "If it comes down to you and me in this fight I will give you every ounce of my strength and will. To protect those I care for and the people of this island, you and Zabuza must be stopped."

"I'd expect nothing less from you. Know I will do the same."

"Haku, what are you doing?" Zabuza asked, sounding perplexed by the entirety of the conversation that happened before them.

Hearing his voice snapped Amari out of the haze where it had just been the two of them on this bridge back to reality. A glance around revealed confusion in her sensei's eye, though he kept it well hidden.

The boy, Haku, had the same moment of snapping to reality as she did. He offered his partner a small glance before refocusing his attention on her and Naruto. Amari's mind immediately went back to calculating a new plan with the information she learned from their conversation.

 _His ninjutsu is clearly strong, but it's his will to protect that will make him even more dangerous than I anticipated._ Her teammates had their own strengths and their own wills they wouldn't let be dominated, but Haku was different than them.

He was like her. He wouldn't accept failure and would push beyond his limitations to keep his goal alive…and he'd die to keep Zabuza safe and kill if he had to…just like her.

 _The only person here besides Kakashi-sensei who can match him in will is me…_ Shaking away her hesitation, Amari searched deep within herself for the will needed to match his. After a deep breath, her eye hardened and her grip on her kunai tightened in determination. _I will stop him._

She noticed a faint nod from Haku.

"Zabuza, this girl and the boy…let me fight them my own way."

"Bring it on!" Naruto challenged from behind Amari.

 _His own way?_ What did he mean by that? Amari glanced over to Sasuke, the only evidence she had to provide any hints to her question. _He's pretty banged up, cuts on just about every part of his body, but none of the needles hit vital organs._ She furrowed her brow. _That doesn't make sense. Sasuke has no chance of dodging his speed in there, and I know for a fact Haku has precise accuracy at a level we lack._

So what did this mean? What was Haku's way? _Maybe…_

"So, you want me to leave this to you? Is that it Haku?" Zabuza prodded, a sinister sense of humor in his voice. "You're too soft, as usual."

"Forgive me," Haku said, bowing his head to his partner.

"Don't ask for his forgiveness. He doesn't deserve having someone like you around," Amari spat.

Sasuke—who had been watching on and waiting for a moment to strike from within the mirrors—threw a kunai at Haku's blind spot. Haku leaned back and let the kunai pass by him without even glancing in Sasuke's direction.

 _He never even let his guard down. Smart. He remains aware of his surroundings even when it doesn't seem that way._

"A true warrior knows when to bow out honorably," Haku said, turning his entire attention back to Sasuke. "I gave you that chance, but I see you still wish to fight. So be it."

Haku didn't spare her or Naruto another glance and walked back into his mirror, literally. His body was absorbed into the mirror as if the mirror was made out of a liquid of some kind despite appearing perfectly solid.

 _If we're going to beat him..._ They'd need either a really good plan or Kakashi. Although she wanted to ditch her initial plan to split up, Amari kept true to it. Being on the outside of the mirrors would be far more advantageous to her and give her the ability to send more clones for reinforcement should Sasuke need it.

It'd also allow her to back Kakashi up and give him the opening he needed to finish Zabuza quickly.

"Naruto," she turned her head to look at him with her right eye while keeping her left focused on Zabuza, "throw that kunai I gave you on the ground now. She'll follow you around and provide part of my strength and all of my tactical analysis abilities to you. _Listen_ to her if she has a plan. I'll keep feeding her chakra so she doesn't pop."

Naruto's features contorted into confusion. "Where are you going?"

Her right eye flitted back in the direction of Zabuza and Kakashi before looking back to him. She was torn, really she was. So much of her heart desired to stand with him and stop Haku personally, but if things got worse she'd be better use from the outside of the mirrors.

Far more avenues of attack were possible from this side; whether she was distracting Zabuza or attacking Haku from the outside, she would always have access to both groups. _And if Kakashi-sensei has to battle with clones, I'll be needed to watch over Sakura and Mr. Tazuna._

Kakashi was an amazing shinobi, one of the best in all the Leaf, but even he had limits. He couldn't be everywhere at once. Right now he needed her to be his extra set of eyes and back up to get everyone on their side out of this alive.

"Me and a demon have some unfinished business."

A dark chuckle rumbled from their enemy. He still obviously didn't take her very seriously. "You want to take me on, little girl? Hmph, I'll grant you your death wish, but allow us to enjoy Haku's demonstration first."

"Go on. If Zabuza tries to attack I'll cover you."

Naruto dropped the kunai, dispelling the transformation and revealing a second Amari. The real Amari grabbed her clones arm to stop her from going anywhere and met her eye with her own. "You know what to do. Use it as a last resort." Her clone nodded and followed after Naruto right into the center of the mirrors where Sasuke was.

 _Good luck you three._

* * *

Amari watched as her blond knuckleheaded partner snuck up on Sasuke, who looked to be calculating how to win this fight with the new reinforcements. As usual the pair began arguing, this time over Naruto's decision to join the fight inside rather than attack from the outside.

 _Why did she stick me with these two? If they don't get their act together we're going to get hit before we can even formulate an attack._

On a different note altogether, yet still somewhat related, she was now certain the mirrors were made of ice rather than crystals. Upon stepping closer to the mirrors she felt the temperature of the air drop in their general vicinity, and in the center of the jutsu was no better. The air had a bitter chill to it. She could see her breath when she exhaled out of her mouth and feel her body temperature dropping.

"That's it! I'm going to destroy these mirrors right now!"

Sasuke stood up in his agitation and began going through the Fire Ball Jutsu handseals. Hoping to help him destroy the mirrors—and get an idea of how strong they were—Amari went through her own and moved to stand next to her Uchiha clansman. Fire and ice didn't have a great relationship; maybe this wouldn't be as hard as she had thought.

Both Uchiha's took deep inhales and released their Fire Ball Jutsu at the same time, once again combining their attack to create a larger heat wave in an effort to destroy the mirrors quickly.

Through her Byakugan Amari watched the ice crack in certain parts, but the cracks were nothing to be proud of. Each mirror was reinforced by chakra, strengthening the ice so it was no longer in the same realm as regular ice. _The heat required to melt it must be ridiculous._ _Even together we didn't do squat. We could launch multiple fire balls but even then I doubt we'd even get close to breaking them._

She looked around at the ice mirrors surrounding them. _This doesn't just look like an impenetrable prison; it is crafted to_ _ **be**_ _impenetrable. The only way out is through him._

If their combined flames weren't enough then that meant they only had one other way to attack: Stop Haku as he jumped between mirrors and take him on out of his jutsu.

 _Oh this is not going to be good._

"That didn't do anything at all!" Naruto shouted at them, but mostly Sasuke for his previous insults.

His grasp of the obvious was impressive, yet Amari couldn't help but feel dread build in her gut. None of their training had prepared them for someone with this level of strength in ninjutsu.

Beating him with pure strength was impossible, and no longer a viable goal to hold. What they all needed to focus on was one thing and one thing alone: survival.

"You will need a lot more heat to melt this ice," Haku stated.

He lifted his fist up with senbon placed between the spaces of his fingers in preparation for his attack, each mirror reflection copying his movements to make it impossible to know which one actually moved first.

Then the rain of needles started flying from every direction, slicing past them and knocking them all down to the ground with pained cries.

Both sides had now made their first move, and in this game of shogi Haku's attack was far more effective than theirs. The worst part about this was there wasn't much else they could do against their attacker to try to land a blow on him. He moved quicker than the others could see and a lot quicker than Amari herself could move.

Amari landed flat on her back and immediately began taking into account the amount of damage that had just been done to her. Her right arm was covered in cuts of varying lengths along with her left mesh covered arm, which was ripped up where her cuts were. Her left cheek burned from a wound and two wounds on her shins thrummed in agony.

No senbon punctured her, which made it clear to her that either this boy was merely toying with them—which she doubted—or trying to get them to quit instead of killing them. Considering his statement to Sasuke before retuning into his mirror, she was willing to assume the latter.

She forced herself to sit up through the pain. _I could see him moving with my Byakugan, but I don't know if I can match it._

Her normal speed was no match for him. The Body Flicker Technique would allow her to move faster, but she had to know exactly where he would show up or he would just knock her out of air without breaking a sweat.

 _We are severely out classed here. Come on, think, think._

In a move of hopeful optimism, Naruto tried looking into every mirror to try to figure out which was the real Haku. His plan was hopeless. "They're all reflections, Naruto. You won't find him by looking at them," she told him.

"She's right. Look into each mirror all you want, you won't find the real one," Haku said.

 _Because you're moving between them too fast for them to see, and too fast for me to stop you…but if I can find a pattern, maybe I'll be able to anticipate your next move and launch a successful attack._

Her plan would be a long shot, but right now it was all she had.

Naruto, still not discouraged, created a dozen Shadow Clones. Simultaneously they jumped up to break the mirrors with their bare hands. Normally Amari would have joined in, but it was useless and she needed to save her chakra. She needed to focus on creating a plan, a _real_ plan, not a bullheaded one.

 _If I can out think him and put it into action, we may survive long enough for the real Amari and Kakashi-sensei to get these two out of here._

Haku began jumping between his mirrors, taking down each of the Naruto's before they were even a few feet away from a mirror. _Such speed_ , Amari marveled, eyes wide. _With his mirrors he can transport between them quicker than a regular eye can keep up with._ Sasuke's clueless expression was proof of that. _No one except me can see his attacks, but without their help I don't think I can stop him._

The knucklehead crashed down between her and Sasuke as her mind continued to piece together every bit of information she could about this technique. _Ice is not one of the five basic chakra natures, it's a kekkei genkai formed by Water and Wind. That means there's no way Kakashi-sensei or I could copy it, and the likelihood of us destroying it with any of our current jutsu is one in a billion._

She had a better chance at getting struck by lightning.

 _But,_ she analyzed, _the amount of chakra necessary to keep this jutsu active has to be ridiculous. The longer we survive, the higher our chances of catching him and defeating him are._

Glancing around at the mirrors, a troubled sigh escaped her. _But surviving this is a lot easier said than done._

"I wasn't able to break through…So what!" Naruto fired off heatedly. "No way I'm letting him stop me, and no way am I going to give up or lose here. I have a dream to be the greatest Hokage! Then my entire village will respect me and stop treating me like I'm some sort of freak to be scorned. No one is going to stop me from achieving my dream! " he declared.

"Then use that dream as your strength, Naruto," Amari stated. She pulled two kunais out from her pouch and stepped in front of the boys to play her role as a shield. _I may not be able to attack him yet, but I can block his attacks from hitting us and keep us alive longer._

"This boy you're fighting has a dream, too, and it is for that dream that he fights," she continued. "His dream, his purpose, our fates will collide here on this bridge and will determine who of us will see our dreams come true. If either of you fail to use your full strength, you won't walk out of this jutsu alive."

"What about you?" Naruto asked.

She offered a sad smile over her shoulder. "I'm just a clone, remember?" Both boys frowned at the reminder. Obviously they would have preferred their real friend to be here with them instead of a copy, but that wasn't possible.

"I may just be a clone, but I'm still nearly as strong as the real thing. She wouldn't back down here and neither will I, because I share her dream as well: To protect the people she cares for no matter what is thrown at me."

Amari wiped the blood from her cheek. _Though I_ _can't deny that doing so will be tougher than our fight with Zabuza. His speed is too fast for the boys to see, but matching it myself will only make me a larger target for Haku. One lethal blow or too much damage and I'm done for._

 _Troublesome._

"You are right," Haku agreed. "This bridge will be the battlefield where our dreams will collide. I must fight for my dream just as you fight for yours." Despite the other two being here, Amari felt again as if it was just her he was talking to. "Please, do not blame me for what I must do. I fight for someone who is precious to me. I live for him, and I face death for him so that his dream can become reality. That is my dream," even with his mask on she could feel his eyes intensify with his voice as his reflection took on a combat stance, "and for the sake of that dream I will act as a shinobi and take your lives!"

Amari took up her fighting stance, a sad smile forming on her lips matched with a determined eye. "I won't blame you, but don't blame me for what I have to do. The real me promised to protect her friends with her very life; she entrusted me with that promise and I won't fail!"

Troublesome or not, Amari would never back down.

Outside the Mirrors

Amari stood a step in front of her fellow kunoichi and Tazuna as a final line of defense between them and Zabuza, her eyes moving between the ice mirrors and their enemy. The fight the boys and her clone were involved in would be tough, but she trusted her clone to get them out of there alive.

Together the three of them were tough; the trio just needed to hold on long enough for Haku's jutsu to start taking its toll and then her clone would be able to snatch him out of his mirrors. Then the fight would be on even ground and they'd have the fight back in their favor.

Zabuza was a different problem altogether, but for now she was waiting for her sensei to make a move.

"Sasuke, Naruto! Take this guy out, you can do it!" Sakura shouted next to her.

"Don't Sakura! Don't push them," Kakashi warned.

"Sensei?" Amari tilted her head to the side at the worry in his voice.

"Even if the three of them find a way to overcome his Mirror Jutsu, they still wouldn't have the ability to defeat this ninja. Not even with your clone, Amari."

So her fear was rightfully placed then: this boy was far beyond their skill and his will could likely overpower her own. _Damn it. I need to be there with them, but I can't leave Sakura, Mr. Tazuna or Kakashi-sensei alone with Zabuza. I need to be out here for all of our sakes that way I can divert to the boys if I need to._

"How can you be so sure?" Sakura asked.

It was Amari who chose to answer her honest question. "You and the boys each have a great desire to win a fight, but none of you have the instinct to kill another shinobi," Amari replied. "Thanks to Zabuza, that boy is different from all of you and in a different breed altogether. He can kill the kindness that lies within his heart in order to protect the ambition that Zabuza holds."

This was not good.

There was no way Naruto or Sasuke could find it in their hearts to kill this boy now. Defeat him, yes, but to actually kill for the first time? You were better off betting on which Shinobi Nation would betray all the others first.

"Exactly!" Zabuza interjected, laughing menacingly. "Konoha has become complacent. You trainees never learned the most important lesson of all: how to kill the feelings in your hearts, how to crush an opponent without mercy, how to destroy with no emotion or regret!"

Amari didn't need to see Sakura's horror at his words, she could feel it. But Zabuza was wrong about one thing: there was one ninja among them that could do those things…regardless of how badly she didn't want to.

"Sensei." Kakashi glanced to Amari, hesitation in his eye to the same degree that was in her voice. "Tell me what needs to be done."

If he ordered her to do it, if he gave her no choice but to do what was necessary, she could kill her heart to save her friends. But she needed him to say it, to make it real for her so she…so she could justify doing the one thing she had hoped she never had to do.

"No," he stated firmly.

She shook her head. This couldn't be debated. She was the only one who had the capability to kill the kindness in her own heart to do what needed to be done. Her clone could hold her own against Haku, but she was too easily dispelled and continuing to feed her chakra would only weaken her over time. Her teammates needed the real Amari, not her clone.

"I would have killed Mizuki had Iruka-sensei not needed my aid and I would have been perfectly fine with it. You know I can do it."

"No, you can't," Kakashi said.

Amari furrowed her brow at him. "Yes I—"

"You may be able to kill your heart, but you don't have it in you to live with the reality of taking a life afterwards." He sent a severe look her way. "Don't mistake what you can do when lost in your emotions for what you're capable of doing when you're in control of yourself."

But she knew she could do it to save Sasuke and Naruto. Wasn't that cause enough to let her to do it? Was it worth letting them get hurt or put near death all because he didn't want her to kill?

She couldn't just sit here and do nothing; she had to save them before anything bad happened to them. "The boys won't be able to do it and my clone can only handle so much damage. If I go now I can stop him while he is distracted."

It was time to use logic to override her sensei's desire to keep her from killing her heart. If she could just get him to see her facts, he'd have no choice but to order her to do it. "You can't leave because if you do Zabuza will come after me, Sakura and the bridge builder. We're tough, but all he needs is one opening and we're done for. If you or I use clones to distract him he can just create Water Clones to match us without wasting nearly the same amount of chakra we have to use. If you handle Zabuza I can go and be back before you're done."

"No means no, Amari. Don't assume because you have lost people you loved that you know what it means to take a life. You're not ready, so don't even try it. That's an order."

He turned his head away from her, all but dismissing her, and brought his hand up to his headband in preparation of revealing his glanced to the ice mirrors. _I could make a break for it and ignore what Sensei told me…but then I'd be abandoning them and if Zabuza gets past him I could be dooming Sakura and Mr. Tazuna._

There was also the fact he ordered her to stay here. Disobeying that particular order would get her in a huge bunch of trouble, possibly even end in her having to forfeit her headband.

 _Damn it._ There was no way around it. She was just going to have to stay and help him take down Zabuza first. If they took him down fast then they'd be able to help Naruto and Sasuke.

 _I just hope they can last that long._

Zabuza dashed forward, pulling out a curved kunai knife just as he reached Kakashi, aiming it right for his eye. Kakashi barely had enough time to block it by using his free hand as the pin-cushion instead of his eye. Blood trickled down his right hand to his forearm but he made no show of pain or flinching from the wound.

 _If I move to strike Zabuza now, I could put Sensei in danger by distracting him. If I use my Shadow Possession I could leave him open for an attack, but if he overpowered me I'd waste my chakra and lose my chance to use it later._

Checking the distance between them, she decided against the use of her jutsu. He was too far and too powerful for her at this distance. Add in the consistent draw on her chakra from her clone and it was all but guaranteed to be an unwise use of her jutsu.

 _Think Amari think! I can't just stand here. The longer I wait, the more danger the boys are in._ But what could she do here or against Zabuza that would increase her chances? Sure she had a Sharingan eye as well, but what good would that do her? She didn't know how to use it to the same extent Kakashi did; if anything it'd only drain her chakra more if her clone had to resort to it as well.

 _What am I going to do?_

A Few Minutes Later

"Sasuke, together!" Amari shouted as Naruto and his clones jumped into action. Sasuke grunted in affirmation and together they launched their Fire Ball Jutsu's, creating a large stream of fire while Haku was attempting to go for Naruto.

He was starting to see the trails Haku made but right now that still wasn't enough. Haku dodged their first stream of fire, but the moment he flew out of another mirror they combined their jutsu once more.

The flames chased him and caught the bottom of the left leg of his shorts—the first real strike they had made against him. That meant they'd only continue to improve from here on out.

Naruto crashed back down next to them but Sasuke couldn't help but share a satisfied smirk with his teammate. They were starting to get the timing and soon they would stop him. No matter how much he knocked them down, they continued to get back up and use their last experience to further strengthen themselves.

"Still not enough…" he heard Amari mutter to herself. After a moment of silence, she let out a deep sigh. "Sasuke, Naruto, there's something I need to tell you both."

Sasuke shot a confused look at his teammate. _What does she have to say now of all times?_ "Do you have a new plan?"

If she had a better strategy that wouldn't exhaust so much of all of their chakra then he was willing to hear it. He knew Naruto was expending tons, and the amount the real Amari had to be expending to keep the clone active and able to keep up the continued use of Fire Ball Jutsu had to be just as draining.

"Not entirely. Zabuza has enacted a thicker Hidden Mist Jutsu than last time out of here. Kakashi and the real me will probably have all of their focus on that fight, so I don't know if she'll be able to keep fueling the chakra she has been."

She took in a deep breath and let it out, calming her breathing. "The longer our battles ensue, the more chakra I'm expending. Not even my control will be enough to ease that burden right now. If I'm to help you end this, I'm going to have to use all of my abilities in one last push. Hopefully it'll even the odds just enough to give you all a chance to win."

 _What other ability has she been holding back?_ He wanted to let out an irritated groan but he knew better. If she had been holding back then she had been coming up with a plan of some sort.

The last plan helped him to start seeing the trails Haku made and helped them to hit him with their Fire Ball Jutsu, so he couldn't really complain. "You both know the truth now of my left eye and how I gained it, but there is still one secret I have kept from you two and Sakura. Honestly wish I didn't have to use it now, but if it increases our chances of survival from fifty percent to fifty-one, I can't let that opportunity pass. Haku."

The boy in the mirror perked up at hearing his name coming from the kunoichi. _Now what does she have to say to him, and what is this secret? How many secrets does she have?_ He understood keeping things private, but with all these secrets popping up lately he couldn't help but wonder just how well they all knew their blue-haired teammate.

"This jutsu of yours is impressive, inescapable by what I have seen, but not flawless. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that the chakra you're expending is making you slower with each passing minute, and you know I'm slowing down too. Now this is a battle of will and who can last the longest. But…the way you speak, the way Zabuza acts, I have no doubt you see yourself as just a tool to be used by him for his own gain.

"I can't judge you for that. In fact I won't, even if I have to kill you. I…I wish I could explain why, but this battle isn't the place for that. Know this: by seeing yourself as only a tool you make yourself susceptible to the same fate as a tool—the fate of being worn down until you break and are discarded."

Next she turned to look at him with a sad, borderline guilty look on her face. "I've always wondered when I would have to tell you and how you would react when I did. All I ask is that you don't be mad at me right now. Once we're done here you can be mad, but I need you both to work with me and each other."

The Uchiha found himself stilled with shock when he saw her onyx eye turn red holding one tomoe within it.

"You weren't the only survivor."

* * *

 _I have no choice. If I don't use all of my abilities right now then this battle will drag on too long and I'll be drained of all my chakra_ , the real Amari decided.

"Sakura, I need you to remain silent when I show you this." Sakura gave her a quizzical look but still nodded. Taking a deep breath to still her nerves, Amari turned to her teammate then activated her Sharingan.

The shocked look on her teammates face would have been priceless if they weren't in such a dire situation. "You mean—"

"Since we met." She let out a contented sigh when her teammate gave her an understanding smile. "I'm not sure if my clone has resorted to it, I'll find out when she dispels. If she hasn't, please don't tell Sasuke. I need to be the one to tell him."

"Okay."

"Time for me to fight then."

The mist was thick, too thick for the Sharingan to see through but not enough for her Byakugan. Alone the Sharingan wouldn't be much help in tracking Zabuza unless he was directly in front of her, but if she could use one of the abilities he spent his time gloating about knowing from within the mist, then maybe she'd give her sensei the opening he needed.

 _Better a slim chance than no chance at all._

According to Zabuza the Sharingan had two parts: the Eye of Insight and the Eye of Hypnotism. The Eye of Insight granted such clarity that the user had the ability to mimic anything from movements to copying almost any jutsu. The Eye of Hypnotism, on the other hand, could mesmerize an opponent into believing they were the ones choosing their actions when in fact it was the user of the Sharingan planting the suggestions to do it, just like when Kakashi induced Zabuza to do the Giant Vortex Jutsu handseals.

Of course there was a way to disarm these techniques, hence the thick mist surrounding them preventing Kakashi from using his Sharingan to its full potential. Honestly she wasn't sure how useful her Sharingan was going to be, but if by some miracle she found a way to get up close and ensnare him with it somehow, maybe it'd give them the opening they desperately needed.

Zabuza suddenly appeared behind Tazuna and Sakura, his huge blade already in motion to cut them down. _Oh no you don't!_ "Mr. Tazuna, Sakura, move forward now!" Amari Body Flickered behind them, her kunais at the ready and a determined look on her face. Zabuza's eyes were practically glowing with demonic glee at the sight of her.

Before she could prepare her block, Kakashi appeared in front of her with his arms out to protect her.

The next sound she heard was Sakura's shrill scream as blood splattered across her face.


	15. Chapter 14: Breaking Point Reached

Chapter 14

Breaking Point Reached: The Demon of the Hidden Leaf!

"Naruto!" Amari and Sasuke yelled in unison, their eyes wide as they watched their teammate crash back onto the cement, several senbon protruding out of his body.

 _First I hear Sakura scream, now this? What are Kakashi-sensei and the real me doing out there?_ Obviously the real Amari was still alive otherwise she wouldn't still be standing here. But what had caused her fellow kunoichi to scream in horror? Did Zabuza deal a lethal blow on Kakashi or Tazuna? Did he sever someone's limb?

Amari fought to keep her eyes from leaving Haku's new position. At a time like this, a single breakage of focus could end them. Haku's battle prowess exceeded theirs in spades; his intellect, his ninjutsu, his aim and his will were all incredible.

 _I have to trust that the others are still fighting. If I don't stay focused on the opponent in front of me, we're dead._

The activation of her Sharingan hadn't been the difference maker she hoped it to be. She could see small patterns of movements beginning to form, but her body was just too worn down and slow to actually catch Haku and put an end to him. Her latest attempt had failed spectacularly if Naruto's pincushion look was anything to go by.

Sasuke, despite being hit himself, moved to check on Naruto, leaving Amari to clench her kunai tightly in her hand to block out the pain of her own injuries, her eyes continuing to track Haku in preparation for his next assault.

Between her left shoulder and forearm she had five senbons piercing into her skin; her right shin and elbow each had one protruding out of them as did the upper right portion of her chest. Warm pain pulsated across her body, countered by the harsh chilled air of Haku's jutsu. Chakra being consistently given to her was the only reason she wasn't dead yet.

 _Even with my speed and both dōjutsu's active_ , she grimaced as she pulled out the senbon in her chest, _I still haven't landed a solid blow on him._ She grit her teeth in a mixture of frustration and pain as the senbon clinked on the bridge supporting their fight.

Each time she had gotten close enough to Haku to land an attack, he was able to dash away with speed she couldn't keep up with and pierce another senbon into her. With each new attack her speed was reduced more and more. Depleted chakra reserves from too many Fire Ball Jutsus and too many uses of the Body Flicker Technique did nothing to ease the burden.

 _But_ , she continued to analyze as she pulled the throwing needle from her elbow and shin, letting out small grunts of pain as she did, _he's slowing down, too. Every minute this fight continues his chakra dwindles even more than mine._

It had gotten to the point that Sasuke was beginning to keep track even without a Sharingan or Byakugan like her. To her right eye, however, Haku seemed to be moving even slower than before, where her vision prowess in both eyes were almost lining up perfectly.

That was one of the problem she had been encountering ever since she activated her Sharingan. Haku's incredible speed made him too fast for a regular eye to see. Her Byakugan, however, helped her to track his movements—an ability she thought would also work with her Sharingan. It hadn't, though. Her Sharingan eye was always a second or two behind; the delay between her sensory organs had created conflicting data she couldn't correct in the midst of battle.

The different speeds her eyes processed hadn't been a noticeable problem until now when she was struggling to keep track of the fastest moving enemy she had ever faced. But within the last few minutes her right eyes vision had grown keener, noticing the smallest of movements in almost perfect synch with her Byakugan.

 _It's still not perfectly aligned, but it's better than before._ Whatever the cause of this change was didn't matter so much to her. As long as it helped her defeat this boy, she didn't care for the explanations behind it.

Unfortunately for her, visual prowess alone wasn't enough to turn the tides here. Her chakra was draining fast, and to Haku they were still moving in slow motion due to how his jutsu worked. At this point she was either going to have to end the fight within the next two minutes or do whatever damage she could. After that she'd need to dispel herself to save the real her from exhausting her chakra completely.

 _But I can't leave them here._ She had been given the duty to protect her friends and she couldn't fail that duty. _Yet here I am, failing miserably. Naruto is severely injured, and each strike is making Sasuke as much of a pin cushion as Naruto is._ Naruto's frontal assaults meant to distract and, with luck, find a breaking point for Haku was draining far too much of his chakra and injuring him with each renewed strike.

 _He can't keep it up._ His will was incredible, but everyone had chakra limitations. Naruto's were obviously ridiculously larger than the rest of the team, but the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu was a Forbidden Jutsu for a reason.

No other shinobi could have matched the surplus of clones he created today.

What they needed most was a miracle, but seeing as one wasn't going to appear out of thin air and save them meant she was going to have to think of something more practical.

Haku suddenly appeared in front of her and Sasuke, his arm held back in preparation for his next attack. _Damn!_ The lull in the fight, short as it was, was officially over. Both Uchiha's blocked the senbon with ease and stood ready for the next strike. _I suppose Sasuke keeping up is about as close to a miracle as I'm going to get right now._

Surprisingly he had taken her Sharingan and relation to his clan rather well, at least from what she could tell. All he did was give her a smirk and promise they'd talk about it later. Maybe he was just happy he was no longer the lone survivor of the clan or maybe being part Uchiha gave him hope to match her strength someday. Either way, the real Amari would be happy to know once they were out of this prison.

"Get up, Loser. We have to team up if we're going to get out of this!" Sasuke yelled to the still sitting Naruto.

"I…know…" The boy was practically unconscious, his head swaying back and forth as he tried to stay awake and fight.

 _Damn it, he's at his limit._ Haku shifted between his mirrors then jumped between them and sent a series of senbon at each of the Genin. _I have to end this right now!_

"Protect Naruto!" Amari ordered.

Sasuke grunted in understanding. Their teammate was too wounded and exhausted to defend himself. All this time they had been relying on Naruto to provide a distraction for them. Now it was their turn to cover him and keep him safe as she tried to end this fight.

Amari blocked the senbon targeted at her and started formulating a plan as her eyes darted side to side, never losing Haku as he jumped between mirrors _I just have to get him out of his mirror and then this is over._

Naruto fell unconscious behind her. Haku saw his head dip, his body go limp as fatigue took over. He chose to make his move then, but in doing so he put into motion Amari's newest plan. _I knew you would target him the moment he passed out._ Chakra flowed through her body as she prepared to strike. _And I know Sasuke can keep Naruto safe. That's why…_

Sasuke grabbed Naruto and jumped out of the way of the attack, dodging the rain of needles meant to take them both down.

 _You're finished!_

Seeing her opening, Amari Body Flickered into action. Half of a blink and she was gone. As the blink was completed she reappeared directly in front of Haku. She could feel his shock, hear the startled sound as hidden eyes met fierce red. Amari knew she would have felt the same in his sandals, but she couldn't think about that now.

She slammed her knee into their tormentors gut as hard as she could. Haku doubled over as they floated, a choked sound as his breath left his body. This was her first blow, and now it was time to make it count. Quickly, she grabbed the front of Haku's top to keep him from going anywhere. In an untraceable second of thought she considered attaching her Shadow to him, but the thought disappeared as quickly as it came when she considered her lack of chakra and the lack of shadows.

No, now wasn't the time for ninjutsu. Now was the time to use physical blows to take him down. Recalibrating her pattern of attack, she spun the kunai in her hand around in her hand and plunged it into his left arm, right above his elbow—his dominant arm. _I may not be able to take you down with this single attack, but the least I can do is hinder your ability to throw as fast as you do!_

Haku flinched, letting out a grunt of pain she could barely hear over the beating of her own heart. But then his free fist slammed hard into her cheek and was followed up with a hard knee right to her sternum.

Air escaped her lungs and her grip loosened. _I…_ The fabric beneath her fingers began to slip away. _I refuse to let him get away!_ She tightened her grip and pulled the boy forward roughly. As he came back, she slammed her head right into his mask. Pain erupted across her skull, but her body continued to move. She pulled out another kunai as their heads recoiled and swiped at Haku's neck. Her enemy dodged back, causing her blade to only cut through his clothes and graze his chest.

A fast kick slammed into her neck and sent her crashing into the cement below her. Three senbon pierced down the middle of her back when she tried to get up; a pained whimper escaped her lips. _Almost…had him._ One second earlier and the wound she dealt might have ended the fight. Against the cries of her body, she pushed herself onto her shaky arms and knees. _I…don't think I can keep this up…any longer._

"Nice going, Amari," Sasuke congratulated tiredly. Amari lifted her heavy head up to look at the mirror and see if her attack had done enough. Staring back at her from the mirror was Haku; her kunai was already removed from his arm but his posture no longer remained as straight as it was before. He was slightly hunched over, a hand resting over his wounded chest as blood from it and the wound on his arm stained his clothing.

 _Hehe, got him._ An exhausted smile broke onto her lips but it was broken by her left arm collapsing under her weight, bringing her face first back onto the cement. Through the strain she managed to roll her head just enough to look at her teammate. When her eyes fell upon him, her smile returned.

"Sasuke, your eyes." She was far too exhausted for her voice to portray her excitement.

Sasuke, against his own exhaustion, still let a cocky smile grace his lips and let his crimson eyes meet hers. "Looks like you're not the only one with the Sharingan now."

He had finally unlocked it, and in the midst of a life threatening situation no less. Through her Byakugan only was she able to make out the two tomoe in his right eye and the one in his left. _This is definitely an advantage we need._

There was just one problem: Now that his eyes could match hers, and now that Haku was wounded, their enemy would be aiming to end this fight quicker than before. He still had the chakra for it, and the number advantage was no longer in their favor. No amount of chakra she could gain from her original would change the wounds dealt to her. She would be dead weight, and if Naruto didn't wake up soon then he'd be just as useless.

As of now it was only in Sasuke's hands to win this. She had to hope his eyes would keep him and Naruto alive long enough to take down the slower and far more vulnerable Haku.

"Just don't get a big head, Sasuke," Amari replied tiredly. Banter was good; it was familiar and took her mind off the pain echoing across her body. _I need to dispel. I'm just hobbling them and the real me._

Her Uchiha counterpart snorted, amused in their dire situation. "I wouldn't even consider it. I've gotten enough lectures from you."

"Enough!"

Haku launched out of the mirror, his trajectory aimed directly at the unconscious Naruto. Sasuke followed after him, his eyes granting him the sight necessary to track his movements clearly. A needle pierced through her neck, but just before she dispelled she saw something that would shake the very core of Team Seven's shyest balancing point.

 _I'm sorry…Forgive me._

* * *

 _Ho— how could I let this happen?_ Amari stood frozen in shock, all of her senses dulled to her surroundings except her sense of hearing. With every other sense dead, the sound of her Sensei letting out grunts of pain after each breath reverberated in her ears. Blood dripped down in front of him, each plop cutting through the young ninja's ears like crashing cymbals in a silent room.

 _I was prepared for the strike…and he still stood in front of me._

Kakashi blurred out of her vision and was replaced by Ryu in the same stance he had taken to protect her from Kasai. Then her senses came back but they weren't relaying her current surroundings to her. Everything had returned back to _that day_ , that damned day she lost her friends.

Again she witnessed Ryu take the blow for her, sacrificing his brilliant life for a pathetic waste like her. She could feel the horror again in the pit of her stomach making her nauseous. Her breathing became sharper as the air became devoid of oxygen and her heart seemed to be breaking her ribs with each slam against her chest.

Why? Why did he do it?

" _And all for what? To save some_ _ **pathetic**_ _girl who isn't ever going to be good enough to be a ninja,"_ Kasai's taunt echoed in her ears.

Amari gripped her kunais in a vile concoction of frustration, sorrow and disappointment.

Even after all of her training, people were still jumping in front of blows meant for her. _But I could have blocked it this time…I was ready, I knew how to counter his attack._

Why did he have to jump right in front of her?

"Ha! This is rich!" Zabuza barked sadistically, snapping her back to the present moment. Thick mist surrounded them, but she could see Kakashi's wounded form directly in front of her. Just in front of him was Zabuza, his sword still held in front of him after his initial strike. "Playing the hero and sacrificing your body for your student, what a foolish waste! All you've done is delayed her death a few minutes and hastened your own demise! I was hoping to enjoy exacting my revenge on you, but if you're going to make soft-hearted mistakes like that then I suppose I'll have to settle for torturing your little brats."

Amari could feel the bubbling anger rising higher and higher in her heart at Zabuza's taunt. Her knuckles had gone white and her whole body was shaking in held back rage.

"You want this to be fun?" she hissed, her voice cold as the steel of the blades in her hands.

"Oh don't you worry, little girl, I haven't forgotten about your promise to settle unfinished business with me. But how do you expect to do that while you're trying to maintain your clone in Haku's prison I wonder? Or has he finished off you and those useless punks already?"

Any retort she might have given escaped her as the memories of her dispelled clone came flooding into her mind. Images of the fight, of the needles protruding out of Naruto and Sasuke flashed before her eyes. Thoughts her clone had echoed in her mind and phantom pains of wounds she knew she didn't have burned across her body.

And then… then everything stood still as she watched in horror at the final image of her clones memories. Sasuke standing protectively in front of a downed Naruto…and a senbon punctured right at his heart.

 _I'm sorry…Forgive me._

Her eyes widened in dismay. A piercing pain shot through her heart, and it hurt, it hurt so badly. _Sasuke…no._ Her teammate. Her fellow clansman. He was…

 _Damn it…damn it…_ _ **Damn it!**_

"What? No witty remark? No biting threat? No boiling anger? Ha! Have you lost your will to fight?"

On the contrary, the pain exploding within her heart had set her entire body aflame with white-hot anger. She hadn't been able to defend her friends. She hadn't been able to defend her Sensei. _**I failed!**_ Blinding anger consumed her vision, the edges of her sight becoming shrouded in darkness as her vision honed in on Zabuza as if he were the only person in the world.

 _ **He will pay and so will Haku!**_ Her rage commanded.

"You…you…" Amari couldn't find her words or feel the tears brimming in her eyes. Her voice shook with all of her emotions colliding within her.

"Heh, put those brats out of your mind, little girl. If you want to provide me any entertainment you can't worry about their health. Besides, they're probably breathing their last breaths right now."

Zabuza disappeared within the mist, the only sign he had been there was the echoing of his maniacal laughter.

"Do you…do you think they're okay?" Sakura asked from behind her.

Amari could barely hear her voice, it was but a whisper among the storm that brewed within her. "Yes, I do. Don't worry you two. They'll be fine," Kakashi tried to bolster their morale through his pained breaths.

His words might have helped Sakura, but they fell on deaf ears with the Nara. She was too far gone in her anger to let his words have any impact on her. He didn't know what happened…and she couldn't bear to tell him the truth. She couldn't bear to tell him of what she had seen, knowing it would only make Sakura break down and make him lose focus.

The logic was sound, but even in her anger Amari knew she was being a coward. She could barely restrain her tears, and if she saw Sakura break down she'd lose what control she had over them. She couldn't bear their rightful blame right now. This was her fault, after all. She hadn't been nearly as good as she thought she was.

Haku outclassed them and Sasuke had paid the price of her inability to keep them safe.

"I have faith in them," Kakashi continued, ignorant to the inner turmoil his words were adding onto. "Naruto, Konoha's number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja. Sasuke, the heir to the most powerful clan in Konoha."

"You mean?" Zabuza's startled voice came from the mist.

"Yes, his full name is Sasuke Uchiha. The kekkei genkai of the Uchiha Clan is his birthright. The power of their clan runs in his veins."

 _Yes_ , Amari thought, biting her lip and drawing blood to keep her tears at bay, _it did. But it wasn't enough. And now…I'm…the last._ She was the last of the clan and she wasn't even full-blooded. The weight of that thought was another explosive component to the coming volcanic eruption.

 _I'm just a half-breed._

Something about that word struck a harsh cord within her heart and nearly sent her into an explosive rage at that instant.

"I heard one child survived the tragedy of the Uchiha Clan."

Kakashi chuckled in pain but still managed to sound amused at Zabuza's assumption. "Not just one. You're forgetting Haya Uchiha." There were sounds of confusion from everyone except the Copy Ninja and Amari. Yes, there was another and she was done standing around. She stepped to his side while keeping her eyes closed. "Better known as Amaririsu Yūhi, the balancing point of Team Seven."

A blazing red eye and uncovered lavender eye full of furious, frightening anger cut through the mist right into the open eyes of Zabuza. His eyes widened in horror and even at this distance she could hear his grunt of shock when their eyes met.

"You—"

His words died on his lips as a tsunami wave of killing intent crashed against him and shifted her visage to that of a black demonic dragon with piercing red and lavender eyes.

"You…You're **dead**!" she roared, and all those around her faintly heard the roar of a dragon within her voice.

Every ounce of hatred within her body flooded out of her at that moment, and with it all of her latent power burst to the surface in a sudden surge of green, lashing chakra with longer streaks of black within it.

Wisely, he showed a hint of fear at the sudden explosion and wave of energy that cascaded over the bridge from her. He may have found a way to counter the Sharingan but there was no countering her anger.

"Amari—" Kakashi tried to calm.

Amari was already gone.

Amari appeared behind Zabuza, which caused a gasp of shock out of her enemy the second he sensed her presence. He spun around and lifted his blade as a shield to block the chakra fueled kick aimed right for him. The blade blocked the attack, but the force of her strike still sent him sliding backwards on his feet.

"Get back here!"

She appeared in the air in front of him, fist with kunai in hand already sailing right at his face. Her Sharingan and Byakugan let her see in perfect clarity his eyes widened at the sight of her, and the realization he wouldn't have any time to dodge her attack. Satisfaction consumed her when her eyes let her see every moment of pain her strike caused in slow motion. Her fist slammed hard into his cheek, and as his head was forced to turn away her blade cut through his bandages and across his skin.

He stumbled away but recovered quickly enough to see her hands land in Tiger. _**Let's see how you like this!**_ _**Fire Style: Fire Ball Barrage!**_

Unlike Phoenix Flower Jutsu or Fire Ball Jutsu, this attack wasn't a large volley of fireballs or a single powerful fireball. Amari inhaled and exhaled rapidly, letting out a barrage of smaller but precise fireball attacks.

Each strike was measured and targeted low enough to the ground to not cause what remained of her team or the bridge too much damage. It also made them harder to dodge as they flew faster across the ground than a normal Fire Ball Jutsu.

Zabuza didn't lose his cool. He dashed and dodged away from the attacks. Every movement was timed with her breathing and the dodge calculated on where her eyes tracked him, she noted. His agility was definitely impressive considering he was dodging each and every single attack and still lugging around that large blade like it weighed nothing.

He didn't waste time trying to hide in the mist. He knew there was no hiding from her eyes now, and she would be willing to bet he was beginning to enjoy himself a little.

"Keep launching your attacks, little girl, it'll only make you easier to kill!" Zabuza taunted.

 _ **Don't you dare underestimate me!**_ Amari inhaled a sharp breath and prepared for her next attack. In her eyes she could see his muscles tense, his legs set and his feet shift for his prepared dodge. Her eyes widened. _**Now you're dead!**_ Zabuza dodged, but he was too hasty. Too preoccupied with using her eyes and breathing against her to notice she was watching him just as closely.

Amari let her chakra flow through her body and disappeared rather than launch a fireball. When she reappeared Zabuza was stuck in a dash aimed directly at her as she floated a few meters in the air above him. His eyes widened in shock at the sight of her. _**Turn to ash, you bastard!**_ Her chest expanded further than before. _**Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!**_

A wave of flames exploded from her lips, hotter than any flames she had ever previously created. He would pay for everything he caused! Every ounce of pain she felt in her heart, all the pain Haku had experience over the years, she would throw it back on him tenfold!

He would beg for her mercy!

Large arms heaved the blade up and used the momentum of the dash to slam it into the bridge. Zabuza used the solid ground to launch himself further into the air above the bulk of the flames and right at her, carrying the blade with him.

"Die!" he shouted as his large blade came swinging at her.

Thinking quickly, Amari disengaged her flames and created the clone seal, forming a clone right in front of her just as she lifted her feet. Using the back of her clone she pushed herself back and away from Zabuza just as his blade cut right through her clone.

The last Uchiha crashed hard on her back on the bridge, but she rolled out of the landing and back onto her feet, tossing both kunais at her enemy and pulling out another in preparation of defense. He swung his blade again as gravity took hold and batted both kunais right back at her.

Amari rolled out of the way and into a battle ready stance as he charged her again. _I can't keep launching fireballs recklessly_ , what remained of her rational mind decided. She was already low on chakra and so far all she had done was land a single punch and cut on her opponent. _Should I keep the shroud active?_

If it was increasing her strength then by all means she needed it to kill Zabuza. But it was steadily draining her chakra and if she was going to use Fire Ball Jutsu to burn him into ashes, she'd need her chakra and shroud potency higher than it would be if she kept it active.

Amari ducked under a swipe meant to cleave her perfectly in half at the waist and then rolled across the ground to avoid being cut right down the middle of her body. As his blade landed against the cement, her rational mind fought its way back into the driver seat to rid her of the green glow.

"What? Done already?" Zabuza taunted as he heaved his blade from the bridge. He let out a grunt of exertion as he attempted to cut her again. He only found air as the Nara disappeared from her position. As he finished his swing—the blade ending up behind him—she reappeared in a crouch right on top of his blade.

"For what you turned Haku into," she whispered for only him to hear, "for the pain that resides in his heart, for the pain you've given me and my team, I will turn you into an unrecognizable pile of ash."

At the feeling of his body tensing in preparation for a strike, she too moved into action, jumping up into a backflip and blocking his fast strikes with two kunais. As she flew through the air, their eyes locked again—hers murderous, his growing angrier by the second.

Then she landed and he started swinging heavy, killing blows at her one after another. Amari did her best to keep her feet, dodging, ducking, rolling under strikes, hopping away out of range and blocking the few she knew she could handle as they moved deeper and deeper into the mist.

Their eyes remained locked the entire time, both shinobi fighting to kill or find an opening to kill as their personal fight delved deeper and deeper into unreachable darkness.

 _I can't go on offense so long as he has that damn blade!_

She needed to force it out of his hands, but physically she didn't have the strength to do that. No matter how angry she was, she wasn't stupid enough to believe she could overpower this taller, far more muscular man who had wielded his blade longer than she had been a ninja. _Then I'll just have to force him to throw it himself!_

Amari hopped back to dodge another attack and brought her hands into Rat as her feet remained off the ground. _The shadows here won't be strong enough for a long grab. I just have to get him to throw it fast._

Her shadow shot across the cement and caught the unaware Zabuza. _Now! Do it now!_

"Wha—!"

Against his own will, Zabuza threw his blade aside along with Amari throwing one of her kunais. Her eyes tracked the blade and the distance between his hand and the grip. She measured the distance, watched as his surprised eyes left her to watch the blade and waited until it was out of his reach to release her jutsu.

Hoping to capitalize on his shock, the moment her feet touched the ground she channeled her chakra throughout her body to send her flying right back at him, an angry snarl escaping her as she prepared to strike him down. Zabuza was no ordinary shinobi, however. He didn't let his shock grip him long and used her momentum against her by grabbing her smaller form by the throat and slamming her back first into the ground.

"Cute trick, brat, but that's not enough to defeat me," Zabuza said as he loomed over her, blood dripping off his stained bandages onto the ground next to her.

"I know, in fact I planned on it!"

The Amari on the ground popped into smoke right as the real Amari latched onto Zabuza's back. She stabbed a kunai right into his arm before he could react; a cry of pain left him but instead of throwing her off he was forced to remain still, paralyzed by her Shadow Possession Jutsu once more. She locked an arm under his muscular neck and then focused internally on her next attack.

"What?! When?!"

"When you took your eyes off me for that single second," she answered, feeling him begin to struggle against her Shadow Possession Jutsu. "I created a clone behind me in the mist, and when my feet touched the ground we used the Body Flicker at the same time. She went in for an attack, I went behind you. And now you're mine!"

A blue hue formed around her elbow as she simultaneously expended chakra in restraining him and regained it by stealing his chakra. "My chakra, you're—!"

"Naturally my Shadow Possession Jutsu gets weaker with each use, and against an opponent of your overwhelming strength it'd be pointless to try to use it normally. But I'm circumventing that danger by rapidly stealing the chakra it takes to restrain you." He forced his head to turn enough to glance back at her with a murderous look in his eye but found it matched. "I'll drain you to absolute zero, and all will know of the humiliation of Zabuza the Demon, beaten by a mere Genin."

Something sparked in Zabuza's eye at her remark, and before she even realized it a surge of pure power exploded off of him and sent her tumbling across the bridge. _What the—_

Amari rolled back into a battle ready stance and found a huge explosion of chakra irradiating off of Zabuza; violent reds and purples lashing together to create a demonic face. _So…this is the power of The Demon._ A bead of sweat ran down her face at the darkness and killing intent consuming the air.

Never before had she felt something so…vile. The air became stifling, weighed down by a _desire_ to kill. The very aura around Zabuza meant death and sent shivers down her spine, enough so that neither of them noticed the other demonic chakra surge on the bridge.

"Hehehe…hehehehe...Hahahaha!" Zabuza's laugh unnerved her immensely, but she remained firm and ready for anything. "You overconfident brat. I'll never be beaten by a little squirt like you!" He took a single step forward, and with it came a wave of killing intent that froze her in fear. "You think your anger and that demonic chakra is impressive? I'll show you what it means to be a real demon!"

Another blast of chakra exploded off of him. His foot skidded forward and then he was gone. _Damn!_ Amari fell backwards onto her butt, eyes wide in terror as her body refused to move. All she could do was watch in horror as the demonic, bloodied face of her enemy closed in on her with murderous glee she had never experienced.

 _I…I'm not going to die here! Not until he pays for what he did!_

On frightened instinct alone her right eye widened as chakra pooled into it.

 _Sharingan!_

The chakra surrounding Zabuza died out as he froze in place, a curved kunai pressed against her throat hard enough to draw blood. Again on instinct she scrambled out of range of his strike as her rational mind scrambled to figure out what she'd done.

To figure it out she looked inward to her chakra to see what exactly she was doing. At the same time she reached her hand up to the cut on her throat as her breathing came out rapidly. _Too close. Way too close._

So what stopped him? Seeking answers from her steadily draining chakra, she realized far more chakra than normal was being spared to her right eye as she was unconsciously molding her spiritual energy for a genjutsu attack. Quickly grabbing the reins of the attack consciously for the first time, she delved into a world of genjutsu.

The genjutsu was of the bridge they were standing on, simplicity at its finest for a last ditch effort of survival. Zabuza was within the genjutsu world, searching through the mist for her with his demon cloak still active and yelling at her for being so cowardly.

 _His rage must be so blinding he can't even sense he's under a genjutsu._ What was she going to do then? She was no master of this art and she doubted she had the power to knock him out due to her sheer inexperience. What she needed to do was pick apart his fears enough to buy her time to escape into the mist and come up with a better plan at making him pay.

"Tell me, Zabuza," she spoke with a cold blade for a voice. The rage induced enemy snapped his attention to her, his eyes devoid of anything except the desire to strike her down where she stood. He charged at her like a rapid animal only to find himself frozen a few meters away from her through her control. "What is it you fear most?"

His chakra dispersed and his eyes returned to normal as the shadows of the genjutsu made his greatest fears a reality for him. She couldn't see it, not when she departed to conceal herself out of his sight.

As she moved she heard a startled gasp escape the real Zabuza. "Is that Haku?" His voice sounded strangely vulnerable for a moment, but then it was gone. "Argh! He's not real! This is just a genjutsu!"

Truthfully Amari wasn't sure how she did it or how to control her Sharingan genjutsu. Everything she had done so far was on sheer impending death instinct. The drain on her chakra ended a second later and Zabuza was left to curse her.

Knowing he could track her on sound alone made every step she made full of caution to not draw attention to her position in the mist. She knew somewhere in this mist Kakashi was likely searching for them, trying to find her and stop her from getting herself killed, but she didn't have the time to consider his feelings.

The sound of Zabuza dashing through the mist barely ten meters away from her made her freeze and halt all breathing. Her heart beat rapidly against her chest as she followed him with her Byakugan through the mist. When she was sure he was away from her she inhaled a deep breath and held it before starting to move again.

The breath left her when she stepped onto the hilt of his blade and the metal clanged against the cement. Her eyes widened in horror. _Oh no—_

She was only able to sense Zabuza appear next to her and the blade before she was sent flying across the bridge and skidding across the cement after receiving a hard kick to the sternum.

The reflexes her mother drilled into her moved her back into action. She recovered from her skid and dashed to a new location within the mist, but Zabuza met her there with his blade swinging horizontally for the kill.

"Now you die!"

With no options left, Amari pulled out her last two kunai and let her power surge forth from within her. Chakra exploded to life around her and provided the strength she hoped was good enough to block his attack.

His blade clashed against her two, the power behind it enough to force her feet to skid across the bridge as she held the blade in place so it wouldn't bisect her. Her legs braced against the strength and put her in a desperate struggle to hold the cold metal back.

 _I…can't hold it back_ , she realized, gritting her teeth as the blade inched closer and closer to her stomach.

" _You- you talk about never giving up and fighting like you are some sort of invincible hero,"_ Inari's voice blasted through her mind. _"You're no hero!"_

She flinched against the verbal lashing. _Stop fighting, there's no point. You'll never become strong enough to beat him. You're too weak. Too pathetic._

" _You all keep saying these cool things, but they don't mean anything at all! No matter what you do the strong always win and the weak always lose!"_

Amari snarled at her own thoughts and how utterly helpless and useless she felt. _After all my training, nothing has changed!_ Her grip on her kunais tightened but her arms were beginning to shake in weakness. _I'm still too weak, too pathetic, too childish and emotional to actually be worthy of the title of shinobi!_

The blade inched closer as her shroud began to disappear.

"You're strength is fading, brat. Soon enough you'll be dead and then I'll finish off that monkey sensei of yours!"

Through the darkness of her doubt, her own words were thrown back in her face. _"These smiles of ours, this happiness you see in us, we had to fight through hell to get it back…We had to fight through our demons and our nightmares until we found people unrelated to us who helped us to actually experience joy in life again. But you, you still have your family. You still have people worth fighting for. So why aren't you?"_

Then her best friend's voice followed.

" _All you do is whine and complain like some sorry little victim. You still have two people who care about you, that should be more than enough for you to keep fighting. Me and Amari, we're going to keep fighting for the sake of this land and its future. We're going to help Mr. Tazuna finish his bridge, and we'll put an end to Gatō so he never causes trouble here again._

" _But go ahead and keep whimpering all day for all I care. You're nothing but a coward!"_

Amari strained against the blade and tears at the words of her friend who could be dead as well for all she knew. But he was right, wasn't he? She was just acting like a sorry little victim, giving up because she hadn't done any damage against her enemy…

 _I…_

" _Thank you for always being there for me and believing in me even when I've doubted myself."_

But there were still people who believed in her.

 _I…_

" _And I love you, little one."_

People who loved her, who cared if she made it home from tough missions.

 _I…_

" _You're not giving up are you? That's not like you at all, Haya. You can do this, I know it. You're an Uchiha and my little cousin after all."_

Family she had forgotten but still supported her.

" _I'll be at your side to the end, I promise."_

People she made promises to and couldn't let down again.

 _I…_ Amari's eyes hardened in fiery determination. _I refuse to die here!_

"You…keep underestimating me," she grounded out. "But I already told you, I have something within me that is far more powerful than your physical strength!" Digging down deep she grabbed every last scrap of strength that was left within her body. "And you should know what it is because you've seen it within Haku. And that's the will," her arms stopped shaking and halted his blade from moving, "to protect those precious to me!"

Chakra exploded off her and lashed out in all directions. Zabuza watched with intense eyes and a faint hint of shock as she fought for every inch she needed to escape this deadlock. "And the will of those I cherish live within me, so when I run out of strength they'll willingly give me theirs to keep fighting! That's the single mistake you made in training Haku!

"You focused him on your selfish ambition and made him into a tool, but you forgot that tools can be worn down and broken! What my friends give me, their bonds, even in death," _like you Cousin_ , "they will never let my fire die! They'll keep pushing me to fight!" She locked her eyes on his. "And that's why even if you beat me or kill me in this fight, you'll still lose! Because my body may be broken or destroyed, but you'll never break our wills, and our spirits will keep supporting each other no matter what!

"That's what it means to be a Leaf Shinobi! That's what the Will of Fire means to me! And that's why I refuse to let you and Gatō win!"

"Who the hell are you?" Zabuza asked in sheer astonishment as he tried to push his blade against her surprising strength.

"My name is Amaririsu Yūhi, I'm a Leaf Village kunoichi, a member of Team Seven and child of the Uchiha and Nara Clans! Don't you dare underestimate me!"

 _Now!_ Amari let out a wordless cry of effort as she pushed the blade back with all of her might and ducked under the swipe as it came flying back at her. Then she was gone, hidden back within the mist with her chakra shroud disappearing as she collapsed onto her knees in exhaustion.

 _Sensei, where are you?_

* * *

Kurenai stood lost in thought while her team trained. It had been nearly a full month since Kakashi and his team had left for the Land of Waves and each day that passed only made the Genjutsu Master worry more. Her daughter had been suspicious about the mission becoming tougher than the rank it had been given, and according to Lord Third her suspicions had rang true.

The Hokage had received a message from Kakashi for the location of two Chūnin leveled ninjas from the Village Hidden in the Mist Team Seven restrained. According to his report, Team Seven had been attacked by them and despite knowing that higher-ranked ninjas would be next, they proceeded forward to help the bridge builder and fulfill their mission.

Kakashi's report reassured they did not take the decision lightly, and said if the bridge builder did not disclose further information of who was threatening his life that they would turn back, but seeing as they had not returned it was clear they continued on with their client.

While they were surely going to be gone a while due to the length of time it would take to build the bridge, Kurenai couldn't help but worry for her daughter and her team. She felt like something bad was happening but she didn't know what it was or why she held the feeling.

 _Come back safe, little one._

* * *

"You can't hide forever!" Zabuza shouted in frustration at the mist. Amari watched carefully as he scoured the mist for her; she was waiting to make another break for it, having been thwarted from reaching her sensei twice now by her enemy.

She knew she wasn't in much of a position to attack and expect to win anymore, even if her heart still did ache in pain and anger over Sasuke's fate. The only good news about her rash actions was it had weakened and forced Zabuza to expend energy he hadn't expected. There was also the key note that he was expending chakra maintaining the Hidden Mist Jutsu at its full density to counteract the possibility of Kakashi's Sharingan.

By holding her breath and not moving for long durations she was able to avoid Zabuza's ability to track her by sound, at least until her need for oxygen became dire, which she was nearing again. It didn't help that Kakashi was ambling blindly through the mist, following the last sounds of battle he heard in a desperate search for her.

 _I made a lot of mistakes on this mission_ , Amari thought in pensive disappointment. _I just have to learn from it and move forward…if Kakashi-sensei doesn't chew me out and disqualify me as a shinobi._

At this point she couldn't blame him. Not only had she failed to keep her teammates alive against Haku, but she ran off on blind emotion and now was close to exhaustion and being completely useless.

The need for oxygen became unavoidable and she did her best to breathe as quietly as humanly possible. Luckily he didn't hear, so she made sure the breath filled her with enough oxygen to hold her over for another thirty seconds.

 _I can't stay hidden here forever. Eventually Zabuza will lose interest and turn his attention to Kakashi-sensei._ She frowned. _And he might be too focused on trying to find me to notice Zabuza's sudden presence._

She needed to act before that happened. But what could she even do? She already used up so much of her chakra between keeping her clone alive and then her rage induced assault on Zabuza.

 _I have to do something. I'm the one that caused this in the first place. I have to at least try to fix it._

So the last Uchiha formulated a desperate plan to make her last ditch effort to reach Kakashi. Exhaling softly, she lifted her hands up to create the clone seal and put the plan into action. Ten clones formed around her and together they took off through the mist.

Zabuza heard them all and began honing in on them through the mist. Amari flinched when two of her clones were cut down one after another, neither being able to put up any sort of defense against his assault.

 _Come on, faster!_

No amount of speed was going to help her now. Three more fell, each of their cries of pain being followed by a sudden popping. "A cheap trick like this won't save you!" Zabuza taunted in a menacing voice. "Eventually the one I cut down will be you."

Another clone popped.

"Not that one, huh? How about this one?"

Another clone.

 _Damn it, he's annihilating us._

Three clones were left and he was sprinting through the mist to cut down another.

"Not that one either."

Make that two clones.

 _New plan!_ Amari brought her fingers back up into the clone seal after dispelling her final clones. "You want some of me, you bastard! Come and get me!"

Two clones appeared on her sides as she continued running through the mist. A glance to Kakashi in her Byakugan showed he had heard that last taunt and was already dashing to the sound of her voice.

 _He won't make it in time_ , she realized grimly. Zabuza would be on her any second now. With a resigned sigh, she and her clones stopped and turned to face their enemy. _I'll just have to stand my ground for a few more seconds._

The Demon appeared through the mist a moment later, his sword already drawn back for the kill paired with a murderous grin underneath his bloody bandages. He swung his blade and the three kunoichi team dodged back. Her enemy pressed the assault quickly, forcing one Amari into a duck as the other two hopped over the horizontal cleave.

"This is the end!" He stopped his blade part of the way through the swing, spun it around and swung right at the ducking Amari.

Her eyes bulged in horror before her head was cut from her shoulders.

Then she popped into smoke.

"A clone?"

Another Amari pressed her foot against his blade as it passed under her and jumped backwards, moving through handseals for her Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu. The other Amari landed on the ground and dashed in to distract him but received a fist that sent her tumbling across the ground.

The same hand that clocked her grabbed a set of ninja tools and hurled them at the floating Amari. "Too slow, brat!" Five blades punctured her; two in the gut, one caught her arm, another impaled her leg and the final right in the forehead.

Another pop.

"You idiot, did you really think I was afraid to attack you myself?" she chuckled from her place on the ground. The taste of blood was fresh from that last hit and forced her to spit it on the ground. "Heh, I told you not to underestimate me, didn't I? And now you're finished."

"Is that so?"

She allowed a weak smirk to cross her lips as she looked up at him. "Checkmate."

"Ninja Art Summoning: Earth Style: Fanged Pursuit Jutsu!"

The very structure of the bridge beneath Zabuza began to rumble and crack, and then the concrete shattered. As the fragments of broken concrete pelted him, eight dogs of varying sizes burst from the concrete and bit down on his legs, arms, pretty much everywhere they could sink their teeth into. Each new bite earned cries of pain from the enemy as he tried to break free of their jaws, but all he did was shred his skin before they latched on again, deeper than previously.

The only dog not taking a real bite out of him was the runt of the group, who actually snatched onto the cloth holding his headband and hung from it.

A new presence emerged next to her, but Amari didn't need to look up to see who it was. In fact she couldn't even bring herself to look her sensei in the eyes after how badly she screwed up. "Sensei…I'm…" Her voice was as weak as that apology would have been.

There was no good excuse or reason for her actions. She had let her emotions consume her and that hatred she promised Kakashi not to rely on to flood her veins. She didn't deserve forgiveness or even a second chance. _All my lectures to the others about thinking like shinobi instead of kids…_ Her eyes fell further to her lap. _I'm such a hypocrite._

The weight of his hand gently resting on her shoulder wasn't enough for her to raise her eyes to meet his. "I know," he soothed. "I don't approve of what you did, but despite that you still held your own and gave me the opening I needed to finish this."

"…I wish I could say that was my plan. But my survival, you're timely arrival, all of it was luck." She deflated further. "After everything I've trained for, after everything I've been through, I'm still just a foolish kid trying to play ninja."

 _Kasai was right about me…_ Kakashi's hand left her shoulder, and with the physical anchor gone her heart sunk even further into the depths of disappointment and despair. _I really am just a disappointment._

A gentle grip wrapped around her chin and forced her to meet her sensei's earnest eyes. "No, you're not. You are Amaririsu Yūhi, a Leaf Village kunoichi and a member of Team Seven. You made a mistake or two, sure, but what matters most is learning from them to better yourself as a shinobi and a person." He eye smiled at her. "That's all part of growing up, wouldn't you say?"

"Heh." She smiled weakly at him, still too cowardly to tell him of her greatest mistake and what it cost them. "Maybe."

"You'll see, trust me. Until then," his hand returned to his side as he stood up, "it's time I settled this once and for all. And would you look at that, the mist seems to be clearing."

By no means was it all gone, but with each passing moment the mist thinned further and further. Zabuza and his captors were visible to the naked eye from their position. He seemed to be doing his best to remain still to not antagonize the shredding of his skin.

"Poor, poor Zabuza," Kakashi spoke, the jeer devoid of any humor as he stepped closer to their incapacitated enemy. "You were always pushing things too far, losing yourself to your own ambitions and look at where that's gotten you."

Zabuza glowered at them. "You failed to assassinate the Fourth Mizukage, and now you're doing everything in your power to gather the funds and manpower necessary to try it again, stooping so low to sell your talents to a wretched swine like Gatō."

"Your point?"

"You're a disgrace to the title of shinobi," Kakashi stated simply. "But enough talk, it's time I finish you, only this time I won't use Sharingan and imitations of other's ninjutsu. No, this time I'll show you my own original technique."

Amari watched as her sensei weaved three handseals. _Ox, Rabbit, Monkey._ He then clutched his right hand at its wrist with his left and faced his palm upwards. She sensed his outpouring of chakra before she was even able to see it in her Byakugan.

Not a moment later his chakra swirled to life around his feet in the purest sky blue and was quickly followed up by lightning surging in the palm of his hand with strings of its current outreaching from it.

"Lightning Blade!"

Amari watched in awe at the raw power irradiating from Kakashi. She had known he was strong and powerful, but this display of strength, this impressive jutsu left her speechless. His chakra was so powerful it was visible, yet it was unlike her bursts of chakra, in fact it was the mirror opposite.

Where her shroud was uncontrolled and unrefined, this technique was focused, concentrated into the palm of his hand and leagues of strength ahead of anything she could do.

 _He formed his chakra in his hand in a strong amount then added in his Lightning Nature to it_ , she analyzed with both of her dōjutsu activated. _And then he somehow…changed it even more to create this large surge around him._

How was this even possible? What kind of strength and training did it take to reach this level?

No answers came to her. Her eyes granted her great abilities, but words to describe this down to the very core of the technique were not among those abilities.

"I cannot allow you to kill Tazuna. By completing this bridge he will give his people their dreams and hopes back. But you," Kakashi's voice became colder than a Konoha winter, "you're like a disease. By attacking one you infect all the others and damn them to a broken future. And you don't care." She could sense her sensei's glare. " _That_ is not the way of the shinobi."

"Heh, you're right, I don't care! Why should I care anything for these pathetic people and their pointless dreams?! I have a dream of my own!"

"But to have a dream you need to have a future. You _don't_. Your future is all used up, Zabuza."

Her Sensei wasted no other words. He dashed forward with his lightning covered hand ready to strike down their enemy. Within her Byakugan sight, a new chakra suddenly began to form right next to Zabuza… _That's Haku's chakra!_ She realized. _He's going to sacrifice himself for Zabuza!_

Everything to her eyes moved in slow motion, picking apart every little detail down the smallest scrap of information. There was no way Kakashi could react in time to avoid the boy and hit Zabuza. No, Haku intended to literally take the blow for his master…and that filled Amari with a profound sadness she couldn't shake.

She shouldn't have felt this way. She should have wanted his death more than anything after seeing what he did to Sasuke…yet all she felt was sadness.

During her fight with Zabuza, her anger consumed her, blinded her to the point she just wanted to make them hurt as much as she did. Now, though…Now she could feel that feeling in her heart again. That same feeling that they were the same…The feeling that made her wish they didn't have to fight.

In her anger she believed she could strike them down, kill them without mercy, but now she was realizing that would make her just like the uncaring demon who turned Haku into a tool to be used and thrown away whenever he broke.

 _I don't want to be like them…I don't want to be someone who kills the kindness in their heart for power and ambition._

Everything she was feeling made her for the first time ask the question she never asked herself: _what am I gaining my strength for? And what am I willing to sacrifice to kill Kasai?_

Was this where her path was leading her?

Haku used all his strength to protect Zabuza's ambition. That was his dream, wasn't it? To use all of his strength to protect the person most precious to him no matter the cost? _Just…like…me._

That was her dream too, yet skewed for the purposes of another man's ambition…but how far was her dream from becoming the same skewed dream as Haku's? How many bad days was she away from being where Haku was?

 _One_. The quickness at which that answer came to her fractured her heart with a single blow.

In her anger Amari believed herself capable of becoming a shinobi, of killing her kindness to kill Haku, Zabuza or even Mizuki and walk away without feeling anything. Listening to her heart now, the way it beat frantically in her chest and urged her to do anything she could to stop that boy from giving his life made it abundantly clear to her how incapable she was of doing so.

 _Why does this have to end in bloodshed? Why do we have to abandon our emotions and become tools? Why do we have to fight each other when in our hearts we don't want to?_

Gritting her teeth, she sprang to her feet and used the last remnants of her chakra to create a clone. _I won't just stand by and let him die like this!_ She couldn't stand by and let her sensei strike down this mirror image of her. She couldn't bear that when she had enough strength left to stop him. If she didn't do anything then she'd be just like Zabuza, someone who only saw violence and power as the only ways to solve anything.

She would not abandon her heart to the darkness…No matter how much pain it caused her.

With the stupid plan she had, the two Amari's Body Flickered to cut off the attack.

Then the silence over the bridge was broken by an agony filled scream.

* * *

 _Review Response to Guest: First we must see if Sasuke survives! Thanks for the review!_


	16. Chapter 15: Shattered Hearts

Chapter 15

Shattered Hearts: A Desperate Plea!

Kakashi stood frozen in place; his eyes were wide, his hand crackled with lightning as he tried to take in the scene in front of him. His attack had been meant for Zabuza. He had seen him clear as day right in front of him, and then—

Blood splattered onto his face and headband, startling him out of his paralysis and forcing his eyes back into focus. Right in front of him, standing as a shield between him and Zabuza was two blue-haired kunoichi's.

The Amari directly in front of him held his right forearm firmly in both hands—her desperate attempt to push his arm out of the way so it wouldn't harm anyone…but his hand had embedded itself in her shoulder.

Behind her pain stricken and stunned form was the other Amari. Her back braced against the other to keep him from going straight through them. Yet…her misguided attempt ended in agony as the lightning from his hand arced through the front kunoichi and tore through the skin of the back one's left arm, cutting her open through her mesh sleeve from her left shoulder down to her wrist.

"Amari!" he gasped, not being able to ask what she was doing or why.

To his bewilderment, Haku too was standing between him and Zabuza right behind Amari, his face bruised, his chest and left arm covered in dry blood and features contorted in the same paralyzing astonishment they were all under.

Had he just killed his own student? Kakashi blinked and swore he saw a flash of brown hair, brown eyes and purple facial markings—the ghost of a lost comrade—before Amari's tormented face returned. He ended his Lightning Blade as quickly as he could. No words could describe the agony he felt as he watched his student's eyes roll back into her skull and her body begin to collapse.

 _Please…Not like this_ , he begged, a hand reaching out to her collapsing body.

Then she was gone in a poof of smoke.

Pained breaths and grunts from the remaining child snapped his attention back to the still very alive and very real Amari standing on quivering legs. Her left arm hung limply at her side with what appeared to be hundreds of slashes of varying sizes ripped through her mesh sleeve and onto her arm. Blood drained from each wound he had dealt her, soaking the black sleeve and her arm in the crimson color of pain.

"Why?" Haku asked, his voice caught between disbelief and tortured sorrow.

It was the question all three shinobi were silently asking themselves. Why had she done this? Why save the very enemy who planned to kill Tazuna and their team? Why would she throw herself in front of certain death for her enemies?

Much to his surprise, Amari choked out what was clearly meant to be a laugh but what came out as a sob. "I- I couldn't…let you die." Haku's eyes widened at the declaration. Blood trickled down her hand and plopped onto the ground. Joining them, Kakashi noticed, were tears. "We shouldn't…be fighting each other. I know…you feel the same way I do."

"I…" Haku's brown eyes fell.

"Our eyes…are the same." That made the boy's eyes return to her in shock. "Eyes full of loneliness, eyes full of loss…and suffering." Kakashi could hear the strain in her voice to not break down any further.

It was a losing battle.

"But you see yourself as only a tool to his ambition. And I…I don't even know what I see in myself. I'm not sure I even know who I am." A choked sob left her. "I don't know if I'll also end up a broken tool to be discarded at someone else's whim."

"Amari!" Sakura's and Naruto's voices sounded off from the distance.

Kakashi couldn't even hear them.

"Amari, why would you do this?" Kakashi questioned, his tone wavering between hurt and anger. This was the second time someone he cared for jumped in front of his attack, and if things got worse she would also be the second person he cared about to die from it.

"Because…you were right, Sensei. I- I'm incapable of killing the kindness in my heart," she struggled to respond. "Because the sacrifice Haku was willing to make was honorable, and to let that sacrifice be wasted for absolutely nothing wasn't something my heart could allow…not when I shared his dream."

The young girl clenched her uninjured hand into a fist. "But…Every chance I have been given to protect the people precious to me has ended in absolute failure. I failed Ryu, I failed Naruto, I failed Sasuke…I failed you. I- I told myself I could protect their dreams and their lives with my own. I promised myself I would protect them and give my life in exchange if it ever came to my life or theirs and I sought power along the way.

"I just…I just wanted to become stronger and I pushed myself to do it so I could protect their dreams, yet no matter how much stronger I get, nothing changes." Her fist tightened. " _I_ haven't changed and it's so damn frustrating! My friends are falling down beside me and all I can do is watch and live on with this pain that follows me! Does gaining the power I seek mean I have to lose everything and everyone I have left to love? Or am I really just that much of a pathetic failure?"

Amari pulled her ninja headband off using her uninjured hand and stared down into the metal reflection. "Will I have to sacrifice my heart in the end? Is that what it means to be a shinobi? Abandoning our feelings and emotions to become tools to be worn down and broken? Chasing ambitions and forsaking the feelings we have for those most precious to us to reach them? Is that all there is to being a ninja?

"Why are we even fighting, Sensei? Why is killing each other or the bridge builder the only end this can have when Gatō's going to betray them anyways? They may kill him and live, but then what? All this pointless death and pain for nothing? What purpose does that even serve? This can't be the way of the shinobi…I can't follow that kind of path."

No one could answer her questions, not when her words were striking deep into all those listening. Kakashi specifically was having a rough time witnessing his student finally coming to grips with the hardest question all ninja faced.

"And what path are you going to follow? One where you throw your life away for your enemies?" Zabuza asked.

The laugh that escaped Amari was forced and full of pain. "I- I wish I could hate you, Zabuza. It would make everything so much easier if I could just bring myself to hate you, to despise you so much that my soft heart wouldn't stop me from killing you." She shook her head. "Yet even as we fought, all I could see when I looked at you was this caring boy, and then my stupid heart would stop me from letting go.

"Even though I know all you have done is caused his heart pain, you are the sole person in this world who has ever given him something to live for. This boy…he only ever wanted to feel useful, to be valued by another even if it meant only being valued as a tool…Do you have any idea what that feeling is like? To feel unneeded? Unwanted? To want so desperately for someone to care you exist?"

Haku's falling features revealed the pinpoint accuracy of her words. "How…how do you know all of this?"

"Heh, arggh!" Amari's short chuckle turned into pain as she winced and hunched over. She placed her uninjured hand and the headband clutched in it against her limp arm. Despite their status as enemies, Haku instinctually reached forward to prevent her from toppling over.

"Don't touch her," Kakashi warned the boy as he stepped forward to help his student.

Haku retracted his movements immediately with a small frown on his face. Amari glanced back at Kakashi—both of her dōjutsu's deactivated—and shook her head with tears streaming down her face to signal how she didn't want him intervening in this conversation, no matter how much pain it caused her or him to see her in such a state.

In their brief moment of eye contact he could see her walls shattering around her. She, and her walls, would soon collapse, but until then she didn't want any help. Kakashi wanted to ignore her silent plea, but this moment between her and Haku was one he could not interfere with. Her shattering heart was attempting to sift through all of her pain and reach out to this boy to end this fight peacefully because of what she saw in him.

" _I…I guess all I can do is say I'm sorry we had to meet under these circumstances. I have a feeling you and I…We probably share some commonalities._ _Before we continue…is there any way you can see this ending without us killing each other besides us giving you the bridge builder? I need to know if we…if you and I can put aside our blades here and now and end this peacefully."_

" _That would be the only way. It means something that you sought to seek a peaceful resolution, but I'm afraid one is not possible. You are right, though. I believe you and I share the same interests. I apologize for what I must do."_

Their previous words had confused him at the time. He couldn't understand what Amari saw or felt when first arriving on the bridge. But now, here when all the masks and walls were shattered and hearts were unguarded, he was coming to understand where these two were at.

 _It's not only Amari seeing a reflection of herself and how she could have turned out. This boy is seeing the same thing. Their battle and now finally staring each other in the eyes has led them to connecting through the shared pain of what their lives are and what they could have been._

Kakashi released a sigh and reluctantly refrained from interfering. His student stabilized herself and stood up straighter with weighed down shoulders. Her breathing was a lot heavier as she tried to continue.

"I…want to say it's your eyes…but even behind that mask I could understand you…Ever since we met on this bridge I have felt that we were two sides of the same coin. I didn't know why at first, but the longer my clone and you fought, the more we traded blows, the more I was able to understand everything you felt.

"The more I understood, the more I realized I felt the same way you did. All I've ever wanted was a family…a stable place of people I loved and who loved me to come home to. But it was taken from me twice, and each time I was left with the feeling of uselessness…like I wasn't good enough to be loved or know happiness."

Amari dropped her uninjured hand from her bloody arm and shook her head. "Had I never been found, had I never known this team or the woman who adopted me…I would have pledged my service to Zabuza too if only to be given some sort of purpose in this vast world so I wasn't alone, existing without reason." Hearing those words tore at Kakashi's heart. "Luck is the only reason I'm on this side of the battlefield today, but in another life I'm exactly where you are, and you are where I am."

"I…know," Haku stated softly, almost hesitantly. "I feel the same as you, as if you and I truly are two sides of the same coin. But I would never change which sides we stand on."

"Why?"

"Because it has spared you from living the same life I have."

Amari's head fell. Her fist and the headband clutched within it began to shake in mixture of emotions Kakashi would place as fury and overwhelming sorrow. "Why…did this world punish someone so kind?" A grunt left the child as her legs nearly gave out on her. "And yet despite all you have given this man, he doesn't even thank you for it. Your own heart tears in half every time you are sent to fight and kill someone and he doesn't even give a damn. All he considers you is a tool."

Tears began to plop down at a faster rate. Haku's features became more sullen as he witnessed the heartbreak of his enemy to the pain he had withstood through the years. "You would have given your own life willingly to save a heartless wretch like him for a dream you were given by him." Her head shot up and her eyes locked onto the Swordsman. "Haku lives for you, you heartless bastard!" Surprisingly, Zabuza flinched at her cry. "Have you ever even considered his feelings?! Or how much pain you've caused him?!

She pointed with her good hand at Haku. "This boy has sacrificed everything for you! _Everything_! His life, his dreams, they belong to _you_! Would it kill you to let him know he matters?!" Her voice broke into a sob. "That his existence is more important than your stupid ambition?! That if he died, someone in this vast world would miss him? Is that so hard to do? To let him know _someone_ cares about his life." Amari dropped her head, sniffles and sobs beginning to rock her body. "It's so wrong, so damn wrong it makes my heart ache."

Zabuza didn't move to answer, instead choosing to look away and grunt dismissively. When Amari spoke next, her voice was quiet but heavy with her pain. "If this is all there is to being a shinobi…if all I ever do is going to lead me into becoming a heartless killer who cares nothing for the people who care for them, or a tool who cares for someone so much that they give up their own happiness and receive no care in return…or a backstabber who chooses power over their friends, then you can take this life and my own."

Her body finally gave way and she collapsed to her knees. Amari dropped her headband and brought her uninjured hand to her eyes, covering them and trying in vain to stop the tears from falling as her entire body shook from her sobs. "I- I can't do it, Cousin! I can't find my strength or the will to go on anymore! Every- every step I take brings more pain! I don't- I don't know what to do! Please, I beg you, make this pain stop! I just…I just want it all to stop hurting so much! Please!"

Kakashi felt his gut twist seeing Amari cry out to her cousin's memory. He hoped whatever the memory was could strengthen her heart, but he knew there was little that would do it.

Wordlessly, Kakashi knelt down and picked her up without sparing a second glance to the single tear that left Haku or the conflicted features on Zabuza's face.

 _Amari…you pushed so hard to become stronger. You built up walls around your heart to protect it; you inherited the Will of Fire, too. I heard you find your fierce warrior against Zabuza today._

He could still hear her declaration playing through his head, and the pride he had felt in hearing them still remained.

" _I already told you, I have something within me that is far more powerful than your physical strength! And you should know what it is because you've seen it within Haku. And that's the will to protect those precious to me!_

 _"And the will of those I cherish live within me, so when I run out of strength they'll willingly give me theirs to keep fighting! That's the single mistake you made in training Haku! You focused him on your selfish ambition and made him into a tool, but you forgot that tools can be worn down and broken!_

" _What my friends give me, their bonds, even in death, they will never let my fire die! They'll keep pushing me to fight! And that's why even if you beat me or kill me in this fight, you'll still lose! Because my body may be broken or destroyed, but you'll never break our wills, and our spirits will keep supporting each other no matter what!_

 _"That's what it means to be a Leaf Shinobi! That's what the Will of Fire means to me! And that's why I refuse to let you and Gatō win!"_

Looking at her sobbing form, he realized that none of the physical blows, verbal taunts or even his Lightning Blade had ever hurt her as much as fighting Haku had. The internal conflicts they experienced as they traded attacks, it must have been like they were inflicting pain on themselves every time.

Meeting someone with the same goal as her and seeing how they were contorted into being nothing but a tool was the real blade to strike her down.

Ever since losing Ryu her only purpose in life had been to become stronger to protect her friends and one day stop Kasai. She had never dreamed of anything else. Back when she made her introduction at their first team meeting he saw her pause in contemplation at what her dream for the future was. Facts were she didn't have a real dream. She wasn't like Naruto who aimed for the seat of Hokage and had something to work towards. She just had the dying wish of a friend and a goal stemmed from it to keep those in her life from succumbing to the same fate as Ryu.

Kakashi understood that burden more than she realized.

" _And I…I don't even know what I see in myself. I'm not sure I even know who I am. I don't know if I'll also end up a broken tool to be discarded at someone else's whim."_

Those words were such a contrast to the declaration she made against Zabuza.

" _My name is Amaririsu Yūhi, I'm a Leaf Village kunoichi, a member of Team Seven and child of the Uchiha and Nara Clans! Don't you dare underestimate me!"_

But he didn't blame her for it. He couldn't. No matter how strong Amari was, no matter what pain she already experienced, she was still a twelve year old child who hadn't rendered her heart barren of its emotions as he had long ago. She hadn't shut it off to others, or maybe she couldn't bring herself to when she knew it would only lead to the loneliness she and Haku both felt.

Naruto met him on his walk to move Amari off the battlefield, tears running down his face as he could only bear witness to another glimpse of the pain residing within his first real friend. "Naruto, please take care of her," he said, his voice soft and gentle.

The boy nodded through his tears and took her off his hands, allowing her to bury her face into his orange jacket. "I've got you, Amari…I- I won't let you fall down a path like that. I promise."

Sakura's own sobs filled the air soon after. Dread sewed itself into his heart as he looked over to see her crying into the chest of Sasuke's immobile form.

 _I failed them._

Anger for both Zabuza and Haku rose in Kakashi. They were the ones responsible for all of this pain. They were the disease that continued to infect others without a single care for who was caught in the crosshairs.

"Naruto, did she bring her bandages?" Kakashi asked far more calm than he felt. He nodded silently. "Okay, use those bandages to stop the bleeding on her arm."

"Haku—"

" _Don't_ , Zabuza," Haku cut off Zabuza in a soft yet stern voice. "…Please, do not ask me to hurt her any more than I already have. If that means I am useless to you, I understand. But nothing you do will cut me as deep as her words have."

"Haku…"

"That's because her words came from her heart," Kakashi spat at them. He looked over his shoulder at the two, his cold gaze penetrating through them as if they were made of glass. Haku didn't meet his eyes. His gaze remained on the pool of blood below him and the headband lying within it, stained by the crimson color and the tears of sorrow left behind by Amari.

Even though he didn't meet his eyes, Kakashi could see how deeply his student's words affected Haku by two streams of tears on his face.

"Fighting you both reminded her of the one question she had forgotten, the one we all struggle to understand."

Zabuza grunted again dismissively but made no move to continue the fight. His eyes drifted between looking off in the distance in an internal deep conflict and falling onto the back of Haku.

Shinobi liked to attempt to forget it but one day they were all reminded that they were still human even when they were used as a tool. Shinobi sometimes found themselves asking if that's all they were, and because of that struggle some would go rogue because they didn't want to be used anymore. At the end of the day, though, each ninja had to find their own meaning in what they did and how their life was. Amari had believed her goals would hold her over, but seeing what was possible for her to become proved how not even goals could keep someone safe.

He glanced back over to Naruto and saw him in the process of cutting Amari's sleeve off so he could bandage up the silent girl. Her sobs had stopped, but the tears continued to run like an endless waterfall. The look in her eyes revealed how worn down she was emotionally and physically. What was worse was that she looked like she wanted to give up.

 _They each have a large burden to bear as kids in a shinobi world. From here on out it will only get tougher._

Sometimes he forgot that even the toughest of students were still only kids under all their training. Even Sasuke and all his hate was still a kid underneath. He could be cold but all it would take would be one push and he would come crashing down just like Amari did.

"Her cousin…" Haku stopped himself.

"He's dead, undoubtedly killed in the Uchiha Massacre along with the rest of her real family." Kakashi felt a familiar coldness coming back to him. "The only purpose she has ever had was given to her; she's like you in that aspect. She never allowed herself to have a dream of her own, all in an effort to take on the pain of all her friends so they'd never have to hurt like she had...and still does."

Kakashi held Zabuza under his intense Sharingan eye, hoping to catch his eyes and put him under a powerful genjutsu. Hoping that for a moment he could make the two feel all the pain inside his young student and then amplify it with his Lightning Blade.

"She saved your worthless lives," he stated coldly.

Kakashi hated that she had done it.

He hated that he had been the one to harm her.

He hated that he felt that he shouldn't kill them and make the injury she sustained pointless. He would kill them if they attacked first, he wouldn't let them leave alive if they tried attacking him, his team or the bridge builder. But for her…for his student's sacrifice, he would wait to see what their next move was.

A firm tapping of metal on concrete broke all the ninjas from their thoughts to the large group of thugs standing at the unfinished side of the bridge. "Heh, looks like they did quite a job on you, Zabuza. I must say I am…disappointed," a short man said, a vicious sneer on his lips.

He wore a cast on his left hand, a suit and held a cane with both hands. Behind him was a large group of gangsters holding various weapons; every single one of them were grinning with bloodlust at the worn down shinobi standing between them and their goal.

 _This must be Gatō and his thugs._ Kakashi frowned under his mask. _This is not good._

A very confused looking Naruto bracing a still injured and bloodshot eyed Amari appeared at his side, both looking ready for a fight despite their exhausted chakra and injury in the case of the kunoichi.

"Gatō? Why are you here, and who are these thugs you brought with you?" Zabuza questioned pointedly, but it was clear by his shifting body language he didn't need a verbal answer.

"Let's just say I'm terminating your contract—permanently."

They had come at an inopportune time. None of the shinobi currently standing, excluding probably Naruto, were in any shape for the kind of battle Gatō wanted. The Sharingan and the Lightning Blade drained Kakashi's chakra significantly. Zabuza' Hidden Mist had done the same to him, and then there were the wounds his ninken gave him. Haku bore his own set of wounds and his chakra was drained significantly from his Ice Mirror Jutsu. And Amari…

 _She's masking her pain and lack of chakra._

While Kakashi would have found the strength he needed to take down Zabuza and the kid, looking at all the thugs who were at full strength compared to all of them didn't bolster his already shaken confidence.

"Hmph, I see." Zabuza glanced over to him. "Kakashi, our fight is over. Since we are no longer in Gatō's employ, Tazuna is safe. We have no quarrel."

It was a strange sentiment considering they were about to kill one another a minute ago, but not one he was against for several reasons. If they were going to take these thugs on he didn't mind the extra help.

After this fight was over they would see where things landed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

* * *

"I can barely move my left arm… but if need be I can create some Shadow Clones to hopefully take some of them out. I won't leave you guys to fight these thugs on your own," Amari spoke softly to her team.

This was certainly a change of events, but at least for now they could take down the head of the snake.

"Don't waste what little chakra you have left yet," Kakashi told her.

She nodded silently. Her tears may have stopped, but she could still hear her heart crying inside. Everything hurt. Her arm, her heart, everything. Even though a memory of her cousin tried to comfort her, it only added onto her breakdown. She wanted him here with her, wanted to hold onto him and ask him if he knew if this pain would ever go away.

But she couldn't…he was gone and that made her feel alone even when surrounded by people she cared about.

Amari wasn't sure what to do now. She couldn't abandon her team and friends, but the path she was following and her goals felt broken beyond fixing. How could she even continue to follow that path if it was just going to steal away her loved ones and leave her worn down and broken?

That wasn't a path she wanted to follow, and she knew Ryu wouldn't want her to follow that path either.

" _Make your own path then, Haya. One that you can live by without regrets and one that makes you whole inside. You've got to find a nindo and stick to it."_

 _A nindo?_ Amari questioned her cousin's memory. She could faintly remember the word and this conversation they had…and she could feel his hand resting on her shoulder. The fingers of her right arm twitched in the struggle to not reach up and touch the hand she wished was real.

" _Right, a nindo. Your Ninja Way. It's sort of like an empowering code you choose to live by, like never backing down or fighting to preserve the bonds you hold with your friends and their bonds with their family no matter what. Each one of us has to find our own Ninja Way, it's how we change ourselves from being tools to being people. But understand that the path you follow may not be easy. It may come with a lot of struggle and uphill battles…but as long as it is the path you chose then no one can take that from you and you'll never lose your strength."_

Maybe once this fight was over…maybe then she'd have time to think about the kind of path she wanted to follow. Maybe that would help her find her way.

"Girl." Zabuza's voice startled Amari and made her eyes raise from the bridge to the serious features of their…temporary ally? What were they to them now anyways? "You don't have the heart to kill indiscriminately, not even to kill Gatō."

She felt her heart sink further down into her chest as she began to repress herself from the world.

He was right, of course. All of her talk about killing Haku, Mizuki, Gatō and even Zabuza himself was just big talk with nothing to back it up. Killing wasn't something she knew or was capable of doing right now.

" _Don't mistake what you can do when lost in your emotions for what you're capable of doing when you're in control of yourself. Don't assume because you have lost people you loved that you know what it means to take a life. You're not ready."_

Kakashi's words rang truer than she realized at that time. She thought because she lost Ryu and Kasai, because she knew pain, because she wanted to end the one who took her best friends away from her with all of her being that she could actually kill anyone if push came to shove…but she couldn't. She didn't know what it was like to take a life. She didn't know if she could even handle taking a life…Yet she talked a big game and fell under her own illusion that she had already become a real shinobi.

"Yeah. I know," she muttered dejectedly, her eyes falling and her shoulders slumping further at his statement.

"If you want his taint extinguished permanently then use what little chakra you have left to grab him and bring him to me. I'll finish him off."

Amari wasn't sure what to make of his offer. Surely it wasn't an olive branch or a favor for her. This was likely about vengeance for betraying him, and Zabuza was probably hoping to kill the spirit of his thugs to avoid a drawn out fight. Tactically it was wise…but could she even get there and drag the scum back with her without tripping…And if she could, didn't handing him over to the Demon make her an accessory to his kill?

Uncertain on what to do, she looked to Kakashi for his opinion. He was far more aware of her limitations as a shinobi and a person than she was. He'd know if she could actually handle what Zabuza was asking of her.

He gave her a small nod of approval.

 _I'm…not sure I can do this…but…_ Amari shut his eyes and began channeling the last scraps of her chakra throughout her body. If she was to pull this off, she'd have to be too fast for the normal human eye to see her. _Remember the pain he has caused this land. Remember what he did to Inari's father. Remember every bit of pain that lies within your own heart and let it consume you._

No other motivation was needed. Without another word, she disappeared in a blur of speed no one except Kakashi could track. She reappeared right behind Gatō, her pain filled eyes gleaming with what hatred she was able to scrape up from the bottom of her emotionally haggard body.

He didn't even realize she was there until her good hand gripped him at his broken arm. She heard him gasp before she once again disappeared with him in tow. _Not…enough…chakra._ Amari reappeared before she intended, close enough to her team not to warrant fear but farther away than she meant to be. Lacking the chakra to close the distance, she tossed Gatō down to the ground in front of her and let her body begin to collapse.

"Hello Gatō," Zabuza greeted sadistically.

The last the world heard from Gatō was a frightened scream.

Before Amari could become reacquainted with the bridge, someone gently braced her and began walking them back over to the others. The long black hair and metal cuffs containing ponytails were enough to figure out who saved her from an embarrassing face plant.

"Haku," she spoke up in a quiet voice. His beaten down and tired eyes met hers at the call of his name. She wasn't really sure why she spoke up or what she wanted to say, but she let her heart take the reins and guide her mouth. "I know you see yourself as a tool, and I told you that you'd share the same fate as one…I don't know if I could ever change your mind on how you look at yourself, but even a tool, like a person, can be repaired. Nothing is ever permanently broken."

"…Thank you," he said softly.

She wasn't sure if those words were enough to do anything, but she hoped.

They reached her team, who were all looking back at Sakura, who was bracing very alive Sasuke. He lifted his hand in an exhausted wave.

" _Let me fight them my own way."_

Haku's past words hit her like a rampaging bull. "You…you were never trying to kill us."

Haku gave an apologetic smile. "But then, neither were you," he said.

"I…" The kunoichi glanced to his bloodied chest and her words died.

Noticing where her eyes trailed to, her former enemy smiled kindly at her. "You could have slit my throat in that moment, and in several other moments you could have burned me with your Fire Style Jutsu, but you didn't. You held back."

True, her clone hesitated and couldn't bring herself to kill Haku. Believing Sasuke died because of her was one of the main causes of her explosion of anger.

"…I didn't want to hurt you any more than I had to," she admitted.

"Neither did I."

"Wonders never cease," Kakashi said, his tone thoroughly satisfied at how things were turning out.

Once again they all halted at the sound of yet another metal object being tapped on the ground. Turning to the sound, they were faced with unpaid thugs wanting to reap any reward they could now that their boss was dead.

"Haku, I'm going to be a burden to you if you hold me up," Amari stated analytically. "Against these numbers, the others will need your help. I simply don't have enough chakra to be of any use."

Now she really was a burden to them all.

To her surprise, Haku didn't even move to let go of her. "I won't leave you unguarded. If someone gets past one of us you won't be able to defend yourself."

He was right, unfortunately. The only reason she was even upright was because of him holding her up. Without someone to brace her she'd be stuck on the ground, and with her wounds and lack of chakra she'd be screwed if even a single thug got through their fighters.

"This is such a drag," Amari groaned.

"Come on Kakashi-sensei, you must have a jutsu to take on these thugs!" Naruto said, hope clear in his voice.

"I wish I did, but I used too much of my chakra."

"Zabuza?" Haku queried.

The rogue ninja shook his head. "I'm in the same boat as Kakashi."

This was really not good, and the thugs weren't wasting anytime in charging their weakened enemies.

"If this is the end…Haku." The boy perked up as Zabuza looked to him. For the first time since they had met Amari saw his features soften and a genuine smile form under the bandages. "Thank you for everything you've done."

Shock pulled onto Haku's features at the genuine gratitude he had never been shown before by his mentor. The shock fell for a soft smile. "Thank you for giving me purpose."

"Girl, your genjutsu…I witnessed Haku's death right before my eyes. And in that moment I felt compassion and sadness like some sort of rookie Genin. Your words, they cut deeper than any blade."

Amari remained silent not sure if she should apologize or say ' _you're welcome_.'

He chuckled to himself at her silence. "What? Surprised that I'm human enough to feel those emotions? No matter how hard we ninja try, we can never escape our humanity. It's something you've come to grips with early. The fact you had the compassion to save Haku's life and my own proves how different you are from what I am. You now have a choice. You can either give up this life or become stronger because of it."

"I know…Giving up has never been something I've enjoyed, so if this is the end." She planted both feet on the ground firmly. "I am not going out without a fight."

Zabuza smirked at her. "Good."

An arrow suddenly landed right in front of the thugs, stopping them and causing the ninjas to look back in the direction it had come.

Behind them was what appeared to be the entire village holding weapons like shovels, pitchforks and boat paddles, all ready to fight for their land for the first time ever. At the front of the group was little Inari holding a small crossbow with a helmet on his head.

"Just one thing you're forgetting! Before you set one foot in our village, you'll have to go through all of us!" one of the men yelled.

A thunderous cheer came from the group of villagers. _He rounded up the entire village to help us._ A happy smile made its way to Amari's face. _Inari, you have inherited your father's will._

"Inari!" Naruto shouted in excitement.

"Haha! Heroes usually show up at the last minute, you know!"

A giggle escaped Amari at his proud statement and giant smile.

 _In that case._ "Haku, may I take some of your chakra? I promise I won't take too much." He nodded and a blue hue surrounded Amari's right hand, which was over Haku's shoulder and resting on his chest. A moment later the hue disappeared and the chakra she had gained was just enough to help here. "Can you help my left arm up?"

She had tried to lift it up but the muscles in her arm hurt too much for her to move them on her own. If he lifted her hand up gently and quick enough she could create her clones and be done before the pain really set in.

At least that was the theory, in practice the pain was sharp and excruciating enough to draw blood from biting her lip. "Shadow Clone Jutsu."

Two of her clones appeared next to her. She was not alone in creating clones, however, with Naruto creating four around him as well. "Heh, it's about time someone knocked you thugs down a peg, right Amari!" Naruto said.

"Your reign of tyranny is at an end, you scum. When we're done with you, you'll be begging for mercy." Amari did her best to sound as sadistic as she could through the enormous amount of pain shooting through her arm.

Panic began to set into their enemies at seeing six clones and an entire village ready to kick them around.

"Eh Kakashi, we can't let the two Genin have all the fun." He moved his head side to side, stretching out his neck to be dramatic. "Now that I think about it, I think I have just enough chakra to help out here." Zabuza brought up his clone handseal. "Water Clone Jutsu."

Kakashi let out a sigh and brought up the clone seal as well "I may have enough to help. Shadow Clone Jutsu." Suddenly a large group of Kakashi's and Zabuza's appeared among the young shinobi. A chuckle escaped both Amari and Haku as they watched the thugs begin to scream in fear. "Kakashi style. Okay. Still want a fight?" the Kakashi's asked.

The thugs tucked tail and began running and trying to climb down to the boat next to the bridge all the while screaming ' _no's_ ' in hopes they didn't send their clones in to finish them off.

When they were finally all off the bridge the silence was broken by cheers started by a triumphant yell from none other than Inari. "Victory!"

With the coast clear the clone users dispelled their clones and promptly fell onto their butts in exhaustion.

It had been an extremely long day.

* * *

 _Review Response to Guest: Glad you loved the last chapter! Don't want to spoil anything for the relationship between her and Sasuke in the future, but the evolution of bonds between Team Seven and their character development are definitely on the horizon. This chapter was but one change to the original story I have planned. More shall come._


	17. Chapter 16: Unknown Futures

Chapter 16

Unknown Futures: A New Nindo and Friend

Gatō was dead.

After who knows how long, his tyranny was ended by the very shinobi he hired to kill the bridge builder—the shinobi he betrayed.

Although Amari found herself stuck in a fragile emotional place, she couldn't deny the lingering satisfaction she felt at his end. To see an entire land _finally_ be freed of their imprisonment, it was one of the few heartwarming feelings she had in her sea of turmoil.

 _I'll never regret giving him to Zabuza._

Before Gatō was eliminated, the people of the Land of Waves were suppressed by the violence and intimidation of his thugs. But now they could make their own way, follow their own paths and live the lives they wanted to once the bridge was finished. No longer were they bound to the fate of cattle to be slaughtered at the whim of a vile man.

They were free. _Free._

Free of his taint. Free to walk tall. Free to live life without restraint.

The Land of Waves was free, and that was wonderful, yet Amari was stuck at her own crossroads. As these people were walking towards their new future, she stood in the center of a splintered road, uncertain of where to go. Her Byakugan couldn't see the end points of the paths left to her, only the road she walked to get here.

Three days had passed since the battle for the fate of the Land of Waves. Three afternoons she spent in the forest near Tazuna's house lying in the grass, meditating on her life thus far and the future she wanted. Looking back she could see the defining moments of her life; Ryu's death and Kasai's betrayal, Kurenai adopting her, graduating from the Academy, Team Seven's coronation and finally the Lightning Blade.

It was like watching her life play out from the sidelines, all the while trying to piece together the shattered fragments of her heart to make it whole again. Those shattered fragments came with hard questions. Who was Amaririsu Yūhi really? What were her likes and dislikes? How did she feel beneath the armor covering her heart? What did she dream of? What fulfilled her and what left her feeling empty?

Self-reflection opened her eyes to a truth she hid from herself: she didn't dream of a future because deep down she didn't believe she had a future. When she took on Ryu's goal in his final moments, she didn't have any one left to love and care for. Her goal was to end Kasai…and die in their final battle.

After finding people precious to her, she recalibrated her overall goal to include protecting them, but deep down she never reconsidered her end point. Kasai remained her inevitable end point where she would fight, avenge her fallen friends and rejoin them in death.

 _I…_ Amari clenched a hand over her heart and took a deep breath. _I gained new people to love, people who have made me whole. So why haven't I reconsidered a life with them after I finish Kasai?_

In all the time since she entered Konoha, she never once stopped training or studying. Every day, day in and day out, she was doing something to try to improve her abilities, dedicating her life to the purpose Ryu left her and the desperate need to protect her friends—a goal stemmed from losing him.

Never did she stop and ask herself what happened _after_ Kasai was gone, and because of that she never started living a full life. Honestly, outside of training and studying, what had she done? What little enjoyments had she found? When was the last time she stopped to breathe in life without rushing off to do something else?

 _I've done it a few times…but I've let so many other moments pass me by._

In hindsight, her greatest mistake was becoming consumed by her single purpose—something Ryu had tried to warn her about it in his final moments.

" _Do not become consumed by revenge but do not forget what happened here. It will make you stronger in the end."_

Amari had tried hard to steer clear of being consumed by hatred, but in doing so she let training and the need to become stronger to consume her instead. In an essence that made her and Sasuke more alike than she ever realized. _We're both so shallow minded in our respective goals. I wonder when Sasuke last thought about something beyond his goal, or stopped to enjoy life_.

Not nearly enough if his brooding was anything to go by.

Without a nindo to follow, without considering a life beyond their goals, they were tunneled visioned on a single purpose; both oblivious to the world around them and the emptiness their goals created within them.

 _Ryu didn't want his final wish to turn me into a tool._ While her friend wanted her to stop Kasai, what he wanted most for her was to see a brighter future for them—a future they could only dream about back in the orphanage.

What Ryu wanted was for her to _live_. To dare to dream of something amazing and make it a reality so they could see it together. What it could be was entirely her choice. As long as she was happy with and proud of the path she chose, Ryu would be happy too. If that meant risking her life to save an enemy she felt connected to, that was okay.

 _I wonder what Haku and Zabuza are doing right now._

Team Seven hadn't seen the two rogue ninjas since they left for their hideout. All they had was a promise of their eventual return to settle where they all stood. Were they still enemies? Or were they temporary allies now going separate ways? Or was there a potential to befriend their former enemies?

Amari couldn't say how it would turn out. Everything had happened so fast, and the emotions she was sifting through only relayed her greatest hopes, not the possibilities of what might actually happen. Admittedly, a non-hostile conversation with the pair would be pretty strange, but she couldn't deny how her heart yearned to speak to Haku without violence or tears.

 _I…hope we can be friends._

For now that wasn't one of the Nara's primary worries. The pressing matter at hand was finding fresh bandages to replace the old, freshly soaked ones.

Amari frowned down at her crimson colored arm. _Just had to go an itch it, didn't you?_ Her entire morning had been spent fighting the war between the need to scratch at her arm and the knowledge that she shouldn't. In the end, one brief lapse of logic and self-control was all it took to lose the war.

Blood now drained from one of the wounds on her forearm, its crimson liquid soaking the old bandage and dripping off her fingertips. Dull aches thrummed across the entire length of her arm; slight trembles attacked her hand as she watched the red trails line her palm.

 _You're okay. You're okay. You're okay_ , she repeated the mantra while bringing her right hand to her left to try to stop it from trembling. Taking deep breaths, Amari continually reminded herself that the battle was over and the pain would pass. She would be _okay._

When the trembles ceased, she resumed her search until eventually…

"Damn," Amari muttered. She was out of bandages. Closing her pack, Amari slung it back on before deciding to head into the Land of Waves market. Hopefully one of their stores had minor medical supplies to suit her needs. Still, this wasn't a ninja village, and though they had defeated Gatō, the Land of Waves would remain an impoverished land until commerce opened up through the bridge.

 _I hope they have something. I don't want to use my bandana to stop the bleeding, but I might have to._

The young girl made it to the market quickly and began her search for the appropriate store. It took some time, and asking a stranger for directions, but she finally found exactly what she was looking for. Luckily all their D-Rank missions gave her some money to spend, so at least something good came out of them.

"Thank you, and keep the rest," Amari thanked as the store clerk handed her the bandages. She had paid more than necessary for the bandages, and the look of gratitude that small amount of extra money earned her was even more reason to not ask for any change.

It wasn't like she was in dire need of money like these people were. Being generous was something she could do right now to help them more, even if it was one person at a time.

As Amari walked back through the village to Tazuna's house she attempted to bandage up her arm again. Of course the idea proved to be far more difficult than she initially thought. Between the wind catching the bandage and the awkwardness of working one-handed, the amount of attention required to accomplish the task dulled her senses to her surroundings. She didn't even realize she was being followed until she felt the sharp point of a knife suddenly press against her lower back.

"Don't move," an unknown male voice ordered her.

Obviously he had bad intentions for her. Unfortunately for him, he also chose the wrong person to have them for. What little patience Amari had for random thugs or former Gatō employees was at an all-time low currently. Her arm was bleeding, she was trying to find her nindo and interrupting her attempts to deal with those problems irked her immensely.

Amari attached her Shadow to the man and unclenched both hands, forcing him to drop his knife harmlessly onto the dirt road. To say she was unimpressed when she turned her head around to see who she was dealing with would be an understatement. He was no warrior or hired thug, but he was certainly the village scum. One of the few people who either profited from Gatō's control without his knowledge or would do anything he could to get on Gatō's good side, even if it meant betraying someone in his homeland.

A hint of fear revealed itself to her when he realized how utterly powerless he was against her jutsu, yet underneath it all she could still see his bad intentions waiting to spring forth.

Hopefully a warning would be enough to keep him from making a big mistake.

"How about you walk away and I don't pummel you so far into the ground they'll need a giant crane to dig you out." Amari gave him a closed eye smile and released a small fragment of killing intent. "Okay?"

She didn't wait for an answer. Retracting her Shadow, Amari continued on her way, only this time keeping her senses open to see what he would do. Much to her disappointment he picked up his knife and began running in her direction. _I guess he wants me to kick his ass._ Amari sighed and prepared to strike.

Why did jerks have to be so troublesome?

"Give me your money little girl!" the man yelled.

A gust of wind cut through the village just as Amari turned to kick the man to the other side of the village. Every muscle in her body halted immediately at the sight she was greeted with.

"Keep your filthy hands away from her," Haku seethed, his hand wrenching the wrist of her would-be assailant.

 _Haku?_

A familiar dark chuckle caught her attention from a nearby alleyway. Zabuza appeared from the shadows a moment later casually holding an apple in one hand as he approached them. "Attacking the girl who helped save your village from Gatō? Not your smartest move, punk."

Haku glared daggers at the man who tried to harm her, his hand tightening with each passing second until the man was on his knees. Agony was clear on his features as he tried fruitlessly to pull his hand free.

To be honest, Haku's protectiveness over her was…strangely flattering.

"Drop your weapon or I'll break your hand off." Fear swarmed the man's face; the knife hit the dirt immediately after. "Leave," Haku ordered upon releasing his wrist.

Zabuza tossed the apple to the would-be thief, who barely caught it with his uninjured hand. "Consider your future carefully, punk. Don't make me come looking for you."

The man sprinted in the opposite direction without looking back. Confrontation over, Amari finally found words to say to the surprise arriving pair. "Thank you…What are you two doing here?" She immediately shook her head when her brain kicked on. "Wait, sorry. We were going to meet up at Mr. Tazuna's house."

"What? Shocked to see us again?" Zabuza asked, amused by her flustered state.

"Well…yeah. You made quite an entrance." Haku smiled sheepishly while Zabuza chuckled. "You guys want to follow me back to Mr. Tazuna's so I can get this cut fixed up?" she asked as she looked down at her blood red forearm.

Haku frowned, finally noticing her open wound. "Did he do that?"

"No, that was me." She shrugged helplessly. "Couldn't resist itching it any longer but I didn't realize I was out of bandages." Had she known…she still would have scratched it. The relief it provided before the pain was totally worth it.

Haku nodded understandingly but his eyes noticeably fell away, guilt for the wound she received to save him.

"Lead the way, little girl," Zabuza said.

A half frown formed on her lips at the nickname. She knew she was small, but really? Did he have to use a nickname that pointed it out? _If he wants to play that game…_ "Try to keep up, old man."

Her retort earned a chuckle but nothing else. Without further conversation they ninja jumped back to Tazuna's house, only resuming a steady walking pace when they reached the docks. Upon approaching Tazuna's house, Amari noticed Kakashi and the rest of her team huddled together outside. Naruto appeared worried, if the frantic waving of his hands was anything to go by.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" Was there some sort of trouble she didn't know about? If Gatō's thugs were trying to threaten anyone in the Land of Waves or Tazuna's family she'd be happy to send them running.

Her sudden entrance and the company she was keeping earned her a mixture of surprised looks and confused noises. Well, all except—

"Amari!" Naruto rushed over, cerulean eyes analyzing every inch of her and widening when he noticed the blood. "We've been looking for you. Is your arm okay?" He narrowed his eyes at her company and dropped his voice to a whisper. "Did they hurt you?"

Naruto's brotherly protectiveness over her had grown since the bridge, and although she knew it was meant to be serious, she found it cute. Giggling at his actions, she poked his forehead. "I'm okay, Naruto. A lapse in my self-control led to me picking and itching it until it opened. I didn't have bandages so I went into the village to get some," she explained. "Someone did try to attack me, but Haku stopped him and Zabuza gave him a warning."

The shocked look he sent the pair made an additional giggle bubble out of her.

"If you ever need to leave again, Amari, just be sure you tell us," Kakashi scolded lightly.

"Sorry, Sensei," she apologized sincerely before walking over to the edge of the dock to sit down and bandage her arm up.

"Okay, now that that's settled." Kakashi returned his attention back to the team. "Sasuke, Sakura, you two are going to go protect the bridge builder for the day. Naruto, Tsunami and Inari are going into the village and I want you there protecting them. Gatō's thugs are still out there, and they'll be desperate to regain their power by any means necessary. Keep your mind on the mission. Don't get distracted."

"You can count on me, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto declared proudly.

"Sakura and I will make sure none of Gatō's thugs think about going after the bridge builder," Sasuke replied cooly.

 _Which leaves me on my own again._ She didn't mind it. There were still feelings and thoughts she needed to sift through while the two Jōnin figured things out. Team Seven dispersed to fulfill their respective missions, leaving the kunoichi back to her one-handed struggle to set the bandage. When she nearly had it in place, two gentle hands halted her and eased the bandage from her hands.

Amari lifted her head to see Haku kneeling down next to her, his brown eyes focused on resetting the bandage. "Here, let me help. You won't get it right if you do it like this."

He wasn't wrong; the bandages were too loose despite her best efforts. With two hands he managed to fix the bandage faster and smoother than she could do on her own. Once done, he offered her a smile and sat down next to her on the edge of the dock.

Zabuza and Kakashi left quietly to, hopefully, discuss peacefully what the end of their quarrel meant. Being left alone with Haku made the yearning to speak to him grow, yet Amari struggled to figure out where to start or what to say.

"It was foolish of you to stand in the way of that jutsu your Sensei used," Haku stated softly.

"I know," she admitted through a sigh. Not exactly how she wanted this conversation to start, but she'd work with it. "But it was a better alternative than allowing him to kill you. I may have shattered my own perception on my purpose and ended up severely injured, but I would go through this pain all over again if it meant sparing you from death." She shook her head. "I won't say I'm sorry for following my heart. My conscious is clear."

"Is that what you seek? A clear conscious?" he asked, not angrily or in disbelief, but in honest curiosity.

Maybe? Amari wasn't sure. Finding her nindo was by no means easy; it forced her to truly consider what her wants, dreams and goals were…and come to grips with the fact that she didn't really know what they were or who she wanted to be as well as she once believed. To find those answers she had to break through the walls she used to protect herself from her pain and confront who she was as a whole, not just the fragments she held onto.

"I-…" Amari paused and turned her gaze down to the water below them as she tried to find the real answer. "…I'm not sure. Life as a shinobi is a difficult path; far more difficult than I understood even with the pain I was given. I'm not sure a clear conscious would be possible, but I'd like to try. I don't want to have any more regrets than I already carry when I reach the end of my life, no matter how short or long it is."

The regrets she carried were heavier than the weights Kakashi made her wear, and she knew she'd have to bear them until she drew her final breath. But if she could live a life without adding anymore onto them, she'd die happily.

"My cousin once told me to make my own path, to choose a way of life to follow that gave me no regrets and made me whole inside. I've spent the last few days trying to figure out what kind of path I'd need to follow to do that."

"And?" Haku asked, again genuinely curious to hear if she figured it out.

"It's been tough," Amari admitted. She reached up to untie her bandana then laid it across her hands so she could look at it. "I want to protect my friends and be there for them through all their fights, and I still want to be a ninja. None of that has changed, but I don't…I don't want to be used and discarded like a broken tool when I'm no longer needed. I don't want to be stripped of my emotions. I want to keep my compassion and use my skills to protect those I care for and spare lives instead of taking them when I can."

Haku remained silent this time and the pair remained that way for a few minutes, both content to traverse their own thoughts as they listened to the waves sloshing under them. Amari's mind returned back to the questions she had been asking herself for the last few days. What were her wants? Her dreams? What path did she want to follow and how did she build a foundation around them?

 _I never want to give up. I want to protect the people I care about and remain compassionate. I don't want to seek power for the wrong reasons and lose myself to the anger I hold._ She could be proud of that, but what about her dream? What did she want to do with her life? Defeating Kasai couldn't be the only thing she strived for. She wanted and needed more.

 _I think…I think one day I'd like to settle down and have kids. At least two, but I wouldn't mind more. I doubt I'd give up being a shinobi, but I want…I want to fall in love with someone and have kids. Plus Mom can be a grandma that way. Hehe, that'd be awesome_ , she giggled internally.

Kids were a long way off, though, and she wasn't sure if she'd ever find someone she could love like that, or if she was capable of it. Still a good dream to strive for, but she wanted something that wasn't as far into the future as that would be.

Mulling over her wants and desires in the comfortable silence was nice, and eventually it led to a smile pulling onto her lips. "I think I figured out my nindo." She tied her bandana around her forehead again and stared out at the horizon. "I'm never going to give up. I'm going to remain compassionate and follow a code of honor, love, respect and loyalty to my friends and family. That's something I can be proud of and it gives me the chance to still protect my friends to the best of my ability, and one day I'll become a Jōnin Sensei so I can teach the next generation of shinobi about the Will of Fire."

 _And someday I'd like to find my peace and have kids_ , she added silently.

Looking back to Haku, she found him smiling warmly at her. "I think you've found a good nindo. I hope one day you do succeed in your dream." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a familiar Leaf Village headband she had totally forgotten back on the bridge. "I've been meaning to give this back…Thank you for saving my life."

He handed it back to her, the familiar weight and Leaf symbol bringing a smile to Amari's face. So much hard work went into earning it. And the pride in Iruka's eyes as he gave it to her made it all the more special. "Thank you for holding onto it. I…I forgot how important it was to me when I was hurting." Two years of hard work. Two years of trying to prove to herself that she was capable of becoming a shinobi. Two years of struggle to overcome her inner demons, all of it amounting to the day she finally earned this headband.

Amari tied it around her neck again then looked back to Haku with a kind smile refusing to leave her lips. "The connection we made on the bridge, I've never experienced anything like it before. But I'd like to redefine that connection so it isn't built on our shared pain and forced circumstance where we had to hurt each other. It might be too hopeful, but I'd like for us to be friends."

The Mist ninja smiled softly and gave her a small nod. "I'd like that too."

Seeing it as an opening to start over, and remembering how she first met Naruto and Shikamaru, Amari put her hand out for a handshake. "I'm Amaririsu Yūhi, formerly known as Haya Uchiha. Everyone I know now calls me Amari. I was orphaned after the Uchiha massacre and I don't really know how I survived or who my parents were."

Lifting up her other hand, she traced the scar on her face, her smile shifting into one of sadness as she prepared herself emotionally for her next words. "This scar was given to me by a boy who killed my two best friends, and in one of my best friend's final moments he transplanted this new eye for me and gave me the task to end the one responsible for their deaths. I was found by Leaf ninjas, my Sensei being one of them and my adopted mother being one as well. They, and a few others, saved me from my loneliness."

This was actually really refreshing to be starting over with him and having a nindo. She felt stronger and happier inside even as she was speaking of some of the hardest moments in her life. "I graduated as the top kunoichi and number one rookie from our Academy after spending two hard years training to become strong. I was assigned onto Team Seven as the balancing point and this was our first big mission as Genin, which was actually an accident since it was meant to be a C-rank not a B- or A-rank."

Haku laughed softly at her introduction before taking her hand in his own and giving it a shake. "My name is Haku. I am a descendent of the Yuki Clan who possess the kekkei genkai Nature Transformation of Ice Style. I was born in a small snowy village in the Land of Water. Not long before I was born, the land was torn apart by a war where shinobi with my kekkei genkai fought. Because of that, those of us who possessed it became feared and hated for our abilities."

Hearing how they were outcasted made her heart fall a little. But just like her he continued on without hesitation in his introduction. "My mother was the wielder of this kekkei genkai, and after it manifested in me, my father and some of the villagers killed my mother and attempted to kill me…I ended up killing them to save myself. I was alone for a long time until I met Zabuza. He gave me a purpose and trained me; in return I devoted my life to him. After his failed attempt to assassinate the Mizukage, we fled and we've been on the run since. We came here and allowed Gatō to use us." His saddened smile lifted into a warm one. "And then I met you."

His smile made her heart flutter pleasantly against her chest.

"I wish the world didn't have to burden you with so much pain, but I'm happy to have had the opportunity to fight you, be foolish and nearly get killed trying to save you and now try to start over," Amari said.

"I'm glad to have been given this opportunity as well." He turned his gaze out to the horizon. "I…I'm not sure how we continue from here. I've never had anyone besides Zabuza to talk to." Haku looked back to her with a hopeful and sheepish expression on his face. "But if you're willing to be patient with me, I'd be happy to be your friend."

Amari's lips split into a fond smile as she gave a nod of agreement. Falling back into comfortable silence, their eyes drifted to the water below them and their reflections in them.

"Haku, would you be able to turn a large area of water into ice?" she asked at length, a new idea coming to mind.

"Yes. Why?"

"Want to ice skate?"

* * *

"I take it your student hasn't been around lately?" Zabuza questioned, looking over to Kakashi.

Both shinobi stood on the roof of the bridge builder's house looking down at Amari and Haku, who were speaking to one another as equals instead of enemies.

"What makes you say that?" Kakashi quizzed, not ready to let his guard down. They may have joined forces to defeat Gatō's thugs, but he wasn't ready to give his trust or an agreeable attitude to a person that had a hand in causing his student so much pain.

Zabuza snorted in amusement at his returned question. "Come on, Kakashi. You're not the only one who can pick up information in a brief encounter."

Unfortunately, he was accurate in his observation. Amari had been taking time off ever since the battle on the bridge. After everything she went through, the injuries she sustained and the emotional damage, she needed time to regroup and assess who she was and what she wanted to do.

No one else could do that for her. This was one battle Amari had to fight alone, no matter how much he wished he could fight it for her.

All of Team Seven was worried about her, but none of the Genin were yet aware of the nightmares their teammate now suffered from because of her actions. Kakashi wouldn't have known either if he hadn't found her sitting on the same roof he was currently standing in the early hours of the morning, eyes pinned on her trembling hand as tears glistened in her eyes.

No explanation was needed for him to understand what she was experiencing. He knew. The suffering she was now experiencing and hiding from her team was an all too familiar friend. Worst part about it, there was absolutely nothing he could do to take it all away. All they could do was support her as she fought through these new terribly real nightmares.

"She's been trying to find a path to follow since the bridge. In the meantime I've given her time off so she can recover from her wounds and get her mind right," Kakashi explained.

"You do realize she has no choice but to continue to be a shinobi, right?" Zabuza asked.

Kakashi gave a small nod. Her eyes and her bloodline made his student a target. Even if she gave up the life, she'd be pursued if the knowledge of her eyes became widely known. There were bound to be others like Mizuki who would betray the village. Traitors were an unfortunate part of shinobi life that was bound to repeat, and if the next person wanted to take her eyes then she'd be forced to fight again.

"So long as there are those who seek out power for their goals, she'll have no choice but to fight. The least she can do is choose what she wants to fight for."

After a brief moment of silence, Kakashi turned to the rogue ninja, his brow furrowed and his single eye active as he examined him. "Why exactly did you come back?" Zabuza made a confused sound, breaking his gaze from Haku and Amari to look him in the eye. "We did work together to scare off Gatō's thugs, but after that you and the kid could have left without a word. I'm no fool, there's a reason you chose to come back."

"I see nothing escapes the eyes of Kakashi of the Sharingan," Zabuza said, his voice containing hints of humor. The rogue ninja turned to look back down at the kids, his face softening in a rare show of honest emotion. "…Haku wanted to speak to your student again and return her headband. I owe him much for everything he's done…and I owe that girl a debt for saving both of our lives."

"Is that a sense of honor coming from Zabuza the Demon?" Kakashi prodded, intrigued by the notion.

Zabuza shut his eyes, chest rumbling as he chuckled. "Call it what you want, Kakashi."

A sly smirk crossed Kakashi's lips under his mask at the easy dismissal of his statement. He didn't need anything more than that to reach his conclusion.

" _What? Surprised that I'm human enough to feel those emotions? No matter how hard we ninja try, we can never escape our humanity."_

 _Even when we're lost in our darkness, all it takes is someone willing to reach through to us to remind us we're not emotionless tools. And sometimes_ , Kakashi thought as he glanced back to his student, _that hand can come from the unlikeliest of places._

"Looks like she made her decision," Zabuza noted when Amari took her headband back from Haku and tied it around her neck again.

Kakashi couldn't help but smile at the sight, knowing that within Amari's heart the resolve he had seen grow over the years was ignited once more.

The balancing point of Team Seven was back.

 _Maybe now I won't be put into an inescapable genjutsu by Kurenai._

Explaining how her daughter's arm was torn apart was not something he was looking forward to upon returning to Konoha, especially when he had to explain how it was his attack causing her nightmares.

Kurenai's motherly claws were bound to come out.

 _No point worrying about it now._

He needed to ask Zabuza one more question anyways.

"Where are you going from here?"

"Not sure yet," Zabuza answered. "We won't be staying here though. Any decent tracker ninja will hear of our battle once word of Gatō's demise begins to spread. We'll have to lay low for a while and then decide what to do from there."

His answer was vague, but honest. Kakashi figured Zabuza and the kid would be packing up as soon as they could to head out, it was one of the reasons he was suspicious of their return. Despite everything that had transpired, however, he wished them the best. Few shinobi who lived as long as they had were able to turn back from the darkness. He didn't know if it would stick for the Demon, but he hoped, for both the kid's sake and Zabuza himself.

Amari held her hand out to Haku and the boy took it as he began speaking to her. Both had wished they could meet without clashing blades, the connection they made causing their hearts to ache the more they had to cause the other pain.

This situation certainly counted as a better circumstance.

 _Probably the first real friend he's made._ Kakashi glanced to the man smiling next to him, his eyes holding none of the malice they had during their fight. _Another reason he came back?_ Short of asking directly, there was no way for him to know for certain. It wasn't a terrible reason to come back, and it showed that Zabuza wasn't just seeing Haku as a tool anymore.

Haku jumped down onto the water and created a medium sized circular area of ice with his jutsu. Hopping down after him, Amari attempted to slide on the ice, only to let out a surprised "Eep!" as she lost her feet and fell backwards. Haku was there to catch her before she could hit the ice. Gently, he lowered her down to the ice so he could create ice blades on the bottom of their sandals.

He spared a few words to her then helped her onto her blades. Without another word he began skating around the ice as Amari studied his movements. Not long after the Nara began to follow after him, moving in the same manor he had to an impossibly precise degree for someone who never skated before. _Using your Sharingan to copy movements so you can ice skate?_ Kakashi wasn't sure if he wanted to smile or sigh at her use of the ability, so he chose sighing first and then smiling. _At least she's using it._

* * *

"Haku?"

"Yes?"

"Do your arm and chest still hurt?" she asked curiously as they skated side by side.

He didn't seem to be favoring his arm or his chest at all despite the wounds her clone dealt to him. Not that she wanted him to still be injured. She didn't want that at all. Amari was just worried he was hiding his injuries from her, and possibly causing himself more pain because of it.

"They're still healing, and my arm is a bit sore, but I was able to create an ointment from healing herbs that has helped accelerate the process." A frown tugged onto his lips. "My apologies, I should have made some for you. Your wound was far worse than mine."

A light giggle escaped her, lifting his frown into a confused look. "You have nothing to apologize for. I'm durable!" Her attempt to make him laugh was a mission success and led to her giggling right along with him. Laughter was a good way to forget about the terrible nightmares haunting her now, the ones that matched Ryu's death in intensity and pain. "Besides," she continued in a somewhat more serious voice, "the long healing process is motivation to never let myself get this injured again. I'll train harder and get stronger."

"I'm certain you will," Haku said, his smile making her feel warm and fuzzy and flustered for feeling warm and fuzzy.

Haku's strength was eye opening to how far she needed to go. Quite frankly, he kicked Sasuke's, Naruto's and her clone's butts badly. Had he wanted to, he could have killed all three of them with relative ease.

Amari shrugged the thought off and focused on the feeling of relaxation ice skating was bringing her. Although The Land of Fire did have snowy winters, she had never taken the time to do normal kid things like making snow angels or going ice skating. She wanted to…she wanted to be normal and try those things, but every time the desire came she thought of Kasai and how he was undoubtedly training harder than her.

 _No time for it_ , she would tell herself.

As she skated now, Amari realized she had been too stubborn, too focused on her goal to end Kasai and had missed so many opportunities to have fun. There was nothing wrong with stopping to smell the roses now and then. _I can't believe I'm thinking this, but I need to take a page out of Shika's laziness doctrine and start trying things I thought would waste my time._

Silently she vowed to make several snow angels when winter came to Konoha.

"What do you plan to do when you return to your village?" Haku asked, breaking Amari from her thoughts.

When she looked to the boy to answer, she couldn't help but smile when she noticed how at peace he was. His soft smile hadn't left his face since she first jumped on the ice with him to start skating, save for the one moment when he thought he needed to apologize to her. He seemed truly happy, and she was glad to have even a minor role in it.

Unknown to her, the role she played was far larger than she realized.

"Knowing my mom and Sensei, I'll be sent to the hospital to make sure my wounds are fully healed. Troublesome adults," Amari mumbled the last part to herself but Haku still caught it and chuckled softly. Being stuck in a hospital was going to be a total drag. "After that…I really don't know."

The Shadow user rubbed the back of her head as she pondered on what would happen when they got back home. "At a guess, D-ranked missions will be coming our way. I'm pretty sure Lord Hokage will think twice before caving into Naruto's requests of a harder mission after the injuries we all received."

 _Or sending us to catch Tora if she ever gets loose again, that seems to be a bad omen for Team Seven._

"I'll definitely have to step up my training if I want to be a Jōnin Sensei, though I think I'll go about it differently." Haku's features became one of curiosity, a curiosity she had no probably sating. "Before this I was training hard every day, which won't change. But I never took the time to do things I enjoyed, outside of shogi and cloud watching. I haven't read a real book in ages, or watched a sunset without thinking about training and what I need to do to improve."

"You were trying to gain the strength you believed necessary to defend those precious to you."

"And didn't realize I was steadily losing myself to the dark road I promised my friend Ryu I wouldn't fall down. Power leads down two paths, a dark road that leads to hate and pain and a brighter path that is not easy to stay on but lets us stay true to ourselves. Both roads can be abandoned for the other thanks to the side roads that lead back, but the brighter path has many roads leading back down to the shadowed road while the darker paths detours aren't always lit for people to see," Amari recited.

The words felt familiar even though no one she currently knew had ever spoken them to her. _Must have been my family before._

"Wise words," Haku complimented.

"I think someone once told me them. Maybe one of my parents," she replied softly.

"You had a good goal. Protecting the people precious to you isn't something to give up on."

Amari nodded in agreement as they skated along. "True, and I won't. I may have a new nindo but that doesn't change who I care about or the fact that I'll fight for them regardless of what I face. Still, someone with pure intentions can do bad things and never realize it. It's thanks to the people around me that I didn't go completely power crazy." She gently bumped Haku with her shoulder. "You helped too."

"How so?" Haku asked.

"You fought to help Zabuza _and_ to not kill us," Amari explained. Looking back, she should've realized his intentions during their fight, but she hadn't. "You managed to remain compassionate towards us and still mostly kept your dream of protecting Zabuza alive. You found a way to avoid killing us and would have fulfilled your mission had Kakashi-sensei and I not got Zabuza in such a sticky situation where my Sensei was using such a strong jutsu. I can only follow such an inspiring example."

His ability to not lose his compassion and spare them, all the while keeping his promise to his own dream of protecting Zabuza was where she had gotten part of her inspiration for her new nindo. Over the years, this boy had had his heart torn between his duty to Zabuza and his peaceful nature. To not have killed them outright like he could have was inspiring to Amari, because despite all the bad he had seen, despite all the pain he went through, he didn't lose his heart.

He might have been close, he might have nearly cracked during their fight, yet he didn't. He kept true to his duty and kept from killing his heart completely.

No matter what kind of fight she ended up in, she wanted to try to end things without death the same as Haku. Death wasn't the only option, and in the young girl's eyes it shouldn't ever be the first option someone jumps to. She was sure someone or multiple people in the world today believed sacrifices were necessary for peace, but in her mind that was where they were at fault already.

Peace shouldn't have to require sacrificing others' lives. War wasn't the answer to gaining peace and neither was gaining enough power to put the rest of the world under your heel. This wasn't to say achieving peace was easy or that it could be done overnight, but diplomacy and peaceful resolutions to age old problems were worth pursuing.

Feeling suddenly alone, Amari stopped and found that Haku was no longer next to her. She turned around in search of him and found the boy completely still, an awestruck look on his face. "Haku?"

"I— your words…" His eyes shifted in different directions as he seemed to struggle to find the words he wanted to say. He lowered his head, which only furthered the Nara's confusion.

Had she just offended him?

Worried and ready to correct her mistake, she skated back over and stopped in front of him, hoping he wasn't too mad at her. "I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

Haku shook his head and then she noticed a smile on his face. "Thank you for your kind words," he said, bowing his head in a respectful manor.

She smiled fondly at him. "Well, you're cute for a boy, so consider those on the house." Pink tinted his cheeks as a bashful smile took over his features. It took a second for Amari to realize _exactly_ the words that had just come out of her mouth, but as soon as they did she felt her cheeks beginning to burn as she most certainly turned strawberry red in sheer embarrassment.

 _That was supposed to be an inner thought!_ This was _sooo_ embarrassing! How could she let that slip at a time like this?! Shrieking internally in mortification, she fought against the need to Body Flicker to the opposite side of the continent to hide away forever. "Er-…that wasn't- I meant to say—"

Had the ice melted and become a desert or something? Because sheesh did she feel warm. _Man, why did I have to make this so awkward? I'm such a drag!_

She did think he was cute, one of the cuter boys she had met since becoming a ninja. But to have let that slip out was almost the same level of mortification as Naruto and Konohamaru using the Sexy Jutsu on her.

Much to her utter dismay, a low chuckle echoed from behind Haku…meaning others had heard this and seen them both turn red. "Well well well Haku. Looks like you've got a crush on the Leaf Genin, and looks like she has one on you."

Once more Amari's shades of embarrassment turned into shades of rage as her eyes pinpointed the rogue ninja behind Haku as her target. He would _never_ speak of this again to anyone!

"Aren't you a bit old for her? What is she, ten? And you're fifteen."

While Haku continued to turn red in embarrassment with his brown eyes refusing to leave the ice below them, the kunoichi of the pair blasted off the ice to destroy Zabuza. "I am not ten! Prepare to be pulverized, old man!"

Zabuza rumbled with laughter as he dodged away from her, hopping back and out of the way of each strike easily as Amari tried her hardest to land a blow on him in retaliation. "Oh, so what are you? Nine?" Zabuza prodded humorously.

"I'm twelve!"

"You're pretty tiny for a twelve year old. I'd be worried if I were you. You may never hit a growth spurt and become a woman."

Oh. _Oh_. He did _not_ just go there! "I'm going to destroy you! Stop running so I can introduce your face to my fist!"

Zabuza chuckled at her outburst and jumped onto the water, likely assuming she couldn't follow. When her feet hit the water and continued carrying her across it, his eyes widened a fraction in surprise before his instincts resumed in guiding him in agile dodges. Unfortunately for Amari, she was having trouble diverting her attention between the inevitable demise of Zabuza and distributing the proper percentages of chakra to her feet.

The toes and heels of both of her feet were already soaked from a few close calls. But she kept pushing forward. She wasn't going to let him escape without some kind of retribution for his taunts. No way! No one got to make fun of her blush, her age, her small size _and_ insinuate she might never grow into being a woman without meeting her fist.

Channeling chakra through her body, she launched forward to land her strike when she believed him to be off guard. Before her fist could connect, her forward momentum was halted completely as she was suspended and incased in a water sphere.

"Water Prison Jutsu," Amari groaned at being caught by the stupid jutsu. She crossed her arms and legs and puffed her cheeks in a pout as she floated in the center of the bubble. "I hate you so much right now."

"I'll give you credit, little girl. I didn't think you'd be able to walk on the water."

"Hmph!" The kunoichi turned away from the man and continued to pout.

"If you didn't have to focus so hard you would have seen this jutsu coming."

"I only managed to do the Water Walking Technique shortly before our fight on the bridge." Looking back over her shoulder, she squinted a glare. "But don't think you're exempt from being pulverized. Once I figure out a way to get out of here, you're face and my fist will become close friends."

He snorted humorously at her challenge, bringing up one hand to glide a finger over the spot her fist and kunai had hit. "Got a nice new scar from the first meeting and I don't plan to gain another. You also know there's only one way out and I don't see your team or Haku coming to your rescue." Zabuza smirked and lowered his hand. "Get comfortable."

 _He's right._ Amari looked over to Kakashi and Haku, who were still standing off in the distance. _Sensei looks lazier than ever and will tell me that I got myself into this situation, and I think Haku's still trying to regain his composure._ She groaned inwardly. _Man I'd be so screwed in a real fight right now if I didn't make my single contingency plan._

"Don't think you've beaten me yet. I may have been too focused on my chakra distribution to not see this jutsu coming, but I still have one more move left." A startled gasp escaped Zabuza when three Shadow Clones came springing out of the water around him. "I told you, didn't I? Stop underestimating me."

With no other choice, Zabuza released the jutsu to take down the clones, leaving the real Amari to catch herself on the surface of the water.

"Hey, what's going on?" Naruto's voice echoed from the dock.

The sound of his voice brought an evil smirk onto the kunoichi's face. Seeing the evil intentions, Zabuza frowned and took a cautionary jump back. "I'll be right back." Amari Body Flickered and reappeared right in front of Naruto. "Naruto, it's time to show Zabuza why he shouldn't mess with you and me when we team up!"

It took him a moment to readjust to her sudden appearance in front of him, but when her words registered, her best friend grinned widely. "Oh yeah!" He pumped his fist into the air. "Amaruto is back in action! Zabuza!" The knucklehead pointed a finger at the rogue ninja. "You're going down right now! Believe it!"

"We're not trying to kill him," Amari whispered to him.

"I know but I want him to take us seriously," Naruto whispered back.

She nodded then motioned for him to get on her back. "Come on, I'll carry you so you don't fall in the water." He hopped on her back without argument and Amari Body Flickered back over to where she had been initially standing.

"And how do you expect to fight like that?" Zabuza asked, clearly amused at the piggy backed Naruto.

"Naruto, let's go with Amaruto Ninja Skill number one. Ten clones." They both brought up the clone seal to the best of the ability in the situation they were in. Truly neither of them had thought this far ahead. Fighting Zabuza while having to carry Naruto would be difficult, if not impossible.

Thankfully they had trained to synchronize their Shadow Clones.

"Combined Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A half circle was formed in front of Zabuza of ten Amari's holding ten Naruto's. "Naruto's, get on my clone's shoulders," Amari ordered.

There were synchronized laughs and "Yes ma'ams!" from the Naruto's followed by groans of "Troublesome" from her own clones.

The Naruto's jumped up onto their shoulders and then the real one did the same to Amari, earning a muttered, "Troublesome," from her.

"Time for Amaruto Ninja Skill number two!" Naruto announced from her shoulders. He jabbed a finger at Zabuza, who was trying to figure out if he should take them seriously or not. He wisely chose to bring his guard up. "Taijutsu Flurry! Charge!"

His enthusiasm made Amari smile to herself before charging in with their group. "Naruto, you're the leader on this one. I have to focus on my chakra so shout directions."

"You got it, Amari!" He was excited. Her time away seemed to have left a hole in his life, and honestly it had done the same to her. Although she had seen her teammates over the three days, the short time she was able to spend with them wasn't enough to fill in that hole. Reunited fully with her best friend filled the hole again, and there was nothing that would ever separate the duo again.

 _I hope I can stay true to that sentiment._

As the group attempted to land blows on Zabuza, who easily out maneuvered them at every turn, Amari worked hard to form a plan of some kind while focusing on distributing her chakra to her feet. The problem with coming up with a plan was that she wasn't sure what she was going for here anymore. It had started out as a way to get away from the embarrassing situation she and Haku had found themselves in, but now it was more like a fun war that she had dragged Naruto into.

Their Amaruto Ninja Skills would certainly help here, although they had trained differently to do these moves. They had never planned for her to be carrying him on water where her focus wasn't fully in the fight. Taijutsu Flurry and Combined Shadow Clone Jutsu were meant to be used on solid ground where they could use them to a better effect.

If they were both masters of the Water Walking Technique then they wouldn't have this dilemma, but Amari wouldn't give up so easily.

"Amari, dodge to your left!" Naruto shouted, bringing her back into the fight.

Obeying his command, she jumped left a decent ways away from their opponent. When her right foot hit the water she felt it break through the surface. Her heart jumped into her throat and her eyes widened. _Chakra. Feet. Now!_ Refocusing, she channeled the necessary amount to keep them above water. _Too close_ , she sighed in relief.

"So, what's next in your so-called ninja skills?" Zabuza taunted. He had managed to escape their Taijutsu Flurry without getting hit and now they were down to five clones and themselves.

"Amari, do you have the tools needed for number three?" Naruto asked, mischief in his tone.

"Give me one second and I will," Amari replied, bringing up her clone seal again with her clones following her movements. This was going to take some chakra, but it'd be worth it. "Get ready. It'll appear right in front of you." Two shurikens suddenly appeared right in front of her friend. He, along with his clones, were quick to grab them before they fell out of reach.

"Ninja tools from a Shadow Clone Jutsu?" Zabuza asked in confusion of the strange sight.

Amari smirked and would have shrugged if her shoulders weren't burdened by extra weight. "Not quite." She looked up to Naruto. "Ready when you are."

"On three!" he yelled to the clones. "One! Two! Three!" All five clones and Naruto tossed their dual shurikens into the air above Zabuza. His eyes followed the tools up, body tensing in preparation for their next attack. On cue the shurikens dispelled into twelve Amari's, all carrying boat paddles in their hands. Normally it would have been kunais and shurikens, but since they didn't want to kill Zabuza she had to improvise.

"We usually would call this one Ninja Tool Rain, but for the sake of improvisation and blunt weapons I'll go with Paddle Storm," Amari said casually.

Her twelve clones let out battle cries as gravity took hold and began throwing the paddles at Zabuza. Again he dodged around until one paddle smacked him in the back of the head. Then he stilled and let the clones falling from the sky hit the water around him without moving.

 _Uh-oh._ Darkness permeated off of the rogue shinobi. Darkness Amari believed they were about to regret bringing out of him.

The clones that splashed into the water started grabbing the paddles to return them to their rightful owners, each doing their best to steer clear of the Demon.

Then Zabuza started going through his handseals for Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu.

"Uh-oh."

"My sentiments exactly, Naruto," Amari responded.

"Time to dispel the clones and go with number four?" he asked.

"Yes to the first. As for the second, I don't recall a number four."

The boy on her shoulders laughed nervously. "Yeah, I was kinda hoping you'd think of one right now."

Their first clones dispelled themselves, leaving them as the only target for Zabuza's jutsu. _Okay, think. He still has some handseals to go through. Water is weak against Earth, but I can't even pull off an Earth Style Jutsu. Pretty much screwed there. Wind won't do much either, and once again I can't even use that jutsu. That leaves me at Fire, which is weak against Water._

"We're screwed, aren't we?" Naruto asked.

 _But if I could at least make a hole in his Water Dragon I could…_ Amari's eyes bulged at her own ingenious thought. It would take testing to make sure she could do it, but if it worked she'd definitely get the jump on their opponent. "Not yet. I need to test my Fire Ball Jutsu against his Water Dragon first. If it doesn't work, then yes, we're pretty much screwed. But hey, we never give up, right?"

He grinned down at her. "That's right!"

The large Water Dragon formed out of the water, its menacing gold eyes staring right through them. Amari quickly weaved her Fire Ball Jutsu handseals then took a large inhale of air. She exhaled a wave of fire that smashed into the Water Dragon Jutsu, creating steam at the point of contact but not doing nearly as much damage as she hoped.

 _Damn._ Amari disengaged her jutsu to conserve her chakra for her next attack. _I'll need a lot more heat to punch through that mass of water which means…_ "Naruto, how's your chakra?"

"Good to go Amari. Need some?"

She nodded and rested her hand on his knee; a blue hue formed around her hand as she focused solely on taking his chakra and maintaining her place above water. "Amari, jump straight up!" Naruto shouted.

Amari snapped to attention and saw that the Water Dragon was nearly upon her. Acting on instinct, she released a surge of chakra from her feet and flew into the air, narrowly dodging the dragon and leaving them floating helplessly.

"Nice try," Zabuza taunted.

"Behind us!" Naruto shouted.

 _What?!_ Amari peered over her shoulder in her horror to see the dragon had changed direction and was aiming right at them. _He changed direction so fast!_ No way was she going to be able to land on it or on the surface of the water to dodge the attack. But if she didn't get a solid surface then they'd be swallowed whole by the dragon.

Thinking quickly, the Nara created a clone directly under her and used her as a surface to jump higher into the air just as the jaws of the dragon nearly smashed into them.

"Amari, I'll distract him. Just get your jutsu ready," Naruto said.

"What are you planning to do?" Amari asked as they ascended.

"Our fourth Ninja Skill! Shadow and Fire Dynamics!" Naruto jumped off her shoulders before she could process how well he had guessed her next move. A set of twenty Naruto's appeared around him with another twenty underneath them being used as platforms. "Attack!" All of them launched off of their clone platforms using chakra, leaving Amari to use the twenty clones falling forms as makeshift stairs to slow her descent.

"Come on Amari and Naruto, you can do it!" Sakura's cheered from the docks. Glancing over, she noticed Sakura and Inari both cheering them on. Nearby, Kakashi, Haku and Sasuke all watched on, thoroughly entertained by their play fight from the look of it while Tazuna and Tsunami watched on with smiles.

 _Now I have to make sure we succeed. Can't let Zabuza win, even if it isn't a serious fight. We'd never live it down._ The Naruto's pelted the Water Dragon like missiles and exited out the other side in a desperate attempt to hit Zabuza, but none got close enough. Trying to shoot through the dragon knocked them off course and sent them yelping and flying into the water.

 _This is my time._

Amari created two Shadow Clones then charged closer to the Water Dragon. In synchronicity the trio weaved the Fire Ball Jutsu handseals and inhaled large, chest expanding breaths. _Fire Style: Synchronized Shadow Clone Fire Ball Jutsu!_ They released their large mouthfuls of flames, combining them to smash into the large mass of water.

Steam formed at their area of impact again, and this time it seemed her flames were beginning to finally push through. Seeing her opening to give this fight a grand finale, she channeled as much strength as she could and put them into her flames. A blast of energy came off the trio as the flames gained new intensity; the surge of power proving to be just enough to tear a hole straight through the dragon.

The Dragon began collapsing on itself. Her clones dispelled as her energy hit a low point, but the cheering of Inari and Sakura made her smile through the wave of exhaustion. _I can't let this end without the finale._ Using what remained of her energy, she charged forward and, when she reached the collapsing Water Dragon, used her chakra to launch her through the opening she had made.

"Got you!" Naruto snickered as he and a clone grabbed onto Zabuza's legs from the water.

"Dynamic Entry!"

Amari could practically see the scene behind her; his Water Dragon collapsing, the shine of the sunset creating a beautiful background and her now damp blue hair flowing behind her.

This was likely her most dynamic entry yet.

Before her foot connected with his face, she readjusted her body and tackled him. "You bra—" Zabuza's curse was cut off as they both were submerged in a sea of blue.

When she surfaced fully soaked, Naruto met her wearing a bright grin. "Haha! Nice one Amari!" He brought his hand up for a high five and she cracked it with a giggle. "No one defeats the Amaruto combos!"

Zabuza surfaced between them and shook his head to shake some of the water off of him. He then turned his mildly perturbed gaze to her. "Want to go another round, old man?" Amari teased.

Reaching over to her, Zabuza rested his hand on her head in what she thought was meant to be a head ruffle, but instead he pushed her down under the water.

Naruto jumped to her aid and onto Zabuza's back sinking him down and giving her the chance to resurface and breathe again. Laughs began to bubble out of the two kids as they continued fighting in the water with Zabuza, doing everything they could to keep him from dunking them.

In the distance Team Seven, Tazuna's family and Haku watched on, smiling and laughing at the trio in the water.

The future was always an unknown but that didn't bother Amari anymore.

She was ready for any challenge that was thrown at her.

* * *

 _Review Response to the guest mikan26: Sorry, no Sasuke POV yet, but there will be soon. I'm happy the last chapter stirred some emotions within you and hope you enjoy this new update._


	18. Chapter 17: Promises for the Future

Chapter 17

A Gift for Goodbye: Promises for the Future

On a hill overlooking the Land of Waves, Team Seven watched in silence as oranges and pinks colored the sky around them with the rise of the sun. The moment of respite settled over the team like a warm blanket on a cold December night. Amari's body and posture remained relaxed; her right hand rested behind her back as she held onto her left forearm, her eyes gazed out at the horizon and the surrounding area, imprinting every little detail of this peaceful moment into her memories.

Today they would leave the Land of Waves behind and in all likelihood never return. Their departure was always inevitable. Once a mission was completed they were to return back to Konoha to debrief and, depending on the status of the team, receive their next mission or rest. Shinobi life was a life on the move, a life of constant missions and training until the end of their career; whether because of injury, death or old age depended on the luck of the shinobi in question.

Regardless of the connections made on a particular mission, no matter how attached one became with the client or location, they always had to return back to Konoha and pick up their next mission. In a way, Amari understood why some shinobi went out of their way to not connect with anyone outside of their comrades. Knowing they might never see the Land of Waves or Tazuna's family…it filled her with a deep sense of sadness that contrasted the tranquil environment surrounding her.

They hadn't been here long, not in the grand scheme of time…yet it felt as if they had spent several long months in the Land of Waves. So much had happened in their time here, as cliché as that was to say. For Amari, though, it was the truth.

Her time here in this land had changed a lot within her, to the point that she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she was not the same kunoichi who came here. A piece of her had been sacrificed on the bridge, a piece she'd never be able to get back. What she lost wasn't a visible part of the structure, and it was possible no one except her would be able to see it, but resting in the foundations of the bridge was a piece of her heart and soul…but it wasn't alone. There was a piece of Haku there with her, and Zabuza, and her team.

All seven shinobi now carried a scar of some kind from that fateful battle. Some of those scars weren't visible like the ones across her arm; they were buried beneath the surface of their outer shells, etched into their hearts so they would never forget the events of that day.

The piece Amari lost wasn't something she could easily put into words. It was nothing as simple as learning her own inadequacies or losing what was left of her innocence to shinobi life or having what little arrogance she had shattered. Those moments did happen, but they were small parts of a whole picture words weren't capable of explaining. They were too mundane, too bland to describe what she gave up in her soft heart's attempt to bridge the gap of friend and foe.

On that day her walls had crumbled and her heart was laid out on the line to her enemies for them to see the kind of suffering she was experiencing. She had expressed feelings and emotions that could have been easily disregarded by her enemies by cutting down her weakened form right then and there.

 _But they didn't._

Haku had felt her pain, had shed tears with her over their shared agony. Zabuza had hesitated to continue the fight at seeing her broken form and at hearing Haku's refusal to keep fighting her. Even Kakashi hesitated to strike them down when he had every right to as both a shinobi and as her mentor.

But…perhaps by leaving behind those pieces of themselves in the foundations of the bridge they opened up space within their hearts and souls to become better, to grow as people and shinobi. To become more than merely tools. Amari couldn't speak for the others; each of them had gone through their own experiences and had their own demons to fight, but she wanted to believe more good could grow out of this experience.

The bridge for the Land of Waves wasn't just a structure or even a foundation for their new future as it was meant to be, not to her anyways. To Amari it would always be the place where wills had collided and two threads of fate entwined.

Because of that, leaving behind the Land of Waves was far more difficult than she ever imagined. This place would always be special to her due to the many first experiences she encountered. Her first real mission. Her first time in an extreme life or death shinobi battle. Her first memory from her past. Her first critical injury. Her first friend from beyond the village.

Alas, the bridge was finally finished and that meant they were homeward bound. _Home._ Although she was sad to leave, the thought of home brought a smile to Amari's face. She missed Konoha and the people precious to her. Lord Third, Iruka, Shikamaru, the quiet sanctuary of her home, she missed them all, but the person she missed the most was her mother.

Kurenai's presence was one of protection, peace and love—feelings she had desperately needed since jumping in front of the Lightning Blade. Not to take away from everything Kakashi had done for her; ever since that day he had been the lifeline that pulled her back from the raging storm of terrible feelings she was overcome by. Out of her entire team, Kakashi was the one who truly understood everything she was going through. When she woke in the early hours of the morning from her frightening nightmares, he was there as a pillar of support, sitting with her as she fought to regain control of her emotions and trembling hand. He grounded her back in reality, kept her from falling back into the memory and did his best to be a soothing anchor away from the psychological and emotional trauma.

Amari couldn't properly express her gratitude for his patience and comfort without a hug, but she promised herself not to force him into that awkwardness when she was most vulnerable. As wonderful as Kakashi was, he wasn't Kurenai. She couldn't just latch onto him and never let go and expect him to hold her back. Generally speaking, he wasn't one for physical contact or her brand of hugs. No matter how much she admired him and appreciated his presence in her life, Kakashi wasn't her father. He was her mentor and squad leader who had already done more for her than what was expected of him by shinobi standards.

Of course, even though she couldn't wait to see her mother again to hug her as tightly as she could, that didn't mean she was looking forward to explaining the scars on her arm or the nightmares. That particular part was going to be a huge drag. _"Hey mom, just back from our mission and look at the new scars I gained!"_ Amari groaned internally. _She may never let me out of the house ever again._

"Kakashi," Zabuza's voice dragged her out of her thoughts. Turning around, she saw the pair of rogue Mist shinobi arriving. Haku carried two crosses made out of sturdy, cylinder shaped pieces of wood. He offered her a smile that she returned before walking across the grassy hill to place the crosses near the edge.

Amari moved to meet him and silently took one cross to help him set it on the hill. This was all part of a ruse Zabuza was hoping to perpetuate to throw the tracker shinobi off their trail. The villagers were in on it as well, helping to spread the story of their battle with Gatō and his thugs but twisting it just enough to make it sound like Zabuza and Haku met their end.

When the pair was finished, Haku wrapped a spare obi around one and tied it so the wind wouldn't take it. He cast his eyes out to the horizon and smiled at the sunrise. "Had our battle ended differently, I would have liked to be buried here," he said.

"I…" Amari lowered her eyes and looked at the cross she planted. It wasn't a bad spot, she had to admit. There was a nice view and it was unlikely anything would ever be built up here to ruin the peaceful nature surrounding it. But…"I'm happy no one had to be buried."

"As am I."

Haku stood up and offered a hand to her, the kindness in his eyes and warmth from his smile lifting her spirits in the same way he lifted her from the ground. "Thank you," she thanked, smiling at him as their held hands lingered together longer than necessary before he returned to Zabuza's side. _I'm going to miss his smile and these fuzzy feelings our connection gives me._

"So this is where we part ways, eh?"

Their Sensei nodded in agreement but Amari was the one to speak, her heart sinking at the reminder. "I…I guess this is goodbye then." To say both groups had started off on the wrong foot was a massive understatement, like saying the sun was only a _little_ hot or that being engulfed by a Fire Ball Jutsu would be a drag. But now they were basically allies…and Haku was a friend she'd miss more than she could admit out loud.

Naruto would always be her best friend and the warm, fuzzy ball of energy she desperately needed in her life…but in Haku she found understanding she could scarcely describe. What Naruto experienced growing up in the Leaf was far different than her own experience. She hadn't grown up hated and ignored by an entire village. She never faced their ridicule, and no matter how her life turned out, the likelihood of their paths being the same was almost impossible.

With Haku though…the lives they lived were one critical life moment away from leading them down the others path. The connection they made on the bridge and how they were able to build it since their battle fulfilled something in her, in them. It made giving up that piece of her heart on the bridge worthwhile. She wanted it to keep growing…she didn't want to lose this brand new connection she had, but there was no way to avoid it.

No matter how she worked it in her mind, their status as rogue shinobi—especially Zabuza's part in the assassination attempt on the Mizukage—made any chance of bringing them back to Konoha impossible. Shinobi of the Leaf wouldn't just open their arms to them as Amari and Team Seven had. They'd want to interrogate them or kill them on sight, and if the Mist caught wind of Konoha harboring them within their walls, they might ask for them to be turned over on the threat of war.

In the end this was the only option where they could stay alive and possibly have a chance at meeting one another again.

An unlikely chance, but a chance all the same.

"Don't tell me you're going to get all emotional, little girl," Zabuza taunted without his past malice.

Well…she should have known her soft heart would have been met with that response. Zabuza wasn't going to get all cuddly on her, though the thought of the Demon prancing around hugging random strangers was enough to make her lips quirk up in a smile. "Not a chance, old man. I was just wondering if I had enough time to pulverize you again."

"Heh," he chuckled at her. "When you can back your bark up with actions then come see me."

"Sensei…" Sakura's quiet voice caught everyone by surprise and made them all turn to their attention to her. Her normally fiery emerald eyes were downcast, deep in contemplation on the question she was hoping to ask. "Is…Is the way of the shinobi really just to use and be used as tools until we're worn down or broken?"

A serious question befitting of the troubled sigh from Kakashi. Unlike Amari, her teammates hadn't had the luxury of time to search for their ninja way or sift through their own questions about shinobi life. Yet a quick glance around to the thoughtful and even downtrodden features of her three teammates was all that was necessary to see they were all wondering the same thing: what was the way of the shinobi?

"In the hands of destiny, all shinobi are merely tools," Kakashi started. "Right or wrong, it's just the way it is regardless of what village you call home. It's been that way for as long as shinobi have existed."

"Just because something has been one way for a long time doesn't mean it has to be that way forever," Amari stated firmly. The way of the shinobi was changeable because people themselves could change. All it took was the desire to try and the will to follow through with it.

"If you ask me, if being a tool is all shinobi are meant to be then something is seriously out of whack," Naruto piped in, a pensive frown on his face. "I mean, what's the point of all our training then? To end up tearing ourselves up internally just like Haku and Amari were?"

"What is the reason for that?" Sasuke questioned.

Kakashi exhaled a long sigh for a reason Amari wouldn't have comprehended until recently. What they were asking for was a straight answer, one that was written down somewhere to give a shinobi in their current predicament the guidance they needed. Unfortunately, there was no answer, not any that was written down in a book at least. If there had been she wouldn't have had such a hard time finding it herself.

Feeling like she could offer some advice here to help guide them through the fog she recently came out of, Amari grabbed her left bicep to ease her nerves and spoke up. "Guys…there's no written down answer for anyone to give you. Shinobi life is…" _Cruel, unforgiving, painful._ "There is no easy path to follow," she decided on instead of the first three words to come to mind. "But that doesn't mean we are bound to follow the kind of life where we are fighting for reasons we don't understand or purposes we did not choose. We can find our own ninja way and choose a path that keeps us true to ourselves."

Looks of praise for her answer crossed Zabuza and Kakashi's features, inadvertently causing her to turn her eyes back to her toes in shyness over their approval. She still really wasn't good with this stuff. _Guess I still have some room to grow_.

A contemplative silence fell over her three teammates until…

"Okay!" Naruto suddenly declared, startling Amari thoroughly. A bright grin had pulled onto his lips as he looked out at the sunrise. "I've decided that from now on I'm going to find my own ninja way. A way that is straight and true and won't leave me with any regrets! From now on, I'm following the Way of Naruto!"

His proud declaration made the dōjutsu wielder's lips split into a fond smile as it brought out smiles and smirks from the others. It had taken her days to figure out what she wanted to do and dissect what she wanted out of life. But not for her best friend. Nope. He was too special and strong willed to let himself be held down by the same questions that had kept her chained in doubt after the battle on the bridge.

 _You really are one of a kind, Naruto._

"Heh, for a bunch of brats you aren't half bad," Zabuza said, chuckling at the Leaf Genin.

He walked forward to his fake grave and took his sword off his back. Swinging the blade once, he impaled it into the ground so it sat at a diagonal angle.

"Leaving your sword behind?" Amari asked in slight confusion.

"The Mist Tracking Unit won't just take the villagers at their word, and it's possible a few might slip up with insignificant details about how we scared off Gatō's thugs. Leaving this may throw them off our scent permanently." He looked out at the horizon. "Who knows, maybe it'll serve as a reminder to these people to honor the sacrifice you made to spare our lives and theirs."

A humbled smile formed on her lips as her eyes fell to the ground. He hadn't said it, but she could hear the unspoken 'thank you' behind his words. As for his sword, again he hadn't said it but it was essentially the symbol of their truce and alliance as he put his past behind him.

"When we next meet I'll be even stronger than last time. So you better prepare yourself, old man."

Zabuza flicked his eyes over to her, a smirk clear on his face under his bandages. "Challenge accepted, little girl."

"Don't forget about the rest of us! Next time we meet we won't go so easy on you," Naruto boasted. Sasuke smirked and hummed in agreement to the deal being struck. Even Sakura nodded confidently to the promise they were making. Kakashi, on the other hand, was rubbing the back of his neck in exasperation.

 _Next time._ Amari liked the sound of that. It felt like a promise that they would be able to keep. _Maybe we will meet again. Maybe it isn't unlikely as I think._

"Looks like you've got yourself a lively bunch, Kakashi," Zabuza said as he left the sword and grave behind, walking past their sensei. "Try not to let them get killed."

"You didn't make my job any easier giving them that challenge," Kakashi replied.

The rogue ninja chuckled and dipped his head in a small nod. "Good. It'll keep you on your toes."

Before they departed for good, Haku approached Amari. "In case we never meet again." He pulled out an object her eyes first recognized as a flower, but when she _really_ looked at it her eyes widened in astonishment. While the object was in fact a flower, it wasn't any normal flower that could be found in a rose garden or in the wild. Crystalline icy blue shimmered as the light hit it, sparkling as she awed over the beauty of the ice crystal flower he was offering her.

The gift was captivating, and oh kami she could feel a blush coming on. Amari gently took the flower from him, though based on how tough his mirrors were she was certain it could withstand more damage than a small fall. Haku bowed to her. "Thank you for saving my life."

There was a faint blush on his cheeks as well, and the chuckles from Zabuza and Team Seven were telling signs they were going to be teased all the way home. _What a drag_ , she thought without really meaning it.

 _Totally worth it._

"I- I wish I would have been thoughtful enough to get you a gift in return. This is magnificent," Amari awed as she twisted and turned the crystal flower to examine every inch of it.

"Your kindness is gift enough," he said as he came up from his bow, his warm smile reaching his eyes and keeping her smile on her lips.

 _Oh man, why does he have to be so kind?_ She could feel her face flushing, and that meant the teasing was going to be even worse than normal.

 _Totally worth it._

"Stay true to your Nindo, Amari. I hope we meet again someday."

"Me too and I will. Try not to let the old man fall back into old habits. If he does, find me and I'll kick his ass again."

"More like jump in front of a deadly jutsu again," Zabuza deadpanned.

Haku nodded and gave her one last heartwarming smile before returning back to Zabuza's side. After one final farewell, the pair of Mist shinobi headed off to wherever they decided to go. _Don't be troublesome, Haku. I want to meet you again someday_ , she thought as she watched them walk away.

"All right guys, let's head home," Kakashi said.

"Right," the four agreed.

On the walk to the bridge Amari kept the crystalized flower in her hands, smiling softly at it and enjoying every bit of warm fuzziness filling her heart. _Someday…_

She'd make sure they met again at some point in the future. That was a promise.

Tazuna, Inari, Tsunami and some of the villagers who had joined them to scare off Gatō's thugs met them at the bridge, all there to see off the heroes who saved their land.

"We could have never finished the bridge without you. I can't tell you how much we're going to miss you," Tazuna said, looking torn between happiness and sadness.

"Do be careful," Tsunami said.

Amari nodded. She doubted there would be any trouble on the way home but it was always good to be careful.

"Thank you for your hospitality," Kakashi thanked.

"Now now, no one shed any tears. We'll come back and visit real soon," Naruto declared for the rest of the team.

 _Guess there is no choice in the matter now._ Not that she didn't plan on visiting again someday anyways, but now she could drag along her team thanks to Naruto's promise.

A win-win in her opinion.

"You swear you will?" Inari's choked up voice hit her heart strings hard. Tears were welling up in his eyes as he fought to not shed any tears.

 _Damn it, please don't cry. I don't think my heart can take it._

Tazuna rested his hand on the nearly crying boy as Naruto too began holding back his tears. Seeing them on the verge of breaking down awoke Amari's tender heart to begin unlatching every emotion she had been trying to hold back.

"Of course. You know, Inari, it's okay to cry if you want. There's nothing wrong with that, go for it," Naruto coaxed, trying not to be the first one to shed tears between the boys.

"You first!" Inari returned, still holding back his tears as a bit of snot tried to escape his nose.

Too soft-hearted to hold it back any longer, Amari let a single tear fall that she immediately wiped away. "We'll be back, Inari, don't you worry," she reassured.

"Forget it!" Naruto choked out a sob as he turned and allowed his tears to flow out of sight. Inari's tears fell immediately after; it might have been funny if she wasn't fighting against the urge to run over and hug the boy before running back to hug Naruto.

Luckily for her, they took their leave before her tender heart could take full control of her actions. One last time Team Seven looked back and waved goodbye to the people of the Land of Waves and the Land of Waves itself, unaware of Tazuna's decision to name the bridge after the two young shinobi who helped to renew his grandson's spirit and stopped his assassins.

The Great Amaruto Bridge it would be called, a symbol of unwavering hope, strength and friendship.

It didn't take long for Team Seven to fall back into familiar banter, with Naruto specifically rambling on about getting Iruka to buy them some ramen and how Konohamaru was going to nearly worship him over the stories they had. What the three Genin didn't notice was Amari slowly coming to a full stop as they passed the very spot where she had jumped in front of the Lightning Blade.

Memories of mist began to cloud her eyes, the sound of crackling lightning tickled her senses, bringing with it needle-like pricks across her left arm while voices whispered their once heated words in her ears.

" _I- I can't do it, Cousin! I can't find my strength or the will to go on anymore! Every- every step I take brings more pain! I don't- I don't know what to do! Please, I beg you, make this pain stop! I just…I just want it all to stop hurting so much! Please!"_

The weight of a hand resting on her head woke Amari up with a gasp. Her head snapped up in the direction of the owner of the hand, finding Kakashi standing next to her, his worried eye analyzing every little detail about her. "You okay?"

"I…" She held the crystal flower in her hand just a little tighter, using it as a source of strength to push those memories away. When the mist receded fully, she managed to smile genuinely at her sensei. "No matter what awaits me in the future, I'll never regret the decision I made on this bridge. He is worth the pain."

Kakashi eye smiled and ruffled her hair. "I have a feeling he'd say the same about you." He returned his hand to his side and lifted his chin in the direction of the others. "Come on, let's head home."

She nodded firmly. "Right."

 _Home._

Yes, she was looking forward to seeing the village again.

* * *

 _Review Responses to_ _Guest and ItsMeMarissaaa: Glad you loved it! Hope you enjoy the new update and end of the Land of Waves Arc!_


	19. Chapter 18: Challenged by a Green Beast

Chapter 18

Newcomers: The Green Beast of Konoha Challenges You!

Team Seven's return journey to the Leaf Village happened without any incidents. No fights. No danger. No stress. Boring by all definitions of the word, yet the lack of stress refreshed the young team after their hard fought battles in the Land of Waves. There were lingering pains, wounds that only time had a chance of healing, but they were home. _Safe_.

Yet…even as Amari walked through the village with her team, smiling as warm happiness pulsed from her heart, she couldn't help but feel Konoha was different. Changed. Deep down, though, she realized the truth. _It's not home that's different…It's me._ Everything about their home remained unchanged from their departure, almost as if time had stood still here for decades while they came back aged and scarred. People still went about the routines, unaware of the battle for the fate of the Land of Waves. Unware of the scars on her heart. Unaware of the changes the four Genin went through when they were away.

 _So…this is what we shinobi sacrifice so others can know peace._ Old, young, civilians, travelers; every single one of them blissfully oblivious to what kind of danger lurked beyond their walls, ignorant to the emotional and psychological burdens shinobi took upon themselves to keep their daily lives uninterrupted. She learned pain at a young age. Pain of loneliness. Pain of poverty. Pain of loss. Amari couldn't escape those pains, not when her mirror reflection bore an unforgettable scar. But even then she hadn't realized what it meant to be a shinobi or what kind of emotional and psychological fatigue the people defending her home went through.

" _Do you brats think wearing that headband really makes you a shinobi? Don't be ridiculous. When you've hovered between life and death so many times it doesn't faze you then you_ _ **may**_ _be called a shinobi. When you've become so deadly your profile is entered into my bingo book then you_ _ **may**_ _have earned the title of shinobi._ _But to call upstarts like you shinobi is a bad joke."_

Zabuza was right. He hit the nail right on the head and it didn't hurt as much to admit that anymore. They had grown up in peace, never knowing the horrors of war or feeling the urgency to become stronger as fast as possible just to survive another day. Being given a headband did not grant them the right to call themselves shinobi. The title of shinobi couldn't be given like a grade on an Academy test; it had to be earned in combat where their physical and emotional strength were tested equally.

Amari passed her Academy graduation but failed the test to become a shinobi. Had Kakashi been stricter and unforgiving, he'd be in his right to disqualify her as a shinobi. The mistakes she made, the way she let her emotions cloud her judgement and her critical injury did not make a good argument for her status as a shinobi. She was still a child, a child learning what it meant to be a shinobi as she grew up.

While she would never regret saving Haku or her injury, the Land of Waves opened her eyes to how much further she had to go to become a _true_ shinobi. Finding her nindo and dream did help, it defined the path she wanted to walk, but now she had to actually walk it.

In other words, the real work started now.

Upon reaching the Mission Assignment Desk, they found Lord Third still looking as if he was bored out of his mind. Well, he was until his eyes snapped to the Nara's visibly scarred left arm and then the bored look shifted into grave seriousness.

The lecture she received for her reckless behavior went on for a long time. Like _really_ long. She deserved it, she supposed. Even though everything worked out, it could have easily _not_ worked out. Zabuza could have pushed Haku out of his way to strike her down, she could have bled out, her attempt to stop Kakashi might have killed her if his hand had gone straight through her clone and into her.

Stars must have aligned or kami's involved themselves in her meager life for everything to go so well.

"But it did end well. Isn't that what matters?" she asked respectfully.

The stern look of Lord Third kept her silent for the remainder of the lecture.

 _Adults can be so overprotective. I'm sure him, Kakashi-sensei and mom were all getting into similar danger when they were younger. Only…they didn't get scars like these. Hmm._

Perhaps Lord Third had a point.

Given a brief reprieve from missions, Kakashi dismissed the team for the day for much needed R&R as he all but dragged her with him to the hospital, offering a rushed and clearly nervous farewell to the others as she struggled to keep her feet. His rush was understandable. Dōjutsu's wouldn't save them from the motherly wrath of Kurenai Yūhi when she found it out about her injury.

And it was _when_ , not _if_. Unless Amari never went home again—which wasn't an option—they would have to face the music and succumb to the eternal genjutsu Kurenai put on them.

As if fate wanted to prove her point, a nurse entered her hospital room long enough to inform her that her mother—her legal guardian—had been notified about her entrance into the hospital and would be on her way.

"We're dead," Amari mumbled to her sensei, deflating visibly as the doctors checked her over. No more ramen. No victory ice cream. No more studying or reading books or hugs. Oh, she would miss the hugs the most. But there was no avoiding it. They were dead men, and girl, walking. They were going to _die_ via motherly wrath, and all would know of their destruction, defeated by the Genjutsu Master of Konoha, Kurenai Yūhi.

Despite their imminent doom, Kakashi chuckled. "Don't be so dramatic."

"Says the man standing next to the open window."

Oh yes, he had the ability to escape because _he_ didn't live with her. He could take A- and S-rank missions on the opposite side continent to avoid her mother. Amari didn't have such a luxury. _Troublesome._

The doctors checked her range of motion with her arm and hand, analyzing whether or not her injury hindered her movements or caused pain. Fortunately her injury didn't cause such problems for her. She had full range of motion and there wasn't any pain in her arm…Well, not real pain anyways. Nightmares coaxed out different levels of pain ranging from slight burning to nearly the same levels of agony she felt in the moment. A few times the scars burned without nightmares, but she kept those nuances to herself.

As long as the physical injury was healed, she'd deal with the rest as they came. Just to be safe, though, the doctors decided they needed to run a few more thorough examinations to ensure there was no lingering damage to the tissues, tendons and other internal parts of her arm.

Not long after their temporary departure, Amari felt her mother's chakra just outside her door. A moment later the door opened to reveal Kurenai and the rest of Team Eight on the other side.

"Uh, hi," Amari greeted, waving sheepishly from the bed with her right hand while covertly moving her left a little back. If she could hide it…maybe her mother wouldn't worry too much. She'd think she was here for some non-critical injury.

It was no use. Red eyes found the scars immediately, widening in shock at the lengthy clusters of scars lining her skin from her shoulder to her hand. Then her concerned eyes met the singular onyx eye. Amari's heart plummeted and shrank internally under her gaze. Her dramatization of her mother's wrath had been mostly a joke, but faced with the reality of what her mother actually felt hurt far worse. No disappointment or anger lingered in her red eyes, thankfully. The fear, though, her silent concerns and the way she just seemed to look at her and _know_ everything she was going through…A recent question she had forced herself to face came to the forefront of her mind.

 _I gained new people to love, people who have made me whole. So why haven't I reconsidered a life with them after I finish Kasai?_

By nearly dying, by getting herself hurt, she had hurt everyone around her. Kakashi, Naruto, her team, her mother, even Lord Third. They had all given her a life worth living, people to cherish and live for, yet in that moment…in her anger at Zabuza, in her overwhelming emotions she didn't consider how _they_ would feel if she died. How losing her might tear them apart, or how nearly dying by their hand might have a lasting impression on them.

 _I'm such an idiot._

"Hey, looks like you got a little roughed up on your mission, Amari," Kiba said, his usual grin replaced by a serious expression when he too noticed the scars.

Hinata's adorable squeak of shock actually coaxed a half-hearted smile out of her as her shyer counterpart rushed over to her side. "Amaririsu! What happened? Are you okay?"

Amari let Hinata take her arm for personal examination without offering any explanation so she could see for herself. Looking over to Shino, she dipped her head in a nod of greeting. He gave a curt nod back, keeping his hands in his pockets and his expression hidden behind his glasses and high collared top. Even then, though, she could feel his gears turning as he examined her new scars.

"You guys just coming back from a mission?" she asked to the group, but mostly Shino.

"Training," he answered. "When Kurenai-sensei received news you were in the hospital, we decided it'd be best to come immediately to ensure our comrade was well. Until you explain the source of your scars it will be impossible to say if it was caused by recklessness or an overwhelming opponent."

An analytical response she expected from the Aburame. Instead of getting caught up on the scars themselves or any emotion, he was cutting to the heart of the issue to learn as much as possible before making an opinion. Amari respected that about Shino. He never lost his cool or let his emotions get in the way of higher thinking. He watched and listened from the shadows, hearing and seeing all even if others didn't see him, and when he spoke it was best to heed his warnings or orders.

Shino did not waste his words on pointless praise.

"Ah, sorry for ruining your training," she apologized.

"Apology acc—"

"No harm done, Amari," Kiba interrupted Shino as he too entered the room.

Shino visibly lowered his head, a shadow crossing his features at being interrupted as if he hadn't even been there in the first place. Amari offered the other boy an apologetic smile. Coarse as he might sound, Shino did care. His way of expressing it could be strange, even possibly perceived as insulting, but he valued his comrades—which only made it hurt more when his comrades ignored him.

"But seriously, what happened to you? Those are some crazy looking scars," Kiba pointed out.

 _Crazy looking scars?_ His words weren't meant to mean anything, but they did hit a strange cord in Amari's heart. Were…were her scars really ugly looking to an outsider?

"Kiba!" Hinata scolded.

"What? You know you want to know how she got them too."

"Ye- yes, but—"

"Besides, you're the one who's all hands on with her."

Hinata's gentle hands leapt off her arm like her skin suddenly caught fire as an embarrassed flush colored her fair skin. "Ah! Sorry! I didn't mean to—"

"Okay," Kakashi broke through the nonsense with the single word and authoritative tone.

 _Are they really that bad?_ It hadn't occurred to her they might be off-putting. Her team certainly hadn't said anything about them being weird or anything, but just that single innocent mention had her feeling insanely self-conscious and flustered. Amari tried her best to hide those feelings; she didn't want Kiba to feel bad for an accident or believing he hurt her feelings. He hadn't. She just…She didn't even consider how these scars might look worse than the one on her face to others.

Amari clasped her right hand over the biggest cluster of scars on her bicep, eyes averting to the floor. _I just need my mesh sleeve back and no one will have to see them._ Glancing down to her arm, she followed a few of the scars down her forearm to her wrist. _A few will still poke out…but at least it won't be my whole arm._

At least she wouldn't…be a freak or something for people to gawk at.

"If you want to hear the story, you're going to have to give her some breathing room to speak," Kakashi told them.

The others fell quiet at Kakashi's words and looked to her for answers in their silence. Taking a breath, Amari did her best to tell the important bits surrounding the story of their mission. By the end of it, all of Team Eight was either staring at her in shock or concern.

"Why…would you go so far for an enemy?" Shino asked at length.

A valid question. Why would she go to such lengths to spare an enemy? Why would she put herself through so much pain for someone who could have killed her with ease? She smiled weakly at the team, her heart heavy from recounting the emotionally exhausting events, and then she looked directly at her mother; the woman who had taken her in when she had nothing, the woman she loved with all her heart.

"I had a good feeling about him," she said.

Kurenai shut her eyes and exhaled a soft breath at the familiar words.

" _Don't worry yourself one bit about repaying anything. This was my choice, and I have a good feeling about it. Call it a hunch, but I think a lot of good is going to come out of this."_

Those words, her warm smile, her love…Given a hundred lifetimes, Amari would never be able to repay the debt she owed Kurenai. When she had nothing, when she was nothing but a sobbing child who had her entire world taken from her, this incredible woman had taken her in, gave her a home, a family and more love than she could handle. She guided her. She gave her a reason to keep fighting for a brighter tomorrow and helped her to stand up when her heart fell into the depths of sorrow.

Why?

Because she had a good feeling. A hunch some good could come from taking her in. A hope she might be able to reassemble the shattered fragments of a child's broken life.

"Because all he needed was someone to reach out to him."

 _Just like I did when you saved me, Mom._

"Well, I'm happy you're okay, Amaririsu," Hinata said.

Amari smiled fondly at her. "Hinata, how many times do I need to tell you?"

A blush took form on her cheeks. "On- one last time, I promise, Amari."

 _I'm happy to be back too._

"Too bad my cousin wasn't with you guys," Kiba added thoughtfully. "All that water would have given her fair ground to fight that Zabuza guy on. Plus she's a medic-nin so she'd have been able to heal you up faster."

 _A medic would be nice._

Team Eight left soon after for home, leaving Kurenai, Amari and Kakashi alone together. Without her team there, Kurenai left her original spot to sit on the bed with her daughter, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her into a warm embrace once she was settled. Amari shut her eyes and hugged her back tightly, happy that this place of comfort and love hadn't changed either despite everything else going on internally with her.

Here she was safe.

Here she was home.

"I missed you," Amari said quietly.

Kurenai's grip tightened on her. "And I missed you, little one."

Amari didn't know how long they were in their embrace for, silently holding onto one another as the emotions deep in their hearts emanated through their embrace, but she could've stayed there forever. In her mother's arms the nightmares and pain seemed to be far away. _Almost like a bad dream that will pass upon waking up._

If only it were so simple.

"Are you okay, Kakashi?" Kurenai asked after an elongated silence, still holding onto Amari.

"I'm okay, Kurenai. Really, I'm fine. As long as _someone_ doesn't jump in front of my jutsu again, there won't be any problems."

A giggle escaped Amari at his half-scolding, half-teasing tone. "You've got yourself a deal there, Sensei."

Kurenai pressed her lips against the top of her head then detached from her. Reluctantly, Amari relinquished her grip only for two fingers to jab her forehead hard. She brought her hand to her head to rub the spot as she met her mother's chastising red eyes. "There better not be a next time."

"I know I know…no need to be troublesome," Amari mumbled the last part but still got poked again as a reminder of her mother's great hearing. _Better than an inescapable genjutsu_ , she conceded as she rubbed her forehead. "How long do I have to stay here anyway?"

"As long as the doctor's tests come up negative for anything that requires surgery or sidelining you from missions, I'd guess not long," Kakashi answered.

The word _surgery_ coaxed a shudder out of the Nara. _Surgery would be such a drag._ Nothing felt wrong, though, so hopefully her body had healed itself really well to keep her from needing surgery. "So I'll be here for a few hours?" He gave a short nod. _But that means being stuck in this sterile white room with nothing to do._ Boring didn't quite cut what she was about to experience. "Man," she groaned, "I was hoping to relax at home for the rest of the day."

"Don't get injured and you won't have to spend time here," Kurenai replied, a teasing smile tugging at her lips.

 _Troublesome adults._

And so the waiting and tests began. Ugh, it was such a pain. Her only saving grace was having her mother to talk to since Kakashi left to check in on the others. Throughout it all she was able to explain other parts of their mission she didn't get to tell the rest of her team. Matters involving Inari, finding her nindo, the memory of her cousin, how those moments made her feel and—when the doctors were away—how her fight with Haku and Zabuza advanced her Sharingan from one tomoe to two.

Giddy didn't quite describe how the last bit of news made her feel. She was over the moon, dashing past the stars and exploring parts of the galaxy not yet known to man. Overall it didn't change much about what she could do with it. She wouldn't be able to suddenly pull off Wind Style or Earth Style or copy any other jutsu not in her current ability range. But it looked so much cooler and was a sign of her growth. That was enough to fill her with jubilation.

The tests came back negative for any lingering damage. Her audible sigh of relief earned her smiles from the doctor and her mother, but she didn't care. No surgery, no damage, no sidelines. She was clear for duty and training and looking forward to every moment of it. But first on her to-do list was returning home and having the largest bowl of ice cream her mother allowed; a note Kurenai found absolutely amusing when she announced it proudly on their walk back.

"What brought this on?" she asked with a laugh.

"I don't want to have any more regrets than I already have." She looked to her mother with a closed eyed smile. "That's why I'm going to spoil myself with a victory bowl of ice cream!"

Kurenai smiled back warmly and poked her forehead. "As you command, little one."

All the familiar smells and feelings of home remained when she entered their cozy home. The comfort it gave kept her smiling for the rest of the day. Before having her victory bowl she unpacked her gear and placed Haku's crystalized flower in her room in a small vase, smiling fondly at it once it was settled.

 _We'll see each other again. That's a promise._

"Amari, your bowl is ready!" Kurenai called.

"On my way!"

She wasn't sure what was waiting for her tomorrow, but after the Land of Waves, a D-ranked mission sounded good.

* * *

A Week Later

* * *

Amari was being followed.

There was a box with eye holes cut out in the front and painted to look like rocks tailing her through Konoha. No matter where she went it followed along behind her like a piece of string tied them together. When she would stop, it would stop. When she would slow her pace, it would slow its pace.

After a while she decided to just ignore it and pretend it wasn't there while she ran a few errands. It didn't seem like the culprits were any threat to her; their poor disguise made that clear enough. No harm, no foul as the saying went.

Currently she was on her way to meet her Sensei. The team had originally been given the day off today, yet Kakashi caught up to her a few hours ago to tell her they needed to meet at their usual training field alone. He hadn't mentioned why or given her much choice in the matter. He was insistent in his orders, to a concerning degree. Kakashi could be serious when he needed to be, but the way he had spoken…something was off.

The only problem now was this strange box refused to leave her alone. If she waited any longer she'd be late. _Late_ , Amari frowned. She hated being tardy to anything. Granted Kakashi would probably be late anyways, but that didn't mean she had to follow his example.

 _Time to find out what's under box number one._

Channeling her chakra throughout her body, she disappeared in a blur of speed and reappeared behind the box with her arms crossed. Her stalkers hadn't cut holes into any other part of the box—a rookie mistake without a sensor type. A limited field of vision was a disastrous mistake they were about to pay for.

The box flipped up and out of it sprang three children looking in all directions except behind them—another rookie mistake. Two of them were complete strangers to her eyes, but one in particular—the leader no doubt—wore a familiar blue scarf.

"Hey! Where'd she go?" Konohamaru asked.

His two companions were one boy wearing glasses and a girl with orange hair in two large pigtails. The girl wore a red tank top over a pink t-shirt as wells as grey pants. The boy wore a blue zipped up shirt and a pair of brown pants. Each of them, though, wore goggles of the same make as Naruto's before they became ninjas.

"Ahem!" Amari cleared her throat loudly right behind the Hokage's grandson. Her effort to scare them proved successful; their bodies jolted in shock as they let out short cries of surprise. An amused smirk graced her lips at her victorious sneak attack and their frightened reactions. "Shouldn't you three Academy students be in the Academy?"

Konohamaru, either bravely or foolishly, turned to her with a look of defiance and a puffed out chest. His attempt to be tough only came off as adorable to her eyes. "No! We have a day off!"

Days off weren't unheard of, but that only left her with another question. _Why would they spend their day off following me around?_ Surely there were better ways to spend a day off as a kid, not that she knew much about days off or being a kid. Both of those were foreign concepts to her at this point. "Okay, so why are you three stalking me?"

Konohamaru faltered and scratched his quickly pink turning cheeks. "Uh…Well, you see…"

Amused by his embarrassment, Amari rested a hand on his head and proceeded to ruffle his hair gently. "Nice to see you again, Konohamaru." She let her hand fall back to her side and lifted her chin up at his friends. "Are you going to introduce me to your two friends?"

He beamed and nodded vigorously. "Sure thing! This is Moegi and Udon. We're the Konohamaru Ninja Squad!" The trio of kids took up poses with all the seriousness of innocent children.

Amari giggled at the overzealous introduction. They were a cute bunch, she'd give them that. Full of life and adorableness she could already see causing her a problem somewhere down the line. "I'm Amari in case Konohamaru hasn't told you." She nodded in greeting to the three. "How's Iruka-sensei been? Still yelling his lungs out at troublemakers?"

Konohamaru sighed and Moegi giggled. "You bet, Amari! Isn't that right, Konohamaru?" The smaller girl teasingly bumped Konohamaru's side with her elbow.

Amari gazed down at the boy, who was definitely trying to avoid eye contact. _I think I'm beginning to see more resemblances to Naruto in him._ She sighed internally. _Of all the traits you had to take from Naruto, you had to take the skipping class ones?_ "Konohamaru, are you giving Iruka-sensei a hard time?"

"No!"

"Uh-huh." The Shadow user poked him below his goggles. "Don't be troublesome and pay attention to your studies. You'll need them if you plan on surpassing Naruto."

He grabbed at the spot on his forehead and puffed his cheeks out in a pout. "I know…"

"You still haven't answered my question for why you were following me."

"Boss said that because he was busy training that you would play ninja with us."

 _Narutooo, I'm going to crush you._ That knucklehead was in _so_ much trouble when she got her hands on him. He could have easily told them no without throwing her name under the bus, but no. Her best friend in his infinite wisdom decided to tell these kids _she_ would play with them without considering the possibility of her being busy. Not only would it bum these kids out for her to tell them no, but then she'd seem too stuck up when they knew she had a day off.

 _Is there really any harm in it?_

She could spare some time for them, couldn't she? It'd probably be a refreshing change of pace to play ninja with these kids. Back in her days in the Academy and at the orphanage she never played ninja. _I was so focused on becoming strong enough to be a ninja that I never really tried being a kid._ Part of her regretted that, but with her new found resolve from the Land of Waves burning within her, she decided there was no such thing as being too old to play a children's game.

Though that wasn't to say she wasn't going to have a little fun with them beforehand. "I don't know, Konohamaru. If you're messing around in class I may not be willing to do this."

The reaction was instantaneous—puffed cheeks in an indignant pout. "Oh that is so not fair!" he whined. The corner of her lip tugged up into a victorious smirk. And then the brat switched tactics from pouting to unbeatable puppy dog eyes. "Come on, Big Sis. I promise I'll stop messing around so much if you do this."

 _Big Sis…_

Now she had to do it. What kind of pseudo-sibling would she be if she didn't play around with her little brother? _A pretty bad one._ Sighing in mock exasperation, she turned her eye to the girl of the pair. "Moegi, will you make sure he keeps his promise?"

She gave the Shadow user a two finger salute and a smile. "You bet, Amari!"

With a nod at the confirmation and a mental note to check in on Iruka-sensei later, Amari proceeded to play ninja with the trio. It would only be for a little while and it wasn't like Kakashi was known for being on time. If anything, she probably had hours to spare based on previous experience. _I'll just lead them over to the training field to appease my need to be early._

A sound plan in her eyes that allowed her to be on time and still play with the kids.

So the four set off in their game of ninja with the Nara of the group leading them to the destination of her choosing and embracing her inner child. The laughter, the smiles, the chakra she used in creating clones to make things more interesting, all of it made Amari feel unburdened and unrestrained by her distant and recent past; as if the shackles of pain had finally been broken off by these three innocent kids to help her escape her internal prison.

When they finally reached the training field, their game devolved into a simple game of tag, or as Konohamaru put it, "Everyone tackle Big Sis!"

She was almost willing to let them win, but she was having far too much fun to give in so easily. Of course there was a fine line she had to tread to ensure they were still having fun. By letting one or two of them get a hold of a clone or herself now and then kept the group hopeful that _this time_ would end in success.

All the fun ended when her limited sensory abilities caught the presence of a powerful shinobi lurking in the trees nearby. "Everyone stop," Amari called. Her two clones were already aware of the presence the same as her. Even Konohamaru seemed to feel _it_ —the feeling of a shinobi preparing to do battle.

As Amari activated her Byakugan, Konohamaru stepped closer to her side while her clones remained close to the other two. "What's going on, Amari?" Udon asked.

 _It isn't just one shinobi_ , she analyzed, a grave expression on her face as her left eye scouted the surrounding area. _Five of them, and they're all staying right on the fringes of my sight where my vision becomes too foggy to make out clear shapes_. By chakra alone, they were strong, but only one was of Jōnin level. That chakra source was to the East with a second, weaker shinobi. North and West were two different signatures, again too far for her to see them and around the same strength as the other weaker chakra signature. Another shinobi was directly to the south and seemed to have two chakra sources, though that was harder to tell.

 _They've surrounded us, and…_ Her brow furrowed. _It seems they know of my sensory limitations. No way it's a coincidence they're all just out of sight._ Concerning as that fact was, there was good news: Kakashi meant to meet her here today and it was already past time for him to be here. _Meaning he should be arriving soon._

It was a hope she would have to hold onto.

"Big Sis?"

"We're being watched." _Scouted for a reason I'm too afraid to voice._ Now wasn't the time for fear. These kids needed her to protect them until Kakashi arrived. If that meant holding off these five shinobi and taking a beating for their sake, she'd do it. She'd be beaten into a state of near death if it meant saving these kids. Amari looked down at Konohamaru's worried expression, her one eyed stare strong and defiant. "I'm getting you three out of here right now. Moegi, Udon—"

A blast of shuriken and kunai aimed right at her and Konohamaru penetrated her vision from the North. _Damn! Not allies! Definitely not our allies!_ "Hold on!" Amari and her clones grabbed onto the shocked children and Body Flickered deeper into the forest to the South.

As she appeared out of her first Body Flicker—her clones next to her carrying Moegi and Udon as she held on tightly to Konohamaru—Amari's mind sped up to match her pace on the possible cause of the attack. _Damn it_ , she cursed, Body Flickering again in synchronicity with her clones. _This is about my eyes, isn't it? Just like Mizuki, these shinobi must have learned about my eyes, only they're coming after me specifically._

The trio of blue-haired shinobi hopped through the forest at high speeds until the real Amari decided on a spot far away from her enemies to settle down and think of a plan. Landing on a large tree branch, they set the kids down so she could examine them for injuries they may or may not have endured.

All three children were unscathed.

 _Good_ , she thought, relieved for a brief moment before falling back into seriousness. _I've endangered these three just by being around them._ Amari clasped her left hand over the graze wound on her right bicep to try to keep it from bleeding too much. _Naruto, I wish you were here to back me up right now._

He wasn't though, and that made it her responsibility to get these frightened kids out of here. The trio huddled close together between Amari and her clones. Eyes darted around the surrounding canopy of trees for their assailants, a few tremors of fear visible as they waited for an imminent attack. _Reminds me of the others when Zabuza first showed up._

These three hadn't faced the reality of a shinobi battle yet. They hadn't faced the Demon of the Hidden Mist or Haku or even Mizuki. _They're still Academy students._ She couldn't fault them for their fear. Everything in the Academy was just training with classmates, in theory circumstances they had to figure out and make preparations for without real consequences.

This, however, was real. This battle could mean the difference between life and death—a fact these three didn't need to be facing at such a young age.

Right now these three needed her to be the pillar of calm Kakashi became for her team. They needed her to be the invincible warrior who made promises she would die to keep if she had to.

They needed her to be Amaririsu Yūhi, the Konoha kunoichi.

Since her injury in the Land of Waves, Amari had been free to just be Amari. She hadn't needed to access her inner warrior and become the fearless kunoichi who told Zabuza Momochi to not underestimate her in a death battle. But for these kids, for their lives Amari would reignite the fires of her inner warrior and become Amaririsu Yūhi again, child of Uchiha and Nara blood and kunoichi of Konoha.

Fun and games were over. These people, whoever they were, would regret ever attacking her. _But first…_

"Listen to me carefully," she spoke to the kids, lowering her hand from her arm and kneeling down onto one knee in front of them. Their frightened eyes met hers. "No matter what happens, stick close to me. I won't let anyone harm you three." She smiled confidently at them. "I promise."

Relief colored their features and their jitters eased. Before she could begin to explain her plan, the presence of another enemy appeared above them. Amari's gaze snapped up and caught only the sight of a blur shooting right at them.

 _Have to move!_

The Amari's grabbed onto the kids again and Body Flickered out of the way, jumping back through the forest towards the center of the training field as the cracking of bark and resounding _boom_ of the powerful attack followed them. _They're not messing around_ , she noted, eye hardening. _But then, neither am I._

She would have gone further south, but just before she Body Flickered she sensed an additional chakra source waiting for them. _I can't risk a trap when I have to care for these three._ If she was captured in a net or they planned to use poison bombs, these three would suffer because of her. She _refused_ to let that happen. No one was going to lay a finger on these innocent kids so long as she had breath still in her body.

 _Where's that pervy Jōnin Ebisu when I need him? Isn't he supposed to be watching after the Hokage's grandson?_ If she saw him after this all cooled off, he was going to be in for an earful.

 _Sensei, where are you? I need you here._ Skilled as she was, she was no match for a five on one assault with a powerful Jōnin among them. _And they tracked me faster than they should have been able to…_ The Nara sighed and continued jumping through the trees. _Which means the shinobi that just tried to attack me is either a sensory type or is in communication with their sensory shinobi._

"How troublesome," she muttered.

With a sensory type among them she had no chance of disappearing or escaping. They'd be able to track her anywhere so long as they kept her in whatever their radius was. _I just have to hold out until Kakashi-sensei arrives._

She hoped like hell he wasn't going to be too late.

Amari and her team of clones landed back on the field and immediately set the children down. "Girls, Manji Formation. Protect the kids."

All three kunoichi took up defensive positions around the kids, dual kunai out and prepared to meet steel with whoever was attacking them.

"Big Sis, do you know what these guys want?" Konohamaru asked.

Much as she wanted to say it was _her_ eyes and _her_ fault, rational thought dictated there were two real scenarios. _Either this is about my eyes or…_ Her Byakugan eye vision shifted to look at Konohamaru. _Or they are after the grandson of the Third Hokage._ For the first time in her life Amari found herself hoping her eyes were the target. If they weren't…if these people were targeting the grandson of the Hokage…War would be on the horizon.

 _I can't tell them that_. It'd only spread fear and unverified information in an already dangerous situation. _Not that it matters anyways because these jerks aren't going to lay a finger on my eyes or these kids._

"No. But…" She locked onto the quick moving shinobi from the South heading right for her. _A few more meters and I'll be able to see who you really are._ "In the end, whatever they want doesn't matter because they're not going to get it."

 _I bet that ninja tool user will throw their weapons right as the taijutsu user gets here. I can depend on my clones blocking the tools, but this taijutsu user is physically fast_. Amari glanced down to her bandaged arms and legs. _And I'm weighed down._

Today was a bad day to put the weighted seals back on. _Manji Formation should keep them covered, but if I instead make a run for it…_ She allowed her gaze to move to the East where the Jōnin was. _They'd just stop me. Even if I did escape they would just track me and then I'd be in an unknown area trying to protect them._

 _Here though I have the advantage. I know these grounds. I just have to—_

Amari's thoughts halted abruptly in shock when the shinobi from the South became visible. _She's…an Inuzuka._ Her grip on her kunais tightened in confused anger. _Why? Why are my fellow Leaf shinobi attacking me?_ The kunoichi had to be maybe a year older than her at most, and yet here she was, hell-bent on attacking her for what Amari had to assume was a chance at her eyes.

 _What is so damned special about these eyes that people would betray their comrades for them?_ She was seething inside, on the verge of exploding in venomous fury.

Before she could act, the Inuzuka jumped from the tree and tackled her to the ground. Amari used the momentum of her assault to flip the ninja off of her and towards her North ally to use her as a human shield, but no other attack came. _Seems there isn't much communication here_ , she thought as she kipped up onto her feet and spun back into defense. _They missed a perfect opportunity to attack at the same time._

Not all hope was loss then. There was still a chance to outmaneuver or outsmart these traitors.

The Inuzuka kunoichi bore the markings of her clan on her face with pride, though her face was far softer in appearance than Kiba's more feral features. On the top of her head was a jet black ninken of the same size as Akamaru resting in the past shoulder length mess of untamed wild dark-brown hair. Her outfit consisted of a zipped up dark blue hoodie, what seemed to be a black shirt under it, clothed black gloves with metal plates on the back of them, shin length black shorts and blue ninja sandals.

Her ninja headband was tied around her forehead and, unlike Kiba, her eyes were ocean blue and held a will that could back down many weaker willed people, at a guess. Amari wasn't a weaker willed person though, not anymore. What kept her from relentlessly assaulting this shinobi without thought was the need to figure out _why_ an Inuzuka was betraying the village. The Inuzuka were known for their fierce loyalty.

Were her eyes really important enough to her to disregard their home?

"What the hell is this?" she questioned, her voice hot with anger. "Why are you attacking a fellow Leaf shinobi and Academy students?"

 _Why are you betraying your home?_

"We aren't here for them. You can stop protecting them," she replied, her voice calm and devoid of dishonesty.

Amari snorted in disbelief. "Right. As soon as you tell your ally to the North to stop throwing ninja tools at me then I'll get right on that, and while you're at it maybe you shouldn't use a taijutsu technique that nearly hurt them as well." She shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere and you're not going to get near them as long as I'm still breathing."

"Heh," the kunoichi laughed. "Looks like you're pretty loyal to your friends."

She sent a glare at the Inuzuka. _Just like you should be to your Village._ "I'll give you one chance to walk away. If you don't, I won't stop until you're unable to continue fighting."

Her enemy's lips split into a wide, feral grin. "Oooh, feisty! I'm going to enjoy this challenge."

"Mimi, wait."

Suddenly the Jōnin's chakra appeared between the two kunoichi's. _Damn, so fast!_ Amari and her clones grabbed the kids and jumped a good distance away from the stronger ninja. Once her eyes finally fell upon the Jōnin, her jaw dropped.

"Guy-sensei? Is something wrong?" the Inuzuka asked, clearly confused by his sudden appearance.

What was he doing here? If he was her Sensei, why was he allowing this fight? Wasn't he an ally? Wasn't he a friend of her mother, Asuma and Kakashi?

"I am so confused," muttered Amari, shaking her head at the strange turn of events. The sound of her voice made the bushy-browed ninja turn to Amari. He wore a serious look but nothing that hinted at what was going on. "You were there when I was found, and you were at the Academy watching me with Lord Hokage, Asuma-sensei, Mom, Uncle Shikaku and Kakashi-sensei…Why? Why is your student trying to attack me and the kids?"

The Inuzuka, Mimi apparently, cocked her head to the side. "You have no idea what's going on, do you?"

"Are you two trying to kill us?" she asked.

Mimi's features became sympathetic at the question. "So that's why you looked so angry."

Two more strong but familiar presences appeared behind Amari. Turning to face the surges of chakra, she found Kakashi standing next to her and Iruka standing behind Konohamaru. "Iruka-sensei, Kakashi-sensei?" A defeated sigh escaped Amari. "This is such a drag. Can someone please explain to me what's going on? I am so confused."

"Thought you'd get away, huh?" Iruka asked, an evil grin on his face and a vein bulging on his forehead in irritation.

"Get away? I thought you said you had the day off?" Konohamaru smiled and laughed nervously at the accusation. Frowning in displeasure of being duped, the Shadow user dispelled her clones to give Iruka the freedom to grab the troublemaking leader of the three students. "Iruka-sensei, I had hoped to see you soon, but I didn't know your students were skipping out."

He offered her a smile. "Don't worry about it, Amari. I was planning on taking Naruto to ramen later. If you have the time, come join us. As for you three."

Iruka and the three students disappeared in a swirl of wind and leaves.

Left with the two Jōnin and the Inuzuka, a very confused Amari looked to her sensei for answers. "Sensei, why were they attacking me? I was playing with the kids and then suddenly a swarm of ninja tools came at us."

"I have to apologize for getting you dragged into this Amari, but you see…" Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck and looked up to the sky with a troubled expression. "How to explain this?"

 _I don't think I've ever seen Sensei so confused at how to explain something_. He never was one to beat around the bush in the past, so to see him trying to find the words to explain whatever this was worried Amari.

What exactly was going on here that would keep Kakashi from saying the truth?

"What my eternal rival is trying to explain is I have challenged you, Amaririsu Yūhi, to a contest!" Guy declared.

 _Eternal rival?_ Amari turned to her sensei for elaboration but received a sigh instead.

"I believe I am the one at fault for this misunderstanding of youthful battle. You see, I thought you challenged yourself to protect three kids while fighting my students. An honest mistake, I assure you."

Honestly stupid, in her opinion. _What kind of idiot would put such a ridiculous stipulation on themselves? I'd get enough of that kind of stress from regular missions._

"Sensei, should I get the others?" Mimi asked.

"Go on, Mimi."

The Inuzuka looked up to her companion. "Ready, Aoko?" Her pure black ninken gave a bark and the two took off in the direction of their teammates. Sensing a troublesome situation ahead of her, Amari decided to deactivate her Byakugan to conserve chakra.

 _I've got a bad feeling about this._


	20. Chapter 19: Fires of Youth

Chapter 19

Fires of Youth: A Half-Breed Shines!

Amari felt completely out of the loop as she looked back and forth between Guy and Kakashi in head scratch worthy confusion. She tried to take a step back and piece together the puzzle she was left with, but regardless of which way she rotated and shifted the pieces, the puzzle came no closer to being solved.

Guy was straight forward in what he wanted: he was challenging her to a contest of some sort. The general meaning behind his words could be grasped quite easily; obviously as shinobi the only real kind of contest they took part in was battle. This was all meant to be a friendly spar…right?

 _Maybe not_ , Amari thought, bringing a hand back up to her cut bicep. The bleeding had stopped but warm pain thrummed from the fresh wound. _Apparently he's Kakashi-sensei's eternal rival, whatever that means._ She could barely understand normal rivalries—an eternal rivalry was out of her logical calculations. Seriously though, since when did her sensei take part in eternal rivalries? He wasn't as lazy as a Nara, but he wasn't someone who got fired up like…well, like Guy was with his beaming grin and what little she heard from her mother and Asuma about the man.

Had Kakashi even had a choice in the rivalry? Was Kakashi a consenting rival or being forced into this relationship? Why did he look so guilty? Was she being dragged into this because of Guy's exuberance?

 _So many questions!_

Today was meant to be her day off, too. Prior to Kakashi setting up this meeting her plan consisted of reading one of the novels she picked up on her errands and teasing Asuma since he stopped by to take her mom out. _Do they realize the golden opportunity I missed out on? They have never known the joy of teasing until they've seen Asuma-sensei all embarrassed._

Amari sighed internally in defeat. There would be other opportunities to tease the man. She'd just have to double up on the next one.

Anyway, it wasn't like she didn't appreciate the opportunity for a new challenge. This entire contest would only serve to give her new measuring sticks to match up to. But why the whole sneak attack? Couldn't they have warned her ahead of time so she could be prepared for the fight?

 _And why am I facing a four on one battle?_ Wasn't that a bit overkill? Sure she was skilled for her age, and it wasn't like she had been slacking off in training since they returned from the Land of Waves. She had doubled her effort and planned to show Kakashi her new technique at their original meeting. The possibility of showing it in live combat was slightly appealing, but she also wasn't sure if her success ratio was one hundred percent yet. To try it and fail in the middle of a spar would be mortifying.

 _Wouldn't it make more sense for his team to take on our team? Wouldn't that be more of a contest?_ It definitely would be fairer. Facing them four on one was like asking her to take on Zabuza alone again.

 _And I barely survived that._

Clones would be helpful, yet she had a feeling Guy's team or Guy himself scouted her abilities before this. _They probably know everything except my eyes._ She gripped her arm tightly in nerves. _I mean…I think he wouldn't tell them. It's meant to be a secret, but the way they stayed just out of range of my eyes…_

It made her gut twist in worry. She didn't want an entire team of strangers to know what power she wielded. What if one of them was power hungry and wanted to steal her eyes? What if they were stronger than her and could successfully take them? _I…I'll have to ask to know the truth._

At the moment it didn't seem like she even had a choice to decline the fight. Guy was practically glowing with the brightness of the sun at the prospect of the contest while Kakashi appeared to be helpless to the entire situation. Her sensei's body language hinted to her untrained eye a past experience with this kind of crazy, and a continuous guilt gnawing at him.

No longer able to stay quiet, Amari directed her attention and confusion to Kakashi. "Sensei, is this some sort of punishment for what happened in the Land of Waves?"

Punishment for jumping in front of his Lightning Blade was the only possible conclusion she could think of. She couldn't blame him if that was the case. The kind of damage her action forced him to give her, the kind of mental trauma accidently killing her might have caused…No one could say she got away unscathed, but then, neither did Kakashi. But why set her up to be pummeled by an entire team? It seemed kind of extreme, at least to her. Surely there was a better way, like giving her large stacks of D-rank missions to complete on her own.

The thought alone made Amari shudder.

Kakashi sighed. "No, this was my fault actually."

Amari tilted her head to the side in further confusion. _His fault?_ How could it be his fault?

"I lost in rock, paper, scissors," he finally admitted.

 _Is he joking?_ She fought to keep a smile down at first and opened her mouth to tell him he almost fooled her, but he continued to stare at the ground, refusing to meet her eye as he rubbed the back of his neck. Her smile fell. "Yo- you're serious?" He stilled for a moment but then nodded.

…No way. No way was he serious about this. Obviously he was dragging this on a little, trying to get her to lower her guard so he could spring the punchline on her. Amari waited a few seconds longer. Nothing about his demeanor changed. Amari tried again for the truth. "Seriously, Kakashi-sensei? You seriously got me into a fight with four people because you lost a game of rock, paper, scissors?" she asked again, a frown beginning to crease her lips.

"…Yeah. I didn't think I would lose," he offered in apology.

Amari slapped her hand to her forehead and quietly groaned. "Can I just point out that thinking you would win a game of chance doesn't even make sense?" Kakashi went to speak but she cut him off by raising her other hand in a stopping motion. "Don't even bother explaining the logic." Sighing, she let her hand fall from her face so she could level her sensei with a dissatisfied frown. "What would have happened if you had won?"

Maybe the reward was worth the risk.

"One of my students would have taken on your team," Guy replied, wearing a victorious grin she could only assume could ever be destroyed by a loss to Kakashi.

Or maybe not.

 _Not even a therapist could fix the issues these two have_ , Amari deadpanned to herself. Quite frankly, having a contest of luck to determine who had to submit a single student to the punishment of taking on an entire Genin squad was ridiculous. No, ridiculous was too plain to describe this situation. Insanity, their rivalry and this idea of fighting an entire team on her own was pure insanity.

 _And now I'm being dragged into it. What a pain._

Why did her sensei have to be so troublesome?

"It seems like a losing proposition for whoever ended up losing rock, paper, scissors," she pointed out in an attempt to get them to see how crazy the idea was. "One Genin fighting an entire squad? You might as well ask me to take on one of you at half your power."

She'd be lucky to land a single blow.

Guy's grin somehow managed to grow even wider than before; pearly white teeth sparkled in the sunlight as a chuckle of victory left him. "Kakashi, it appears your student doubts she can take on my team. Does this mean our score is fifty-one to forty-nine now?"

 _And they keep score?_ She'd be embarrassed for them if she wasn't so incensed by the silent insinuation she was about to address. "You're saying one of your students could beat my whole team?" Of course they were still mostly fresh-faced Genin, she wouldn't deny that, but his students could only be a year ahead of them. The gap of power between them couldn't be _that_ much.

Guy, unwavering in his confidence, nodded without hesitation or sign of doubt. Others might have felt a hint of uncertainty at his response. If he believed a single student was strong enough to take on her team, logic dictated his team was far more powerful than one might expect of young Genin.

None of that logic came to mind for the Uchiha. Oh no, the only thing coming to her mind was the image of her standing on top of four students with her hand and head held high in victory. _Nobody_ insulted her and her team without consequence. When the dust finally settled, Guy's team would only have their sensei to blame for the destruction of their egos and their bodies.

Amari the shy girl was gone, burned up in the fires of Amaririsu Yūhi the kunoichi's rage.

Guy would regret bringing this transformation out of her.

Amari turned to Kakashi with a fire in her eye and soul no Water Style Jutsu could put out. She would represent her team and prove that his decision in using her to take on Guy's team wasn't wrong. "Sensei, _when_ I defeat these chumps, does that tie the score?" Startled by her change of attitude, Kakashi's eye widened a fraction as his head unconsciously nodded in answer. "Then I will fight and even out your score. No one insults Team Seven and gets away with it!" She turned to the bushy browed Jōnin, who was still grinning. "Bring them on so I can crush them into dust."

"All right!" Guy pumped his fist into the air. "The fires of youth will burn today in this glorious contest!"

Right on cue his team showed up, a group of four divided into two boys and two girls, plus the ninken of the Inuzuka. The other girl of the group wore her brown hair in two tight buns with a few short bangs hanging over her forehead protector. Her clothes consisted of a pink sleeveless qipao-style blouse with red sleeve trimmings and yellow fastening buttons as well as dark green pants and blue ninja sandals.

Her eyes were brown and her skin fair, and on her hips were two medium sized storage scrolls. _Obviously she's the ninja tool thrower_ , Amari examined with a critical eye. Those scrolls undoubtedly contained more weapons than she had the patience to count. _She must be a weapon specialist._ She glanced to her cut arm. _And one with really precise aim at that._

From what she could tell, this kunoichi was likely their long range attacker with the ability to fight close range using weapons of some kind. Could be kunais, could be weapons she never fought against before. Either way, she was not to be underestimated.

The two boys' talents were also obvious by looking at them. First was the mini-Guy in the same green spandex, with the same bowl cut, same orange leg warmers and red forehead protector worn around his waist as a belt. Why a belt, she couldn't say. Not like their spandex jumpsuits needed them. What was different, however, was the white bandages wrapped around his hands and wrists.

 _No doubt because of training in taijutsu_ , she analyzed. _Based on what Mom has told me of Guy, he's a master of taijutsu. If this kid is modeling himself after him, I have to assume his peak physical shape comes from intense taijutsu based training._

Her eye flicked between the first three students she examined. _One purely taijutsu user, one mix of taijutsu and ninjutsu and a ninja tool specialist. I guess I can't be surprised by the taijutsu focus here considering who their sensei is._

Amari brought her gaze to the final member of the team, another obvious taijutsu focused shinobi. He was a Hyūga without a doubt, the lavender eyes were a dead giveaway to his heritage. To see another boy with lavender eyes, her heart tightened in her chest as the air felt suddenly devoid of oxygen.

 _Ryu…_

Damn it. She needed to calm her heart down fast. No matter how many times her mind tried to shift this Hyūga's features to match Ryu's, this boy wasn't her fallen friend. Small things were different, the shape of his nose, the shade of his hair color, height and style of clothing…but his eyes, his eyes were almost identical to Ryu's.

 _No, his eyes are different_ , she quickly corrected herself. _Ryu's eyes were kind. He didn't carry hidden anger or carry an air of smugness like this kid does._

He was quite the opposite of both Ryu and Hinata in that sense. Ryu and Hinata looked at her with fondness, their smiles and their presence comforted her. This boy didn't. His lips remained in a neutral scowl, his lavender eyes looked down on her, like he saw her as a lesser being. But…even though the emotions in his eyes were different, the lavender eyes alone were enough to tug at her heart for a time long passed.

 _He's gone. Stay focused on moving forward for Ryu._

Trying to focus elsewhere, she took in his outfit. He wore a khaki shirt, dark brown shorts, a black forehead protector and blue ninja sandals. Bandages were wrapped around his right arm and right leg, indicating to Amari what side he was more prominent in using when he fought.

 _He must use the Hyūga Gentle Fist fighting style like Hinata, which means cutting off my chakra network if he gets close enough._

This was going to be difficult for certain, near on impossible if she let her guard down in the slightest. _What a drag. Sensei, if I could kick your butt I would leave a permanent imprint of my sandal on it._

"So, you're the half-breed," the Hyūga of the group said in a condescending manor.

Something about that word stirred a dark feeling within her heart, a feeling that made her want to feed him his own teeth. _Definitely not Ryu._ Remaining undistracted, though, provided further Intel to the young kunoichi. Mimi tensed up at the word and clenched her hands into fists; her lip curled up in a snarl she struggled to suppress while Aoko's vicious growl was far more audible.

 _Huh, seems he isn't popular with those two._ She'd have to try to use that against them. _But first…_

"And you must be…oh wait, that's right! I know you!" she feigned excitement and let a venomous smirk pull onto her lips. "You're a nobody. Just a fledgling punk unworthy of my time and energy."

His smug look twisted into a snarl. "What did you say?"

Amari ignored him, for now. The action only furthered the boy's anger. _Good._ She wasn't sure why that word set fire to her heart, but it felt like a fresh scab being torn off. A lingering old pain reopened without remorse or care for the knife behind the insult affected her. _That damn insult again_ , a foreign part of her mind growled. It screamed to make him pay, and she planned to listen to it when the time was right.

Nobody would _ever_ call her that again.

"Mistake number one: insulting Amari, her heritage or her team. Guy you and your student may have signed the ticket of failure," Kakashi tagged on in an amused voice.

 _Seems you don't like his attitude either, Sensei_ , Amari thought. She assumed he might scold her for being so rude or arrogant, but he didn't seem to care, though it could be argued it was because he wanted to get a rise out of his eternal rival. His comment alone set a fire in Guy's eyes over the possibility of losing.

"Class, this is Amari." Kakashi sounded as if he was talking to a bunch of idiots as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Appearances can be deceiving, so please watch your steps when you make preconceived opinions on her abilities. She's not liable for paying for your broken pride."

A smug smirk found itself tugging onto the Shadow user's face. _This group is strong, but they're overconfident in their numbers and abilities._ Overconfidence could end any shinobi regardless of strength or skill. It'd lead these four to not fight her as a real threat; a disastrous mistake because Amari wouldn't hold back. She didn't have that luxury when she was alone. _They'll hold back and treat this as a nothing fight, thus leaving themselves open to defeat. As long as I keep a clear mind, I can outsmart them and win this._

"Amari, this is Team Guy," Kakashi introduced in his normal voice, a hint of seriousness that implored her to pay attention. "You've met Mimi and Aoko, and I believe Tenten gave her own introduction judging on that new scratch you have."

"Yes, her kunai and I have met." She nodded to the kunoichi in praise. "Nice throw by the way. Caught me before I could Body Flicker."

Tenten smiled and gave a sharp nod. "Thanks."

"The two you haven't met are Rock Lee and Neji Hyūga. Lee there has become a ninja only using taijutsu, quite the feat I might add," Kakashi explained.

 _Only taijutsu? Hm._ That was certainly a feat to be impressed by. The fact that he had become a ninja without any ninjutsu or genjutsu when graduation _required_ them to use ninjutsu meant he had to be better than good. He had to be a genius in the art of taijutsu, strong and skilled enough for the Academy teachers to overlook his lack of ninjutsu and genjutsu.

 _I'll need to be careful around him. I can hold my own in a fight, but taijutsu like his might be too much for me to handle._ She could take a punch and deal out her damage in taijutsu, but Lee's spandex outfit allowed her to see the muscles beneath the material. His strength would be troublesome, possibly enough to overpower her, and his skill in taijutsu had to be incredible. With Sasuke she had the advantage of speed, flexibility and faster tactical analysis against his strength and skill. But here against Lee she probably couldn't rely on that same advantage to beat him.

 _Best to keep him at a distance and try to hit him with genjutsu or ninjutsu. Thanks for the warning, Sensei._

"Greetings." Amari bowed her head to the bowl cut boy.

He gave her a smile and bowed his head. "To you as well, Amaririsu. I have heard impressive stories of your skills and can't wait to see them for myself."

"I uh-…" Unprepared for his compliment and kindness, Amari cleared her throat and fought off the blush trying to come on. "I appreciate the compliment, Lee. I hope the stories weren't too exaggerated. I wouldn't want to disappoint." And she was going to start rambling any second now if she continued talking. "I look forward to seeing your skills in taijutsu."

"Neji is also skilled in the Gentle Fist style of taijutsu. I'd explain his Byakugan, but you obviously don't need that with all the knowledge you have on the Hyūga fighting style," Kakashi said airily like it was no big deal.

 _Fake him out by telling him I know more than he thinks on his fighting style while really telling me to use my knowledge of the Byakugan to my advantage_. Amari smiled at the frown on Neji's face. _Well played, Kakashi-sensei, well played._

If he was as skilled as Kakashi was silently implying, a straight up fight wouldn't be wise. Unfortunately it was four against one. Even with clones she couldn't keep the three taijutsu users at a distance forever. They'd close in on her and take her down with overwhelming numbers if she spread herself too thin in her attempt to keep them separated.

 _Divide and conquer may not be plausible here. I may have to figure something else out if I stand a chance at winning._

That left one final matter to take care of.

"Can I just ask one question before we start?" Amari asked. Both Jōnin nodded for her to go ahead and ask. "How much do they know about me? Are there any restrictions on my abilities?" She looked to her Sensei in hopes of transmitting her thoughts. _Do they know about the Sharingan and Byakugan I hold?_

Kakashi caught onto her silent questions then looked to his eternal rival. "Guy?"

"They know she is of Nara and Uchiha blood, and that she wields the Sharingan. I have also warned them she wields another secret power, but they are all sworn to secrecy. If they speak of it to anyone outside of our team I have threatened to strip them of their ninja status. So Amaririsu." Guy shoved his fist out in a thumbs up and grinned. "You are free to use your full strength!"

At first she was a bit hurt by Guy telling his team of her secret heritage, but the consequence he gave them for speaking of it…It humbled her immediately. "You didn't have to threaten something so important…but thank you." Amari bowed her head respectfully. Ninja status was sacred to those who earned it. To tell his beloved students he'd strip them of it for breathing a word of her secret was appreciated.

"What exactly are the rules here? I know killing is obviously out, so should I restrain myself from using Fire Jutsus?" She didn't really want to hurt anyone…well, maybe Neji, but she planned to destroy his pride, not his body.

"Nonsense!" Guy waved her question off like it was ridiculous to even consider it. "Use all of your skills. If they cannot dodge a Fire Jutsu in practice then they need to train harder." He brought his hand to his chin. "Though, now that you mention it, I should prepare losing conditions for my team in case they are unable to secure victory. You are my eternal rival's protégé after all."

"Surely that is not needed," Neji stated. "This girl barely dodged Tenten's attack. She won't be able to beat me."

Amari frowned at him. _Definitely not like Ryu or Hinata._ Overconfidence like that needed to be snuffed out before it got his team killed.

"She did have to grab Lord Hokage's grandson. If she was alone I believe her speed would have been sufficient to dodge the attack," Lee pointed out

"Should have seen her moving through that forest, Sir Superiority. For someone carrying a child, she was pretty damn fast and nimble," Mimi informed. Aoko barked in what Amari assumed was agreement.

 _Do I sense tension between these three?_ The kunoichi watched as Neji scoffed at their agreement on her speed but offered no retort. _He has a bigger ego than Sasuke, and I didn't think that was possible._

"I've got it!" Guy suddenly shouted, grinning at the idea on his mind. "If you four lose against Amaririsu, you will do sixty laps around the village and one hundred pushups, no breaks. Sound good?" Before his team could voice their obvious despair to his idea—minus Lee who looked ready for it—he slapped Lee and Mimi on the back since they were the closest to him. "Great! Kakashi, you can have the honors of starting this contest of youth."

Her Sensei let out a sigh and stepped between both groups. "Ready." He brought his hand up and looked between the two groups as Guy's students took on battle ready positions and Amari shifted her feet in preparation to dodge. As his eye fell upon her, he gave her a look that told her to be smart and safe. She smiled at him and dipped her head in a small nod of confidence.

 _Trust me._

He nodded back.

 _I do._

Fighting these four would prove to be a hard fight, but she was ready for it. She'd make them fight for every inch in this battle.

"Begin."

Amari disappeared before the group could even react. Instead of hiding somewhere, Amari reappeared next to the riverbank and knelt down onto one knee. _Hiding is pointless with Mimi's and Aoko's noses and Neji's Byakugan._ She lifted her hands up to create the Clone Seal. _They have the numbers in their favor, and I don't have the ability to create Shadow Clones over and over again without consequence._ Three clones appeared next to her. _Good news is they don't seem to have any mid-range or long range ninjutsu users, only Tenten's ninja tools. I can use that to my advantage by using my Fire Style jutsus when they will be most effective._

 _If the four of us split between them, as long as my clones are careful I'll be able to focus on one opponent at a time._ Her eye flitted between her four enemies. _And as soon as the first one is done, I'll work on the next in a two on one fight, lowering their numbers one by one until it's a one on one battle between myself and whoever I target last._

By the time they realized they needed to take her seriously, it'd be too late. But who to attack first and who to attack last? She knew very little of their individual skills, only the few spoken and unspoken warnings she received from Kakashi. That information alone, however, wasn't enough to devise the correct plan on who was best to take out first and take out last. _I'll save Mimi or Tenten for last_ , she decided. _I can use my clones as reconnaissance with them, judge their skills and decide after I'm done with Neji and Lee._

From where she was standing, the two boys posed the largest threats. Their strength in taijutsu and skill with the Gentle Fist were too dangerous for her to combat last or alone. She needed to single one of them out first and then double team the other. They would likely require the greatest amount of strength to take down, not that she was underestimating her fellow kunoichi's. She just didn't have enough information to judge their overall skill yet.

It was possible by the time she got to them she'd regret picking them last, but for now she was focused on the two boys. _The best way to do this is taking down Neji first. If he is half as good as he thinks he is then he'll be my toughest opponent in terms of strategy._ Her eye flicked over to Lee. _I can't deny that I'm severely worried about my chances in a fight with him. To graduate on taijutsu alone?_

Amari hummed, unnerved by the prospect. _Might be best to attack him with a genjutsu when I get to him. Lock him down in one and then focus on his other two teammates._ Once the boys were dealt with she'd calculate a plan for Mimi and Tenten.

 _My best chance against Neji is to get him to lose his cool. It'll make him unfocused and blind to my real intentions._

Nodding to herself, she activated her Byakugan to keep her enemies in sight. So far they seemed to be waiting patiently to see if she would make the first move. That was their second mistake: giving her room to think without the stress of combat. _Overconfidence will be their downfall. I just have to stay focused and I can win this._

They wouldn't fight her like a real enemy. She would. It was the only way to win, and it showed she respected the challenge they presented as fellow Leaf shinobi. To give anything less than her best would be an insult.

"Girls, team huddle!" Amari announced, pumping her fist to go along with her deception. The four Amari's formed a huddle and locked their arms. As expected, Guy's team let out sounds of confusion. "Listen up, I've got a plan," she whispered, flashing her Sharingan to signal them to activate theirs.

As soon as three red eyes stared back at her, she immediately began mouthing her commands. " _Their Inuzuka partner will hear anything I say so ignore verbal commands._ " The trio nodded. "You and you," she pointed to two of her clones, "I want you to go all out on Lee and Tenten. Destroy them!"

"Yes ma'am!" the pair saluted as they giggled madly at their ingenious leader.

" _Be careful and don't push yourselves. If you can take them on, go ahead, but focus more on discovering their techniques and level of ability to give us an edge._ " She pointed to her third clone. "You, I want you to take down Mimi and Aoko as quick as you can."

"Numbers will be troublesome, but nothing I can't handle."

" _Once again be careful. We don't know anything about her skills other than her cooperation ninjutsu. She may be more dangerous than the others._ "

"And you?" she asked in return.

"I'm going to feed that Hyūga his teeth. I've heard it's rich in calcium." Using her Byakugan, she glanced over to Team Guy and saw Mimi reiterating her plan to her teammates. _Good, they think they know my plan and that's mistake number three: Thinking you know what I'm thinking._ "And, break!"

Her clones left the huddle and dashed after their respective opponents, assaulting them hard enough to give them no choice but to be separated from their other teammates. Amari walked to meet her own opponent, who had left his team to meet her halfway with his arrogance back in full force. "You know, you remind me a lot of how Sasuke was when my team was formed. He was arrogant and believed the team was so far beneath him. It led to his downfall against my Sensei and against me in a spar," she said as soon as they were in speaking distance.

Neji snorted and aimed a smug sneer at her. "What is this? A warning?"

"No." Amari slid her feet into position to prepare for combat. "A warning would imply that I will defeat you and you won't learn anything." Her onyx eye shifted red. "This will be a lesson you will never forget."

"Tough words for someone who has no idea what they're up against." He took up the Gentle Fist fighting stance. "I usually don't care for our Sensei's ridiculous rivalry or his idiotic challenges, but proving that a half-breed like you will never change will be worthwhile."

Neji activated his Byakugan as Amari let out an angered growl and charged him. The gall of this boy to think he was so far above everyone. _I'll enjoy destroying him_ , the vengeful portion of her mind declared.

Amari threw a flurry of punches, hoping to give the boy little to no breathing room to use the Gentle Fist style of attack. If he landed even a single blow to her chakra network, this entire fight could be over within seconds. She _refused_ to let him win. She didn't care if she lost to Lee, Mimi or Tenten. That wouldn't bother her. But to lose to this arrogant punk who _dared_ to call her a half-breed was unacceptable.

Even if it cost her all of her strength, she would stand tall over him.

Neji's skill in taijutsu became apparent with each new block and dodge he performed. Far more talented than she was, but that wouldn't stop her. No way. She hadn't let the enormous gap of skill ward her off from fighting Haku or Zabuza; she wouldn't let it stop her here!

The Shadow user went for an uppercut but found her hand firmly caught by her enemy. In her Sharingan vision she saw his free hand launch at her in slow motion, chakra emanating from his palm as he planned to finish the fight in one blow. _Underestimating me?_ Amari's brow furrowed as she channeled chakra to her feet. _You'll pay for that!_

All at once she released the chakra and launched into the air, breaking Neji's grip on her before he could land his attack. Corkscrewing her body, she used the momentum to send her leg on a one way ticket to knock his head off his shoulders, figuratively speaking of course. _My foot will be right in his blind spot._ A fiery glare took over her red eye. _Take this, you arrogant bastard!_

Neji spun around quickly and blocked her foot just in the nick of time. The power of the kick, however, was enough to force him back. Never one to miss out on an opportunity, Amari sent the chakra throughout her body in preparation for her next attack. The moment her right foot hit the ground she disappeared in a blur of speed, reappearing behind him with another hard kick swinging for his head.

Air was all she found as Neji ducked, but she was on him again throwing another set of strikes he dodged away from with grace and ease. He retreated a few steps and retook his stance, his features calm among the storm of attacks she just unleashed.

 _And not a single attack did any significant damage._

This kid was good, no doubt about that. Amari inhaled controlled breaths as warm blood pumped through her weighed down muscles. _Frontal assault isn't going to work like this. I need to get him to lose his focus and capitalize on his blind emotion rather than blind myself in anger._

"You can't escape my eyes," said Neji. "The Byakugan grants me the sight to see everything from the indecision in your posture to your weak attacks. Your destiny is one of constant uncertainty. It troubles you. It weighs down on your weak heart yet you try to fight against it, and in doing so only cause yourself more pain. You pretend you can become stronger when it is not in your power to decide this. Your destiny has already been chosen. You are sealed to the fate of being a simple half-breed who will never be as strong as a true blooded Uchiha."

 _A true blooded Uchiha?_ Just like _half-breed_ , those words immediately incensed her, but Amari reined her feelings in. Anger solved nothing. Its biting venom would only destroy her from the inside and cause her to lose this battle. The best way to prove this punk wrong was by defeating him.

 _Weighed down, huh?_ Amari snorted, amused by the words. In an instant, she Body Flickered a foot away from where she had once stood, dodging his fast attack at the last moment so she could grab his forearm. _He got that part right. I am literally weighed down thanks to the seals._

"You stupid fool. 'The Byakugan grants me the sight to see everything.'" Such arrogance, it disgusted her. Arrogance like that got people killed. Such blind belief in destiny kept people from surpassing themselves. Her hand closed tighter around his arm. "Well my Sharingan can see through your illusions. That's why." Amari kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him stumbling away from her. "I can say with one hundred percent certainty that you stand no chance against me, you pathetic weakling."

 _You may be more skilled than me, you may be physically stronger than me, but you lack_ _ **real**_ _strength._ Her red eye remained hardened. _Your idea of destiny weakens you; it chains you in a cage you'll never escape. That's why I'll win this._ She kept her thoughts to herself. He wouldn't understand through words. The only way he'd understand would be through defeating him, by proving to him without a shadow of a doubt that her ideals made her stronger than him.

Her intentions were to get in his head, anyways, not debate philosophy.

"What did you say?" Neji growled.

Venom poured into the Uchiha's words and eye as she stared down her enemy. "Too bad your ears aren't as _flawless_ as your eyes. I said you stand no chance against me, because you're _weak_. Take away your Byakugan and you're _nothing_. A one trick pony that I'm growing rather bored with. You think you're tough? Tch, you're not even on my radar. The Hyūga should be ashamed."

Something noticeable snapped in her opponent's eyes. _Found a raw nerve, have I?_ With a roar of anger, Neji charged at her with bad intentions. A smirk formed on her lips. _Those with the most arrogance usually have the most fragile egos. Let's see what you got!_

Amari dodged his attacks instead of trying to block them. If he even grazed her she'd be screwed. First step was to get in his mind, a successful endeavor if she said so herself. Now it was on to the next step: keep him angry, keep him chasing after her so he expended energy while she reserved her chakra and energy for the opportune moment to take him down.

"So much bold talk about your Byakugan. You've come to depend solely on it, haven't you? Fool," she taunted. "Just like my Sharingan, your Byakugan has limitations. Limitations in how far you can see. Limitations in how long you can keep it active, and from what my Hyūga friend told me you even have a limitation in how far around it can see."

Neji dashed in again, intent on striking her down because he believed he found an opening. He didn't. She baited him right into her trap and caught him with her Shadow Possession Jutsu, paralyzing him so she could put the finishing touches on her mental attack.

"Ah yes, the legendary blind spot of the Hyūga. Isn't it so sad that perfect eyes like yours are hindered at birth." Neji growled and struggled to fight his way out of her Shadow Possession. With their toes nearly touching, he'd have to try a lot harder than he was to succeed. "Can't surpass it, right? It just is. So really when you say that I will never change due to some crap about destiny, guess what?" She leaned forward so her mouth was next to his ear. "Neither will you," she whispered sadistically.

* * *

"Neji is done," Kakashi stated confidently. The physical fight continued, but Amari had won the mental battle with a decisive blow. A perfect kill shot no amount of Medical Ninjutsu could save Neji from. He was bleeding out, and depending on how merciful Amari was, his end might be swift or long and painful.

Guy looked over to him, a pensive look on his face at the suddenness of his statement. Kakashi didn't remove his eyes from the fight between his student and Neji. _In a short time frame she picked up on his greatest insecurities and used them against him_. A smile formed behind his mask, pride filling him at his student's wise decision. _She'll continue to toy with him, waiting for the opportune moment to spring her real attack._

Sharpening his student's already katana sharp mind and observation skills worked perfectly. She could clearly see the strengths and weaknesses of her enemy and now she could shift her plan of attack to succeed. Kakashi nodded to himself. _Good work, Amari. You knew you wouldn't be able to win by normal means so you figured out a way to win by any means necessary. You have Neji now in the palm of your hands, but don't let it go to your head and drop your guard. He's still a dangerous opponent and there are three other enemies on the field you need to worry about._

Her clones were doing good work in keeping them from reinforcing their teammates. As long as they kept it up, she wouldn't be outnumbered.

"How so?" Guy asked.

The Copy Ninja lifted his chin up at to the two kids. "Amari's attacking his mind now, letting him waste his energy by striking wildly at her while she expends as little chakra as possible."

Truthfully, the moment Neji called her a half-breed he had sealed his fate. Kakashi had seen the change in Amari's demeanor as soon as that word was thrown at her. So far it didn't seem she would go off the rails like she did in the Land of Waves, but he had no doubt she was planning something big to make Neji pay for it.

Kakashi unconsciously rubbed the back of his neck. _Knowing Amari, it'll hit his ego hard. Possibly even destroy it._ He almost felt bad for the kid. Almost, but not quite.

"So all of her taunting and the harsh words she has spoken are all a part of her attack?" Guy asked, looking back to the kids thoughtfully.

At the moment Amari was dodging around, still passing barbed taunts here and there at the infuriated young Hyūga. Her clones, on the other hand, were taking on different tactics with their respective enemies. To his trained eye, they were performing reconnaissance, learning more about their skills so, when the time came, she could dispel them and come up with a strategy for her other opponents.

Out of all of the clones, the one fighting Lee was taking the worst beating. His skill in Guy's style of taijutsu clearly surpassed her own skill in the art of taijutsu; her usual advantage of nimble speed wasn't as effective against someone who was as naturally fast as Lee was. By continually pressing the assault, there was no time for her clone to think of a strategy beyond dodging.

"Amari doesn't callously seek to hurt anyone, but Neji calling her a half-breed hit a very raw nerve. Something he seems to have done with Mimi as well." Guy hummed in acknowledgement of his point. "Still, even though she might be angry, she hasn't let it blind her to one single truth: a head-on assault against Neji and Lee in taijutsu would lead to failure." He looked over to Guy. "Unlike your team, she knew nothing of her opponents' abilities. So, instead of attacking blindly, she's using her skills of observation to acquire intelligence and find your students weaknesses."

If Guy was worried about the changing odds, he didn't show it. He beamed, clearly impressed by Amari's current strategy. "I see. I must apologize, Kakashi, for I have underestimated you're protégé completely!" His fist shot out to give Kakashi a thumbs up as he grinned. "You've trained her well, but I'd expect nothing less from my eternal rival!"

"Against Amari, underestimation is the worst mistake anyone could make." _Zabuza learned that the hard way._ The cut she dealt to their enemy turned ally would be a reminder of the fierce young kunoichi he underestimated for the rest of his years.

The two seasoned shinobi fell silent again, watching intently as the real Amari dodged under a wild strike from Neji. Seeing an opening, Amari fired off two hard blows to his stomach. "Are you done playing around yet?" she jeered as she dodged back. "Or should I never expect the need to take you seriously?"

Neji came back in faster, his strikes unfocused but still full of dangerous strength. _Easy, Amari. Don't push him too far. He's still an allied shinobi._ Rivalries were fine, but making a real enemy out of a fellow Leaf shinobi was not acceptable.

"Everyone stop!" Mimi shouted.

Kakashi lazily looked over to the Inuzuka. Mimi had a knee pinned into the center of the clone's prone body and her arms pinned awkwardly behind her back. Gears were spinning in her mind; blue eyes darted between every single group as she put together the pieces of Amari's grander scheme. _Hopefully Amari hasn't underestimated her_ , he thought. _Out of all of these kids, she's the one Amari needs to worry about the most._

Lee and Neji were dangerous in close quarters, and Tenten's skill with ninja tools was unparalleled for a kid her age, but Mimi Inuzuka was Amari's biggest threat. Just as Guy scouted Amari, Kakashi scouted Mimi specifically. Although in taijutsu alone she had yet to beat Neji, Mimi's overall skillset topped her teammates. Intellect, reasoning, chakra control, ninjutsu, each of her skills were amazing, far beyond that of her class and that of Amari's.

Movement from the real Amari snapped Kakashi's eye back over to the original battle. Amari reappeared out of a Body Flicker, collapsing onto her side as she all but threw herself away from Neji. Slowly she sat up, her right hand gripping her left arm as her features contorted in agony. _She let her guard down for one second because of Mimi's shout and Neji capitalized. If she wasn't so fast, she'd have been done for._

He may not have liked the kid's attitude, but Neji's skill was undeniable.

"Looks like Neji may not be out of this yet," Guy stated.

Amari dispelled all of her clones and quietly shut her right eye as she moved her right hand into Tiger Seal. Guy's team regrouped; Neji seemed to be slowly calming himself down, refocusing after losing sight of the fight. Mimi took the time to explain exactly what the Nara had been up to.

"She was studying us?" Tenten asked.

"Exactly. She was assessing our strengths, looking for weaknesses and in Neji's case picking apart his mind to get him to lower his guard. We just gave her a cheat sheet to study thanks to her Shadow Clones."

"I'll give her credit, she caught on quicker than I expected," Kakashi complimented. None of her other teammates even noticed it. "But in the end your team gave her too much Intel to work off of." _All except Mimi_ , he added silently. Out of the entire team, Mimi kept herself the most restrained, revealing very little of her true power as she fought Amari's clone. _I hope Amari can see that._

Looking back to his student, he saw that she was still in her thinking pose. As long as Team Guy didn't interrupt her Amari would have enough peace of mind to sift through all of her strategies and pick the one she needed to win this fight.

Amari's eye snapped open, the Sharingan blazing across the field through all of her opponents. _She's figured out a plan._

"Sensei," Amari called to Kakashi. She looked over to him at the posts where he and Guy were standing. "Can I take off the seals?"

"Seals?" Guy and his students questioned in unison.

Kakashi smiled underneath his mask, curiosity piqued at what kind of plan his student cooked up. "Yes, but only take one from each arm and leg."

* * *

A smile tugged at Amari's face. "One from each is all I need." She bowed her head. "Thank you, Sensei." Obviously the whole point of using the seals was to help her become stronger and faster, but to stand a chance at beating these guys she needed to take at least two from each set of limbs. The Shadow user wasted no time in unwinding the tape on her right forearm first. Kakashi showed up next to her and disengaged the seal before stuffing it into his pocket. They did the same for her other forearm and her calves, reducing the extra weight from forty pounds to twenty.

Honestly it felt great to feel a bit lighter again.

After hopping up and down a few times to get used to the lack of weight and stretching out her limbs a little, Amari prepared to fight again. "Okay, shall we continue?"

Her opponents took on aggressive stances. "Try not to let her in your head this time, Sir Superiority," Mimi chastised as she moved onto all-fours.

"Worry about yourself," came his curt response.

 _I've got one shot at pulling this off_ , Amari thought, slowly moving her hands up in front of her. _Once I begin, there's no slowing down. I have to attack with all of my strength and a level of ferocity they have no hope of recovering from._

For the name of Team Seven, for her sensei's win-loss record and her pride as a kunoichi, she would not fail!

 _Time to go full blast!_

Amari's hands sped through the Fire Ball Jutsu handseals, inhaling a large breath before her opponents realized what she was doing. _They're bunched up. With this large attack they'll have no choice but to scatter or get burned._

 _Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!_

A large fire ball launched from Amari's lips; the flames seared the grassy terrain it its wake as it sped towards her opponents.

"Damn!" Mimi complimented, a grin on her face as she and her teammates scattered.

 _Just as I planned. Time to move!_ Chakra already flooding through her body, the Nara bolted from her position, following the trail of her fireball towards her enemies. None of Team Guy had touched the ground yet, all four of them floating helplessly as she appeared and disappeared in a zig-zag formation.

"Tenten, she's coming to you!" Mimi called out.

"Got it!"

Tenten unrolled one of her storage scrolls around her body and unsealed several kunai and shuriken from it. Her sleight of hand was incredible. Her hands captured and threw each bladed weapon in quick succession, yet none of her attacks were thoughtless. Every throw was aimed precisely based on the location Amari would appear at. The Nara was impressed; this kunoichi could measure distances and trajectories even for a high-speed opponent _without_ a dōjutsu. Tenten's accuracy actually forced her enough to pull out her own kunai to deflect the blades as she dashed.

Using her Byakugan, she could see the others were about to touch the ground just as Tenten was landing. _Based on my clones' experiences, she can wield pretty much any weapon from staffs to thrown weapons. But she'll likely retreat back to continue providing long ranged support._

When her foot touched, she would jump again and continue producing ninja tools, buying time for her three taijutsu teammates to close the distance. Even at her current speed, Amari knew she wouldn't catch her fast enough, but she had already prepared for that.

As expected, Tenten landed and jumped again, throwing a series of ninja tools Amari had to dodge and deflect to avoid injury. One grazed her forearm as it slipped through her defenses. In her Byakugan sight she could see Mimi closing the distance on all-fours with Lee right behind her. _You've overestimated your chances and underestimated my abilities. I'll make you all regret that!_

Amari tossed her kunai at Tenten, bouncing her blade off of the set of five her opponent had just thrown to simultaneously deflect them and free her hands for her immediate attack. Her blade cut past Tenten's arm to draw blood just as the Uchiha cartwheeled between two shuriken. Channeling her chakra to her hands, she launched herself forward and up into the air, spinning her body so she was upside down and facing Mimi, Aoko and Lee, her hands already in Tiger.

 _Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!_

A wide continuous flame expelled from Amari and swept across the grass to create a barrier of fire between her and her pursuers. _Now's my chance to take down Tenten._ Twisting her body, she landed on her feet and rolled forward. When her feet were back under her again she channeled the chakra through her body to flash forward and appear right in front of Tenten as she landed. Blade met blade, but the power of Amari's strike was too much for the unprepared kunoichi to handle.

Tenten's eyes widened as she felt her blade leave her hand and fly away harmlessly. As she scrambled to retreat and equip a different weapon, Amari jolted forward, kicking her square in the gut with a hard strike that sent her tumbling backwards across the grass. When she tried to roll out of her tumble she was halted by Amari pinning her to the ground, a blade pressed to her throat.

"Yield," she ordered.

"Darn it." Tenten sighed. "I yield."

Amari removed her knife and placed it back into her pouch. Not a second later, a hard force collided into her cheek and sent her for her own tumble across the grass. _Gah!_ She rolled back onto her feet and slid back on the grass, red eye meeting her bowl cut wearing assailant. _Didn't hold back on that hit_ , she thought, rubbing her cheek where his foot had landed.

"Tenten, are you all right?" Lee asked his teammate, his eyes looking in the Uchiha's direction but not in her eye.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Tenten sat up with a huff of annoyance at losing. "Careful, Lee. She's fast."

He smirked. "I am prepared for the challenge."

 _He's not meeting my eye_ , Amari analyzed, _which must mean he's aware of the Sharingan's genjutsu limitation._ As long as he didn't meet her eye, she wouldn't be able to cast a Sharingan genjutsu on him and eliminate him. She had expected the possibility, but she wasn't pleased by it happening.

 _I didn't expect him to be on me so fast either. Completely slowed me down and took away my momentum._ Amari closed her right hand into a fist. _And now it's my toughest opponents all together and ready for my new speed. Damn it._

Shooting pains shot through her left arm, making her wince and grab at the invisible wound. _Argh, my arm!_

"Neji's one hit did a number on you, didn't it?" a jeering voice echoed from behind her.

 _Damn it._ Amari channeled chakra to her feet and jumped backwards, backflipping over the Fang Over Fang from Mimi and Aoko just in the nick of time. _Don't have time to catch my breath or think anymore._ She landed on a tree branch and leaned back. Air swept past her face as she narrowly avoided a hard kick from Lee. On instinct she kept walking backwards with chakra channeled to her feet, swiftly moving onto the underside of the branch to avoid his continued assault.

Mimi met her on the bottom of the branch and immediately started attacking. A grin split her lips at the irritated look Amari shot her. _They're working together to overwhelm me._ Grunting in annoyance, Amari blocked a punch with a kick and used the attack to also push herself backwards, simultaneously stopping the flow of chakra to her feet long enough to lose traction on the tree, flip and push off the trunk of it away from her two skilled opponents.

 _Neji's attack must have hit a chakra point for it to be hurting this much._ She winced again and stumbled out of the way of a fast attack from Lee, still holding her left arm as she remained on evasive defense. _Every time I channel my chakra through my body, it makes my arm burn even more._

Two hard kicks landed—one from Mimi and the other from Lee—and sent her sliding backwards on her heels. _I can't keep this up much longer. I need a plan!_

"Don't tell me you're done! We're just starting to have fun!" Mimi grinned, going back onto all-fours as Lee took up his stance next to her.

"Come, Amaririsu, show us your full strength!"

"You two are such a pain." She lowered her hand from her arm and stared at her opponents. _Neither of them are meeting my eye. They're watching my feet and predicting my moves from there._ Glancing in her Byakugan to Neji, she found him patiently moving in as his teammates wore her down. _I don't have time to mess around, but I can't think of any way out of this._

Amari looked down at the ground in frustration. _Come on, this isn't your limit. You've got so much more to show. So stop thinking so hard about failure…_ Her red eye snapped up to her two opponents. _And show them you're power!_

Chakra flowed through her a second before she launched head-on at Mimi, Aoko and Lee. Amari landed between them and started throwing precise kicks and punches all the while using her Sharingan and Byakugan to predict her enemies' movements and strikes. A few strikes passed her defenses, the skill of opponents being far greater than hers, but she didn't let them stop her. She threw herself deeper into her fighting spirit, refusing to give either of them any breathing room or satisfaction in landing more than a handful of strikes on her.

Both of her opponents grinned in excitement, and soon she found a grin on her face as all three of them lost themselves to the thrill of the battle. Only the Nara of the trio never lost sight of planning ahead. _I just need one moment._ Amari blocked a fast set of punches from Mimi and kicked her away just in time to bring her arms up to block a flying kick from Lee.

"Impressive. But try to block this!" He disappeared in a flash of speed only her Byakugan could track as he became a blur in her Sharingan. "Leaf Hurricane!"

 _So fast!_ She barely had enough time to block. When his foot connected, Mimi leaped over Lee and spun into another Fang over Fang. Defeat seemed inevitable. How could she alone match these two proficient taijutsu users plus their soon to arrive teammate? Then it happened. In a brief instant in the moments before Mimi's attack landed, her moment appeared.

Lee's eyes wide in excitement met hers, shining with believed victory and pride for her apparent defeat. _Now!_ Her mind screamed as she pooled chakra into her right eye. _Sharingan!_

Lee's leg went limp along with his body. Just as Mimi's strike was about to land, Amari threw herself out of the way, rolling across the grass as the Inuzuka drilled the empty space she had been standing in. _Move, Amari! You have to keep moving!_

Her body ached. Every muscle fiber thrummed from exertion due to the weight she was still carrying. But she had to keep moving. She had to keep fighting. For her sensei's win-loss record, for her pride as a kunoichi, for Team Seven, she had to win.

 _Keep fighting, damn it!_ Chakra surged through her body and she disappeared from the ground. When she reappeared she was sitting on Lee's back, a blade placed to his unconscious body's throat as he snored. Mimi recovered from her missed attack and frowned when she saw her teammate snoring soundly with a smile on his face.

" _Lee_!" she whined. "You got cocky and looked her in the eye, didn't you?!"

A loud snore was her answer.

"Yield…for him," Amari panted.

Mimi sighed. "Lee's done. Leave him be."

Two down, two to go.

Exhaling a deep breath and groan, Amari put her kunai back. "Why did I agree to this insanity?"

The Inuzuka grinned. "Hehehe, hope you're not out of steam yet. I'm still having fun."

"Dynamic Entry!" Mimi's face met a clone Amari's foot.

The real Amari smirked through her beginnings of exhaustion. "Not done ye—"

"Kaaa **kaashiiiiiiiii**!" a shout cut her off. Both Amari's looked over to the adults in confusion. Guy was practically on fire. Huffs and puffs of anger came out of him as he glared at Kakashi, hands clenched into fists as if he was ready to lay her sensei out.

"Hmm? Did you say something?" Kakashi questioned in feigned confusion.

"Did I…miss something?"

"Hehehe," Mimi chuckled as she sat up and rubbed her cheek. "That technique is his."

"Oh," was all she could think of to say. _No wonder you thought it was so funny when I learned it._ Now she just felt plain goofy for using it. Of course it wouldn't stop her, but still. Why couldn't he have picked something cooler to use? Obviously Guy had a huge arsenal of taijutsu attacks, why did he have to—

A hard strike full of chakra landed against her back. "So easily distracted, aren't you?"

Amari coughed and tasted warm blood. _Not…good._

"What the hell, Neji?! Are you trying to kill her?!" Mimi shouted in sudden fury.

He ignored her. Amari glanced over her shoulder, blood trailing down her lips as she tried not to go into a panic attack. Everything hurt. And she felt tired, so tired. Darkness crept into her vision as the world around her began to muffle. "You're finished, pathetic half-breed." The clone that attacked Mimi popped. Amari felt her body beginning to fall to the side…and then she popped into smoke. "What?"

A mesh covered arm shot out from the ground beneath Neji, grabbing his leg tightly. "Didn't see this coming, did you? Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu."

Amari proceeded to pull Neji down into the ground all the way up to his neck. Once done, she crouched down in front of him, a severe red glare searing through him. _He could have killed me with that strike._ She could feel the burning phantom pain in her back, a wound she consciously knew wasn't there but felt too damn real. _Just like the Lightning Blade._

The thought awakened warm aches in her left arm and shoulder. Her scars began to burn, but she did her best to shut it out and focus on Neji. The Hyūga boy growled and tried to move his body to no avail. "This half-breed just outplayed you. Remember that."

She stood up and walked away without sparing another glance to him. _That took more chakra to do than I thought it would._ In the heat of battle she hadn't regulated her chakra properly. Too much chakra had been wasted in that one attack, the result of her desperation to even the odds. Her effort to do so, however, left her with less strength than she hoped for. _I don't think I have enough left in the tank to win this, but at least I showed up that jerk._

It was a small victory, but a win she needed.

"…That went well," Mimi deadpanned to herself. Aoko let off a series of barks. She sighed and shook her head. "True enough. He might have killed her if she wasn't a clone, so I guess this is the better alternative." Another series of barks. "Wish it were so simple. Don't forget, she took out Lee on one mistake. She's a lot more dangerous than we thought." Mimi stood up and exhaled a deep breath. "Looks like we've got our work cut out for us, Aoko."

"Or you could give up," Amari offered.

Her fellow kunoichi grinned at her and shook her head. "Not a chance. You may be dangerous, but I know you're almost out of steam."

Amari couldn't help but smile guiltily. "Caught me."

"How about we spice things up and go all out in one last clash." She dipped her head towards the nearby river. "I know you can stand on water, but can you walk on it as well?"

"Yes," she answered, nodding once. _But not as well as I'd like. I'm better than I was in the Land of Waves, but in my state it'll be harder than usual._

"Come on," Mimi waved her to follow her towards the river. "We'll make this final act a blast!"

The Nara jogged to catch up to her, a sense of dread filling her. _I'm so going to regret going along with this._

As they walked, she decided to ask a question that had been on her mind since she met the team. "…You're what Neji would call a half-breed like me, aren't you?"

Mimi turned her grin to her, no pain or anger lingering in her blue eyes at her use of the word. "You're pretty sharp. Not only have you taken down three of my teammates, but you caught onto the rift between myself and Neji from a short encounter." She nodded. "I am what Sir Superiority calls a half-breed, too. You and I have his destiny rambles in common."

Amari giggled at the nickname Mimi had for her teammate. She'd have to ask her later if she had any others for Lee, Tenten or her sensei. "So if I had to hazard a guess based on what I know of the Inuzuka in my class, then you and your ninken's combination ninjutsu's are only half of what you can do. Seeing as you want to fight on water I have to assume your other specialty is Water Nature, maybe even Lightning if I wanted to be really pessimistic on my chances."

Being electrocuted would be a drag.

"There are some perks to being a half-breed, right?" the Inuzuka stated as they stepped onto the water.

"True."

If you didn't include the murder of her clan, she hit the jackpot in Leaf bloodlines thanks to her kekkei genkai, inner warrior spirit and innate intelligence.

Pain erupted from Amari's left arm again; the muscles in her body tensed in response and she struggled to suppress her grunt of pain. _It's not letting up at all. Not playing it smart, Amari._ Mimi obviously wanted to put the odds into her favor by bringing them onto the water. Going along with it was a bad move if she intended to win.

 _I'm really tired, though._ A nap sounded good right about now. If she just forfeited now, she could head home and pass out in her bed. Soft pillows called to her, coaxing her to concede and be done with this insanity. Yet the fires of her inner warrior refused to die out. They demanded her to keep fighting until she captured victory or passed out from exhaustion.

 _I still have a bad habit of overestimating my strength._ She exhaled deeply from her nose. _Oh well. I'll give it my all regardless, but even losing is an experience. One to learn from and get better because of._

"All right, let's do this. Just for fun, how about we start big," Mimi said.

"Go big or go home they say," Amari said, chuckling nervously.

This was not an ideal situation at all. Her disadvantages were clear to her opponent. Mimi hadn't expended nearly as much chakra as she had, in fact it seemed she had been holding back for the most part, possibly to force the Nara to reveal more techniques and weaken herself to gain an advantage.

If that was her plan, Amari applauded her intelligence, and simultaneously groaned internally at how troublesome this kunoichi was.

"Water Clone Jutsu!"

 _Ah, crap._

Ten clones of Mimi formed out of the water around her and charged in without restraint. "Let's go, Aoko!" Amari didn't even get a chance to see what her opponent was doing, too caught up in dodging and attacking the horde of weaker copies. "Man Beast Clone!"

 _Argh, this is such a pain!_ Amari dispelled one of Mimi's clones with a hard kick to the face and pulled out two kunais. One red eye and a hidden lavender eye darted around to scout nearby enemies. They had her surrounded; the numbers advantage once again was against her, but these clones weren't as strong as the real thing. _Just keep fighting. It's the only way you'll ever surpass your limitations!_

Then she was moving again, slashing one clone to destroy it, kicking another away and piercing it with a kunai before backflipping out of the way of double team attack from two clones.

Her right foot landed first, but as her left went to stand on the surface her foot faltered and dipped into the water. A surge of panic hit her and shot her heart into her throat. _Damn!_ Another clone was on her, too fast for her to have any hope of counterattack as gravity tugged her down towards the blue depths. _They may be weaker, but they're still fierce._ Amari's eyes shone with determination as her left foot moved forward in the water. _But I'm not done yet!_

Swinging her left foot out of the river as she fell backwards led to a large splash of water being flung right into her opponents eyes. _Chakra to my hands and right foot_ , she commanded. A hue of chakra formed around her hands as she landed on the surface of the water, balanced on three limbs. _Now jump and spin!_ She used her chakra to push off the surface and into the air, corkscrewing through the air to land two hard kicks to the clones about to ambush her.

Water splashed across her legs as the two clones dispelled. _That's half of them down._ She landed and blocked a series of punches from another clone before chakra dropkicking it. The attack catapulted her away and dispelled the clone. Her body skipped across the water once before she was back on her feet, eyes searching for the next attack. _She created more clones_ , she noted at the sight of ten clones.

That was the perk of the Water Clone Jutsu, especially with all this water around them. It wasn't as chakra intensive as the Shadow Clone Jutsu, which meant Mimi wouldn't expend too much chakra creating more and more clones to replace the ones she already defeated.

 _I have to take down the real—_

A hand latched onto Amari's ankle. Snapping to the source in shock, she found Mimi floating in the water with her hand steadily pulling her foot down into the water, a victorious grin plastered on her face. "Aoko, now!"

Amari's eyes launched up to see not only the Clones charging in, but a giant vortex of water spiraling towards her. "What the hell?" she awed. _That isn't Giant Vortex Jutsu, that's Fang over Fang! Her ninken's spinning fast enough to create a giant vortex of water!_

Mimi had her foot firmly grasped in her hands. No chance of breaking free in time. Jumping was pointless, Aoko would follow her up into the air and then she'd be truly helpless. _And going into the water could be exactly what she wants._

This was not good.

Her only choices were take the Fang over Fang head-on, jump into the air where she was vulnerable or fall into the water where she was vulnerable. _Oh man, how troublesome! It's going to take me forever to get through my hair!_

Amari disengaged her chakra and fell into the water, narrowly dodging the Fang over Fang from Aoko. And she regretted it. She regretted it so much. The moment she hit the water she could feel how denser it was in comparison to normal. _She knows Water Prison Jutsu?!_ Through her Byakugan she could see Mimi already on the surface of the water, weaving a familiar set of handseals. _Crap!_

With no other plan coming to mind, the Shadow user dove down into the water.

 _What the hell am I going to do?_

* * *

"This match is over," Guy stated, grinning brightly.

Kakashi couldn't help but feel a knot of worry build in his chest for Amari's sake. His student had put up a valiant fight to be sure, but her exhaustion had caught up to her and slowed her down significantly. He didn't just mean in physical speed. Normally Amari would have noticed her real opponent's movements, but between the need to focus chakra to her feet and the fierce attacks from Mimi's clones, she lost track of her.

In the end it led to her falling right into Mimi's plans. _And Mimi hasn't even shown her full power yet._ He had to hope some part of the Inuzuka was still underestimating Amari. It was the only chance she had now at finding an opening.

Neji, Lee and Tenten now sat on the ground next to the Jōnin watching the battle intently. They had all accepted their defeat, not that it hadn't been clear in the first place. No hard feelings were held by Tenten or Lee, the former amazed by Amari's talent and the latter already planning on training even harder for a one on one rematch.

Then there was Neji. Kakashi would've liked to say he was humbled by his loss and could see the error of his way, but he'd be lying if he did. Neji in particular was seething with held back rage at being beaten by someone he saw as lesser. He needed to cool off and, in Kakashi's humble opinion, get over it.

His student had beaten him using her mind. That was fair game in the shinobi world.

Amari came bolting out of the water, likely catapulted off of a clone through chakra, only to be caught in a Water Prison the same as they had against Zabuza. "Not again!" Amari groaned from inside the sphere.

"Forfeit or I'll make you forfeit," the Inuzuka challenged, her ninken jumping back on her head in its normal form.

Amari huffed, crossed her arms and turned her back to her opponent. _Be careful, Amari. You're at her mercy right now._ Being tough when the cards were so obviously stacked against you was a good way to get yourself hurt. Amari was a tough and stubborn ninja, but she knew this jutsu well enough to know she had no way of defending herself.

"Aoko, don't blow out her eardrums. Just give her a taste."

Kakashi's eye bulged at her words. _That can only mean—_

Aoko climbed across the arm she had holding the Water Prison and howled into the sphere. Amari immediately started wailing in pain in response to the high pitched screech. Her hands flew to her ears in a futile attempt to stop the pain cutting through her ears. Doing so did nothing. Even earplugs wouldn't spare her ears at this point.

Guy was right: this match was indeed over.

There was no way for her to escape the Water Prison from the inside, and if Mimi wanted to she could blow Amari's eardrums out easily. Forfeiting was her only option. The only choice in her hands now was how much pain she would endure before it.

"Sound and water make a brutal combination," Guy started to explain, a proud smile on his face at his student's accomplishment. "Mimi figured out how to make the best of both of her specialties by combining her natural ability with Water Nature Transformation and her Inuzuka Clan techniques."

The Copy Ninja hissed out a breath as he could do nothing except watch his student continue to convulse in pain even after the howling stopped. She was visibly shaking inside of the sphere, hands still over her ears to protect herself from another onslaught. _Come on Amari, use your head. Forfeit. You know this fight is over. Don't cause yourself anymore pain._

"Give up. You know you can't escape and I don't want to hurt you any more than I have to," Mimi pleaded, a look of compassion on her face as she looked at the shaking Amari.

"Ne- Never. I- I won't give up."

 _What the hell is she thinking? This fight was over the moment she got caught in the Water Prison._

"Amari, stop being stubborn!" Kakashi called to his student, who visibly flinched at his voice. He wasn't sure if it was his scolding tone or her sensitive ears that caused her to, but he wasn't going to stand here and watch his student get herself hurt over a stupid challenge or what pride she had. "You've proven enough that you can hold your own and that Team Seven is strong. I'm proud of you."

In truth he really was. Against four stronger Genin's a year older than her, she had taken down three of them without any backup. She even performed the Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu. Sasuke wouldn't have been able to get as far as she had in this battle. He believed having the Sharingan would easily grant him victories, but if he wasn't careful he would find out it wasn't that simple against someone like Lee or Neji.

Naruto had his clones, but against Lee, Neji, Mimi and Tenten he would have simply wasted his chakra until being defeated. Sakura still had a lot of work to do before being put into a situation like this on her own, but Kakashi couldn't deny his pink-haired student had a lot of heart. _Training with Amari will really help to improve her skills. All she needs is some confidence behind her attacks and Sakura can one day be a very strong ninja._

Victory in this fight would have only been found through teamwork for his squad or, in this case of how things turned out, through Amari using her tactician mind and fighting spirit. Unfortunately for her, her opponents had pushed her to her limits.

"This contest isn't worth losing your hearing. There is no shame in losing this fight."

She shook her head to his surprise. "Thank you, Sensei, but don't you dare throw in the towel for me! I can still win this." Amari clapped her hands together. "Wind Style."

Kakashi's eye bulged. _She can't have already learned Wind Style: Gale Palm. If she tries to pull it off in her condition…_ "Amari don't!" Kakashi yelled.

"Is she insane?!" Tenten wailed.

"Mimi, disengage the jutsu!" Guy panicked.

Suddenly the Amari inside the sphere poofed into smoke. Mimi brought Aoko into her chest and chakra jumped into the air just as a large explosion of water came flying up under her. Despite nearly being taken down by the paper bombs, Mimi's grin remained on her face.

Aoko was placed back on top of her head, and with her hands free Mimi began going through the Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu handseals. Several meters away from the explosion, the real Amari climbed onto the surface of the water, bracing herself on her hands and knees as she desperately inhaled air.

Kakashi sighed in relief. _If I'm still sane when I'm done teaching her, I'll be lucky._ "Looks like this fight isn't done yet. Mimi won't get Amari with that move again." He did his best to sound confident, but deep down he knew his student was at the end of her rope. If she had a plan to win, she'd need to execute it soon.

"I don't know, Amaririsu looks pretty winded. Mimi still hasn't used nearly half of her chakra," Tenten observed.

She was right. Mimi had the distinct advantages here. He wouldn't deny that whatsoever and wouldn't be ashamed if Amari did actually lose here at the end. But something Kakashi had learned about Amari from her days at the Academy to now was counting her out, even when she was in this state, was a costly mistake.

"Maybe, but remember Tenten, Amari may not have the chakra for a large jutsu like Mimi does, but she still has her mind and her Sharingan. Those two combined or alone are powerful enough to turn this around," Guy reminded.

Lee turned to his Sensei with a quizzical look on his face. "There is something I do not understand, Guy-sensei. You said the Sharingan can turn this around, but Amaririsu could have used her Sharingan many times through our fight, even before she hit me with her genjutsu. Did she choose not to use its full power on us?"

"That is a question I will have to direct to Kakashi for I do not know, Lee."

Mimi's Water Dragon took form but instead of being behind it like Zabuza, she stood effortlessly on top of its head. _This girl's chakra control is far above her age group._ No doubt the result of her training with Medical Ninjutsu. _And now Amari is going to push herself to get better._ He smiled. _I guess I have to thank you for motivating my student more than she normally is._

"Show off!" Amari shouted through her winded breaths.

"Kakashi?"

Guy's voice returned him back to the current conversation. "Sorry. Amari doesn't use its full power, but it's not out of thinking you are unworthy." Lee and Tenten nodded in understanding. "Simply put: Amari has not unlocked its full potential or her own. For example, while Amari can analyze and understand the Water Dragon Jutsu, she doesn't have the ability to create one because she personally doesn't know the Water Nature. Another example would be her clone using the Sharingan to watch your taijutsu, Lee, but as you saw she was unable to keep up even though she could see your moves."

"So the Sharingan is not an invincible weapon?" Lee questioned.

Kakashi let out a humored chuckle. "No, not invincible. As Amari said, even her Sharingan has its flaws the same as Neji's Byakugan. Even my Sharingan isn't invincible. While having it has helped Amari since becoming a ninja, her hard work and refusal to give up in the face of stacked odds helped her to become the ninja she is."

Time would tell how much stronger she would become now that her mind was focused.

Amari stood straighter and created a clone. _This is going to be her final move. She doesn't have much chakra left to stay in this fight._

"You really don't know when to give up, do you?"

"I…can't give up. I have…a promise to keep!" Both Amari's Body Flickered into action, one appearing above Mimi and the other not reappearing in visual sight.

As the Amari in the air took an inhale, Mimi's Water Dragon charged her. Fire met water and battled for supremacy. Steam formed at the epicenter of the battling attacks, but unfortunately for Amari her Fire wasn't strong enough to battle against Mimi's Water. The dragon pushed through the Fire Jutsu until the mouth swallowed his student whole, who at the last second brought her arms and legs up in a futile attempt to guard against the dragon.

Seconds passed and no other Amari struck.

"Did Mimi just win?" Tenten asked to no one in particular.

Kakashi stared at the dragon and the surrounding area carefully in an attempt to find where his student might be. Mimi looked around in confusion and concern, noticeably sniffing the air for her scent.

It was then a smug smirk tugged under Kakashi's mask.

His student was truly too smart for her own good sometimes.

The shadow of a body appeared inside the Water Dragon directly under Mimi. Sensing danger, the Inuzuka looked down just as Amari came flying out. Her fist landed square under her opponent's jaw in a huge uppercut that she followed up with unrelenting taijutsu kicks that sent her opponent sailing hard back down into the water. Amari's exhausted body followed after her, no fight left in it as she fell back first into the water.

"How?" Guy questioned, appearing quite astonished as the Water Dragon dissipated.

The laugh Kakashi gave was a smug one, but it was mostly due to how proud he was of his student. Against the odds, she overcame the challenge and outplayed her opponent even in a tired state. "The Amari in the air was the real Amari. She dispelled her clone as soon as she jumped into the air—out of sight, of course."

"But she got swallowed by the dragon. She shouldn't have been able to do what she did…unless…" Tenten stopped.

"The Fire Jutsu," Guy and his team realized in unison.

A nod was all they received from Kakashi. _She used her Fire Ball to weaken the mouth of the dragon, putting every last scrap of her strength into her attack to soften the blow. When it hit her, she had weakened it enough to avoid the harm it normally would have done. Once inside she probably focused her chakra to her hands and feet in an attempt to stop the current within the dragon from taking her. It would have been a huge struggle, her body undoubtedly took a hard beating, but once she positioned herself under Mimi she launched her attack._

Mimi's mistake was thinking it was just a clone, but Amari used that presumption to her advantage, proving once again that underestimating her was a grave error. Of course it needed to be said that Mimi, just like the rest of her team, didn't fight Amari as seriously as they should have. Had they actually taken her serious as an opponent from the start, his student wouldn't have lasted nearly as long.

Their underestimation was key to her victory, though that did not make her victory any less valuable. After all, she tied his score, a fact he was grateful for.

Amari came afloat bearing the weight of the unconscious Mimi on her back and Aoko on her head. She visibly struggled to swim them all back to the shore, but she made it there just as Kakashi and Guy arrived to help. Amari dragged herself onto her feet after helping Aoko off her head, earning a friendly lick to the face for her effort. Then she braced herself on her shaky legs and did her best to look up at Kakashi.

"Di- di- did I wi- win?" Amari asked, panting from lack of energy.

Kakashi patted her head and offered a closed eyed smile. "Yep. You did good, Amari."

She smiled back. "Don't…say I never…helped you."

Then she fell unceremoniously backwards in exhaustion. She was out cold before she even hit the ground.

"Well Guy, I guess that means we're tied again…" He looked down at the two unconscious kunoichi's. "And by the looks of it we're both going to be facing down the mother and aunt of our students when they hear their kids are in the hospital because of us."

Kurenai Yūhi and Tsume Inuzuka were surely going to give them hell for this.


	21. Chapter 20: Memories: Red Eyes of Pain

Chapter 20

Memories: Red Eyes of Pain

When consciousness returned to Amari, the first thing she became aware of was how absolutely _sore_ she was. Had an entire herd of horses mercilessly trampled over her? Because it sure felt that way. Everything hurt. Pulsing pain from areas she didn't realize even had pain receptors made themselves known as her body awoke from its slumber. Seriously, since when could the tips of her toes actually hurt this bad?

 _Ughhhh…What a dragggg_ , she whined internally.

She was officially never taking part in another of Kakashi and Guy's challenges ever again. _Ever_. Nope. Never again. They could keep all of their insanity to themselves and she would just lie here, melt into this semi-uncomfortable bed and hibernate forever.

"Waking up finally?" a familiar voice called to her.

Okay, so maybe hibernating forever wasn't feasible, not when someone could notice her stirring awake. As Amari creaked her right eye open to shadowed and blurred vision, she became aware of a second sensation: Warmth. Heart melting warmth that made her want to cuddle as close as possible to whatever the source was and never let it go. It was like a cup of hot chocolate during the winter, and oh kami, it was dulling the pain.

"I…love…Medical Ninjutsu," she hummed contentedly.

A snicker and a pup's rumble came from directly above her. She blinked a few times to fight away the shadows and fog to see Mimi Inuzuka hovering over her with Aoko lying on top of her head. Mimi had her damp sweater tied around her waist, revealing her black short-sleeved V-neck and long sleeve mesh top underneath it.

Blue eyes shimmered with mirth as a grin pulled onto the Inuzuka's face. "Hehehe, I bet you do. Your trip into my Water Dragon hammered your body pretty hard—"

"I ought to rip you both to shreds right now!" a female voice shouted from outside of their hospital room.

Whoever that was sounded _really_ angry, yet somehow also incredibly entertained. Was that allowed? Were people allowed to be angry and sound as if they were grinning simultaneously? Amari shifted her gaze slightly towards the source of the voice and then back to Mimi, whose grin had morphed into an amused smirk. Aoko rumbled from the top of her head. "Heh, almost feel bad for them." A soft murmur. "Hey, I said _almost_. Didn't say I actually did."

"What's…" Amari stopped to swallow, hoping it would ease her dry throat. "What's even going on out there?"

"Ah, you haven't missed much," Mimi assured as her green glowing hands moved over the Nara's body. "Been out a little more than an hour from a combination of exhaustion and your injuries. Since you managed to knock me out, Guy-sensei and Kakashi-sensei brought us both here. And," her smile widened, "turns out we both have overprotective guardians who don't appreciate our Sensei's using us in their challenges." She shrugged. "At this point, my Aunty Tsume is just having fun yelling at them. Your mom, I think, is giving them death glares based on their unnerved responses."

Amari offered a weak laugh. "I don't envy them at all." She shifted her body to begin sitting up. "Can you…?" Mimi disengaged her Medical Ninjutsu to help her sit up then continued her work. "So, you're Kiba's cousin."

Mimi smiled at her. "Damn, you don't miss a thing, do you?"

A light blush tinted her cheeks. "…He mentioned he had a cousin who studied Medical Ninjutsu and used Water Style."

"That's me. Lost my parents when I was still a kid so Aunty Tsume took me in."

As tough as Mimi was, Amari could tell by the falling of her eyes that the loss of her parents still deeply affected her. Her heart went out to her. Although she couldn't remember her parents, she still understood how the wounds from losing precious people never really healed. Amari didn't press her anymore on the subject. Reopening old wounds by prodding her for further information wasn't right.

None of her business was the category this fell into.

"Is Aoko okay? The three of us did fall quite far," Amari asked, changing the subject seamlessly. The ninken, in her tired state at the time, looked fine after she carried them to shore, but that was coming from someone who knew nothing of being a medic for humans or dogs.

A light bark. "Yep, she's fine. We've had worse falls when training with our team," Mimi replied.

If she didn't know any better, Amari might have been a little insulted at the notion of her attack not being all that bad. But just the brief encounter with Guy and his students kept the feeling at bay. She had more than enough substantial evidence that he probably trained them all into the ground. _Considering he decided they'd have to do push-ups and laps if they lost with no breaks whatsoever, I can't doubt her word._

"Think your team is running those laps?" Amari asked, honestly curious if Guy actually held them to those kinds of things.

Mimi flashed her a humored grin. "Oh, definitely. Tenten has to be _furious_ right now that I got out of it." She disengaged her Medical Ninjutsu. "That's about all I can do within the constraints the nurses gave me."

"Thank you." Aches still pulsed across her body, but nothing mind splitting or as bad as it had been.

"Anytime," Mimi responded with a nod. "Mind if I sit on the edge here?" Amari crossed her legs under her to give her fellow kunoichi more room to sit and motioned for her to take a seat. Mimi obliged and sat with one leg crossed under her as the other dangled off the bed. She pulled Aoko from her head and sat her in her lap and proceeded to pet her. "Still can't believe you beat us all on your own."

"If we're being honest, you four would have killed me in a real fight." That earned her a cocked eyebrow in a silent ask for elaboration. "In a real fight none of you would have held back in the slightest. I may have had to go all-out to have a chance, but the facts are you four didn't take me as seriously as you would a real opponent." _Except Neji_ , she added silently.

She wouldn't forget the possibly lethal attack he hit her clone with.

"I'm a fellow Leaf shinobi, and it was in the context of our respective Sensei's insane rivalry," Amari continued to explain. "Because of that, instead of fighting me with the intent to survive against an enemy shinobi, three of you took it as a friendly spar." She frowned. "And you all underestimated my abilities significantly. Which really perturbs me."

Mimi stared at her silently for a few seconds, eyes widened a fraction at her analytical breakdown of her opponents' mindsets in their fight. Then slowly it shifted, twisting into amusement. Aoko barked once, and then Mimi fell into laughter. Whatever the ninken decided to input would never be known to her. The laughter alone still tinted her cheeks pink.

Her statement was the truth, though. If Guy's team had come at her from the very start as if she were a real enemy, they would have crushed her within seconds. Instead they let themselves relax and have what fun they could while testing her out. Their number advantage also played a role into their arrogance. Mimi didn't even begin taking her seriously until all of her other teammates were down, and even then she still held back.

They didn't come at her with the same desire to win as she did. It wasn't meant to be an insult to her skills, at least not from three of the four, but it did perturb her greatly that fellow Leaf shinobi didn't take her seriously. How else were they meant to improve if they didn't fight her at full strength?

 _Plus I didn't get to see the true extent of Mimi's power. The small bits I saw leave me actually wanting another fight with her._ What was this kunoichi capable of? Her level of chakra control was refined enough to allow her the ability to stand _on top_ of a Water Dragon. What little Amari saw of her Combination Ninjutsu with Aoko hinted at a serious level of synchronization and power. She also knew Medical Ninjutsu _and_ was clearly above average intelligence in the general sense and in tactical analysis.

Had Mimi taken her as a legitimate threat Amari doubted she would be able to win. To be honest, as happy as she was to win for the pride of Team Seven, she almost wished to have enticed Mimi's full strength and the beating it would entail just to have another measuring stick to grow into.

A strange feeling was budding within her because of their fight. It wasn't just a want to fight her again, it was a _need_ to fight her. She needed to see her fellow kunoichi at full power. Needed to feel her power with every fiber in her body as their fists and jutsu collided. Then and only then would she be satisfied. This victory she earned was worth something, but at the same time it meant nothing to Amari.

No. This last fight hadn't proven anything, not to her anyways. All she had done was fight four Genin who didn't take her seriously. She'd rather be utterly defeated than have this hollow victory. But she didn't want to fight Tenten or Neji. Lee? Maybe, but her desire to fight him did not burn as hot and bright as her desire to fight Mimi.

She felt…something in the few moments of combat she shared with Mimi. It was like a thread that slipped from her hands every time she tried to grab hold of it. Maybe more time around the Inuzuka would help her understand it more. Either way, Amari planned to meet Mimi in combat again someday, hopefully in a one-on-one situation.

"I suppose you've got a point there," Mimi conceded as her laughter slowly came back into control. "I should have known better than to underestimate my opponent." She sent her a daring grin. "But don't think I'll make that same mistake next time."

Amari's lip twitched up into a smirk. _Seems I'm not the only one looking forward to round two._ "I would hope not. Wouldn't want to bruise your ego as much as I bruised Neji's."

"Ha!" Mimi barked a laugh. "Now that was a sight I'd pay to see over and over again!"

Admittedly, Amari would pay to see it again too.

Giggling softly, Amari ran her hand through a clumped together group of long locks and winced when her fingers caught a big knot. "What a pain."

"You're going to have hell getting through that," Mimi teased as she tried, and failed, to hide the laughter beginning to bubble out of her again.

"Laugh it up," the Nara mumbled, bringing both hands up to try to unknot the knot she had caught.

And laugh Mimi did without restraint or remorse as she watched Amari try to take the knot apart gently like it was some sort of puzzle.

Sometimes having long wild hair sucked.

It wasn't long after that Kurenai, Tsume, Kakashi and Guy entered the room. The two men of the group looked as if they had just spent seven nights fending off hordes of enemy shinobi without rest. No physical injuries marked them, but the almost dead eyed look in their eyes and slouched posture told a different story.

Amari faked a cough to conceal her laughter. _Serves you two right._

Tsume Inuzuka bore a far more animalistic appearance than her niece. _Definitely Kiba's mom._ Her brown hair was a long and spiky untamed mess and her upper eye lids were colored the same as the fang clan markings every Inuzuka displayed proudly. She also wore a dark shade of purple lipstick and the standard Konoha uniform, though the suit underneath was brown instead of blue.

The older woman cast a long, examining look to the Nara of the group. What she was looking for, Amari couldn't say, but her hard gaze did leave her fighting hard not to shift uncomfortably. _It almost feels like the first time I woke up in the Village._ Unlike the frightened girl who cowered in fear for her life, Amari held the Inuzuka Matriarch's stare. Tsume finally gave her a small nod, obviously discerning whatever it was she had been looking for.

"Uh…hi," Amari greeted both her mother and Tsume with a small wave.

"So you're the squirt from Kiba's class."

 _Squirt?_ Amari fought to keep her eye from twitching. Why was it always her short stature everyone pointed out?

" _You're pretty tiny for a twelve year old. I'd be worried if I were you. You may never hit a growth spurt and become a woman."_

Her eye twitched. She was going to make him regret those words one day! Insinuating she'd never hit a growth spurt and become a woman. _Hmph!_ She huffed internally. _I'll hit my growth spurt and show him by becoming the woman who defeats the Demon!_

Tsume seemed privy to her internal thoughts based on the grin overtaking her features. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by Mimi. "Aunty, can I go home now?"

Amusement flashed in Tsume's eyes as she turned her gaze to her niece. "Sure." She jabbed her thumb in the general direction of the door. "You can head home as soon as you're done running your laps and doing your push-ups."

Amari tried _really_ hard not to laugh. She did. But the giggles could not be contained when Mimi's jaw nearly dropped off their hinges. _Oh this woman is pure evil! An amazing pure evil!_

"Surely Lee, Neji, and Tenten already did theirs," Mimi tried to get out of it.

Tsume lifted her chin to the door. "They're waiting for you actually. Don't keep them waiting any longer or you'll be late for dinner."

Mimi grumbled in defeat and hopped off her bed to follow her aunt and Sensei out the door with a goodbye tossed over her shoulder to Amari. Their departure left Amari to speak with Kurenai and Kakashi about the fight and how long she'd be staying here. She also received a _long_ scolding for taking part in such a tough fight and refusing to concede.

Adults were a real pain.

To be fair to them, their eyes did reveal their pride in her pulling off the upset victory. Of course they too understood the asterisks to her win, but that didn't keep Kakashi from thanking her for tying his score or her mother from irradiating with pride. Overall, she couldn't help but take her scolding with a smile on her face.

According to Kakashi she'd be stuck in the hospital a bit longer to ensure she'd get back to one hundred percent. Mimi's healing had done wonders in allowing her to move without wincing in pain, but the few cuts she received needed healed; the doctors also wished to run a few more scans to confirm there was no internal damage done by the current of the Water Dragon Jutsu.

Normally the extended stay would have snuffed out her good mood like the flame of a candle without oxygen. Thankfully, and much to Amari's immense gratitude, Kurenai brought her a newer piece of studying material she picked up after her return from the Land of Waves. She hadn't had the time to read it yet, but it was a book written by a master of the Fire Nature Jutsu to help bookworms like her learn to master control over their affinity to the Fire Nature.

What Amari hoped to find within its contents was defined limitations of advanced Fire Nature and possibly tested proof for a jutsu idea she had in mind. Kakashi and Kurenai left her for their other duties. Left in a quiet sanctuary, Amari began her research on the possibility of a Fire Nature variation of the Lightning Blade. Perhaps the author of this book knew of an attempt to use such concentrated chakra and advanced Nature Transformation with Fire instead of Lightning.

For the life of her she couldn't get the idea out of her head. How she figured, if she was going to suffer nightmares of the jutsu, she might as well turn it into a positive by either replicating it with her own chakra affinity or by creating her own ultimate technique.

Replicating it or coming up with her own ultimate technique was a long way off. Like years of rigorous training away. The level of strength and chakra refinement to pull off something that powerful wasn't even in the same universe as Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu. But that's why she was researching it now. Better to get a head start than wait until the next tough opponent to show her how inferior she was again. Another hope was to find out more about her chakra cloak and what she might be able to do with it.

 _As cool as it would be to have a Fire cloak, I'd rather not set myself on fire. Maybe with better control I can shape it into…something?_ She pursed her lips in thought. _I'm not even sure what reshaping it would do. Chakra alone wouldn't do anything. It'd need to be highly concentrated into a single area to inflict real damage like the Lightning Blade…I think._

It was a thought for another day.

"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura," Amari greeted without looking up from her book.

"Ah!" Naruto yelped in shock from outside her window, followed by the distinct sound of him falling over.

The window slid open a second later and the trio jumped in. Visiting hours weren't over from what she recalled, but if they were sneaking in Amari was sure there was a legitimate reason for it.

 _Probably_.

"Can't get enough of hospital food, huh Amari?" Sakura teased.

Amari hummed a laugh and set her book down so she could spend time with her team. The open space on her bed went to Sakura while the two boys of their team found seats and set them up next to the bed.

"How'd you know we were there?" Naruto asked.

"Minor sensor abilities, remember?" Amari reminded.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and muttered, "Loser," under his breath. He then spoke up for all of them to hear, "So, how'd you end up in here this time? Kakashi was light on the details."

"Well, it all started because _someone_ decided he was too busy to play with kids and left the duty to me."

Amari's flat gaze fell upon her best friend, in turn causing him to chuckle nervously as he rubbed the back of his head. "Hehe, uh, yeah. Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it. I had fun with them." Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon were a cute bunch; she couldn't be too angry with them for skipping or for the responsibility of playing with them being thrown on her. "Anyways, this really all started because of Kakashi-sensei having an eternal rival."

Disbelief colored her teammates features at her explanation. She couldn't blame them one bit. _How it happened with Guy-sensei of all people I don't think I'll ever understand. I mean, Kakashi-sensei having an eternal rival is hard enough to believe alone, but with Guy-sensei of all people?_ The two were polar opposites. How had that even happened?

 _I suppose the same could be said about me and Naruto._

"Kakashi-sensei has an eternal rival?" Sakura frowned, a look of skepticism crossing her features. "I'm not buying it."

"Oh trust me, I know how ridiculous it sounds. But here's what happened…"

Amari went onto explain everything from Konohamaru's little group to the ending of the fight. Explaining it only served to remind the Nara how crazy it all sounded. A battle between herself and four Genin because her Sensei lost a game of rock, paper, scissors?

It sounded preposterous.

 _Yet it happened_ , Amari mused.

"Whoa, that's pretty amazing, Amari," Naruto awed. He smiled warmly at her. "You know, you've really grown a lot since we first met. You used to be so quiet and meek, but now look at you! You took on Zabuza alone and a full team of Genin, and you won!"

"Naruto…" Amari sighed. "Thank you, I appreciate the compliment, but don't make me out to be this unstoppable force. I barely escaped with my life against Zabuza." Unconsciously, she brought scarred left hand up to the spot on her neck where Zabuza's blade drew blood. "He nearly killed me on several occasions. It's because of luck and Sensei that I didn't die in my fight with him." Her hand fell. "As for the four on one fight, they didn't take me seriously and underestimated my abilities. If they had fought me as a real enemy, I wouldn't have stood a chance."

"As much as I agree with you, Naruto, about how much Amari's changed, she's right," said Sakura. "When we were on the bridge, there was this…evil chakra that sprouted out of nowhere. I could see its silhouette through the mist. The darkness I felt…" Her fellow kunoichi shuddered. "I'm not sure how you stopped him, Amari. My entire body began to tremble when I felt it."

"If it helps, my entire body froze up in fear because of it," Amari informed. "But as I said, luck and survival based instinct is all that saved me. My skills were only enough to keep me alive long enough for Sensei to save me from my own stupidity."

"We all got lucky," Sasuke stated wisely.

"But that's why we have to train harder, so we can get stronger and win on our own power!" Naruto declared.

Enthusiasm like that was why Amari loved Naruto. He might not have realized it, but Sasuke and Sakura felt the same as him. Their eyes gleamed with the same determination, hints of smiles formed on their lips.

"Precisely, Naruto," Amari said. She lifted her left hand up and gazed at the scars peeking out of her mesh sleeve. "We all have to get stronger. To protect our dreams. To protect each other and keep injuries like this from happening to one another." Amari clenched her hand into a fist. "We're the next generation; that means the future of the village will one day be in our hands. It'll be our duty to protect it and nurture the next generation of shinobi. To guide the future of the village as a Jōnin Sensei, that's my dream."

Naruto visibly deflated. "Aw, but I was hoping you'd be my bodyguard when I became Hokage!" he whined.

Amari giggled and lowered her hand. "If that's my Hokage's orders, I suppose I have no choice in the matter." Naruto beamed at her, making her give him a closed eye smile in return.

"Anyway, what kind of wise guy thinks one Genin fighting a full team is a good idea? Seriously?" Sakura asked rhetorically. She spread her hands out to accent her frustration at the lack of logic. "I mean, come on! We're barely a few months into our shinobi careers, and they go and spring that on her?"

"She has a point," Sasuke agreed. "Too bad they didn't let us fight four on four. It would have been nice training."

On that they all agreed. _Hard to train with other teams when you're always the one turning it into an unfair handicap match. Though I am curious about something._ Amari looked between all three of her teammates. _Why did they sneak in here? It's not like they're trying to avoid anyone, right?_

Had Naruto dragged them in on a giant prank?

Normally Amari wouldn't consider it, but Naruto could likely goad the other two into it given the right words or blackmail. "By the way, why'd you three sneak in?"

"Visiting hours are over, right?" Sakura asked.

Cocking an eyebrow in confusion, she shook her head. "No, still a few hours left actually. Why would you think that?" That was strange. Why would they think visiting hours were over?

A vein seemed to bulge out of Sakura's forehead. Her eyes darkened as her gaze fell upon Naruto, who Amari failed to notice he was miming her to keep her lips zipped.

"Naruto." Sakura created a fist and cracked her knuckles. "You better start running." No other threat was needed. Naruto sprang from his seat and bolted out the window like he mastered the Body Flicker Technique. Unfortunately for him, Sakura was hot on his tail. "You little idiot! Get back here!"

Amari couldn't help but stare a bit dumbfounded at the window before allowing her eye to move to Sasuke. Her fellow Uchiha shook his head in annoyance. "Did I miss something?"

"Naruto said the visiting hours were up today. He made us sneak around the long way and stressed Sakura out pretty badly." Sasuke shook his head again. "Figured he was up to something. Loser."

Amari hummed. Entertaining as it was to watch Naruto and Sakura running around, there were words still needing to be spoken between the two Uchiha's. A conversation that had remained unspoken since her clone first revealed her Sharingan to him. "Want to talk?" Amari asked, implying their heritage by activating her Sharingan and deactivating it.

He nodded and moved to sit down on the edge of the bed where Sakura had been sitting. A strange silence hovered between them at first. Neither really knew where to start or what to ask first. Eventually, Sasuke spoke up. "How long have you known?"

An understandable start. How long had she known the truth? How long had she kept it hidden from him? "Everything I've told you up to this point is the truth. I woke up in the orphanage without a clue of who I was or where I had come from or anything really. It," Amari flashed her Sharingan again, "happened after Ryu died in my arms. Lord Third advised me to keep it secret for my own safety. I didn't get real permission to use it until after we became a team, but that was because Kakashi-sensei told me I needed to start using it."

Sasuke nodded in understanding. Being ordered by the Hokage lightened the blow of hiding the truth from him. She had just been a scared kid who lost the people precious to her a day before. He couldn't blame her for hiding in that circumstance. Well, he could have been a real jerk and still been mad, but he didn't.

So far so good.

"Why didn't you tell us after we became a team?"

"Because…" Amari exhaled a deep sigh. This is where it got tricky. "I've lived in fear of someone betraying me for my eyes since Kasai. I wanted to tell you and the others the truth about everything. My heritage, Ryu's final gift to me, everything. Deep down I knew you three would never betray me for them, but…I could never figure out a way to say it without jeopardizing what little trust we had in one another when we first started."

"Hmm. I get it." A huge wave relief crashed over her. She worried he would be angry or become distant because of the truth. For him to actually understand her reasons lifted the weight off her shoulders and let her breathe easily again. "So…you don't remember how you survived?"

Ah…She hadn't expected to get to that question so fast. "No…I'm sorry Sasuke." One of the reasons Amari dreaded this conversation since the Land of Waves was that question. At the end of the day she didn't have any real answers about her past. She knew her heritage, had a vocal memory of her cousin and her bandana, but no significant details to piece together _how_ she survived. They couldn't reminisce on what once was or talk about their families, not when she lacked the memories of her life as Haya Uchiha.

"I…I can't remember anything about my past life," she admitted, fingers absently tugging at the edge of her damp shorts. Nothing except her cousin's voice remained, and part of her was thankful for that. No way was she ready to handle the full extent of that pain waiting for her yet. "For all I know, we might have seen each other in passing or known each other, yet up until recently you were just a stranger to me."

"You can't remember your family?"

She shook her head, her heart falling further. Kami, this conversation was hitting every harsh chord in her heart. "No. Before I learned of the massacre, I hoped I might see them again. Be taken home, turn back time so I never lost them." Amari shut her eyes and took a deep breath to stave off the heavy feelings beginning to form in her heart. She wasn't alone. Sasuke, too, felt the same heavy feelings building in his heart for the family he lost. "In the Land of Waves, a few memories of my cousin's voice did reawaken, but I can't see his face or remember his name."

Sasuke's eyes fell into despondence. "I…understand."

 _Learning I was of Uchiha blood gave you hope for other survivors, didn't it?_ Amari's heart began to ache for him. All this time he lived with believing he was the only survivor, then he learned of her survival and hope formed in his heart for the possibility of more like her. But in the end she was just another reminder of all those he had lost. The people he could remember while she could not.

"Itachi," Sasuke spat lowly.

"Itachi?" Amari tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Who is—"

White hot pain suddenly pierced her head, and with it a harsh cry out in pain ripped through her throat.

What the hell was this pain?!

Amari gripped her head and cried out again as another piercing stab sent agony shooting through her.

"Amari?" She could barely hear Sasuke's voice over the pain, but she could feel his presence at her side.

Flashes of a man played before her eyes. Soft onyx eyes and tear troughs that accented his features. A face usually blank as stone, but when he smiled it showed how happy he truly was and the layers of emotions that he kept hidden. Then there were red eyes, red eyes similar to her own yet then they changed from three tomoes to full pinwheels.

 _I- I- Itachi!_

"Amari?!" She could feel Sasuke shake her but it was followed by another tear through her mind causing her to cry out again.

 _Wha- what are you doing to me?!_

* * *

Sasuke wasn't sure what the hell was going on, but he didn't need extra details right now. His fellow Uchiha's entire body was trembling from an invisible pain; her eyes glistened with tears, quiet whimpers preceded cries of agony he couldn't stop.

 _Damn it, think you idiot! There has to be something I can do to help!_

"What's going on?" Naruto's voice asked from behind him.

Sasuke spun around to see the worried faces of his teammates. Leaving Amari alone wasn't an option, but they could find the help of a doctor or nurse or someone who knew what to do.

"Don't just stand there! Naruto, Sakura get help!" he ordered.

Sasuke could hear the panic in his own voice along with the anger. This had to be Itachi's doing. He was obviously the one responsible for wiping her memories, which meant he'd also be the one responsible for this pain.

"We'll be back in no time!" Naruto called over his shoulder as he and Sakura sprinted out the door in search for a doctor.

 _Be swift you two_ ,Sasuke thought as he looked at the door.

"I can- I can see him." Sasuke snapped his attention back to Amari. Did she mean Itachi? "Red eyes, tear troughs, black hair, stone faced," Amari described his brother perfectly through her pain.

"Itachi," he hissed under his breath. Now he knew without a doubt that his brother had been the one to do this. In the Tsukuyomi, he had seen his entire Clan and family murdered by his brother, all as a test of skills apparently. He had been told no others had survived.

 _He lied to me._

For some reason that hurt him.

Why did he spare Amari? It was the question Sasuke had been asking himself since the battle on the bridge ended. There were more now. Why did he repress her memories and leave her to be found by an orphanage owner? Wouldn't killing her have made more sense if he wanted her out of the way?

Was she also too pathetic to kill the same as him back then?

Whatever his brothers reasoning happened to be didn't matter. They had both survived and were stronger than they had been all those years ago. Of course he needed to get stronger if he was ever going to beat Itachi; his brother wouldn't have spent the years letting his skills become rusty.

 _Focus Sasuke,_ the boy chastised himself.

"He- he was staring at me. Eyes red searching around, looking for something. Mama was troublesome, left me to find my way from the Clan forest to the Ramen shop. Cold, dark, lonely," Amari spoke in a haunting whisper. "Haya you aren't—"

She screamed out in pain.

Sasuke flinched as a knot began to form in his chest where no emotions had been allowed to surface in a long time. She was in so much pain and he couldn't do anything to help her. All he could do was stand and watch, helpless as he had always been.

"You aren't meant to—"

Suddenly the trembles stopped and her entire body went slack, collapsing sideways into him. Sasuke caught her and examined her with worried eyes. Blank. Her eye was blank; erased of all the emotions he had grown used to seeing.

Fear akin to Zabuza's killing intent hit him as he stared wide eyed at her blank, expressionless eye.

No matter if she had her left eye covered or if she had both eyes revealed, Amari's emotions were always in her eyes. Life danced there, both the good and the scars she carried. To have all that emotion wiped from her eye was downright wrong and frightening.

"Remember," his teammate whispered.

"Amari." Sasuke shook his teammate a little, trying to get her to come back, but her body was as lifeless as her eye. "Hey, stay with me!"

The sound of the EKG machine beeping rapidly settled him into panic. All these emotions weren't meant to be there, but they were, and holding Amari, staring into her lifeless eye as if she had just been killed began eating him up.

He had promised himself this would never happen again. He promised he would never allow anyone he deemed worthy of his care to be harmed again, let alone harmed by the very man who had killed their Clan. Yet if it wasn't for that damn irritating machine, Sasuke would have assumed Amari had died in his arms.

His arms held her tighter in a futile hope that it would somehow prolong her life and keep death from taking her.

 _What the hell did you do Itachi?_

Sasuke couldn't really recall what happened after. Everything became fuzzy as he stood rooted in his spot, arms wrapped protectively around Amari, refusing to let her go until someone who could actually help her arrived. The little things he could remember all revolved around a quick paced chaos. Naruto was there being held back by Kakashi as he tried to push through to see what was happening to Amari; doctors were rushing around trying to figure out what happened, Sakura and Kakashi's voices were calling to him, trying to break him out of his daze.

All the Uchiha boy could hear though were Amari's pained screams echoing in his ears as his vision was clouded by her blank eye staring right at him but not really seeing anything.

" _We all have to get stronger. To protect our dreams. To protect each other and keep injuries like this from happening to one another. We're the next generation; that means the future of the village will one day be in our hands. It'll be our duty to protect it and nurture the next generation of shinobi. To guide the future of the village as a Jōnin Sensei, that's my dream."_

Had she only spoken those strong and profound words minutes ago?

Unknown to him, Sasuke had been unlatched and guided out in his shocked state by a nurse. Sakura was there next to him asking questions he couldn't really hear. Even Naruto appeared worried, for both Amari's state and his current state of shock.

It wasn't until Kakashi's heavy hand rested on his shoulder and his serious eye met his that the world stopped long enough for him to comprehend what was going on. "Sasuke, are you all right?" No, he wasn't at all, but his emotions could wait. He nodded. "What happened?" Kakashi's voice was dead serious.

But where could he even begin? Everything was jumbled up and all so wrong. "My brother…his name." He barely managed to form the words.

Kakashi put his hand up for him to stop. "I understand."

"I don't. One second Amari is okay and the next she's in pain," Naruto said, clearly confused.

"She wasn't meant to remember." His teammates and Sensei made sounds of confusion at his sudden words. With everything finally slowing down, Sasuke was able to recall those very important words. Not only could they help Kakashi figure out what happened, but the way she had said them was strange as well. "Those were her words. Haya you aren't meant to remember," Sasuke repeated.

Kakashi looked at him with interest, but the interest disappeared from his eye with ease as if he was making note of those words yet trying to hide that he was. _She said those words as if someone else was speaking through her_ , he thought. It didn't make sense yet that's how it sounded, and she had called herself Haya instead of Amari. The only people who knew that name, as far as Sasuke knew, were her team and probably her mother. _Which means it has to be something similar to a memory being recorded and played by…whatever caused this._

Once again the whys began to come to the Uchiha. _Why would Itachi make it so she couldn't remember and then tell her she wasn't supposed to remember yet?_

Nothing was adding up.

"Sakura, do you know Ino's father?" Kakashi asked. She nodded in response. "Okay, he should be in the flower shop today. I need you to go get him right now. Naruto, I want you to stay here but don't trouble the nurses or doctors with questions. Amari will be fine." Their Sensei turned to him. "Sasuke, stay here with him. Inoichi will have questions for you."

"What did I do? Her eye turned emotionless," Sasuke prodded, looking for answers to what exactly he had just caused.

Itachi may have been the one who had done this to Amari, but he had been the one to activate it. Would Amari lose all her memory again because of him? Would the mere mention of anything from her past do this to her? If so, what would happen if she was there when he fought Itachi? Would he be able to turn his teammate against him or say a key word to force her into a pained submission?

"Activated a failsafe for a genjutsu to stop Amari from remembering her past and keep her from fighting back by the sound of it." Sasuke lowered his eyes to the floor, guilt gnawing away at his gut. Again Kakashi's hand rested on his shoulder to comfort him. "Don't blame yourself, Sasuke. It wasn't your fault."

Sasuke wasn't sure he believed him, but nodded regardless to avoid any kind of lecture.

"Where are you going, Sensei?" Sakura asked.

"To find Kurenai. I know where she'll be and her knowledge of genjutsu may help us learn more," Kakashi answered.

 _And he doesn't want her to be the last one to find out_ , Sasuke assumed. Facing down Amari's mother now would be better than facing her down if she was the last to find out about the current situation. He just…hoped she could forgive him for doing this to her daughter.

"Come on, Sakura. I'll drop you off at the flower shop. Tell Inoichi I asked for his help and Amari was hit by what we assume was a genjutsu that may have trapped her in her own mind for the time being. He will understand."

Sakura walked over to their Sensei, and in a blur of motion they disappeared.

"Amari will be okay. She'll fight this and be back in no time," Naruto said.

Sasuke remained silent, leaving his blond teammate to let out a sigh before shuffling over to a seat outside of the room. _Trapped in her own mind?_

The words echoed within his mind.

He knew the feeling of being trapped in his own mind. He still remembered that day as if it was yesterday.

This was definitely his brother's handy work.

Amari was tough; she wouldn't let this strike her down so easily. For as long as he had known her, the blue-haired girl had never given up no matter the odds.

This time would be no different.

He had hoped thinking those positive thoughts would make him believe it, but he felt no ease from them…Still, part of him hoped for the best, no doubt the influence of feeling himself grow attached to his team.

Sasuke felt stupid for allowing any feelings grow for them. They were meant to be a means to an end, but now he wasn't so sure about that, especially now that he knew Amari was part Uchiha. Her loyalty to her friends and the Village was rubbing off on him and he wouldn't abandon her, not when she was the closest thing to family he had left.

"Yeah. She'll be fine," he conceded.

* * *

Amari shot up into a seated position, gasping greedily for air as she brought a hand to her head. Every pulsation of her heart was echoed by a thrum of pain across her skull; the crippling pain once causing her to cry out replaced by a migraine she doubted any sort of pain relieving medicine could shake off.

Slowly her eyes recalibrated their sight to remove the foggy haze from her vision, allowing her to notice how different her surroundings were. Not only was her bandana no longer covering her eye as it had been moments before, but the hospital was gone.

 _Where…am I?_

Green grass surrounded her on all sides; a field of some sort that vaguely resembled the training ground Kurenai used to bring her to, yet there were inconsistencies. Above her, the blue sky was darkening as the sun set; pinks, yellows and oranges blended together to paint the sky.

None of this made any sense whatsoever. Sunset wouldn't have been for at least another few hours, and no one would have just _dropped_ her outside. Definitely if they knew who her mother was.

Nobody wanted to irk a Genjutsu Master.

Mentally Amari began to retrace her steps. She had run some errands, played with Konohamaru and his friends, was dragged into an insane rivalry, woke up in the hospital and then talked with her team. _And then Sasuke mentioned a name._

Yes, that had been the start of the pain. The name he cursed, at first she hadn't even recognized it. Obviously the person was an Uchiha, but she wouldn't know the difference between them and a stranger from another village at this point. Then she remembered.

 _Itachi._

No stabbing pains erupted from the name as it had before, which only puzzled her further. Amari half turned to look behind her and let out a startled gasp when her eyes fell upon a foreign structure.

She was not anywhere in the Leaf Village.

A large gate connected to walls of a huge compound sat a few meters away; the stone walls seemed to go on forever and reach to the heavens so no shinobi could enter them. Painted in the center of the gate was a large symbol; actually it was a combination of two symbols forming one large one.

On the right door was half of the Uchiha Clan crest, the red and white fan she hadn't known until Lord Third showed it to her. At the center of the gate the fan cut off down the center—as if cut in half by a blade—and was connected to the Nara Clan crest on the opposite door.

"Amari, I don't think we're in Konoha anymore," the young kunoichi mumbled to herself. Today was becoming an even bigger drag than it already was. Turning back around, her entire body ceased its motion at the sight of a shinobi standing mere inches away. "…Itachi?"

Itachi Uchiha, the boy—man—she had seen glimpses of in her memories in the hospital stood before her, features and eyes as stony as they ever were, clad from head to toe in the armor of the Anbu Black Ops of the Leaf Village. All that was missing was a porcelain mask, otherwise he appeared just like she remembered him: jet black hair in a ponytail, onyx eyes guarded behind walls of armor, handsome yet hardened by his life experiences.

Frightened instinct told her to run, to get as far away as possible from this man before he destroyed her. She couldn't move, though. Shock paralyzed her better than a Paralysis Jutsu. He reached his hand forward, the tips of his fingers moving closer and closer to her face. Panic gained a foothold; her heart began to race and her breathing became faster.

Was he going to take her eyes? Was he going to destroy her with a single move?

Two fingers suddenly collided with her forehead.

"You're early," the stoic Uchiha stated.

Relaxation washed over Amari's being at the sudden familiarity. Her lips quirked up into a smirk. "I've always hated being late."

To her surprise, Itachi hummed in amusement and smiled. "That you have, Haya."

Finally having the wits to take in everything around her without fear, Amari quickly concluded where she really was and what was going on. "We're within my mind, aren't we?" He nodded. "Mm. So what does that make you? Are you a manifestation of my conscious or a different entity altogether, left behind in case something like this ever happened?"

Itachi didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reached the index and middle finger of his right hand out to her in the Seal of Reconciliation; Amari instinctually completed the seal and allowed him to use the grip to pull her smaller form onto her feet.

Everything about this—whatever _this_ was exactly—felt incredibly strange, but Amari decided not to get hung up on the details just yet. _I'm just going to take a page out of Shika's book and go with the flow for now while keeping my eyes open._ More could be learned through patience and silence than loud, expressive confusion.

"A safety switch. I will allow you to speculate on the rest."

 _Classic Itachi_. He never handed out answers. Knowledge and experience had to be earned through your own trial and error for it to mean something. "You never made it easy on me," Amari commented, a reminiscent smile pulling onto her face. It fell quickly in shock as her own words hit her. "I…I can remember."

Memories of herself and Itachi where none had existed before jumped to the front of her mind. Fog still clouded some of the memories, hiding the shapes of other people she might have known in shrouded silhouettes she couldn't make out. The first was of herself piggybacked on a silhouette as Itachi walked with them. Too much of the memory was hidden for her to piece together what was happening, but she could feel the emotions of that day. Primal fear, sorrow, guilt, glee and hope all bundled together.

Another memory flashed into her mind, clearer than the first but in a freeze frame. Itachi's arms were up, guarding a kick she tried to hit him with during a spar. A proud smile curled onto his lips for how much she had grown. Amari hadn't seen it back then, being too focused on trying to fight him and win to show him that he wasn't wrong to train her.

The next memory flash was of his red eyes staring into hers as tears streamed down his cheeks. And his apology, his final words to her before all of these memories were taken from her.

"I-…We knew each other. You helped to train me and…I feel…" Amari brought a hand to her chest as aches of heartbreak started to hit her. "I feel…our bond." And it hurt almost as much as remembering her cousin's voice. "How close…How close were we?"

"Can you not feel it yourself?" Itachi asked.

She shook her head. "Pieces are missing. The memories, they're like incomplete fragments of a past life."

"Hmm. Keep trying to piece them together."

Amari grit her teeth as she tried to focus. So many memories of her old life were bursting to the surface to get oxygen for the first time in years. Every memory wanted to make itself known at the same time, overwhelming her heart and mind with emotions and knowledge she couldn't understand. It was like trying to read in a crowd of one hundred people yelling and screaming at each other; her mind just glazed over everything without really seeing it.

It took time, but eventually she was able to control the storm enough to piece together the important bits. "You were the one who repressed my memories," she finally said before looking up and back at the gated compound. "Which means that's a literal manifestation of my memories being locked away."

"An accurate conclusion."

Now came the heartbreaking part. She turned back to him with hurt in her eyes. "You told me you were sorry before doing this to my mind…but you were apologizing for massacring the Uchiha Clan…and my family."

He nodded, his lips pulled into a tight and sad frown.

A part of her heart shattered at the confirmation. She hoped, damn it did she hope she was wrong about that. But there was no hiding from the truth. Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke's brother and someone she once considered as close to family as her own blood, had killed the Uchiha Clan.

"…Why?" she choked out. "Why did you do this?"

"Because every other alternative was worse."

"Worse than killing your own parents? Worse than killing your entire Clan and leaving behind the Village and your brother?"

How could any alternative be worse than that?

Itachi eyes lowered, but his answer remained firm. "Yes."

Amari turned away to blink away a few tears. Every emotional cell in her body wanted to lash out at him, to scream and yell and cry because he killed her family on the belief of there being no better option. But she swallowed her emotions and wiped away her tears. The Itachi she had known didn't act without reason. If he said there were no better alternatives, she had to believe he was right.

Besides, if even a fragment of what she remembered about Itachi was true, then he was living a never ending hell every single day.

That alone was punishment enough for his actions.

"Why are you here?" she asked at length. Turning back to him, she schooled her features to become neutral. "You hit me with some kind of Sharingan genjutsu, at a guess, to lock away my memories. You also said I was early, which means you obviously had a timetable for when I was meant to remember you and other parts of my past life."

"Astute observation, Haya." He nodded. "You are correct; the blocks on your memories were created by an advanced Sharingan genjutsu created specifically for this intent. The genjutsu," he lifted his chin to the giant door, "would hide your true identity and heritage from everyone, even yourself. And should anyone try to pry information from your mind, it would keep you safe."

"Keep me safe? How?" Amari asked, more interested in the mechanics of this genjutsu than the ridiculous sentiment of safety. _He's not telling me everything_ , she noted internally. _I need to stay sharp and take in every detail I can._

"If someone tried to forcefully break into your memories, the genjutsu would make it appear as if your memories were fully wiped, preventing any interrogator from learning who your family was," Itachi explained.

Amari hummed as she looked from Itachi back to the gate. "Whether through wordplay or entering my consciousness."

"Yes."

That explained how this came about. Up until this point, no one had ever mentioned his name or that of anyone else she might have known in the past. She hadn't been put through interrogation or checked by a Yamanaka Clan member for any reason, likely due to her lack of general knowledge on her own history or the Hokage's order.

 _Though, I wonder if I released one of those blocks unknowingly to gain memories of my cousin and of my real name without this consequence._ It was the only logical conclusion she could think of without more information. But if Itachi's name was trapped like this, other specific names she might have known were probably booby trapped in the same manor—names such as her mother, father and cousin's.

"If this was triggered, does that mean my memories will be wiped again?" Her calm question and voice betrayed the building fear of what might happen to her. Would she…would she forget everyone again? Would she look at her mother and only see a stranger? The pain and fear she felt from it wasn't for the young girl who wouldn't remember anything, but for what kind of pain it would cause her loved ones.

He shook his head and motioned for her to follow him away from the door. Amari followed at his side, hoping he would provide more answers if she stuck with him. _Knowing Itachi he won't be completely straight up unless I continue to pry._

"Yes and no."

 _Example A_ , she groaned.

"Don't be troublesome, Itachi." If this was all truly for her safety then she was thankful for it, but she needed to know more. She needed to understand how the genjutsu worked and the consequences that would happen if this ever happened again.

"You will remember the memories of your past you have unlocked, but you will forget I was here. If others were to know of my presence, they would become suspicious of you, and that would be counterproductive. Until you grow stronger, however, your past memories will remain locked away."

Amari furrowed her brow. "So milestones of strength will grant me back my memories?"

"Not exactly. For now stay focused on the path ahead; you will regain your memories in time," Itachi promised.

Well, that was something to dread and look forward to simultaneously.

They walked in relative silence for a while until Amari decided to finally ask him the question she needed answered the most. "If you killed everyone…why did you leave me alive and cast a genjutsu meant to protect me?"

Itachi didn't answer. Not willing to let it go, Amari grabbed his arm and stopped walking completely. "You were crying, Itachi. A cold hearted killer wouldn't have given a damn and would have killed me as well. If every other alternative was worse, then something else had to be going on. Something that forced you to do something I know you would have never done if you had a choice," Amari said.

She stared deeply into his onyx eyes in an attempt to read the unreadable expression on his face. Unlike her, he had the innate ability to hide all of his feelings and thoughts from his eyes while hers were mirror reflections of her own. It had always been a real pain.

Itachi sighed. "You were always too perceptive for your own good."

Amari wasn't sure if he was upset with that or knew it would happen eventually, but she needed answers. Everything about her life from before the orphanage had been one big dead end mystery she had long given up on solving. But now there was a chance to learn more. Could he blame her for wanting to pull back the curtain a little?

"If this is truly for my safety, if you really had no other choice, then everything I remember about you is true. Your love for your family, the Village, it went beyond that of the average person." Her eyes hardened. "Which means someone else forced you to kill my family."

Someone who would regret stealing them from her.

"Haya—"

"I remember, Itachi. I remember our bond and why it hurts me to have it severed." Her gaze fell away and her grip on his arm loosened. "You…You were the first Uchiha outside of my family to treat me as more than just a half-breed who shouldn't have ever been born. Do you know how much that meant to me back then?" she asked. "The rest of the Clan treated me like…like I was some sort of disgusting disease. They bullied me relentlessly for a long time. To them, I was the lowly half-breed, unworthy of the Uchiha name. But then the eldest son of the Head of the Clan told me I belonged, that being a half-breed didn't matter because my heart was true."

Even after all the years that had passed without knowing who she was, remembering those words Itachi told her made tears well in her eyes. The comfort of her family eventually became hollow, at no fault of their own, but then Itachi told her she wasn't lowly scum. That having a true heart made her more of an Uchiha than those who scorned her. How those words affected her at such a young age couldn't be described by bland words.

The comforts her family had told her suddenly weren't empty words because she was their daughter or cousin. And because of Itachi's words she pushed to become worthy of his praise. To ensure that she didn't let down the people who cared for her and believed in her.

Itachi tried to look away but she tugged on his arm to prevent him from avoiding the conversation. "Itachi, you want me to grow stronger, and I will for the sake of my friends, the Village and my dream, but I need to know why you want me to."

"I can't tell you that yet," he said.

An exasperated sigh escaped Amari as she released his arm and took a step away from him. "Of course you can't. Another part of this damn genjutsu I'm sure."

"I'm sorry, Haya," Itachi apologized, appearing quite sorrowful.

She waved him off. Her irritation of not knowing wasn't at Itachi. Sure he had been the one to repress her memories, but there was no sense in getting angry at him. He had left her alive for a reason; eventually she would figure out why.

"Don't worry about it. If this turns out to be some elaborate trap, then congratulations it's working. But if this is truly all for my safety, I'm sure I'll understand someday." A troubled look crossed her features. _If he wants me to get stronger then there's some sort of tough enemy out there who I could be in danger of facing someday. I'll need to keep training to reach_ _Jōnin level._ She sighed, concerned by her train of thought. _Still, if Itachi has kept my memories locked away for my safety, then it's highly possible the person waiting in the shadows is extremely powerful._

Only one way to find out.

"Why is my heritage such a worry to others that I need to be protected from it?" Amari asked. What was so special about her that people might already fear her?

"Your cousin, your father and many other Uchiha's in your ancestry were gifted members of our Clan. No one believed you would ever gain the Sharingan or follow in their footsteps, but they were all shortsighted fools who underestimated the strength and intelligence of your mother. As for your Uchiha bloodline, the power they wielded with their Sharingan was feared and coveted by all who knew."

"How powerful are we talking?" she asked cautiously.

Itachi's voice was devoid of hyperbole when he answered, "Powerful."

His lack of elaboration did little to settle her nerves.

"Sounds like no one should have that kind of power," Amari mumbled. Itachi stared silently at her for a moment before giving a ghost of a smirk. It was gone too quickly for her to see it. "And I'm guessing that's only half my problems considering my mother was a Nara and you said they had mistaken her for a weakling." He nodded. "Awesome," she drawled.

Two fingers suddenly landed square on her forehead. "You'll do fine, Haya. You've always had a hidden strength within you; I could see it when you were still a child. You just have to let yourself unlock it."

" _You have a hidden gift, Amari. You just have to open it up and give it to yourself."_

Ryu's final words had always been a source of confusion and strength for her. Had his Byakugan been able to see what Itachi had seen within her? Was the strength they saw something to do with her chakra, or was it something else entirely that she still didn't understand? Was it the reason why he entrusted her with his eye and dying wish to stop Kasai?

"Heh," she exhaled a short laugh, "a friend told me something similar once." Amari sat down on the grass and allowed her feet to dangle into the river. Their words of confidence, and even Naruto's most recent compliment, did help her feel like she had gotten stronger, but did gaining new strength mean she really had a hidden gift? Was physical strength enough to fulfill what she needed to do?

"I don't know if I have the hidden gift you speak of but…" She looked up to Itachi with a small smile. "I'll do my best. I haven't given up yet. Don't see any sense starting now."

Itachi smiled down at her before taking a seat next to her. For a long time they sat there staring out into the grand abyss of her mind, listening to the river flow as they got lost in the silence.

Amari did her best to enjoy it while it lasted. Eventually she would have to wake up and forget he had even been here with her. Despite what Itachi had done, he still remained someone she cared for, and it was unlikely that would change. What he had done for her in the past, she would never forget it. Even if their bond was severed, those profound feelings he left within her would never fade away.

"I don't know if you're real or not, and I know I won't remember you being here but…it was nice seeing you again after all these years of not remembering," Amari said.

"Your parents and cousin would be proud of how far you've come," he told her.

Again his words hit her heart hard. "Thank you," she thanked quietly. "If you aren't just a manifestation of my conscious and you meet them before I do, tell them I miss and love them."

Pressure suddenly began to clutch around her brain, bringing back the pain of the migraine she had forgotten about. "Seems your time here is up," Itachi said.

"You should go." He gave a quiet nod in response but did not disappear. Itachi didn't appear to be happy to have this time cut short between them, he actually looked quite perturbed, but Amari poked him right below his forehead protector. "I'll be fine, Itachi. You worry too much."

"Take care, Haya," Itachi said then poked her again.

She shut her eyes and giggled, and when she opened her eyes again he was gone.

The Shadow user blinked then looked around, trying to remember exactly who she had been talking to and why she now had memories of the man she recalled as Itachi. Another push against her mental barrier stopped her from thinking too hard on it.

"Well, no point sitting around. I might as well figure out who is trying to get in my mind, keep them from going in that door and get the hell out of here so I can train."

For some reason she knew she had to get stronger for something. What that something was other than her dream to be a Jōnin Sensei was unknown to her, but her gut told her to train extra hard just in case.

 _Let's go see if I can get the hell out of my own mind and get back to the…_ Amari groaned. _Crap, I was in the damn hospital, and now I'll probably be there even longer!_

 _Man, today has been a real pain._


	22. Chapter 21: Forging A New Link

Chapter 21

A Foreign Presence: Forging a New Link

 _I wonder how the others are handling those missions Kakashi-sensei took them on_ , Amari thought as she checked out of the hospital. Several days had passed since she unlocked the memories of Itachi Uchiha and learned her past life was quite literally locked behind a gated compound.

The new knowledge was…Amari wasn't sure how she felt. Part of her wanted nothing more than to rip the door open and regain the fragments of the past she lost. Years passed without even the slightest hints at her old life. In the end she resigned to never truly learning and forced herself to move forward. If that meant Amaririsu would be a different person in comparison to who she once had been, that was okay because Amaririsu was who she was now. But…deep down she still yearned to know who she had been, who she had loved, who she had lost, if her family would be proud of her or if they abandoned her.

The answers to those questions would come with extreme pain; Amari never deluded herself into believing otherwise. Remembering her old name and the voice of her cousin reinforced that fact. But…was it wrong for her to want all of the shattered fragments back? Without those pieces, could she ever truly be whole? Could she ever truly say she knew herself? Amaririsu was Amaririsu, certainly, but what about Haya? Haya and her family deserved to be remembered.

She couldn't just let them be lost to time when they were a part of her.

Yet, as much as she wanted to remember everything, Amari knew she wasn't ready. By only remembering the small pieces of her past she was left with aches rippling across her heart and fears of the pain destroying her. Even the new memories of Itachi came with pain. She…she remembered how close they were. He had been such an important figure in her life, a boy—man—who lifted her from despair when the other Uchiha's believed her worthless…and when she too began to see herself as a pointless waste of air.

And now he was gone. Severed from her life with no chance of repairing the void left behind. How many others? How many others did she have to remember? Would the pain only increase with every new precious person? No…No, she was not ready to remember. She could not rip that door down and regain what she lost yet. For now they could remain safely tucked away, out of sight and out of mind until she was ready to face her past.

 _I wonder if I'll ever be truly ready._ Could anyone be ready to regain a life they couldn't go back to? To remember people who they cherished but couldn't ever see or hug or speak to again?

" _Sensei…I'm scared of remembering…I'm frightened of what kind of pain it'll bring me. Of the grief I know is waiting for me. I'm afraid…I'm afraid of how alone I will feel without them in my life. My hands tremble…and my heart feels cold when I think about what these memories might do to me. And I- I'm afraid I won't be strong enough to fight it."_

Those words and feelings still rang true. Just thinking about the grief awaiting her or how alone she might feel…Amari shut her eyes and inhaled a deep breath to stop the sudden increase of her heartrate.

 _"I won't lie and tell you that it'll be easy if you do remember your past. Remembering_ _ **will**_ _hurt. But no matter how much it hurts, know that you will not have to shoulder the burden alone. This team, Kurenai, even lazy Shikamaru will be here to support you when or if that day ever comes. Never forget that."_

Remembering the comforting words of her sensei eased her back into a state of calm. One day she would have to face her past, but she wouldn't be alone. Never. She had her teammates, her mother, Shika and others. They would be there to pick her back up, brush her off and help her to keep moving forward.

Inoichi Yamanaka, the father of Ino and Head of the Yamanaka Clan, had been the one to bring her out of her mind. His mastery of his Clan's mind based techniques made it relatively easy for him to reach her. Despite only ever meeting in passing at his family's flower shop, they had a nice conversation about the mechanics behind her mindscape. He immediately recognized the genjutsu and, thankfully, was cautious enough not to push into her past memories.

Getting her memory wiped would be such a drag.

Unfortunately Amari wasn't sure how she even knew of the consequence. She could remember talking to someone, but every time she tried to recall who it was she came up blank. Inoichi believed the person she tried to remember was a manifestation of her consciousness, there to help prevent her from falling into full panic mode.

With his information gathered, he helped her to get back to reality without much fuss. Well, not until she woke up and found her room occupied by Kakashi, Kurenai, Inoichi and Shikaku.

" _Ugh, my head. I feel like I've been on the receiving end of another one of Guy-sensei's and Kakashi-sensei's ridiculous challenges,"_ she had muttered upon waking.

Her comment earned her relieved chuckles from Kakashi, Kurenai and Shikaku.

" _We're glad you're okay, little shadow."_

She would later learn Shikaku had been at the flower shop when Sakura went looking for Inoichi. Concerned about her and hoping he might be able to formulate a plan should they need one, he came along to check on her.

After she and Inoichi explained everything they knew about the genjutsu keeping her memories repressed, and testing to ensure Itachi's name wouldn't send her back into her mind, Amari opened up about what few memories she could fully grasp of her relationship with Itachi. She told them of the profound feelings his words once gave her, how he used to train her and her last memory of him the night of the massacre.

Hearing of his tears and apology before repressing her memories seemed to be difficult for the four Jōnin to comprehend. It didn't add up to them, just as it didn't make sense to her. No coldblooded murderer would shed the tears. Inoichi and Kakashi even questioned if she was certain she was remembering it correctly or if Itachi might have forged the memory. If Kurenai had doubts, she didn't voice them. She just kept an arm wrapped around Amari, holding her close to anchor both her daughter and herself in the comfort of an embrace.

Shikaku was the only one who appeared to consider the possibility it wasn't a planted memory. Then again, he wasn't one to dismiss anything regardless of how unbelievable it might seem. Unbeknownst to Amari, there were deeply personal reasons causing him to piece together their invisible puzzle.

Honestly, she couldn't and didn't blame any of them for disbelieving her memories. No matter how nice he had once been to her, no matter how deeply she once cared for him, he was still responsible for massacring the entire Uchiha Clan—including her family. He was a rogue shinobi, one she couldn't let her guard down for if he ever showed up again.

Amari was actually quite scared for what the Sharingan genjutsu on her mind meant.

" _This genjutsu he placed on me…It can't be undone without wiping my memories. But what if…what if the true purpose of it is something far worse."_

" _You're worried he's using you as a sleeper agent," Shikaku stated instead of asked._

 _She nodded._ _"What if…what if he's waiting for me to get stronger so he can turn me against all of you?"_

 _"While I understand your fear, it's unnecessary,"_ _Inoichi informed._ _"From what I was able to analyze, the genjutsu isn't nefarious in its creation. It has placed blocks on your memories and is actively protecting you, but it lacks the mechanics necessary to force you to do anything against your will."_

" _So it won't turn me against my home?"_

" _No,"_ _Inoichi stated._ _"I've seen my fair share of spies. While Itachi definitely seeks to hide your past from everyone, his genjutsu cannot turn you against Konoha or your friends."_

The relief his words gave her was indescribable.

Their conversation did not last much longer. The adults each took their leave shortly after, allowing her teammates to swarm the room. Much to her surprise, Sasuke was the first one in the room, his onyx eyes alert in a level of protectiveness she had never seen in him. He was also a bit more touchy feely than usual—out of sight, of course. While Naruto was crushing her body in a bear hug, almost in tears as he told Amari how worried he was for her, Sasuke's hand rested on top of hers.

When Naruto finally allowed her to breathe, she did her best to reassure them all she was okay while also reassuring Sasuke it wasn't his fault.

" _Stop blaming yourself, Sasuke,"_ _she said._ _"It was just an accident. Besides, I learned a little more about myself and my past, and that's a good thing."_

It took a lot of convincing, but the guilt in his eyes did lessen tremendously by the time she was done. With the drama out of the way, they were finally able to properly talk about what would happen over the next few days. Obviously her stay in the hospital would be longer than she wanted, and in the meantime Kakashi would be taking her three teammates on D-rank missions to keep them active.

Her teammates were getting restless, and there seemed to be an underlying tension between Naruto and Sasuke since their return from the Land of Waves. She had noticed it days ago, but she had been trying to piece together the reasons so she could nip the problem at the bud before it could grow even larger. From her observations, Sasuke's defeat at Haku's hands was eating at him, and not doing any serious missions was only piling onto his irritation. A huge oversight he seemed to not even be conscious of was how much he neglected to train since the Land of Waves.

He just seemed to be going through the motions, not at all putting forth the same effort he used to. _I'll have to talk to him about that. Sakura, too, because I want her to get stronger in taijutsu._

It was something she planned to work on as soon as she left the hospital behind.

Over the course of the next few days, Amari spent most of her time reading the book her mother left her and spending time with Shikamaru and Mimi, both who dropped by to check on her at different hours of the same day.

Although Amari would have liked to spend time with Shikamaru outside of the sterile white walls of a hospital, it was still really wonderful to be around him again. Definitely since it allowed her to play shogi as they caught up on everything from the Land of Waves to the present day. He, of course, won their game; though Amari deluded herself into thinking she may have almost beat him. She was _so_ close, she could feel it! Next time she would win!

Through their conversation, Amari could tell his worry had grown thanks to the recent events. Shikamaru wasn't one to be very forthcoming with his feelings. He'd call it troublesome. But Amari could hear all the things he didn't say loud and clear.

When Asuma and the rest of Shikamaru's team showed up to get him to go train, he parted with a comment that spoke volumes. _"Try not to be so troublesome, 'Risu."_

Translation: _Please be careful. I don't want you to get hurt._

Amari smiled reassuringly at him. _"I'll do my best, Shika."_

With him gone, she was left alone until Mimi showed up with Aoko. Apparently she heard from Kiba that Amari was still in the hospital after four Jōnin rushed to help her a few days prior. Curious and worried about her safety, she decided to come check in to make sure she was okay.

The two kunoichi spoke at length of what had happened and of the upcoming Chūnin Exams. According to Mimi, Guy had already signed his team up for it and she was dying to know if Team Seven planned to join.

Amari could only burst her bubble. _"Sorry, but I honestly have no idea if Kakashi-sensei will sign us up."_

" _Oh…Well…Damn."_ _Mimi frowned._ _"I was really hoping to fight you again."_

" _Well, there's still about a week until the Exams, and knowing Kakashi-sensei he's probably thinking over it really hard. If he does let us participate, we won't know until the last minute."_

That did the trick in lifting Mimi's spirits. Personally, though, Amari wasn't sure they were ready for it. The Exams would be full of Genin from all the Shinobi Nations, and not all of them would be fresh faced like her team. Some would have a year of experience on them, like Mimi's team, others could be even older and stronger. But if Kakashi did sign them up, she wouldn't be against it. It might end in a crushing defeat, but it would give her a chance to test her strength against shinobi from all across the shinobi world.

The mere thought of fighting tough opponents left Mimi on the verge of bouncing in her seat in excitement. Admittedly, it excited Amari a bit too. But she knew she had a lot of work cut out for her based on what she had seen from Team Guy. If she was going to be able to go toe to toe with Mimi on even ground, she needed to start training harder.

It wasn't until today—the day after being visited by Shikamaru and Mimi—that she was finally getting out of the hospital. The first order of business was to find her team. They'd probably be near their usual meeting location if they were coming back from a mission, otherwise she'd have to check the training grounds and then their homes.

After saying goodbye to the nurse, Amari exited the building and began ninja jumping with her Byakugan activated under her bandana, searching high and low for any signs of her team. They weren't at their usual meeting spot, not that she expected them to be standing around there waiting for her. She hadn't even known the doctors were letting her go until a few hours ago.

 _Guess I'll have to expand my search._ A few minutes of Body Flickering across the rooftops in search of her team finally ended when she came across Konohamaru, his friends, Sakura and Naruto. Some stranger wearing a black outfit held the grandson of the Third Hokage by his blue scarf. On his back was some strange item wrapped under bandages, but she ignored that for the time being. _I leave them for a few days and they manage to start a fight with some strangers?_ Amari came to a stop on a tree branch in the distance to survey the situation before jumping in headfirst. _Why am I not surprised?_

The boy wearing black had a kunoichi teammate; her sandy blond hair was tied in four separate ponytails, her outfit was a single light purple off-the-shoulders garment that went halfway down her thighs with a scarlet sash tied around her waist. She also wore fishnet over her shoulders and legs, specifically her right calf and left thigh while her black forehead protector hung around her neck. On her back was a thin but long black rectangular object that appeared to be a fan of some sort.

From what little she could hear at this distance, the kunoichi seemed uninterested in the whole scene while she attempted to get her teammate to let go of Konohamaru. Naruto suddenly charged in. "Put. Him. Down!" he shouted.

Heightened to alert, Amari's mind and body started taking in details at a faster rate. Sakura stood with Moegi and Udon, a look of worry clear on her face. Her caution was noteworthy enough to keep Amari from jumping straight in. More Intel needed to be acquired before she launched a counterattack.

As Naruto charged in, Amari's Byakugan eye widened as it caught sight of chakra strings launching from the black garbed strangers fingertips. The strings weren't dense enough yet to be seen by the naked eye, making it impossible for Naruto to dodge his enemies attack. Without the aid of a dōjutsu, Naruto was knocked back and onto his butt from an invisible attack.

"Konohamaru!" Moegi and Udon cried in unison for their captured friend.

"Ah! Let me go! You're hurting me!"

"That's the point, you little punk."

Amari snapped instantaneously.

Nobody harmed her friends, especially one as young as Konohamaru.

Between the assault and comment, he had just enough time to blink. As his eyes opened, however, he found a kunai blade resting against his throat and a dark presence next to him. "Let. Him. Go." Her tone was as cold as Zabuza's killing intent made her feel. The two foreigners gasped in shock at her sudden appearance, but his teammate instantly started to move to his defense. She quickly found a clone of Amari pressing a blade to her throat as well. "Do not. Make me. Repeat myself."

"Amari!" Sakura, Naruto, Moegi, and Udon cheered in happiness.

"Sorry I'm late guys. Checking out of the hospital was bothersome, though making these chumps regret laying a hand on Konohamaru more than makes up for it."

"Kankurō," the girl pleaded, a look of fear in her eyes. It wasn't the blade that caused the fear. No, she carried herself with the air of a seasoned kunoichi and couldn't be so easily intimidated. What caused her fear was the level of killing intent crashing off of the two Amari's into the two foreigners. They were drowning in her intent, seeing the visage of a demonic black dragon shrouded around her despite there being none in visual sight.

Before the boy—Kankurō—could let go of Konohamaru, Amari attached her Shadow to him and began unclenching her empty right hand, forcing him to do the same as she stared a hole straight through him. "That's a good boy," she said in a condescending tone. Konohamaru dropped onto his feet, looking hurt yet absolutely thrilled to see her. "Go to my clone, Konohamaru. She'll take you back to the others."

Her clone put her kunai knife back as Amari detached her Shadow from Kankurō, who appeared to be paralyzed in fear from a mixture of her killing intent and the control she took from his body. "Thank you, Big Sis," Konohamaru thanked as her clone walked him back to the group.

 _Now we have you two to deal with._ "You have a lot of nerve touching the grandson of Lord Third."

Both gasped at the revelation of who he had just laid a hand on.

"You're bluffing," he tried to retort, narrowing his eyes at her.

"You think I would waste my time on a bluff?" Kankurō did not respond. Clearly her kunai knife against his throat dissuaded him from talking and believing she would bluff. "You had a cute trick tripping Naruto like that, but you don't fool me. Touch my friends again." Amari's eye became a slit as more killing intent flared to life, making him visibly shiver. "And I will make your worst nightmares feel like a glorious reprieve."

She lowered her blade from his throat and placed it back into her ninja tool box, reining in her killing intent as she turned to leave. As she took a step forward, Amari's Byakugan caught sight of Sasuke appearing in the nearby tree and Kankurō suddenly reaching for her. "You brat!" he shouted.

"Amari, look out!" Sakura yelled.

Amari could have dodged and attacked the shinobi. She could have turned around and sent such a wave of killing intent at him that he'd see the darkest pits of her anger. Instead she Body Flickered up and into a sitting position next to Sasuke. Much as she might have enjoyed pummeling Konohamaru's assailant, she hadn't been so blinded by emotion to not take in tactical information.

 _These guys are Sand shinobi, likely here for the Exams._ No way did she want to be responsible for an international incident. Besides, Sasuke handled it by throwing a rock hard enough to draw blood from the hand meant to grab her. "I was wondering when you'd reveal your presence. Couldn't resist making a dramatic entrance, could you?" she teased her teammate.

Sasuke hummed in amusement, a smirk pulling at his lips. "I figured you could use a warm-up after being cooped up so long."

"You know me so well," she continued to tease. "But to be fair, punks like these aren't enough to give me an adequate warm-up. I'd need a real challenge."

"Hmph. Fair point."

Kankurō growled under his breath as he held his wounded hand. "Arrogant little brats."

Sasuke casually tossed a smaller rock in one hand as he stared down at the two ninjas. "Threatening a kid is pretty low. Didn't they teach you any manners in the Sand?" Sasuke asked, earning another growl from the black garbed shinobi. He stopped tossing the rock, crushed it and let the dust particles fall from his hand. "Get lost," he warned them.

"Or we'll make you," Amari added, her voice firm.

The blonde of the duo actually blushed and smiled as she looked at Sasuke. Seriously, what was with girls around their age? Amari rolled her eye and deactivated her Byakugan. _Girls can be so weird._

Speaking of which, Moegi, Sakura and Udon were squealing over their cool demeanor. Konohamaru on the other hand…

"Why aren't you as cool as them, Boss!"

Glancing over, Amari smirked at Naruto's shoulders and head slumping in depression.

"Hey punk, get down here and bring that tiny brat with you."

 _Tiny brat._ Amari's eye twitched. Oh, she would make him eat those words.

Sasuke sent a deadly glare at Kankurō, and she could almost feel his anger beginning to irradiate off of him.

"Little snots like you two always piss me off. You talk tough, but you can't back any of it up. It's the common trait of a Leaf shinobi."

"Watch your mouth before I knock your teeth in," Amari threatened.

Kankurō grinned and grabbed one of the wraps on his shoulder that held the thing on his back up. "Go ahead and try it. I'll take you both on at the same time." He pulled the contraption off his back and set it down next to him.

His kunoichi teammate's eyes widened in shock. "What are you doing?! Are you actually going to use the Crow for this?"

 _Crow?_ No way was she referring to the avian species. What Kankurō carried didn't even appear to be alive, and it was far too large to actually be any type of crow. _And his teammate seems to be worried about him using it against us._ Obviously it was some kind of weapon, but what? In preparation for a fight, Amari activated her Byakugan to analyze what his weapon might be. _It's a puppet_ , she noted, not at all surprised by the revelation.

His use of chakra threads had been the biggest hint to his fighting style. Suna was known for their use of the Puppet Master Jutsu, which used chakra threads attached to inanimate puppets to attack enemies. Although inanimate, the puppets were still deadly weapons. Or, well, it was more accurate to say they were equipped with deadly weapons and mechanisms all capable of being activated at a distance by a thread of chakra.

"Hmph, at least he has the brains to take us seriously," Amari said out loud. "Still, you'd think a Puppet user like yourself might reconsider revealing his weapons tricks before a real fight."

If her knowledge of his weapon surprised him, Kankurō didn't show it. Instead his grin became wilder. "You two won't even be worthy of a real puppet show."

"Kankurō. Back off."

Chills shot down Amari's spine at the calm, gravelly voice coming from the other side of the tree. _So…evil._ Next to her, Sasuke's eyes grew wide as he too became aware of the far stronger and deadlier presence.

"You're an embarrassment to our village."

The two Sand shinobi stiffened visibly at the new presence. Then fear took over their features, though Amari couldn't blame them for that. She had to consciously exude killing intent, but this shinobi…

"Uh…hey Gaara," Kankurō greeted, the nervous smile on his face and intonation of his voice speaking volumes.

 _Whoever this shinobi is, he's the leader._ Whether because of the fear he controlled them with or the strength she could feel without her Byakugan sight was hard to say. No ordinary Genin could move so quietly and fast without anyone noticing. Amari herself hadn't even sensed his presence until he decided to make himself known.

 _Who the hell is he?_

As Kankurō tried apologizing and blaming them for the confrontation, Amari tapped Sasuke's leg to get his attention. When his eyes met her one, she flashed her Sharingan in an effort to get him to activate his. He seemed to be on the same wavelength, activating his Sharingan without asking for elaboration. Immediately she started mouthing her thoughts to him.

" _We need to watch our step right now. This guy…His chakra seems to know no limits…and it's pure evil. Be careful."_

Sasuke gave a barely visible nod of understanding and deactivated his Sharingan.

"I'm sorry for any trouble he caused," Gaara apologized, though his voice remained flat, indifferent to everything around him. It only sent more chills down Amari's spine.

 _I don't like the feel of this guy at all_ , Amari thought. Gaara suddenly disappeared into grains of sand, reappearing on the ground next to his teammates before telling them to go.

In foolishness or bravery, Sakura stepped forward and demanded to know who they were and what they were doing in the Leaf. According to the kunoichi of the trio, they were here to participate for the Chūnin Exams. The girl's name, based on the Ninja Identification Card she revealed, was Temari.

Either way, if this Gaara was going to enter the exams, Amari wasn't sure she wanted to be a part of it this year.

Sasuke motioned for her to follow him as the Sand trio began to leave before jumping off the tree. Reluctantly, Amari followed after him. "Hey you, identify yourself," Sasuke called.

 _You brought me down here to find out more about the scary kid?_ Amari groaned internally. _Oh man, this is going to be such a drag if you cause a fight._

Temari turned around, her smile returning as a light blush tinted her cheeks. "Hmm? Do you mean me?"

"Ugh, another fan girl," Amari groaned, rolling her eye.

Sasuke, despite his seriousness, actually smiled at Amari's comment. "No, him. The guy with the gourd on his back."

Gaara stopped walking and turned back around to face them. He was pretty short for a boy, shorter than Naruto actually. He had short, spiky red hair, fair skin, and pale blue-green eyes. He lacked pupils and eyebrows equally, and if that wasn't strange enough, the left side of his forehead had the kanji for "love" tattooed or carved in red. Amari wasn't sure which.

His outfit consisted of a short-sleeved black full body suit with three-fourth lengthed legs and an open neck. A white cloth went over his right shoulder and left side of his hips along with a wide leather band system, likely meant for holding his gourd up. His black forehead protector was over the band.

"My name is Gaara of the Desert." Somehow his cold eyes managed to drill even further into their souls. "I'm curious to know about the two of you as well. Who are you?"

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha," Sasuke said.

"And my name is Amaririsu Yūhi," Amari said.

No other words were spared between them. The two Uchiha's met his cold stare with unwavering stares of their own, none of them willing to back down whatsoever.

"Hi there! I bet your dying to know my name right?" Naruto asked in a cheery voice behind them.

"I couldn't care less," Gaara responded before turning back around ninja jumping away with his team.

Normally Amari would have comforted her friend, but three more chakras caught her attention. None nearly as strong as Gaara, but their presence also held evil within it. She turned her body and stared right at them as Naruto started yelling at Sasuke over…whatever he was angry about. Amari wasn't listening. These shinobi bore a Village symbol she had never seen before, the symbol of a music note. One of them had their entire head wrapped in bandages while his male and female teammates appeared to be normal. Although upon closer inspection, the other male shinobi seemed to have something strange just beneath the surface of his body.

She allowed a smirk to curl onto her lips. _Interesting._

"Amari?" Sakura's voice broke her from her stare.

She offered her teammate a reassuring smile. "It's nothing to worry about." The trio in the tree disappeared. _Nothing to worry about for now at least_. Amari deactivated her Byakugan and walked over to her teammate. "Sleeveless looks nice," she complimented.

Sakura's outfit remained relatively the same, only now her top was sleeveless. As someone who wore a tank top constantly, Amari liked the new look.

Sakura made a sound of confusion at first then looked down at her outfit. "You think so?"

Amari nodded. "Yep."

Sakura smiled in response and gave a confident nod. _Confidence in her looks is good, but I need to get her confident in her abilities as a shinobi. I'll ask her about training; don't know what kind of day they had before this._

"You want to start training or are you too worn out from missions?" Amari asked. _I've been in a bed for a few days so I have a lot of energy to let loose_. Examining her team, she could see Naruto of them all was a little beat up, though he had his usual energy to him. Sakura and Sasuke appeared to be no worse for wear, though Sakura did show signs of mental exhaustion. _Probably from dealing with the boys without me to balance them out._

To Amari's utter surprise, Sakura nodded and smiled. "I'm up for it. Let's go now."

 _So eager…_ Amari smiled but allowed her eye to shift to Sasuke. _What did you say to her Sasuke?_ There was no doubt in her mind that something had happened since she was gone. The rift between Naruto and Sasuke over their rivalry seemed to have grown, but Sakura seemed more distant from the boys, more reserved.

"Okay, let's go to our usual training ground. Boys." Sasuke and Naruto dropped their glaring contest to acknowledge her voice. "Stay alert. With all these other shinobi around, it would be best none of us let our guards down."

They both nodded. "Where are you going?" Naruto asked.

"Going to train with Sakura since you two are too busy with your lovers quarrel." Both boys blanched. "Once you two remember the importance of training together instead of staring each other down, come find us." Without waiting, Amari grabbed Sakura by her bicep and Body Flickered down the path and out of sight. "Sorry about that, Sakura. Didn't want to give them a say in the matter."

"No harm done." The two began walking to training ground three. "They've been like this ever since the Land of Waves," Sakura said thoughtfully.

"I noticed too. Haku really did a number on them in his Ice Mirror Jutsu. Naruto wants to prove he is better than Sasuke, and Sasuke is tired of doing D-ranked missions and wants to become stronger."

"And we're stuck in the middle," Sakura groaned.

"Problem is Sasuke isn't training as hard as he could. He's been distracted, even before my trip to the hospital. Naruto is also being too big of a knucklehead, thinking more on trying to make Sasuke look weak than actually training to do it. Troublesome boys." The Shadow user shook her head. "I have to get their heads back in the right mind." A giggle made its way out of Sakura. Confused, Amari turned and raised an eyebrow at Sakura. "What's so funny?"

"I was just thinking about how similar they're acting to how I used to act when it came to you. Instead of actually trying to do anything to improve myself, I started calling you names." Sakura offered an apologetic look. "Sorry about all that."

Caught off guard, Amari smiled awkwardly. "No worries. We're a team now and I'm happy to help." _Though I am going to find out what the hell Sasuke said to you to make you apologize for the name calling. Not only was she really eager to train, but apologizing to me for something back at the Academy?_

Something serious definitely went down in her absence, and she planned to find out.

Still, overall this was good. Without the boys around, she could help Sakura improve her abilities and build their bond as friends and comrades.

Once they finally reached the field Amari moved to stand across from Sakura. "All right, first I want to analyze your abilities so I can see the strengths and weaknesses to your fighting style. Then after that we'll work on amplifying your strengths and covering your weaknesses."

She activated her Sharingan and took up her fighting stance. _I need to go easy on her. Sakura's confidence in her physical skills is exactly where mine was when I woke up in the orphanage. Without Ryu and Kasai motivating me to get better, I would have stopped trying. From what I remember of Itachi training me, he didn't give me a choice but to get better. Mom was a mix of the both; she motivated me to get stronger but never went easy on me. Thanks to her training, I learned not to leave myself open by taking hits._

 _Which means I need to channel Mom and Itachi so I'm motivating yet giving her no other choice but to get stronger._

"Do not hold back. I am not going to beat you down, but I will not go easy on you. No one ever learned without making mistakes," Amari said.

Sakura gave a confident nod and took up her own fighting stance and charged in, throwing a series of punches in an attempt to land a blow.

 _Straight forward approach._ Amari blocked two punches, batting them to the sides to open Sakura up for a strike. She landed a kick to her stomach to knock her back a few feet. Sakura recovered quickly, creating two illusionary clones before charging back in.

 _What are you planning here? You know I can see through it._ Each Sakura pulled out kunais then promptly tossed them at Amari. Seeing the real blades, Amari dodged out of the way, leaving her on the back foot as Sakura's leg swung right at her face.

 _Diversionary tactic to get me on the defense. A good move._ Amari blocked the attack and the series of follow up strikes before sweeping Sakura's legs out from under her and pinning her to the ground. "You left yourself too open there," she informed before standing up. "You're very straight forward in your attacks, which isn't actually a bad thing. With more speed and strength it wouldn't matter if I could see your attacks before they came because you wouldn't be trying to hide your movements." _Just like Lee._ "If your opponent didn't have the speed to block, you'd nail them. And you're diversionary tactic was a good move as well. Against an opponent without dōjutsu, which is pretty much everyone, it'd leave them more open."

She offered a hand to her teammate and helped her onto her feet. "Come on. We've barely even begun real training."

Amari whipped Sakura into shape for an hour, teaching her along the way about the different mistakes she was making and complimenting her intelligent tactics when it was appropriate. As expected, Sakura's intelligence made her a quick study. She didn't suddenly start pushing Amari to fight as seriously as she would against Sasuke, but she was correcting mistakes, improving simple things like not shutting her eyes after taking a hit.

 _If I can get her to do this every day, Sakura could improve so much._ Amari dodged away from a punch, back flipping onto her hands and then pushing off to land on her feet. Across from her, Sakura inhaled and exhaled heavy breaths. Exhaustion was settling in, her moves were getting sloppy and that was the worst thing to do in training. It created bad habits that were harder to get rid of. _Pushing her any further today won't do us any good. She needs to be able to walk tomorrow._

Her teammate's taijutsu wasn't the best, but they had already made small improvements to the flaws the standard Academy taijutsu classes let slide.

Sakura charged in again only to have her fist caught by Amari. "That's enough for today. If we continue like this you'll only hurt yourself, and that would be counterproductive." Her teammate didn't offer an argument. She gave a tired nod before collapsing into Amari's arms. "How about we go get some ramen? A good bowl ramen from Ichiraku always gives me an energy boost."

She nodded into her chest but made no move to go anywhere. "Here, I'll carry you." Without giving her an option, Amari picked her up bridal style and started walking back to the village. "When we get closer, I'll put you down so you don't have to hear it from Ino or someone about me carrying you."

"Thank you," Sakura thanked quietly.

Amari smiled softly, happy to help her teammate from getting teased by others for having to be carried. For all the confidence Sakura could exude, she really didn't have much. She was rather fragile when it came to her abilities as a ninja; being on a team with three strong teammates who constantly protected her didn't help it whatsoever.

" _The weakest link,"_ Kasai's voice echoed in Amari's thoughts, replacing her smile with a frown. _No way am I going to let her feel that pain any longer._ Truthfully, out of the entire team, Amari could understand Sakura's thought patterns best. A little more than two years ago she had been just like her, physically weak and more focused on a boy than training.

 _I need to talk to her about what Sasuke said. Unlike me with Ryu, Sasuke doesn't pay any mind to Sakura's feelings._ All Amari wanted to do was help Sakura become stronger. Even though she didn't have the large chakra reserves that Naruto had or the natural skill Sasuke had or a balance of both strength and smarts like Amari, Sakura had a lot of potential to become a strong ninja.

Her chakra control was amazing, possibly one of her greatest attributes besides natural intellect. With more practice it was possible she could have better chakra control than Amari herself. By gaining mastery of chakra control she could open many doors for herself in the future. Options to follow any line of work she wanted would give her more free will over her destiny as a ninja than being stuck as a regular soldier.

When they were almost at Ichiraku, Amari let Sakura get back on her feet. She immediately braced her when she nearly fell over. _Maybe I pushed her a little hard._ Amari wordlessly wrapped one of Sakura's arm around the back of her neck and supported her the rest of the way. It was possible she had just physically worked the hardest she had ever worked, and if she was still "dieting" it'd only handicap her further.

 _Why did Academy girls have to obsess over boys instead of focusing on getting stronger? Their idea of a diet is to basically deprive themselves of proper nutrients to remain skinny. It's just stupid. Not eating enough only takes away from your energy storage, which then in turn makes you tire out easier. If they ate correctly_ _ **and**_ _exercised they'd remain in good shape._

Amari sighed inwardly. _I seriously sometimes wonder if others could learn a little from the Akimichi's…though the amount of food they eat would really deter regular ninjas._

"Welcome, Amaririsu," Ayame greeted them when they arrived at Ichiraku.

Teuchi, the owner of the shop and father of Ayame, had his back turned at first, but at hearing his daughter's voice he turned around and grinned at the young kunoichi. "Ah, greetings Amaririsu! It's been some time since you've been here. I was worried I lost one of my favorite frequent customers!"

She smiled bashfully. "Sorry for worrying you. They've been holding me hostage at the hospital after a little training incident I had with another team," Amari explained.

"Coming back from training?" Teuchi asked, taking note to Sakura's tired form.

"Yep. Your ramen has always helped me so I decided to let my teammate in on our secret." He laughed joyfully. "I'll have my usual. Sakura what would you like, and you aren't getting out of this by saying you're on a diet."

To be honest, it didn't look like Sakura would have fought against it anyway. She lacked the energy to debate against her teammate. After perusing the menu, she ordered a bowl of miso ramen the same as Amari.

Sakura was the first to finish her bowl, nearly devouring it within a few minutes as if it was the first meal she had in days… _which is a distinct possibility, now that I think about it._ Regardless, her fellow kunoichi ordered a second bowl.

By the time Amari reached the bottom of her second bowl, the sun was nearing the horizon. _Going to need to get home soon but…_ Amari looked over to her teammate, who was more than satisfied by the food in her belly. _It's time I confront the Sasuke issue head-on._

Teuchi and Ayame were always the type to leave others to their private conversations, so there was no worry about talking here.

"Sakura." Her teammate hummed in response. "What did Sasuke say to you today? Don't lie. There was tension between the two of you and I know you weren't the one to cause it."

A sullen expression took over Sakura's features. "He had just finished telling Naruto his skills were terrible. Stupidly I thought he'd want to go and do something. Told me I should stop flirting and focus on my training because I was as bad as Naruto…then he said I was worse than Naruto."

Amari bit back the words of contempt for her fellow Uchiha. She cared for her team, but Sasuke's ego and his harsh words to Naruto and now Sakura never ceased to get under her skin. It was likely the subject they'd have the greatest issue getting past with each other. They were meant to be a cohesive team, yet he didn't care if he crushed all of Sakura's confidence or not. Had he already forgotten about everything that had happened in the Land of Waves? Or was his loss to Haku the main cause of his spiteful attitude?

 _I was gone too long, but that doesn't mean I can't fix this._

"You know, Naruto's skills really aren't that bad. In fact I'd say Naruto's strength and skills have grown immensely since the Academy. Sasuke's just too proud—" _And a big jerk some days_ , "—to admit that. And so what if your skills aren't that great right now? Do you think Sasuke was always as good as he is now?"

"Ye—"

"No, he wasn't," Amari interrupted her teammate. Sakura let her eyes meet Amari's one. "He may have a natural talent, but even naturals have to train or they risk being outmatched by someone who has trained so hard to become better than them."

 _Like Naruto does against Sasuke…Like Lee does against Neji._

"I've been useless to you guys from the start, though. I haven't helped at all," Sakura said.

Her words strummed a harsh cord within Amari's heart, bringing forth a memory that set fire to her being.

 _"I'm so sorry Ryu! I- I should have let you go! I just wanted-" She wanted her friends to stop fighting for real. She wanted to keep them safe and in her arms…but her actions cost her them both. "I was…I was too weak to do anything. I was just a burden to you, I always have been."_

 _Sasuke_ , she growled internally, _if you weren't my teammate, I'd destroy that ego of yours until you were begging for my mercy._

Nobody should ever have to feel those same feelings she once held. Those dark, suffocating feelings of uselessness, they were nearly as poisonous as the anger flooding her veins.

" _Then you will become stronger."_

"You are not useless," Amari stated firmly, her features and eye shifting into seriousness. "You are smart, you are strong willed and you will not be known as the weakest link. _Never_ let someone's words crush your self-esteem. Sasuke may be physically strong, but I know for certain he has forgotten where real strength comes from."

Anger for Sasuke being so callous hit her hard. Following that was the empathy and compassion for Sakura believing herself worthless. Maybe Sakura hadn't been focused. Maybe she hadn't been able to keep up with them physically, but it wasn't as if Sasuke had any room to speak. Naruto, her clone and him had all been beaten down, defeated or put into a death-like state by Haku. And now he was acting as if he was the strongest in the Village while neglecting his training.

 _Arrogance like his is so damaging to the team. I have to get through his thick skull._ That was later, though. Right now Amari had to focus on helping Sakura. She could not allow her teammate to fall down the dark road Sasuke had practically shoved her onto. No, in fact she refused to allow Sakura to walk the path she knew too well.

"Real strength doesn't come from physical prowess or strong jutsu's. Real strength comes from here." Amari put her hand over her heart. "It comes from having people you consider precious and the will you gain to want to protect them with your whole being. When you have precious people, no matter how beaten down you are you will always get back up to keep them safe.

"Haku said the same thing to us during our fight and it seems Sasuke has already forgotten his lesson. It is why Naruto was able to beat him after Sasuke got hurt. It's why Sensei could have taken down Zabuza and Haku if we were hurt. It's why I was able to hold my own against both of them and why Haku nearly crushed three of us at once."

Amari stared hard at her teammate, trying to pass on as much of the strong will she had gained by sacrificing a piece of her heart on the bridge. "No matter how strong an enemy is, as long as you have people precious to you, you'll never give in. You will fight harder than your enemy because you can't let down the people who depend on you."

She poked Sakura in the forehead, a gesture she only shared with those she cared for as close friends and family. "That's why if you had to protect us, you would continue to get back on your feet no matter what. Because you have real strength in you. Because you have an indomitable will and you care deeply about each of us regardless of how knuckleheaded Naruto can be or how late Sensei is or how much you wanted to pulverize me.

"You are strong, Sakura. You are a valued member of Team Seven, a valued friend and I will do everything within my power to help you become stronger."

What Sakura did next surprised Amari. Arms enveloped her in a hug she hadn't been prepared for, nearly knocking her out of her seat as Sakura hugged her tightly.

This was…this was unexpected...yet not unwelcome. Amari hugged her back and couldn't help but smile. This was what she was meant to do. This was her duty as a balancing point, and it was fulfilling in ways she couldn't describe.

After they released one another, they shared smiles before bidding farewell to Teuchi and Ayame. Together they walked back to their respective homes, talking to one another about the spar as Amari gave her what tips she could without showing her. Tomorrow they would take a slightly different approach to training, where instead of sparring to find out her abilities they would begin to focus on getting her faster and stronger in taijutsu.

Having Sakura use her chakra to enhance her own speed and strength was a route Amari saw as promising. She already had impressive chakra control, so teaching her to take advantage of it would certainly help her in a fight. Getting her to use her mind would be another bonus; she had the intelligence there, the main issue of this all was getting her to the point where she would use all of her strength and intellect at the same time.

The battle ahead of Sakura would be tough. She'd have to fight against the doubts holding her back; the voices that told her she couldn't do it or it wasn't possible. It was a battle Amari herself had fought and would no doubt encounter at different points in her life.

But they wouldn't be alone in their fight. Never. Together they could forge a new, stronger link and keep moving forward as Leaf kunoichi.

 _I'll help her find her strength. That's a promise._


	23. Chapter 22: A Balancing Points Duty

Chapter 22

A Balancing Points Duty: Preparation for the Chūnin Exam Begins!

When deprived of sleep and sore from training, irritation became a festering darkness that continued to spread until the smallest of annoyances caused someone to—

"Arghhh! Why?! Why?! Why?!" Sakura screamed in irritation. "This never changes! Kakashi-sensei tells us to meet him at a specific time and then we end up waiting hours for him! Doesn't he realize I could be training right now?!"

…Explode.

Amari sighed deeply through her nose. _Can't say I disagree, but does she have to yell about it? It's too early for that._ Covering her mouth as she yawned, the Nara used her thumb to turn the page of her book while Naruto joined Sakura's complaints. She understood Sakura's current disheveled state and empathized with her feelings on Kakashi's consistent tardiness, but yelling solved nothing. It wouldn't get him here faster; it wouldn't soothe anyone's disgruntled feelings on wasting time. Tardiness was just Kakashi's quirk.

 _Better to get used to it than complain about it._

She might have voiced her feelings if the claws of exhaustion didn't have her in their grasps, but they did. Quite frankly, she barely had the energy to keep her eye open. Speaking would be an even harder task at this point. Even now, a few hours later, her entire body still felt heavy from lack of sleep, as if a hundred sleeping Shikamaru's were lying on top of her to keep her from fully waking up.

 _Troublesome boy would do something like that to keep me restrained._

It'd be preferable over waking up in a cold sweat with her arm on fire, that was for sure.

 _Every inhale and exhale of air was labored, sounds of restrained agony escaping her. Every pain receptor in her arm burned. Amari fought in futility against the trembles, the memories of mist consuming her senses as her body dripped with sweat. Gripping the burning scars of her forearm, she hunched forward in her bed and slammed her eyes shut against the shredding pain. "Gah!" The sound of pain was followed by a desperate breath of air as the oxygen in her lungs refused to be enough._

 _Why? Why wouldn't the pain stop? She just wanted everything to stop hurting so much._

" _M- Mom!" she cried out in her agony, tears spilling over as the heated whispers of a pain filled child echoed in her ears._

 _She couldn't fight this alone._

Amari inhaled sharply and tried to shake the night from her mind. _Hasn't been long enough for the nightmares to lessen their frequency_ , she reassured herself, holding onto the distant hope that time would dull the intensity, as it had with her nightmares of Ryu. Hope alone would have to get her through this. Well, that and her mother's hugs. Warm hugs cured the chill in her bones faster than any warm blanket or Medical Ninjutsu could.

 _She hadn't heard the hurried dash to her room or the sound of her door opening or the sound of her mother's voice. She didn't even feel the shift of weight on her bed, too lost in the past to recognize the present. Drowning, she was drowning in the chilled depths of despair where only searing pain acted as warmth._

 _Then she felt arms envelop her and pull her trembling frame from the cold waters into a place so warm and secure. Kurenai didn't have to ask what hurt or why. She didn't ask how long she tried to fight the pain alone or scold her for trying to. Her embrace fought the chill, and the soothing hand rubbing circles on her back beckoned her back to reality, away from the mist back to the safety of her home and mother._

 _Even as the mist faded, tears continued to cascade down Amari's cheeks, broken sobs mirroring her shattered heart. But she still leaned further into the embrace where everything felt okay. Where a hand always reached out to pull her away from the drowning darkness._

" _I 'm here, little one. I'm here," her mother soothed._

 _She always was when she needed her most._

" _You'll be okay. I promise."_

As long as her mother believed that, she could to. Sometimes that was enough.

 _I'll be okay._

Still, she understood the cause of Sakura's irritable mood. Over the last two days she had been run into the ground by Amari's training. Between being woken up earlier and Kakashi's tardiness when they could very well be training, Sakura's emotions churned a vile concoction until finally exploding. Personally, Amari wanted to just lie around or find Shikamaru to watch clouds with him, but for Sakura's sake she'd push through her exhaustion and keep training her.

This was her duty as a balancing point. For the sake of her team, and for Sakura's growth as a kunoichi, she'd gladly keep training her. Once they were able to start moving, she'd wake up and once again be overcome by the fulfillment of helping her teammate grow stronger. Together they would keep forging ahead until Sakura could keep pace without any help.

That was her promise to Sakura, and she would fulfill it to the letter. Even if it meant being surpassed in chakra control prowess or pushing aside her exhaustion, she would show Sakura she could be just as strong as them. That she could walk side by side with her teammates and take the lead if she put her mind to it. That she wasn't useless.

 _This is my duty. This is how I can be helpful. This is early training for becoming a Sensei later on._

These were reasons to keep fighting, to keep living.

Amari yawned again and shook her head. _But man, I could use a nap right about now. Preferably without nightmares._ Glancing behind her, she looked down at the stream crossing under the bridge they were waiting on. _And preferably without falling into a cold stream._ If she tried to nap now as she sat on the railing of the bridge she'd either end up faceplanting onto the cement, which would be a drag, or falling backwards into the water.

 _It'd wake me up_.

Pursing her lips in thought, she considered putting her book away and taking off her ninja tool pouch and box to "accidently" fall into the water. But there was another question to consider: was waking up worth the agitating knotted mess of hair she'd gain from it? She had already forced herself to brush through her hair this morning despite having no motivation to do so. Brushing through it _again_ when she had even less motivation now wasn't appealing, especially with the knots.

 _Too much work_ , she decided and turned her attention back to her book.

Knotted hair was a drag.

She was flanked on both sides by Sakura, who was still going on about Kakashi, and Sasuke leaning against the railing. Naruto stood a few steps away, agreeing with their kunoichi teammates point and adding his own, needlessly dragging their pointlessly loud conversation on. _Can't they give it a rest?_ Perhaps her duty as a balancing point also included ending this stuff, but Amari couldn't bring herself to. _Too tired to speak._

Her book provided a decent distraction and helped tune out the extra noise. So far her studies into the Fire Style version of the Lightning Blade turned up with nothing promising. At this point she theorized no one had ever tried it, although she wasn't sure if that was because of the dangers or simply because exhaling fire was easier than summoning it into a hand. Good news though, she had learned about Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu and different tactics it could be used for.

Launching a large barrage of small fireballs could prove useful as a diversion and setting up hazardous conditions on the field better with less chakra. Rather than molding her chakra into one continuous flame to exhale or one fireball after another, she'd have to mold the chakra differently. To oversimplify it, it was like creating and storing several smaller fireballs in her belly and then expelling them simultaneously instead of one at a time. Although there were more fireballs, the size and strength was nowhere near her other Fire based jutsus, in turn making the toll on her chakra less.

Her research hadn't ended up a complete bust, however. Through her research into the Fire Nature, she did come across interesting mentions of Shape Transformation—an advanced variation of chakra control. Where her Fire Style or Kakashi's Lightning Style revolved around changing the Nature of their chakra, Shape Transformation revolved around changing the form and movement of their chakra.

For instance, rather than expelling a continuous flame from her mouth, with more training and experience she could expel a flame shaped like a dragon head—a technique known as Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu. _But why stop there?_ One could shape their chakra into any shape for any purpose as long as they had the skill necessary to do it, thus altering any normal technique.

That got her thinking, what about her chakra shroud? Could she reshape it with enough focus? By releasing her full power, she became surrounded by a chakra shroud that simultaneously helped her and drained her. To add Shape Transformation on top of that she'd end up draining her chakra even faster, at least that was her theory. But to give it shape, to spin it or flow it fast enough in a shape of her choosing, would that add a defensive quality to it?

The shroud wasn't solid. It couldn't shield her against anything physical from what she experienced. She hadn't tested ninjutsu on it, though to be fair she didn't plan to. Having a clone set her on fire seemed like a bad idea. But if she could speed up the flow of chakra in a similar fashion that she used when she and Kakashi dispersed the mist, could it become a defensive move? How much chakra would it take? Did she even have the control or chakra necessary to pull it off?

 _I have some tests to run…_

"Hey Sensei," Amari said without looking up from her book. Sakura and Naruto's words died as they looked at her like she was crazy.

"You're getting better at sensing chakra without your eye, Amari," Kakashi's voice broke the silence. Startled by his voice, Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke's head shot up to see Kakashi crouching on the red Torii above them. He waved in greeting. "Good morning, everyone. Sorry I'm late. I'm afraid I got lost on the path of life."

Amari giggled quietly at the excuse and closed her book, placing it in her hip pouch—a trick she picked up from Kakashi. _My day wouldn't be complete without a Kakashi-sensei excuse._

"You liar!" Naruto and Sakura shouted in unison.

Their Sensei dropped down from the Torii to regroup. Hopping off the railing, Amari joined her team in forming a line to learn what this surprise meeting was about. "Chūnin Exams?" Amari asked, voicing her theory out loud.

It could have easily been surprise training or a new mission, but the timing was suspect. Just this morning she learned her mother planned to meet with her team to offer them a chance to take the exams. Apparently even Asuma intended to sign his team up. _Shika's going to love that_ , she thought, giggling internally. She could already hear him groaning in annoyance at having to exert energy.

According to Kurenai, Kakashi hadn't been forthcoming on whether or not he planned to sign them up. _"He's being coy about it."_ Amari could only assume he did so to avoid her finding out through her mother. That or he just wanted to keep his decision secret until he himself was certain about it. They were all still rookies, after all. Taking the Exams in their first few months as shinobi wasn't a requirement. The entire thing was optional.

 _I have to assume Guy-sensei kept his team back a year to gain more experience if they're taking it this year. No way Mimi wouldn't have passed on her first try._ She hadn't even revealed her full power and she still forced Amari to use every ounce of her intelligence, strength and luck. Still, if Asuma and Kurenai were recommending their teams, she didn't see the sense in Team Seven not going too.

She didn't doubt the possibility of Shikamaru's team and Hinata's running into dangerous situations like they had. But neither team had faced off against Zabuza Momochi or Haku. Of course her team had gotten crushed, to put it mildly. But they proved their ability to push beyond their limitations in the heat of combat to survive against a deadly opponent. That experience was something their classmates did not have.

Not to be arrogant, but if Team Eight and Team Ten could handle the Exams, Team Seven could, too.

This year's Genin were skilled, with specialties that made them dangerous opponents not to underestimate. Going against such tough enemies would force them again to overcome their weaknesses in the heat of combat.

 _It'd definitely bring us closer together._

Kakashi affirmed her suspicions with a nod. "Yes. I know it's a bit sudden, but I've recommended all four of you for the Chūnin Exams." He pulled out four tan pieces of paper. "These are the application forms."

"Application forms?" Sakura questioned.

"The Chūnin Exams are a voluntary event," Amari explained. "You have to apply to take part in it. You can't just show up on the day of the exam and expect to be welcomed. They have to prepare appropriately for the individuals who apply."

"What do you mean by that?" Naruto asked.

"How many proctors do they need? How many shinobi do they need to monitor the groups? What kind of accommodations for the shinobi coming from foreign Villages? What kind of security do they need? Etcetera, etcetera. It's the reason why security has been getting tighter and tighter the last few days."

"Hm. Figured that was the reason for the increased patrols," Sasuke said.

Amari nodded. The foreign shinobi wouldn't notice the difference, but for Leaf natives like them the increased numbers were noticeable. They weren't blatantly in the open; shinobi were artists of stealth, after all, but keen eyed natives could see the shadows beneath the shadows.

"Anyway, point is the Chūnin Exams require applications to keep the process smooth. Having someone like Kakashi-sensei recommend us, though, practically guarantees we'll make the cut."

 _I wish we had more time to prepare, though._ Another month of training would be wonderful. She knew Sasuke and Naruto were already committed to the idea, but they hadn't fought Team Guy. They hadn't seen the level of skill those four possessed, they hadn't felt the strength behind their fists or jutsus. She had. The Chūnin Exams would be full of talented shinobi with more experience than them, and that wasn't including the likes of Gaara.

A chill shot down her spine at the memory of his cold eyes. _I don't know if we can beat him with our current level of skill._ Her two boy teammates would be too stubborn to admit any inferiority. They were the type to jump straight into the problem without considering all options. For their sake she needed to be rational and ignore her inner warrior spirit. For Sakura she couldn't jump head first into this.

In two days they had made leaps and bounds in her training, then again you could only take so many hits before learning to close off such a blatant opening. But Sakura needed more time. The boys wouldn't stop to hold her hand. Naruto's golden heart wouldn't ever let him intentionally hurt a friend, but he had a dream to chase. His eyes were always looking forward to the seat of Hokage. Sasuke's cold nature kept his eyes narrowed on his goal, oblivious to anyone around him if they weren't on his level.

Sakura, unfortunately, walked behind them. She hadn't gone into the Academy with an audacious dream like Naruto's or been burdened by the death of a Clan like Sasuke. She went in as a normal kid, one who had been more interested in making friends and chasing a crush than actually training for shinobi life. Now that they were neck deep in the reality of shinobi life, she was stuck trying to play catch up while her team kept moving ahead.

Amari understood that feeling better than anyone on her team. She had watched Ryu and Kasai grow exponentially as she tried her hardest to catch up. Three years it took her to finally feel like she was on the same footing as them, as if she could match their pace. Sakura didn't have that kind of time.

 _We'll keep training. If that means not entering the_ _Chūnin Exams, so be it._ It'd take time for her to have the experience necessary to be a Jōnin Sensei, and who knows how long to track down Kasai. In the here and now she could fulfill her duty as the balancing point. Naruto and Sasuke wouldn't stop looking ahead unless she captured them in her Shadow Possession Jutsu. Even then, though, she doubted she could hold them back forever. She also couldn't bring herself to stunt their growth. _It falls to me to be at Sakura's side until she can keep pace._

As the balancing point it was her duty, as her friend it was her pleasure.

"Amari's right, if you decide to sign up you're guaranteed to be accepted. Keep in mind that this is all voluntary." Kakashi looked at them individually. "It's up to each of you whether or not you want to go. There's no rush if you don't feel ready. You can always wait until next year."

"Woohoo! You're the best, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto jumped forward and tackle hugged Kakashi. Their sensei could only furrow his brow as he tried to detach the knucklehead from his body. A smile tugged onto her lips at Naruto's unrestrained excitement and Kakashi's awkwardness, but Naruto's action only nailed home Amari's decision to restrain her desire to take the Exam.

If she didn't remain neutral, Sakura could feel pressured to join in because they all wanted to. That wasn't fair to her. _I won't let her feel left behind._

"Don't slobber on my vest." Kakashi scolded Naruto, finally clawing the boy off of him and placing him back on his own feet. "Whoever wants to take the exams, sign the application form and come to Room 301 at the Academy. It's at 3:00 pm five days from now."

The first of July.

 _I wonder if we will be testing for a full week or a month?_

She hoped it wasn't any longer, especially if there were written tests. Written tests were a drag.

Kakashi handed off the application forms to them before leaving for a meeting with the Hokage. With their own meeting over, the four Genin started their trek back into the main part of the Village.

As they walked, each silently contemplating the exam, Sakura suddenly halted. Amari noticed it immediately; the boys kept on walking, never once realizing their kunoichi teammates stopped.

Sakura's crestfallen features made it clear what exactly was on her mind.

"Sakura," Amari spoke her name, causing the emerald eyes to hesitantly meet onyx. "This is a choice. No one is forcing us."

"Us?"

"Yeah, us." They were a team. That meant they were in this together. "I don't really know if I want to." A half-truth. Her heart wanted to go, but her mind pointed out the rational arguments against going—her fight against Team Guy being the biggest piece of evidence. Sakura looked at her in disbelief, silently asking for a valid explanation. "Sensei is right, there's no rush. We can wait another year, get more experience under our belts and go in confidently."

Amari lifted her left hand up and frowned down at the scars peeking out from under her mesh sleeve. She blinked once and saw crimson trails dripping off her fingertips. "I've…" _Felt like I've been drowning._ Again she blinked and the crimson was gone. No, she couldn't drop any of that on her teammates. Those were her struggles to bear, not theirs. They didn't need to worry about her. "The Land of Waves left its mark on me," she said instead. "It opened my eyes so I could finally see my own hypocrisies and arrogance. I thought I was so far ahead of you three, thought you three were still acting like kids and that I was somehow already a shinobi. But I've still got a long way to go."

Lowering her hand back to her side, she met Sakura's gaze with a neutral expression. "So if you want to wait and get stronger, then I'm with you. If you want to go through with it, I'm with you then as well. Before we make our decision right here and now, how about we see how we both feel after training for the next four days," Amari said.

Her teammate smiled. "It's a deal."

They'd get through this together. That's what friends were for.

* * *

Loud. Voices from every direction piled one on top of the other in a crashing landslide of social interactions. Too much noise for the young girl to keep her bearings. 'Tis why she chose to travel when the population slept; in silence she moved through the darkness with perfect sight, but among the roaring waves of sound she was blind to all. Konoha being a foreign Village shifted her foundation further, throwing off her balance until she could not stand any longer.

She did not have time for setbacks. Her mission was to learn the layout of Konoha in a short time frame so she could walk these new streets as if she were home, unhindered by these foreign voices and their sounds of commerce. 'Tis why she decided to go out during the populated hours of the day. Time was of the essence. To waste what little given to her would prove disastrous to her plan. Or, 'twould be that way if her attempt to learn Konoha hadn't left her disoriented by the noise, surrounded by foreigners who could not see the chains they shackled her in.

 _Too much noise._ Chaos. Chaos of voices equivalent to a deafening waterfall that never ceased. Could they not hear it? Were they deaf to how loud they were making the world? Sharp, piercing, jagged sounds everywhere. She couldn't see, couldn't _breathe_. Too much. Too many voices curving and blending together in an orchestra of disorientation.

Lost and alone in a foreign Village, 'twas an embarrassing and frightening experience.

Fighting the panic, the young girl reached out with her hands, searching the ground around her for the item she lost when she fell over. Grains of softened dirt beaten down by years of foot traffic rolled across her palms, warm yet by no means sands of a desert.

Where did it go? Where had it rolled to?

"Here, let me help." The voice among the jagged sounds was soft, velvety, smooth and round without edges or pointed knives. Reaching out with her senses, the young girl felt the presence of another directly in front of her. The way the cacophony of sounds bounced off her hinted at a smaller frame, possibly in a crouch. Pitch of their voice revealed the girl was around her age, possibly another kunoichi on the verge of being a teenager.

Not a moment later her precious item brushed against the back of her hand. The young girl turned her hand over and gripped the round bottom, sighing in relief at finally having the familiar weight back in her possession. "Thank you," she thanked, sitting back to tie the item back to her sash.

"I'm sorry no one else helped you."

'Twas strange, she had to admit, to hear such a genuine apology for something this stranger had no hand in. No one back home ever cared to offer her a kind greeting, let alone an apology. The girl waved the stranger off as she pushed herself back onto her feet. "'Tis nothing to apologize for. 'Twas my own fault to venture where I cannot see."

"That doesn't make it right for people to ignore you when you actually need help."

The young girl felt her lips twitch upwards in a smile. She had forgotten what even the smallest grain of kindness felt like. 'Twas like a gentle caress across her heart, soothing the soul with its feather touch.

"'Tis the cards I am dealt," she said. _You grow used to being ignored._ "But your help is appreciated." She paused, unsure of what to say next. Rare was it anyone ever actually spoke to her on their own willpower. Most feared her back home or scorned her for simply being alive. This girl, however, showed no fear or hesitation. 'Twas unlikely she'd find anyone else kind enough to stop and aid her, and she did not have time to stumble through the noise without guidance.

"I do not wish to impose, but I am truly lost in this sea of sound. If you are not busy, could you please guide me to a quieter location?"

Without vision, she learned to "see" through sound, but in a foreign village where too much sound overwhelmed her acute sense of hearing she returned to full blindness. _I will acclimate in time. I have to._

'Twas the cards she was dealt, and she would play them until the end.

"Sure thing."

And the stranger did without hesitation. Offering a mesh covered bicep to hold onto, the young foreigner held onto the Konoha native as she guided her further and further away from the blinding sound. Without the waterfall of noise, her senses reacclimatized to the quiet, granting her the ability to "see" once more.

"Thank you again," she thanked.

"Glad I could help."

Another honest answer that brought a smile to her lips. 'Twas good to know at least one person here in Konoha did not ostracize her. Imprinting the memory of the silky and warm chakra into her memories, the young girl turned to leave, only stopping part of the way. "What is your name?"

"Amaririsu Yūhi."

She smiled. "I will not forget your kindness, Amaririsu. I hope we have the chance to meet again."

 _Before everything falls apart_ , she added silently, clicking her tongue and listening to how the _pop_ bounced around the structures around her to map the new area into her memory.

When she finally returned to her quarters, she had learned only a small part of Konoha, but 'twas progress. She entered her small, lonely room, sensing the chakra of her team leader waiting for her within before she even entered the building. "Baki," she greeted without any emotion after shutting the door.

"How did scouting the Leaf go?" he asked, gruff and straight to the point. What else would she expect? Although he had helped her to become a shinobi for the Sand, Baki did not pretend to care for anything beyond his mission and the safety of the Kazekage.

 _If they only knew._ She tried to inform them of the truth, and what did she get in return? Assassins were sent to kill her, again.

 _Blind fools, all of them._ The entire Council of Fools did not realize their daft plan would only lead innocent shinobi to their doom.

"I plan to go out tonight to resume my scouting," she answered. Explaining how she got lost, or how her knee was throbbing or Amaririsu did not interest him. Baki wanted results, not excuses or anecdotes. "I will be fully acclimatized soon."

"Good. You are an integral part of this mission, Hikari. Your kekkei genkais will crush all who stand in your way."

Yes, the Council of Fools had made that abundantly clear. She was to be a weapon of the Sand. Nothing more. Their plan meant to use her kekkei genkais to destroy their desired targets.

 _I have a plan of my own._

"I will complete my mission for the sake of the Sand's honor."

No matter what, she would stop them from completing their plan.

Even if it killed her.

* * *

 _I can't believe no one helped her_ , Amari thought, a pensive frown on her face. How hadn't anyone noticed the blind girl on the ground fumbling around for her small gourd shaped container? Sure she wasn't in the middle of the street, but it wasn't like she was in an alcove or something.

Maybe they hadn't realized her predicament? At a glance she had only tilted her head in confusion as to why anyone was sitting on the ground. But that strangeness had been all she needed to investigate further. When she noticed her desperately searching the ground around her without seeing the object clear as day a few feet in front of her, Amari understood.

 _She's blind._ Nothing on the surface hinted that she was. If anyone were to assume anything, they'd think her knee was injured based on the brace she wore. But not blind. Her amber eyes didn't appear damaged, nor was there any scar on her face as there was on Amari's.

"' _Tis nothing to apologize for. 'Twas my own fault to venture where I cannot see."_

Amari hadn't said anything about her possible lack of sight to avoid accidently insulting her. Those words, however, confirmed her belief. It amazed the Nara how she could traverse the world on sound instead of sight. Then again, she relied heavily on dōjutsu's.

 _I wish I had gotten her name._

Nothing she could do about it now. Nice as the girl had been, she had left before she could ask after her name. Shrugging off the encounter, Amari refocused on ninja tool shopping. On the chance she and Sakura did sign up for the Exams, she wanted to be fully stocked and ready to go.

After purchasing paper bombs, senbon and replenishing her supply of kunai and shuriken, Amari headed home to drop off her book to free up space in her pouch. As soon as she finished with that she'd be heading out again to the practice field to start training with the senbon until Sakura showed up to train.

Her mother was still out when she made it back home. Not wanting to waste time, Amari went straight to her room, placing her book on her desk. Light shimmering in crystalline blue caught her eye and coaxed her to approach Haku's flower.

A clash of wills and strength, torn hearts, shared pain, warmth, hope, forgiveness, friendship, every petal of the flower symbolized a piece of their connection.

 _Haku…I wonder what you're doing right now. Are you and Zabuza still seeking a new path? Have you found it yet? Do you…do you ever think about me? Do you feel the same strong connection I feel when I think about you?_ Walking forward to her table, she traced the petals of the flower with the tip of her finger. _Please, stay safe. Both of you. We have a promise to keep to meet again._

In truth, she missed Haku. The grumpy old man too, but mostly Haku. Their time around each other hadn't been long, but it didn't need to be to have a lasting effect on them. One battle was all it took for them to connect on a deep level. As their blades clashed, their hearts desperately tried to reach out to tie together a thread of peace. And when the mist finally faded and their wounds healed, the thread knotted together.

She traced the petal one last time before leaving it behind for the practice field. Upon arrival Amari created four clones, two to spar on the water and practice casting the Demonic Illusion: Death Mirage Jutsu, the other two to safely attach paper bombs to her kunai. As those four worked, she activated her Sharingan and lined herself up with a target dummy. In her mind she replayed her memories of Haku throwing the senbon, dissecting every movement he made down to the smallest twitch.

Near eidetic memory certainly helped.

For an entire hour she practiced throwing a single senbon. Admittedly, she failed many of her first attempts. Senbon were different from shuriken and kunai in weight and size. Their thinness required nimbleness with her fingers she wasn't used to. By the end of the hour her accuracy with a stationary target was close to a hundred percent.

 _Guess I should start practicing on my other hand_ , Amari thought. First, though, she would check in on her clones. She deactivated her Sharingan and walked over to the clones working on the paper bombs. "How'd it go?"

"Good to go. You should—" Her clone stopped speaking and furrowed her brow. "Looks like we have a visitor." She dipped her head to a nearby tree.

Amari nodded, having sensed the sudden presence of chakra at the same time as her clone. She dispelled the two clones fighting on the water and let their experience hit her. The claws of exhaustion clutched her limbs even tighter, though not nearly enough to make her want to fall over and sleep. _The Water Walking Technique is getting easier to maintain without thinking about it_ , she thought, feeling internally the experiences of her clones as if they were her own. _And my use of genjutsu is improving. Using my Sharingan over the normal way still is more difficult. I keep putting too much chakra into it._

It was something to work on. But for now she had another issue to deal with. Activating her Byakugan, she turned to search the tree for the shinobi. On a branch of the tree stood a man wearing a Hidden Rain marked headband—four straight vertical lines in a perfect row.

Amari smiled at the man and crossed her arms over her chest. "Iruka-sensei, I know it's you. Come on out."

Iruka still in his Hidden Rain shinobi Transformation appeared down in front of her. "Sharp eyes, Amari." She struggled not to laugh when she heard his modified voice. He sounded rougher and, at a guess, attempting to sound evil. It was a cute attempt. Iruka dispelled his Transformation Jutsu, a sheepish smile pulling at his lips as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"You were going to test me, weren't you? To make sure I was ready for the Chūnin Exams," Amari stated rather than questioned. Why else would he go through the trouble of trying to hide his identity? _He must have learned from Kakashi-sensei or on his own that we were recommended for the Exams._

Iruka exhaled a guilty laugh. "I guess I should have expected this. You were my sharpest student."

Amari's cheeks flushed at his compliment. "I tried my best."

"That you did, Amari." Iruka's smile dropped. "You know you don't have to take these exams if you don't feel ready. There is no shame in waiting another year."

"I know. If I'm honest, I'm a little nervous about it," she admitted, thinking back to her fight with Team Guy and then the encounter with the three Sand shinobi. The strength in their attacks, and the evil presence that surrounded Gaara…"I've personally met seven ninjas who will take it. They're all strong and without a doubt more experienced than us…but..."

Iruka raised an eyebrow. "But?"

"Part of me wants to try. I'm not aiming for the promotion, not yet anyways. I want to see and feel the strength of stronger shinobi with my own eyes and body. I want to be pushed to my limits and have no choice but to surpass my current limitations to succeed. It's the only way I'll ever be strong enough to fulfill my dream and goal."

Even if she didn't get far, at least she would learn more of her weaknesses so she could strengthen them. She needed to be pushed. She needed to fight other shinobi who thought and fought differently than her to expand her ability to think on the fly and create new tactics.

In the end it wasn't in her hands to make this choice. "As much as I want that, though, it's not my choice anymore. I've left entering this up to Sakura. If she does then I will go. If she doesn't, I won't," Amari explained.

"Why Sakura?" Iruka asked.

"Because she needs to find her will to do this without being forced by the boys. If I told her I wanted to do this, she'd feel obligated to sign on with us and that isn't fair for her."

Iruka nodded thoughtfully. "I see. By giving her the option to back out and not be alone in doing it, Sakura won't feel as if she's letting the team down. Her confidence won't suffer and Sasuke and Naruto won't look down on her."

"Right. It keeps the balance of peace and power from shifting so much that Sakura is left behind."

"Are you sure about this, Amari?"

He was worried. He didn't want them to jump into this too soon when they were still so young and fresh out of the Academy. No one needed to rush to earn the promotion and become leaders in their own rights. They could wait, gain a year more experience and be fully prepared for the trials ahead of them.

Amari smiled up at her former teacher. "Yep. Besides, you left me in charge of watching after my team and keeping them in line. I promised I wouldn't let you down and I intend to keep that promise."

Her words had the desired effect. The tension in Iruka's body and on his face faded for a big smile. "You're right, I did. I know you will do your best if you take on this exam. Just be safe if you do." She gave a sharp, confident nod. "Would you mind if I still tested your abilities?"

She grinned. _I've always wanted to spar with Iruka-sensei._ "I'm ready if you are."

Iruka smiled, hopped back and took up his fighting stance. "Come at me when you are ready, Amari. And don't hold back—"

Iruka barely had enough time to block her first strike out of a Body Flicker. "You better not take it easy on me because I'm your favorite student, Iruka-sensei!" she jeered before pressing her assault.

She would show him how much she had grown.

* * *

Kakashi sat on a tile-roofed building, staring out at the nearly full moon as it loomed over the Leaf Village. Down below the streets of Konoha were all but empty. Somewhere out there someone clicked their tongue at steady intervals, the _pop_ echoing through the empty streets as the soul responsible quietly walked alone on the path they chose. Within the darkness were the shadows guarding their village. With so many people from civilians and traders to foreign shinobi arriving for the Chūnin Exams, the heightened presence was necessary to weed out any individuals with bad intentions.

All loyal shinobi took the safety of their home seriously. Even with alliances, no one let their guard down; too much bad blood splashed across the world map to wash away in a few years. Kakashi himself once harbored a great distrust and anger for two foreign shinobi villages after the loss of his comrades in the war. Now he only harbored the usual suspicion of a shinobi worried about the safety of his home.

Regardless, he wasn't here to reminisce on those particular memories. He was waiting for the arrival of a specific shinobi. The sound of light footsteps landing behind him signaled their arrival. "So, how'd it go?" Kakashi asked casually.

"They all passed," a rough voice answered. "Your squad and the others. All ten rookies proved themselves ready for the Exam." The sound of a dispelling transformation preceded Iruka speaking normally. "You were right, Kakashi. They're good, all of them. They've each developed impressive skills."

"Mm," Kakashi agreed. Upon his, Asuma's and Kurenai's declaration to put forward recommendations for their full teams to take part in the Chūnin Exam to Lord Third, Iruka voiced his heated disapproval. Kakashi understood, mostly. Iruka was just protective over the kids he helped to nurture and teach over the years. In his shoes, he'd probably feel the same if those same kids were being recommended for the Exams so early into their careers.

 _"Iruka needs to realize that they're not his students anymore. They're mine."_

It wasn't like he was sending them in without reason. He knew how tough the Exams were, he had taken them when he was six years younger than the ten rookies. But Kakashi had seen his students grow in their short time together. Although Sasuke and Naruto always seemed to be at ends, their rivalry pushed them to become stronger and stronger. Sakura was beginning to find her footing with Amari's help and would surely keep pace as soon as she caught up, and Amari's new drive was already showing promise in every aspect of her life.

Sure they had plenty of room to get better, and of the entire team he believed only one might be Chūnin material at this age, but the Exam would give them the chance to learn more about their weaknesses and continue their growth as shinobi.

"But the Chūnin Exams can break anyone," he said to himself mostly. "We'll see if they can tough it out."

He hoped he wasn't wrong about this.

* * *

Later that week

* * *

Mimi covered her mouth to conceal a tired yawn. It had been a long day of training for Team Guy; night had fallen over the Leaf and they were still out at the training field. She personally had been done training for a little bit now, same as Neji and Lee. All three were waiting for Tenten to finish her target practice, standing among the several target dummies set up in the forest. Mimi stood behind Tenten, leaning against a tree as she watched her teammate throw three more kunai at her desired target.

 _Bullseye again, not that I'm surprise_ , Mimi mused, a fond smirk tugging at her lips. Tenten could cut the wings of a fly off with one kunai _and_ kill the fly with a second kunai if she wanted to. Okay, maybe that was an exaggeration. Flies were pretty tiny and hard to hit, but she'd still say it to anyone who asked. Tenten was on the road to becoming a weapon master, a little exaggeration would add to the legend she'd make.

"You ready to call it a day yet, Tenten? I'm pretty sure you've shown these dummies who's boss," Mimi jested, reaching up to her head to scratch Aoko behind her ears. Dozens of kunai were sticking out of the target dummies.

"One more and I'll be done, you big whiner," Tenten teased good-naturedly, half turning and placing a hand behind her back as she twirled a kunai in her hand.

"Oh, you wound me!" Mimi stuck her tongue out as she dramatically mimed stabbing herself in the heart.

Tenten shook her head and smiled, amused by her antics. "Didn't realize you were so sensitive."

Mimi grinned and lowered her hand. "Only when you wield such a sharp blade."

Her friend rolled her eyes. Behind her Lee leaned his hand against the dummy Tenten had just punctured. "Did you three hear? We're going to have rookies at the Exams. First year Genin, that has not happened in five years."

Mimi's grin fell for a look of intrigue as Tenten started flipping her blade in her hand. "First year Genin, huh?" _I wonder if that means Amari and her team signed up._ She didn't know much about the rest of Kakashi's team; Guy focused them specifically on Amari, claiming she was Kakashi's protégé. Still, the thought of having a real rematch with Amari ignited a flame in Mimi's heart, giving her a sudden rush of adrenaline she couldn't medically explain. There was _something_ there, something she wanted to grab hold of and feel for herself.

Best part about it, she could tell Amari wanted the same. Some kind of connection formed in their fight, something that had yet to take shape. Mimi didn't know how else to explain it but whatever _it_ was urged her to seek out the rookie kunoichi in a fight. _I'll fight her again after the Exams if she isn't in them._

"No way," Tenten sighed. "I bet it is just some Jōnin trying to boost their egos."

"Don't be such a pessimist, Tenten. Where's your thrill for hoping they might put up a decent challenge?" Mimi teased, earning a bark of agreement from Aoko.

"No. There is more to the story than that," Lee countered, a challenging smile on his face "Kakashi's whole team has signed up."

Mimi couldn't help but grin. _Haha! I knew it!_ Excitement bubbled up inside her at the slim possibility of having the chance to fight Amari in the Exams, and she wasn't alone in the feeling. Because it had been one of Guy's challenges, none of them heeded his warnings about Amari's skill. What chance did one girl have against their entire team? It'd just end up being boring, an event that didn't require her to go all-out.

Mimi had never been so wrong about an opponent.

Intelligent, perceptive and tough were three of the first words she could think of to describe Amari. A tactician to her core, she used her Shadow Clones for one of their best purposes: scouting and intelligence gathering. It took Mimi too long to realize her clones were imprinting their fighting styles for their original, deciphering any and all techniques they may use. Lee, of course, had no restraint. He went all-out against the clone, Tenten too. Both revealed their specific fighting styles, never realizing how the clones were pretending to follow through with the orders Mimi had overheard.

 _She said to destroy us, but something isn't right. Her will isn't in it._ That thought turned the light bulb on and destroyed the shadows around her. Mimi quickly restrained the clone and tried to get her team to stop, but it was too late. Amari had gotten far into Neji's head, picking apart his biggest insecurities in a matter of minutes and her clones already picked up enough information on the others. _I'm the only one who didn't reveal everything_ , she had realized.

All of Guy's warnings had proven true. They weren't dealing with an average rookie. Someone who could force Neji to lose his cool and begin losing his fight inch by inch, _that_ was a dangerous opponent.

Then the hidden seals under the bandages happened. Mimi hadn't thought anything of them. Neji wore bandages, too, but not with weight seals underneath them. Her increased speed was impressive, though still not faster than Lee or herself. _But damn_ , Mimi mused, _she's faster than most kids her age._

Excited by the challenge, Mimi lost herself in the battle without going all-out. Could anyone really blame her, though? This girl's fierce will to refuse defeat sparked a fire in her. Anyone else would have forfeited in her position, but she kept fighting until it was just down to the two of them. Even then she could have bowed out, conceded to defeat and walked away with her head held high. Instead she let Mimi bring their fight to the water where she held the distinct advantage. Amari had known it, and she hadn't perfected the Water Walking Technique, but she still gave it her all.

 _It's a testament to her character._ In a fight, Mimi wanted someone like Amari on her side, someone who gave everything they had regardless of how desperate a situation might be.

Amari had earned her respect as a shinobi, a feeling she knew was reciprocated by the Uchiha girl to all of her teammates for their skills.

"Hmm. Interesting," Neji said at length.

"But not very. Ha!" Tenten said as she tossed her kunai.

The kunai impaled the practice dummy right above Neji's head, who was sitting underneath it. "Either way, it's too bad for them," Neji said, voice as smug as always.

 _Says the one who ended up neck deep in the ground_ , Mimi thought, rolling her eyes. Overconfidence had been each of their mistakes, a distinct mistake she wouldn't make next time.

"Maybe," Lee spoke, "but I'm looking forward to the possibility of fighting Amaririsu one on one. If the chance comes, I would like to be the one who fights her next."

Mimi curled her lips downward in a sad frown and put on her best puppy dog eyes. "But _Leeeeee_ , I wanted to fight her when she isn't tired. Can't I go first?" she pleaded.

Lee shook his head, smiling at both her pleading and the idea of fighting Amari again. "I am sorry Mimi but I must fight her. She proved herself a worthy adversary, one who relies equally on strength and intelligence as you do." He clenched his hands into fists. "One miscalculation, one moment of arrogance was all it took for her to defeat me, as it did with each of us. Do you remember what she said to you, after she escaped your Water Prison Jutsu?"

" _I…can't give up. I have…a promise to keep!"_

Mimi nodded. "She can't give up because she has a promise to keep. Why's that on your mind?"

"Amaririsu has given her word to someone to never give up, that means she won't stop fighting to overcome the obstacles between her and her dream." Lee smiled sheepishly. "What can I say, she has inspired me to work even harder to overcome her as an obstacle on the way to my dream."

 _I get it._ Mimi smiled at her teammate. _Neji used his destiny speeches and claims of superiority to try to get her to give up, but instead she did everything in her power to prove him wrong. And in the battle of ideals, hers won. Something we haven't been able to do._ By defeating Neji, she became a new obstacle for Lee to overcome. Neji would always be an obstacle to him until he did win, but Amari punched a ticket right to the top of his list of opponents to defeat.

"All right, Lee, but I call second dibs."

Amari had also punched a ticket to the top of her list as well.

He gave her a thankful nod. "Deal."

"Well we aren't fighting now, so let's head home. Mimi, can you help me with my ninja tools?" Tenten asked.

"Fine," Mimi faked an exasperated sigh. "I feel like you only see me as your servant sometimes Tenten and it hurts."

Her teammate gave a laugh before jabbing her in the arm. "Oh no, not the 'you kicked my puppy' voice." Aoko huffed at the word puppy. "You know I don't mean you, Aoko," Tenten said, scratching her behind the ears.

Mimi looked up to Aoko. "No, she means it Aoko. Don't take the bait again. She thinks you're a puppy," she teased her ninken. Aoko ignored her for Tenten's attention. "Oh, you've betrayed me yet again. Here I thought we were in this together. Traitor."

Lee and Tenten laughed at the Inuzuka's defeated voice. Neji, notably, remained in contemplative silence over their previous conversation. _He won't admit it out loud, but he wants a rematch too._ There was also the other Uchiha boy to consider. The Uchiha Clan had once been the strongest Clan in Konoha. As a Hyūga, now the strongest Clan, Neji wanted nothing more than to test the full-blooded to see his strength with his own eyes.

 _Obviously he forgot what Guy-sensei said._ According to him, Amari was stronger than her teammate. Neji, of course, refused to believe it. Mimi had yet to see the other boy fight, which left her on the fence of believing her sensei's ramblings to push Lee to become stronger than Kakashi's protégé.

 _Still, I've seen her intellect and abilities first hand._ She began going around to the dummies to grab Tenten's ninja tools. _I haven't seen her teammate fight, but if he is even close to her level of skill…_ Mimi grinned. _This exam is going to be fun._

* * *

The Next Day

* * *

After four days of serious training and Iruka's test, Sakura and Amari both agreed to join their boy teammates in taking the Exam. It'd be a challenge, no doubt about that, but Sakura found her will to make the decision without any interference from the team. Amari was proud of her, for both how far she had come in such a short time of training and for finding her confidence. But the time for preparations was over.

Today was the day. Today was the first stage of the Exams. It was time for Team Seven to step onto the stage of the shinobi world and show their strength to everyone they encountered. First step on that journey was meeting up at the Academy. Amari arrived first, early as always, followed by Sasuke and then Naruto. Now they were waiting for Sakura, who was running a bit late.

 _Nothing to be worried about yet_ , Amari thought. Plenty of time for them to get to Room 301 for the Exam. Naruto and Sasuke were relaxed as well with Naruto of the pair looking around now and then in search for Sakura. Otherwise the trio remained silent. She and Naruto already went over everything they needed to and Sasuke still wasn't one for conversation.

As Amari reached into her back pouch for one of the novels she picked up, she caught sight of pink hair in her peripherals and immediately halted the action. "Ah, there she is," she said out loud.

That meant it was time. _Well Iruka-sensei, you said my skills had improved tremendously. Time to prove that yours and Kakashi-sensei's trust in us is not misplaced._

"Sakura!" Naruto greeted.

Sakura offered a small wave. "Hey guys, sorry I'm late."

"Ah, it's no big deal. We've still got time to get in," Naruto waved off her apology.

"You ready to kick some butt, Sakura?" Amari asked. Sakura nodded confidently. "In that case, I say we go see how big and bad this test really is."

Sasuke snorted cockily and smirked. "It won't be anything we can't handle."

"Right! Let's go!" Naruto announced, pumping his fist enthusiastically.

 _I wish I felt as confident._

Team Seven entered the Academy building and ascended the stairs in search for Room 301. As they made it to the second floor, a disturbance strummed warning chords in Amari's body, causing her to halt and furrow her brow.

Naruto looked at her in confusion. "Amari?"

 _Genjutsu_ , she noted. _I'd bet they're trying to weed out anyone unable to see through such a simple jutsu._

"You felt it too?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto, still lost, turned his attention to Sasuke. "Felt what?"

"I did too. There's a genjutsu on this floor," Sakura explained.

Amari nodded in agreement. "Keep your guard up," she warned her team. "I'm betting it's a sort of pre-test to get to the real Exam."

She received silent nods of understanding before continuing through the genjutsu floor. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. It didn't seem the casters intended it to disorient them or change the entire surrounding area to something different. In all likelihood, they planned to lure them to a different room than the one they were meant to go to, thus eliminating those who couldn't see through it in time to make it to the designated room.

Proof to her theory came when they came across a large crowd of people hovering around a door marked with _301_.

"They tricked a lot of people," Sasuke commented.

"From what I can tell, they only changed the number on the door," Amari said. "It didn't even disorient us into forgetting we only came up one flight of stairs. It seems to be a test to see how close you're paying attention to your surroundings, or an elaborate prank."

"Eh, I wouldn't call it elaborate," Naruto said, placing his hands behind his head.

"And an eraser in the door is?" she teased her friend.

"Hey! That was short notice, and it totally worked too!"

"Because Sensei let it," Amari reminded, rolling her eye at his attempt to twist the truth. "Anyway, are we moving on by or are we going to ruin their fun?"

"Hmph. What the hell, let's put an end to this prank," Sasuke said, smiling at the idea.

Amari smirked at her Uchiha counterpart. "You know, I'd usually say this is troublesome, but I think I might enjoy this a little."

"I think Naruto's troublemaking may have rubbed off on all of us," Sakura said, chuckling lightly.

Her knucklehead grinned and snickered. Their amusement died off at the sound of someone taking a punch somewhere from the front of the crowd. Back on high alert, the team of four scanned the crowd for the source of the fight. Amari noticed a familiar bowl cut shinobi sitting on the floor. "Lee?" she whispered in confusion.

It could be no one else. No one besides Guy and Lee would wear those green spandex jumpsuits without second guessing themselves. Searching through the crowd for the other members of the team, Amari's eye landed on Neji's back and then Mimi's, both standing off to the side as they watched Tenten take the next punch. A small tightening in Mimi's fists and a snarl on her lips revealed held back anger; a small sign, but enough for Amari to piece together their plan.

"Those are the four you fought?" Sasuke asked, his voice carrying disbelief.

Amari nodded once as a frown creased her lips. "Yeah, but don't underestimate them. Their taking the hits on purpose."

"Smart, I'll give them that," Sakura said. "They're obviously hiding their real strength so someone later will underestimate them in battle.

"Exactly," Amari agreed. "Tread carefully guys. From here on out we're in the lion's den. Appearances are merely that—appearances. Don't take any of these people at face value and never let your guard down. We can only trust each other."

"Right," all three of her teammates responded in unison.

Sasuke took the lead and walked through the crowd without even looking at them or Lee and Tenten as he passed them. Amari flanked his side, her face neutral to keep her thoughts hidden to all those around them.

"We're just thinin' out the herd," a man that appeared to be a handful of years older than them said. He wore his Leaf headband like a full bandana to cover his entire head. His partner, on the other hand, wore his normally, allowing his spiky hair to be free. It seemed he had a nasal problem, that or just a stuffed up nose since he kept sniffing now and then. On his back were two blades, though the chakra she sensed from these two made it clear their appearances were meant to deceive them.

 _I couldn't feel it back there, but up close I can tell they're not actually Genin_ , Amari analyzed. _They must be using a Transformation Jutsu to appear younger, to hide the fact they're Chūnin as they play a prank on the Genin hoping to pass the Exam._

She had nothing against them. They were probably just having fun. Unfortunately for them, she was about to burst their bubble. "Cute speech and cute Transformation Technique," Amari started, crossing her arms over her chest as she smiled at the two. "But surely two Chūnin have better things to do than pick on a bunch of Genin."

"We can see through your illusion anyways, so why not drop the genjutsu and let everyone go to the third floor already," Sasuke said cooly.

There were murmurs in the crowd questioning what the two Uchiha meant. Certainly they were at the right door standing in front of two Genin, not two Chūnin. _Wrong._

Both of the fake Genin frowned at them. "Well well," the one with the blades said.

"You noticed the genjutsu and Transformation Technique, huh?" his partner finished.

Amari turned to Guy's team briefly to send a teasing smirk at them, earning a grin from Mimi. Sasuke looked back over his left shoulder to Sakura. "Go on, Sakura. I'm sure you saw the genjutsu and transformation before anyone else did. You have the sharpest eyes and best analytical skills on our squad; you must have seen this coming before we even entered the Academy."

 _Good play, Sasuke. Deceiving others to believe Sakura has sharper eyes than you and I._

Sakura took on a proud smile and determined eyes. "Of course. I spotted it right away. Their Transformation was easy to see through and the genjutsu was only Academy level."

Amari slapped a hand to her mouth to keep a laugh from bubbling out of her as the frowns on the two fake Genin tugged even further down. _Oh Sakura, you are amazing! Talk about really pushing their buttons._

"Right," Naruto chirped.

They reversed the genjutsu and revealed the _201_ on the sign. "Well, aren't we the smart ones. So you noticed an illusion," nasal problem said in a condescending voice. Then aggression flashed in his eyes. "Now let's see how you deal with this!"

The man spun quickly, his leg moving to kick Sasuke. Sasuke, having seen the fake Genin's body tense in preparation for a strike, was already moving to counter the attack with a kick of his own. Before the kicks could land, a green blur flashed between them, blocking both strikes to prevent a fight spilling out.

"Heh, nice one, Lee," Amari complimented as everyone's eyes adjusted to see him standing between the two, easily holding their strikes back. She turned her gaze to her teammate. "Come on, Sasuke. This is becoming bothersome."

Fighting with these guys was a waste of time, especially over something as trivial as a genjutsu trick.

Sasuke and the man dropped their legs without argument. The fake Genin moved into the room they had been guarding with his buddy, disappearing into the shadows within the empty space. Sasuke stared at Lee's hand pensively, finally understanding only a fragment of the speed and strength of the bushy browed shinobi.

Neji and Tenten approached Lee as Mimi approached her and her team. Amari offered her a nod of greeting and a smile. "Hey Mimi, Aoko, fancy meeting you two here."

A broad grin split her lips. "Fancy that. Guess things aren't going to be as boring as I thought."

"Looks like things are going to be more troublesome than I thought." She turned to her team. "Guys, this is Mimi Inuzuka and Aoko. Mimi, Aoko this is Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha."

"Yo." Mimi waved to the trio, who gave her a mix between nods and waves. Lee suddenly walked past Amari and Mimi to approach Sakura directly. "Oh no. Lee, wai—"

"My name is Rock Lee," he introduced himself to Sakura. He then shoved a fist out in a thumbs up and grinned like Guy. "Please be my girlfriend. I vow to protect you with my life!"

Next to her, Mimi sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Lee, you've got a heart of gold, and you're going to get it broken like this," she muttered under her breath.

 _Wow…I-…wow._ Amari was at a loss of words. She couldn't deny the level of confidence it took for him to do that. No way could she ever just walk up to someone she didn't know and ask them to be her boyfriend or girlfriend.

"Definitely…not," Sakura responded flatly.

"Why?" Amari could hear the sad disappointment in Lee's voice.

"I don't even know you."

Lee dropped his head and let out a sad sigh.

"I'm…happy that's not how our introduction went," Amari whispered to Mimi. She would've frozen up like a startled deer if he had up and asked her out.

"I'd bet it's because of Guy-sensei is rivals with Kakashi-sensei that he didn't," Mimi explained.

Fear gripped Amari's heart as she turned her full attention to Mimi. "Don't tell me Guy-sensei is prepping Lee to be my eternal rival." The grin she received made her groan audible and sink down in depression. " _Kakashi-senseiiii_ ," she whined, "you dragged me into this again!"

One of these days she was going to have a chat with him so she could figure out what she did wrong to be dragged into his rivalry.

"Hey you. What's your name?" Neji questioned upon approaching Sasuke.

"I guess his ears still aren't flawless," Amari muttered under her breath.

"Hehehe, nope! Still not flawless," Mimi laughed.

"It's common courtesy to give your own name before asking for someone else's," Sasuke responded without flinching.

Neji didn't let the comment get to him. "You're a rookie, aren't you? How old are you?" Neji asked.

"I'm not obliged to answer."

Agitation crossed Neji's face. "What's that?"

Next to her, Mimi was on the verge of bouncing on the balls of her feet as she barely contained her excitement. "Oh, Aoko check it out! Neji's getting out smugged!" she said, grinning wildly. Aoko barked in…appreciation? She was going to have to learn how to read the ninken's response better. Mimi turned her shining blue eyes to Amari. "Your team is definitely going to liven up this place."

"Glad we're entertaining you," Amari said, smiling in amusement at the Inuzuka.

"Hey Naruto, Sasuke, Amari, let's go," Sakura called to them.

Amari looked back to Sakura and nodded. "I'm ready if you three are." She turned back to Mimi. "Good luck to each of you."

"Who needs luck when you've got skill?" Mimi retorted. Aoko followed her statement with a bark, likely concurring with her partner.

Amari laughed and waved goodbye before following after Sakura, Naruto and Sasuke.

 _Well let's see what these exams have in store for us._

* * *

 _Review Response to Guest: Happy you love it and hope you enjoyed the new update!_


	24. Chapter 23: Rookies of Konoha Face Off

Chapter 23

The Chūnin Exam Begins: Rookies of Konoha Face Off!

Of all the battle scenario's Amari prepared to encounter during the Exams, fighting before it even began hadn't been anywhere near the top of her list. It didn't even make her list, not even as a warm-up. In the end, though, she should have figured this would happen. Just on their first real mission they hit snag after snag of bad luck, knotting them in a giant net of misfortune a thousand good luck charms couldn't ward off.

"Lee, much as I enjoy a good fight, this is not the time," Mimi tried to coerce her teammate.

 _Looks like we're still tangled up in bad luck._

Amari wondered if their luck would ever change.

Mimi's attempts to stop the fight started out strong but grew weaker with every renewed attempt. Although she wanted to avoid a fight spilling out here, Lee's stubbornness proved too much for her to bludgeon past. She realized how hopeless it was to keep voicing her argument. Little could dissuade Lee from going through with this; further attempts were a waste of breath and she knew it. That didn't stop the Inuzuka from shooting him reprimanding looks as he stared down at them from the balcony.

The room they were in was an indoor training room connected to the hall leading to and from Room 301. It was quite spacious, high ceilings and a wide open floor down on the bottom floor. The hall leading to their designated room was the balcony Lee and Mimi were standing on, giving Team Seven no choice but to pass through them to reach their inevitable destination.

A strategic trap, she could give Lee that much.

"Now is as good as any. We have time," he replied easily.

While Amari wouldn't generally call Lee and Mimi showing up for a fight misfortune—it was more troublesome than anything—this time was different. Currently they had around thirty minutes left to reach Room 301 for the first part of the Exam. The walk itself wouldn't take more than two or three minutes depending on how slow they walked, but a fight complicated matters. Every minute of conversation, every second of struggle in the fight delayed them all significantly and could lead to them being late.

 _Late_ , Amari frowned. She hated being late. And on an occasion like this they didn't have the time for tardiness. But even more important than her immense hatred for being late, Amari _really_ didn't want to take a beating before the Exam. Maybe Lee could wait until after the entire Exam was over to cover her with bruises?

 _Maybe not_ , she thought as she watched Lee jump down from the balcony to their floor. _What a drag._ Mimi heaved a heavy sigh of defeat before following after him, landing gracefully with her hands in her sweater pockets and Aoko still lounging peacefully on her head.

"My name is Rock Lee," Lee introduced himself before pointing to Sasuke. "You said it is a common courtesy for a challenger to give his name first right, Sasuke Uchiha."

Sasuke merely cocked an eyebrow up at the boy. "Hm. So you're the one Amari hit with a genjutsu."

Lee blanched as his straight as a board posture faltered into a defeated slouch, the comment snuffing out his youthful fire instantly. Mimi chuckled lightly and jabbed Lee in the shoulder. "Hehe, that's what you get for being cocky when we had her on the ropes."

"It won't happen again." Lee returned to his confident demeanor, the fire in his eyes and spirit igniting once more as he met their gazes again. "That is a warning to you both. I admit, I did grow arrogant in our battle, Amaririsu, but I will not make such a mistake ever again."

"And I certainly as hell won't underestimate you even when you look out of steam," Mimi tagged on, a wide grin on her face.

Amari smirked at the pair. "Good. Being underestimated greatly perturbs me." She shrugged. "Plus it wouldn't be any fun if I could use the same move to beat you again."

It'd be kind of dull, if she were honest. Like playing shogi against anyone who wasn't a Nara or Asuma.

"So who is it going to be, Amari? You or me?" Sasuke asked.

Letting her smirk fall, Amari glanced over to her teammate to size up his attitude. Despite her show of confidence, Amari wasn't blind to the threat these two shinobi now posed. Lee's warning about not growing arrogant ever again needed to be heeded, as did Mimi's warning. If she were to fight either of them again, she couldn't rely on a single moment of luck to get her through it. She needed to grow stronger to actually stand on the same level as them.

But Sasuke…Sasuke was taking them lightly because she pulled off a win against their team. He didn't see her fight against them as she did; he saw it as his teammate defeating an entire team, an Uchiha being far more powerful than them. Sasuke saw an illusion despite her attempts to release the genjutsu blinding him to reality; the illusion of Uchiha blood and Sharingan making them far superior to everyone.

It didn't. If it did she wouldn't have failed to cause any real damage to Zabuza. Her clone wouldn't have been defeated by Haku and Team Guy wouldn't have pushed her so far. Yet she failed to land more than a single blow on Zabuza, and the blow she did hit wasn't even an incapacitating one; all she did was cut his cheek. Woo, go team. Her clone failed to defeat Haku for several reasons and Team Guy pushed her to her limits without taking her seriously.

If Uchiha blood and Sharingan was meant to guarantee victory, somebody needed to inform her body of that fact so she could stop getting her butt kicked.

The problem Sasuke had, besides too much arrogance, was he hadn't tested his Sharingan on a legitimate opponent since Haku. Had he actually sparred with her she could have shown him its flaws, yet he kept to himself, training solo or not as hard as he should for whatever stupid reason he had. It left him believing Sharingan would be his ultimate weapon to win him any fight. _But it's not that simple. Lee's and Mimi's taijutsu are the worst matches for our Sharingan. Definitely at our current stages with them._

Maybe when they fully advanced they'd be able to see more than a blur of motion, but right now that's all she could see when they picked up the pace.

"It's up to you," she answered. Personally, she had no desire to fight either of them here and now. Her focus was on the Exams; that's what they all needed to be focused on. But if Sasuke didn't want to appease Lee's desire to fight, she'd step in just to get it over with…even if it would be a big, stupid drag. "If you don't want to fight, I'll go. But if you really feel like being a glorified punching bag, be my guest."

 _Might do your arrogance some good._ She didn't need Sasuke getting himself hurt in a real combat scenario because he was too arrogant. A few punches from Lee would open his eyes to see the limitations of the Sharingan against an opponent like Lee.

Sasuke turned to her with a furrowed brow. "You don't think I can win?"

Amari fought the need to roll her eyes. No, she didn't think he could win at all. Definitely with that fragile ego guiding his arrogance. But attacking his ego wouldn't do her any good. She needed to use the emotionless facts to get her point across. "Sasuke, I _barely_ beat the four of them. The only reason I won was because they didn't actually fight me like they would a real opponent, where I took them on as if I was fighting Haku all over again. You won't have that same opportunity." She turned her head just enough to meet his eye with a flat stare devoid of jest, earning her his undivided attention. "You underestimate him for a second, you'll lose. I guarantee it."

Amari turned her gaze back upon the two Genin across from them. "Don't take either of them lightly. Lee's physical strength and speed are incredible. My agility and flexibility barely kept me in the fight. I didn't have enough time to even think; I was forced to fight on instinct alone."

Lee smiled and bowed his head. "I appreciate the compliment, Amaririsu."

Mimi mocked a hurt look. " _Hey_ ," she whined, "I lasted the longest. Where's my compliment?"

"Aoko is pretty awesome," Amari teased.

Aoko barked happily, causing Mimi to frown up at her teammate. "You little traitor."

Her warning did little to ward Sasuke's arrogance off. A smile tugged onto his lips. "Sounds like fun. Okay, your fight is with me."

"Amaririsu." Amari perked up as Lee directed his attention to her. "You showed me great strength, tenacity and intelligence in our fight." His expression shifted into determination. "Because of that you are now an obstacle I must overcome. Before I am able to defeat you, however, I believe I must first beat him," Lee said, returning his attention to Sasuke.

Two egos were struck hard by his comment, neither of which Amari was looking forward to dealing with. The Nara sweatdropped. _Great, now Naruto and Sasuke are offended._ She appreciated Lee's compliment and accepted his challenge, but couldn't he have waited until they were alone to say all that? Now she would have to deal with bruised egos until the Exam started.

 _What a pain._

"That's some arrogance thinking you can beat me," Sasuke said. His stare became deadly. "Underestimating an Uchiha? You've just made your first and last mistake."

Lee smiled, lifted his right hand up and rested his left forearm behind his back. "Bring it on!"

Amari put her arm out in front of Sakura and guided her back a few steps. Better to give this ego fest the space it deserved before it rubbed off on them. "Amari, is this a good idea?" she asked for only her to hear.

Good idea? Probably not. Could she do anything about that? Nope. "It's a drag, but I don't see any way out of it." Lee was too hot-blooded to cool off, and Sasuke's wounded ego couldn't be fixed by her at this point, not when she was part of the cause. As long as Naruto didn't do anything stupid—

"Hold it!" Naruto's shout cut off everyone and dragged their attention to him.

Amari tried her best not to slump in depression, but she knew what was coming. Still she prayed to kami for a miracle. _Don't be stupid, Naruto. For the love of everything sacred don't do something stupid._

"I get him first," he declared. "This bushy-browed weirdo is mine."

 _Damn it_ , she cursed. Maybe Sasuke wouldn't encourage hi—

"Go for it," Sasuke offered.

 _Seriously Sasuke?_ Amari groaned lowly. She was going to strangle her troublesome teammates if they kept this up.

"Naruto," Sakura scolded.

"What? It's not a four on one handicap match this time. I'll have him begging for mercy in two minutes," Naruto said confidently.

Amari hated the egos of boys. She really did. It made them so stupid and blind to logical thinking. By fueling such blind overconfidence, they'd only get a worse beating than normal, and that would then bruise their egos even more. And then _she_ would have to deal with it.

It was all such a drag.

Mimi's lips curled into a sadistic grin. "Ohhhh, a feisty one!"

 _Ah, crap._ Naruto woke the wolf from its slumber, and now he'd have to pay for it.

"I'll take this dance, Lee," Mimi said, stepping forward with her hands still in her sweater pockets. "All this talk about fighting has gotten me all riled up." Her pupils became slits. "You two must be flooded with testosterone because it's making you throw around bold words you haven't a chance in hell of backing up." Mimi's stopped in the middle of the empty room. "Let's go, blondie. Try to make me beg for mercy."

Naruto growled and clenched his hands into fists. "Don't think I'll go easy on you because you're a girl."

Mimi's grin became downright feral as something dangerous and wild flashed in her blue eyes. "Hehehe! Oh, I'm going to enjoy emasculating you, little boy!"

With nothing more to say, Naruto charged in with his usual plan: a head-on assault with no plan whatsoever.

"Well, he's a goner," Amari mumbled. Not only was he facing Mimi—a tactically intelligent opponent—but he was so clearly underestimating her because she was a girl. That part did perturb Amari and made her consider pummeling his ego personally. Luckily for her she wouldn't have to get her hands dirty; Mimi was about to teach him the error of his thinking the hard way.

Naruto jumped at her with his fist aimed right at her face only for Mimi to gracefully sidestep him. To his credit, Naruto recovered quickly and pressed his assault, throwing aggressive jabs and hooks and kicks at the far more skilled kunoichi. Mimi made no effort to block them, simply dodging the attacks with little to no effort.

Her feral grin never left her face.

The dance continued, Naruto increasing the frequency of his attacks and having no choice but to try harder and harder to actually land a blow as Mimi ducked and dodged around. He didn't even notice she was having him wear himself down. Frustration built, beads of sweat formed on his face as he put forth his greatest effort to land a single blow.

Nothing landed.

"Damn it! Why can't I land a blow?" Naruto growled at himself.

"Whoa, Naruto's throwing everything he has at her and she hasn't even had to take her hands out of her pockets," Sakura awed.

 _Because she doesn't have to_ , Amari thought. Witnessing Mimi's skill again set a fire beneath her skin. It called for her to step in and move Naruto out of the way so she could fight this kunoichi again. She _needed_ to fight her. Needed to feel her strength and combat it with her own until they collapsed in exhaustion. The strange connection binding them demanded to be explored.

 _Not now_ , she calmed the fire. This wasn't where she wanted their fight to take place. She wanted it on a training field where they could use the full extent of their ninjutsu without worrying about what damage they caused. _Stay focused on the Exam for now._ Eventually they would have their rematch, just not here and now.

Mimi continued to toy with her teammate, letting him get frustrated at his lack of progress and the vast difference of skill between them.

"Come on, little boy. Stop taking it easy on me because I'm a girl," Mimi taunted, dodging out of the way of another attack, her grin still in place.

"Why you!" Naruto feinted a sweep kick and closed in to land a stiff punch. "Take this!" His fist connected…against the palm of Mimi's hand. Naruto tried to tug it away but found the grip too strong. "Eh?"

"Time's up." Mimi stepped to the side and pulled Naruto forward at the same time. Before Naruto could react, a hard knee landed right in his sternum, knocking the wind right out of him and causing him to cough up saliva. In one fluid set of motions Mimi released his hand, swept his legs out from under him and sent him flying to the back wall with a hard kick. "Don't underestimate kunoichi's," she said as she lowered her leg.

Naruto didn't hear her on account of being knocked out, though the message likely was still received through the kick.

Aoko yawned in boredom. "Nice move, Mimi," Lee complimented.

"Eh, it was nothin' really," Mimi replied, an amused grin on her face as her pupils returned to normal. She rested her hands behind her head and looked back over to Amari and her team. "Fair warning, tough guy, you don't stand a chance against Lee. If you choose to fight him, you'll lose." She shot Sasuke a crooked grin. "Not that I won't enjoy seeing you taken down a peg or two."

"Fight me and I will prove her words true," Lee challenged.

"Hmph," Sasuke chuckled and prepared to fight. "Don't think I'm anything like that loser. Come on, let's do this."

Mimi snorted and turned away to walk towards Naruto. "Have fun, Lee."

Sasuke wasted no time charging in to attack Lee. As Amari had warned them all, Lee's speed was too much for such simple tactics. He appeared to teleport due to his insane natural speed and reappeared next to Sasuke as his leg flew right at him. "Leaf Hurricane!"

"I'll be right back," Amari told Sakura before Body Flickering over to Mimi and Naruto. The Inuzuka was crouched down next to him with a green glowing hand resting on his head and focused expression on her face.

Behind her, Sasuke ducked under the kick at the last moment. Before he could react, Lee landed, spun into a low crouch and aimed a second kick right at Sasuke. Her teammate put his arms up to guard, but Lee's speed and strength went right through it to land his blow right against his cheek, knocking him senseless and flying back to where he had been standing before.

"Is Naruto okay?" Amari asked. Mimi gave a small nod but didn't speak, her focus remaining on her work. Amari waited until she finished healing him to ask her next question. "How'd you get into Medical Ninjutsu?"

"My cousin Hana is a medic-nin and specializes in veterinary medicine," she answered. "Chakra control has been one of my greatest strengths since I started training. When Hana noticed how good I was getting with it she took me under her wing and helped me start studying it…" A nostalgic smile pulled onto Mimi's face as hidden, softer emotions reached her eyes. "Used to stay up late into the night together to study. Some of my best memories come from that time." She lifted her chin at Naruto. "He'll only have a small headache now."

"And a bruised ego," Amari added flatly.

Mimi grinned up at her then stood up to continue to watch the fight. Sasuke activated his Sharingan, both eyes holding two tomoes within. Amari sighed. "Any other fight, Sasuke," she muttered under her breath. In any other fight it could have made a difference. But against Lee…

"It won't help him here. You witnessed that firsthand," Mimi stated.

She nodded in agreement and defeat. While it was possible his eyes could track Lee's movements better than her Sharingan, his body had no chance of reacting in time. As far as she knew Sasuke hadn't started training with genjutsu either. Even if he had, though, it wouldn't matter because Lee would start watching his feet instead of meeting his eyes.

Amari activated her own Sharingan to keep Lee in her sights as Sasuke charged back in. Lee went straight through his guard again, landing a hard kick right under his jaw that sent him flying back into the air again. The Uchiha boy flipped out of his fall and landed on his feet, only to find his opponent right back on him. They began trading blows, but just like Naruto, Sasuke couldn't land a single punch on Lee. With every blow Lee landed, he slowed down even more.

Naruto groaning as he woke up preceded his shout of shock at the sight of his teammate getting beaten. "Sasuke!"

"The fight's done, blondie. Your teammate didn't stand a chance."

Sasuke took a hard elbow to the sternum. The air taken from his lungs, he stumbled back and held his stomach as he struggled to keep his eyes open to not to lose sight of his opponent. "Underestimation will always seal your defeat. I don't know how many times I have told you two to let go of your egos, but I can only hope this serves to reinforce those lessons," Amari scolded. "I told you three before I barely won. It was a mixture of luck and their underestimation of my abilities that got me through."

"What about your Sharingan?" Naruto attempted to argue.

Amari stiffened at his loud question, eye immediately scanning the area for anyone who might have entered the room without her noticing. She sighed in relief when she was certain it was still only her team and the two members of Team Guy. "Naruto, these two may know of my eye but that doesn't mean you can go around blurting it out in public," she chastised.

"Oh, uh, sorry about that Amari," he apologized genuinely.

"Anyway, look at how it's working for Sasuke," she said, motioning to the fight. Sasuke attempted to hit Lee but only hit air. "The Sharingan is a powerful tool, I don't deny that, but it isn't an unbeatable weapon. No one jutsu is. Every jutsu has a weakness that can be exploited. And Lee's style of taijutsu is one of our Sharingan's weakest areas."

"She's right," Mimi agreed with a nod. "There is no trick or illusion to see through. It's just intense speed and strength you rookies haven't experienced before. Lee trains until he collapses, and then he trains some more just for the hell of it. Nobody here can match his work ethic."

Amari did not doubt that. Lee became a shinobi on taijutsu alone. To do that he would have had to put in double or triple the effort to prove he did not need ninjutsu or genjutsu talent to survive in the shinobi world. Until he proved his clear talent to everyone else, Lee would constantly be under scrutiny from his fellow shinobi. He would have to prove himself again and again that his taijutsu was enough, that he was a great shinobi without using ninjutsu and genjutsu.

Add in Guy's insane teaching style and you had someone with a work ethic that put her to shame.

"Here is what I believe," Lee spoke calmly as he fought Sasuke. "In the shinobi world there are two different kinds of shinobi: There are the naturally gifted like you who are born with incredible abilities you do not have to work at." Sasuke growled and charged back in. "And then there are those like me, the ones who have to train every day of our lives."

Sasuke's sluggish punch hit air again. "You rely too much on your Sharingan when it is the worst match for my extreme taijutsu, and now you are finished!" Lee sped forward, once again piercing straight through Sasuke's block to nail him right under his chin with a huge kick.

 _This match is over_ , Amari thought. It was over the moment Sasuke decided to fight Lee as if he were some average shinobi. The moment he underestimated him, the moment he thought Uchiha blood and Sharingan put him above everyone else, he lost. _At least he's learning that lesson now and not against a real enemy._ A small blessing, but one she'd take gladly.

Lee jumped up from the floor and directly behind Sasuke into a technique known as Dancing Leaf Shadow. Essentially Lee was mimicking Sasuke's position in the air, almost like a shadow. Honestly, the technique alone was relatively harmless.

"Oh…Oh crap." Amari turned to look at Mimi in confusion but found a panicked expression already on her face. "Damn it, you hot-blooded idiot!" she hissed before raising her voice. "Lee! You were forbidden from using that technique!"

Amari's eye widened. "Forbidden technique?"

Of course adding in a forbidden technique could change its harmless nature dramatically.

Lee didn't seem to hear her. The wraps around his left hand unwound itself in preparation for whatever he was about to do. Whatever it was froze Mimi in panic. Seeing her fellow kunoichi so worried only heightened Amari's concern, to the point she started sending chakra throughout her body for a Body Flicker.

"Damn it, this is such a drag!" she groaned. Then she was gone, empty space replacing her previous position as she sped across the room to stop this madness before it went too far. Her body reappeared as she shoulder tackled her dazed teammate from the side to knock him out of the way. "Sakura! Catch him!" she ordered as a white bandage moved to wrap around her ankle. Whatever this technique was, she wasn't about to let it hit one of her teammates. One hardened red eye met Lee's surprised eyes.

 _Sharin—_

A flash of dangerous movement dragged her eye away from Lee to the weapon behind the movement. The weapon hit the white bandage and pinned it against the nearby wall before she could really see it. "This is not good," Lee muttered to himself.

"Lee, you've really done it now!" Mimi chastised.

"All right! That's enough, Lee!" a foreign voice boomed.

Amari and Lee both landed on their feet without incident. The Nara immediately observed her surroundings. Sakura was kneeling on the floor, Sasuke's slouched seated form resting against her front after barely managing to catch him from a bad fall. _Nice work, Sakura._ Her red eye flitted over to the weapon she had seen next. A flower pinwheel kept Lee's bandage pinned to the wall; an odd choice of weapon but she wouldn't judge considering its sharpness. She then looked to the source of the weapon and found herself dumbstruck.

"Is that…a tortoise?" she muttered.

The tortoise approached Lee first, its hard eyes piercing straight through the young boy. Mimi muttered a curse under her breath before she jogged over to the group, leaving Naruto to stare at the creature with the same confusion Amari herself felt.

The forbidden technique was forgotten by the Nara as she tilted her head at the sight of the giant tortoise. With the hump of its large shell it matched Lee's crouched height. Its body and shell were colored red while the shell itself bore yellow swirl markings on each individual square. Far more interesting was the Konoha headband around its neck.

 _No way…_ Memories of Kakashi's summoned ninja hounds holding down Zabuza flashed in her mind. Each of them wore headbands of their own, which meant… _Which means he's a Summoning animal, likely Guy-sensei's summoning._

How did the energetic Might Guy end up with a tortoise of all animals?

Was that irony? It felt ironic.

 _There's been too much excitement before the Exams_ , Amari decided before deactivating her Sharingan and standing up to walk over to Sakura and Sasuke. At this rate she was going to be out of energy before the real Exam began. _This has all been so troublesome._ "Hey, you two okay?" she asked on approach.

Sasuke grunted dismissively and looked away.

One severely bruised ego, check.

Sakura gave a small nod. "Yeah. I'm okay." Her emerald eyes glanced worriedly at the boy she was still supporting the weight of, but she kept her worried words inside. Pointing out his injuries or loss would only add insult to injury to his fragile ego.

"Hey you guys!" Naruto's loud voice pierced the settled silence. Amari half turned to see him slowing down after rushing all the way over. "You're not going to believe this, but—"

"That isn't their Sensei, Naruto," Amari stated flatly, already seeing where his head was at.

"Eh?!" he wailed in surprise. "But— How did— But look!" He pointed at the tortoise, Mimi and Lee. "He's scolding Bushy Brows and everything!"

True, the tortoise was in fact scolding Lee for almost using the forbidden technique. There was one glaring issue with his argument…Well, two technically. First off, she knew Guy-sensei. That rendered the entire argument moot. But since Naruto wouldn't listen to conventional knowledge she went with her second point first. "Mimi's scolding him, too. Does that make her their Sensei?" she asked.

"Uhhh…" Naruto deflated visibly. "Well, no. But—"

"I've met Guy-sensei." Amari shook her head. "Not a tortoise."

Quite opposite of a tortoise, really. He'd have been better fit with a rabbit, or something else with a bunch of energy. Maybe a squirrel. They had about the same attention span.

Although the tortoise didn't intend to, he helped prove her point by reverse summoning Guy to their location. The energetic shinobi in spandex appeared on top of the tortoise's shell, hip cocked back, right hand high above his head and left hand creating a circle around his eye to look through. A strange and dramatic pose for…whatever reason. Perhaps being Might Guy was reason enough.

Pearly white teeth somehow managed to gleam in the sunless room. "Hey! What's shaking! How you doing everybody! Life treating you good?" Guy asked.

Shocked gasps escaped her teammates at his grand entrance. Amari could only giggle at their first reaction to Might Guy's exuberance. He was definitely an odd ball by all normal standards, but he was the good kind. His eccentrics were a bit too much for her on a normal day, but Amari wouldn't deny that Guy's heart seemed to always be in the right place.

"He's got the biggest eyebrows yet!" Naruto shouted in shock.

"Too weird," Sakura muttered as she and Sasuke got up.

Amari rolled her eye at Naruto's loud and disrespectful observation. "Don't underestimate him. Last time you did that you ended up with your butt kicked."

Naruto turned his body to face her while jabbing his finger at the older shinobi. "Yeah but look at them Amari! That's where Lee gets it from; the same soup bowl haircut and even bushier eyebrows!"

"Hey! Do not insult Guy-sensei!" Lee shouted back, anger in his voice and posture. "He is one of the greatest men in the entire world!"

Amari sighed in helplessness. Why? Why did her best friend have to be so loud with no manners? Sure, they had some of the bushiest eyebrows she ever seen. And the bowl cuts and spandex suits didn't help matters, but seriously? Did he have to shout it for the entire shinobi world to hear? He was a shinobi; subtlety was meant to be their specialty.

"Well excuse me for not noticing his greatness! I was too busy watching him crawl out from underneath a turtle!" Naruto returned fire.

Ugh, this was becoming annoying.

"He did not crawl ou—"

"Give it a rest, Lee." Guy waved his student off. Sighs of relief left Mimi and Amari for the end of the shouting battle. Before the relief could settle in, though, Guy clenched his hand into a fist, wound it up and punched Lee directly in the face. "You little fool!" he scolded as his student flew away from him.

This time Amari found her jaw dropping off its hinges along with her teammates as they wailed in horror. _What the hell is wrong with you?!_ Surely Lee didn't deserve _that_! She saw blood drawn from that single punch for kami's sake!

Guy turned to Mimi next. The Inuzuka braced for impact and lowered her head. "Sorry Sensei. I froze up when it happened." She actually sounded disappointed in herself, and the curled fists revealed the anger.

Instead of punching her lights out, Guy rested a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Mimi. Lee should have known better than to use that technique. And I know if he ever tries it again, you'll be ready to stop him." Guy gave her a grin and a thumbs up.

"Right!" Mimi agreed, grinning back.

Guy turned back to his protégé and crossed the distance between them, kneeling down in front of him as Lee tried to pick himself up off the ground. "I'm sorry about that Lee, but—" Guy's voice became choked up. "It's for your own good." Tears began to flow down his face, no doubt causing Lee to cry as well.

Amari raised an eyebrow at the pair. _Seriously? Isn't he being a bit dramatic?_

"Oh Lee!" Guy cried.

"Oh Sensei! I- I am so sorry!"

"All right, it's over! You don't have to say anymore!" Lee tackle hugged Guy as they cried together, neither paying any mind to the other shinobi around them.

 _It's like they're in some sort of dramatic farewell scene of a TV series._ Granted the father-son relationship was kind of sweet. Weird, but sweet.

When they regained control of their tears, Guy pointed out at the…wall. It's like he thought he was pointing into a sunset or something. "Now take off! I want you to give me one hundred laps around the practice field! Show me what you got!" Guy announced.

"Yes sir!"

"Uh, Sensei, Lee," Mimi tried to interrupt.

"Run into the setting sun! Run and suffer, but don't mess up your hair!"

"Sensei, Lee," Mimi tried again.

"Let us go!" Guy continued, walking off with Lee into whatever sunset he believed was going on.

"Guy-sensei!" Mimi raised her voice, startling Guy and grabbing his attention. "What about the Chūnin Exams? There's no time for laps."

Guy halted his triumphant walk away. "Oh, right." He rubbed the back of his head as a sheepish smile formed on his face. "I forgot about that." Clearing his throat, he turned back to Lee. "Lee, you not only disobeyed the rule against fighting but you also interrupted the Chūnin Exams. I think that warrants a slightly more severe punishment, don't you?"

Mimi attempted to interrupt only to stop herself and shake her head in exasperation. "Why do I even try?"

Lee saluted his sensei. "Yes sir!"

"Let's say five hundred laps, how does that sound?!" Guy asked with even more exuberance than before.

All of Team Seven deadpanned as they stared at the duo. "They're insane," Sakura said.

"Yep," Amari agreed.

How Kakashi dealt with him on a consistent basis was beyond her. _They have too much energy for me._

Guy then turned to them, his grin refusing to budge. "So, this is the rest of your team Amaririsu. Tell me, how is Kakashi doing?"

Amari opened her mouth to answer, but Sasuke's disbelief filled voice cut her off. "Wait, you know him?"

Slowly she turned to her teammates, her visible eyebrow raised in mild annoyance at the question. They totally doubted her. They totally thought she was lying about Kakashi and Guy's eternal rivalry…No, she shouldn't jump to such a drastic conclusion. Maybe the shock of Guy's exuberance was affecting their logical processes. Maybe it was all too much for them to process right now so they merely forgot what she said.

"Did you three seriously doubt me?" she asked. Naruto and Sakura laughed nervously while Sasuke rubbed the back of his neck, choosing not to meet her eye. Ah. So they did doubt her. They believed she made everything up, even got her clothes all wet before going to the hospital to craft a story about eternal rivals. Did they realize how much work that would take? It'd be a drag, even more than the real fight.

Amari's brow fell into a glare. She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed, turning her head away from them. Fine. If they weren't going to believe her, then she'd let someone else tell them. "I'll let you explain, Guy-sensei, since my words obviously fall on deaf ears."

Troublesome teammates.

"Well, you see, Kakashi and I are arch rivals for all eternity!" Guy explained, humming a laugh as he grinned even wider than before. He really liked this whole eternal rivalry business, didn't he?

"There's just no way!" Sakura and Naruto wailed in disbelief.

Amari huffed again.

"I can't believe you guys are doubting Guy-sensei. Didn't Amari already tell you—"

"Let it slide, Mimi. A ninjas actions speak louder than words," Guy interrupted his student.

All it took was a single blink and Guy was standing behind him without making a sound. "My record is fifty-one wins and fifty losses, which is one better than him by the way!" Guy spoke, startling her teammates.

"What?!" Amari's eye widened in shock. No. It couldn't be. He couldn't already be one ahead of Kakashi. It was far too soon for him to lose the tie she fought so hard for. Yet there wasn't an ounce of jest in Guy's eyes. He was downright burning with the brightness of the sun in sheer joy of having the lead against Kakashi. "Kakashi-senseiiiii! I'm going to crush you for losing the tie so quickly!" Her body sagged in depression. "All that hard work. All that time in the hospital…Did he at least put up a decent fight?"

"Of course!" Guy declared. "Kakashi put up a valiant challenge, as always. He is my eternal rival, after all."

Well, at least he fought hard.

"N- No way! How'd he beat Kakashi-sensei?!" Naruto panicked.

Guy grinned and jabbed a thumb into his chest. "The fact is I'm stronger than Kakashi, and faster!"

No longer wallowing in defeat, Amari frowned back at Guy. "Hey, wait a minute. Rock, paper, scissors and having your team fight me doesn't count as making you better. One is a luck based game, the other doesn't even require you to actually fight." She ran a hand into her wild hair as she pursed her lips in thought, not seeing Guy suddenly pale at being called out for two of his non-skilled based challenges.

"Though I can't say your strength and speed aren't real enough. I want to say you're evenly matched, but you two use different kinds of fighting styles. Your taijutsu heavy while Kakashi-sensei is a mix of ninjutsu, taijutsu and some genjutsu." Amari rubbed the back of her head and rolled her head around as she fell into her thoughts. "Comparing the two of you together isn't simple or black and white. It'd be like comparing my skills to Lee's. He's far superior to me in taijutsu, but I have better ninjutsu and genjutsu. It doesn't necessarily mean he's better than me or I'm better than him. It's…too tough to call."

"Analytical as always," Mimi teased.

Amari shrugged. "I can't help it. These things just come to me."

"Well in any event, I'm sorry for any trouble Lee may have caused you four. Look into my eyes and accept my sincere apology, also notice my handsome manly features."

Did…did he realize how awkward that was to say to four young kids? _I doubt he would have said it if he did._ Team Seven silently decided to nod their heads and hope it would stop him from making things even more awkward. "Lee, Mimi, you two should accompany these fine young ninjas to the classroom. Right now."

He tossed a kunai and hit the pinwheel flower directly, knocking it off the wrap Lee used. Without any other words spared, Lee began rewrapping his bandages around his forearms and hands. Amari made small note of the scars lining his skin beneath them but didn't say anything. _Guy-sensei's taijutsu is extreme enough to wear down the flesh on your body._ Lee's pain tolerance was undoubtedly high.

"Remember to give it your all! Lee, Mimi, farewell!" Guy disappeared in a poof of smoke along with his tortoise summon.

Mimi moved to Lee's side and rested her hand on his cheek. A green glow emanated from her hand, knitting together whatever wounds were beneath the surface before removing her hand and grinning at him. "Sensei's hit was the only one you took. Nice."

Lee nodded, but his features remained serious as he looked over to Sasuke. "Sasuke, actually I have not been completely honest with you. It is true that I wanted to test my skills against you, but you weren't the one I truly wished to test them against."

Amari felt her heart shrink into hiding as Sasuke's and Lee's eyes flitted over to her. Their gazes on her only lasted a few seconds, but it still made her incredibly uncomfortable. So…this is what it meant to be an obstacle to her fellow shinobi. She was an end goal for them both to defeat, an opponent to overcome because of what she accomplished.

 _How troublesome._

"If we're all coming clean about lies then I suppose I should too." Mimi came to her rescue. Whether intentionally or not, Amari didn't care. She was still grateful. "While Amari has definitely earned her place as one of our targets, she isn't the one Lee wants to defeat most. Our other boy teammate, Neji, he's Lee's end goal." Mimi's blue eyes moved over to her, a challenging grin forming on her lips. "As for me, I want to fight Amari again more than anyone else."

The feeling was mutual.

"I came here to defeat Neji and Amari. You were just practice." Lee's stare hardened. "Now you are a target. I will crush you!" Sasuke growled in irritation at the declaration of war. "Consider yourself warned. Let's go, Mimi."

He turned and jumped back up to the balcony without a backwards glance. "I guess that means he's ready to go." She gave a two finger salute and a grin to the four. "See you four later." She pointed at Amari. "Hopefully in battle for you, Amari."

She followed her teammate out at a slower pace, leaving Team Seven in a tense silence. The weight of their declaration of war and the bruised egos left in the wake was palpable. _Oh man, why do I have to be stuck in the middle of this? This is such a drag._

"Meh, would you look at that. Looks like the Uchiha's aren't as great as everyone thinks they are," Naruto pointed out a bit smugly.

" _Naruto_!" Sakura chastised the boy.

"Just shut up!" Sasuke clenched his hands into fists. "Next time I'll drive him to his knees."

"Yeah right. Neither of us even landed a single blow on them and you want to talk about driving him to his knees?" He looked away, a look of deep contemplation on his face as Sasuke tried to restrain his growing anger. "You guys saw his hands right? When he took off the tape? That Mimi girl said Bushy Brow has been training until he drops, and then he trains more." The blond glanced over to Sasuke. "He trains more than you, that's for sure."

Sasuke turned away, clenched fists still shaking in rage. Overall, Naruto's plan to point out Sasuke's recent lack of serious training was a good one. The execution didn't seem to work as—

"Fine."

Amari hummed in question at the sound of Sasuke's voice. _His hands have stopped shaking._

"This thing is starting to get interesting. And as soon as we pass these Exams, we're all going to be training even harder to be the strongest," Sasuke declared. He turned back to them, a confident smile on his face. "We're the next generation, right? Let's show them what we're made of!"

Smiles pulled onto the rest of Team Seven's faces as they nodded in agreement. "Right!" Naruto agreed.

And so they walked towards their fate with their heads high. Whatever was waiting for them, they were going to succeed no matter what. Team Seven would prove to the shinobi world that they could surpass the past generations.

When they finally reached Room 301 they found a surprise waiting for them; Kakashi leaned lazily against the door, his relaxed posture betrayed by the intense eye he kept locked on them. "Glad you two came, Sakura and Amari," he said slowly. "For both of your sakes and the others. Now you can all formally register for the Chūnin Exam."

"What do you mean now we…can…Oh." Amari stopped herself as the realization hit her. She hadn't even considered it a possibility but…"Our official team is four people. Missing one of us would have forced you to turn back the others. It was either all of us or none of us the same as Team Guy, right?"

Kakashi nodded before explaining in detail what he meant. While he had told them the decision to enter was up to the individual—which it was to a degree—the decision they made affected the team. Telling them the truth would have possibly led to Sasuke and Naruto pressuring Sakura and Amari into doing it. At the same time, Kakashi didn't want the two kunoichi to feel obliged to participate because of their feelings for Sasuke or Naruto.

The point was to make sure the choice they made was on their own volition. Sneaky, but a good move by Kakashi.

"It's a moot point. You four are all here and for the right reasons. Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke and Amari." Kakashi looked at them all with pride, bringing out smiles from the group. "I'm proud of you. I couldn't ask for a better team." He stepped to the side to grant them passage to take the Exams. "Good luck to each of you."

"Don't worry Kakashi-sensei, we won't let you down, you know!" Naruto declared.

Amari waited until she was about to pass Kakashi to lightly jab his side with a finger. "That's for losing the tie so early."

"Hehe," he laughed apologetically and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry about that."

She smiled up at him. "We'll make you proud, Kakashi-sensei. I promise."

Kakashi ruffled her hair and smiled at her. "I know you will."

With that, Amari followed after her team through the doors. Her steps stuttered when the eyes of what looked to be more than a hundred shinobi all turned to glare at their group. A quick glance around revealed symbols from different Shinobi Nations, though she did not see Mist, Stone and Cloud among them. She did see Team Guy, the trio of Sand shinobi they encountered and the music note shinobi trio, whoever they happened to be.

 _Well_ , Amari exhaled a troubled sigh, _man is it going to be a rough road._ Taking a deep breath, she straightened her posture. _Can't be helped. If I'm going to reach my dream of becoming a Jōnin, I have to pass this. None of these guys are going to stop me from reaching my dream._

"There's even more competition here than I thought there would be," Sakura whispered.

Amari bumped her shoulder with her own. "Chin up, we can do this. You're a lot stronger than you were five days ago."

And then nails on chalkboard squealed from out of nowhere. "Sasuke! Where have you been?!"

Sakura and Amari tensed for entirely different reasons at the sound of that voice, but Sasuke got the worst of it. Arms wrapped around his neck from behind him as Ino forced him into a hug he never, ever would ask for. An irritated look crossed his face. "Training," he grumbled.

He looked up and met Amari's eye, a silent plea to do _something_ to end this. She could only shrug helplessly, in turn making his scowl deepen. What did he want her to do about it? Get in a fight with Ino? Sasuke was her clansman, but that only went so far. Stepping into a troublesome argument with a girl for him just wasn't high on her priorities.

 _You don't realize it, but I'm already going to have to deal with far more than a hug_ , she thought. Sakura and Ino were going to start quarreling any second now, and somehow she'd end up getting dragged into it. _Your sense of humor is lacking, oh greater power. My torment is not meant for entertainment._

Ino began rambling on and on and _on_ about how much she missed Sasuke and his brooding looks. Naruto and Amari both sweatdropped as they watched Sasuke do his best to remain as still as possible. A vein bulged in Sakura's forehead right before the bickering started. Voices were raised as everything from classic name calling to harsher insults were spat between the two.

"It's like we never left the Academy," Amari muttered.

Unfortunately, her quiet voice was caught by Ino. "What'd you say, One-eye?!" Ino shrieked.

The distraction was enough for Sasuke to slip away. _You owe me one, Sasuke._

"I said it's like we never left the Academy," Amari repeated flatly.

Ino sneered at her. "Well, you still don't look nearly as beautiful as me, so I suppose you're right. And it looks like you gained some new scars; how sad."

Sasuke and Naruto stiffened at the insult, a growl coming from the blond as Sasuke clenched a hand into a fist.

" _Ino_!" Sakura hissed.

Amari cocked an eyebrow, unfazed by her condescending assault. "It's like you're trying to prove my point." Ino's sneer was immediately replaced by a snarl for her blow not landing. "Yes Ino, you look pretty. Beautiful even." Ino raised her chin in pride and opened her mouth to speak, but Amari cut her off quickly. "But a pretty face alone isn't enough to survive as a shinobi. Get your head right before you jeopardize the lives of your teammates."

Ino recoiled in offense at the sharpened barb. Then her lips curled in a snarl. "Why you—"

"Ino, enough already. You're only proving 'Risu's point every time you try to argue," Shikamaru's lazy voice preceded his presence next to Amari. Her cousin was flanked by Chōji, who munched away on chips. "At the end of the day, 'Risu is the top kunoichi and top rookie of our class. Instead of insulting her, why not try actually learning from her."

"You're just taking her side because you consider her family," Ino shot back.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the ridiculousness of the comment. "No, I'm taking her side because she's right. Think about it, Lady Tsunade of the Sannin is considered the most beautiful woman in the shinobi world. But she's also known for her incredible strength and for her immense Medical Ninjutsu knowledge." He shrugged. "Beauty doesn't change a fight."

"Shikamaru's right," Chōji agreed before shoving another handful of chips into his mouth. "Besides," he spoke as he chewed, "you shouldn't be so mean, Ino. Amaririsu is a comrade."

Ino grumbled under her breath but offered no other retort. There was nothing for her to say anyways. Shikamaru's analytical point and Chōji's kindness were unbeatable.

"Anyway, how'd you get dragged into this whole troublesome exam, 'Risu?" Shikamaru asked.

Amari smirked at him. "Come now, Shika, you know this is my kind of troublesome."

"Heh," he laughed. "Good point."

"What about you? Uncle Shikaku tell you to do this or Asuma-sensei didn't give you a choice?"

"I didn't even get to voice my opinion." Shikamaru sighed. "It's going to be such a drag."

She couldn't stop the amused snort from escaping her. "You say that about everything that involves work."

"And I'm always right too," he retorted.

 _That's my Shika_ , Amari mused, giggling lightly at his lazy nature. If he ever started acting motivated, she'd start worrying about him.

"Well well, what do you know? It looks like the whole gang is back together again," Kiba said.

The group turned to see Kiba, Hinata and Shino approaching. "Hey guys," Amari greeted. "Glad to see each of you. Especially the handsome half of the Inuzuka, right Akamaru?"

Akamaru yipped. "You always take her side," Kiba mumbled, a frown tugging at his lips.

Shino nodded silently to her in greeting, an action she returned.

"O- oh hi, Naruto. An- and hello to you, Amaririsu," Hinata greeted shyly, index fingers fiddling with each other as she tried not to step back behind Kiba.

"Hinata, how many times?" Amari teased, smiling fondly at the Hyūga.

Pink covered Hinata's cheeks as she looked away, smiling sheepishly at the continued correction. "On- one last time, I promise, Amari."

Sometimes Amari hoped she'd never get it right. She enjoyed seeing Hinata all flustered.

"You guys are here too, huh?" Shikamaru stuffed his hands into his pockets and shook his head. "Man, everyone got dragged into this stupid thing."

"Yup, here we all are. The ten rookies of Konoha," Kiba said. His usual grin took form on his lips. "This is gonna be fun, at least for those of us good enough to make the cut. Right, Sasuke?"

"Careful you don't get a big head, Kiba," Sasuke retorted with a confident smirk on his face.

"Great, the ego fest begins. What a pain," Shikamaru muttered.

"You said it, Shika." Between Naruto, Kiba, Sasuke, Ino and Sakura, they were at peak capacity for egos. Any more and the entire room would collapse in on itself. The Nara's shared a sigh as they watched their friends banter with each other. "You ever get the feeling they do this because they know it frustrates us?" she asked curiously.

Shikamaru snorted. "Nah. Too much thinking would go into that."

Amari jabbed him in the side with her elbow as she masked a giggle behind her hand. "Heh, good one, Shikamaru," Chōji laughed. The Akimichi pulled out two chips and offered them to the two Nara's. "You guys want one? They're barbecue flavored."

"Why not."

"Thank you, Chōji."

Chōji smiled back to them. "You're welcome. The rest, however, are _mine_!" he declared proudly before upending the bag of chips into his mouth. Amari traded an amused look with Shikamaru then popped the chip into her mouth.

 _Mm, barbecue._

"Hey you guys." The foreign voice caught the attention of all ten rookies. Amari and Shikamaru lazily looked over to the source, both hiding their analytical stares as they discerned if this new person was a threat or not. The person was a man, possibly on the border of teenager and adult, maybe even already an adult based on height. He wore circular framed glasses, a set of violet colored clothes consisting of a shirt, fingerless gloves and pants. Underneath his violet shirt was a white undershirt along with a white waistband. His long ponytailed hair was ash-grey.

His forehead protector was marked with the symbol for Konoha; that alone was enough for Amari to lower her guard down slightly. Unlikely they would find trouble in a Leaf shinobi, but she would keep on guard just in case. The Exams wasn't a place to make friends. People were here for a promotion or to make their home country proud. Mistaking a kind face for a friend could easily lead to a knife in the back if they weren't careful.

Good news, his smile reached his eyes. Faking a smile was easy, faking the emotions in your eyes was a far harder task to accomplish. Not impossible, granted, but it'd take someone used to wearing an emotional mask.

In distance alone, Amari stood closest to the newcomer. Still a good eight feet between them, too far for a sneak attack to have any effect. _I don't sense any aggression in his body language either._ Hmm, maybe they could trust him. For now.

"You may want to take it down a few decibels," he said. "I mean, no offense, but you're the ten rookies, right?" The question was innocent, but it still placed Amari on edge. Either he overheard Kiba, he caught onto gossip about ten rookies signing up, or…or something far more dangerous lurked here. His smile faded into a serious expression. "I wouldn't go make a spectacle of yourselves. Cool off. This isn't a class field trip."

Sound advice. Strange he would offer it to total strangers. "He's right," Amari said, turning her head to look at her teammates. "Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, remember what I said. This is the lion's den." _We can only trust each other._

Her three teammates nodded in understanding. They were on their own here. Friends and comrades surrounded them, but at the end of the day they could only look out for each other. And trusting a stranger even from their own village was dangerous.

"Exactly," the stranger agreed, unaware of the true meaning behind her words. "From this point forward, it's an uphill battle for all of us to become Chūnin."

Amari nodded once then spoke. "True, but who are you?" She was curious about his intentions. Was he taking pity on the young rookies and trying to help out? Or was he buttering them up to take them down later?

His smile returned. "I am Kabuto Yakushi. Take a look around, you ten have made quite the impression." Glancing around, Amari found every set of eyes in the room locked on them. Anger, sneers, looks of disinterest, every shade of emotion stared back at them from every village participating in the Exams.

 _We pissed off an entire room without even talking to them._ Could that be considered a kekkei genkai? Because it seemed like a special ability at this point. Even the older Leaf shinobi appeared to want to kick them around for their ignorance. Every non-rookie understood what this test meant. It made them tense, ready to lash out at anyone who could stand between them and their goal.

Seeing a bunch of rookies acting untouchable did not sit well with any of them.

"Rubbing these guys the wrong way isn't something I'd advise," Kabuto warned.

"Agreed," Amari said. She hid her suspicious glance from him. _But why aren't you acting like them? What about us interests you so much?_

Kabuto chuckled and waved them off as the children they were. "You can't help it. You're just rookies. You haven't learned how things work yet." A reminiscent smile pulled onto his lips. "You remind me of myself a while back."

 _A while back?_ The dōjutsu wielder pursed her lips in thought, picking apart every word he spoke for hidden intentions. _Meaning you've taken this test before. So you are either skilled enough to be a Chūnin and these tests are really hard, or you don't have what it takes to become a Chūnin._

"This isn't the first time you've taken the test?" Sakura asked.

"No…it's my seventh," Kabuto answered.

The others took his answer like he was some sort of veteran. Both Nara's traded a knowing glance with another. They were on the same wavelength without even trying.

"Some expert. He's failed the test six times," Shikamaru stated for the others to hear.

Kabuto immediately became sheepish and brought his hand up to rub the back of his head. "Well, they say seventh times the charm, right?" he asked, an embarrassed laugh leaving him.

"Meaning all the rumors about the Exam being extremely difficult are true," Amari noted, humming in discontent before sighing. "Shika, you're right again. This is going to be a drag."

 _A seven time test taker? I knew this would be tough, but someone coming back seven times and still not passing?_ She gave him credit for perseverance, but kami did she not like the odds they were facing. Every single one of them had an area of expertise; a few of them had more than one, but would it be enough to pass the Chūnin Exam? They were just rookies, barely into their first year as shinobi. This fellow Leaf shinobi had more battle experience than them based on age and he still hadn't passed it.

What were the odds they of all these gathered shinobi could actually pull through?

 _Low._

As all hope felt lost, Kabuto smiled reassuringly at them. "Hang on, don't fall into despair yet." He reached into his back pouch. "Maybe I can help you kids out a little." The ash-haired ninja pulled a set of orange cards. "With my Ninja Info Cards."

"Info Cards?" Amari quizzed. She hadn't heard of anything of this sort before. Admittedly, she was intrigued by what he could possibly have on the cards, and if they could actually increase their chances.

"It's hard to explain, but these cards have been chakra encoded with everything I've learned over the past four years." Kabuto went down onto one knee and placed the deck of two hundred cards on the ground. He flipped one over to reveal a blank white card. "They might not look like anything to the naked eye; in fact, they're completely blank. Don't want just anyone seeing this stuff." He set the card onto the floor and began spinning it with his index finger as he channeled his chakra into it.

Amari was hooked instantly. "Interesting. By chakra encoding them, anyone who isn't aware of how they work wouldn't see anything except a blank set of cards." She brought a hand to her chin. "Yet the amount of data you could store on them is incredible, and no one would be any wiser to your data collection."

Kabuto smiled at her and nodded. "That's right."

Now her gears were turning. This shinobi's idea was amazing. The amount of data he could collect, the perfect way to hide it as nothing but a deck of cards. No shinobi would think anything of them as long as they didn't see the blank cards. "And because of how small the cards are, you could easily carry over two hundred with you as separate decks. On recon missions you could record enemy movements or scout an enemy's ability for a future battle to share the information with your comrades. Strengths, weaknesses, enemy numbers, patrols, Clan techniques, anything and everything is possible.

"And if an enemy did find out or overwhelm you, all you have to do is set fire to them and _poof_ , all the information on your person is gone. The enemy wouldn't be able to do anything about it, or know if you had copies given to allied shinobi." How had this not caught on yet? "It's…ingenious. You could even pass on data easily and inconspicuously."

"Aren't you a smart one," Kabuto complimented, smiling kindly at her. "And the only way to see the information is by using my chakra to reveal their secrets. So even then, an enemy shinobi would have no chance of revealing what I learned on their own. Here, I'll show you."

Kabuto surged his chakra into it and the blank space was replaced by a map of the continent. Green 3-D bars were at the bottom of the card with lines leading from them to the Village they were associated with. Underneath the bars were numbers and Village symbols to link the information together.

"One hundred and fifty-five people here for the Exams," Amari stated as she examined the card. "Of them all, Konoha makes up seventy-four of them. Suna is second with thirty. Ame with twenty-one, Kusa with fifteen, twelve from Taki and three from a village I've never seen nor heard of."

The music note village.

"That last one is Otogakure, the Village Hidden in the Sound. It recently sprang up so it's no surprise you didn't know them," Kabuto said.

"A lot of competition regardless of what village they come from," said Kiba.

Mist, Stone and Cloud had no participants whatsoever.

Kabuto nodded in agreement. "You're right about that, but why do you think they all come together to take the Exams?" The rookies answered with silence, unsure of what the real reason was. "It's to foster friendship between nations, of course. International brotherhood and all that, and it's true enough as far as it goes."

A frown made its way to Amari's face.

"But there's another reason." Sasuke beat her to the punch.

All of this was pointing to something other than the simple reason of fostering friendship and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. There were one hundred and fifty-five ninja here. No way all of them could pass. One by one they would be picked off until the end of this test.

So what was the real purpose of the Chūnin Exams?

"You see, the important part of the Chūnin Exam is the regulation of the total number of shinobi. Without it, any village could increase their total forces under no supervision, thus disrupting the balance of power."

"O- oh right, balance of power," Naruto said.

 _You have no idea what he's talking about_ , Amari mused.

"Balance of power, big deal. It's all a drag," Shikamaru complained.

"Basically, if one shinobi village ended up with more ninja than its neighbors, someone could attack or fear being attacked, causing another war to break out," Amari explained for the group. "And doing these exams gets the fighting out of our systems and keeps a single village from gaining too many shinobi."

"Right on all accounts," Kabuto answered.

As Sasuke asked Kabuto about the cards holding information on individuals, Amari fell into her own thoughts on the point of these exams. Although her points might have been right, something about it all didn't sit right with her. How was balance of power achieved if Stone, Cloud and Mist did not participate? For all they knew, those three villages could be gathering their forces without anyone knowing because they did not participate in the Exams.

Then there was the whole fostering friendship thing. Combat definitely created bonds, but essentially they were all here to fight a war on behalf of their village. Those who made it to the end won, those who did not make it that far lost. Couldn't that still breed resentment?

Each nation was sending the best of the best to try to become Chūnin, but they were also showing their nations strength. If one nation did not make it to the end or even past the first part then that nation would look weak. Other nations could see it as an easy target and send their ninjas to invade or destroy it completely.

Either way, there was a lot more pressure on every ninja here than Amari had originally thought.

 _No wonder they look so tense. I just thought this was about a promotion, but there is more to it than that. A lot more._ She sighed. _It sounds like there are a lot of politics underneath all this._

Kabuto sent chakra into his first card to reveal Rock Lee and his stats. His taijutsu peaked all the way to the top of the pentagon diagram while his other skills were a bit lacking. Nothing new there. The card also revealed he had done eleven C-rank missions and twenty D-rank missions. Not a bad record for being a year older than them.

This was Team Guy's first time at the Exams the same as them, and his team was the only other four man squad here besides Team Seven, according to Kabuto. He sent chakra into a second card to reveal Mimi Inuzuka's skills. Most of the basic information about missions and teammate remained the same, but the drastic change was her ninjutsu in the diagram.

"Her ninjutsu is sublime to the rest of her team," Kabuto pointed out. "Her taijutsu isn't bad either, though considering who her teacher is that isn't a surprise. It seems she has an affinity to the Water Nature. Oh," Kabuto's eyes widened, "this is interesting. She's listed as a medic-nin. That definitely gives her and her team an edge."

"Whoa," some of the rookies awed.

"Her chakra control is amazing. I've seen her stand on top of her own Water Dragon as it attacked," Amari said.

Kabuto gave a thoughtful nod. "I'm not surprised. Medical Ninjutsu is said to need supreme chakra control. I'd watch out for her if I were you guys."

"Yeah. Mimi likes to play around, but when she gets serious it's usually all over for her opponent," Kiba commented.

"And you fought her, 'Risu?" Shikamaru asked, looking at her in surprise.

"Her and her team. They're all tough, but Mimi is on a different level entirely."

Kabuto brought up his third card and sent chakra into it to reveal Gaara and his team, minus his sensei. A question mark remained where their teacher was meant to be. Another question mark was placed over his skill level and D-ranked missions. Other than that it showed he had done eight C-rank missions and one B-ranked mission.

"Not a lot on this guy, but get this: he survived every mission without getting a scratch on him," Kabuto explained.

"The dude has done a B-rank as a Genin and has never even been injured?" Shikamaru asked in shock.

 _I knew I wasn't going to like learning more about this guy._ Team Seven barely made it out of their C-rank turned A-rank without casualties, and apparently this kid did a B-rank without a scratch? Gaara wasn't to be trifled with, that was for sure.

Kabuto put those cards away and brought out his map of the continent again. "Leaf, Sand, Rain, Grass, Waterfall and Sound. By the looks of it they've sent exceptionally skilled candidates to the Exams this year. Of course the Hidden Sound Village is small and only sprang up recently. No one knows anything about it; those guys are a mystery."

Amari hummed and frowned. "So no one knows what kinds of skills they have…That's troubling."

He put his cards back on the deck then looked up to the ten rookies with a sympathetic smile. "Well you get the point. The competition is going to be intense this year."

"So it would seem. It's almost enough to make you lose your confidence," Hinata said quietly.

"A fine time to start thinking like that!" Ino chastised.

Frowning at Ino's scolding, Amari shot her a quick glare before turning a comforting smile to Hinata. "You'll do fine, Hinata. Don't worry so much. My mom wouldn't have sent you three here if she didn't believe in each of your skills. Find strength in your comrades."

"Ri- right!"

"Do you really think it's going to be tougher this time?" Sakura questioned.

"Oh yeah," Kabuto said. "In the four years I've been coming, I've never seen a crop of candidates with as much potential as this bunch."

"This is going to be a drag," both Nara's said in unison.

They traded smirks with one another at their unison thought pattern. She missed being around Shikamaru. Sudden movement from her blond teammate caught her attention before his loud voice penetrated the silence.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm going to beat every one of you! Believe it!" Naruto shouted at the entire room.

Why did her best friend have to be such a knucklehead?

"Huh, that took longer than expected," Shikamaru said.

Amari turned to her cousin in slight confusion. "Naruto announcing he'd beat everyone?"

"No, Naruto being a complete idiot."

Amari stifled a laugh. Yep, she missed being around her Shika.

"He's not very bright, is he?" Kabuto asked curiously.

"Nope."

"No."

"I don't think anyone's ever accused Naruto of being smart," Chōji said thoughtfully.

Kabuto exhaled a laugh and moved to stand up. "Looks like one of you will have your hands full."

"Nothing new there. 'Risu always has her hands full with that idiot," Shikamaru pointed out.

Aggressive movement from the Sound shinobi caught Amari's eye, killing her good mood instantly.

"Naruto, you jackass!" Sakura shouted as she put their teammate in a sleeper hold for acting so brashly.

The three Sound ninjas sped through the crowds of shinobi, ill intentions in their movements and on their faces. In preparation for an attack, Amari activated her Byakugan and kept her sights on the three shinobi. Most of the other ninja didn't even seem to notice them zipping around, but the dōjutsu wielder could see them perfectly.

 _These guys have strange…tools or something on them._ The one wrapped in bandages had a strange mechanism on his arm, while his other male teammate had weapons of some kind beneath the surface of his skin. Pipes of some kind were in his arms, going towards his palms as an exit point with chakra moving through them. _Probably amplifiers of some sort to increase the strength of their jutsus._

The spiky-haired one jumped off a desk and aimed two kunai right at Kabuto and Amari. "Look out!" Kabuto shouted, pushing Amari away and into Shikamaru's arms before she could react. Kabuto dodged back, sliding on his backs of his heels to narrowly dodge the kunai knives aimed for them. As he skidded to a stop, the bandage wrapped Sound shinobi appeared in front of him.

Chakra entered his mechanism just before he threw a punch at Kabuto. The Leaf shinobi was too fast for it to hit, dodging again and smirking at the successful evasion.

Then his glasses cracked. Kabuto frowned at first and reached up to pull his glasses off but then smiled. "Oh, I get it. So it was that kind of attack."

"Wait a minute, I saw him dodge the attack. How did that happen?" Sasuke questioned.

Before any answer could be given, Kabuto gasped in pain and fell to his knees despite no other attack happening. The contents in his stomach then hit the release and came shooting out of his mouth.

Naruto and Sakura ran over to his side in worry as Amari stared hard at the three Sound ninjas. _Only one thing I know can do something like that._ Flashes of her clone having her ear drums nearly blown out played through her mind. _Sound. Must be a Village thing._

"Write this on your little card, _punk_ ," the spiky-haired one sneered, "the Genin from the Sound Village will be Chūnin when this is over. Guaranteed."

Cocky, huh? She knew how to handle arrogance like that. "Look at the little punks with no real strength," Amari taunted.

That hit a nerve. The spiky-haired one growled and spun to glare at her. "What did you say?" he seethed.

"'Risu, what are you doing?" Shikamaru whispered worriedly.

Amari chose to ignore him. He wouldn't understand, he'd call it troublesome. But not her. This was right up her alley. No one messed with Leaf ninjas on her watch. "Oh I wasn't actually acknowledging you," she retorted. A venomous smile pulled onto her lips. "You're even more of a waste of time. Why are you even here?"

"You little—"

"You're still talking?" Amari sighed dramatically and rolled her eye. "Idiots never learn. But…" They blinked and she was gone. As their eyes opened again, the two male Sound shinobi found the two kunai thrown placed against their throats. Shocked hissed breaths escaped the trio, the spiky-haired one actually flinching at the feel of cold steel against his throat. "Consider me talking exclusively to all three of you now."

The air around them chilled as her killing intent unshackled itself. Second by second the intent grew stronger until all three Sound shinobi were suffocating in it. The spiky-haired man attempted to say something but shut his mouth when she put more pressure on his throat. No blood was drawn, but a bit more and crimson blood would be spilt.

"You think your little toys make you strong?" Her voice remained quiet. Why? To ensure they listened intently to what she was about to say. "You're not real ninjas," she said, the blades in her words growing sharper. "You're fakes. Frauds. Low life punks who wouldn't cut it as true shinobi if someone took away your little amplifiers. I swear to you, if you ever harm a Leaf shinobi in my presence again…"

More killing intent unshackled itself, thinning the air around them and sending a shiver through all three Sound shinobi. "I will _break_ your toys."

An explosion of smoke behind them snapped the Nara back to reality, causing her to rein in her killing intent as a deep, commanding voice bellowed, "All right you baby-faced degenerates! Pipe down and listen up!" Amari half turned to see the smoke cloud dissipate and reveal a large number of older Leaf shinobi standing at the front of the room. In front of them stood a man wearing a long black open coat, a man with scarred and serious features.

"It's time to begin. I'm Ibiki Morino, your proctor. And from this moment…your worst enemy."

 _Damn this guy just makes me feel smaller than I am._ The man carried with him an aura of danger that put her to shame. Almost as if he could cut anyone down just by looking at them.

"First." His finger and stare penetrated through the crowd right at the three Sound ninja and Amari. "You candidates from the Village Hidden in the Sound and you from the Leaf, knock it off! Who told you that you could fight? You want to be failed before we've even begun."

"No sir. I was just returning these kunai knives to their thrower. Wouldn't want anyone getting hurt over a simple misunderstanding," Amari responded nonchalantly despite the fact her heart was beating frantically against her chest. _Man, this guy scares the crap out of me_.

She dropped the kunai knives at their feet and walked back over to Kabuto, Naruto, and Sakura while the three Sound ninjas gave an even more halfhearted apology.

Ibiki frowned at all of them. "I'll say this once, so listen up! There will be no combat between candidates, no attacking each other without the permission of your proctor, and even then the use of fatal force is strictly prohibited. Anyone who even thinks of messing with me will be disqualified immediately."

"Understood, Sir," Amari replied.

"Now if we're ready, we will proceed to first stage of the Chūnin Exam. Hand over your paperwork; in return you will each be given a number. This number determines where you'll sit. We will start the written test once you are all seated," Ibiki explained.

 _Written tests are such a drag._

"Hey." Kabuto's voice dragged Amari from her thoughts back down to his crouched form. "Nice work getting those three ninjas to back down. I owe you one," he said with a thankful smile.

She gave him a close eyed smile. "No problem. I'm only sorry you had to push me out of the way and take the sound wave. Thank you for trying to help me, though."

With the fighting over, it was time to take on the Exam.

 _Hopefully we all pass._


	25. Chapter 24: Cheat or Fail

Chapter 24

Cheat or Fail: The Ten Questions of Doom!

Relaxing in her designated seat proved to be an impossible task for Amari. Ever since she sat down, a thunderstorm of a migraine awoke within her skull, the bursts of lightning and rumbles of thunder cracked and roared through her skull without restraint, building into a great crescendo of pain. A permanent knot formed between her brow and her eye clamped shut to block out the bright lights of the room to avoid agitating the pain any further.

It hadn't come from nowhere. The side of her skull had become the drilling point for Temari's death glare, consistent and unwavering in her attempt to lobotomize the Nara through thought alone. Her persistence would be impressive if it wasn't so annoying.

In Amari's quite humble and non-biased opinion, whoever came up with this seating arrangement needed a full-power Might Guy punch to the nose. They needed to have their nose fractured and face broken for placing her right next to the Sand kunoichi. Seriously, they couldn't have picked Hinata or Mimi or any random stranger from one of the other Villages? Of everyone here, Temari had to be her seat buddy?

 _More like seat nemesis._

After this exam was over, she was going to find the person responsible for picking her seat and crush them into itty bitty pieces. Better yet, she would turn them into a pile of ash with a Fire Ball Jutsu for their incompetence. Embers of their first encounter were being rekindled because of this seating arrangement; embers Amari wanted to douse with a Water Style Jutsu so she could avoid conflict with the Sand trio forever. Yet now she had no choice but to sit next to this troublesome girl who apparently held a grudge.

This was such a pain.

Amari sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. _Could be worse I suppose. Could be next to one of those Sound ninjas._ The freshness of their encounter would have made her situation even more uncomfortable, especially if she ended up seated next to the spiky-haired one. Temari at least kept her mouth shut, so far. He wouldn't have been able to stay quiet; she could tell from their single encounter that his ego was as fragile as glass and his arrogance in a realm of its own. Although, if he did threaten her, at least it'd get out of his system and they could move on. Temari just kept staring and staring and staring and _staring_.

At this rate, smoke was going to start billowing from her skull.

"Such a drag," she muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Temari bit out.

"Such a drag," she repeated a little louder. Amari opened her eye and turned a lazy gaze to the Sand kunoichi. "Are you going to glare at me forever or do you have something to say? It's kind of annoying, and rude."

Temari's teal eyes sharpened to match a kunai knives point. "There aren't many rookie Genin who can move as quick and quiet as you." It wasn't a compliment, nor was she congratulating her mother for training her so well. Temari was stating her observation, and clearly working towards more. "But don't think you'll be able to get me with another stunt like that. I've got my eyes on you."

"Mm." There it was. The warning for a future encounter and an acknowledgement of her skills in one little package. How sweet of her. Amari shut her eye again and returned her head back to its natural resting position. "Watch me all you like, you'll only see what I want you to."

The drilling revved up its intensity.

"That's some arrogance you have, Leaf shinobi."

Amari snorted. "Pot meet kettle." Just as she read the spiky-haired Sound shinobi's personality, she got a good read on Temari's between her past encounter and this one. This kunoichi carried herself with the arrogance of a peacock; head always held high, shoulders back and chest out, confidence caused not by her beauty, but her skills and experience as a kunoichi.

Her mention of "rookie Genin" caught Amari's attention as well, not because Temari knew she was a rookie, but the noticeable distance between the words and herself. _She must have a year or more of experience than me._ If so, it placed her in a similar place as Team Guy; all of them had more battle experience and time to hone her techniques than the rookies, which made them threats to overcome.

"Excuse me?" Temari growled.

Yet, unlike Mimi and Lee, Temari had yet to learn the consequences of overconfidence and arrogance. _Pride always comes before the fall._

Amari opened her eye and turned her flat stare to Temari. "When you stop sneering down at everyone like you're so much better than them, then you can talk to me about arrogance, Sand shinobi. Until then," she shut her eye again, "stop instigating me into this childish verbal jousting. You'd think it be beneath you."

"Tch!" The irritated noise was the sound of victory.

Amari couldn't stop the corner of her lip from lifting in amusement. _Seems I touched a nerve._

"Wipe that smile off your face!"

Nerve located, now was the time to strike with deadly accuracy. "Nope," Amari responded, smile remaining on her lips. "Now that I know it irritates you, consider it my personal gift to you."

"You're insufferable."

"Your attitude is insufferable. How do your teammates manage?"

"I would ask you the same thing."

"My team? They love how troublesome I am. Can't say the same for your team, can you?"

"Love is irrelevant for shinobi."

Amari snorted in disbelief and shook her head. "You're running away from your humanity, forging yourself into a cold tool to be used and broken at the whims of another."

"All shinobi are tools—"

"No." Amari's eye snapped open and shot a withering glare to Temari. "No, we are not." The firmness of her declaration earned her silence and hardened teal eyes. "No matter how hard we shinobi try, we can never escape our humanity. You can try to ignore the flaws of your goals, you can turn yourself into a demon and kill the kindness in your heart a hundred times over, but you'll never outrun it." Her right hand clenched her left bicep tightly. "One day you'll have to face yourself in a shattered mirror with all your insecurities, your greatest flaws and the pain you harbor laid bare before you."

 _Just like me, Zabuza and Haku._

Amari closed her eye and turned away again. "For your sake, I hope you have people to guide you away from the darkness when that day comes."

"Hmph, what soft-hearted nonsense. I suppose I should have expected it from a Leaf shinobi."

"You've already lost, you know that, right?"

"Lost what?"

"This verbal battle. You lost it when you told me to wipe the smile off my face." Amari shrugged, as if her loss couldn't be helped. "I mean, I get that you Sand shinobi are stubborn, but a true warrior knows when to submit to defeat. Anything less is just unsightly."

Hypocrisy ran deep in her statement, Amari knew that. She of all people couldn't talk about stubbornness or never giving up when she made it a part of her nindo, but she wanted this conversation over with. Temari and her could never agree on their vastly different philosophies, nor could they convince the other to see their way of thinking. Their different upbringings and experiences shaped them into different people; the filters through which they looked at the world were unique to them, the only exception being their shared stubbornness. It wasn't a divide they could bridge or wanted to.

Why bother continuing to argue with one another then? It'd only give her a real migraine and gather the attention of the big, scarred angry bear named Ibiki Morino—someone Amari didn't want to be under the scrutiny of…again.

Besides, she wanted to win the verbal jousting battle to irritate Temari. It was a small bit of entertainment to ease her boredom.

"Grr, why you—"

"I'm going to ignore you now. Wallow in defeat, glare at me, do whatever you want. Just don't speak. You're boring me."

Temari huffed. "Whatever. Like I care."

Oh, she absolutely did. She could act cool as ice cream and pretend she hadn't been trying to win the verbal battle either, but she was. While Amari wanted to irritate her as a way of entertainment, Temari wanted to win out of competitive desire to outwit her newest enemy. Pointing that out, however, would mean acknowledging Temari again and forfeiting the victory—a fact which Temari planned for.

Unfortunately for her, Amari could see through her little game and remained silent, her migraine gone without the incessant glare drilling into her skull.

Another great victory for Amaririsu Yūhi!

Everyone else was still shuffling into their seats. Last time she looked around she noticed Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto had taken their seats, as well as how far apart they all were from one another—an ingenious plan by their proctor. The way they were separated rendered any form of communication for the written exam impossible without telepathy.

No way was that a coincidence.

What remained to be learned was _why_ they separated the teams in such a way, but Amari had a feeling they'd find out soon enough. At the front of the room stood Ibiki, his cold eyes staring deep into the souls of anyone who dared to meet his gaze—another reason Amari kept her eye closed.

Yes she was hiding, but anyone in her position would too! Her little…quarrel with the Sound shinobi earned her his undivided attention several times so far, his eyes remaining locked on her until she began to feel downright uncomfortable, unwelcome and fidgety. _Great, I irritated the scariest adult in the room for a childish ego fest. I really am a drag sometimes._

Matching his intimidating presence was, quite frankly, impossible. He carried himself as a seasoned soldier, one who took the pain the darkest parts of the shinobi world gave him and made them apart of his soul. He turned his Will of Fire into a black flame to incinerate those who threatened his home and his comrades, and his tolerance for fools was non-existent. The scars on his face added equal intrigue and intimidation to his already frightening presence.

Gaara's eyes may have seen her as nothing but an obstacle in his way, but Ibiki's eyes saw right into the depths of her soul. In one glance it was as if he could see every secret, every memory, every ounce of pain she carried. And somehow, that made him even more terrifying than the evil she felt in Gaara.

Needless to say, Amari chose the wise path of shutting the curtains on the window to her soul to hide within the shadows of her mind. Here she was safe from his probing eyes; here she could keep her secrets safe and secure from this observant man.

The older shinobis that arrived with Ibiki sat in chairs on the outer sides of the room, their seats positioned in such a way to look down the rows of seats the Genin sat in. It had to be a part of the test. A way to monitor them, perhaps?

 _But why?_ The question of the hour she waited patiently for.

As soon as the final person took their seat, the sound of a piece of chalk tapping hard against the chalkboard captured the attention of the entire room. Amari opened her eye and found Ibiki glaring down all the Genin. "Eyes up front everyone! You all best pay attention, for there are a few rules you need to be aware of, and I won't repeat myself or answer any questions."

Harsh, but fair. As the proctor he made the rules, and in battle you didn't have time to half-listen to your superiors. "All right, rule number one is this: the written part of the exam is conducted on a point reduction system," he explained, writing down the first rule on the chalkboard as he did. "Contrary to what some of you people might be used to, you each begin the test with a perfect score of ten points. One point is deducted for every answer you get wrong. So, if you miss three your final score is seven."

Easy enough. A basic rule no one should need further explanation on.

"Rule number two: Teams will pass or fail base on the total scores of all team members."

 _Oh…_ Amari frowned. _Troublesome._

"What?! You're saying we all get scored as a team?!" Sakura's shrieked.

"Silence!" Ibiki shouted back. Any chance for murmurs of agreement died under his withering glare. "I have my reasons, so shut up and listen! Rule number three," he continued, "the sentinels you see positioned around the room are there to watch you carefully for any signs of cheating." A hint of a smirk played at Ibiki's lips. "And for every incident they spot, they will subtract two points from the culprits score."

 _Wait, what?_ Suspicion fueled Amari's being instantly. Cheating was _never_ handled so lightly. A cheater usually ended up getting failed the moment they were caught, yet they planned only to subtract two points per each time they were caught? _I wonder…_

"Be warned, their eyes are extremely sharp," Ibiki warned them. "If they catch you three times, you will be dismissed before the tests are even scored. Anyone fool enough to be caught cheating by the sentinels doesn't deserve to be here."

 _Is he…asking us to cheat?_

"If you want to be considered shinobi then show us what exceptional shinobi you can be."

Hmm. He didn't say it plainly, yet the way he spoke of their ability to cheat without getting caught…An excellent shinobi could gather the right information needed even under the most scrupulous eyes. If they were meant to cheat then that meant the questions would be tougher than she thought.

 _Yet if we are meant to cheat, then who would we cheat off?_ He hadn't written the answers on the board, and none of the Genin in here would already be in possession of the answers. For him to actually want them to cheat there needed to be someone to cheat off in the first place.

But…there wasn't any. Right?

"One more thing. If any teammate should get a zero and fail the test, then the entire team fails."

 _…_

 _…_

 _…_

 _Crap._

That did not improve their chances whatsoever. Naruto didn't do written exams. No one called him a knucklehead for his vast textbook knowledge. _Damn._ Amari bit her bottom lip. _How the hell are we going to pass?_ Before that bombshell she only worried about her, Sasuke and Sakura scoring high enough to get them to the next stage, but that wouldn't matter if Naruto earned a zero. _If the questions are tough, Naruto won't stand a chance._

"The final question won't be given out until fifteen minutes before the end of the testing period. You will have one hour total. Begin," he stated.

Amari turned her paper over and read the first question. Well, actually it wasn't much of a question. _This first one is a code. If I can find a key, I can solve it._ They wouldn't give them a code with no real pattern to discern. By transcribing enough of it, she could use the key gained from it to solve the rest of it. She sighed inwardly. _The problem is it could take me up to an hour to figure it out. Code cracking has never been my greatest strength. I don't have that kind of time._

Next question then.

 _Line B in the diagram indicates the trajectory of a shuriken thrown at enemy C by ninja A seated on top of a tree seven meters tall. Describe and formulate the trajectory required if C was positioned at D, E and F. Also predict the possible range of the shuriken and explain how you arrived at your answer?_

"What the hell?" she muttered quietly.

These questions…No average Genin would be able to answer them in an hour. Even those with genius level intellect like Shikamaru would struggle to answer them. _Though Shika's greatest struggle will be lifting up his pencil first._ The material given to them was meant for Chūnin or higher to solve in such a timeframe. _Given another two hours, I may be able to figure out the answer. But in this time frame I'll only be able to answer a single question. You're asking us to explain principles of uncertainty in the midst of a battle._

Feeling panic begin to rise, Amari quickly sifted through the other questions and came to a startling conclusion. The further she went down, the harder the questions became.

 _Kami…_

No way. No way could she answer these ten questions in an hour. Give her a weekend of long nights and she would be able to fill out the paper, granted she'd hate every moment of it and need a little help to answer them all, but she'd get it done. _But in this time frame? They can't seriously expect a normal Genin to answer these questions. The only way to solve it in the timeframe would be…to…_

" _Anyone fool enough to be caught cheating by the sentinels doesn't deserve to be here."_

Amari's eye bulged in realization. _That's it!_

It wasn't about not cheating; it was about not getting _caught_ cheating. Ibiki placed them in a situation where cheating, or information gathering, was the only way to pass his test. But for that to be possible, the answers needed to already be in the room. Which meant… _They have shinobi in here with the answers._ Doubtful it was the sentinels. They were too far away for anyone without the Byakugan to see what was on their papers. _Meaning among the Genin here are planted shinobi who have the answers…And I've been wasting time trying to solve these questions when I should have been looking for who was writing the most._

Closing her right eye, Amari moved her left hand into half of the Tiger handseal and focused on pooling chakra into her left eye. _Byakugan!_ Her vision shifted into inverted black and white with the activation of the dōjutsu. She dropped her left hand and opened her right eye to not appear conspicuous before beginning her sweep of the rows in search of a planted shinobi.

Empty page after empty page worried her as much as the stumped Genin also struggling to answer these questions. _Come on, there has to be someone._ Or her false sense of hope was telling her there had to be someone. Further and further she searched, the pages remaining blank for shinobi like Mimi, Neji, Gaara and Sasuke as with every other shinobi as they each realized the same fact: this test was _really_ hard.

 _Found you!_ Amari sighed in relief and visibly relaxed upon finding a shinobi near the front of the room with the first three questions filled in and the fourth almost already done. Before copying him she checked his work, ensuring she wasn't about to copy some idiot but found his answers to be incredibly accurate. Too accurate for a Genin.

 _Phew! I almost gave up hope there._ Amari leaned her head onto her left hand and took on a bored expression as she proceeded to copy every word.

Writing the words verbatim took time, nearly thirty minutes to be exact. During that time countless people were tossed out. The more proud and arrogant couldn't stand the fact they had been caught too many times by the sentinels; their aggressive protests led to a few sentinels getting physical to snuff out the fight before it began through dominant strength no Genin could hope to match.

The few physical altercations drove home their no tolerance policy for debating their decisions. Thankfully none of the sentinels had caught onto her nor had Sasuke, Sakura or Naruto been caught cheating.

Her work done, she began to examine her teammates work. Sasuke caught onto the game as well judging on his filled out paper and the chakra pooled into his eyes, and it seemed Sakura was still penciling in the last answer using only her brain. _Way too much work and stress there._

Still, she'd have to congratulate her later for doing so well on her own without a dōjutsu to rely on or other means to cheat.

Last she looked to was Naruto; his entire paper remained blank and his body language revealed he was freaking the hell out. Tension tightened every muscle, his foot tapped rapidly against the floor and his pencil was on the verge of snapping in his white knuckle grip.

 _Naruto…_ Amari inhaled a calming breath and deactivated her Byakugan to conserve every drop of chakra she had. _There wasn't a rule against helping your teammates. Let's just hope my Shadow Possession works at this distance_. Calm and focused, Amari thinned and stretched her shadow along the desks, using how the light hit the room to jump from shadow to shadow so she could reach Naruto. The distance between them was far, which increased the strain on her and made it visible on her face, but she kept stretching her shadow to her friend.

 _At this distance, Naruto will be able to break my hold easily. I'll have to act fast._

When she captured him, she felt her friend begin to struggle but held on as tightly as possible to pen _Amaruto back in action_ on her own paper and his.

The struggling halted.

 _Let's do this, Naruto._

* * *

Ibiki stared at the crowd of Genin shinobi before him. Those unfocused on their tests withered under his gaze—as expected of young shinobi in the face of a seasoned veteran like him. They would find no sympathy from Ibiki. Shinobi had a duty to their village, and the rank of Chūnin required more than fancy jutsus and cocky attitudes. Leading a squad of shinobi was no game; the lives of their comrades were always on the line, the future of their homes could be at stake on an important mission.

Those already thrown out still lacked key traits of a Chūnin. Many still here also lacked those key traits, but their subtlety was commendable if the sentinels had yet to catch them. There would be missions where they were neck-deep in enemy territory seeking key information, their task requiring them to collect it without anyone ever knowing they were there. One single slip-up would be mission failure.

To fail such a mission could lead to the death your entire squad or an entire platoon of shinobi, all because of one mistake. One mistake on a mission could lead to your own torture, and if the captured shinobi wasn't strong enough, the torture could lead to sensitive information falling into the hands of an enemy.

Three strikes was a generous gift in this exam, even if none of them realized it.

A few of these young shinobi caught his attention; that blue-haired kunoichi of the Leaf being one of his main interests. His first impression of her was not good. He sensed her killing intent, saw the blades to the two punks who started the fight; it was unbecoming of a shinobi to act on pure emotion like that, even more so to use killing intent so freely.

Of course she earned a small point for standing up for her comrades. Loyalty to an allied shinobi, even one who was a complete stranger, proved she cared deeply for the Leaf. A good trait to have, but that only went so far. He expected her to be one of the more brash and arrogant rookies; her actions hinted she might be the hot-blooded type who reacted without thinking and let emotions cloud her judgement.

Ibiki's first impression wasn't entirely wrong, but it wasn't one hundred percent accurate either. The child kept to herself, save for the small verbal quarrel with the Sand kunoichi. But again she was instigated first.

" _No matter how hard we shinobi try, we can never escape our humanity. You can try to ignore the flaws of your goals, you can turn yourself into a demon and kill the kindness in your heart a hundred times over, but you'll never outrun it." Her right hand stiffened, clenching her left bicep tightly—the arm that bore scars by her wrist. "One day you'll have to face yourself in a shattered mirror with all your insecurities, your greatest flaws and the pain you harbor laid bare before you."_

That earned her a second examination. Wisdom like that in a child so young did not come without pain. True wisdom never came without pain. The covered eye, the scars he noticed at her wrist, this child of the Leaf had experienced something truly traumatic at an early age, perhaps on her first mission as a shinobi. The foolish arrogance of young shinobi had been shattered in her already. She witnessed the reality of shinobi life in some way; perhaps not the entire picture, but just enough for it to sink in.

 _She wasn't recycling the teachings of her Sensei. That girl was speaking from experience._

She might not realize it or agree, but what she experienced put her ahead of her peers.

From there he continued to analyze her. She started by trying to solve the questions on her own but came upon the true purpose of the test far quicker than her peers. After a single one-handed handseal, she filled out her paper as if she knew all the answers. She even took the first thirty minutes to fill out her paper instead of rushing through.

Whoever she was, she knew how to stay focused on her objective without revealing exactly what she was doing. One small walk to examine the sentinels monitoring her revealed not a single strike on her record.

 _Impressive._

Her newest course of action intrigued Ibiki. He had seen her finish her test, knew there wasn't a single question unanswered, yet she sat tracing over her words. To any untrained eye it would appear to be a way to pass time. Ibiki could not be fooled so easily. His eyes may have been drawn to her actions many times, but he hadn't been blind to the other test takers.

The blond, orange jacket Leaf boy had been in a panic since he realized the difficulty of the test and his inability to cheat without being caught. Ibiki, of course, noticed the Hyūga girl's attempt to help him. It was a commendable act he couldn't punish, and the boy showed great honor in denying her help to keep a fellow comrade safe. Nevertheless, Ibiki couldn't deny there was a great foolishness in his decision. By denying her help, he saved her, and in doing so risked himself and his team.

Then again, honor and foolishness were usually two sides of the same coin. In a battle scenario, this boy might have instead chosen he and his team would hold the line to buy the injured time to retreat and fight another day. His gambit may pay off; it may lead to the death of his team. Regardless of how it ended, among the Leaf his team would be regarded as heroes.

Ibiki couldn't punish him. Not yet anyways.

Luckily for the boy, he had a competent leader to rely on. He now sat filling in his questions with a determined look on his face without cheating whatsoever. Watching him perfectly mirror the blue-haired child at the back of the room filled in the blanks on what was truly going on here.

 _Taking control of your teammate's body to help him achieve the mission parameters._ Ibiki wasn't one for smiling under normal circumstances, but he let his lips quirk up at the sight. _An interesting approach. Of course without her unique ability to control his body, he'd be doomed. But she has the ability to do so and chose to be diligent enough to bring everyone home while achieving her mission. That will earn you the trust and respect of your squad, as you have no doubt gained already._

If he were to return to his example of the boy's team holding the line for the injured to escape against impossible odds, the battle would have hung in a precarious place. Members of their team may gain a few wounds, nothing incapacitating but enough to slow them down. It would be as hope seemed lost this girl would take the lead and bring her team together with a unique plan that would push their enemies back.

The end of the battle was in sight, but they still had one hill to overcome left. One enemy he knew would crush many of the remaining students here.

Fifteen minutes were left and far too many Genin still sat among them. Of them all, this blue-haired girl was the first one Ibiki saw as a Chūnin possibility. _As long as she and her team survive the main event, then it is quite possible she could very well go to the end of this._

His smirk became sadistic. _That's if she can survive the main event first._

"All right. Listen up!" Ibiki garnered the attention of every Genin in the room. "This is the tenth and final question. But before I give you the question, there are more rules you need to be aware of."

The door leading into the room opened and revealed the puppet user from the Sand Village walking back in, guided by a "sentinel" who had taken him to the bathroom. _I'll give him credit. His impersonation of a sentinel is good, but if he believes he got away clean then he is wrong._ "Ah, you made it just in time. I hope you found your trip to the bathroom _enlightening._ "

The Sand Genin stiffened visibly at the emphasis put into his word. "Well, take your seat," Ibiki ordered. The kid performed admirably. For now he would get a free pass to join the main event.

After the boy took his seat Ibiki took a step towards the window to look out at the village. "These rules are unique to question ten. Listen carefully." He flicked his eye to look at the crop of Genin, dropping his voice to a deadlier and sadistic tone. "And try not to let them frighten you."

No one backed down yet, but he could see the fear beginning to take root in the majority. The redhead from the Sand didn't flinch—another shinobi who intrigued him—and neither did the blue-haired Leaf kunoichi. She had already relinquished control of her teammate and now sat relaxed, seemingly bored with the situation. A good ruse, but one he saw straight through. He possessed every ounce of her attention; every word he spoke was analyzed for hidden meanings.

The upward twitch of his lips couldn't be fought. _Let's see how she handles this._

"Very well then. Each of you are free to choose not to be given the final question. It's your decision." The shock took immediately to all of the other Genin, even the blue-haired girl's teammates, but the girl herself merely furrowed her brow. She didn't snap at the bait so easily. _Watching and waiting to learn all the details before jumping to a conclusion. In the field that can save lives and stop allies from falling into enemy hands._

Ibiki was really starting to like the promise this girl showed.

"Whoa! What's the catch? Let's say we don't want to do it, what happens then?" the Sand kunoichi questioned. Unlike her calmer counterpart, she snapped at the bait placed.

Ibiki took pleasure in the amount of Genin he had eating out of the palm of his hand. So innocent and naïve they all were. His smile grew.

Now things got fun!

"If you chose not to take the tenth question then regardless of your answers to the other nine, you'll get a zero. In other words, you fail. That means, of course, your teammates fail as well."

The murmurs among the crowd kept his smile in place. He had successfully infiltrated the safest, and sometimes most fragile, places for all shinobi: their minds. Now he would see who could take this kind of pressure. Those who couldn't would be weeded out.

Ignorantly they believed it was the only "catch" to the final question. No one would choose to fail, right?

Their naiveté made delivering the next half so much sweeter. "Not so fast, you didn't let me finish. If you do accept the question but you do not answer it correctly you will not only fail…You personally will be barred from taking the Chūnin Exam ever again!"

Their startled gasps and shouts of protest were too sweet not to savor.

* * *

Meanwhile

* * *

"It's quiet without the rookies around. Hmm, I almost miss them," Kakashi said.

Kurenai hummed in amusement and smiled at her comrade and friend. He liked to act aloof, but she could tell his team was growing on him. Who he had become after the Nine-Tails attack on the Leaf compared to now were as different as ice and fire. His skills were still there, the serious attitude in combat remained, but Kakashi was far warmer than he had been before meeting Amari and passing Team Seven.

Case and point, he was here relaxing with her and Asuma, musing over the silence of absent rookies instead of remaining in silent solitude.

Still, she couldn't deny the validity of his statement. It _was_ quiet without the rookies around, and though she did miss having them around, she couldn't deny she too enjoyed their current peaceful lack of responsibility. Their duties as teachers and elite shinobi didn't leave much time for simple relaxation like this, so they learned to savor the moments when they came.

"Don't worry. Chances are they will be back sooner than you think," Asuma said.

Both Kakashi and Kurenai looked to the bearded man in shared confusion. "Why's that?" the Copy Ninja asked.

"I heard that their first examiner is Ibiki."

 _Ibiki?_ Kurenai didn't recognize the name but judging on the sudden grave expression on Kakashi's face, it didn't bode well for the Genin.

" _Great_ ," he drawled. "Sticking them with that sadist right off the bat."

"Huh? What sadist?" Kurenai questioned.

Asuma chuckled. "I forgot you're a new Jōnin, Kurenai, otherwise you wouldn't have to ask that."

She furrowed her brow. "So I'm ignorant. Who is he?"

"Ibiki is what you might call a… _specialist_ ," Kakashi started.

"Oh?" They weren't uncommon. A Tokubetsu Jōnin, or Special Jōnin, specialized in a single specific area of skill rather than having the all-around skills of normal Jōnin. But even though they were common, she couldn't deny the knot of dread forming in her gut. "What is he a specialist in?" Kurenai asked while looking between her fellow Jōnin.

Asuma exhaled smoke from his cigarette before turning to her with a smirk. "Interrogation. Torture." Kurenai's eyes widened as she let out a gasp of surprise. "Of course he won't be using physical torture during the test—he won't need to. That's not really his thing anyways. Ibiki prefers to work on people's minds, not their bodies."

He placed his cigarette back between his lips. "He's famous for it. Everyone knows about the head of the Anbu Torture and Interrogation Force for the Hidden Leaf Village, Ibiki Morino." He exhaled his smoke again. "You see Ibiki is a master of interrogation because he understands how the human mind works. He knows exactly where to probe to uncover your greatest weaknesses. The thing is he is so good at his job that he doesn't have to use physical torture. He just messes up your mind so bad you torture yourself."

Kurenai's mood plummeted instantly. If he targeted Hinata or Amari, they wouldn't stand a chance in hell against him. A man like Ibiki could break them without much effort if Asuma wasn't exaggerating.

Kurenai sighed. _Please stay strong you two._

* * *

"Now then, if you're ready I will give the tenth and final question. Those who don't want to take it, raise your hand. Your number will be recorded and you are free to go," Ibiki said.

Tension fell over the room. Sweat built on the brows of some of the individuals, and then one person finally raised their hand to give up.

Ibiki did not smile.

Seeing even one shinobi crack under the pressure of what appeared to be an impossible decision reminded him of why he created this question. Chūnin faced this kind of decision on a daily basis. This question was meant to weed out anyone still in the room who could not take the pressure before they were in charge of a squad of shinobi.

Being the leader of a squad wasn't about how strong you were or who could yell the loudest orders, leaders weren't those who cracked if something went awry. If any shinobi were to be faced with this kind of decision out in the field, they couldn't back out and quit. You planned, you prepared and you went through with the mission knowing very well that it could cost you your life and the lives of your team, but you wouldn't back away.

You would stand fast and finish your mission to bring home your team. And if you weren't able to save them all then you got back on your feet and you did everything in your power to ensure it never happened again. Quitting or running away wasn't an option for leaders. Even when everything went wrong, a leader remained calm as they fought to the bitter end to fulfill their mission and protect their team.

One person. All it took was one person caving beneath the pressure for a large bulk of Genin to raise their hands and give up. One by one their numbers were called, one by one those not meant to be Chūnin shuffled out of the room, heads hung in shame or features bewildered by the stress they were put under. An expected result of his tactic. Fear was poison. Without a leader to encourage these subordinates, they cracked under the pressure and ran away from their duties as shinobi.

It was yet another reason they weren't ready for the promotion.

A Chūnin could be given a solo mission or end up separated from their team in enemy territory. Had any of these Genin leaving been put into such situation like that, well, let's say death would be the least of their fears.

As the numbers dwindled, Ibiki returned his watchful eyes to the blue-haired girl again. He could tell she was confident in her own abilities to answer the question but her eye kept darting over to her blond-haired teammate, worry ever present in the onyx mirror to her soul. She understood what raising her hand meant, yet she seemed to be struggling with forcing her comrade through the possibility of never becoming more than Genin for the rest of his life.

The amount of care for the fate of her comrade's life rather than her own was unexpected. Most young Genin could care for their team yet put their own ambitions before them constantly. This girl, however, did not. Her own fate did not seem to matter to her as long as she was able to protect her teammates in whatever way she could.

 _She's fighting with herself, I can see it_ , Ibiki noted. The internal war being waged was visible not only in her eye, but her tense body language. _She needs to make the decision and she needs to make it fast._

Suddenly the girl picked up her pencil and stared through the people being dismissed, clearly focusing on whatever she used to take control of her teammates body the first time. Soon they began mirror writing again. Ibiki couldn't help but admire the determination this girl had to stoke the fire in her teammate's heart again.

Any good leader could do it. All it took was a few words or a speech and they could bring back all the confidence their men had lost.

As Genin after Genin walked out, the blue-haired ninja put her pencil down only to then stare down at her paper with a saddened stare. _Guilt_ , Ibiki thought. _But for telling him to raise his hand, failing your whole team or for trying to get him to stay in this?_

The blond boy raised his hand slowly and his blue-haired partner appeared to be stunned at his motion. Then his hand slammed back onto his desk, a fierce look taking over this features as he glared right at Ibiki. "Don't you dare underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't run! You can talk tough all you want but you guys aren't going to scare me off! No way! I don't care if I do get stuck as a Genin for the rest of my life." The boy stood up in defiance. "I'll still be Hokage someday!"

He sat back down and crossed his arms over his chest. Behind him, his blue-haired teammate grinned in glee as if everything she hoped for had come true, the Hyūga girl too smiled, encouraged by his display to lower her hand out of sight. _I'll have to see what she wrote down on his paper after I take the tests. We may already have Chūnin among us._ "This decision could change your life," he informed, his voice steady and firm. "If for any reason you would rather quit, now is your last chance."

The blond simply stared Ibiki down with his smile still in place. "No way. I never go back on my word, that's the way of the ninja."

Ibiki gazed upon all the Genin in the room. Smiles were on just about every single one of their faces. _Hmm, remarkable. That little outburst has given the others some backbone. He's inspired them into staying._ He walked forward, eyes roaming around the room as he counted the remaining Genin. _Eighty-six left. More than I expected but I don't see anyone wavering. I think that's it._

He let his stare fall onto his sentinels who gave him nods of approval. Ibiki nodded back. _That boy inspired everyone here, but I wonder._ He flicked his eyes over to the blue-haired ninja. _Is she the one who inspired him to stay? Did she give him the courage to not back down, thus causing him to inspire the others?_

"Well then, I admire your determination, if nothing else. For those of you remaining there is only one thing left to do and that's for me to tell you…" Ibiki smiled genuinely at the group. "You have all passed the first exam!"

* * *

Unlike the rest of the room, Amari was not shocked by Ibiki's words. She would admit, it had been a gamble from the start, but Kakashi's training to always look underneath the underneath helped immensely to understand Ibiki's real game.

From the very beginning the test had been about seeing through deception. It started with the ridiculously hard questions no Genin, save a handful, would have been able to answer. Asking them to cheat, planting shinobi in the room with the answers so they could, everything about the test required them to see through the illusions Ibiki casted around his true intentions. That meant his last question had to be the decision to leave or stay.

Of course it still was a gamble. A change of wording could have easily meant leaving was the correct answer while staying was incorrect. Luckily her gamble paid off and now they could all move on to the next part of the Exam.

"Where's the tenth question?!" Sakura asked in confusion.

Well, as soon as everyone else caught up that is.

Ibiki didn't even try to hide his laughter or the grin on his face. "There wasn't one, at least not a written one! Your choice to stay was the answer to the tenth question."

"Wait a second!" Temari jumped in. Amari groaned at the second interruption. Couldn't they just stop questioning the man? He passed them, wasn't that enough? "So the other nine questions were just a waste of time? Is that what you're saying?"

"No no, not at all. Quite the opposite," Ibiki answered before explaining the purpose of the other nine questions. As Amari learned, the first nine questions was about being placed in one of the most adverse situations and finding a way to gather information without getting caught. Add on the fact that everything you did or failed to do was graded on a team basis guaranteed your ability to handle pressure was tested.

In this scenario, Naruto would have failed without her intervention. The difficulty of the test was purposeful in the point of demanding cheating, yet that wouldn't have done any of them good if there was no one to cheat from. For that reason he planted shinobi among the room to cheat off of. And those who couldn't cheat off them specifically had to cheat off whoever could gather information from the planted shinobi.

Those who were caught at it were failed for one specific reason: better not to cheat then to cheat sloppily and get caught.

"Information…" Ibiki untied his ninja headband and revealed the top of his bald head to the group. Amari's eye widened at the sight of scars; burn marks, puncture wounds and other scars she didn't want to know the origin of marred almost every inch of his skull. "It can be the most valuable weapon in battle. How well you gather information will determine if a mission is a failure or successful. There will be times you have to risk your life to get it."

"His head…" she muttered. Silently she brought her hand to her mesh covered arm. She had thought her scars were bad, but his… _What he endured…It's horrible._

"You must carefully consider the source of your information. Intelligence gathered from an enemy isn't always entirely accurate. Always bear this in mind." His stare somehow became more serious than it already had been. "Disinformation can be worse than no information at all. It can lead to the death of comrades or the loss of an entire village."

His point made, he tied his bandana back on to hide his scars.

"I'm still not getting what the whole tenth question thing was about," Temari said.

"You're not? The tenth question was the main point of the whole exam. Surely you can see that," Ibiki said.

Amari sighed and rested her head on her hand again as a bored look took over her features. The goal was to test them as individuals and as a squad by giving them two difficult choices.

On one hand you skipped the question, thus playing it safe but causing you and your team to fail the exam. On the other you took a risk on your own ability to answer the question, knowing if you screwed up you wouldn't ever be anything more than a Genin.

The decision they were given was a no-win situation whether you screwed up or chose to skip it, but it was the sort of situation Chūnin faced every day.

"Let me give you a hypothetical mission," Ibiki started. "Let's say you have to steal a document from an enemy stronghold. You have no idea how many ninja they have there or how heavily armed they are. Even worse you have reason to believe they are expecting you, that you may very well be walking blindly into a trap.

"Now do you have the option of taking a pass on this insane mission, saying my comrades and I would rather save our own necks to live to fight another day? Can you choose to avoid danger? No," Ibiki stated firmly. "There will be many missions that will seem almost suicidal if you think about them, but you don't think about them. You think only of the goal and achieving it through courage and discipline. These are the qualities required of a Chūnin squad leader. Those who choose the safer of two paths, those whose determination falters in the face of adversity, those who would put their comrades lives in jeopardy by worrying about their own, those who would save their own necks at the price of sacred honor will never be Chūnin—at least as long as I'm here."

Amari couldn't say if she was Chūnin material yet and there were still another two stages of this test to go, but one thing she knew for certain was she would never put her life before her team. She didn't believe in risking their lives for her own; she didn't have the ability to let them die for her.

One friend had already sacrificed his life for her, and he would be the last to do it so long as she held breath in her body. No matter how hard someone would beat her down, she would never stop getting back up in order to protect those she cared for. No matter how impossible an enemy appeared she would stand ready and give her own life if she had to as long as it spared her friends.

Her dream did matter to her, but not as much as the people who she cared for…Because without them her dream wouldn't matter. If there was no one to share in her triumphs or be there for her when she failed to help her get back on her feet, then what would it matter?

 _And if I didn't get to witness their triumphs and help them get back on their feet what would be the sense in doing anything? It's because of the people around me that I want to succeed. I don't care for precious honor or believing my dream is the only thing that matters. It's my precious people who give me my strength; it's those people that give anyone their strength._

 _No matter what I will protect them, and I know no matter what they will protect me. That's what it means to be a Leaf shinobi._ Her gaze trailed over Sakura, Naruto, Hinata, Sasuke, and Shikamaru. _Because without them I never would have gotten this far._ She thought of the other people who were precious to her, people like her mother, Kakashi, Itachi, Ryu and her Kasai, to name a few. _Because a life without knowing them wouldn't be a life worth living._

 _Family is more than a blood relation. It's those who you would do anything for to see them happy, to see them laugh and smile, to make sure no one ever harmed them. Love makes that bond more real than a mere blood relation can give, just as it did for me and Mom._ She smiled blissfully. _As it does for how I feel about the rest of them._

"You have passed through the first gate. I hereby declare this portion of the Chūnin Exam completed. There is nothing left but for me to wish you all good luck," Ibiki finished.

Naruto, ever the knucklehead, stood up and started cheering for his success. Amari couldn't help but giggle softly to herself.

"What a nuisance," Temari scoffed.

"You're a real drag, you know that?" Amari shot back lazily.

A sudden surge of chakra snapped Amari to attention. Her eye shot over to the window and caught the shadow of a giant ball shaped object hurtling right at the room. The glass shattered on impact and out of it came a woman, who threw two kunai to attach a large cloth to the ceiling, blocking Ibiki from view. The woman that appeared out of it wore a Leaf headband.

 _Hm._ Amari retracted her hand from her ninja tool box. _Guess we're not about to fight._

The fair skinned woman wore a tan overcoat and a fitted mesh body suit that went down to her thighs. Besides that she wore an orange mini-skirt, black ninja sandals, grey shin guards and a necklace. Her light brown eyes scanned the room as a wide grin split her lips. Her dark violet hair was pulled back into a short, spiky fanned-ponytail.

… _I can't believe she's wearing a mesh body suit_ , was all Amari could think. The coat and skirt did cover her up well, but it was still kind of…revealing. Nothing inappropriate could be seen, thankfully, but she definitely wasn't hiding the curves of her body.

"Heads up boys and girls, this is no time to be celebrating! I'll be your next proctor, Anko Mitarashi. Are you ready for the second test?"

 _Uhh._ Was it really all going to happen this fast?

Anko pumped her fist into the air. "Good! Now let's go! Follow me!"

Silence followed. No one quite knew what to make of her, though the Nara could see a bit of the same hyperactive tendencies of a certain knucklehead in this woman.

Ibiki pulled back the cloth to look at her. "You're early, again," he informed.

Anko's cheeks immediately tinted pink in embarrassment. "Are all you Leaf shinobi this insane?" Temari questioned. It was probably meant as an insult, yet it came off more confused than anything else.

"Are all you Sand shinobi sticks in the mud?" she asked in return. "Crazy as she seems, I'd bet she's fun to be around. Probably."

"You have a strange idea of fun."

"Are you sure you even know what the definition of fun is?"

"I don't know. Are you sure you understand what it means to be a shinobi?"

Ah, back to this again. Amari turned her flat and lazy gaze to Temari. "I've seen what walking the path of a tool did to two shinobi who held far greater emotional and physical strength than you possess. I saw the emptiness that path promised and chose to find my own path, to follow my own ninja way and be more than a tool. You can sneer down at me all you like, you can call me naïve and insult me—I don't care. But at least I've chosen a path that keeps me true to myself. All you're doing is walking the path someone else told you to walk."

"All right you maggots!" Anko raised her voice, cutting off any retort Temari might have given. "You've had it easy so far, but! Things are going to be different starting first thing in the morning. I'll let your squad leaders know where you're to meet me. Dismissed!"

 _I wonder if the others are up for a team dinner._

* * *

Ibiki walked along the desks, picking up the test papers left on the desks now that the Genin and sentinels were dismissed. After moving through many of the rows, he finally reached the blond-haired boy's paper. Since the test he wondered what exactly the blue-haired Leaf shinobi wrote down on it to get him to press on, or if it even was her words.

He picked up the paper and looked to top of the page where extra writing was.

 _Amaruto is back in action._

Likely a combination of their names but the Jōnin knew what it served as. It was a code of a sort that only they or their team knew, allowing her to communicate that it was her in control of his body so he wouldn't fight against it.

An intelligent move. Having a code only you and the people close to you knew was a great way to spot an imposter. Under that line of writing was what made Ibiki smile.

 _Don't give up. No matter what happens, we are in this together and I will not let you fail. Trust in yourself, Naruto. We can do this._ _I promise._

Ibiki moved to where the blue-haired girl had sat and picked up her paper to see her name. _Amaririsu Yūhi and Naruto Uzumaki_. He smiled to himself. _I've got a good feeling about those two. Even if the boy is a funny one._

* * *

 _A/N: Super sorry for the delay! Life's been kind of hectic but I'll still be doing my best to get a chapter out each week on Friday. Hopefully nothing will delay me again. Anyway, thank you all for reading and have a merry Christmas, a happy holidays or just a good day!_


	26. Chapter 25: The Forest of Death

Chapter 25

The Forest of Death: Team Seven in Danger!

On an empty hill on the outskirts of the Leaf Village, Shikamaru Nara rested in the grass, arms tucked behind his head as he stared up at the slowly darkening sky. Cool air brushed across the grass and over his body, a contrast to the normal warm summer air of Konoha caused by the storm front rolling in. Sooner rather than later he'd be heading home to avoid the storm, as well as avoid the ire of his mother for being late to dinner. Troublesome woman would give him an earful if he didn't arrive home on time.

For now, though, he was content to lay here without a care in the world. He figured the break was well-deserved since the whole first part of the exam had been such a drag. An hour written test with questions not meant for Genin, all in an effort to simulate an information gathering mission in enemy territory. _Sheesh_ , he grunted.

It was so troublesome. He didn't even bother to try to answer the questions himself. Granted, he probably could have if he wanted to exert the energy, but he didn't. To expend all of that energy and put himself under needless stress was too much of a drag. Better to let Ino use her Mind Transfer Jutsu on Sakura to gather good information; it was a simpler solution given Sakura's intelligence and required less energy on his part.

Thing was, although the test was behind them, Shikamaru knew the worst was ahead of them.

 _According to that screaming lunatic, over half of the teams will be eliminated tomorrow thanks to the second part_ , he thought. _If she's right that means out of the twenty-eight teams that passed only fourteen will make it. And that's if the test only cuts half of us out._

Talk about a drag.

Even if they did cut out half, forty-four ninjas in all would be left over if both Team Seven and Team Guy stayed on. Something about this test just wasn't adding up; there was more to it, far more than any of the proctors or even their teachers were willing to tell them. The whole balance of power thing didn't make a shred of sense to him from a logical standpoint. There'd still be far too many ninja left over after the second test and the odds of the Leaf having the most was the highest.

His conclusion wasn't based on the skills of his fellow Leaf shinobi; he didn't have the time or the energy to learn the skill levels of every shinobi in his home. It'd be more trouble than it was worth. Instead he was basing his thoughts off of probability and numbers. The total number of Konoha shinobi participating outnumbered the other villages, and at the end of the first test he spotted more Leaf headbands than any others.

All the rookie teams passed the first half and so had Team Guy. Alone that was fourteen Leaf ninjas out of forty-four. Then there was that Kabuto guy and his team who passed and another trio of ninjas from their village who looked pretty tough. _That makes twenty out of forty-four, nearly half._

Odds were pretty much completely in Konoha's favor that they'd have the most ninjas in the final part compared to the other villages, and that would give them more chances to display the power of their own village.

There didn't seem to be anything balanced about this exam, not from his point of view at least. Sure numbers didn't mean every team had the skill to pass the next part. For all he knew, only one Leaf team could pass the next part with the remaining villages doing far better in performance than them.

And what about the Mist, Stone and Cloud? If the whole balance of power thing was true, why weren't they taking part? They were a part of the Five Great Shinobi Nations. If they were trying to balance out power, they definitely shouldn't be skipping out on this.

 _Balance of power…_ Shikamaru frowned. He wasn't buying it. Maybe it was part of the intention, but in practice it didn't work. Only by having all the major powers take part and regulating their shinobi according to the rules would it work as they were told by that Kabuto guy. Otherwise it was just a farce. A sham to ease people into believing everyone was cooperating and at peace.

Even if it did work as intended, having clear winners and loser could end up greatly damaging the reputation or strength of one of the other villages, affecting their economy and leading to the wars this was apparently meant to stop.

So, was it about balancing power or shifting power in your direction?

Shikamaru shrugged it off. Not like he could do anything about it. He was stuck taking the Exam whether he liked it or not. No sense trying to pick apart the faulty system implemented by the people in charge.

Besides, a far more pressing matter concerned him. He had this…bad feeling eating away at his insides every time he thought about the next part of the exam. More than half being eliminated didn't bother him all too much. By the sound of it they'd end up doing a survival exercise of a sort, probably another simulation of worst case scenarios so they could see who prevailed under the pressure. It'd be a huge drag, but Ino wouldn't give him a choice in the matter. She never did anyways.

He wasn't about to lose sleep over a situation he had no control of. Anyway, if he did try to back out he'd have to deal with Ino's constant harping, and nothing was worth that kind of headache.

Try as he might, Shikamaru couldn't shake the bad feeling. _Last time I had a feeling like this…_ His eyes slowly shut as he exhaled a tired breath. In the darkness of his mind he could see the scars on Amari's arm as well as a distant memory of a stormy night two years ago.

Always her. Anytime this stupid feeling appeared, she got hurt and all he could do was be there in the aftermath, always too late to prevent it.

He hated it.

Sighing deeply, Shikamaru did his best to let his thoughts around the Exam go. He came out here to relax, not spend his time worrying himself further about what _could_ happen. Worrying about what could happen was as useful as worrying about an incoming storm; it wasn't in his power to stop weather just as it wasn't within his power to stop something bad from happening.

But that didn't mean he wouldn't try to give Amari fair warning while there was still time.

"Hey Shika." Shikamaru lazily rolled his head to his left to see the girl he was worrying about standing next to him.

Amari actually wore a different top for a change. She still wore her purple bandana over her eye and her silver hoop and purple gemmed earrings, yet her tank top was temporarily discarded for a fuchsia loose V-neck, a shirt that seemed at least one or two sizes too big for her smaller frame. Underneath it was a mesh undershirt long sleeve that had both sleeves instead of one. Black shorts and sandals remained the same. Her wild blue hair flowed in the wind as she smiled warmly down at him with the care in her eye that seemed to always gleam.

Shikamaru gave her a small smirk, nowhere as warm as her smile with the lingering worries he held. "Hey 'Risu." It was a greeting as much as it was telling her that he wouldn't mind any company right now. She was always considerate to silently ask permission to join him in cloud watching, never wanting to intrude on his relaxation if he wanted to be alone.

Besides Chōji, she was the only one in their age group Shikamaru felt truly understood him as he also believed he was one of the few who understood her. Honestly, Amari didn't make herself all that complicated to understand if you actually shut your mouth and listened to her quiet voice. But only the truly perceptive could hear the words she did not say.

Looking back, they never really had a full in-depth conversation about her past; it wasn't necessary for Shikamaru to grasp what happened and how it affected her. He could see her drive to protect the people she considered precious, knew it was caused by whatever incident that happened at the orphanage.

The pain she endured left its mark on her, and to outsiders it rendered her blind. Shikamaru saw beyond the surface, though. Under that bandana she wasn't really blind, he knew that without ever asking or prodding her about it. Of course he had no idea what was under the bandana; could be a nasty scar and a normal eye, could be anything really. But it wasn't his business to ask. Even if they considered each other family, it wasn't his place to poke and prod her to give up a secret she was meant to keep.

At the end of the day it didn't change anything. Eye or no eye, scar or no scar, 'Risu was 'Risu. The truth wouldn't change how he saw her or their bond. He was pretty sure Amari believed he was aware she wasn't blind. The fact he didn't probe her for more information helped their bond grow to their current familial connection when she first came into the village—or returned, technically.

Most days it felt as if the word _cousin_ didn't really describe their bond accurately. Brother and sister felt more accurate to Shikamaru, though he never said anything about it. Once again they were both aware of how much more they cared for one another. Words didn't need to be said when actions proved them beyond any shadow of a doubt.

Back at the Academy he never did much to stop her from being hounded by the fan girls. Seeing her all flustered and begging for his help was great entertainment to end the monotony of class. Evil? Sure, but still funny. But when it came to the real bullies—not the bratty name callers like Sakura and Ino—he tried his best to let her fight her own battles at her behest.

After that stormy night he couldn't sit back any longer.

Emotional conversations were definitely not his strength. They were troublesome and he hated troublesome conversations. Still, a long conversation hadn't been needed between them for him to help. It never had been. Even at the beginning when she was so emotionally fragile and trying her hardest to catch up to everyone, he never needed an hour long conversation to support her.

Playing shogi, resting his hand on her shoulder or hand, allowing her to rest her head on his chest as they cloud watched, meeting up with her to watch the sunset on top of her mother's house; all of these little things were enough for his shy cousin. Her heart may have rested behind a guarded fortress around others, but for her family she wore it on her sleeve.

After that stormy night those bullies learned why picking a direct confrontation with his cousin was a bad move. Naruto may have been a joke in the Academy, but he had stood up for Amari more times than Shikamaru could remember. He may have annoying levels of energy, and man did he need to learn about controlling the volume of his voice, but he earned Shikamaru's respect for standing between Amari and her bullies.

Being as socially awkward and shy as Amari was back then didn't help her at all. She made a few mistakes in interactions, accidently insulting a few individuals with fragile egos without realizing it. When she beat them in taijutsu training spars, further bruising their egos, it placed a target right on her. Between the idiot girls fearing the new girl would take their " _precious Sasuke_ " from them and the boys with wounded egos at the hands of the " _One-eyed brat,_ " Amari rarely escaped the constant bullying.

While those idiots kept targeting her, Amari continued to work harder in an effort to become strong enough to complete her goal. Nobody worked as hard as Amari to reach the top, except maybe Naruto when he stopped goofing off.

Naruto always did his best to stand up for Amari, taking the unwanted attention head-on so she could slip back into the shadows where she felt safer. To this day she remained grateful to him.

For a while it kept everything at a sort of normal. Amari worked hard, bullies tried to put her down, Naruto stood up for her, she moved back into the shadows. It wasn't exactly healthy, definitely with Naruto taking the brunt of everything, but Amari did her best to make it up to him. She treated him to ramen, bandaged him up if he got in a fight and always thanked him repeatedly.

Shikamaru wanted to do more to help. His heart urged him to act instead of sitting around, but his stubborn 'Risu told him she was fine. She wasn't. Her heart hurt, it had been hurting ever since she came into the Village. She struggled with her internal doubts over if she'd ever be good enough even as Kurenai trained her. He knew that but still he didn't act. Why? Because he wanted to believe it would stop, that the bullies would get tired and move on if she kept ignoring them. He wanted to believe she would eventually see their words meant nothing because she was soaring to the top of their class.

When he found her sobbing alone in the middle of a storm, bruised and bloodied externally with bruises on her heart, he couldn't stand in the background any longer. No matter how troublesome it seemed, Amari was family and nobody hurt his family without punishment.

" _I heard about what happened to Amaririsu. Is she going to be okay?" Chōji asked, gentle and worried about the shy Nara._

"' _Risu's a strong girl. She'll tough through it," he answered as he stared at a shogi board, carefully planning the best way to end the bullying. He believed wholeheartedly she'd bounce back stronger than ever, but the wounds were still fresh. As for him, well, it was time to show those bullies what he could do when he was motivated to act._

" _Whatever you are planning, count me in." Shikamaru glanced up and met his best friend's serious expression. "I've got your back on this."_

 _He nodded. "All right."_

He hadn't anticipated Chōji wanting to take part, but then that's what best friends were for. They were always there to back you up even when you didn't ask. When they finally enacted his master plan, they didn't do anything to handicap the poor fools, but they did show them the error of their decision to target his family.

" _If any of you touch my 'Risu again, I'll make you regret it. You get me?"_

" _Ye- yes!" they cried in terror._

" _Glad we understand each other. Come on, Chōji. We're done here."_

Somehow his dad, Kurenai, Naruto and Amari found out about what he and Chōji did. Each offered their appreciation in different ways, but it was the big hug and teary smile he and Chōji received from Amari that he bothered to acknowledge.

With the real bullies gone, all that remained were the annoying girls still believing Amari had any interest in having a relationship with Sasuke, which he honestly couldn't understand. His cousin never even showed remote interest in the broody Uchiha, romantically or otherwise.

" _They're more troublesome to think about than what they say,"_ she once told him.

He agreed and left them be.

Amari sat down next to him and crossed her legs instead of lying down. "Hiding from Ino?" she teased.

Shikamaru couldn't stop the exasperated sigh from leaving him. With the way Ino harped about not showing up late tomorrow, it was a wonder how he and Chōji made it through without receiving alarm clocks that played her screaming voice.

 _Talk about a headache inducing alarm clock_ , Shikamaru thought. _Not that I'd need it. Mom is going to be damn slave driver in the morning._ "Can you blame me?" he asked, half jesting, half exasperated.

His cousin giggled at his expense, the troublesome girl. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and let his lips pull into a smirk. "No, I can't. You ready for tomorrow?"

"It's going to be a drag, but yeah. As ready as I can be. You?" She nodded confidently. The longer he stared at her, though, the more his bad feeling made his gut twist. If this stupid feeling had any merit, he needed to tell her now so she could at least try to prepare for a troublesome situation. "'Risu." He sat up.

His serious tone immediately achieved acquiring all of her attention. She gave him a worried look. "What's wrong, Shika?"

Now that he was here, he wasn't sure how to even bring up this bad feeling he had. _What am I going to say? I don't want you to go tomorrow because I've gotten this bad feeling twice before and you were hurt both times? She's not going to give up now no matter what I say, troublesome girl…but I have to warn her._ "…I've got this bad feeling about tomorrow," he started.

"You've had this feeling before…haven't you?" Amari asked.

He was thankful for her perceptive abilities. It made this a little bit easier to say without sounding like a worrying idiot. Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, twice. Both times you were hurt. First time was that… _night_ two years ago." Nothing else needed to be said when it came to that night for her to understand. Amari's features dropped visibly at the reminder. She cast a small glance to her right hand then looked back to him. "Second time was when you were in the Land of Waves and…and now it's happening again."

Worrying like this wasn't usually his style, yet here they were. "I'm not asking you to quit." A genuine smirk tugged at his lips. "You're too damn troublesome to talk down when you set your mind to a goal." His comment earned him a soft laugh from his cousin, but their amusement faded as his seriousness returned. "But I want you to be careful, more than you usually are."

Shikamaru rested his hand on his cousin's right hand. _I don't want you getting yourself severely injured over a stupid promotion_ ,he communicated through the gesture.

His cousin flipped her hand over and intertwined her fingers with his. "I will. I promise Shika," Amari promised. That was all he needed to hear. Amari didn't break her promises; it was like a binding contract, in a way. "You be careful, too. Team Seven may be unlucky, but you guys don't have the muscle we have."

Amari was right, of course. His team lacked the power Team Seven had on their side. For their techniques to be the most effective, he and his team needed to use their Clan techniques in tandem to keep anyone from being injured. _If tomorrows test really is about survival then we'll have to be smart about it_ , Shikamaru thought pensively. _Team Seven has the manpower and intelligence to field off attacks and get away if need be. We don't, at least not against someone like those Sand Village shinobi, those guys from Team Guy or those Sound ninjas._

Their team lacked physical strength, with the exception of Chōji, and their ninjutsu's were meant as support instead of frontal assaults. A survival exercise against the other ninjas was going to prove to be a lot harder for his team than it would be for Team Seven. "I will, not that we have much choice." Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck again. "Tomorrow is going to be such a drag."

"Lazy bones," she giggled and poked him in his forehead, making him smile at her. "Mom is making dinner for my team tonight."

"Yeah, my mom is doing the same for mine. Chōji's and Ino's parents are coming too," Shikamaru said. He wouldn't have minded inviting her over or taking the wordless invite she had offered but it seemed they'd both be busy tonight.

To his surprise Amari smiled. "I figured as much, that's why I came to spend time with you now." He nodded and the pair laid down parallel to each other to watch the clouds and relax. Not long after Amari rested her head on his chest and cuddled close to him. Naturally he wrapped his arm around her. "If tomorrow is too troublesome, try to find us. We can work together," Amari stated.

"Same goes for you."

As long as they gave a decent plan to work with, their teammates would fall in line. Sakura and Ino would bicker, but they'd follow their lead and fall in line if the two Nara's deflated their egos at the start. Together they'd be a larger target yet they would also be able to field all assaults regardless of enemy strength. His team would act as support and hers would act as the attack group.

They wouldn't be unstoppable but they would be a force to be reckoned with, increasing their chances of passing by working together instead of alone.

Amari suddenly giggling made Shikamaru raise his head to look at his cousin in confusion. _Where did that come from?_

"Shikamari or Shikarisu?" she asked humorously at her combination of their names.

Shikamaru just smirked and shook his head at the strange thought pattern she came upon. "Do I seriously have to pick, 'Risu?"

She mocked a serious look. "Yes."

"Fine," he groaned. _If I don't she'll just start acting troublesome until I do it anyways._ "Shikamari."

"I liked that one best, too."

The duo fell back into comfortable silence as they watched the clouds float by slowly on the breeze. In the distance, larger storm clouds built, reminding Shikamaru once again of that night two years ago.

* * *

Two Years Ago

* * *

 _Distant flashes of light in the night sky preceded thunder rumbling overhead. Shikamaru exhaled a sigh through his nose as he watched the storm inch closer and closer through a window of the Yūhi household._ _ **Rain is going to hit any minute now, and then we're going to have to walk back in it**_ _, he groaned inwardly._

 _Getting soaked would be such a drag._

 _Unfortunately there didn't seem to be any way out of it. His dad and Amari's mom were talking about…whatever they were talking about; some grown-up conversation regarding the Academy or something. He hadn't tried to listen in on the conversation. Granted he was curious what could be wrong to get his dad involved, but it wasn't his business._

 _ **Must be something important going on**_ _, he conceded. His dad wouldn't have gotten involved if it wasn't. Shikamaru shrugged it off. There was something else bothering him more than the secret conversation._

' _ **Risu, where are you?**_

 _Amari wasn't home. According to Kurenai she went out to train on her own, though that didn't surprise Shikamaru in the slightest. Honestly it would have been stranger if Amari didn't go out and train on her own; troublesome girl didn't know anything about the word moderation. Every day she trained to get better, to reach the top of their class so she could become a shinobi. She seriously needed to learn how to kick back and relax now and then. At this rate she'd work herself to death._

 _Had his worries only revolved around her usual quirk of being a damn workaholic, Shikamaru wouldn't have been too concerned. But he had this…strange twisting feeling in his gut. It'd be nice to dismiss it as the result of bad food, yet Shikamaru knew it wasn't. Although Amari was ridiculously stubborn, she wasn't stubborn enough to train through a huge thunderstorm._ _ **She should have been back by now**_ _, he thought. Glancing to the kitchen, he hummed in discontent._ _ **If 'Risu's mom and my dad weren't so focused on their talk, they'd have noticed it too.**_

 _Something wasn't right._

 _Shikamaru moved from the window and walked to the kitchen where the adults were. The conversation halted as soon as he entered the room, signaling again he had no business listening to the conversation._

 _Not like he was trying to eavesdrop anyways, sheesh._

 _"Shikamaru?" his father questioned at his sudden entrance._

 _"I'm going to go find 'Risu. Storm is about to hit and she's troublesome enough to knock herself unconscious while training," he stated._

 _Realization of the missing child flickered in both adults eyes. "Hmm, she should have been back already," his dad said, his features becoming troubled._

" _She's probably trying use every minute left to train," Kurenai said. Definitely sounded like the troublesome girl. "I'll go—"_

" _You guys can keep talking, it's obviously really important," Shikamaru said. Whatever they were talking about needed their attention. Besides, not like he was doing anything. He could go grab her and be back before they finished their talk. "She's at the usual training field, right?" he asked. Kurenai nodded. "All right, we'll be back in a few minutes, so don't worry. I'll get her."_

 _With the decision made, Shikamaru excused himself from the room and started his trek to find his cousin, ninja jumping across the village rooftops as quickly as he could to reach the usual practice field Kurenai and Amari used. Normally to exert this much energy would be way too bothersome, but he didn't like the look of the storm or this weird feeling in his gut. Shikamaru felt a sense of urgency he never experienced before, like a quiet whisper in his ear telling him to hurry for some unknown reason._

 _When he finally reached the training field the rain started to sprinkle down large sized raindrops._ _ **And there she is resting under a tree, too tired to move I'd wager**_ _._

 _They seriously needed to talk about taking it easier. She could end up with a career ending injury if she kept training this hard._

" _Hey, 'Ris—" Shikamaru's words died in his throat when he neared her, his greeting replaced by a startled gasp as aches attacked his heart and his intestines knotted themselves together. Even in the darkness he could see the large bruise formed around Amari's right eye, almost already fully swelled shut and the crimson streams coming out of her nose. Further inspection revealed bloodied knuckles, a sign of she fought back, though she held her right wrist tightly for some reason. On her cheek was an open wound from either a punch or a nail scratching her. Hard to say in the dark._

 _Beyond the wounds were the tears, far worse in Shikamaru's humble opinion._

 _ **Those bullies**_ _, he cursed. They must have been planning this for a while now. With Kurenai always around, though, they couldn't make their move…until today. Without any adults to guard her, they undoubtedly waited until Amari tired herself out so she couldn't defend herself properly. In a fair fight she could have escaped or forced them to retreat without sustaining as many wounds, but those punks weren't looking for a fair fight._

 _ **I didn't think they'd really do anything.**_

 _Shikamaru shoved his thoughts to the side and sat down next to his crying cousin, wrapping an arm behind her neck and pulling her closer. "Wh- what did I do wrong?" she sobbed._

 _"You didn't do anything wrong."_

 _Nothing to deserve an ambush attack like this. Nothing to deserve the swollen eye, the bloody nose or the bullying. Nothing to deserve the broken bones in her right hand he would later learn of._

 _The rain started coming down harder, beginning the overwhelming crescendo of the downpour. The canopy of the tree provided some cover, but nothing significant to keep them from getting soaked._

 _Shikamaru didn't care. He sat silently with his crying cousin, holding her close as the rain came down all around them. Lightning flashed within the cumulonimbus clouds at random intervals, followed by earth shaking roars of thunder that startled them both._

 _He hadn't believed anyone would really hurt his cousin, but they had and in doing so took things too far. Up until now he allowed someone else to stand up for Amari._

 _That ended now._

 _No longer would he sit quietly and let Naruto be the only one to stand up for her. As soon as he came up with a good plan to put a permanent end to this, those punks were going to see what happened when he stopped being lazy, and they weren't going to like it._

" _Shi- Shika…Can you help me get home?"_

" _Of course."_

 _He picked her up bridal style and carried her back to her house, eyes now and then roaming over her injuries and the hand she cradled. Even their smallest molecules were soaked by the torrential downpour they sat in, but he didn't complain. He was just happy to be there for her as a silent pillar of support._

 _They were greeted by worried parents on their arrival, which only grew when they noticed the no longer bleeding wounds on the blue-haired girl. Shikamaru and his father stayed at the house a little longer due to the storm, during which his father and her mother gently probed every last detail of the encounter out of Amari._

 _What they didn't know was their actions played right into his hands. He now possessed the names of her assailants and each of their crimes against his cousin. All that was left to do was put together a plan to permanently end their bullying._

 _But that was later. He sat under a towel holding Amari's unbroken hand the entire time, never once leaving her side unless he had to. Once he could take her hand again without being in the way he would and he remained there until eventually the storm let up enough so he and his dad could go home and Kurenai could take Amari to the hospital._

 _It was that moment when he realized how attached he was to his fellow Nara. He could feel how protective his heart had become over her; he could feel the growth in their bond in the tight hug she gave him. When she started referring to him as her cousin, he hadn't minded it. The word felt right for how close they had become. But now the word felt as if it put a lot more distance between them than there really was._

 _Sister felt right._

* * *

The Day of the Second Exam

* * *

Amari stared intensely at the gated forest known as the Forest of Death. The dark aura the area gave off did little to settle any of her nerves regarding the test. So far she spotted not only giant centipedes as long and wide as tree trunks, but a giant snake decided to eat a small bird in front of all of them.

Talk about a welcoming committee.

 _We have a forest in our village full of giant snakes and centipedes…and the only thing stopping them from coming out is a worn down fence_ , Amari thought, frowning.

She was no fan of insects—exception of pretty ones like butterflies—and snakes…Amari shuddered. They were about the only animal to make her freeze up in fear before taking any long detour she could to avoid them. And that was for the average small, normal snake. Now they were _huge_! This was like one of her worst nightmares come to life!

 _And we have to go in there_. This was all so troublesome. Couldn't they have decided to do a survival test elsewhere? Somewhere preferably without snakes straight out of horror movies. _What about a minefield? I'll take a minefield over this._ At least minefields didn't have predatory senses and a need to feed on anything. And they didn't slither around. That was important.

 _Doubt I'll be able to convince them to change the location._ They'd probably laugh at her fear of snakes, the jerks. But snakes were so creepy! The way they slithered around, how their bodies were shaped, the way they ate their prey. _Ewwwwww!_ she whined.

Anyway, her irrational fears about snakes aside, the shinobi in her understood and appreciated the choice of terrain for the next exam. _We're being put into one of the most hostile zones they can give us without throwing us onto the frontlines of a war._ The test likely meant to simulate being stuck behind enemy lines. What they planned to have them do during said simulation was still unknown to the gathered shinobi.

Regardless, Amari didn't look forward to going in there.

 _Snakes…Why did it have to be snakes? I despise snakes._

At the moment Sakura and Sasuke stood on her sides, Sasuke on her right and Sakura on the left. Naruto stood a bit further away looking up at the forest but still within arms distance of Amari. Sasuke carried himself with his usual cool attitude, and for that Amari was thankful. As long as he kept his cool around these giant serpents she would be able to as well.

Sakura, on the other hand, was staring at the forest with a fearful look in her eyes and her hands clamped together in front of her chest. "Man, this place gives me the creeps," she said. The Shadow user fought against the nod of agreement she wanted to give. It wouldn't do her fellow kunoichi any good to know she too was feeling nervous about the forest.

Their proctor, Anko Mitarashi, found amusement at the frightened groups of shinobi in front of her. She chuckled softly. "It should," Anko said, the smile on her face equally sweet as it was sadistic. "They call it the Forest of Death, and soon you're going to find out why."

 _That's certainly encouraging_ , Amari deadpanned. First Ibiki and his enjoyment at mentally torturing them, now this one with the Forest of Death? Sheesh, maybe Temari was right. Maybe there were a bunch of insane people in the Leaf.

Barely a second after Anko taunted them, Naruto cocked his hip back and put his hands on his hips. _Ah crap._

"They call it the Forest of Death," he mocked, "and soon you're going to find out why." He grinned daringly at the woman. "Do your worst! You aren't going to scare me away! I can handle anything!" he declared.

Anko stared in confusion at his sudden outburst, but then the corners of her lips tugged up into an innocent smile. She closed her eyes and laughed lightly at the knucklehead; the action sent a chill shooting down Amari's spine instantaneously and set her on guard. "Naruto," Amari warned, leaning closer to whisper to him. "Please stop mocking her."

"Looks like we got ourselves a tough guy," Anko said.

Amari did not see the kunai slide in the proctor's hand, but she sure felt it as it whizzed right between her and Naruto, cutting his left cheek and her right. _Damn it to hell!_

Flinching away from her friend, she felt the presence of the proctor appear right behind Naruto. "Are you tough enough to handle this?" she asked sadistically, her smile still in place. "You're not afraid are you?"

Oh, he was definitely afraid now.

Anko caressed his cheek with her finger, playing with the blood from his wound and letting it trail over her finger. Amari wiped the blood off of her own cheek and spared the pair a peeved look. The proctor continued to grin. "Tough guys like you usually leave your blood all over the forest."

Anko's eyes snapped open and another kunai flew into her hand from her sleeve as she half spun at the presence of a Grass ninja appearing behind her. The tall kunoichi from the Grass wore a straw hat on her head; her long black hair cascaded down the back of her grey garb, reaching almost to the large purple rope belt tied in quite big knot behind her.

What was truly strange about her appearance had nothing to do with her clothes and had everything to do with the long tongue wrapped around the kunai. It stretched out further than any tongue should go, reaching from her mouth over Anko's shoulder and next to Naruto's face.

 _That has to be a jutsu of some kind_. Amari kept the Grass shinobi in view of her peripheral vision. _She even managed to sneak up on the proctor…and the feeling I get from being in such close proximity to her…_ A shiver worked its way down her spine. _I hope we can avoid her completely._

Vile. Dangerous. Death. This woman's very presence could be defined by those three words.

After Anko took the kunai knife the Grass ninja…returned, the kunoichi sucked her tongue right back in as if it had always fit in her mouth to start with. Without another word the Grass shinobi departed back to her team. "Hehehe, seems everyone here is quick tempered. Must be something in the air," their proctor said, her grin refusing to budge.

"Pot meet kettle," Amari muttered.

Anko's brown eyes flicked over to her with her mischievousness glinting in them. Damn her for having such good hearing. Dread for what could happen filled Amari, but through some stroke of luck she escaped unscathed. "This is going to be fun," Anko said before returning to where she stood before.

 _Phew. That was close._

"Now before we begin, I have something for you all." She reached into her coat and pulled out a set of papers. "You all will need to read over these standard consent forms and sign them."

 _Consent forms?_ Amari crossed her arms over her belly in discomfort. "I get the feeling the name of this forest is more literal than figurative."

"Got that right, shortcake," Anko grinned at her. Her eye twitched but she kept her mouth slammed shut. Really? Shortcake? Their proctor had to go there? Anko seemed to be fully aware of the blood boiling in her veins. "Something you'd like to say?" she purred.

"No," she replied, voice flat and devoid of emotion.

 _One day I'll hit a growth spurt, you'll see._

Anko's amused look refused to budge even as she continued to address the group. "Some of you may not make it out of the forest and I need your consent for that risk. Otherwise that would be my responsibility," she added, laughing lightly.

 _What a drag._

Anko handed the papers to Naruto and told him to pass them out. One by one they took their consent forms until everyone who passed the first exam had one. Anko went on to explain what they would be doing for this test, other than the obvious point of surviving inside a forest full of predatory animals and other ninja. She showed them a map layout of the Forest of Death. Rivers wound their way through the large forest. In the center of it all, ten kilometers from the starting gates, was a locked tower they were meant to reach.

Amari memorized every inch of the map. It wasn't very descriptive by any stretch of imagination, but knowing where the rivers were and the other few points of interest would help them in the long run. The rivers would give them fresh water and fish depending on how long they were inside the forest, and the largest river ran straight to the tower.

Good information was key, Ibiki made certain that lesson was scarred into their minds.

Their rules and mission were an anything goes battle to get their hands on one of two scrolls; the scroll they needed to acquire depended on which one they started with. One scroll was marked as a Heaven scroll while the other was marked as an Earth scroll. If you started with an Earth scroll, you had to seek out a Heaven scroll and vice versa.

Altogether there were twenty-eight teams. Half of those teams—fourteen teams—were going after the Heaven scroll while the other fourteen were going after the Earth scroll. This meant only half of the twenty-eight could pass, and even less if teams failed to get their hands on the right scroll. For instance, if one team destroyed a scroll or opened theirs, that was one less scroll up for grabs. And if you opened it, you and your team were disqualified.

What exactly would happen if they opened it besides being disqualified? Anko had put it simply when Naruto asked if it opened accidently. "You. Don't. Want. To. Know," she answered, glee in her eyes at the idea of an idiot opening the scrolls.

As for the remaining rules, they had a time limit to complete their mission; five days in total to capture a scroll and reach the tower in the center. Five days in a dangerous forest without any backup other than your own teammates with animals and plants that may or may not kill you.

 _Joy._

With the circumstances present there was no way even half of the teams would make it. This test would weed out those who passed Ibiki's test on luck alone and leave only the strong standing.

Other than that, there wasn't much else to the test. The whole rule about not looking at the scroll was really the main point, besides the endurance test of surviving a behind enemy lines scenario. Their integrity was being tested on a hypothetical mission where important documents were being transferred.

"Oh and I have one more word of advice. Just don't die!" Anko shouted at them.

Amari sweatdropped. _She needs work on her motivational speeches._

The gathered shinobi dispersed to sign their consent forms and turn them in as a team once they were ready. Amari looked for a spot to sit down in the shade to read over the document. As she moved, she caught Shikamaru's eyes and shared a nod with him.

 _If things get troublesome, we'll find each other and work together_.

As she found a seat in the shade of a tree, Amari watched the booth where they would get their scrolls carefully. When they finished setting everything up, they pulled a curtain around it so no one could see in or not. _Hmm, so they're hiding who has what scroll. Now stealing information is exactly as Ibiki said it would be—a life or death situation._

Amari considered using her Byakugan to see straight through it to gain good Intel, but chose against it. If there was a shinobi here who could somehow sense her using a sensory organ she could end up getting her entire team disqualified before the test began. _Too risky._ Zabuza apparently sensed it in their first battle; any single shinobi here could possibly do it as well and see it as reason for disqualification.

"Sasuke," Amari greeted without looking up as her teammate approached.

Sasuke sat down on her right side. "Looks like that proctor got you good," he commented.

"Just a flesh wound," she deflected, earning an amused snort. "Not going to scare me off so easily."

"Didn't think it would. We all know you're too damn stubborn to back down when challenged," Sasuke said good-naturedly.

"Mmhm," she agreed, smiling at the truthful joke as she signed her name on the consent form. None of this could be worse than what the Lightning Blade did to her. "You ready for this?" she asked.

"Yeah. You?"

"Of course. Can't leave you guys to go into that forest all alone when none of you have a good sense of direction," she teased.

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Ha-ha," he drawled.

Sakura and Naruto joined them soon after to wait for scroll holders to start handing them out to the teams. Amari could feel the nerves residing in her heart grow as time inched ever closer to the start of the exam. This survival test, it was going to be tough. She couldn't lie to herself and pretend they would have a cake walk through it. If they only had to survive against the environment it wouldn't be that bad, but they were dealing with shinobi on the hunt for a mission objective as well. No matter how they sliced it, they'd have to fight at least one team to gain the scroll they needed, possibly more to defend their own scroll along the way.

"All right everybody, we're going to start handing out scrolls!" one of the proctor's assistants called.

 _Time to go._

Team Seven stood up together. "Whatever awaits us in there is going to be tough, but together we'll pull through just like we always do," Amari muttered quietly to keep the fire in her heart burning. Much to her dismay, Sasuke, Naruto and Sakura all heard her words and smiled at her. She blushed and averted her eye. _I didn't want anyone to hear my pep talk._

"Together," Sasuke said, nodding once.

"Right," Sakura agreed.

"Believe it guys, there's no way we'll lose this," Naruto grinned.

Well, at least they were a cohesive unit. _I guess the team dinner helped last night._ While it had been the overall goal to grow their team bond, she hadn't been sure how well it worked until now. Even Kakashi showed up for the dinner last night, though he was as late as always.

" _Sorry I'm late, Amari. You might not believe it, but I stumbled across this beautiful woman, and naturally she wanted to go dancing with me. It would have been ungentlemanly of me to refuse."_

 _"Uh-huh, sure you did, Kakashi-sensei," Amari replied, rolling her eye as she smiled at him and motioned him to enter._

The dinner didn't soothe everything. Naruto and Sasuke weren't best buddies in the whole world; they were rivals of a sort, one night together in a relaxed environment wouldn't change that. Sakura didn't fawn over Sasuke like she used to either, so that was progress at least. As for Sasuke's general attitude, Amari took it upon herself to attack it head-on when the time was right.

After dinner Amari tried to teach her team shogi. Her endeavor ended unsuccessfully, but her mother did sucker Kakashi into playing against her. _"I know better than to play Amari,"_ her mother had told the group. _"Kakashi, why don't you give it a try. I'm sure someone of your intelligence will have no issue playing her."_

Goading his ego worked, but Amari noticed her Sensei drop his head in defeat before they even started playing. He actually wasn't all that bad for someone who never played the game. In fact, he caught on quicker than she thought he would and put on a valiant fight, but she still pulled off a win when he made a novice mistake. Given time, he'd probably be as good at the game as Shikamaru and Shikaku and join them on their winning streak.

But she'd beat them one day! She just had to keep trying and eventually she'd put an end to her two year losing streak, and when that day came she would bronze the shogi piece that won her the game. It would be an heirloom passed on from generation to generation as proof of her win against one of them.

 _At least I have Asuma-sensei on a similar losing streak._ Even if Kakashi started playing the game more frequently and started beating her, at least she could play Asuma and win.

Resigned to being the only Team Seven shogi player, the team switched games to a simpler card game of twenty-one. This time everyone played, including her mother, and she thoroughly thrashed them all. Needless to say, all of Team Seven agreed to never gamble against her mother for real.

 _We'll end up broke._

Her moment to address Sasuke's attitude came during one of the last hands. She considered for a long time how to approach the subject without seeming like she was talking down to him or treating him like a child. Doing either wouldn't mend the rift currently between him and the team. If anything, it'd make it worse. Their talk didn't need to be long and drawn out either or with raised voices.

His beating at the hands of Lee and subsequent declaration of training more together as soon as the Exams were over gave her hope she could reach through to him. Still, much like the card game, it was a gamble if she could actually pull off a win. One wrong phrasing of words could come across as an insult and ruin everything on the night before the second Exam.

But she couldn't wait until after the Exams were over to address it. The tests ahead were going to test them as a team. They needed to be a cohesive unit to get through it all, and if his ego or Naruto's got in the way, failure would be inevitable.

" _Sasuke, you know you can rely on us for anything, right? We're a team, that means we've always got your back when you need us most. And if your strength ever fails you, you can always look to us to give you ours in its stead to overcome whatever obstacle is in your way."_

The honesty in her voice and the care behind them seemed to startle him. With added support from Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi backing up her words in their different ways, her little intervention to get him back on the right path worked. Mostly. Words couldn't change a person overnight. He wasn't about to start hugging them or being open with his emotions because of one talk.

In time, if they kept showing him it was okay to rely on others and that the team was there to provide their strength to him when he needed it, then maybe he too would see Team Seven could fill in the holes of friendship and family they lost in the massacre.

Together they walked to the scroll givers where they turned in their consent forms and received their scroll. They were given a Heaven scroll, and by a quiet unanimous decision it fell into Amari's hands to protect it. With her Byakugan she could see an enemy before they reached them, and her speed would keep her or it from falling into enemy hands.

 _And I'll cook up a surprise for a mock surrender if we ever have_ to, the Nara thought, already preparing a contingency plan for worst case scenario.

Team Seven made their way to gate twelve and waited for the gate guard to receive the order to open it.

Now was as good as any to address one of her limitations for the test.

"Guys, one thing before we start." Her teammates turned to her with neutral expressions on their faces. Amari briefly glanced to the gate guard in suspicion before looking back to her teammates. Even if he was a Leaf shinobi, she couldn't bring herself to talk about her left eye in front of him. "My abilities to see through deception aren't as limited as my Shadow techniques, but they do have limits," she explained.

Confusion preceded realization to the true nature of her words. "How limited?" Sasuke asked seriously.

"If I moderate it right and we move quickly I'll be able to keep it up for as long as we need it. But if we're stuck in battle after battle for five days straight and I have no chance to moderate it, it'll only be good for a short time. Eventually it'll become painful before ultimately becoming useless."

The Byakugan's draw on her chakra wouldn't be a big deal as long as they didn't end up in serious battles one after another, but if she kept it active for hours straight she'd eventually become temporarily blind in her left eye, not to mention having a terrible migraine on top of that. In combat the blindness wouldn't affect her, she was used to moving with only half her vision. It was her ability to scout the area around them she didn't want to lose when deep in enemy territory.

"We'll just have to move fast then," Sasuke conceded. He turned to Naruto and Sakura. "Once that gate opens, we need to stick together no matter what. But on the chance we're separated, we need to have some way to reveal we're the real versions of ourselves. Passwords only we will know."

"Good plan," Amari agreed, nodding once as she brought her hand to her chin in thought. The nature wouldn't be hard to counter, even if the snakes were huge. But shinobi who could infiltrate teams by using the Transformation Technique was a danger they needed to prepare for just in case they ended up separated. "Naruto, yours will be _A Thousand Years of Death_ ," Amari told him.

Naruto frowned. "Hey," he whined.

"Don't argue, Naruto," Sakura said. "We're the only ones who actually know that. It's the perfect password."

He reluctantly nodded as he crossed his arms, pouting but not arguing against the logic. Amari turned to Sasuke next. "We should keep a similar pattern of passwords only known to us. We can't pick something someone who knows how we speak or what we like would be able to guess. For instance, I shouldn't use _troublesome_ or _such a drag_ in any of my code."

Her teammates hummed in thought as they mulled over possible passwords. Sakura was the first to find hers, snapping her fingers as she hit upon an idea. "I know, my password will be _real strength comes from here_ ," Sakura said, placing a hand over her heart.

Warmth spread from Amari's heart to hear those particular words come from her teammate. "It includes a hand gesture so don't forget that," Sasuke said. Sakura nodded. " _To fight for ambition is to fight for nothing, to fight for the people you consider precious is to fight for everything,_ that will be my code."

Amari's eyes widened at her fellow Uchiha's chosen password before a smile pulled onto her face. _He listened last night._

"Well well, look who got all wise all of the sudden," Naruto said, wearing a grin as he rested his hands behind his head.

Naruto's comment didn't even cause him to frown; he just let a small smirk form before turning to look at her. "Well Amari?"

" _A red eye hidden by shadows, a white eye covered in light. Separate they are powerful but together they are unstoppable, for without light there are no shadows._ "

Naruto pumped his fist into the air. "Alllllright! We're going to pass this no sweat at all!"

Sakura, Sasuke and Amari settled into confident determination bloomed from his declaration. _We can do this. We will pass and we won't let Kakashi-sensei down._

The gate keeper finally unlocked the gate but left it closed. He turned his attention to the watch on his wrist and waited silently. Team Seven traded one last look with each, nodding in silent confidence to one another before Anko ordered the test to begin. The gate keeper opened their door and all four dashed into the dense and dark forest.

"Amari, don't use your left eye yet," Sasuke ordered.

"Huh?" Didn't it make more sense to seek out someone with a scroll immediately to get what they needed as quickly as possible?

"Your vision blurs and then goes blind by prolonging it, right?" he asked. She nodded in confirmation. "Then we should save it for when we need it. Besides the other rookies and Team Guy, we have no idea what kind of skills the other shinobi here have. We may need it in a fight," he explained his plan as they jumped from branch to branch.

"I see your point, but we could seek out a target, ambush them and then make our way to the tower if I use it now. Are you sure you don't want me to use it?" she asked.

"Save it for now." Sasuke turned his onyx eyes forward and smirked. "Every other team is going to be looking to get their hands on a scroll as quickly as possible. They'll probably go rushing through this forest in search of a team to ambush, and with so many teams left over we're bound to run into one sooner rather than later." They all hit another branch and jumped again. "And if that's the case then we should be the ones doing the ambushing, not the other way around."

"Ha ha! That's right!" Naruto agreed cheerily.

Amari nodded as she caught onto exactly what Sasuke was planning. "I get it. By holding a position and setting up an ambush we're less likely to stumble into enemy territory and right into their trap. If we go running around we'll either stumble into a trap or accidently run into a team looking for an ambush, thus forcing us to fight without a chance to set up a trap in the first place."

"Exactly."

"Okay, but what kind of trap should we set up?" Sakura asked. "Smarter teams won't be fooled by a conventional trap. We'll need to draw them in close enough for it have the most effect and subtract the amount of time we all have to fight, that way we conserve as much chakra and energy as possible for the trek to the tower."

"Well, we're a bunch of overly arrogant dumb rookies, right?" Sasuke asked.

 _Ingenious_ , she thought, a smile curling onto her lips as she swung on the branch of a tree to the next branch. She felt light as air without the weighted seals on, as if she could Body Flicker from here to the Land of Waves and back without breaking a sweat.

Naruto frowned. "Speak for yourself."

Ah, he missed the point. "Naruto, he was insinuating that other teams will only see us as arrogant fools, therefore making it easier to trap them by using their overconfidence against them," Amari explained.

"Oh…" He smiled. "In that case I'm all for it!"

"I'll go over the plan once, so listen carefully."

Sasuke explained his plan and their roles in it. Once done they traveled deeper into the forest before choosing their location to ambush an enemy.

And there they laid in wait for someone to spring the trap.

* * *

Minutes Later

* * *

A horrid scream cut through the forest as a shinobi fell prey to a trap somewhere deep within the canopies of the trees. Team Seven twitched at the sound and looked in the general direction of the scream. "Well…that's spooky," Amari commented lowly.

Seemed the Forest of Death claimed at least one new victim, maybe an entire team. Of course they could still be alive but Amari wasn't betting on it.

"Oh, come on! No need to be scared, Amari, this is going to be a piece of cake!" Naruto soothed in a brash manor. Amari gave a determined nod before flicking her right eye about the landscape around them. Darkness and shadows lurked around them as the trees blocked out most of the sunlight. With the screaming gone they returned to eerie silence.

Somewhere out there were shinobi hunting them. This behind enemy lines scenario felt almost as nerve-racking as the real thing. Every movement she sensed, every snapped twig or flutter of wings made her heart race. Any single sound could be an enemy's presence; any movement she thought she saw could be the shadow of an enemy dashing back into hiding.

"Excuse me, I gotta…well, you know." The knucklehead turned around to a bush and began reaching for the zipper on his pants.

Amari furrowed her brow in irritation only to have Sakura beat her to the punch, literally. Sakura jumped into the air with her fist cocked back and nailed Naruto square on the top of his head hard enough to stop his idiocy. "Not in front of us you don't! Find a bush or something!"

And so the trio waited for Naruto to go relieve himself. His return was met by Amari's narrowed eye. "Oh man that was a lot. I wrote my whole nam—"

Sasuke moved quickly behind the knucklehead and swung his arm, hitting him square in the face and knocking him away from Sakura into a nearby tree. Amari dashed in to kick the knucklehead's head off, but Naruto rolled under her to dodge, only for his dodge to lead him right into Sasuke.

Thinking quickly, Naruto jumped up into the tree but he wasn't fast enough to escape her speed. Amari appeared right above him and axe kicked him right back to the ground. "What kind of idiots do you take us for? You aren't fooling anyone with that Transformation," Amari said from the tree.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the two Uchiha. "You better watch out, Sakura. I think they've gone craz—Whoa!" The boy barely managed to pull a kunai out in time to block Sakura's strike with dual kunai knives. He pushed the blades back and kicked her in the abdomen to keep her away then dodged back into a one handed handstand then flipped to dodge Sasuke's assault, landing him close to a nearby bush.

"You idiot, your transformation doesn't even match the real Naruto at all," Sasuke chided. "You're missing the mirror cut he and Amari gained by the proctor and you have your shuriken holster on your left leg, not your right. The real Naruto is right handed."

Finally seeing sense, the fake Naruto dispelled his transformation to reveal a Hidden Rain shinobi. He had spiky black hair and wore a yellow jumpsuit and white sash around his face with eye holes cut into. In his mouth was some sort of breathing mechanism, a rebreather from the look of it. "All right you got me, so what? I'm still going to take your scroll. So hand it over, or else."

"Heh," Amari chuckled at the threat. He truly had no idea who he was messing with if he thought that threat would get them to hand over their scroll. Her chuckle was joined by Sasuke and Sakura. "Do you hear that guys? He's going to take the scroll from us," she taunted from the tree.

"But how does he expect to do that," Sakura said as an evil smile formed on her lips.

"When he can't move his body," Sasuke finished.

The Rain ninja let out a startled sound when Amari's Shadow paralyzed him in place. "Wha– what is this?" he asked.

"A trap and you sprang it gloriously!" the real Naruto jeered from the darkness of the canopy.

"What the? I knocked him out!"

"Hmph, you fool." Sakura and Sasuke poofed into smoke to reveal two Amari's. The third jumped down to join them and smirked arrogantly at him. "You think you actually caught us off guard? You captured a clone of me because I _let_ you capture her. We're all just clones. You didn't even get to fight the real deal."

The real Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto jumped down from their hiding places. "We know you're alone and you have the Heaven scroll. You should hand it over," the trio of Amari's said in unison. His hand began reaching into his ninja pouch until he pulled out the scroll. "Oh, he's so obedient. But then, none can resist my control when you're so close to me."

He grunted as he tried to fight against her control but he lacked the strength to cause her any strain. His attempt to dodge away from "Sasuke" played him right into her hands. Against his own will he tossed the scroll over to the real Sasuke. "Face it, loser, you never stood a chance against us," Sasuke said. Sakura stuck her tongue out at the man as Naruto grinned at his misfortune.

Again against his will he started reaching towards his right leg where no ninja tool box was attached. Two senbon pierced the back of his legs right behind the knee just as Amari relinquished control of him. In an instant she appeared in front of him in the air, knee aimed right for his face. The impact of the blow sent him sprawling back into the bush, his rebreather flying out of his mouth as he was left unconscious.

Amari retrieved her senbon and dispelled her three clones before regrouping with her team. "Too bad he had the same scroll as us," she said as she approached her team.

"Yeah but that's just another team out of the competition and a spare if we need one," Sasuke said.

"Mm." He tossed the second scroll back to Amari for her to store it with the other. _Maybe if Shika has an Earth scroll we can give them this one so he can pass too._ "We should go," Amari said as she stuffed the scroll into her back pouch. "I don't know how long he'll be out cold and this area is now compromised as our trap."

"Right. Which way towards the tower?" Naruto asked.

Amari pointed to the North. "That way. We're bound to find someone with an Earth scroll at some point."

"All right. Let's move," Sasuke stated.

Team Seven maneuvered back into the trees on their way towards the tower. By closing even more distance between them and their inevitable objective, they would increase the chances of running into a team with an Earth scroll. The extra Heaven scroll could also be given to a friendly team or possibly even kept on their person to eliminate an entire team.

The further they traveled into the forest, the denser the foliage grew. Moisture on the greenery remained from the rainstorm the night before as the creatures of the forest went about their daily lives uninterrupted by the traveling shinobi. Team Seven stopped here and there to set up another trap, yet no one ever sprang them. In the meantime Amari created another preparation plan for a possible mock surrender on the chance the tables turned against them.

 _Can't be too careful_ , she thought as she placed the two Heaven marked scrolls back in her pouch.

When it became clear no enemies were coming, Team Seven moved again towards their objective. The lack of shinobi was troubling. By no means were they close to being out of time yet to find an Earth scroll, but every minute they came up short was another minute for another team to gain the scroll they needed.

Hours without any further encounters passed before Team Seven decided to regroup and take a breather as they prepared a new plan. They found a relatively safe place to sit on the grassy floor while Amari went up to the top of a tree to check the position of the sun.

"Five hours until the sun sets," she informed as she rejoined her team.

"Hmm. Most of the teams will start looking to rest after spending the day searching," Sasuke said.

"Agreed, which makes it the perfect opportunity to strike," Amari said, crouching down onto one knee to join their small circle. Using a patch of soft dirt, she drew bits of the map she recalled from memory. "According to the proctors map, we're probably about here compared to the tower." She drew an X to mark their location and then a circle for the tower. "And there should be a river around here." She drew squiggly line to mark the river.

"At a guess, we're probably an hour away from the river, but the tower is still pretty far away," Sakura noted.

A rough estimate but still pretty accurate. "The river will draw people to it," Amari said. "Food and fresh water in one source, but any intelligent shinobi knows that. There will be traps near it."

"What do you think we should do, Amari?" Naruto asked.

"For now, we relax." She shook her head. "I don't see the sense in rushing into battle just yet. Let's rest our bodies a bit longer, and then when we're ready we'll head towards the river. With my eye we should be able to find any shinobi waiting to ambush a team, or if we're lucky we'll find some shinobi who have already made camp for the night."

"If that's the case, we'll take down whoever is keeping watch first," Sasuke said. "And then we'll take the other two members by surprise and take whatever there scroll is." He shrugged. "Can't go wrong collecting more Heaven scrolls. It'll give us an advantage to barter for safe passage if need be or pass them out to comrades."

"I wonder how the other teams are doing," Sakura pondered.

A sudden surge of powerful chakra beyond anything Amari ever sensed pierced her senses like a katana. It was then a gust of wind passed between them, sharp wind which cut Naruto on his other cheek and her right arm at the elbow.

It was the only warning they had.

"Take cover!" Amari ordered.

An explosive surge of wind carved a path right through the forest towards them, leaving a giant cratery path in its wake as it grinded the ground and cut the bark of trees.

 _Damn it, damn it, damn it!_

Amari grabbed Sakura since she was the closest to her and dove out of the path of the jutsu into cover behind a tree. _Byakugan!_ The Nara fought to control her breathing as she sought out Sasuke and Naruto's chakra signatures. Sasuke had managed to jump out of the path into a cover as well but she couldn't find Naruto anywhere.

 _Oh man this is going to be such a drag!_ When the wind finally died down she quietly motioned Sakura to follow her low and as quiet as they could be. _We need to get Sasuke and go get Naruto then run the hell away._

She spotted the source of the technique, the Grass woman who appeared behind Anko before the exam began. Yet the chakra coming off her was insane. How the hell had she hidden it so well? Not even Zabuza or Kakashi had this kind of chakra, and the evil within it…

 _There's no way she's a Genin, no way in hell_ , Amari concluded. This kind of chakra, this kind of evil could not belong to a Genin of the age she portrayed. No way. Whoever she was, she was leagues ahead of them in strength.

 _We have to run._

It was their only hope at survival.

The kunoichi's reached Sasuke without revealing their presence to their enemy, but the boy turned to them with a kunai in his hand. "We have to get the hell out of here," she whispered.

"Wait. What's your password?" Sasuke asked.

Normally she would applaud his caution, but now wasn't the time. " _A red eye hidden by shadows, a white eye covered in light. Separate they are powerful but together they are unstoppable, for without light there are no shadows._ " Sasuke lowered his kunai knife but glanced over at Sakura. "She's the real one. We need to go. Now."

The urgency in her tone garnered his attention only to be interrupted by the shout of Naruto. "Hey! What was that? Are you guys okay?"

"Stop. What's your—"

"It's not him," Amari interrupted, pulling out two kunai from her ninja tool box. _Her chakra, it's incredible._

Sasuke threw his kunai at the fake. Their enemy dove to the ground to dodge it. As he moved into a sitting position, the fake Naruto's face contorted into an evil smile as his tongue came out to lick his lips as if he was looking at a tasty meal. "My my, aren't we the clever ones," a feminine voice came out. The transformation dispelled in a larger explosion than any other transformation she had ever seen.

All three Team Seven members put their arms up to block the wind that came from it. Out of the smoke came the Grass ninja woman with the huge purple knotted rope belt around her waist. She removed her hat and moved it in front of half of her face. "You certainly haven't dropped your guard, have you? This promises to be very entertaining!" Her tongue slipped out again, trailing along the side of her hat as if it were a treat. Amari was thoroughly grossed out. "Such an intriguing plan you have, but what happens when a predator finds you first? Hm?"

 _Naruto. We need to get Naruto and get the hell out of here. This is one fight we cannot win._

A bead of sweat ran down the side of the Nara's face, her heart beat erratically against her chest. Fear. All from her presence. She hadn't reached the intensity of Zabuza's Demon chakra, yet. _But it's there._

The Grass shinobi dropped her hat and pulled out her Earth scroll. Sakura gasped at the sight of it, answering the question their enemy silently sought to find. "Ahhh," she smiled. "You would love to get your hands on our Earth scroll, wouldn't you? It would go so nicely with your Heaven scroll."

Her long tongue came out and wrapped around the scroll. Then she started to shove it down her own throat. _What the hell is she?_ It was a question Amari didn't want the answer to. Her inner warrior jumped into the driver seat at the sight of the scroll they needed disappearing. Tossing her right kunai into her left hand, she sent her chakra throughout her body and disappeared via the Body Flicker, reappearing with her legs braced on the woman's knees and her hand gripping the scroll.

"Huh?" the woman questioned, eyes wide in surprise.

"Didn't anyone tell you it's rude to talk with your mouth full!" She channeled chakra to her foot. "Sasuke, Sakura! Find Naruto and don't stop moving!" She slammed her chakra filled foot into the Grass shinobi's stomach; the hit caused their enemy's tongue to loosen just enough for her to pull the Earth scroll free before sending them both flying away from each other.

The Grass shinobi wiped the saliva off her face and smiled at the trio. "Interesting move, child," she said. "But don't think it will be that easy." She pulled her eyelid down, a strange move by all means. But then it happened. A tsunami wave of killing intent, the likes of which surpassed Zabuza's Demon Chakra, crashed against her body. She uttered a startled gasp, though she did not hear it, as her body stiffened into paralysis.

In that moment Amari saw her own death flash before her eyes. Everything around her disappeared, a veil of darkness pulled over her eyes as she witnessed again and again a kunai blade impaling itself into her skull. She could feel it there despite it not actually being real, she could feel the spike of pain it would have caused, feel the life ebbing from her body even though she was still very much alive.

Her heart slammed against her chest as she tried desperately to inhale air, but no matter how much she inhaled, the air lacked appropriate oxygen. Nausea hit her next, head spinning and stomach churning as it shot up for release.

Finally her legs gave way.

Collapsing to her knees, Amari emptied the contents of her stomach onto the grassy floor. Bile decorated her taste buds with its vile taste. Trembles took over every inch of her body, quivering like a leaf in the wind as a bead of sweat cascaded down her cheek. Or was it a tear? Amari couldn't tell. She couldn't even feel if she still had her kunai's or the Earth scroll in her hand, all she could see was her death replaying over and over before her eyes.

 _She'll kill us._

This was the only thing she could comprehend. This was no masterful genjutsu. It was just pure killing intent, more potent than Zabuza's Demon chakra by astronomical leagues. The thirst this woman had for death…How could evil like this exist? How could bloodlust like this be real?

Amari shakily tried to look behind her, hoping at the least Sasuke and Sakura escaped this. They hadn't. _Damn it, they got hit by this too._ Puke coated the grass in front of Sasuke and tears streamed from Sakura's eyes as she stared blankly at the canopy of trees. _I need…I need to calm down._ Amari tried to ease her breathing but failed miserably. _I can't- I can't control my body. Bu- but I- I have to do something!_

"You're paralyzed with fear," the woman stated.

 _Co- come on Amari! Yo- you have to move! If you don't she_ _ **will**_ _kill you! You can't leave your friends to die or all of the people you care about!_

Slowly her hands and legs started to cooperate. She pushed her quivering body up onto shaky legs. _That's it, you know what it is like to lose the people you care about. Can you really leave others behind to feel those same dreadful feelings?_

"Very good. Very interesting. But tell me, what happens now?" the Grass ninja asked, seemingly intrigued by her ability to stand. Fear once again paralyzed Amari but this time she was fighting her hardest against it. The woman pulled out three kunai just as the vision of her own death showed, fueling the fire inside Amari's heart. "Don't worry, child. I'll make it quick, but I don't have to tell you that, do I? You've seen it with your own eyes."

 _Can you really leave them behind?! Mom, Uncle Shikaku, Kakashi-sensei, Iruka-sensei, and Shika! You promised him to be careful! You promised yourself you wouldn't die until you killed Kasai! Will you let the fear of death stop you and allow it to end in the deaths of you and your friends? You know what that pain is like and you're just standing here like some frightened deer!_

 _ **Wake! Up!**_

"I expected more," the ninja said as she brought her hand up to throw the kunai.

A strength Amari hadn't felt since the Land of Waves exploded within her as all functionality of her body came swooping back. _**No!**_ It bellowed. _ **I refuse to die now! And I will not let my friends die! She will be the one to die before I ever let that happen willingly!**_

Before the kunai left the woman's hands, the weight of her own kunai's registered in Amari's mind. _**Now fight, damn it!**_ She threw her kunai's and disappeared in sheer speed even the Grass ninja couldn't see. She created a clone upon exiting her Body Flicker and grabbed Sasuke and Sakura before Body Flickering again into the trees to escape. She needed to find some place to hide them, find Naruto and then get to the opposite end of this forest before the Grass shinobi could find them.

The duo of Amari's set Sasuke and Sakura down on a large tree branch when she felt they escaped. Her Byakugan eye searched in every direction for any sign of her teammate and the chakra of their enemy. She found neither.

"Amari." Sakura's voice was full of awe.

Glancing down at her arms she found the green chakra shroud flickering with its black tips around her entire body; her clone had the same cloak as well as their Sharingan's active. "Sasuke, Sakura, can you two move?" she asked, disengaging the cloak to conserve chakra.

Fear lingered in their eyes, fear she understood all too well. "We've got to find Naruto and get the hell out of here," Sasuke said.

Amari chuckled despite the situation. "I tried to tell you." The ridiculously enormous chakra of their enemy surged again directly next to them. _How the hell did she get so close without me seeing her?!_ Her eyes widened at the sight of a giant snake and her heart stopped. Frozen in place for brief second, Amari's body remained paralyzed by her fear of snakes as the serpent prepared to strike.

"Sn- snake!" she shrieked. In any other circumstance she might have been embarrassed, but the chakra of their enemy from within the snake kept it at bay. "Move!" she ordered.

Her clone grabbed Sakura again as the giant snake lunged forward to strike them. Sasuke activated his Sharingan and the two Uchiha jumped away in the same direction.

 _A Summoning Snake?_ Further proof this person wasn't a Genin. An animal of this size required chakra no regular Genin could hope to have. The snake chased after them, coiling around the tree quickly with its thick and scaly body.

Once again it went to strike at the duo only this time another wave of killing intent crashed from it. Instead of the face of the snake, Amari saw the face of the Grass shinobi as her body tried to lock up. The fires of her inner warrior refused to let her body seize up, however. It burned away the fear and urged her into action. "Sasuke, let's take this serpent down!" She pulled out six shurikens, three in each hand. "Take this, you scaly demon!"

Sasuke snapped out of his fear and pulled out his own shuriken. Together they released their weapons and pierced the beast in its mouth and neck, killing it. As it died the two Uchiha landed on a tree next to one another, the boy of the pair was breathing heavily in fear as his female counterpart's heart raced. "Sasuke, be ready. We're not done yet," she told him.

The snake's skin began to crack at the base of the neck and push outwards. As it opened the Grass ninja climbed out. "I can sense your fear and desperation. It's only natural. The prey can never let down its guard, not even for a moment." She lifted her head up to stare at the two young ninja's, the bloodlust flooding her eyes and her tongue flopping about in front of her similar to a snake. "In the presence of its predator!"

Her torso launched forward, stretching in ways that weren't human as she coiled around the tree like the snake had as she charged them. _What kind of jutsu is this?!_ Amari sped through her Fire Ball Jutsu handseals and inhaled. _Take this! Fire Style—_

A swarm of kunai and shuriken landed right in front of the Grass ninja, halting the battle momentarily.

All of the ninjas looked up in the direction for the source. "Looks like I came just in time!" Naruto shouted.

"You're picking up on Sensei's lateness, Naruto!" Amari fired back. _But I'm glad you're okay._

The boy stood on a higher tree branch with his arms crossed over his chest and a smile on his face. "Naruto!" Sakura's voice was full of relief.

They truly needed to run but right now basking in the relief of having Naruto around was all Amari wanted to do.

"Oh by the way, _A Thousand Years of Death_ is the lame password I got."

 _Definitely Naruto._


	27. Chapter 26: Fight or Die

Chapter 26

Fight or Die: A Shadow's Checkmate and an Uchiha's Rebirth!

The relief of Naruto's arrival wore off quicker than Amari wished to admit. Ecstatic as she was to see her best friend alive and well, his arrival did not change one simple fact: this Grass shinobi was beyond their level of strength.

Her strength, her bloodlust and her chakra were incredible. Vile, disgusting and chilling too, but incredible nonetheless.

They couldn't fight her and hope to win. Their best chance at survival was a tactical retreat into the dense forest. Yet to escape meant outrunning her and the Shadow user wasn't confident in their ability to do so.

Not forever at least.

Rest would be impossible, not when the Grass shinobi or one of her snakes could show up at any moment. Even if she somehow lost interest, they wouldn't be able to let their guard down for an instant.

Would she appear when they slept? Would she appear from this tree or that one? Was that shadow her? What about the snap of that twig?

Fear would deprive them of sleep, make them jump at shadows and act recklessly. But fighting wasn't an option. None of them stood a chance against her, alone or as a team. Should the desire strike her, this woman could annihilate Team Seven in the blink of an eye as silent and quick as the Silent Killing Technique.

The only reason any of them could still inhale the moisture filled air of the forest was because she allowed them to. They lived because she continued to _let_ them live. At any moment that could change. Her mood could shift with the wind and decide her playthings—them—weren't fun toys anymore and needed to be thrown away. Killed.

 _So how do we make this survivable?_ It was the question at the front of her mind. How did Team Seven live to fight another day? How did Team Seven survive this encounter without casualties? So far the question lacked an answer.

 _Escaping will only grant a moment of reprieve, and fighting her means death. Think Amari, think._ There had to be some way out of this! Some angle of attack she hadn't thought of yet. Damn it, she was meant to be the tactician of the team, so why couldn't she think of some way out of this?

No one shinobi was invincible. Every shinobi had weaknesses, as did every jutsu. The best shinobi could hide them from their enemies, but any keen eyed individual could find and exploit the weakness given time. _Think, think, think, you idiot. Everything about a shinobi from personality and speech to attack patterns and specific jutsus can hint at their goals and their weaknesses._

There had to be something to exploit. One little mistake, one weakness to grant them the single opportunity they needed to survive this fight and escape.

 _I…I can't think of anything!_ No meager plan in Amari's arsenal could work against her. She was too strong. Too fast. Too intelligent. She hadn't even shown a fraction of her real skillset, yet what she did reveal was enough to make the difference between their respective battle experience and strength obvious.

How could a kid like her hope to outsmart an enemy of this level?

"You can have it!" Sasuke's voice cut off her thoughts.

"Huh?" Amari turned to him in confusion.

"Amari, give me both of the scrolls and don't argue," he told her.

 _If he's giving up without a fight…Does that mean there is no way out of this except forfeiting our scrolls?_ Two scrolls might be able to convince the shinobi to leave them with their lives, but did it even matter since she could kill them and take them anyways? Did the scrolls actually have any importance to her? Surely Sasuke could see this shinobi wasn't here for a promotion…But what if it did spare their lives?

Amari bit the inside of her bottom lip and tried to think of a better plan. This lady couldn't be looking for scrolls because there was no way she was a real Genin. Her first jutsu, her summoning snakes, they were too powerful. The proctors wouldn't have put her through this nonsense if they understood her true strength.

A Genin of the age she portrayed, even one with exceptional chakra reserves, wouldn't have the amount of chakra or strength she possessed. It took decades of training and battle experience to reach her level.

 _And her bloodlust is viler than Zabuza's Demon Chakra._

No, forfeiting the scrolls wouldn't grant them their lives. _She also said she expected more._ That meant she was here for another reason, a reason Amari feared the true nature of. _Could she…could she be after Sasuke's eyes or mine?_ Amari gritted her teeth. _Argh, damn it all! If there were more proctors and assistants observing this exam they would have sent real shinobi to stop this woman already._

Unfortunately they were on their own, out of options and out of luck. Her mind jolted at lightspeed through different tactics and their conclusions, none ending well for her and her teammates. Surrendering the scrolls didn't guarantee them anything. If anything, this woman would just destroy the scrolls out of spite. She was willing to swallow her own scroll, after all. It could only mean she didn't care how many scrolls were left in the Exam.

 _If we hand over our two, that could be two scrolls destroyed. Three including hers._ Fewer scrolls would remain, meaning fewer opportunities to pass for them and others. It was a risky gamble; one Amari didn't believe would actually work in this scenario. But what choice did she have? They didn't have many options to pick from. If by some miracle playing along here actually granted them their lives, she had to take it.

Exhaling a deep sigh, Amari reached into her back pouch and pulled out two scrolls with the Heaven marker on them. _Hopefully this gets her to leave us alone._ "Here." She handed them to Sasuke without further argument.

"You want the scroll, right? Fine. Take these and leave us in peace," Sasuke said with a voice firmer than he probably felt.

"What the hell are you doing, Sasuke?! Why are you just handing the scroll over to the enemy?!" Naruto shouted.

Sasuke's features shifted into anger, spinning to face the blond. "Stay out of this, Naruto!" he ordered.

"Very wise. Very sensible," the woman praised. "Sometimes the helpless prey, in order to save their own skin, knows that they must distract the predator with something even more precious."

"Take them," the Uchiha boy said then tossed the scrolls over to her.

They flew through the air towards the Grass ninja's clutches, yet they never reached her. Amari's stomach dropped as Naruto zipped past, grabbing both scrolls and landing on a tree across from them. He then pushed off it and landed next to Sasuke.

"Grr! Stop trying to play the hero and leave this to me!" Sasuke yelled at the boy. Naruto's retort was to punch him square in the face hard enough to send him flying to a tree branch adjacent to them. Sasuke touched his face in initial surprise, but that quickly turned to anger. "You brain-dead idiot! You don't know what you're doing!"

Naruto turned to Amari next and she visibly flinched at his disappointed glare. "I may screw up all the time, but I know who I am and I know who you two are. The real Sasuke and Amari would never give up so easily. You may sound and look just like them but there's no way you two are the friends I know!"

Amari wanted to speak. She wanted to tell him about how dangerous this woman was and how this wasn't about the scrolls or the test anymore. This woman was after something else, possibly the dōjutsu's they wielded. Possibly a simpler lust for blood. She wanted to explain her reasons, her plan to escape and why it was necessary to surrender the scrolls.

 _I…can't, though._ She couldn't bring herself to speak or to betray the plan he unknowingly aided. For this to work, for them to get out of this alive she had to play her role and take his verbal berating. Even though it hurt to see him so disappointed in her, even though every word felt like he was punching the air out of her, for their survival she needed to keep taking this.

"I don't care how tough of fight you've been through. Surrendering? Giving up the scrolls? When did you two become cowards?!"

Amari flinched again as if he struck her. _Just…keep your mouth shut and take the verbal lashing_ , she commanded. Sooner rather than later this would spill into a fight, and in the end the scrolls would still end up in the possession of the Grass ninja. She wished for there to be some other way. Yet the fight was necessary to survive, because this woman wasn't after the scrolls or a promotion.

She was after the two Uchiha.

"You keep saying I don't understand what's going on, but I do! You've given up!" Naruto finished.

Another flinch. Yes, they had. Sasuke fully. Her as part of her ruse. What Naruto didn't realize, however, was no amount of strength of will could change the outcome of their fight. And Sasuke hadn't realized how disinterested the woman was in scrolls. In this circumstance, they were both fools. One blinded by foolish bravery, the other blinded by self-preservation. They couldn't see what their enemy truly wanted.

Amari could see the patterns forming. The Grass shinobi wanted either her or Sasuke. Instead of targeting Sakura and her clone, when she could have easily, she targeted them specifically. Her eyes always watched them. The two Uchiha held her interest, not Sakura, not Naruto.

"Sad, but true," the Grass ninja drawled as she stood up. "It doesn't matter. As far as the scrolls go, I could simply kill you and take them."

Exactly. At any moment this woman could kill them. She could have killed them when they saw their deaths flash before their eyes. She could have killed them as they were plotting their next move without ever revealing her presence. Instead she made a show of her power and continued to take her time toying with them, testing them.

Of course, Amari knew she could be utterly wrong. Perhaps this was about bloodlust. Perhaps the woman wanted to be entertained by her prey before killing them. Perhaps she had no reasons whatsoever and only by chance they ended up in her crosshairs. Yet Amari was almost certain she figured out the general intentions of their enemy, and the means to survive this encounter.

 _Even if it means losing an eye…_

Their enemy pulled up her left sleeve to reveal what appeared to be a black tattoo that covered most of her forearm. Amari couldn't make out the entirety of the designs or their purpose, but she noticed snakes. The woman bit her thumb hard enough to draw blood and wiped it down the tattoo. Naruto didn't hesitate to pull out a kunai and charge their enemy.

 _I…I can't be sure that any of us will survive this. This woman might just kill us all for sport._ The woman summoned another giant snake under her and targeted Naruto, the only one among Team Seven to have the will to fight. Amari looked down at her hands. _This fight may even cost me one or both of my eyes. She may pluck them from me and leave me permanently blind…_ She curled her hands into fists. _But even if all I accomplish is fighting to my death, so be it._

A strange feeling washed over her in that moment. The only word she could think of to describe it as was acceptance. Acceptance of death, acceptance of losing her eyes and acceptance for all the pain this woman would bring her before the end.

So long as her team survived, though…As long as it was only her eyes and her life taken here, she would be okay. She could accept that fate, because there wasn't any other path she could see where Team Seven overcame these odds.

It was impossible.

 _As long as they live to see another day…_ Amari exhaled a final breath, fully accepting she might die or lose her eyes here, or both. But that was okay. _She_ was okay.

Naruto took a hit from the tail of the snake, knocking him hard into a tree and seemingly unconscious. As he plummeted closer to the snake's mouth—which opened up to eat him—a burst of red, rage filled chakra exploded from within the boy, snapping Amari's attention directly to him in a wide-eyed expression. _That chakra…_ Gone was the warm, soothing blue chakra of her friend, replaced by something…demonic. Full of oppressive negative emotions.

Twisting out of his fall, Naruto landed a kick to the summoning snake's head; the force of the blow thundered across the forest and repelled him back into the air. Even at a distance Amari could see his normal cerulean eyes shifted to red, his pupils becoming slits.

 _It's…the Nine-Tails._

No doubt about it. Somehow Naruto was channeling the chakra of the Nine-Tailed Fox to increase his strength and speed beyond his normal levels.

 _Even if my theory of her intentions proves right, one of us may die here._ Amari narrowed her eyes at their enemy as Naruto pummeled the snake's face with his new strength. _But I won't stand by and wait for her to kill us. This battle…it won't be Naruto's, Sakura's or Sasuke's end…_

The Grass shinobi launched a large fire ball right at Naruto, but her teammate had no chance of dodging out of the way. Gravity pulled him closer to the attack without anything for him to use to change trajectory.

Chakra flooded throughout Amari's body before she launched into action. She sped across the forest at untraceable speeds and tackled Naruto out of the way of the attack to bring him to the safety of a tree branch.

 _But it will be hers!_

"Fire Style _and_ Wind Style," she muttered under her breath.

Her strength and proficiency with the two Natures was beyond what any Genin could hope for without a kekkei genkai. Further evidence this woman wasn't who she was pretending to be. Further evidence she could kill them whenever she pleased but wanted to play with her food instead of eat it.

"Ah, so you finally found your will to fight?" the Grass ninja drawled.

"You'll find my Will to be inextinguishable, you pretender," she snarled.

Their enemy's eyes flashed in mirth as her smile widened. "Pretender, you say?"

"No Genin can master Fire Style and Wind Style to such proficiency without _years_ of training. And those summoning snakes, tch," she hissed out an irritated breath, "you should be exhausted of chakra from summoning two of those huge vile creatures, yet I can sense you haven't even used a fraction of your chakra reserves." Amari shook her head. "You're not some twenty year old woman; you're probably not even a Grass shinobi."

"Very observant," the woman complimented, grinning at her. "Very observant indeed. I wonder…" She trailed off and gazed at Amari for several more uncomfortable seconds. She felt like she was being dissected, but then their enemy turned her attention to Sasuke. "Let's see if your other friend can find his will."

The snake lurched forward at Sasuke. _Damn, there's no way I can cross the distance fast enough!_ Their enemies pet already crossed half the distance faster than she could blink, and Sasuke still hadn't moved. Frozen in fear of an impending death.

"Sasuke, move!" she shouted as she sent chakra surging through her body.

Naruto disappeared from her side in a flash of speed she couldn't help but marvel at. _How did he—_

The snake stopped against its will.

Through her Byakugan eye she could see Naruto in front of the creature, a kunai in each hand stabbed into its mouth.

"Hey kid. You're not hurt, are you?" Naruto's growl could be heard by all in their section of forest. "You scaredy cat!"

The familiar taunt being thrown back at Sasuke made Amari wish for simpler days.

"Standing there like a frightened rabbit, no way! You're not the Sasuke I know!" the knucklehead seethed, his voice angrier than she could recall ever hearing it. "Where's the Sasuke who fought Haku without a shred of fear? The one who risked his own life to save me!"

"You don't understand—"

"Oh, I understand plenty! You're the one who wants to restore the honor of the Uchiha Clan, right? You think you can do that by rolling over and dying like a coward! I know she's powerful, so what?! That didn't stop me from fighting Zabuza and Haku, and it's not going to stop me here! Until I become Hokage, I refuse to die!"

Sasuke never had the chance to respond. The woman's ridiculously long tongue shot out of her mouth and wrapped around Naruto's entire upper body to restrain his arms. She then retracted her tongue like a measuring tape. The sight of chakra forming at her fingertips sent Amari charging across the forest to rescue her teammate.

 _Oh no you don't!_

She was too late.

The Grass ninja slammed her hand, and whatever technique she was using, into his stomach, eliciting shrieks and screams of agony from Naruto. He squirmed against her tongue and tried to get away before finally falling unconscious.

"You'll pay for that!" Amari roared. She landed on the snake's head and went to kick her enemy's head off her shoulders from behind. Minimal effort went into dodging her attack. The moment her feet touched the snake again, pain erupted across her face as their enemy swatted her away like a fly.

 _Gah!_ Amari collided against the trunk of a tree and collapsed onto her hands and knees. Her cheek throbbed. Had her enemy put more effort into her attack, she'd either have drawn blood or knocked her out with the one hit.

Lifting her head up, she saw Sakura throw a kunai knife at the falling body of Naruto; the blade caught the back of his orange jacket and pinned it to the trunk of a different tree, keeping his unconscious form from plummeting to the forest floor.

One member of Team Seven down, three left for their enemy to harm.

The Grass shinobi pocketed their two scrolls and turned her attention back to the Shadow user, slurping her tongue back up into her mouth. _She could have killed Naruto…yet she didn't._

Did that mean she wasn't here to kill them, only to torment them and beat them into the ground? If so, why? What purpose did any of this serve? _Doesn't matter_ , Amari thought as she forced herself up onto her feet. She clearly had no intention of leaving them be now that she possessed the scrolls, as Amari expected. She wanted to fight. Possibly to capture dōjutsu's, possibly to test their skills or possibly for some sick twisted enjoyment of beating on Genin.

Her reasons didn't matter. All that mattered was doing everything possible to keep their enemy the hell away from Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto. _Even if it costs me my own life…I will keep them safe._

She refused to let them die.

"What an interesting specimen you are," the woman said, tilting her head to the side as she continued to examine Amari. "You are clearly of Uchiha blood, your Sharingan proves that. Yet your ability to analyze your enemy's strength and motives are far beyond your team. They still believe this is about the scrolls and the Leaf's inconsequential test, but you." The woman licked her lips and smiled. "You see right through the illusion, don't you, Amaririsu Yūhi?"

Amari remained silent, neither trusting herself to speak without betraying her own plan nor wanting to entertain this sick freak with conversation. She could talk all she wanted, it only helped the Nara to understand more about her enemy and her plan.

 _Interesting specimen. Inconsequential test._

More words to help her see through the illusion.

"Such a sharp eye and mind you possess. It's only a pity you lack both eyes. Without both Sharingan your value is greatly diminished."

 _She's talking like I'm just an object. A specimen for an experiment._

Disgust wanted to take root in her, and it did, but Amari pushed it aside for a venomous smile. "So I'm just a useless pawn, huh? An extra piece on the board? Heh!" A laugh escaped her. "You've clearly never played shogi otherwise you'd know there's no such thing as a useless pawn."

She would lose this fight, but she would make this woman fight for every inch if it meant keeping her friends safe.

The woman hummed in laughter and dispelled her summoning snake. "Do try not to bore me."

Amari's battle instincts kicked on. She jumped up and back onto the tree trunk to dodge the Grass shinobi's fast attack. Flipping over her and back onto even ground, she ducked and rolled her body under another strike. Wind whipped over her head from the speed and strength of the attack. Amari delivered two quick punches to her opponent's stomach then moved into a back handspring, nailing her enemy under her chin with a hard kick as she did. As soon as her hands left the bark of the tree branch they moved in front of her chest to quickly speed through handseals. At the same time, her legs carried her momentum back and away from her enemy, her feet skipping and then hopping further away.

 _Rat, Tiger, Dog, Ox, Rabbit, Tiger. Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!_ Five small fire balls launched from her lips on a course to scorch their target. The Grass shinobi's agility proved impressive. Even at their close range she managed to slither through the gaps between the attack to close the distance again.

That was the plan though.

As the woman dodged the final fireball and shot forward with a wild grin on her face, Amari pulled out two kunais and tossed them dead on at her enemy. With the kunais on target, the Nara's hands sped back through her handseals again, her chest expanding as she took a massive inhale. Her feet touched the branch again and, using chakra sent through her body, she jolted into the air directly above her enemy in a flash of speed even the elite shinobi had trouble tracking.

As the Grass shinobi dodged between the kunais, the realization of Amari's current location and the whistling of the paper bombs attached to the ends of the kunais caused shock to take hold. "What incredible spee—Ahh!" The explosions detonated behind her, the heat of which burned Amari's eyes and heated up her body but didn't prevent her performing her next attack. Burning hair and fabric filled her nostrils as her lungs and chest reached full expansion.

The Grass shinobi, still disoriented and struggling to pick herself up from her fall, turned her head in time to see the fire igniting from Amari's lips. _Turn to ash! Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!_

Orange flames sprouted forth in a stream of fiery death. Before the flames could hit her target, a giant wind gust pulsed out in every direction from the Grass shinobi's mouth, dousing her inferno with its intense torrents before hitting Amari directly. She raised her arms to guard her face, never once letting her eye leave her enemy even when the wind cut through her clothes and left small cuts across her body.

 _I figured you'd do that, that's why I positioned myself here!_ Amari's back hit a higher up branch. Quickly turning her body, she summoned chakra to her hands and feet and scurried around it to the top of it for cover, already moving to her next plan of attack. The wind fading was the preamble to the Grass shinobi's appearance on the tree branch.

Amari rolled back onto her feet, narrowly dodging an axe kick in the process. Bark splintered and cracked underneath the woman's foot. The indention left behind a clear sign it would have taken her out had she not moved. As she came out of the roll she started throwing as many kunai and shuriken as fast as her hands could move. The quick succession of attacks left her enemy with no choice but to pull out her own ninja tool to block the more accurate attacks.

 _Just keep attacking. Don't let her have a moment to breathe_ , Amari coached herself.

She threw a final kunai with a paper bomb attached on the end right at the enemy shinobi's feet. The woman quickly jumped backwards to avoid the explosion, but as she floated backwards the tag did not go off. "Hmph," Amari smirked. "Wrong move."

The Grass shinobi's eyes bulged before she spun her head around to see the trunk of the tree littered with paper bombs attached to kunai. _My ninja tool assault kept you distracted from my real intentions. Because of my first two paper bombs, your immediate instinct was to avoid the one right in front of you. What you didn't realize was I had thrown more into the trunk behind you, disguised as inaccurate attacks. By reacting to the dud, you played right into my hands._

A giant explosion tore the trunk of the tree and the branch they were on to shreds, drowning out the screams of the enemy shinobi as the heat and splinters brushed passed the Nara. For a brief second she felt triumphant her attack did damage, but her Byakugan eye pierced through the smoke to see her enemy both very much alive and mostly unwounded.

A frown creased her lips. _What the hell is she made of?_

Pressing her assault, she Body Flickered above the shinobi while the smoke still lingered and moved to land savage kicks. Despite the smoke, her enemy still blocked every strike she attempted to hit. Amari kicked again and used the block as leverage to flip over her enemy. She corkscrewed her body and threw several punches her enemy blocked before landing on the torn apart tree trunk, shimmering blue chakra appearing at her feet.

A blade slashed at her throat, but Amari pinned her back against the tree and let it cut the air instead, passing by mere inches. She preferred her blood to stay on the inside. Quickly equipping a blade of her own, she met the superior shinobi's blade in a fast paced and aggressive clash. The _clang_ of metal on metal echoed in the forest, sharp and piercing. But the sound kept Amari in the moment; heart, body, mind and eyes fully synched with one another as her inner warrior spirit thrummed in excitement.

Neither landed a substantial wound on the other, though not from lack of trying. Her enemy had far more battle experience than her and it showed in their battle. The fluidity of her attacks was amazing and the strength behind her blows left Amari's arm feeling tingly. Yet her fierce agility and two dōjutsu's tracked her enemy's movements with enough precision to keep her on even footing, for now.

Another dangerously close swipe took a few strands of blue hair with it. Hastily, Amari climbed up the tree trunk in a tactical retreat, jumping to the bottom of another branch to meet her enemy's blade again and again as they continued to duel to an inevitable conclusion.

Their blades met in a deadlock, sparks flying from their attempts to kill one another. As their warm blades grinded against one another, Amari couldn't help notice the smile on her enemy's face. "Is it your keen eye Itachi left you alive for?" Her smile grew. "No, it's more than your keen eye and genius intellect. So much more!"

"Do you enjoy hearing yourself talk or something?" Amari growled. She broke the deadlock and swiped at her enemy. Her enemy dodged back, her grin refusing to budge. Amari jolted forward and attacked first with her original blade then a freshly equipped second blade in her once empty hand.

"He must see the wells of talent you have yet to tap into! Dearest Amaririsu—"

"Don't call me that, you creep!"

Either because her enemy let her or because she was too focused on understanding Itachi's plan for her, Amari broke through her guard and landed a chakra filled kick to the Grass shinobi's gut. The kick knocked her off the bottom of the branch, but she quickly corkscrewed out of her fall to land safely on a lower branch.

Amari shot down at her, a Phoenix Flower Jutsu ahead of her. The flames encircled the Grass shinobi, who wouldn't stop smiling! What the hell was she on about? And how the hell did she know Itachi so well?

"You could flourish beyond what you believe your limits are!" the Grass shinobi said. Her intrigue about her skills was really starting to creep Amari out. Hoping to stop it, she attacked faster and harder than before, her determination to shut her up and get her to leave growing with every renewed attack.

"Whoever this Itachi is, you sound way too invested in having an intimate relationship with him!" she fired back. She didn't want to reveal her knowledge of Itachi and risk this woman triggering the genjutsu in the middle of their fight. It'd be a drag to be incapacitated by it at this point.

She pushed the enemy shinobi closer and closer to the flames of her Phoenix Fire Jutsu, the heat growing with every inch closer they were to them. Beads of sweat formed on her brow from both energy exerted and the temperature surrounding them. _She's not even taking me seriously!_

Being toyed with by an insanely powerful enemy, this stupid test, this stupid fight and the stupid proctors not setting up safeguards in case someone infiltrated the Exams, this was all such a pain!

"And he wiped your memories?" Another laugh as she backflipped over the flames without them touching her. A gust of wind ripped past Amari, extinguishing the flames and repelling her back. She landed on her back first and skipped across the bark, the fabric of her tank top tearing as she did. Flipping back onto her feet, the Uchiha skidded backwards on her heels, barely getting her blades up to block the next attack.

Her eyes met her enemies _way_ too interested eyes. "What delicious game is Itachi playing, I wonder. Does he desire for you to join his side, or did he hope you would never come to know your heritage?" she mused. "Hm, he must have very interesting plans for you. I'm almost tempted to deprive him of that by killing you."

"Almost tempted?" She pushed the blade away and jumped back a step. _Shadow Clone Jutsu!_ Three Amari's joined her and launched forwards to attack their enemy as the real one tried to think of a decent plan to end this fight.

Her enemy let the clones attack and put up just enough defense to keep them at bay without expending her energy. "Well, you see Itachi is the one who murdered your entire Clan, save for you and Sasuke. Should he desire to one day use you to act against the Leaf again or aid Sasuke's precious eyes maturity, I'm compelled to let him use you for his means."

What the hell did she mean aid Sasuke's eyes maturity? _Questions for later._

"It's a shame you'll never have a chance to meet him again in this life," Amari stated.

"Is that so?"

The Grass shinobi batted away two of her clones back towards Amari and dispelled the other with a well-timed slash to the chest. Before she could react, her body froze in place as Amari snatched her with her Shadow Possession Jutsu. _I've only got one shot with this._

"Yeah, because I'm about to send you straight to hell."

 _Please work._

* * *

Shikamaru couldn't shake the twisting feeling in his gut. _Damn it 'Risu, where the hell are you? You promised you'd be careful and come find us if things got too troublesome._ Unfortunately he knew there was little to be done about it. If she ended up in a troublesome fight then it'd be unlikely she could just retreat without being pursued, and he wasn't really sure they'd be much help if Team Seven couldn't handle it.

Besides, between Ino's terrible plans and attempts to lead them and Chōji's constant snacking, he hadn't made much head room in finding 'Risu either. They were moving too slow. Too slow to find Team Seven, too slow for this stupid test. If they actually wanted to pass this—which he really didn't care to do, it was so much work—then he needed to wrestle leadership from Ino and make finding 'Risu and her team a priority.

 _Honestly, I don't think we have much of a chance on our own._ Shikamaru sighed. More than once now they had to hide from other shinobi because they were too strong for them to handle. If it kept going that way, they'd never get a Heaven scroll to match their Earth scroll. Granted that meant less work overall, but less work meant dealing with Ino, Asuma and his mother harping at him for getting knocked out in the second part of the Exam.

The Nara looked up at the canopy of leaves to a break in them where the setting sun colored the blue sky with orange streaks. _'Risu…_ He closed his eyes and let the remaining warmth from the sun soothe his nerves. _Please, don't do anything reckless, you troublesome girl._

* * *

Amari and her clones threw one final paper bomb attached kunai to form a circle of imminent explosive death around her enemy. The Grass shinobi offered no fight, watching her with amused eyes as she and her two clones moved through their Fire Ball Jutsu handseals, causing the Grass shinobi to do the same.

"Do you really believe this will work after your other attempts failed?"

"Oh, trust me, this isn't like last time," she promised. "My guess is you have some sort of regenerative abilities that kept my other attacks from doing real damage. But it has to have limits. I'm betting this is going to hurt more than you think it is. Especially when I amplify it."

"Amplify it?" she asked, intrigued by the notion.

"Girls, it's time to send this snake summoning freak to hell. Release all your strength at once!" she ordered. The three kunoichi shut their eyes and focused internally on bringing forth the chakra shroud consciously. _I will not let her go after Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto. I refuse to let her walk away from this fight without a critical injury._ Three Sharingan eyes snapped open as the power within them exploded. _She will be the one who dies here!_

Three green shrouds came to life around the three blue-haired kunoichi. The Grass shinobi's eyes turned to awe as it became abundantly clear how different this attack would be from the last. "Such potent chakra!" her enemy awed.

"Now you burn!"

The three inhaled large, chest expanding breaths. For the first time the Grass shinobi showed fear at the coming attack. _Fire Style: Synchronized Shadow Clone Fire Ball Jutsu!_ The hottest flames the trio could muster erupted from their lips with explosive fury and engulfed the Grass shinobi. Cries of pain echoed out of her as the flames caused the paper bombs to explode, the chain reaction sending a gust of heat back at the trio. None flinched. Instead they synchronized further to turn the heat up further.

 _Turn to ash!_

Three shockwaves of power surged off the trio of kunoichi as their flames grew in size, intensity and heat. The orange and green flames shot across the branch of the tree, igniting everything in its path and filling the air with the scent of burning wood, leaves and skin.

As her flames died, her Shadow receded and her clones popped, leaving Amari to collapse onto one knee with labored breathing; sweat dripped from her face and her chakra cloak disappeared. _That took…everything I had._ She deactivated her Byakugan and tried to steady her breaths; the struggle to do so was immense and did not seem to be possible.

"My, my, that actually did hurt a little."

Amari's eye barely had enough time to widen before three sharp projectiles imbedded themselves into her body—two in her shoulders, the third in her right thigh. She grunted in pain and struggled to look up as the Grass shinobi appeared out of the smoke. "How…the hell…are you alive? Are you even human?!"

No normal human, even one with hypothetical regenerative abilities, could have walked out of that without any sign of real damage. The sleeves on her outfit still burned away with a green flame. Her skin did appear damaged by the flames, charred and ugly looking but she still held herself up as if nothing happened.

And that damn smile still remained.

"The human shell is so frail, wouldn't you say?" she asked as she continued to close the distance between them. "Look at you, for instance. Just a moment ago you were full of such fire and strength." The woman crouched in front of her and met her Sharingan eye with an evil glint in her eyes. "But now you're at the mercy of your frail mortality." She reached a hand up and gripped the kunai in her right shoulder, slowly pushing it further in and twisting it as the green flames danced on her sleeves.

Amari used every bit of willpower to not cry out in pain from the sadistic attack, but as the hot, piercing, cutting pain ripped apart her shoulder, she screamed. She screamed and screamed and screamed until tears welled in her eyes. Kami, it hurt. It hurt so much. Her entire arm burned and tingled. Every inch of the limb screamed in the same agony she verbally unleashed as the blade dug in deeper and deeper.

Her agony never stopped, not even when the Grass shinobi released the kunai. Whimpers of pain escaped her with every haggard breath. What little strength she had left went into glaring at the grinning shinobi.

"Dearest Amaririsu, your Sharingan eye is so perceptive. Perhaps I should take it as a trophy." She brushed a few strands of her hair out of her face—nearly setting her blue tresses on fire in the process—then caressed her cheek. Amari flinched away but couldn't do much else. Not physically anyway; she was already pooling chakra into her right eye for one final attack.

"I'd…pluck my own eye out…before I let…someone like you have it," she panted.

"Oh, you possess such a defiant spirit." Her thumb slid closer to her eye. "If it weren't for that you'd be such a useful pawn to have. But even if I were to give you my gift, you would resist it and we can't have that."

"You…want a gift? How about this?!"

 _Sharingan!_

Against her will, the Grass shinobi froze up as the genjutsu took hold. She gasped in pain as dragon claws dug their sharpened talons into every part of her body. "What…is this?" she gasped, body beginning to shake as a dragons claws dug deeper and deeper into her, blood being drawn in the illusion.

"Demonic Dragon: Shadow Checkmate," Amari answered breathlessly. Her strongest genjutsu. It took a lot of training with her clones to refine, and even more advice from her mother, but the results were worth the physical and mental exhaustion Shadow Clone training put on her.

The drawback was the amount of chakra it took for her to pull it off. She hadn't fully grown used to casting genjutsu with her Sharingan. It wasn't as bad as it used to be, but the fact this woman survived everything else she threw at her caused Amari to put as much of her remaining strength into it, taking an even heftier toll on her already depleted chakra reserves.

 _She shouldn't even be able to talk._ Her enemy should have been dazed and unaware she was even under the genjutsu. _But she is, and that's really bad._

The roar of the dragon echoed in their ears as its body appeared from the shadows around them, its black scales and crimson eyes piercing into the Grass shinobi's soul. Every ounce of killing intent she possessed lurked within the dragon, more than she could consciously recognize due in no small part to her exhaustion dazing her.

The claws clutched her enemy tighter, digging its talons further and further into her in preparation to eat its prey. It bared its sharpened teeth and growled. "Such genjutsu prowess." Her enemy's shaking hands rose into a seal to release the jutsu. The dragon snarled and bit her hands off. "Ahh!" she screamed from a pain that physically did not exist.

 _I won't…be able to keep this up much longer._

Every jutsu was only as strong as its user, and Amari was fading fast. Any second now the genjutsu would end and her checkmate would be made moot. If she had the strength, she might have been able to slit her enemy's throat, but she didn't. Her chakra cloak attack took its toll on her chakra, and the wounds dealt to her made the act of breathing difficult.

When the strain became too much, her Sharingan deactivated, and with it the genjutsu faded.

 _Mom…I'm sorry_ , she apologized. _I'm so sorry for dying here._

* * *

 _Who the hell is this woman?_ Sasuke couldn't believe everything he witnessed and heard during Amari's futile fight with the Grass shinobi. The attacks she endured, the way she spoke of his brother as if she knew him, none of this made any sense.

"Your genjutsu was quite impressive. Yes, I believe I will take your eye."

Amari slapped away their enemy's burning arm. "Get the hell away from me!" Her exhausted body collapsed backwards and left her again at the mercy of the Grass shinobi.

But what could any of them do? This woman, this _thing_ , it survived a devastating attack that would have left any other shinobi incapacitated or dead.

What sense laid in fighting a battle none of them had a chance of winning?

"Enough!" Sakura's voice shocked Sasuke, as did seeing her pink-haired form shooting past him towards Amari.

"Sakura, wait!" Sasuke cried out in vain to stop her from getting herself killed.

Emerald eyes glared over her shoulder for the briefest moment. "Say what you want about Naruto and Amari, call them foolish or brain-dead idiots, but at least they tried to fight! At least they aren't cowards!"

Those words struck deep into Sasuke's heart…because she was right. Naruto was a brain-dead idiot and Amari a courageous fool, but they never stood by in fear like a coward when comrades were in danger. Even as the Grass shinobi reached to take Amari's Sharingan eye, he couldn't even budge, holding too tightly onto his own precious life because he was afraid.

 _So were they._

Both of those idiots knew how powerful their enemy was, but they didn't let it stop them from fighting. Even though it could kill them, at least they tried. It was more honorable than standing by watching comrades fall around them. At least they could stay true to their chosen ninja ways instead of cowering in fear.

"Get away from her, you freak!" Sakura shouted as she sped through the forest.

The Grass ninja didn't even acknowledge her presence, continuing to stalk closer to Amari's squirming form as she tried to kick herself away.

Before anyone could reach Amari, an uneven chorus of what sounded close to a hundred _caws_ and flapping wings pierced the forest. The Grass shinobi paused briefly and started searching the forest in what was either desperation or excitement.

Sasuke's eyes widened as the source of the noise took form. Crows, hundreds upon hundreds of crows came from every direction of the forest right at the Grass shinobi. Pecking, scratching, clawing, the crows were unmerciful in their assault on her. She swung and slashed and attempted to use both Wind Style and Fire Style Jutsus to attack them, but the crows proved valiant enemies.

"Itachi!" the woman cried out in anger. "Show yourself!"

Among the black feathers, Amari's downed form disappeared. The Grass shinobi noticed it, too. She gasped and searched wildly for her through the feathered assault. Blue hair caught Sasuke's eyes as her form reappeared on the branch Sakura landed on, several crows surrounding her—one of which wore a Leaf Village headband around her neck.

Sakura halted her movement and immediately picked up Amari. The crows scattered and returned to join the assault on the Grass shinobi, who struggled to break free of the swarm. Carrying Amari, Sakura jumped back through the forest towards her original position, trying to put as much distance between her and their enemy.

A massive gust of wind exploded off of the Grass shinobi, providing an opening from the assault to speed after Sakura and Amari, her eyes crazed with a lust for the power in Amari's right eye.

 _There's no way she'll escape her!_

Why? Why did his teammates continue to fight this futile battle? Why…why was he, an Uchiha, unable to stand and fight for his comrades when it mattered? Was he really a coward? Too concerned with his own well-being to stand up and fight for these people who were starting to matter to him?

" _Sasuke, you know you can rely on us for anything, right? We're a team, that means we've always got your back when you need us most."_

But what was he even supposed to do here? He didn't possess the strength to defeat this woman. He couldn't even find the strength to save his comrade when she was about to have her eye stolen from her. Apparently even birds had more courage than him.

Where was he even supposed to find the strength to fight?

" _And if your strength ever fails you, you can always look to us to give you ours in its stead to overcome whatever obstacle is in your way."_

Sasuke's eyes trailed over Naruto's unconscious, limp and hanging form.

" _Where's the Sasuke who fought Haku without a shred of fear? The one who risked his own life to save me!"_

He saw the desperation on Sakura's face as she tried her hardest to outrun the Grass shinobi.

" _Say what you want about Naruto and Amari, call them foolish or brain-dead idiots, but at least they tried to fight! At least they aren't cowards!"_

His eyes moved over to Amari's wounded and limp body, the blood from her wounds soaking through the fabric of her clothes and dripping down her arms and leg.

" _We're a team, that means we've always got your back when you need us most."_

"That child's eye will be mine!" the Grass shinobi declared.

Then his Uchiha blood boiled over.

 _That's it!_

Sasuke's body acted on instinct, dashing through the forest at high speeds towards his two teammates, Sharingan eyes blazing as a snarl curled on his lips. As the Grass shinobi neared Sakura, reaching out to capture her prey, Sasuke appeared in front of them. "Get the hell away from them!" His foot collided against her face and sent her hurtling away.

He was done standing by.

Sasuke retreated back to Sakura and Amari; the pink-haired kunoichi had laid their teammate down and was checking over her wounds all the while keeping an eye out for their enemy. Amari barely seemed conscious, her chest rose and fell unevenly, shuddered breaths leaving her as the act of breathing was rendered painful by her wounds.

"Just hang in there, Amari. I'll patch you up," Sakura reassured.

"Sas- Sasuke." Amari winced as she raised her left hand up just enough to motion him to crouch down.

Sasuke obeyed and crouched onto a knee on her left side. Two fingers jabbed him in the forehead. "Yo- you can do this. Protect our pre- precious people." She inhaled sharply as her face scrunched up in pain.

"Do I have the strength to do it?" he asked. There was this burning feeling in his heart, a fire he could feel but couldn't see. Was it the source of strength she relied on?

Amari's hand began to drop; he feared she wouldn't be able to answer him when he needed her foolish courage most. Her hand pressed against his chest over his heart. "Real strength comes from here. Yo- you have to find it in yourself and let it ru- run free. You can do it." She smiled weakly at him as her hand fell. "You're a- an Uchiha and a member of Team Seven, after all. That makes you family."

Her eye fell shut.

 _Family…_

Sasuke took his Uchiha clan-sister's hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze in gratitude. The fire he felt in his heart spread across his entire body because of her words. "Sakura. Take her with you and bandage up her wounds," he said, standing up to fight the Grass shinobi.

"Okay. Be careful, Sasuke."

He pulled out a kunai knife and brought it to his mouth, clenching it between his teeth as his red eyes locked onto the waiting Grass ninja. She appeared pleased by his sudden decision to fight. The crows once populating the forest no longer lingered. That was fine. This was his fight anyways.

 _I only ever cared about my own survival so I could one day face my brother. What a fool I've been._ Determination unlike any he felt before set in his being. _I now feel the truth behind the words you spoke Amari. I see with both eyes why you and Naruto have succeeded when I have failed. Fighting for those precious to you_ _ **is**_ _fighting for everything._

 _Naruto, Sakura, Amari. If I have not the courage to stand by your sides and fight this demon as a true Uchiha would stand by his brothers and sisters to the end…then I am un-deserving of the courage you each share when you stand by mine!_

Sasuke jolted forward at a great speed and moved higher up into the trees, a decision that allowed him to avoid a dome shaped explosion of wind from the Grass shinobi. Weak air flow brushed against his body as he jumped up to the bottom of a tree branch, pushing off towards another tree. As he flew he tossed the kunai in his mouth and five others at the woman.

She waited until the last moments to dodge them, two passed over one shoulder and three passed over the other without hitting their target. Sasuke landed on another tree then pushed off at his enemy. He yelled a wordless war cry as he sped right at her.

 _I will not let her get away with this!_

His feet met her forearms first, two kicks landing solid blows before he pushed off and over away from a high kick his enemy threw. He twisted in the air and landed back on his feet; quickly back flipping and then flipping again into a crouch, his eyes focused on the ninja as she ran at him. She moved quickly, hints of her true speed as she zigged and zagged to throw him off of where she would attack from.

The Sharingan never felt so strong and clear before. Sasuke could see her every movement as he charged back in to hit a jumping kick, which she blocked. As soon as he landed back on his feet, he and the ninja began trading punches and kicks, his coming fiercer and fiercer with every new strike.

He went for a kick only for the Grass ninja to dodge back then jump over him, but the moment she landed she flashed away in a burst of speed. _Wher- There!_ Sasuke could see her dashing the branches in the same snake-like way as before but faster than she had ever shown them.

Despite her insane new speed his eyes still tracked her. No matter where she went or how fast she was he could see her. _I can see_ , the Uchiha boy thought in brief shock. The woman came off the tree, her body fully stretched out in what was absolutely an unhuman fashion. She tried to come down for a strike but Sasuke jumped out of the way. _I can see!_ He brought his hands into Tiger as he inhaled a quick breath; upon exhale he unleashed three separate fire balls.

They impacted around the Grass shinobi; large explosions of fire consumed her, but Sasuke moved his hands back into Tiger. _I'm not done yet!_ He inhaled a large amount of air then followed it by exhaling a continuous inferno at his enemy. The result of his attack was a small tornado of fire.

She extinguished it before it could deal the damage it was meant to inflict, coming right back at him and tearing up the branch as she did. When she appeared in front of him she tried to swipe at him; Sasuke dodged back into a back flip and landed on his feet several feet away. Distance between them, Sasuke allowed himself to exhale a breath as he began judging the area around him for the move he had planned to kill this wretched woman.

He aimed his hand at her and took in every detail around them to ensure the amount of space for his new jutsu to work. _If Amari were awake we'd be able to team up and create a more powerful flame_ , he thought but mentally shook it off. _It's because I didn't fight that she's not. It's up to me now to protect us, and I will make sure this ninja never lays a hand on the people I care about again!_

The woman raised her hands above her head then slammed them in a downward motion, forming a gust of cutting wind. _Have to move!_ Sasuke ninja jumped up the trunks of two trees to dodge the wind as it cut straight through the tree he stood on previously; he landed upside down on a branch in her blind spot. _Maybe I can finish her off now!_

Releasing the chakra at his feet all at once, he dashed through the air at high speeds right at his enemy. The woman had only enough time to look up and let out a cry of surprise before his arms wrapped around her waist. He flipped her over, wrapped his legs around her chest and held her in a piledriver as they flew towards another tree branch with great velocity.

Their impact cracked the tree and the woman's body became lifeless. Not even her freakish abilities could survive a headfirst dive into the tree. _I think that's it._ Sasuke jumped away from her and watched her body carefully for any signs of life.

If she wasn't dead then that meant he would have to unleash his new move on her, a technique Amari helped him develop to near perfection when she leant him a clone early this morning as she meditated at their practice grounds. It hadn't been easy to ask for help; it was like asking for all the knowledge in the world.

Stubbornness, pride and believing he had to be alone and grow his hatred as his brother told him was what had stopped him, but now he understood something his brother did not. The hatred he wanted him to fester and grow had done nothing to help him grow stronger. As he wallowed in hatred Amari passed him with her strong emotions of love for all those she considered precious.

Her strength was far greater than his brother's hatred could ever be. He would need help, though. The emotions in his heart that Amari had helped awaken were as unknown to him as the Sealing Arts, but now he knew could count on her to help him make better sense of them.

 _She's never going to let me live it down._ The smallest of smirks tugged at his lips before he focused right back in on the body of the woman he just piledrived.

Her body began to visibly melt into a muddy substance. "Substitution," he growled. _Now it's time for plan B._ A storm of kunai suddenly swarmed him from the side, one slicing past his cheek to draw blood. _I need to start preparing my jutsu_. Sasuke back flipped several times out of the way of the kunai storm and off the tree branch he was on. As he fell he pulled out his ninja wire and stretched it between both hands; he latched it onto the stump of a branch and used it to swing around the large tree to another branch.

Once he landed the Grass ninja appeared in front of him and punched him in the face, following it up with several more blows to his face and body. Her overwhelming assault knocked him back and left him lying face down on the bark. She may have believed she gained the upper hand, yet Sasuke was prepared for exactly this moment when he piledrived her.

"What a disappointment you turned out to be," the woman drawled as she stalked forward. "Your ancestors weep at the sight of a full-blooded Uchiha coward putting up less of a fight than a half-breed. Surely they will thank me for killing you both. Silly little worm."

The insult to Amari struck a harsh chord in Sasuke's heart. _She may be a half-breed._ Sasuke cracked his eyes open in preparation of his next attack. _But she's still my clan-sister!_

The tiny bombs he attached to the back of her garb went off just in time. Sasuke's body jerked into motion; he jumped up and away from the woman, tossing his special kunai knives and shuriken connected to ninja wire at the trees he measured up moments before.

Sasuke landed and started guiding the ninja tools movements using the wires and his Sharingan to help him track their movements. _The Sharingan Windmill Triple Attack_. Sasuke smirked mentally. Practicing this was what Amari would call troublesome but learning it seemed serendipitous for this exact moment.

By using the tree as an axis for one of his shurikens he was able to pull it back and tie it around both the tree and the Grass ninja. Using the force of the other kunai attached to his ninja wire aided in immobilizing his target by tying them nice and tightly to his axis point—the tree in this circumstance.

Once he was set he pulled the ninja wire back; the action tightened and tied his enemy against the tree, leaving her unable to move or fight back against his attack. No Substitution Jutsu to save her this time. _Now you're mine!_ Sasuke clenched the wires tightly with his teeth and formed his handseals. _Snake, Dragon, Rabbit, Tiger._

 _Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!_

The flame ignited in a towering inferno just in front of him. Then all at once he summoned it to launch directly across his wire towards the woman. The flames moved faster than she could scream in terror. As the torrent of flames impacted against his enemy and the tree, they tore straight through the bark and blew a giant hole through the tree.

All throughout the forest her screams of agony could be heard.

When it was finally over, the tree was scorched black and the woman stood lifeless. _And as expected_ , Sasuke heaved several heavy breaths, _that drained the rest of my chakra._ His body sagged down in fatigue but he remained standing, victorious and glad for it to be over. Sakura alone jumped down to meet him after cheering his name in victory.

"You did it!" Sakura said.

"No. We did it. All of us," Sasuke corrected tiredly.

It was thanks to all of them that he had found the courage to fight this woman and defeat her. They still had a long way to go on this exam, no doubt about that, but for now their priority needed to be finding a place to let Naruto and Amari rest and recover.

 _Finding some place safe isn't going to be easy, not with all of us like this._ Sasuke exhaled more labored breaths, _but we've got to find one. Right now we don't stand a chance against any ninja in this exam._ He hoped Amari's recovery was swift. They needed her left eye now more than ever.

The sounds of ninja wire snapping and breaking startled and sewed dread into the Uchiha's very soul.

 _No, it can't be._

It was.

The Grass ninja walked out of her bindings with ease. From this distance Sasuke could see the left side of her already charred face was ripped apart, but under it was a paler skin and snake like eye. _What the hell is she? Is she even human?_ She slammed her fist together and then a wave of killing intent overcame the two Leaf shinobi. The paralytic fear seized their bodies up once more and left them unable to move.

"Impossible," Sasuke grunted. Sakura collapsed to her knees next to him as he tried to keep his shaky legs firm under him.

"Such mastery of the Sharingan at such a young age." The woman's voice changed to a man's voice that was a bit more airy and sadistic. "You're a true Uchiha after all. Yes, you'll do nicely." The ninja moved his hand over his forehead protector and the symbol changed from that of the Grass to the Sound.

Sasuke couldn't get his body to move. Nothing was responding as it should and it frustrated him to no ends. Fed up with the entire situation, he screamed out wordlessly at their misfortunate. Why the hell wouldn't this shinobi just die already?! He or she or whoever they were had taken on two of their teams strongest jutsus and survived with barely a scratch on him. Even with severely charred skin he acted as if nothing even hurt.

"You're definitely his brother. If anything your eyes are even keener than Itachi's."

Normally that would have been a compliment but coming from this freak of nature Sasuke grew angry.

"Who are you? What do you want?!" he shouted angrily.

The Sound ninja chuckled sadistically and pulled out their Heaven scrolls. "My name is Orochimaru. But as to what I want, that will have to wait until we meet again, which won't be until you finish this test with the very best score of all." The scrolls in his hand began to burn with a green flame until nothing remained of them. "First you will have to defeat the Hidden Sound ninjas who serve me."

Now this freak had minions? Talk about fitting the bad guy cliché.

"I don't know what you're talking about, but if you're finished just beat it! If we never meet again it will be too soon!" Sakura yelled at him.

"Oh he and I will meet again." Orochimaru's neck extended up and his head crossed the large distance between them swiftly to then embed his teeth into Sasuke's neck.

Immediately pain erupted throughout his entire body. His entire chakra network felt as if this freak set fire to it. Thinking and seeing became harder and harder; seconds passed like years. An exploding pain erupted from the bite without preamble, causing Sasuke to grab at it and lurch over in pain. _What the hell did he do?! There's just so much pain!_

"You! What have you done to Sasuke?!" Sakura seethed.

"I just gave him a little parting gift." Sasuke fell to his knees, the pain becoming more unbearable by the moment. "Very soon he will seek me out; he'll desire my power."

 _Like hell I will!_ There was no way he was turning his back on the truth Amari had shown him now. The moment he figured out how to stop this pain and get it under control he would make this bastard pay!

"In the meantime, I enjoyed the demonstration of the powers the two of you possess," the freak said as he appeared to sink into the tree branch and disappear from the forest.

All the pain Sasuke felt came bursting out of him in a scream he couldn't hold back. He couldn't even hold himself up anymore. There in some forgotten portion of the Forest of Death he laid in the fetal position, each breath he tried to take echoed by grunts and screams of pain.

Sakura, finally able to move, came to his side as she always did, although this time he was glad to have her

A friend was much needed at the moment.

"What's wrong? What has he done to you?" she asked her tone laced with shock, worry and confusion.

He tried to form words to say, mostly they were to tell her he had no idea but nothing he tried to say made it out. Only choking sounds escaped him. Another eruption of pain chorused from his neck across his body. She tried to help him up, taking his hand in her own and he tried not to squeeze too tightly, but he couldn't tell how hard he was holding her hand.

Another wordless yell made its way out of him etched with all the pain he felt until he finally collapsed into Sakura's arms, falling into blackness as he did.


	28. Chapter 27: Lotus Falls, a Dragon Rises

Chapter 27

A Lotus Falls, a Dragon Rises: Blooming of the Cherry Blossom! CHAA!

Within the canopy of the Forest of Death, perched on a branch out of sight, a lone crow overlooked the remnants of the battlefield between Leaf Genin and the leader of the Sound Village.

Smoke hung in the air. Embers from explosions and Fire Nature attacks lingered along charred bark in speckled patterns. Slashes and gouges from Wind Nature jutsus marked the trees like a bear had filed its claws on them. Burned and shriveled leaves fell to the forest floor below, their peaceful lives forever disrupted by the battle.

But there were no corpses. No dead shinobi on either side. No eyes plucked out or dead crows among the carnage. It was a small blessing to be given on this day, but a blessing the crow took without complaint. Far worse could have occurred. Tragedy may yet have struck the Uchiha kunoichi once more had the Sound shinobi been uninterrupted by the crow and her agents.

For now, though, such a tragedy had been averted. Her actions kept the Uchiha child out of the vile hands of one of the Leaf's greatest prodigies turned greatest threat. Even if it accelerated the timetable of her mission, her interference kept the child pivotal to her mission safe. She could take pride in that.

Night was nearly upon them. In but a few hours, the Genin in this forest would rest for the night or begin their hunt for their missing scroll, unaware of the powerful shinobi who had infiltrated their exam. The crow doubted it would be the last appearance. A shinobi of _his_ caliber would not waste time on a trivial attack. He had other plans in the works, plans she could not guess at just yet. But she would report her findings to the Hokage as soon as she was certain the young team attacked by the Sound were safe.

Black feathers sheathed her in the shadows, out of sight of allies and enemies alike as she monitored the surrounding area like a hawk, as humans liked to say. Should the need arise, the wrath of the crows would be felt in its full force to keep the young Genin safe.

Below her, a lone pink-haired shinobi carried her unconscious teammates to the safety of a large tree with a trunk shaped similar to the mouth of a cave. The alcove was a suitable place of rest now that the fighting had come to an end, but the danger was far from over.

More was to come if Orochimaru of the Sannin had returned to the Leaf.

And so the crow watched, vigilant of every twitch of the forest to keep the Uchiha child under her protection safe.

* * *

The air was calm as the sun rose on the second day of the survival exercise. Somewhere above the canopy of leaves, the sky's soothing dark blue was joined by vibrant oranges bursting across its canvas. Rays of light pierced through the canopy into the unilluminated humid forest, the warm light shimmered and glowed as if sent from the pure lands of the spirit realm to this dark hell.

Down on the forest floor, underneath the protection of a tree trunk overhang, Amari sat utterly still with her back resting against the tree. Her chest rose and fell ever so slightly with controlled breaths; any more movement than this agitated her wounds, not that they weren't agitated anyways. Warm, dull aches thrummed from her bandaged shoulders and thigh despite the pain relieving ointment Sakura put on them.

Unfortunately, ointment wouldn't do her much good here. The wound in her right shoulder was far too deep for simple ointment to be effective. Only Medical Ninjutsu would be able to dull the pain and mend the wounds their enemy dealt to her shoulder. As of now, she could do nothing except bear the pain for as long as they remained in this forest.

 _Unless we come across Mimi and I can convince her to heal me, I'm stuck with this._ Amari sighed deeply then winced as the pain in her shoulders spiked. _Owww! Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

These injuries were such a pain. Why did she ever agree to this stupid test? It would have been safer for all four of them if she or Sakura refused to come to force their team to forfeit. But _nooo_ , she had to be a troublesome and stubborn girl who wanted to be challenged.

Well, she got her challenge, and now she could barely twitch without hurting herself.

 _Yay. Way to go, Amari. You found a powerful shinobi to pummel you and your teammates. Troublesome idiot._

Sasuke and Naruto weren't even conscious yet. Their…injuries? Could they even be called that? Anyway, whatever their enemy had done to her teammates left them out cold and unresponsive.

Amari's mood plummeted. _This really sucks._

Next to her, Sakura slept soundly, silent and still as anyone who went through the emotional exhaustion her fellow kunoichi experienced. The act of sleeping hadn't come without a fight from her teammate. After Amari woke up somewhere around midnight, she spent the next several minutes convincing Sakura to sleep.

Granted, her teammate had every right to be stubborn about it. Her valid points regarding the current state of the injured kunoichi rang truer than Amari wanted to admit. The chakra she expended in her final two attacks hadn't come close to replenishing itself yet, and her injuries left her in a position where she couldn't fight or move as fast anymore.

But still, Sakura needed sleep to be in peak form for whatever came next. There was no way to know when their boy teammates would wake up, and Amari knew she couldn't help nearly as much as she liked thanks to her injuries. Sakura made it out uninjured, though. She couldn't be fighting off exhaustion when she was the only one who could still fight to protect them.

" _Sakura, thank you for doing so much to care for me and my injuries, but you need to sleep. You're right, I'm not in much of a condition to do anything more than play a support role right now. It's highly possible I'll be this way when morning comes, too. But that's even more reason for you to sleep. If Sasuke and Naruto don't wake up tomorrow, it may be you taking the lead as I act as support."_

 _She hated to admit her current weakness. Damn it, she hated it so much. But the truth couldn't be avoided at a time like this. Even though Amari never wanted to place Sakura in this position, Sakura needed to be ready to step up and fight against their next enemies._

" _Sleep. I'll keep watch tonight."_

Thankfully Sakura saw reason and finally went to sleep. Left alone for the night, Amari kept her senses open to her surroundings as her mind mulled over everything Sakura informed her of regarding the snake lady. A lady who was, in fact, not a lady at all.

 _Orochimaru…Orochimaru of the Sannin was the one we were fighting._

Amari could hardly believe she crossed blades with one of the Legendary Sannin, though it certainly explained her lack of damage to the man. The Legendary Sannin was a three man squad comprised of Lady Tsunade, the kunoichi who revolutionized medical-ninja, Jiraiya and Orochimaru—three Leaf Village shinobi taught by the Third Hokage and hailed as the strongest shinobi of their time. Shinobi who were without a doubt Kage level.

 _Of course nothing we could do would hurt him. We're just insignificant flies compared to him._

Shinobi on their level couldn't be beaten by mere Genin or their techniques. They were legends of the Leaf. Shinobi who had fought in wars and acquired strength ordinary ninja could only dream of.

Quite frankly, the fact they survived without casualties or losing an eye was a miracle.

Although Amari knew next to nothing about Orochimaru and his teammates outside of common knowledge of their legend, she did recall seeing Orochimaru's face in her mother's bingo book, listed as an S-rank criminal no less.

Did she mention it was a miracle they survived?

There were asterisks to their survival. First and foremost, Orochimaru hadn't meant to kill them. Had he wanted them to die, they would be dead. Simple as that. However, instead of killing them when he so easily could have, for one reason or another he wanted to test their skills. _More specifically, he was looking to give me or Sasuke his "gift" as he called it._

She wished he had kept his "gift" to himself, but she would come back to that particular problem in a moment.

Another asterisk to their survival came in the form of hundreds of crows saving her from losing an eye. Where they had come from and why they appeared, Amari couldn't say. At that point she started to lose consciousness and barely even registered the birds surrounding her or them moving her to Sakura. Her teammate mentioned one of them wore a Leaf Village headband and that Orochimaru shouted something about Itachi.

Amari wasn't sure what to think of it. The headband meant they were allied summoning creatures of Konoha. Someone either summoned them or the crows simply lived in the Forest of Death. Or, another possibility, they were following her team.

If they were summoned, could Itachi really be behind it? Hypothetically speaking, yes, he could be. All he had to do was sign the contract with the crows and he could summon them at his whim. He could have even infiltrated Konoha to be there at that exact moment. But there were too many holes in that hypothetical scenario to make sense.

If Itachi had been there to fight Orochimaru, why did the crows only attack long enough to separate her from Orochimaru? The Snake Sannin clearly had an obsession and a history with the elder Uchiha based on what he had said throughout their encounter—a history that made them enemies. So if Itachi had been there, why hadn't he appeared after the first attack? Why did Orochimaru no longer search around for Itachi afterwards?

If Itachi appeared and summoned those crows, the Sannin would have sensed him and either sought him out or retreated. But Itachi did not appear and Orochimaru did not run away.

 _No_ , Amari mentally shook her head. _It couldn't have been Itachi to summon those crows._ It didn't add up, not to Amari at least. Someone else must have summoned them, or the crows were acting on their own accord. _I'm leaning towards the latter, if I'm honest._ She pursed her lips. _Had another shinobi been there, one with the strength to summon that many crows, we wouldn't have been left to fend for ourselves._

This meant the crows acted at their own discretion, choosing to interrupt the fight for their own reasons without any orders from a summoner. But why? Why then? Had her team traveled into their territory? Or was there more to their attack? Less random and more precise in a purpose she did not know.

" _We will protect you, Young Haya."_

The voice was feminine and soothing, but foreign to her ears…and somehow familiar. Had the voice even been real? Or had it been a figment of her exhausted and wounded imagination? Possibly even a reawakened memory? _She called me Haya…_ Frowning in confusion at the mention of her old name, Amari could only ponder if it had been a past memory or one of the crows in that moment. It could have been a memory, but then why that phrase specifically?

Yet if it wasn't a memory then that meant one of the crows had known her by name…the name of Haya Uchiha and not Amaririsu Yūhi. It was enough to make her head spin. She almost preferred for it to be a past memory or a delusion created by exhaustion. At least then she wouldn't be left to wonder who she was, where she went and where she had been all this time.

On the other hand, if the crow was real, then maybe she would see her again. Maybe they shared a past and she could learn more about it from her. Maybe they could be friends…or maybe they had been friends before the massacre.

Maybe they could be again.

 _If she was real._

Amari dared to hope.

In the end, Team Seven barely survived against one of the Legendary Sannin, and neither of the boys escaped unscathed. The "gift" Orochimaru mentioned left a mark on the back of Sasuke's neck. Apparently upon placing it through a bite, Sasuke convulsed in pain and couldn't get a single syllable out besides cries of pain. The mark itself consisted of three black tomoe, similar to that of the Sharingan only placed closer together.

Lacking in depth knowledge on fūinjutsu meant Amari could only theorize its purpose—none of which solved the problem or could be considered accurate theories. There was only one thing she knew for certain: this "gift" was like a poison in Sasuke's chakra network. His normal chakra could be described as a dark shade of purple; cool and smooth, yet with some edges to it.

What her Byakugan sensed now startled her. The shade remained the same at the moment, but there seemed to be a battle between smooth light and sharpened darkness. As the mark pumped more and more of its powerful chakra into his chakra network, the more the cool became cold, and the smooth became sharpened.

Sakura worried heavily without knowing that information, Amari feared what it might do to their teammate in the long run. Would he fight it or would he let the darkness taint him?

 _I wish I could do something to help him_ , Amari thought, dejected by her inability to help.

Without mastery of fūinjutsu, she couldn't hope to actually reverse the effects or halt them. She tried to give him chakra, but it didn't seem to do anything at all because the damn mark kept pumping more of its vile chakra into him. Taking his chakra was too risky without knowing what it would do to her or if it would kill him.

 _Is Orochimaru hoping to corrupt him?_

Highly possible considering the evil she felt in him and how he spoke of wanting to use her as a pawn. _But he believed I would reject his so-called gift, which made me useless to him._ He was right, she would have rejected it.

Would Sasuke, though?

For now it was a question without an answer, and that frightened Amari immensely. She had only started trying to show Sasuke he could rely on them and find strength in them just as she had. This entire situation could ruin it and…she didn't know what else it could do, but she had plenty of fears about it.

Which left her final worry: Naruto. Orochimaru had slammed some kind of chakra attack into his stomach, and the result left a strange seal in its place.

 _Could the seal be originally to contain the Nine-Tails?_ The Nara suppressed a frustrated growl. Damn it, she had more questions than answers here. How the hell was she supposed to take care of her team if she didn't understand a single thing about fūinjutsu? _There's nothing I can do now_. Her eyes set in determination. _But mark my words, Orochi-jackass, I'll learn everything there is to know if it means reversing what you've done to my friends._

She would not let his tainted hands rip apart her team.

For now she would focus on what she did know. It wasn't much, to be honest, but there seemed to be an odd number seal on top of an even numbered one. Even with mundane knowledge she knew that was wrong. How the seal worked, however, was definitely different than Sasuke's. Where Sasuke's was fueling him with the powerful and poisonous chakra, the seal on Naruto's stomach created an imbalance in his chakra—a fact she wouldn't know without her extensive time around Naruto and her Byakugan.

Normally the chakra network system ran like any internal system, which was to say like a well-oiled machine. Over their time around one another Amari witnessed Naruto's chakra network through her Byakugan eye countless times. Never before did it have this kind of imbalance. Certain parts of his chakra network weren't allowing chakra through as it normally did; to put it in simpler terms, if the chakra network was a set of interconnected gardening hoses, certain areas were slightly kinked to slow the chakra flow and create an imbalance of pressure.

With Naruto's lack of chakra control, this new problem would make it even harder for him to climb trees, possibly even make it impossible for him to walk on water. To combat it, he'd end up expending more chakra—or trying to push more chakra through the kinked hose—when he used his Shadow Clones, exhausting him quicker as he tried to get them to be as powerful as they normally were.

On the other spectrum of it, the second chakra that mixed with his normal chakra was gone. _Poof_ , as if it never existed in the first place. Without full access to that chakra, her knucklehead would be left with his normal reserves, which would drain a whole lot faster than normal thanks to the imbalance.

She had no idea what the odd number seal was or how it could do such a thing, but she knew without a shadow of a doubt it was the cause. Right now, what they needed most was to get to Kakashi and tell him every last detail of what happened and what she inspected. He would be able to give her more information on what the seals were and what she could do to help, if anything at all. At the same time he needed to be warned of the S-rank criminal currently skulking in Konoha as if he owned the place.

Whatever game Orochimaru was playing, no way was it as simple as targeting her team and Sasuke. That was too small of an objective for an S-rank criminal of his status. There had to be something she was missing about his true objective for revealing his presence. It wasn't as if he didn't know they were alive. He let them live, and in doing so ensured someone would find out about his infiltration.

Every last move he made was planned. Their enemy was ten steps ahead of them, stringing them along as they inched closer and closer to his real goal. Gaining a new minion in the form of Sasuke couldn't be it. What his overall goal was, however, wouldn't be learned by playing his rules or by thinking about it here in the Forest of Death. Real answers would come later, as soon as they made it out of this forest alive and passed this phase of the Exam.

Speaking of minions, the final problem her team faced—and the reason she coaxed Sakura to sleep—was the Sound team coming to find them. Apparently Orochimaru wanted to fit the bad guy cliché and have his own little squad of punks to throw at them as cannon fodder.

So they had one of the Sannin targeting them, his minions on the hunt, she was injured and two of her teammates down and out. Team Seven was really on a bad streak roll at this point.

 _Encountering suspicion, a ninja prepares quickly. Hesitation leads to disaster_.

So they prepared.

Under the cover of night, prior to getting Sakura to sleep, she directed her fellow kunoichi to set traps. Two were easily spotted by average shinobi, their purpose meant to divert attention from their real traps. Failing that, she and Sakura would fight to defend themselves and their teammates.

As soon as the fighting started, adrenaline would rush her body and dull the pain. Or that was her hope anyways. If she couldn't feel how badly her body hurt, she'd be able to put up a decent fight against their three enemies. Even if she didn't know everything about their jutsu, she could tell they were mostly arrogance and not skill. They would likely rely heavily on their tools, one of which she understood the basic mechanics behind thanks to the mummy man's attack on Kabuto.

Were they truly prepared for them though? Would their traps help at all and would they be able to keep them from reaching Sasuke and maybe get their scroll?

Amari wasn't sure.

No matter the difference of skill between two enemies, all it took was a moment of arrogance or a miscalculation or a single mistake for the fight to change direction. She had done everything she could in her current condition to prepare…yet the numbers were against them and her injuries weren't going to do them any favors.

Nothing could be done about it. She couldn't change her injuries or fix the sealing work on her teammates. All she could do was wait for the Sound ninjas to appear and conserve her chakra.

" _Extend your senses across your field of battle,"_ she recalled one of Kakashi's lessons. _"Let your ears hear every sound, let your nose pick up every scent, allow your eyes to see everything. If you are able to do this you will see, hear and smell your enemy before they strike. Remember: even a shinobi capable of blending in with their environment makes a sound and has a scent."_

By following those instructions, Amari attuned herself to the field of battle. She was thankful for Kakashi and her mother teaching her the lesson around the time Team Seven was first formed. Both shinobi realized her reliance on the Byakugan to sense and watch her enemies. Should she ever overexert her eye, or be in a circumstance where she couldn't rely on her eye, her other senses needed to be sharpened to sense an enemy presence before it was too late.

During the training her mother and Kakashi forced her to rely on her actual senses instead of her Byakugan to find targets. Her sense of smell hadn't seen any huge improvements, but her sense of hearing and ability to sense chakra without her eye did. Both still needed major improvements, especially after Orochimaru was able to sneak up on them twice, but against the average enemy she could count on them to hear their footsteps or sense their chakra.

More skills for her to work on later.

Soon after sunrise Sakura awoke from her slumber, muttering a meek "Good morning," through a groggy yawn. She took in her surroundings, emerald eyes analyzing the state of the two boys and her wounded teammate in detail before sighing.

"Sleep well?" Amari asked.

"As well as you'd expect," she responded. "How are you feeling?"

"I'll be okay."

Sakura didn't take her word for it. Then again, Amari wouldn't have taken her word for it either. Her fellow kunoichi stood up and moved to sit next to her teammate. "Here," she said, reaching into her ninja pouch, "let me replace your bandages. These ones are all bloody."

Amari didn't argue. She readjusted herself and let Sakura remove her original bandages and replace them with fresh ones.

"Ggh!" Her teeth grit and her body tensed when her teammate tightened the bandage around her right shoulder.

"I'm almost done." The Nara nodded and curled her fingers into the grass. The burning pain came in waves. Had she not been awake before, this would have woken her up faster than any amount of caffeine or ice water. "Bandages won't heal a deep wound like this. You need Medical Ninjutsu."

"You— agh! You wouldn't happen to have an emergency Medical Ninjutsu hotline, would you?" she asked in jest, eyes squinted shut and a knot formed between her eyebrows.

Despite the situation, she managed to get a soft laugh out of her teammate.

Small victories.

"No, I'm afraid not." Sakura finished up with her worst injury a few moments later. "There. The worst part is over."

 _I wish that was true for more than these bandages._

Sakura moved to her thigh next, but her emerald eyes continued to return to her right shoulder and her pain etched features. "What kind of monster does it take to find enjoyment in torturing someone," she muttered.

"One I hope to never meet again."

As Sakura bandaged her thigh, Amari pondered on how one of Lord Third's students could become so evil. Had it always been there? Or did war and circumstance twist him into the monster he became?

When she finally finished bandaging Amari's wounds, Sakura checked on the boys and replaced the compresses meant to lower their fevers. A side effect of the sealing work, perhaps, or their bodies' reaction to the foreign presence. Once done, her fellow kunoichi took her seat within arms distance and looked up at the sunlight coming through the canopy.

"We'll have to carry them if they don't wake up soon," she noted.

"True." They couldn't sit here and wait for their situation to change. For starters, their location wasn't safe. They were still within a hundred meters of where they fought Orochimaru, which would undoubtedly attract the attention of enemy shinobi. And since they planned to still pass the Exam they would need to hunt down scrolls and reach the target area before time was up.

A small smile formed on Sakura's lips. "We have terrible luck, don't we?"

"Yep." She reached over and poked her in the forehead. "But at least we've got each other to rely on."

In uncertain and dangerous times, having at least one friend to rely on could make a world of difference.

Rustling in the bushes snapped both kunoichi to attention. Both grabbed kunai knives out of their ninja tool boxes and turned to face their enemy. Turning hurt a lot, Amari learned, but the jolt of adrenaline kept it in the back of her mind. When they laid eyes on the disturbance, they both deadpanned. "A squirrel," Amari stated flatly.

Tiny and as cute as could be, the little furry animal stared at them with innocent eyes as it chewed away on a nut. _What a cutie. But I've not seen a single animal since I've been awake, nor have I heard one. Suspicious timing._

The squirrel ran towards them.

"Sakura." Just through tone alone was her teammate able to understand the unspoken order.

"Right." Sakura threw her kunai with pinpoint accuracy to land directly in front of the animal. The poor thing halted, its eyes widening in panic before bolting off in the opposite direction. No other movements disrupted the forest after. Sakura and Amari's suspicious eyes cast about the area in search for an enemy they could feel lurked beyond visual sight.

The two kunoichi shared a nod of understanding after their search came back with nothing. It was time. Time to mentally and physically prepare for the coming fight. Amari did her best to relax her tense muscles, kunai still in hand as she watched and listened for movement. She could feel the chakra of their enemies out there, though pinpointing their exact location proved to be a fruitless endeavor.

Sakura moved to sit across from her, laying her kunai next to her hand out of sight of the enemy. Her chosen place to hide them when they were unconscious ensured any enemy would have to come at them head-on. The trunk of the tree covered them on all sides because of its arch-like shape.

"Amari…do you think Naruto and Sasuke will be okay?" she asked.

"I… hope so." Her eye fell onto the two unconscious boys. Their bodies remained unmoving, save the rise and fall of their chests. A frown creased her lips. "I wish I could give you a more confident answer, but I just don't know what that bastard did to them."

"Do you…do you think Kakashi-sensei can fix it?" Sakura asked.

Amari nodded. "Yes. Or he will be able to direct us to find the proper help if he can't. My mom also knows fūinjut—" She cut herself off as a spike of chakra touched her senses from the same bush the squirrel came from. "You can come out, you dunces. Your lack of stealth is embarrassing to us real ninja."

Her taunt coaxed the three Sound shinobi to reveal their presence to them. The spiky-haired one wore an irritated look. His ego still hadn't recovered it seemed. He sat down to lounge on a large boulder near the bush, narrowed eyes locked on her. His mummy wrapped teammate titled his head to the side but his mood remained concealed. Their kunoichi teammate, however, couldn't hide her irritation either.

"And the puppets emerge," Sakura drawled.

Eye twitches from their enemies.

"They might as well have chakra strings in their bodies as Orochimaru uses a Puppet Master Jutsu. It'd be more fitting, wouldn't it, Sakura?"

Sakura nodded. "Definitely."

Name dropping Orochimaru had a clear effect on their enemies. Eyes bulged, startled by their knowledge of their master's name and their real reason for being here. _Hmm, so it's as I suspected. They're in the dark on his true motives as well. We won't find out anything from them._ Amari flicked her eye over to Sakura and shared a small nod. She caught onto it as well. "You poor, poor fools. Left in the dark by your master when you think you're so precious to him. You don't even know about the mark he left on Sasuke's neck."

The spiky-haired one snarled. "You condescending little brat. I've been meaning to pay you back for your little threat before the first test. And now you've given me more reason to kill you. Talking down to us like that. Grr," he stood up, anger in his body language. "I can't stand people like you. First I'll kill you two, and then I'll kill Sasuke."

Even more evidence they had no idea about their master's plan. _Puppets. Tools to be used and discarded at his whim without ever realizing how little they mean to him._ Amari pitied them, but she held no mercy for those who would threaten the lives of her friends. "I'd like to see you try to defeat us," she jabbed, venom dripping from her words. "You're not even in our league, so go home while your little tools are still intact."

"I'll wipe that sneer off your face," he seethed.

"All you are is a fool with no talent. Even in my injured state I'd make mincemeat of you."

He jumped down, intent on making his threat a reality. _That's it, fool. Keep walking right into my hands._

"Zaku, wait," the mummy man warned his male teammate.

Zaku stopped and turned to look at his teammate. "What? Why, Dosu?"

 _There you go, notice the obvious trap._ Dosu thought he had sniffed out their real trap, but he hadn't. Every step they made walked them closer and closer to their inevitable demise. Dosu cautiously approached the obvious trap, kneeling down to reveal it. "It's so obvious. This is the color of dirt that has been recently dug up. And this kind of grass doesn't grow in a place like this. You know," he spoke down to them as he revealed the paper bomb trap, "if you are going to set up a trap, at least make sure it is actually hidden."

"Ha! What a joke," Zaku mocked. "You threw that kunai to stop that squirrel from setting off your trap."

They were right, of course. She and Sakura had done all of those things, but it was their intention. Every move they made had a reason for it, but these fools wouldn't realize that until it was too late. Only when they were in the dirt, groveling before them for mercy would they realize they were facing two of the most intelligent kunoichi's of their year.

"Now we kill them," said Dosu before jumping into the air with his team.

Amari smirked.

"After you, Sakura."

Sakura quickly grabbed her kunai and cut the thin wire attached to the end of a kunai next to her. With the wire cut, the trap released and sent a giant log flying down at the floating trio. This was their final obvious trap. After this they'd be using far more explosive and dangerous traps to put an end to their enemies.

As the massive log swung down at the Sound trio, Dosu brought up his sound wave device and used it to shatter it into splinters. _I had hoped he wouldn't do that, but I can't say I didn't expect it._

"Nice try, little girls. But you two clearly have no talent. Kids like you should put more of an effort into being a shinobi, don't you think?" Dosu taunted them.

Devious smiles pulled onto the two kunoichi's faces. Amari lifted her kunai up to the wire next to her, out of sight of their enemies. "Have a blast."

Before she could cut the wire, a shout from a familiar voice froze her in place.

"Leaf Hurricane!"

A blur of green kicked away the three Sound shinobi with ease.

"It's Lee," Sakura said in awe.

There, in all his green spandex and bowl cut glory, was Lee, dropping down in front of the pair to protect them. The Sound shinobi skidded across the grass and recovered from the assault, but they did not charge back in. They may have been arrogant tools, but they weren't without intelligence or caution.

"It appears you also need to make more of an effort," Lee said, confidence in his voice and posture. Interestingly enough, a familiar squirrel sat on his shoulder.

 _I'm not complaining, but what is Lee doing here? And why is he defending us? We're supposed to be rivals._ Amari's train of thought hit the emergency breaks. _Wait, no. No, no, no, no. I did not just call him my rival. I will not end up in an eternal rivalry like Kakashi-sensei._

"Who are you?" Dosu asked.

"I am the Handsome Devil of the Leaf Village: Rock Lee!" Lee answered without blinking.

 _Handsome Devil of the Leaf Village?_ Sakura and Amari traded a glance. _He definitely has confidence, I'll give him that._

"What are you doing here, Lee?" Sakura asked.

"I will always appear anytime and anywhere that you are in trouble, Sakura," Lee proclaimed. He grabbed the squirrel off his shoulder and set it down gently on the grassy floor. "This was really all thanks to you little one, but now it is time for you to run along."

Amari quirked an eyebrow up but kept silent. _I guess we owe a squirrel for his timely arrival. That's humbling._

"But Lee…right now we're meant to be your enemy," Sakura pointed out.

Lee chuckled lightly. "Sakura, I already told you: I will protect you until I die." Sakura's eyebrows rose at the reminder of his declaration. "As for you Amari, our Sensei's may be eternal rivals but that does not mean they have not or would not defend one another. The same applies to us. After all," he turned enough to smile at her, "a rival is just another word for a friend."

Troublesome boy had to be so kind and warm, didn't he? Now she was smiling and had no choice but to accept this rivalry business. "I suppose you are right, Lee," Amari said. She bowed her head in gratitude. "Thank you."

"Yes, thank you, Lee," Sakura agreed.

He nodded to them and turned back to face their enemies. Dosu pulled out his Earth scroll, acquiring Amari's attention immediately. The one scroll they had needed, now it was within their grasps. _I'll be taking that scroll if it's the last thing I do today._

"It would seem I have no choice. Zaku, you can have Sasuke. I'll deal with these three," he said then tossed the scroll back to his teammate.

"Lee, be careful. He can create and manipulate sound waves using that device and his chakra. He doesn't have to hit a physical blow to hurt you, and blocking his strikes will probably end the same way," Amari warned.

He gave an unnoticeable nod. _Lee is far more skilled than this guy in taijutsu, but the problem he will face is getting around that device. To be honest, Tenten or Mimi would have been a better match for him because of their long ranged attacks. But…_ Amari shifted her body, grunting in pain as she moved herself to face their enemies with her weight braced on her left knee. _I can act as support with my Shadow Possession, keeping that device away from Lee and ensuring we can win this without injury._

Dosu charged forward and pulled up his sleeve to reveal his mechanism. Thinking quickly, Sakura and Amari tossed their kunai's at him to force him into the air where he was more vulnerable. Before they could make another move, Lee grabbed at a large root on the surface and pulled it up and out of the ground. Had it been a normal root, it wouldn't have made a difference, but this root was nearly the size of a tree and blocked Dosu from reaching them.

Their enemy had to blast it away with another sound wave, but he wisely retreated afterwards at the display of pure, raw strength from Lee.

"Kami. Lee, your strength is incredible."

"Thank you, Amaririsu."

The tides of battle seemed to turn back into their favor. Amari hoped it would last.

* * *

Mimi's nerves burned with worry as she, Tenten and Neji stood at their meeting spot with neither sight nor scent of Lee in the area. Her hands curled into fists, nails digging into her gloved palms in a futile attempt to remain calm.

Lee was never late. In fact, her teammate was fanatical about being early because of Guy. Always ready for the next challenge with a fire burning in his eyes, Lee never wasted a single second or minute of his day. For him to be missing now of all times, something had to have happened. Something bad.

Their plan was to rest for the day and seek out scrolls late at night to catch a team who had been hunting all day off guard. As long as they scouted their enemies correctly, they could take them down and capture the scroll they needed for the Exam. But even if none of them found a scroll they were meant to meet right here about ten minutes ago.

Ten minutes passed and Lee was nowhere to be found.

Neji and Tenten had come up short of finding scrolls. Mimi, on the other hand, got a lucky break and took out a team already winded from a recent fight. Punks hadn't stood a chance against her, and now Team Guy was in possession of the Earth Scroll they needed to match their Heaven Scroll.

Had Lee been here they would already be on their way to the end of the test. _But he isn't here._ Mimi suppressed a growl. _If anyone has hurt Lee, they're dead._

The wet and warm tongue of her companion licked her face; an action meant to soothe her visible anger before it spiked too high. Mimi took a deep breath to clear her mind and considered every possibility for Lee's lateness.

If he wasn't here now they were looking at one of two possibilities: first, and more hopeful of the two, was he met an enemy in battle and was running late because of it. Unfortunately that was the least likely to be true because she, Aoko and Neji couldn't smell or see him anywhere in the area.

The second possibility: Lee was currently in battle right now and needed their immediate help.

"You don't think anything happened, do you?" Tenten asked, worry laced in her voice.

Neji's eyes remained closed in thought, but he smiled. "No, I'm sure he is quite all right." His eyes opened and a serious look took over. "But we should go find him regardless."

"Right," Tenten and Mimi agreed.

The trio took off through the forest with Mimi and Aoko at the front tracking his scent. "This way!" the Inuzuka shouted to her team, changing direction and picking up the pace.

 _Come on Lee, don't be hurt._

Mimi cared a lot for her entire team, even Neji despite their constant quarreling over his idea of destiny, but Lee…Lee was special to her, in a non-romantic way. For Mimi, Lee was a very bright and warm light in a very dark and cold world.

A light she desperately needed when she first joined Team Guy.

Her hot-blooded teammate hadn't been the most skilled of their team when they first started. In fact, Lee had the least amount of skill. He didn't just lack skill in ninjutsu and genjutsu—he couldn't use it plain and simple. And let's just say his taijutsu back then was sub-par on a good day. Yet he never gave up on his dream to be a shinobi. Even when someone like Neji kept putting him down, he kept standing right back up to prove he could be an excellent shinobi despite only being able to use taijutsu.

His hard work and desire to be great inspired Guy to take him under his wing to teach him all he could. The same attitude inspired Mimi to work harder. Yet it was his genuine compassion and kind heart that inspired Mimi to become a better person.

A person she could be proud of. A person not guided by the anger and hurt she harbored since she was a child.

There were others to help her, her cousin Hana being another major influence on her life as well as the whole of Team Guy, but Lee's brightness and his compassion was special. The world needed more people like him, people who shone brighter than any star in the galaxy.

As a medic it was her duty to heal the injured, yet for Lee she vowed to do everything in her power to keep him alive and on his road towards his goal. No matter how many beatings he received, no matter how many stupid challenges he took upon himself that ended with him injured, she'd be there to heal him and get him back on his feet.

 _Even if his Forbidden Technique injures him, I'll find a way to fix it_ , Mimi thought.

Mimi could still remember how exited Lee had been when he successfully pulled off the technique. He shouldn't have been able to move his body, yet there he was, running around in circles on weak legs as he cheered for his success, limp arms hanging at his sides, flopping around uselessly. The rest of them were panting in exhaustion as they watched their teammate, nearly collapsing from the training they just endured.

Against the exhaustion she managed a grin. She was proud of the little fool for getting down a technique none of them were able to pull off safely. The Lotus Technique took a huge toll on the users body muscles. It was a self-sacrificing jutsu that forced the human body and mind to push past the usual twenty percent it used of its muscles.

By using chakra to force the brain to go past its limits, it allowed users like Guy and Lee to achieve an entire new level of speed and strength. However, such great power came with a heavy cost. The body naturally limited the flow of chakra throughout every shinobi's body with eight specific chakra points on the Chakra Network. These gates technically weakened a shinobi, but this natural occurrence kept the body from disintegrating muscles and tearing apart tendons, to name a few complications.

The Lotus broke through these gates.

In other words, the technique was pretty damn dangerous to use. It's why Guy forbade Lee from using it unless a single condition was met.

 _Has the condition been met?_ Mimi worried. _If he uses that jutsu and it doesn't work he'll be screwed._

 _And that condition is…_

* * *

"To protect the life of someone precious," Lee said.

Lee's bandages were already unwrapped and ready to use what appeared to be the Forbidden Technique he almost used on Sasuke. As Dosu neared him, Lee disappeared in a flash of natural speed Amari couldn't track without her dōjutsu.

 _What the hell?_ Her eyes darted around in search for him as Dosu stopped, confused by his sudden disappearance and astonished by his speed. Then Lee appeared beneath him, his foot landing a solid blow to his jaw to knock him up into the air.

Lee bolted from the ground and up into Dancing Leaf Shadow. _This is when Mimi panicked about his Forbidden Technique_ , Amari thought as she and Sakura watched in awe of their fellow Leaf ninja. It seemed they were about to witness firsthand exactly how frightening and dangerous the technique was.

His wraps tied around Dosu, essentially mummifying him until he was completely restrained by his enemy. Wrapping his arms around him, Lee started to spin and spin and spin until they were a blur of motion shooting headfirst towards the ground. "Take this! Primary Lotus!" Lee shouted.

The whirlwind hit the ground hard, the resounding _boom_ shaking the ground as a plume of smoke formed on impact. Lee, thankfully, remained unharmed, releasing the enemy and flying closer to the two kunoichi.

As the dust settled and the battlefield cleared they were able to see Dosu, chest deep in a mound of dirt with his legs dangling out of it. "Heh, got you just in time," Zaku said, a smirk in his voice. "Without me, that impact could have ended a lot worse for you, Dosu."

 _Damn_ , Amari cursed, irritated at herself. _I let myself lose focus by watching Lee's technique. Had I kept my head in the fight, I could have stopped him and Dosu would probably be dead or paralyzed from the neck down._ Because of her lack of focus his technique hadn't done the damage it should have. She should have known better. _Damn it!_

Dosu worked his way out of the dome of sand and attempted to stand. His legs caved under him and left him on his knees. "That is a frightening jutsu," he said, shaking his head as he seemed to try to get his bearings. "Nearly took me out even though I landed on this soft dirt."

"Can you still fight, Dosu?" the kunoichi asked. Another attempt to stand, only this time he made it all the way up. When Dosu stepped forward he collapsed forward onto his hands and knees. "Dosu?"

"Give me a minute," he said irritably. His eye squinted at the ground, the gears in his head spinning as he tried to diagnose the problem.

Amari already figured it out. "The soft sand may have spared his life, but it didn't save him. You still landed a hard enough blow to disorient him. I'd even bet he has a concussion," she informed her team.

"But…it wasn't…enough," Lee panted.

For the first time, Amari inspected the boy's appearance. He was hunched over. Exhaustion and pain were clear on his face as he tried to stand ready for the next attack. _This must be why it's forbidden. It takes as much out of Lee as it does his enemy. He has one shot with it, and if it fails…_

Lee grunted in pain and grabbed at his side.

 _Not good._

Lee needed to recover. Now it was up to her and Sakura to protect him. Amari spun her blade in her hand and cut the wire next to her without hesitation. From a nearby bush, kunai and shuriken came shooting out with their blades aimed right at Zaku and his kunoichi teammate. "Lee, hit the dirt! Sakura, spring the other trap!" she ordered, hands moving into Tiger seal. He obeyed and dove to the ground as Sakura threw her blade to the tree canopy.

Another swarm of kunai and shuriken launched from the canopy, these particular blades being far more explosive inclined than their predecessors courtesy of Amari's paper bombs.

"Slicing Sound Wave!" Zaku shouted as he blasted the original set of shuriken and kunai out of the air.

 _So those things in his arms allow him to blast air and sound out of them,_ Amari analyzed. "Burn out, you bastards!" _Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!_

As the second set of kunai hit the ground around their enemies, her flame streamed forward directly at Dosu. An instant later the forest shook with a massive explosion, the heat from which shot out in all directions. Her flame was about to engulf Dosu when another Slicing Sound Wave blasted him out of the way.

Amari disengaged her flame and tried hard not to reveal the pain the single attack caused her. _My shoulder…_ Burning, stinging, screaming. Tingles ran down her arm. The tips of her fingers felt numb. _What the hell did he do to me?_

Lee pushed himself onto shaky legs and tried to take his fighting stance. Dosu did the same, eye focused and intense. He rushed forward right at Lee with his mechanism at the ready without stumbling, whatever disorientation either having passed or not as nearly severe as before.

"Lee, move!" Amari tried to get her feet under her but a shooting pain shot through her thigh and forced her to collapse forward. "Gah!" She braced her weight on her left hand and clutched at the wound with her right. Searing pain thrummed in waves across her thigh.

Lee attempted to dodge the attack, and was successful in dodging the physical blow, but Dosu's device did not need a physical attack to hurt him. The invisible sound wave still penetrated Lee's ear, his legs giving out on him an instant later.

Incensed by her injuries and these punks, the roaring flames of rage and adrenaline shot through Amari's body. "You'll pay for that!"

Chakra flooded her body and she shot forward, kicking Dosu directly in the face to send him hurtling away from her team. Her pain receptors roared in shared agony. That single move, and the pain it caused, left her hunched over, labored breaths attacking her lungs as if she sprinted around the entirety of Konoha without stopping, but Amari ignored it all. She wouldn't sit by and wait for them to come at her. She'd take them down one by one if she had to, injuries be damned.

Behind her Lee puked from the nausea. "My ear," he groaned.

"Amari, he has blood coming out of his ear!"

"His attacks are based on sound, and sound is the vibrations of molecules, which are collected by the ear and directed to the ear drum," Amari explained, teeth grit against her own pain. "You don't have to hit us because you direct the sound wave right into our inner ear, rupturing our ear drums to induce nausea, dizziness, and making it nearly impossible for us to stand because our balance is thrown off."

"Exactly, and you are right," Dosu tried to stand again but collapsed, "I did not escape from his attack without a concussion. That last attack took more willpower than skill to perform. But, it would appear you are in no better shape than I am." He squinted at her. "Your wounds have reopened."

She could feel it. The warm blood, the thrums of agony coming in waves as every breath and movement agitated the wounds. As the smoke cleared from her explosions, she noticed dirt and blood covering the other two. They weren't severely wounded, but if she was lucky they'd be slowed down by those injuries.

"And your little buddy can manipulate air and sound to create supersonic waves that can obliterate hard objects or soften dirt."

"Sharp eye, child," Dosu said.

 _One long-range to mid-range fighter._ Her eye flitted from Zaku to Dosu. _One close-range fighter and an unknown. But what does it matter?_ Amari bit the inside of her lip. _Even though I can analyze their abilities, it won't matter if my body can't keep up._

 _Come on, Amari. Think. Think._

* * *

"Shikamaru! I see Amaririsu!" Chōji shouted from the tree branch above them.

Shikamaru felt his heart jump into his throat in response to his best friend's words. Hope, concern and a plethora of other emotions too troublesome to describe bundled up at once. Only a few hours ago they barely managed to avoid getting attacked by Neji thanks to him seeing them as weak. The Nara theorized people like him wouldn't attack unless provoked, and he was glad to be right.

 _If 'Risu had trouble with him, we wouldn't stand a chance._

So far their luck hadn't been all that great. Finding people weaker than them turned out to be an unsuccessful endeavor, and he doubted it would change. To his mind, they needed to change tactic from a false hope to a guaranteed success.

 _We need to find 'Risu's team._ It was the only way they could pass. Not that he actually cared to, but he either found a way to pass or dealt with the ire of his mother and Ino. Passing didn't seem so bad compared to the troublesome affair of angry women.

It had taken the last hour to convince Ino they needed to find Amari and her team. She was too damn proud to take help from the two kunoichi she rivaled with, but pride like hers could be used against her.

" _You wouldn't want to let your parents or Asuma-sensei down, would you? I mean, don't get me wrong, this whole test is a huge drag. So if you want to tap out and be done, I have no problem with it. I'd be glad to go home."_

 _Under normal circumstances that wouldn't be a lie. But he had to find Amari. She needed him, he could feel it._

" _What? No way, Shikamaru! We're not giving up!"_

" _Then we need to find 'Risu and her team. Right now I don't see any other way for us to pass."_

" _Grr, fine! We'll go find them!"_

Her ego really made it too easy.

Anyway, they had been searching for Amari and her team ever since. It took a lot of leg work, and honestly all the running was a huge drag. He almost believed they wouldn't find her, yet right as he started to lose hope, she appeared. _That's 'Risu for you._

Shikamaru and Ino joined their teammate on the tree branch. "Over there." Chōji pointed out in front of him. Searching where he pointed, the Nara caught both the scent of smoke on the air and noticed the plume it was coming from. Far in the distance, through the trees and greenery, he could make out the general shapes of people, though he couldn't discern much of their features at first glance.

It took a moment, but then he noticed the familiar head of wild blue hair. Shikamaru squinted, a futile attempt to extend his vision to get a better read of the situation and those involved. Slowly he noticed pink hair then a black bowl cut behind his cousin. Across from them were three shinobi hard to distinguish at this distance, but one had bandages wrapped around his head. _Must be those Sound shinobi._

Contrast to the purple tank top his cousin wore were white bandages at her shoulders, a bad sign overall that seemed to prove his fears true.

"That's One-Eye all right. Looks like she took a beating," Ino confirmed.

"Looks like Sasuke and Naruto are down. Lee, too," Chōji said.

"Tch, figures. Trouble shows up and 'Risu is on her own," Shikamaru cursed. He turned to the other two. "Let's go get a closer look." He jumped off the tree in the direction of the fight with his teammates on his tail.

 _It's going to be troublesome_. His face hardened in determination. _But I'm on my way, 'Risu._

He wouldn't let his cousin stand by herself.

* * *

"Mimi, what's wrong?" Tenten questioned as they stopped.

Mimi raised her finger in silent ask to wait as she and Aoko sniffed the air to take in the new scents. _Smoke…fire._ Her eyes shot open. _Lee!_

"What's wrong?" Tenten's voice was more worried this time.

"I've got Lee's scent, but there is smoke and fire right next to him."

" _Mimi, extend your senses. Lee is not the only one there. I recognize the scent of seven other individuals near him. Four are Leaf shinobi,"_ Aoko barked to her. She sniffed again at Aoko's order and extended her senses to try to find out if they were friendly or enemies her ninken could smell.

"What did Aoko say?" Neji asked.

"There are other ninjas, eight including Lee. Four are friendly. What about the other three?" she asked to her ninken, whose sense of smell outmatched her own.

Her ninken sniffed the air again then answered through a series of barks only the Inuzuka understood. _"The three are the Sound ninjas who attacked the Kabuto man and Amaririsu. The four Leaf shinobi with Lee are Team Seven, I am certain of that."_ Aoko stopped to smell the air as a breeze passed by. Her barks became more urgent. _"Lee is bleeding from his ear and Team Seven's male teammates are badly injured as well. The kunoichi's are on their own and I can smell fresh blood on Amaririsu. We must hurry."_

Mimi growled lowly at the news. She hadn't liked those Sound ninjas after their little display during the first phase, but this put them at the top of her ass kicking list.

"What is it?" Neji asked.

"Those Sound guys who attacked Kabuto and Amari are there. Aoko says she can smell blood as well on Lee, and Amari's team isn't in good shape either," she answered.

Aoko's keen sense of smell was only surpassed by her special ability to sense the damage done to others. At close range she could pinpoint exactly where someone was wounded to either help Mimi attack or heal them, but the further the distance away they were, the harder it was to accurately sense the damage.

Both Neji's and Tenten's faces turned serious. "Lead the way," he ordered.

Mimi nodded and led them through the forest towards the battle. They were still some distance away but that wouldn't stop them from saving their teammate and Amari's team.

 _Hold on, Lee. You too, Team Seven._ Mimi snarled as all the fun and games slipped out of her. _We're coming to rip those bastards to shreds!_

* * *

Amari had a plan. It was a bad plan, but lacking an alternative good plan meant it was the only one she could go with. _Man, this is_ _ **really**_ _going to hurt._

Closing her right hand into a fist, she jabbed her thumb into the wound of her left shoulder. Piercing, white hot pain spiked through her at the highest levels. Tears welled in her eyes as she grunted and tried to suffocate every sound of pain she wanted to make.

"Amari! Stop, you're hurting yourself!"

She ignored her teammate, too much screaming pain to explain her reasons for doing this to herself. _I need…adrenaline!_ Without it, she wouldn't be able to ignore this pain. _Come on! If I don't get my act together, these shinobi will kill my friends!_

Her heartrate skyrocketed.

"Zaku, stop her!" Dosu called out.

"Why should I? She's only hurting herself," Zaku retorted, a cruel smirk on his face. "She'll make herself an easier target."

Amari collapsed to her left knee and let out haggard breaths as she removed her bloody thumb from her shoulder. The pain was numbing. _That's it! Come on, it's time to fight! If you don't, the people you care for will_ _ **die**_ _!_ The Nara blinked away a tear. _It's not enough. Stupid body, wake the hell up!_

"You don't understand." Dosu forced himself up and stumbled forward. "She's attacking herself to get her adrenaline flowing. If that happens, she'll be able to ignore her injuries."

"And? What's your point, Dosu? She's still a weakling."

"You arrogant fool," Amari seethed. "Underestimating an opponent, even when they're injured, will be the last mistake you ever make!" The Uchiha pulled out a kunai, spun it in her hand and slammed the blade right into her injured thigh.

 _ **Wake! Up!**_

Adrenaline surged through her body, and with it the pain faded away to the recesses of her mind. Rage set her entire body on fire. How _dare_ these bastards threaten the lives of her precious people! Before she pitied them, now all she felt was contempt. The same contempt that drove her to give Gatō to Zabuza willingly.

"You want to fight an Uchiha, huh?" She yanked the blade free from her leg without even flinching and turned her searing red eye to her enemies. "When I'm done with you three, you'll wish you had run away when you still had the chance!"

Bewildered by the sight of her hatred filled eye, Zaku and his kunoichi teammate flinched back as a wave of killing intent brushed against their bodies. Dosu felt it too, but it urged him to try to close the distance faster. He knew. She could see it in his eyes. He knew she couldn't feel any pain. He knew she was the most dangerous enemy left on the field of battle. He knew what she had awoken in herself would end them if they didn't act.

"Zaku, attack her!" he cried out to his teammate.

Zaku lifted his hands and faced his palms right at her. "Slicing—"

He was too late. Amari disappeared from the ground and reappeared right beside him. Zaku's eyes widened when his mind realized her new position, red eye looking right through him as if he were nothing.

To her eyes, he was nothing.

Before he could react, her blade pierced up all the way through his forearm.

His cry of agony was satisfying. Zaku grabbed at his arm instead of attacking her, but had he tried he would have hit air. Amari was already moving, swiftly appearing on his other side with her injured leg cocked back and ready to unleash her next strike. She waited a second long enough for him to look at her, to see the wells of hatred in her eyes before she growled in disgust and kicked him in the face.

She did not feel a single sting of pain.

Zaku tumbled away, not dead or unconscious, but wounded and out of her way for the time being. With her Byakugan activated, she could see their kunoichi teammate move to attack her before she even realized she wanted to. Amari looked over her right shoulder and caught her enemy's eyes as she rushed forward with senbon.

"Now you die!" the kunoichi yelled.

"I refuse to die."

Her right eye widened. _Sharingan! Demonic Dragon: Shadowed Death Jutsu!_

What the kunoichi saw in the genjutsu couldn't be described as a nightmare or even witnessing her own death before her eyes. What she witnessed was the black scaled demonic dragon visage over Amari, the look of death in their red eyes and its evil irradiating close to the same level as Zabuza's Demon Chakra. It's deafening roar, the way it tore her apart limb from limb, it would have been a mercy to kill her instead of showing her it.

This was her second strongest genjutsu. Not enough strength to knock a person unconscious, but enough fear to leave them stunned.

The kunoichi stumbled forward and collapsed to her hands and knees. Panicked breaths took over as she tried to remain in control. "It's futile," Amari informed, voice cold as she turned around and walked past the kunoichi without a second glance. "Any moment now you'll begin to tremble and wish you were dead."

Amari stood across from Dosu. He was the most intelligent of the three and the one suffering from a concussion. He watched her from a kneeling position, no fear or anger in his eye, but amazement. "I wasn't aware there was another Uchiha outside of Sasuke."

The Uchiha kunoichi disappeared again and forced him flat onto his chest with her foot, pinning him there in the dirt. "You should have done your homework," she said. "Better yet, ask your puppet master to reimburse you for sending you to piss me off."

She placed more pressure on the back of his neck. "Look at your teammates." He did so. One clutched a bloody limb, the other remained stuck in a fear inducing genjutsu. "That's what little mercy I have left to give you three. Either tell your friend to hand over the scroll, or I'll show you a fate worse than death."

"Hmph. No."

Her eye set in a deadly glare. "What'd you say?"

"Your skills are impressive. Had you not been injured, I have no doubt you could best the three of us in one on one combat, as well as three on one." He turned his head just enough to look up at her, a smile in his eye. "But you've run out of time. The leg your pinning me with was wounded before you stabbed it for an adrenaline rush. I can feel it weakening. The pain must be returning."

He was right. Little by little the screeching agony returned. Her adrenaline was fading, and soon the pain would return in full force. _Damn it, not now. I need to finish this._

"You are a skilled shinobi, child of Uchiha blood, but your injuries will be your undoing today."

"I'm going to kill you, you little brat!" Zaku roared.

Amari's head shot up to see Zaku crouched, his uninjured palm aimed directly at her. _Damn it!_ She retreated back a step, removing her foot from Dosu and preparation to dodge. As her right foot touched the ground, however, every pain receptor in her leg erupted in an explosion of pain.

"Argh!" _My leg!_ Her leg couldn't hold her weight. She collapsed down onto her left knee and watched, helpless, as Zaku's attack rippled towards her.

 _Sakura…_

* * *

Horror filled Sakura as the attack hit Amari head-on. An explosion of dust formed on the impact, but her teammate's limp body flew out of it and slammed against the trunk of tree with a sickening _crack_. Her body hit the ground and remained motionless.

"Good move, Zaku," Dosu complimented as he got onto his feet. "Now, let us deal with the others."

"No way!" Zaku snarled, standing up and aiming his hand at Amari's body. His eyes were wild with anger and bloodlust. "Not until I'm through with her!"

Dosu sighed and worked his way over to his kunoichi teammate. He released the genjutsu still on her before turning back to face Sakura. "Just do it and be done, Zaku. She's not even conscious."

"Fine. Slicing Sound Wave!"

Sakura's body moved on instinct. Before she even realized it, she was diving to cover her teammate's body with her own. She clenched her eyes shut in preparation for the pain, but she never felt it. Her eyes shot open at the sound of Lee crying out in pain, head jerking up to see Lee's body crack against the tree as well.

"Lee!" she cried out.

He did not remain down and out. "I…" His body trembled as he began pushing himself back up. "I won't let anyone harm you two," Lee declared through his pain. "My body has not yet recovered from the Lotus, but if Amaririsu can push herself beyond her pain and fatigue, then so can I!"

"Lee…"

Why? Why was he doing this? Why was he vowing to protect her? Why…why couldn't she find her strength to fight too? Amari, Naruto, Sasuke and even Lee, they all pushed themselves to their limits. They kept sprinting ahead into battle while she…she continued to be protected.

"I swear," Lee moved in front of her again as a human shield. "This time I will defeat them!"

"Such a grand speech, yet one you have no hope of fulfilling," Dosu taunted.

"We will see about that! Sakura, move Amari back under shelter. I will cover you."

She obeyed without argument, yet she knew she should have. In her heart she knew she should have told him to move Amari and she would cover him…but then why didn't she? Why couldn't she stand up and fight?

By the time she was able to get Amari's limp body back under the tree and return her attention to the fight, Lee was blocking Dosu's mechanism. "Do you hear that? This device amplifies the vibrations of the impact, transforming them into a wave of sound. A sound wave I can channel with my chakra and focus on any target I desire."

The sound wave drilled into Lee's injured ear. He groaned in pain but by sheer force of will he remained standing, wobbly but still on his own feet.

 _I can't just sit here and watch like a coward._

 _ **Cha! That's right! We trained super hard with Amari! It's all up to us now to stop these guys! Now get moving!**_ Inner Sakura shouted.

"You…will not…touch them!" Lee said. He swung a wild blow at their enemy but missed by a considerable margin.

"Still standing, I see. Your resiliency has been noted but it's time to finish you off."

Again on instinct her body moved. Sakura grabbed a set of kunai in her left hand and a set of shurikens in her other. "Lee, dive to your right!" Without hesitation Lee dove. "Now stay the hell away from him!" She tossed the kunai at him first, forcing their concussed enemy to dodge away.

 _He's not stumbling as much anymore_ , she noted. Had his symptoms lessened?

Her eyes picked up a stuttered step and she knew she had her opening. She threw her shurikens next. "Take these!"

The shurikens were right on target, and Dosu seemed to realize he wouldn't have enough time to move. Before any triumphant could come over her, Zaku slid in front of Dosu and blasted the shurikens away right back at Sakura.

She lifted her hands in front of her face, and for a brief second her eyes shut as the sharp weapons cut past her arms.

" _Stop closing your damn eyes! How do you expect to see your enemies next move if you close your eyes every time they attack?"_ Amari's scolding voice woke her up.

Sakura's eyes shot open and she spotted Zaku and Dosu in the midst of moving. _With Zaku around, I won't be able to rely on shuriken and kunai. He's a long-ranged fighter, but he's down to one hand. If I close the distance on him I can finish what Amari started!_

 _"You can use the Body Flicker Technique too, you know? It's not a kekkei genkai or anything, and with your chakra control you could increase your speed significantly."_

Chakra flooded through her body, but just as she was about to launch her assault, a hand intertwined itself into her hair, tugging and pulling until she was pushed down to her knees. "My my, what soft and shiny hair," the kunoichi member jeered.

 _Damn, I lost track of her when I closed my eyes._

"You know, if you spent less time shampooing and a lot more time practicing your jutsu you might not be in this position." She tugged her head around to prove a point, but Sakura refused to cry out in pain. "Hey Zaku, I have an idea that could be fun. How about we make little miss useless beauty queen watch as you kill that blue-haired brat and then that Sasuke punk?"

Zaku smiled viciously. "Why not. It sounds like fun to me," he responded.

 _You stay away from them._ Sakura tried to lean forward to escape and attack only to have her hair and head pulled back. "Don't even try it."

"Sakura," Lee's pained voice made it to her ears. She glanced over to see him on all fours, looking earnestly over at her through his own pain. "You have to fight. You can do it! Your team…needs you!"

Yes, they needed her, but what could a useless shinobi like her even do?

"Get…the hell…away from her."

Amari's cold voice snapped everyone to attention. The kunoichi member snapped around with a gasp, but the sight they all saw made it clear there was more fight in her voice than her body. The Nara remained prone as she clawed and kicked herself forward towards her teammate.

 _Amari…_

Zaku approached Amari wearing an ugly smile. "Still got some fight in you, huh? Good, I want you to feel every bit of pain I put you throu—agh!"

A senbon pierced his thigh and then Amari was up on one leg, the back of her head colliding into Zaku's jaw and knocking him onto his back. Her onyx eye was red with fire again. "Get…the hell…away from Sakura!"

She hopped forward and landed on Zaku's stomach with her left knee. She slammed her head down again to nail his forehead. Using her hands to pin Zaku's down and keep his weapons pointed away, she rained down head-butt after head-butt until blood soaked through her bandana and caked her face in her own blood.

"Amaririsu hasn't given up on you! I haven't given up on you!" Lee forced himself onto his feet and charged forward with a howl. "You have to fight, Sakura!"

 _Why…why do they keep getting up? How can they actually believe in me?_

Dosu swung his arm out and clocked Lee with his mechanism, this time putting the bowl-cut shinobi down for the count. Rushing to the aid of his teammate, Dosu then slammed his mechanism into the side of Amari's head to send her flying to Sakura's knees.

"I swear I'll kill her! I'm going to blow her head off!" Zaku roared as he bolted upright.

Labored breaths attacked Amari, the fire in her eye replaced by cool onyx as crimson leaked out of her ear.

 _I'm not strong like them…I'm just so useless_ , Sakura thought as tears formed in her eyes. Her body quivered as she tried to hold back her tears. _Way to go Sakura. You let everyone down again. What good are you? Even now when the others really need me, I cave._

 _How many times have they saved my neck? You would think when they really need me that maybe, just maybe for once in your life you could come through for them._

"Sa- Sakura." Amari began forcing herself up again. Her entire body trembled viciously from the pain. Quiet whimpers left her lips, sounds she was sure the Sound shinobi would call pathetic despite the great strength of will she showed.

"I will not…let you…harm them." Behind Amari, Lee began to push himself up too, motivated by his rival's will to protect. "I swore…to defeat you. And I will. No matter what."

Dosu looked between the two in astonishment. "It's not possible. You pesky brats shouldn't even be able to move."

"I don't…expect someone like you…to understand," Lee panted in exhaustion and pain. Blood streamed down his cheek from his ear. "As long as…Amaririsu continues to fight…So…will I. She is my fellow Leaf shinobi…my comrade and…my rival! We share a bond…as Leaf shinobi that…cannot be severed by the likes of you. As long as there are…precious people I have to protect…I won't stop fighting!"

"Even if my body is broken…" Amari spoke, almost as if she were in a trance. "Even if you kill me…you'll still lose. You'll never break our wills…Even in death, our spirits will keep supporting each other. That's what it means…to be a Leaf Shinobi."

Sakura's shock overcame her as she watched her teammate sit back on her knees. Her onyx eye was unfocused, tired and dull. She didn't even appear to be in the Forest of Death. Based on those familiar words, it sounded as if she were back in the Land of Waves, fighting Zabuza in a futile battle she knew she couldn't win.

Then, for a brief moment, the eye awoke and locked with Sakura's emerald eyes. Blood coated her bandages and trailed down her arms, her face and thigh. She reached her right hand forward. It trembled like a leaf caught in the wind as it reached towards Sakura.

Two unsteady fingers suddenly poked into her forehead. Amari smiled at her. "Believe…in yourself for once. You can…do this. I know you can."

Those words, they reminded Sakura of something Amari told her at the ramen shop.

" _No matter how strong an enemy is, as long as you have people precious to you, you'll never give in. You will fight harder than your enemy because you can't let down the people who depend on you."_

Everything Lee and Amari had just said, and those past words, they were the reason they kept fighting. They were why Amari kept fighting Zabuza even if she knew she couldn't win.

Because they were fighting to protect people precious to them, people they couldn't let down.

Unconsciously Sakura grabbed at her ninja tool box and pulled out a kunai as Zaku stalked closer and closer to Amari. "Come on! It's pointless, that won't work on me," the female Sound ninja chided in arrogance.

People Sakura had to protect. People she considered precious. People who needed her right now.

An animalistic smile made its way onto Sakura's face as she turned to look at the kunoichi. "It's not meant for you." Moving swiftly, she brought the blade behind her head and cut straight through her hair right below the hand holding her in place. The action stunned her enemies into paralysis. For Sakura, as the pieces fell into place around her, time felt slower.

She felt her ninja headband fall out of her hair. She could feel the breeze against her neck and the sudden lack of long hair she cared about so much before today. _I always considered myself to be a true ninja_ , Sakura thought bitterly. _I claim I'm madly in love with Sasuke, I'm always lecturing Naruto like I know so much more and I used to think myself so high and mighty over Amari as if I was truly strong enough to face her._

Sakura shook her head mentally. _It was always just empty words…Those three, they were always in the lead, ready for the next fight as I…as I watched from the background._

All the way back to the Land of Waves she had been letting everyone always protect her. Either too frightened or too unskilled to do anything worth noting. When those two Chūnin attacked, she acted on instinct to stand defiantly in front of Tazuna as her heart hammered against her chest in fear.

But as the enemy neared to cut her down before Tazuna, Sasuke appeared in front of her, arms spread out to use himself as a shield to protect her.

 _"It's okay, I've got you covered,"_ he had told her.

In their first fight with Zabuza, she watched from the background as Amari, Sasuke and Naruto worked together to free Kakashi from the Water Prison. She could still see Amari and Sasuke using their Fire Ball Jutsu's together, Naruto passing the Demon Wind Shuriken to Sasuke and Amari appearing out of her kunais as Naruto appeared behind Zabuza.

" _This is the beginning of the end Zabuza! Don't mess with Team Seven!"_

 _No matter what, they were always there—protecting me. Amari even offered to train me and tried her hardest to help me become as strong as her._

That first day after training when they were at Ichiraku, the words Amari said to her had filled her heart with so much warmth and happiness. To have someone actually believe in her and want to help her…it meant more to her than words could describe.

" _That's why if you had to protect us, you would continue to get back on your feet no matter what. Because you have real strength in you. Because you have an indomitable will and you care deeply about each of us regardless of how knuckleheaded Naruto can be or how late Sensei is or how much you wanted to pulverize me. You are strong, Sakura. You are a valued member of Team Seven, a valued friend and I will do everything within my power to help you become stronger."_

Sakura looked over to Lee, who remained braced on one knee. _And Lee…you didn't just say you liked me, you proved it!_

" _Sakura, I already told you: I will protect you until I die."_

 _We're not even teammates and you put your life on the line for us. All this time you've all been teaching me something._

In her mind she could see the four of them, unharmed and happy. Naruto with his arms behind his head and a grin on his face, Lee standing with his straight posture and a kind smile, Sasuke with his hands in his pockets and a confident smirk, Amari smiling shyly as she gripped her left mesh covered arm behind her back.

 _It's about time I learned the lesson_ , Sakura thought, determination finally settling in. Her headband clinked on the ground and she poked Amari in the forehead. _Okay. No more caving. Now it's my turn to take the lead, and this time I will be the one protecting all of you!_

Lee smiled at her. "Sakura, be careful." He collapsed back to the ground, unconscious before he landed.

"Show them the power you hold," Amari said before her body too gave way, onyx eye falling shut.

"Kin! Finish her!" Zaku shouted.

Sakura didn't waste time. Her body was flooded with chakra as she ducked underneath a strike and grabbed Amari's falling body. As soon as she had a good hold on her, she was one with the wind, gone from sight and skidding across the ground next to Lee's downed body.

No more running. No more letting everyone else fight her battles for her. This was her fight now. This was her chance to pay them all back for risking their lives for hers time and again. And she refused to fail them!

"What the?" Dosu questioned, turning around in search of her. His two teammates rushed out from under the tree and tried to charge her.

Sakura knelt down and wrapped her other arm around Lee, eyes never leaving her enemies as she tracked their movement. Again she Body Flickered away with the two in tow, reappearing again underneath the tree to drop them off.

Her ears caught the sound of kunais slicing through the air right at her. _Not this time_ , she thought, brow set, body awake and alive. Kunai in hand, she spun and released, canceling out the weapons and causing them to fall to the grassy floor. Sakura refused to wait for them to attack again. This time she was going on the offensive, and she would make them regret attacking her friends!

She created two Illusion Clones and darted forward directly at Zaku—the long-ranged fighter and her biggest problem. The arrogant Sound shinobi smirked viciously and aimed his unwounded hand at her.

 _I've seen this technique already. How about I show you the flaw in using it too many times!_ Sakura timed her movements and breathing. Her emerald eyes watched every last move her enemy made. The problem Zaku had—besides an ego the size of the sun—was he used this attack far too many times. It was his single attack, and because of that she knew how to read it without dōjutsu.

The moment the muscles in his arm tensed, the attack would come.

 _Now!_ Chakra flooded her body and launched her diagonally—that way she could advance closer and dodge the attack simultaneously. Her feet touched the ground and continued in their breakneck sprint directly at her enemy. Zaku, who clearly underestimated her, looked on stunned at first, but then his lips began to curl in a growl as he tried to readjust to target her again.

Unfortunately for him, he was too slow. Sakura pulled a kunai from her ninja tool box and dashed in and under his arm. Another problem with his technique, the attack had a limited range of where it hit otherwise it would hurt him as well. Up this close, under the pipe sticking out of his palm, he didn't have a hope in hell of touching her.

Sakura's full momentum collided into his body, and with it her blade imbedded itself into the shoulder of his unwounded arm. Blood sprayed through the air and splattered across Sakura's determined face and hair, but she did not care. A fire was burning inside of her and they would find it impossible to extinguish.

This was the gift her comrades had given. Their wills were here, supporting her even as they lay unconscious so she could defeat these enemies in their stead.

Their bodies fell to the ground, Sakura on top using her legs to pin her enemy in place. "This is for Lee!" A blue hue formed around her right hand mid-statement. She punched her chakra fueled fist across his face. "And this one is for Amari!" Another chakra fueled punch, this time a left hook. "And this one is from me for threatening to blow her head off! CHAAAA!"

One final punch that left his face bloodied and bruised, but she couldn't pummel him into the dirt yet. With Dosu and Kin around, she needed to keep moving and re-evaluate the field of battle. Grabbing another set of shuriken, she jumped off to the side of the dazed Zaku and set her eyes about searching for her enemies.

 _"Knowing the field of battle is key when you are outnumbered. If you can't separate them, you can't stay focused on a single enemy for too long otherwise you'll be taken by surprise by another enemy. It's a troublesome situation, but anyone smart and quick enough can make it survivable,"_ Amari's lesson rang in her mind.

 _"First step is to find your targets."_

Sakura found her targets. Dosu no longer was impeded as much by his concussion symptoms. He had been close to reaching her at her last position while Kin reached for her ninja tool pouch. _"Second step is to identify the biggest threat among them, and from there you find the one who is wide open for a strike."_

With Zaku writhing on the ground as he grabbed at his shoulder and face, he wouldn't be an issue. Not for now at least. She'd need to check on him soon so she didn't get blindsided like Amari did. That left Dosu as the biggest threat to her due to his mechanism and recovered state. She couldn't get too close to him lest she risk him ending the fight before she could take out his other teammate.

Kin, of the pair, stood alone and didn't seem to have any enhancement like them. As far as Sakura was concerned, the kunoichi was the weakest one here.

" _Third step: plan ahead five moves, ten moves if you're facing intelligent enemies. If you know by going for the weakest that the strongest will meet you there then you need to ensure the toughest is too busy to stop you. You don't use any Nature Transformation ninjutsu, but sometimes even I have to create an explosion without ninjutsu."_

Emerald eyes darted around as her brain plotted her next moves. _Okay. Tossing my shuriken at Dosu won't be enough to stop him from reaching me as I reach Kin. However…_ A smile formed on her lips as her eyes caught the glint of light bouncing off the wire of their final trap. _If I use that, I'll get my opening. I just have to get him in position._

 _"Step four: initiate your plan but keep a watchful eye to make sure you can still back out if it is about to fail."_

Sakura tossed her shurikens individually at Dosu, every single one aimed in a way to give him no other choice but to dodge in the direction she wanted him to. When he was finally in position, she grabbed a kunai in one hand and shurikens in the other, tossing the latter pair immediately at her enemy's face as he slid across the grass. Thinking quickly, Dosu used his device to block her shurikens by placing it front of his face. Her weapons bounced off harmlessly, yet his action was everything she could have hoped for.

With his vision impeded, she tossed her kunai at the wire and cut right through it.

"Dosu!" Kin shouted, noticing the trap she just sprung.

A shout wouldn't save him.

One giant log lined with paper bombs came swinging down right at his side. The impact sent him flying, and the explosion that followed propelled him even faster into a nearby tree. _This is my chance!_

Sakura surged ahead in a blur of speed. As she neared her target, Kin tossed a set senbon at her but she had seen the attack coming. Sakura slid onto her knees and bent backwards to let the senbon fly right over her.

" _And when in doubt, use the overconfidence of others to your advantage. Because we are girls, and in my case because I look like I have one eye, we will be underestimated by a lot of other ninjas for that simple fact. That is our great advantage and if used properly it can turn the tides."_

Amari was right. These people had underestimated her because she had allowed herself to cave so easily, but Sakura Haruno was done caving. She was ready to fight, to walk with her teammates instead of watching them from the background.

As Sakura reached her target—who had frozen in shock—she came out of her slide with a fist full of chakra aimed right at her gut. "And this for all the pain your master caused my teammates! CHAAAAA!" Her fist buried itself in her opponent's stomach, the impact of which made her double over and cough up blood before the force sent her flying back into the tree, rendering her unconscious.

"I've had enough of you worms! Die!" Dosu's voice shouted.

Stricken by horror, Sakura spun around to see Dosu with his mechanism prepared to swing right at her. His other arm was scorched and bloodied, as she planned, but he recovered far faster than she was ready for.

 _Move Sakura, move!_

Suddenly he froze in place a single step away from her. "Wha- what is this?"

"Get out of there, Forehead!"

Sakura didn't hesitate to listen to that voice. She jumped back up onto the tree trunk behind her and then shot herself towards her downed teammates and Lee. As she sped through the air, she noticed a long shadow holding Dosu in place. _Amari?_ Looking to the tree, she noticed her teammate still lying on the ground, breathing but not moving. Following the shadow led her to a very infuriated looking Shikamaru and his teammates.

"Shikamaru? Ino? Chōji?" Sakura questioned their appearance as she landed. Grateful as she was for their appearance, she could scarcely believe they were here, or that Shikamaru was capable of exerting so much anger or energy.

"Sorry we're late, Sakura," Shikamaru apologized, eyes glancing over to her and then to his wounded cousin. A knot of anger and worry formed between his eyebrows before returning his attention to their enemies.

"What are you three doing here?" she asked.

"Let's just say I had a feeling you four needed some help. Been searching for a while now. Luckily Chōji was able to spot 'Risu. Sorry we didn't step in sooner. Took us a while to get here, and when we did you were pummeling that guy." He lifted his chin to Zaku. "Figured it'd be best to wait, see if I could analyze more of their techniques so we could put them down faster."

Zaku forced himself onto his feet while Dosu was still paralyzed in place.

"It's okay. I'm sorry I let it come to this."

 _If I had believed in myself more and fought by her side, we could have taken them on without making her wounds worse_ , Sakura thought bitterly at herself. Looking at the scene in front of her and how well she did, plus what Amari and Lee had done on their own, together they could have stopped so much from happening.

"She'll be fine," Shikamaru said. "'Risu is a tough girl, body and soul. That's a proven fact."

Yes, yes she was. Sakura had seen it many times, and today only proved it even more.

"Don't worry, Sakura. We'll take things from here," Chōji said. Even kindhearted Chōji appeared angry about what the Sound shinobi had done to Amari. "You ready, Shikamaru?"

"You bet, Chōji. Just like old times, huh buddy?"

"Hehe, yeah. Only this time we don't have to hold back."

"Sakura, check on your team. We'll handle these chumps no problem," Ino said confidently.

"Who the hell are these three? The second string?" Zaku questioned in pain.

Sakura moved back to the tree to check on her team. Sasuke and Naruto remained unconscious, their fevers still prevalent, but nothing new about their condition. _We're going to fix what that Orochimaru did to you two, I promise._

Moving from them to Lee, she found him in a peaceful state of either sleep or unconsciousness. She couldn't rightly tell, but she patted him on the head in thanks and moved to Amari. Of everyone, her fellow kunoichi was in the worst shape. Crimson red stained her bandages and trailed down her face and limbs. As she knelt down next to her and rested a hand on Amari's right hand, the Nara's eye cracked open a little.

"Sa- Sakura?"

Sakura squeezed her hand. "It's okay, Amari. I was able to wound them pretty badly, and now Shikamaru's team is here to help us finish it."

Amari's body twitched but didn't move very far. "Can you…help me sit up?"

"You shouldn't move around too much. Your injuries are really bad."

"I know…but I want to make sure Shika…stays safe."

Sakura wanted to argue, but resigned to defeat, smiling softly at her friend. "All right."

Using her legs and torso as a cushion, she braced her teammate's upper body against her so she could monitor the fight. Sakura placed her hands on Amari's biceps and began transferring some of her chakra over to her. It was the least she could do in their current situation.

Two fingers jabbed her forehead and drew her attention down to Amari beaming tiredly up at her. "I told you…you could do it."

Sakura smiled softly. "Thank you for believing in me."

"It's what…friends are for."

The sound of a single _caw_ made Sakura's eyes dart to the source. Above them, in the canopy of the trees, crows were beginning to gather. _The crows again?_

"Do you really think you three can beat us?" Zaku sneered. "Even with one arm I could defeat you flunkies."

"From a second rate village," Dosu added on.

"Huh. That's pretty tough talk from someone about to die," a new snarling voice entered the conversation.

 _Wait a minute, I know that voice._ Sakura's eyes flitted up to a nearby tree where Neji, Tenten and Mimi all stared down at the gathered group. Mimi's softer features no longer existed, replaced by a murderous glare. "I'm going to enjoy tearing you ignorant bastards' limb from limb!" she seethed.

"You amateurs think picking on injured shinobi makes you powerful? Tch, you won't last five minutes against us," Neji finished.

"I wondered when they'd get here," Sakura said. Hope blossomed in her chest. "Once this fight is over, we can have Mimi take a look at your injuries and heal them, Amari."

"That's good. This pain…is such a drag."

"Lee," Tenten's voice carried deep concern for their unconscious teammate as she spotted him next to Sakura.

There was a short series of barks from the ninken of the group. "He'll be okay, Tenten. Aoko says he used the Primary Lotus and a ruptured eardrum, but it's nothing I can't fix. He'll be back to his usual hot-blooded self in no time," Mimi soothed. The ninken began barking again. "What did you say?" She barked again and this time pure fury crossed the Inuzuka's face. "Sakura! Which one of these bastards did the damage to Amari?! Which one?!" she demanded.

Startled by her voice and piercing glare, Sakura couldn't get a word out in time to explain anything.

"We all got our hits in on that little brat and the idiot in the green spandex, you stupid mutt," Zaku taunted.

Something visibly snapped in Mimi. Pupils shifted into slits as her entire body began to tremble with rage. She crouched down onto all fours. "Nobody will be able to recognize your corpses when I'm done with you!" Aoko barked in agreement.

Neji's Byakugan activated in his own anger. "No one is allowed to use our teammate as a punching bag for their own twisted enjoyment!"

"If you don't like that then you're going to enjoy this. I'll take care of your buddy and all these Genin's right now in one fell swoop!" Zaku brought both hands up and aimed them right at the tree full of Genin. "Supersonic Slicing Wave!"

Out of his hands came a huge wave of energy barreling right at them. There'd be no time to grab everyone and escape, no time for even Shikamaru's team to dodge the attack. Sakura, prepared to at the least take the brunt of the damage for her teammates, started to move to protect Amari. But then a flash of red below her caught her eyes. Glancing down, her eyes widened at the sight of green chakra enveloping her teammate. Then she felt Amari's weight disappear, the only sign she had even been there being a green flash.

" **Ultimate Defense: Dragon Shield**!" The voice that roared those words was a low rumbling mixed in with Amari's voice.

The supersonic wave hit the surge of green chakra and created a blinding light. As everyone tried to cover their eyes and heads, their panicked screams drowned out by the noise of the collision, Sakura recalled a conversation she had with Amari during their week of training she hadn't thought anything of.

" _Damn it."_

" _What's wrong?"_

" _Huh? Oh, I was…I've got this idea in my head to try to get my chakra cloak flowing fast enough to have defensive properties. I'm trying to give it a shape, but so far I haven't figured out a way to do it that works."_

Had Amari finally figured out a way? Was that why nothing was touching her or Shikamaru's team? Or had her teammate just sacrificed herself for all of them?

 _Please…don't be dead._

When the wind died down and the blinding light faded, Zaku could be seen in his original position panting from the chakra his attack took. Directly in front of Shikamaru's team, however, was Amari, standing on one leg with her hands held out in front of her.

"'Ri- 'Risu?" Shikamaru's stunned voice echoed their thoughts.

"Wha- What is that?" Dosu questioned in fear.

Encased around Amari was a large green dragon head. The head was made of purely chakra; the counter-clockwise rapid flow could be seen as it slowed down and began to fade. Four spiked horns pointed backwards at the top of its head; the right eye was crimson and the left a pale white, mirroring its originators eyes perfectly. Even its razor sharp teeth were defined.

"The chakra coming off her is incredible! Is this some sort of Barrier Ninjutsu?" Ino asked in shock.

"No," Shikamaru answered, calmed down now that they were safe. "The purpose is similar, but the shield is purely 'Risu's chakra."

 _And every last drop went into saving us_ , went unspoken.

Amari's chakra cloak faded and she began to fall forward, her muscles going slack from exhaustion. It was then two crows swooped down from the trees and landed on her shoulders. Chakra glowed at their talons, a note that surprised Sakura immensely. _They're transferring chakra to her. But…why?_

Amari's body stopped falling. Her leg steadied and her strength returned. "I warned you, didn't I?" Amari spoke, her voice deadly as her body remained upright. "I told you I would make you wish you had run away when you still had the chance. That if you laid a hand on another Leaf shinobi, I would break your toys…and then you tried to kill my friends. _Again_! One last chance: hand over your scroll, or I will make good on my promises."

"Oh yeah? You want to die first then, is that it? Fine, I'll grant you your wish," Zaku retorted.

"Zaku, no! Just give her the scroll!" Only Dosu realized the situation at hand, his eyes darting around to see the hundreds of crows now congregated around them, and the killing intent beginning to chill the air.

"Heh, what's wrong, Dosu? Lost your nerve? Don't worry, I'll finish her off right now!"

"As you wish," Amari's voice was murderous. Sakura blinked and then Zaku collapsed onto his hands and knees, trembles seizing his body up as pure terror pulled onto his face. "Demonic Dragon: Shadowed Death Jutsu is my second most powerful genjutsu. And look at you, trembling like a leaf. After this next attack, you'll beg me for mercy. But you'll find that any mercy I had left has withered away."

"Go…to…hell!"

"Ninja Art: Shadow Dragons." Her Shadow extended ahead of her, splitting first in to four separate tendrils and then shifting again into dragon heads with the same four horns on them as her ultimate defense.

As they reached the frightened Zaku, two of the dragons wrapped around his feet and up his calves to his knees; they chomped down on his knees and continued to squeeze their sharpened shadow teeth around them until their enemy was screaming in pain. The other two spiraled up his forearms to his elbows and did the same there as well.

"These toys of yours, they don't make you a shinobi. Your arrogance does not make you a shinobi. Your lust for blood does not even make you a shinobi. You're a fake, a fraud, a coward who targets the weak and thinks it makes him strong. And after I'm done with you, you won't even be able to use those precious arms of yours without Medical Ninjutsu. But I don't have to tell you that, do I? Because my genjutsu showed you your fate."

Zaku's eyes bulged as he stared in terror at Amari. "No! No! Stop, let go of me! Leave my arms alone!"

"See? Begging for mercy. But remember what I said? My mercy has withered."

Her Shadow Dragons lifted off the ground and force his arms back and up at an awkward angle. Dosu could only watch in horror, unable to move his body at what the kunoichi was doing to his teammate.

"Say goodbye to your arms."

"Nooooo! Nooo! Stop! Please!" Zaku cried out for mercy.

He found none.

The Shadow Dragons pulled on his arms until they broke. The crack of bones made Sakura gasp in shock and bring her hand to her mouth as her teammate extracted revenge. _Amari…_

Zaku screamed as his arms broke but when her shadows receded, the once cocky shinobi fell silent and face first in the dirt unconscious. Amari's head turned ever so slightly to look directly at Dosu. The man was already trembling in fear, taking a single step back upon her gaze meeting his. "You. Dosu. Your toy or the scroll. Your choice."

"The scroll is yours, child of Uchiha blood." He maneuvered over to his teammate and took the scroll from his unconscious body. He hesitantly stepped closer to place the Earth Scroll between them as a peace offering. "What is your name, child?"

"Amaririsu Yūhi. I am a proud member of the Nara Clan and the Uchiha Clan. That is all you need to know."

"I understand. We were sent to test Sasuke Uchiha, but you are an Uchiha as well—that is a loophole I see as acceptable." He moved back to Zaku and picked him up. "It would seem we underestimated you and your teammate, but this killing intent and your skills are far more chilling than I believed possible from a young girl like you." He picked up Kin next. "If Sasuke has that mark you mentioned, then it may be as you say: we may have simply been puppets sent to a slaughter. And these crows…I dare not say more in their presence."

"Very wise, Sound shinobi," a foreign voice called from the trees. "Should you attack again, you will feel the wrath of the crows. And I assure you none have survived it."

"I understand," Dosu said. He cast one last glance at Amari. "For the moment, we are even. But should we ever meet in combat in the future, we won't run or hide."

"Neither will we. Now go while you still can."

Dosu nodded once and disappeared into the forest. The crows in the trees dispersed to follow after him.

"Please…tell your leader: thank you. For yesterday and today. I couldn't have performed those last two techniques without your help," Amari said to the two crows.

The crows _cawed_ and left her. Without the steady flow of chakra fueling her and the adrenaline gone once more, Amari collapsed backwards. No fight left in a single cell in her body. Sakura was already on her feet rushing over when Shikamaru caught her in his arms and sat down with her.

Worried, Sakura slid down onto the grass next to them and place her hands on her to start giving her chakra. The amount of chakra she just expended to save them…She was on the knives edge of absolute zero.

Shikamaru nodded once to her, but she noticed the faint smile on his face as he looked at his cousin. "You always push yourself too far, 'Risu."

"And you're…here." Amari nuzzled into him. "Took you long enough…lazy bones."

"We'll take care of you from here, 'Risu. You just rest."

"This test has been such a drag."

"Told you it would be."

Despite the tense situation they just went through and all the emotions it brought forth, just to hear the small banter was enough for Sakura to begin giggling.

 _Some things never change._


	29. Chapter 28: Another Word for Friend

Chapter 28

Aftermath of Sound: Just Another Word for Friend

 _"Amaririsu has reached her limit,"_ Aoko murmured.

Mimi's head dipped in a barely visible nod to her companion's diagnosis. "Yeah. She has," she agreed quietly, blue eyes refusing to budge from the downed kunoichi.

The stench of blood and smoke filled her nostrils, the former being sourced predominantly by Amari. Her fair skin seemed paler, drained of what little color it had via blood loss. Crimson red covered her face like war paint. Around her shoulders and thigh the blood was thicker, staining her clothes and her limbs, but the blood continued to trail down like tiny rivers, weaving and winding to the tips of her fingers and toes.

With every passing second her exhaustion became evident on her face and in her body language. The tension in her muscles faded, slowly but surely becoming fully relaxed after the extreme exertion she put them through. Shikamaru supported her collapsed body in a seated position, and even at a distance Mimi could see how the red fire in her eye had been doused for the dull, exhausted onyx.

Sakura was doing her best to transfer over chakra—a good move considering what Amari had done, but what she needed most was medical attention. And she needed it soon.

The state Amari sat in reminded Mimi of a particular training exercise she had with Guy. It had been one of the most intense days she ever went through, but the experience and the lesson he taught her stuck in her mind like a splinter she could never remove.

" _You need to push harder, Mimi. Go beyond your limits!" Guy coached, stern and absent of his usual excitable attitude._

 _Mimi struggled to lift her head up, chest heaving against the hard ground with every labored breath. "Gu- Guy-sensei, I don't—" She winced in pain. "I don't think I have anything left in the tank."_

" _If that's the case, then you can forget fighting from the front," Guy told her. "You are without a doubt strong, but not nearly as strong as is necessary for a medical-ninja to fight at the front."_

 _She didn't have it in her to growl in annoyance, yet those words ignited her anger faster than a fire to oil. "To hell…with the back. I'm…not going to…sit back and watch you all fight!"_

 _He narrowed his eyes. "Then get back up. Prove to me you have the will to stand up again and again no matter what your enemy throws at you."_

 _Mimi growled. Everything hurt. Every limb felt heavier than one of Lee's leg weights, but she wouldn't lay here and quit. If Guy wanted her to prove her strength, she'd punch his teeth down his throat!_

 _Mimi started to push her heavy body back up; her arms trembled underneath her weight, both begging her just to stop and collapse back to the ground. No way. She hadn't trained her ass off to be a medic and a fighter to give up here. Hana believed she could do it. Her parents would have too._

 _Nobody was going to take away everything she fought for. Not the Academy teachers who hated her because of her father's place of birth. Not the bullies who tried to make her life more akin to hell than it already was. And not Guy!_

 _Her dream was to protect people. To heal and save as many lives as she could to keep more kids from losing their parents like she had._

 _That meant she couldn't give up now._

 _Slowly but surely she got one foot under her. Then another. Soon she was braced on her knees, panting and sweating out of every pore. Her warm body contrasted the cold sweat dripping off of her body, soaking everything from her hair to her clothing._

" _Come at me again!" Guy demanded, raising his arms out and leaving himself wide open. "Even when you reach your limit, you have to go beyond for the sake of your comrades. That is your duty as not only a medical-ninja, but as a Leaf shinobi. You want to heal and save as many lives as you can, right? Then stand up and fight! Stop me from killing your comrade!"_

 _On unsteady legs, she trudged forward, collapsing now and then, but pushing herself back onto her feet every time. By the time she reached her sensei, every last drop of energy seemed to be drained out of her. Somehow, though, she managed to lift her heavy fist up to punch him square in the sternum with her remaining strength._

 _Guy gasped in pain and hunched over. For a moment teacher and student stood there, one panting in exhaustion, the other silent and bent at the waist. Then Mimi felt weightless. It took her an extra few seconds to realize Guy was lifting her off the ground in a giant bear hug. "Great work, Mimi! I knew you could do it!"_

Later that day, when she finally recovered enough to breathe normally, Guy taught her an important lesson.

" _Listen close, Mimi. For what I am about to tell is possibly one of the most important lessons I can ever teach you," Guy started, his voice and face serious. "There may come a time when you face a shinobi who pushes you all the way to your limits. It may feel as if the fire in your heart has burned itself out. But a shinobi who has someone precious to them will find embers waiting among the ashes._

" _When you feel you have nothing left to give, look for those embers. Remember what is most precious to you, grab hold of it and use it as a new flame to burn even brighter than before! Use it to surpass your limits, and you will overcome even the toughest of opponents. After all, it's not only powerful jutsus and intelligence that determine a battle." He grinned. "Guts are just as important to a shinobi."_

Guts, willpower, mind over matter; regardless of what it was called, it wasn't something any average person could tap into. Those embers were hard to find, and the flame it created was even harder to sustain for an extended period of time. Out of every shinobi Mimi had ever met, she only ever witnessed three do so firsthand: Guy, Lee and Amari. Four if she included herself every time Guy pushed her to prove she could still do it.

Never, though, did she witness it in a real combat situation like this. Training and sparring was vastly different than the real thing. When Guy pushed them, he didn't intentionally break bones or harm them with ninja tools. When they pushed Amari, only Neji tried to actually bring real harm to her.

To have the wounds Amari sustained and still find those embers…

"You are one tough kid, Amari," Mimi muttered under her breath.

The younger kunoichi put on a tough face, but internally she was a mess according to Aoko's senses. A ruptured eardrum, kunai wounds to her right thigh and both shoulders—the right shoulder being severe and one of her greatest worries—and that didn't take into account the head injury, which likely caused a concussion or the deep tissue contusions Mimi was certain she'd find when she did a Diagnostic Jutsu.

Any one of those would have incapacitated an average shinobi. One ruptured ear drum knocked that Kabuto guy down, and he was older and more experienced than them. But Amari…she pushed her body past its limits to keep everyone safe. She found her embers and turned them into one final inferno to protect the people precious to her. Adrenaline played its role, of course, but Mimi wouldn't discredit the girl's willpower or how she risked her life with her defensive jutsu.

 _For her chakra to become essentially a shield…_ "Neji, how fast was her chakra flowing when she created that dragon head?" Mimi asked, turning her head to look at her teammate. His Byakugan had been activated during the clash of the two jutsus. He must have seen something.

"Incredibly fast," he answered, voice analytical and to the point. "Right before the attack hit them she unleashed a massive amount of chakra all at once, which wouldn't have done anything on its own. But…" He hummed, thoughtful and unsure.

"What is it, Neji?" Tenten asked.

"While she did manage to increase the flow of her chakra to reach a reflective speed, the shape it took and the color of its eyes weren't sourced by the chakra alone." He brought a hand to his chin as he examined the kunoichi. "It was hard to see, but I noticed the shape shift into the dragon head right before the moment of impact. And at that moment, there was a spike of immense chakra in her right eye."

Mimi raised her eyebrows. "You think she used the Sharingan to enhance the technique?"

"I can't be sure," he said, lowering his hand. "The amount of chakra she unleashed in that brief moment made it hard to pinpoint every tiny detail. But I find it harder to believe she gained chakra control mastery beyond a medic-nin like yourself and a user of the Gentle Fist like me in such a short time."

"Good point."

Amari was good, but it hadn't been nearly enough time for her to surpass their chakra control. Definitely to pull off that technique.

" _The Sharingan is incredible, but it is not flawless,"_ Aoko murmured. _"Although her shield kept the other's safe, her use of it did not come without a cost. I can sense new tears to the muscle fibers in her arms."_

"What? How?" Mimi questioned in surprise. When could that have happened? Neither of the Sound shinobi had a chance to strike her again after the shield. And the movements she made couldn't have torn muscle fibers, even in the pitiful state she currently sat in.

" _Think about it, Mimi. Imagine trying to stop a raging bull with a shield. The shield may protect you for its horns, but the force of its attempt to gore you is still behind the strike. And every ounce force from Zaku's jutsu went right into her arms,"_ Aoko explained. _"She may have called it an Ultimate Defense, but it is an imperfect jutsu and imperfect defense."_

Mimi hummed. _And it drained her chakra to nearly absolute zero._ She would need to warn the kunoichi not to use it until she either had greater chakra reserves, or she found a way to lessen the damage done to herself. Otherwise it'd be safer labeling it a Forbidden Technique to never be used again.

Her blue eyes flicked up into the tree Team Seven used as shelter, her nose sniffing the air to track the scent of the crow who spoke. _She's still there_ , she noted. Hidden from sight, yet still among the shadows to monitor them. _Without the interference of those crows, it's all too likely Amari would have died before anyone realized she needed chakra._

"All of these problems on top of blood loss." Mimi shook her head. "She needs serious medical attention, more than I can provide in this forest and during this test."

" _The damage to her right shoulder and thigh are the worst of the wounds I can sense. However, I'm unsure we will be able to fix her shoulder after the torture she appears to have sustained,"_ Aoko informed.

The Inuzuka growled lowly at the reminder. She wouldn't know the real extent of damage until she checked it out firsthand, but she didn't doubt her ninken's analysis.

"You think it was one of those punks?" she asked, her voice more of a snarl than anything else. Her blood was still boiling. If one of the Sound punks were responsible for the wound, she'd gladly extract vengeance on them and make their corpses unrecognizable.

" _Doubtful. Had they been responsible, I don't believe the crows would have let them walk away freely. Their fierce loyalty to their chosen companions is only rivaled by the Inuzuka Clan ninken. And their wrath is said to be truly terrifying."_

Mimi shook her head, eyebrows raised in fascination of the information. She had heard older shinobi mention the Crows of the Leaf before, usually those who had fought in wars or patrolled the borders, but the younger shinobi usually dismissed it as a joke. An old tactic used to frighten invading shinobi into paranoia.

Once she asked her Aunty if they were real, but Tsume only grinned and said, _"Maybe. Maybe not. Might be forbidden for me to tell you. Might not be. You'll just have to keep an eye out and your ears open." She paused. "Though, I'm not sure what good that'll do you. They say the crows move through the shadows of the Leaf. Seeing everything, but never being seen." Her grin widened. "So, if you do piss them off, you probably won't know until it's too late."_

It had come off as just a big joke to her as a child. A way to try to make her paranoid about going outside. Yet now…"I always thought the Crows of the Leaf were just a legend. A ghost story to spook invading shinobi," Mimi said.

Yet now it seemed her Aunty's words had been truth veiled as a joke.

"As did I," Neji agreed. "But clearly they are very real. I've heard whispers of their existence among my Clan. I thought it nothing more than gossip of old men, yet it appears that is the point. As a fictitious legend, future invaders will lower their guard and fall prey to them one by one."

"A wise conclusion." The voice came from directly behind them, and the scent of the crow she had been tracking disappeared completely. Mimi spun around and searched everywhere with her eyes and nose, yet she could find no trace of the bird. Neji and Tenten did the same, the boy of the pair attempting to use his Byakugan. "You will not find me, so I implore you not to waste your time. Fear not, I have no quarrel with you as of now. I came to ask a favor."

 _"I cannot sense her,"_ Aoko murmured. Her ninken exhaled a small snort, sign she was grinning in thrill. _"It's no wonder they are feared by all who know of their existence. Terrifying indeed."_

A nervous grin pulled onto Mimi's face. A creature the Byakugan and an Inuzuka could not track? This crow was one dangerous bird. "A favor, huh?"

"You are a medic." A statement, not a question.

Mimi nodded once. "I am, but if your favor is to heal Amari, save it. I plan to do it anyways."

"I see. You have my gratitude then. Know your teammate, Rock Lee, did not fall easily. Even after the Primary Lotus, he continued to do everything in his power to defend Team Seven." Mimi didn't expect anything less from her stubborn teammate, but she nodded in appreciation of the information. "When he awakens, extend my gratitude to him as well. He has earned honor for himself and brought honor to his Sensei, team and the Leaf."

"Lee will be ecstatic to hear that," Mimi said. _If he isn't beating himself up too much._

"Fair winds guide you and farewell."

A moment later her scent returned to its original position. "She's gone," Mimi informed her teammates.

"It seems the Crows of the Leaf live up to their legend," said Neji, his Byakugan eyes returning to normal. "I could not find her anywhere until she returned to the tree. What unnerves me even more is she already knew you were a medic, Mimi. As far as I know, you haven't revealed your Medical Ninjutsu in this forest."

It came off as a statement, but the way his lilac eyes flicked over to her turned it into a question. "I haven't. Didn't see the sense in healing our competition."

His eyes returned to the tree the crow hid within. "So unless she eavesdropped on our conversation, which seems unlikely given the distance between us and the tree, it can only mean they've gathered intelligence on us long before we entered this exam."

"But…why would they gather intelligence on us?" Tenten asked. "We're Leaf shinobi. We haven't done anything to draw the attention of them, unless you consider Guy-sensei's crazy challenges."

"No, we have, Tenten. We just didn't realize it." His eyes flitted down to Amari. "The crows specifically aided Amaririsu. From what we heard her say to them after the Sound shinobi left clearly shows she doesn't seem to know them personally. Furthermore, that crow came to ask Mimi to heal Amaririsu—a favor, she called it." Neji shook his head. "It can't be coincidence. They must be monitoring her, at least as far back as our fight with her."

"I can see your point, but they may just know I'm a medic because they researched the shinobi taking part in the exam," Mimi pointed out.

"Perhaps you are right. But one thing I remain certain of: they are not here by coincidence."

Mimi and Tenten nodded. "Yeah, no doubt about that," the Inuzuka said.

"…I'm going to be paranoid about every crow I see from now on," Tenten muttered.

Mimi chuckled lightly. "You and me both, Tenten."

 _"Agreed."_

"I'm going to go help Lee and Amari. Tenten, can you try and wake Lee up for me while I run a Diagnosis Jutsu on Amari?" Mimi asked. She needed to learn the full extent of the damage and then figure out from there what she could do to help.

Her teammate nodded. "I'll handle him."

Both kunoichi jumped down, separating to go to attend to the wounded. Amari appeared to be barely hanging onto consciousness when Mimi approached her. Her chest heaved from controlled but large breaths. Every time her chest expanded, however, she winced and her breath shuddered.

Shikamaru held onto her, bracing her seated frame while Sakura had beads of sweat formed on her brow as she transferred over more chakra. _She keeps this up, she'll weaken herself in an attempt to fix something that only time can fix now._

Her approach didn't go unnoticed. All three looked up at her, Shikamaru and Sakura equally hopeful and desperate for her to help. Amari offered a weak smile. "Hey Mimi. Fancy meeting you her—agh!" Every muscle in her body tensed and her eye slammed shut. By the time the pain faded, the kunoichi was panting and struggling to look up at her.

"Fancy that," Mimi returned, smiling as supportively as she could. _She's in bad shape. Worse than Aoko can sense for me._ Her blue eyes moved to Sakura. "Sakura, you've done enough. I'll take things from here."

It was time for her to take charge of the situation.

Sakura nodded, albeit reluctantly, and removed her hands from Amari. "Okay."

"Thank you, Sakura," Amari thanked.

Mimi crouched down in front of Amari and performed her Diagnostic Jutsu. Warm and inviting green surrounded her gloved hands in a hue as she moved them across her injured body. _Muscle tears in her forearms and biceps, just like Aoko said_ , she diagnosed. _And whoever stabbed her got the blades in deep. But this one on her right shoulder…_ Mimi frowned. _Someone rotated the blade back and forth as they impaled it into her._

The internal damage was extensive. Tears in her rotator cuff tendon, a small fracture in her shoulder girdle and mere inches from severing the subclavian artery. Mimi took a calming breath, nerves rattled by how close Amari came to death. Any closer and she'd have died long before Mimi arrived on the scene. And even had she been here, to sever that artery meant death without someone of Lady Tsunade's skill around.

"How's the right arm? Still feel it? Tingling? Anything besides pain?"

"Tingles a little. Tips of my fingers feel numb."

Mimi hummed, filed the information away and moved on. "Breathing hard?" she asked.

"Every now and then."

Another hum. _She can't feel it because of all the other pain, but she has severe contusions to her ribs. Nothing splintered, thankfully, but whatever hit her chest left a mark._ Mentally she shook her head. _And her back isn't in any better shape. She had to hit something hard for these contusions._

There were other cuts, none that coincided with an average blade, closer to a Wind Nature Jutsu at a guess. Scratches from tree bark tore through the fabric of her clothing and marked her back. Overall, though, those were surface wounds. Nothing too hard to fix up.

"Headache?"

"If it's there, I can't feel it."

 _A minor concussion, too. I can't tell if it's from someone head-butting her, or if she was the one who head-butted someone else._ There was an open wound on her forehead too, the source of the blood covering her face. Mimi lowered her hands and rested them on her knees, a frown on her lips. _I can heal the majority of her injuries, no problem. But it'd take most of my chakra and several days of intensive healing. And we're still in this test._

She needed to maintain her strength and chakra so she could fight on the chance they ran into enemies. Also to heal Amari fully would require her to leave her team for the remainder of the test and travel with Team Seven. With both scrolls already in their possession, her three teammates would want to head straight for the exit to finish the test. _If Team Seven started with an Earth Scroll, they'll still need a Heaven Scroll to match it._

"Have you gotten both scrolls now?" Mimi questioned.

Sakura shook her head no but Amari nodded yes. Mimi cocked an eyebrow. Either Amari was delirious, or there was a serious lack of communication between teammates here. _I'm not sure which is worse._

"Shika…Back pouch."

Shikamaru reached into her back pouch and pulled out two Heaven Scrolls.

The sight of them shot Sakura's eyebrows skyward. "But…how?"

"I created a fake for ours when we were waiting to ambush that Rain ninja. A carbon copy with the same marker in case we needed to do a mock surrender. After we captured his Heaven Scroll, I decided to do it again to—" Amari grunted and squeezed her eye shut again. Muscles rippled as they tightened in response to wherever the shooting pain came from. "The scrolls Sasuke gave to Orochimaru were the fakes I created. I kept the real ones in hopes he wouldn't notice the difference. Fortunately, he didn't," she rushed out.

"Orochimaru?" Shikamaru and Mimi balked in unison.

What the hell is the rogue ninja attacking them for?

"Long story, too much pain to talk," Amari forced out. "I know…I know you have an Earth Scroll, Shika. Take one so we can all pass this stupid, troublesome test."

Mimi didn't say anything, but she noticed Shikamaru squeeze her hand in thanks.

 _"So, it seems Orochimaru is the one who attacked them,"_ Aoko murmured, concern in her voice. _"I wonder: did she outsmart him, or did he allow her to? Orochimaru was said to be a genius. I do not doubt Amaririsu's cunning, but his presence unsettles me. Especially since they survived."_

"Yeah," Mimi agreed. Team Seven obviously barely survived, but the fact they even survived against one of the Legendary Sannin could only mean he let them. _As long as he doesn't show up again…_

"Come on, Lee! Get it together! Snap out of it, all right!" Tenten's shouts brought a laugh out of Mimi and a grin to her lips.

 _That's Tenten._

With Team Seven in possession of their scrolls, the matter of healing Amari became far less complicated. All she would need to do was stay with the team and escort them to the tower.

Simple.

 _Yeah, right._

Her blue eyes flicked back over to Amari's right shoulder. _Everything except that shoulder is in my realm of skills. I can heal the less severe portions of it, but she needs a seasoned medic-nin for the rest. Possibly even surgery._

"Amari, it's going to take me a few days to patch you up," she said. "I'll heal as much as I can now before I take care of Lee. I won't lie to you and say you're perfectly fine. Honestly, you're in pretty bad shape."

"Are you sure? I think I can go another round, Doc," Amari jested weakly.

Mimi chuckled. "All right, smartass. Let's stop you from bleeding out first. Afterwards I'll kick your ass."

"I'll pass. I've already hit my butt kicked quota this year."

"Hehe, all right. I have to wait my turn anyways."

She did promise Lee to have the first bout. As soon as he did, though, it'd be her turn to finally fight her again.

After what she witnessed today, she was even more excited for that day to come.

* * *

Power. It had been Sasuke's goal to gain as much power as possible to destroy his brother. To do so, he listened to Itachi's final words, his final piece of "advice" as an older brother.

Hatred. He needed more hatred. To grow the darkness and forsake the nuisance bonds around him to focus solely on this single bond of hatred binding two brothers together. In that darkness, where his hatred broiled and festered, he would do more than surpass his brother. He would strike him down, destroy the shadow he casted over him and finally be free…and alone.

" _You weren't the only survivor."_

Those five words changed everything. It started to shift the path he walked alone, slowly, but he could feel it. He could feel his pace picking up, no longer trudging further into solitude and darkness, but jogging, running, sprinting towards this single light his eyes finally saw. Trying desperately to catch her to see the truth with his own eyes, to reach out and touch her to prove she wasn't an illusion.

Another Uchiha. Another survivor.

She was vastly different from him, but they shared a similar goal: to destroy the people who tore their loved ones from their arms. Unlike him, though, she did not shut the world out. She kept trying to reach out to others, to help them, to save them from their loneliness like Naruto, and to save herself from her own. He couldn't understand why. Why couldn't she see the single connection of hatred she needed? Why did she risk becoming attached when it only shortened the distance the knife needed to travel to sever what was left of her heart?

Yet she kept getting stronger. She kept pushing past her limits, surpassing him with the strength she found in her bonds.

 _"And if your strength ever fails you, you can always look to us to give you ours in its stead to overcome whatever obstacle is in your way."_

He could hear the wisdom behind her words, but he latched onto his brother's words instead, forgetting again and again the single greatest lie Sasuke lived with for years: he was the last.

The only survivor Itachi decided to spare.

All lies. He wasn't the last Uchiha. He wasn't the only one who was spared. And he wasn't alone. But he was stubborn. He chose to stand near the only light he had seen in his darkness but never followed it beyond the shadowy border. There he stood, basking in its warmth, but always looking back to the cold shadows.

" _You're a- an Uchiha and a member of Team Seven, after all. That makes you family."_

Family…His only family had been murdered, their ties of love severed from within. Family…he had forgotten what having one felt like. In the cold shadows he walked through, those past feelings all but disappeared. But those words—no, that declaration burned away the shadows around him so he could finally see the scarred left hand reaching out to him, trying to save him too. Trying to pull him off a path he had been shoved onto and left to walk alone so he could walk beside her.

They wouldn't have to be alone.

For so long he walked a path of deceit, led by the master puppeteer behind his suffering: Itachi. All of his lies, they never stopped, even in those final moments. Why would his brother give him any real advice? Why would he tell him how to destroy him? He hadn't wanted him to grow his hatred because it would make him stronger than him. No, he wanted him to grow his hatred and nothing more so when they finally fought, he would be able to defeat his naïve little brother with ease.

 _I…refuse to follow your lies any longer, Itachi. I won't be your puppet!_

But after those flames destroyed his original shadows, more darkness leapt forward to pull him back in. He could feel its cold tendrils around his body. He could hear its indoctrinating whispers in his ears, using his pride and his goals against him to give in to the darkness.

Sasuke wouldn't lie, it was so tempting. He could _feel_ the power thrumming in the shadows. He knew if he just let go of that scarred hand and fell back into it, the immediate boost of power would be _so_ gratifying. He could just give in and it would all be his to use.

Yet, he still held onto that hand. Because his Sharingan eyes could pierce this darkness. He could see the snake slithering in the shadows, tempting him for its own purposes, attempting to get him to use this evil power so he would become the puppet again.

 _I refuse to be your pawn! I refuse your "gift" and all it entails! I will walk the path_ _ **I**_ _decide to walk! I will gain the power to kill Itachi my own way! I won't listen to your honeyed words or Itachi's when I know you're both using me to reach your own ends! I will not be either of your puppets! Now get the hell away from me!_

Sasuke bolted up right, body cold with sweat and trembling as he gasped desperately for air. His vision remained fogged, blurry figures on both of his sides, and his left shoulder burned with fierce intensity. He could feel the taint thrumming through his body; burning, itching, clawing to be freed of his control. Despite the physical pain it caused him, he kept fighting to keep it caged.

This tainted power would only cloud his vision. He would become a tool, a pawn for that Orochimaru's desires. _To hell with your power and your schemes! I don't need you to achieve my goals!_

His internal shouts only incensed the taint. Its claws set fire to every inch of his body. He choked and hunched forward, grabbing at his shoulder as the indoctrinating whispers echoed in his ears. The honeyed promises, the demands to let go of his control and use this power tempted him. This power, he could use it to destroy his brother, if only he sacrificed his free will to do it. If he sacrificed everything for his goal he could have the power necessary to defeat Itachi.

" _That makes you family."_

Sasuke growled in agony and clawed at his shoulder.

 _I…don't…need…your power!_

All he had to do was say he wanted this power. All he had to do was give in and it'd be his to use for his own whims. He could surpass all those around him, gain power unlike anything they had ever seen and continue on the path he had been walking.

The path of an avenger.

The path of loneliness.

He only needed to give in and he could have _real_ power.

 _I…refuse!_

He would regret it more if he didn't take this power. Why should he play at shinobi when this power was at his fingertips? Why play by the rules of the Leaf? Why hold onto that child's hand when this power could be his?

 _Because…she's my clan-sister!_ Sasuke's eyes snapped open, red Sharingan blazing. _Now shut the hell up!_

The clawing and burning slowly began to recede back towards his shoulder. Eventually it faded and cooled until all that remained was an irritable itch.

He heaved heavy breaths, face dripping with sweat, body trembling against the internal agony he just withstood. A pitiful state for an Uchiha, but he didn't much care. The whispers had faded. Again his body and mind were his own. That was a victory in itself, one worthy of an Uchiha.

"Sas- Sasuke?" The voice of Sakura startled him but he kept his body from locking up. He looked to his left and found her kneeling next to him. She wore a bewildered and almost frightened look, but his eyes were the ones that widened when he noticed the differences in her appearance. "Are yo- are you okay?" she asked.

There was a tremble in her voice. Was she…afraid of him? Or for him? Exhausted from his internal fight, he could only deactivate his Sharingan and nod tiredly. Whatever had been happening to him, it wasn't happening anymore. His body was slowly cooling off and his breathing calmed through practiced breaths.

He did his best to survey the area in his current seated, hunched over state. On his other side was Naruto, still unconscious after what Orochimaru did to him. _I need to figure out how long I've been out._ He glanced back over to Sakura. _And figure out what the hell happened to her hair._

Later, though. When he wouldn't be impeded by his labored breathing and as soon as he was sure the area was clear. Eyes moving again, he noticed the signs of traps set up underneath the shelter he was under. His nose caught the scent of smoke in the air. _They must have set off paper bombs._

A thin layer of smoke hung with dust, signs he only just missed a fight from the looks of it. Behind Sakura, he noticed the shapes of a handful of people, but his eyes struggled to make out their identities, still fogged by the struggle he just experienced.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Sakura pressed. "There were these…black marks all over your skin, and your chakra was swirling around you. But then they receded back to your shoulder."

"Is there…anything there now?" he asked.

She nodded. "A small black mark, some kind of Seal according to Amari."

 _A Seal, huh?_ So that's what the freak planted on him. The "gift" he gave him and the source of the burning and whispers. _If it's still there, I guess that means my fight with it isn't over yet._

"Amari said you would need to be careful expending chakra. She said the mark provided chakra, but it was vile and more akin to a poison from what she could…see." Sakura's eyes flicked to the corner, as if trying to use her eyes like a Byakugan to see behind her. The subtle action made it clear the secrets of their teammate needed to remain as such.

Sasuke nodded. From what he felt, he didn't doubt her observation at all. He could feel the power behind it, but he could feel the evil in it, a malicious intent that claimed it could be controlled, yet would assert control over him instead.

"We won't be able to do anything about it without Sensei, but—"

"We have to finish the Exam first," Sasuke finished for her. His strength slowly returned. Sitting back and removing his hand from his shoulder, he shook his head and sighed. "And we don't have any scrolls. Great."

Sakura giggled lightly at his words. He turned to her, confused by her action and by the shortness of her hair. The ends were uneven, cut hastily and without care for what it would look like. "Funny thing about that, Amari gave you fakes." Sasuke's eyebrows rose to their peaks. The look on his face only served to cause Sakura more laughter. "We still have a Heaven scroll, and while you were unconscious we got an Earth scroll. The other Heaven scroll she gave to Shikamaru."

Sakura shifted her body so he could see past her to the figures in the distance. His eyes finally adjusted to the world around him. Shikamaru's team and Team Guy were out there. Shikamaru sat closest to the tree, his torso used as a cushion for Amari's body. Chōji crouched next to them, feeding a chip to Amari as he smiled kindly to her. In front of his teammate was Mimi kneeling on the grassy floor, her eyes focused on the task of what appeared to be healing Amari while Aoko lounged in her hood.

Everyone else was spread out, Tenten and Ino stood near one another with Lee sitting at their feet. Neji stood in a nearby tree, eyes moving between Amari and Sasuke for one reason or another.

There were signs of battle everywhere. Kunais pierced into trees, craters from explosions, ash from fire and smoke in the air. Two areas caught his attention. First was the huge cratery path aimed right at the tree that stopped abruptly where Amari and Shikamaru sat. The other spot were the pink strands of hair among the grass only a few feet away.

 _What happened while I was unconscious?_

A battle, obviously. But what was everyone doing here? Why was Shikamaru bracing Amari? And why did Sakura look different? He didn't just mean her hair, either. There was something different about her. She carried herself with pride— _real_ pride, not the fake kind she exuded before. Her eyes were harder emeralds, confident and defiant in a new strength.

He must have missed something important.

"She gave me…fakes?" Sasuke questioned.

Sakura nodded, a smile playing at her lips. "I didn't know until a few minutes ago, but yes. She did."

"Clever. I'll give her that."

She put on a great act to convince him and Naruto. But it was more to convince Orochimaru to escape with their scrolls than anything else. She needed them to believe so Orochimaru would believe it too. With the Snake Sannin so focused on his obsession of Sharingan and placing his mark on one of them, it left him blinded to Amari's scheme to keep the scrolls in their possession.

"What happened when I was unconscious?" he asked. "Are you and Amari all right?"

She gave a sheepish smile and brought a hand up to the uneven cut strands. "Oh this? Don't worry about me. I'm okay." He believed her. "I've only got a few cuts and scrapes, nothing serious. It's thanks to Lee and Amari I was able to stand and fight to protect all of you."

 _Wait,_ _ **you**_ _protected us?_ Sasuke bit the question down. This girl…No, this kunoichi wasn't the same annoying fan girl he had grown accustomed to dealing with. She was stronger, fiercer and without a doubt stood up to protect them. "Who did you have to fight?"

 _Who was able to topple Lee and Amari?_

Sakura sat down next to him and explained everything from the moment he first fell unconscious to now. She explained Amari's injured state Orochimaru left her in. How the Sound shinobi came to fight them, Lee's interference and Primary Lotus. How the battle spiraled out of control and Amari's desperate adrenaline fueled attack to put an end to them all.

"But her injuries finally caught up to her and the adrenaline wore off. That's when Zaku hit her with a Slicing Sound Wave," Sakura explained.

Sasuke listened intently to Lee's and Amari's willpower and ability to push past their injuries, all for Sakura's sake and the sake of him and Naruto. She told him of Lee's and Amari's inspiring words, words he could feel the fire behind despite hearing them secondhand. And then she told him of her final stand against the Sound shinobi.

Her thought pattern through the fight and ability to take on the three alone impressed him. She probably could have taken them all on alone if not for Dosu recovering so quickly, but that's when Shikamaru's team arrived to save her.

Then Team Guy showed up and Zaku tried to blow them all away. The final act of the fight took him by surprise. "A…dragon head of chakra?" he questioned.

Sakura nodded. "Yes. She used every ounce of her chakra to protect us. Without the crows providing her chakra, I think she might have hit absolute zero."

It was an incredible feat. Again it proved to him her will and strength never stopped growing on the path she chose.

"I gave her as much chakra as I could. Mimi's healing her now, but she said she's in pretty bad shape," Sakura finished. "I'm no medic, but even I can tell Amari's hurting really bad on the inside right now. The way Mimi looked at her a few times…I think…I think we're lucky she's still alive."

Sakura may not have medical knowledge, but she was still smart enough to connect the dots. If she thought that, then it was all too likely she was right.

"She'll be fine," they said in unison. Sakura blushed and averted her gaze. Sasuke chose a place on the tree to stare at instead of risking eye contact after that.

A lot had happened in such a short time, yet there was still much to be done. If he needed to be careful with his chakra then they needed to move quickly. Amari needed immediate medical attention. Although he was confident Mimi could take care of most of it, he knew she'd have to hold back a little to keep her strength. They were still in a dangerous forest, after all. She couldn't drain herself healing Amari if there were other fights on their horizon.

 _If Amari isn't in good condition afterwards, we may have to wait longer._ One of the rules would make bringing their teammate in poor condition to the end bad for them all.

"Mimi is about to check on Lee. Do you want to go see her?" Sakura asked. Sasuke gave a quiet nod and joined her in going over to the still and quiet kunoichi.

"You understand me, Amari?" Mimi questioned pointedly.

"No more…Ultimate Defense," Amari responded, voice drowsy.

A sharp nod. "Good. And you, Slacker, no detours. You go from here to the tower as quickly and safely as you can."

Shikamaru nodded. "I got it."

The Inuzuka glanced up at the arriving pair, nodded once in greeting before leaving for Lee. Shikamaru remained seated to brace Amari. "Any better?" Sakura asked the Nara.

"The pain doesn't seem as severe and she isn't bleeding all over the place," Shikamaru said. The look on his face was serious as he looked down at the slouched form of his cousin. "I think the exhaustion is settling in. She's fighting to stay awake now."

Sakura knelt down on her side with Sasuke. "Wouldn't be Amari if she wasn't trying to push herself past her limits," the kunoichi said.

"Yeah, stubborn girl doesn't know when to stop."

"Lazy bones," Amari murmured.

Shikamaru snorted and shook his head. "Which one of us has ended up injured the most?" Silence and a frown. "Thought so." He lifted his eyes to meet Sakura's. "Mind switching with me? I have to go organize my team. Sooner we start moving, sooner we'll be out of this forest."

"Go ahead." Sakura switched positions with him and braced Amari's body against her torso.

"Shika…Stay safe."

Shikamaru knelt down and gave her hand a squeeze. "We will. Go to sleep, troublesome girl. You need to rest."

"Mm. Soon." She squeezed his hand back and let him leave, eye shutting as sleep began to claim her.

One look at her bloody and exhausted state proved Sakura's fears true. They were close to losing Amari. Way too close. Her wounds could have easily been fatal as could the chakra exhaustion.

 _Those crows saved her life._ He wondered why they had and where they had come from. Although he appreciated their interference, he couldn't get Orochimaru's furious scream out of his head.

" _Itachi! Show yourself!"_

It couldn't have been his brother. Itachi wouldn't have been there to protect them. So why did the crows really interfere? What was their goal?

"Oh no, Sakura!" a brash and loud voice shouted.

Sasuke and Sakura half turned to see Naruto sprinting over with a panicked look on his face. _Knocked out by Orochimaru and comes out of it shouting his head off the same as always_. On one hand he appreciated the lack of change. He'd never admit it out loud, but the knucklehead helped him find his will to fight.

On the other hand…well, would it have been too much to ask for Naruto to learn to keep it down a few notches? Sasuke glanced to Amari, who was completely oblivious to the knucklehead's shouting. Her chest slowly rose and fell, a clear sign she finally passed out. _Explaining everything is going to give us a headache._

"Sakura, Sakura, Sakura! Something happened! I mean something serious happened! To your hair!" He slid across the grass on his knees and stopped right next to them.

"Oh." Sakura smiled sheepishly. "That's all you're making a fuss about? I had…a moment of clarity. I focused a little too much on my long hair and less on being a kunoichi, but that's changed now. It'll be easier to handle this way."

The boy hummed in a small understanding before looking around at everyone. "Why is everyone here?" He sniffed the air then frowned. "And what's with the smoke?" Finally his eyes landed on Amari's bloody and sleeping form. The sight of their wounded teammate caused his cerulean eyes to widen. "Whoa, hey, what happened to Amari? There's dried blood everywhere, even on her face and ear. Is she…Is she gonna be okay?"

Sasuke sighed. "There's a lot to catch you up on, Naruto."

"Everyone came to help," Sakura inserted. "After you fell unconscious, the Grass shinobi fought Amari and then Sasuke. We later learned she was actually Orochimaru of the Sannin in disguise."

"Oro…chimaru?" Naruto's eyes about bulged out of his head. "No way. What the hell is he doing in the Leaf?"

The question everyone wanted to know. The question none of them could answer.

"We're not sure," Sakura admitted. "But these wounds," she pointed to the shoulders and thigh of their teammate, "were done by him. He even tried to steal Amari's Sharingan, but…It's a long story. He didn't succeed, and that's what's important. After he left her and Sasuke unconscious, I moved you three here and applied fresh bandages to Amari's wounds after she woke up.

"But those Sound shinobi, they work for Orochimaru. They came to fight, but luckily Lee happened upon us and stepped in to help. He and Amari did everything they could to protect me and you two. Even after they were badly injured, they still kept standing up, but ultimately…" Sakura's eyes fell back to their teammate. "Their injuries were too much."

"Are you serious?" Naruto's shock couldn't be hidden. "Those Sound guys were able to beat Amari and Bushy Brows?"

"Under better circumstances, I have no doubt Lee and Amari could have handled them without a problem, but…Well, Lee's Forbidden Technique took just as much out of him as it did the Sound shinobi, and Amari's injuries were already bad before fighting them. It left them vulnerable to weaker opponents. Otherwise…Let's just say Amari did a lot worse to them than they did to her."

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, confused by the vague answer.

"I'll explain everything later. Don't worry, though. They won't be coming back."

 _Putting it lightly from what little you told me, Sakura_ , Sasuke thought. Zaku's and Kin's reaction to Amari's genjutsu was unsettling, and the fear Dosu had of Amari and the crows ensured they would leave them alone. He was pretty sure Dosu wouldn't want to be within a hundred meters of Amari as long as he had a choice in the matter.

"Bu- but is she going to be okay?" Naruto asked.

He was worried. Hell, they were all worried. To them Amari almost seemed invincible. She had scars that proved otherwise, yet she somehow always found a way to bounce back quickly. The Lightning Blade didn't seem to have any effect on her whatsoever. She marched on with her physical scars and became stronger for it.

To see her like this: out cold, covered in blood and paler than she should be…It rattled them all. They were so used to her strength and willpower that they all forgot their balancing point was as fallible as all of them. That she too could fall in battle.

But none of them, even in that moment, questioned if she hid more pain from them. Despite remembering she could be physically wounded, they continued to forget that the worst scars and worst pains usually laid underneath the surface. And Amari, for all her great strength of will, was just as vulnerable as them to those pains.

"Mimi can heal a lot of her injuries, but not in this situation," Sakura explained. "She has to be careful not to weaken herself while we're still in this forest, so she's going to travel with us to heal what she can on our way to the tower. But Amari needs professional treatment, and that means we have to finish the exam."

"Fine. I'll go hunting for scrolls then, that way we get her help!" the blond declared. Sasuke grabbed his arm to stop him from getting up. "Wha- hey! Sasuke, let go!"

"Calm down, Loser. Amari never gave me the scrolls. She tricked us both into thinking those were the real Heaven scrolls so she could trick Orochimaru. The ones she gave me were fakes," he explained sternly, easing his grip once the boy calmed down. "She also got us an Earth Scroll from those Sound shinobi, so there's no need to waste your energy."

"Fakes?" Confusion was followed by guilt. Naruto lowered his head, eyes darkening as his own words came back to haunt him. "She looked so disappointed in herself because of my yelling. I thought…"

Sasuke frowned. He didn't intend to guilt the idiot. Sighing internally, he did the only thing he could think of. He gave his arm a light punch and tried to sound reassuring. "Because of her we got away with both scrolls and our lives. Beating yourself up about that isn't going to do any good. Right now, Amari needs us to be strong for the sake of the team."

Naruto didn't react at first. His eyes remained on Amari's limp body for a few moments, guilt and sorrow prevalent in them. Eventually he nodded in understanding and agreement. "Yeah, you're right." He turned a weak smile to the Uchiha. "When did that start happening?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, the corner of his lip twitching up in a smirk. "Shut up, Loser." His smile fell. With everyone on the same page, he needed to address a serious subject. "We'll need to take our time getting to the end."

Both his teammates made sounds of confusion. He understood it. Why wait to get to the end when they could rush there and get her help? The longer they waited, the more poison chakra would get into his system and the longer Amari would have to wait for professional help. Logically, it sounded best to get there as soon as possible. But there was one flaw in that plan.

"One of the rules stated if one of our squad was incapacitated and unable to continue then we would fail. If we bring Amari like this to the tower…"

"Then all our hard work would have been for nothing," Sakura finished.

Amari needed help, but to go there now would render everything she did to protect them and keep them in the Exam pointless. They needed a mostly functioning teammate to finish this, and Amari was not in a functioning state.

Footsteps behind them brought their gazes to Mimi with Aoko on her head and Tenten holding up Lee. The bushy-browed shinobi didn't look as bad as he had, but he still clearly needed time to recover.

"Lee." Sakura's voice was soft as she turned a smile up to the shinobi. "Thank you. Because of you and Amari, I was able to stand up for myself. And now I've become a little stronger."

Lee first appeared shocked, but then his eyes began to water, touched by her words. "Thank you, Sakura…I'm only sorry I couldn't do more to defend you." He wiped at his eyes then bowed his head. "Thank you for protecting me when I was unconscious. But please, do not credit me and Amari too much. _You_ were the one to fight, Sakura. It was your will, your strength that protected all of us when we could not protect you."

Humbled by his words, Sakura smiled and bowed her head in return. "Thank you, Lee. That means a lot."

He raised his head and looked to Amari. "Please, when she wakes up, thank her for being an inspiring rival. I do not know if I would have been able to keep standing up if not for her incredible will."

"Lee." Amari's voice caught them all off guard. Her eye remained closed. "One…Zero…me."

 _One-Zero me?_

Mimi grinned widely at the statement. "Heh, looks like your rivalry has come to fruition, Lee. Guess I gotta up my game if I want her to see me as one too."

Sasuke sweat dropped. _You got roped into a rivalry with him and then you accepted it? Only you, Amari._

The bushy-browed ninja beamed, albeit tiredly. He then returned his attention back to the pink-haired kunoichi. "Sakura. The lotus of the Leaf Village blooms twice." Mimi's grin shifted into a knowing smile she shared with Tenten. "When we meet again, I will have become a stronger ninja. I promise."

"I have no doubt you will, Lee," Sakura said, smiling back at him.

"Hey, Sakura!" Ino waved the kunoichi over. "Come here real quick so I can fix your hair!"

"Naruto, can you—"

"You've got it, Sakura." Naruto traded places with her so she could get her hair fixed by Ino.

"Give Neji my plan and stick to it," Mimi said to her teammates. "Two days from now we will meet you at the Exam doors." Aoko barked in agreement.

Lee and Tenten nodded, although the latter seemed worried about splitting up for the time being. "Be safe, both of you. Don't do anything reckless," Tenten said.

Mimi grinned. "Come now, Tenten. It's me and Aoko you're talking to. When have we ever done anything reckless?"

Tenten rolled her eyes, a small smile pulling onto her lips. "More times than I choose to count." Her features sobered. "Seriously, Mimi, be careful. There are still a bunch of teams out there, and no offense to them, but Team Seven's taken a serious beating. To top it off, one of their strongest members is down. Do everything you can to avoid a fight, for our sake."

The Inuzuka gave a sharp nod. "I will. Don't worry."

"Too late," Tenten replied, smiling at her teammate.

"Be wary around the tower. I am sure there are shinobi who have prepared traps closer in to capture those rushing to the finish," Lee said.

"Yeah, I wouldn't doubt it. You three should try to avoid all confrontations if you can. We have no idea if they'll pull some stunt at the tower to test our endurance."

They both nodded in agreement. "We'll see all of you at the tower then," Tenten said then jumped up to the tree with Lee to regroup with Neji. They shared a short conversation before the Hyūga boy gave Mimi a small nod. Afterwards the trio disappeared into the forest.

"Good luck you three."

 _We'll all need a bit of luck now._

* * *

Moonlight shone down on the Forest of Death. Stars littered the sky, providing the Genin no longer in combat the chance to relax and gaze up at the twinkling dark canvas as they rested from the day's events. Day three of the survival exercise was nearing its end hour by hour. For some, the last three days had ended in misfortune, either through lost scrolls or being claimed by the forest. Some were far more fortunate and already within arms distance of the tower.

Then there was Team Seven. Fortunate to gain their scrolls, misfortunate in the enemies they faced. The double-edged sword gained them the necessary mission requirements to pass, but in the process incapacitated Amari completely and handicapped Sasuke and Naruto to lesser degrees.

It was a bad situation. But it could have been worse. _Fatally worse_ , Mimi thought, yawning as she sat down at their camp. Against an enemy like Orochimaru, their survival only came at his whim. He could have killed any one of them without blinking. The fact Amari's subclavian artery was _just_ missed could easily be luck of the draw in a fight against the average shinobi. But the more Mimi thought about it, the more she believed it wasn't decided by luck.

Orochimaru was said to be a genius, one of the greatest shinobi of the Leaf alongside his two teammates. Being the student of the Third Hokage and teammate of Lady Tsunade, Mimi couldn't believe he didn't intentionally miss the artery. On any given day he could have severed it, but this time he missed? She wasn't buying it. He wanted her alive. Severely injured, no doubt about it, but alive.

 _Why?_ Mimi doubted she could guess his motives, so she let the thoughts go. Traveling and healing Amari left her too tired to spare another thought to it. Sooner rather than later she wanted to shut her eyes and call it a night.

 _These are some of the worst injuries I've ever healed._ She had spent some time at the hospital, healing injured shinobi to gain more experience, but she hadn't ever dealt with a patient of Amari's severity. Granted, she appreciated being able to gain more experience and was happy to help a friend. But damn it to hell, it pissed her off she couldn't do more because of this test. She had to constantly monitor how much chakra she used, mending minor wounds while offering what was essentially half-assed treatments to the more severe areas.

Amari _needed_ help. Badly. And the single medic around could only give her a fraction of the help she deserved.

 _It's infuriating!_ Mimi growled under her breath. _I hate this so much. I should be using every ounce of chakra I have to fix her up. But because of this test I have to put my wellbeing before hers._

She understood the importance of restraining herself. If she exhausted all of her chakra healing as much of Amari's wounds as she could, she'd be dead weight and become a liability. And if someone else got injured later on, she wouldn't be able to help.

By conserving her chakra now she could help more later. Without her, no one could be healed. Her survival and her conservation of chakra was a priority for the long game, not the immediate gratification. Every medic understood the logic behind this. Mimi would listen to the logic; she just vehemently hated putting her needs ahead of the wounded.

The feeling only intensified since the person wounded was someone she knew.

 _Tomorrow we'll reach the tower, and as soon as this test is over I'll do everything I can to help her._

Her time with Team Seven hadn't been all doom and gloom. The three team members were working well together. She hadn't been impressed by Naruto or Sasuke's bravado or attitudes when they first met, and Sakura let herself fade into the background too much for her liking.

 _"There has been growth since that day,"_ Aoko had told Mimi earlier today as they watched the trio's interactions. _"I cannot say if it is directly related to Amaririsu's current state, or if it was simply the fights with Orochimaru and those Sound shinobi that has brought them together. The result, however, doesn't change. They are far more cohesive than antagonistic towards one another."_

Her companion was right in her examination. _Amari was the only glue keeping them together before_ , Mimi thought. _She could team up and talk with each of them without issue, and through her they found ways to work together. I thought for sure her temporary absence would cause a rift, yet I think it's done the opposite this time._

The trio realized they couldn't rely on Amari to carry the weight of the team on her own. They each had to stand up, put their egos aside and pull their weight equally so their wounded teammate wouldn't collapse again from carrying the burden on her shoulders.

 _About time they wised up_. Mimi didn't need enhanced senses to see Amari carried some deep scars on her heart. In that, they were kindred spirits. They wore their masks to hide sensitive wounds from others. Not a healthy lifestyle, but it wasn't her place to confront the Nara about it. They hadn't known one another long enough to give her the privilege to address the hidden scars. But she was happy the other three had picked up their slack.

 _One less burden for her to carry alone._

The transition hadn't fully taken form yet. That was okay, though. Growing as a person took time. Growing out of bad habits took patience, time, and sometimes friends to help you through it.

Mimi knew that struggle intimately. It was ongoing even to this day, but she'd keep fighting to be better than she was yesterday as a shinobi and as a person. That was Team Guy's motto, after all.

Aoko climbed into her lap and curled up, letting out a small yawn of her own. Mimi scratched her behind her ears and gently patted her head. Her blue eyes drifted over to Amari's still form next to her. She was covered by Naruto's orange jacket while balled under her head was Mimi's blue sweater as a pillow.

Over the last two days, Amari's total time awake was barely more than an hour total. Even when she woke up she appeared completely drained. She hardly spoke a word, except for the word of gratitude for someone's help or a question of how much further they had left. Otherwise she stayed up just long enough to eat, drink and handle nature's call. Afterwards she fell back into her deep slumber without stirring.

It made her an easy patient to deal with—not a single argument or debate about anything. She didn't even try to shift away if internal pain hit her. Honestly, though, Mimi wished she didn't appear so…lifeless. There was no fire in her eye. None of the usual spirit in her body or behind her words. She was quieter, if that was somehow possible.

 _I'm not sure if she's like this because of her injuries and chakra exhaustion, or if this is another problem caused by her Ultimate Defense._ It clearly drained her chakra, but Mimi hadn't ever dealt with a level of chakra exhaustion like this before. She wasn't even sure her current state was caused by the amount of chakra she expended through the two fights, or if that jutsu alone caused this.

 _To sleep two days away?_ Had her body simply decided to hibernate to recover from the injuries? Or had the jutsu taken so much out of her it had no choice but to hibernate to recharge?

Mimi could only assume the former was true. There were too many variables to juggle here to place the blame on the jutsu without real evidence. Sure it was flawed, the muscle tears in her arms proved that, but it being innately flawed didn't necessarily mean it led to this. This whole situation could be the result of every problem piling on top of itself.

 _I'll still need to warn Kakashi-sensei and Kurenai-sensei to keep an eye on her_. Mimi leaned back onto her elbows and extended her legs out to keep her feet warmed by the nearby fire.

Amari was stubborn like Lee. She'd keep practicing the technique to try to perfect it even if she was told not to. But she needed to be wary of this new technique. If it caused this level of exhaustion, it'd be even more dangerous than they thought.

Without her sweater on Mimi was left in her bottom layers of clothes: a long sleeve mesh top and a plain black short-sleeved V-neck. The fire a feet away was there to cook the trio's dinner. This late at night it would normally attract unwanted attention to their camp by the main river, but they kept themselves and the fire hidden via a genjutsu casted by Sakura called Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Jutsu.

The jutsu, as its name stated, creates a false surrounding around the area it is casted on. In their scenario, anyone caught in it and unfamiliar with genjutsu wouldn't even see them unless they dispelled the genjutsu.

For the time being they were safe. Hopefully they would remain that way.

"Mimi, can I ask you something?" Sakura's voice brought the Inuzuka out of her thoughts.

She looked up from the fire in front of her to the trio waiting for their fish to cook. Naruto was practically drooling as he watched his food cook while the Uchiha of the trio monitored the cooking and the knucklehead.

Sakura, on the other hand, stared thoughtfully between Mimi and Amari with a question at the tip of her tongue. "Sure Sakura, what's on your mind?"

"I am really grateful for what you and Lee have done to help us, but…why have you two gone so far for us?"

Mimi raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Where's this coming from?" They may not have been teammates, but they were still Leaf shinobi. Leaf shinobi stuck together, rain or shine, hail or some other terrible weather. Didn't matter.

"It's just…Back after Lee's fight with Sasuke you said Amari was one of your targets."

Realization hit Mimi immediately like a stiff punch to the jaw. _"If we're all coming clean about lies then I suppose I should too. While Amari has definitely earned her place as one of our targets, she isn't the one Lee wants to defeat most. Our other boy teammate, Neji, he's Lee's end goal. As for me, I want to fight Amari again more than anyone else."_

Looking at it that way, she could see how this question formed in Sakura's mind. Her fierce desire to fight Amari and Lee's desire to be her rival came off far more aggressive from an outsider's perspective. To go so far as calling her a target almost made it sound like they were enemies rather than rivals.

It gave the wrong impression. Don't get her wrong, she still felt that connection urging her to fight Amari, and it continued to grow every time she was around her. The fire burned brighter, filled her with a level of thrill she still hadn't found a medical diagnosis for. What this connection was bound them together. It demanded to be known. But she wasn't looking to bring permanent bodily harm to her or kill her. Neither was Lee.

"Ah, my bad. Lee and I didn't mean to make it sound like she is our arch-nemesis. Lee wants to be her rival, and earned that on his own. I want…"

To fight Amari at full power. To feel the strength of her blows and jutsu without restraint. To feel her will battle her own as they ignited their embers for a final push. To finally define this connection she felt.

Mimi shrugged it off. "I've never been good with putting my feelings into words. But I suppose I see her as an upcoming rival." She smiled softly at the others. "And a rival is just another word for a friend."

Recognition flickered in her emerald eyes. "Hey, I've heard that before. Lee said it to Amari just before he fought the Sound ninjas when we asked why he was helping."

Mimi wasn't surprised. It was Guy who had taught them those very words when pressed about his eternal rivalry with Kakashi. "It's true I want the chance to fight her one on one. By helping here I do increase my chances of that." She shook her head. "But that's only a fragment for why I am helping. Part of it is my duty as a medic-nin, but even that is another fragment."

Duty only went so far to her. If a medic only did what was within their duty then they were all too likely to give up on someone who needed their help. She wouldn't give up so easily. Maybe that made her naïve and would give her a lot of pain in the future, but she'd take it all on.

Anyone who told her otherwise could go to hell.

Sasuke and Naruto looked from their food to her as she continued to speak. "What Lee told you yesterday, Sakura, don't brush it off as nothing. Lee's a pure soul. He means what he says and wouldn't butter you up. You asked why he went so far? Because to him, you and Amari were worth the pain. Because she," Mimi lifted her chin in the direction of Amari, "inspired him to keep standing up even though his body told him not to. What you witnessed him and Amari do, I know it's given you a new foundation. Build on it. For them."

Sakura nodded.

Mimi's eyes trailed back over to Amari. "Those two, they're special. Their nindo's, their dedication to the people they care for…Believe it or not, it encourages and inspires me to be better than I am." Better than the person she became after the death of her parents. "I can't help but be here. I have to help her, because if Amari was me she'd do it in a heartbeat."

"So, because she is dedicated to her friends and her family, you want to help her?" Naruto asked. He grabbed one of the sticks holding a fish, as did Sasuke and Sakura.

A simple way of looking at it, and he wasn't wrong about it, but it was also even more complicated than that. It wasn't just her dedication to her friends and her family that drove her to help. It wasn't just because she would do this if the roles were flipped. Some of the feelings Mimi felt, she wasn't even sure there were words for them. At least none she could think of at the moment.

"Loyalty to family and friends is something I hold in high regard. And I understand the struggles of being a…" She cringed as the word began to form on her tongue. "A half-breed, as Neji eloquently puts it."

He wasn't the only one to say it, though. _"Half-breed mutt with a mutt"_ was one of the more popular things she was called in the Academy. Usually around that time she shoved their teeth down their throats. Mimi learned to have thicker skin after a while, but those who tried to bully her physically or verbally soon learned she wasn't one to sit and take it.

She was a fighter. Hot-tempered and full of pent up aggression and pain she had no problem unleashing on bullies. The amount of times she ended up in trouble were numerous. Eventually teachers just started sighing in exasperation when she showed up to detention with a busted lip or black eye.

Mimi always gave worse than she got. She made sure of it. No one insulted her or her family and walked away without their proverbial tails tucked between their legs, whimpering like the pathetic pups they were.

Nowadays she could grin and be happy for real instead of wearing the stupid mask to cover up her pain. Losing her parents at five years old…it was a wound that still hadn't healed, not fully anyways. Their faces, their voices and their scent remained crystalized in her memory banks—never forgotten. As long as she still remembered them, they wouldn't fade away with time.

Pain like hers couldn't be healed by Medical Ninjutsu. Time was said to dull it, and maybe it had. The sharp blade didn't slip past her barriers as much anymore, but the pain still remained.

After her parents died, her Aunty took her in. She provided her a home, a family who still cared for her and wanted to help her heal. People she could rely on to help toughen her up, or be there to hug her when she truly needed it.

It took time for the mask to form to hide how not fine she was inside. To Mimi, though, it was necessary so people stopped asking her how she felt. She hurt, what the hell did they think she felt? Her parents were gone. People she cherished were taken from her grasps, never to return. Did they think she'd just walk it off? Rub out the pain and pretend everything was okay when it absolutely wasn't?

No. She didn't expect people who didn't understand loss to comprehend what she felt. So she learned to mask it all. She put on the smile, made it seem like she was moving on and tricked everyone outside of her family.

Bullies became her stress relief. Mimi practically dared them to say something to piss her off—the harsher the better. That way she could justify herself for unleashing her pain on them. A few teachers in the Academy had it out for her too. They actively tried to sabotage her for one reason and one reason alone: Her father was a former Mist shinobi who defected to the Leaf.

"I don't get it. Is being from two separate Clans really that bad?" Sakura asked.

Mimi's lips twitched into a smirk when she noticed Sasuke's eyes lower. "Ask him. He'll tell you all about it," she said, lifting her chin to Sasuke. He might not have ever taken part, but he would have seen it. The Uchiha Clan was notorious for casting out anyone whom they deemed "deluded" the bloodline with weakness.

Naruto and Sakura both turned to Sasuke in question. "Sasuke?" the kunoichi of the pair asked.

"She would have been out casted as if she had a plague," he answered. "Many of our Clan were…cruel in the years leading up to the massacre. Honestly, I would bet they treated her as if she was a stain on the Clan. And if she was remotely close to being as shy as she used to be, they would have chewed her up and spat her out."

The distance in his language regarding how his Clan acted made it clear to Mimi he didn't take part. _Good._ He was barely starting to work his way off her bad side. If he even hinted at taking part, she wouldn't ever forgive him.

"Bu- but look at how strong she is," Naruto pointed out. "What difference does it make it she's from two separate Clans? That doesn't change the fact she's really strong, and it doesn't make her a bad person either."

Sasuke merely nodded in agreement. "I know. Trust me, I do. But it wouldn't have mattered to those people. None of them would have believed she could unlock the Sharingan, and that alone would have created a stigma of disdain for her."

"The Uchiha Clan were prideful and are considered the strongest Clan of the Leaf Village," Mimi interjected. "In their eyes, her half-breed blood would weaken the Clan. What good is she to them if she can't even awaken the Sharingan, right? She'd be better off dead."

"That's…really harsh," Sakura said, a frown pulling onto her lips.

"It isn't right," Naruto stated. "Nothing about that is right. What's it matter, anyways? Sharingan, half-breed blood? Amari would still be Amari without it to me. That stuff doesn't define who a person is in their heart. What gives anyone the right to think they're superior because of stupid things like that?"

Mimi lowered her head slightly, using the shadows provided to hide her smile as she recalled similar words Lee once said.

" _I'm sorry I was not able to defeat Neji this time, Mimi. But next time I will, and then he will have no choice but to stop calling you a half-breed."_

" _Lee, please…Just stop. It's fine. Don't get yourself beat up on my behalf."_

" _No, it's not fine. Just because you are not a full-blooded Inuzuka does not make you any lesser than him or me or anyone else. You are still Mimi Inuzuka, a Leaf Village kunoichi and our comrade. Being a half-breed or full-blooded does not change that. Such a silly thing like what Clan you are born into should not and does not decide who you will become. You, Mimi Inuzuka, have a good heart, and that should be all that matters. I_ _ **will**_ _stop him from insulting you, even if takes my whole life to show him he is wrong. I will do it. I promise."_

Mimi would always be grateful to Lee. Always. Even if Neji never stopped calling her a half-breed, the fact Lee tried and shared those heartfelt words with her were enough. _This little goofball…_ The Inuzuka looked across the fire at Naruto. _He's another bright light. Amari's bright light, no doubt. The one who inspires her the same way Lee inspires me._

"If I may ask, what other Clan are you from? Is it one in Konoha?" Sakura quizzed.

"Nah," she shook her head. "Not from Konoha. I'm not even sure my father belonged to a Clan, but he was from Kirigakure. Because of that I had a lot of trouble."

 _"That is putting it lightly, Mimi,"_ Aoko quietly rumbled from her lap.

Mimi hummed in agreement and rubbed her ninken's head. Aoko had been there with her through it all. Through the worst of her struggles and her rise out of the darkness, Aoko had her back. Always.

She doubted she needed to explain much more than her father's place of birth. Surely these three already knew how bad relations between Kiri and Konoha were over the years.

"Why?" Naruto questioned.

 _Or maybe not._

His ignorance actually brought a grin to Mimi's face. Sakura and Sasuke did not find it nearly as amusing, sweat dropping and frowning at him.

" _And to think, if he achieves his dream, he may be our Hokage someday,"_ Aoko pointed out humorously.

Mimi applauded her own strength of will—because it took every ounce of it to _not_ laugh hysterically at her ninken's valid point. Deciding to throw the kid a bone, she offered him a small, condensed explanation. "There were many bloody battles fought between us and Kiri. The shinobi who lived through it and those who lost their parents to it still resent Kiri shinobi to this day. My father defected way back because he grew tired of the terrible and bloody reign of the Fourth Mizukage. It was still known as Blood Mist Village when he left."

"Zabuza," the trio breathed out in shock.

Alone Mimi sat in confusion as the trio began to share in their own conversation.

"Maybe that's why he tried to assassinate the Mizukage," Naruto said.

"He might have been an ambitious freedom fighter of a sort," Sakura agreed.

"We don't know what his reasons were," said Sasuke. "But if the Fourth Mizukage was a tyrannical leader that had people trying to kill him and defecting to Konoha…Maybe his ambition early on was to stop kids from turning into himself."

"Amari will definitely want to hear about this," Sakura said, earning nods of agreement.

"Uh—"

 _"Leave it be, Mimi. However they know of Zabuza Momochi is none of our business. It could be forbidden for others to know,"_ Aoko murmured below her.

 _Can't argue there. Don't know if I really want to hear about the Demon of the Hidden Mist._ When the trio finished their conversation, they turned back to her, eager to hear more about her story. "Anyway, because my father defected he was always looked at suspiciously. No one trusted him despite many times proving his loyalty to the Leaf. I think everyone thought him, and me through him, were some sort of sleeper agents. Parents always eyed me suspiciously, called me half-breed under their breaths. And because of that their kids hated me. They tried to bully me. They learned why that was a bad idea."

" _By kicking their asses and rising to the top of your class. If it weren't for the missions with Guy-sensei, I may actually miss seeing you knock those brats around,"_ Aoko murmured in amusement.

Mimi scratched her ninken's head, grinning a little as she did. "Seems like the good old days now, but it was hell then and you know it, Aoko. Now get to sleep." Her partner huffed but did not argue. Aoko was always with her, watching from inside the neckline of her sweater or on top of her head, giving her encouragement as only a true partner could.

"I dealt with the bullies easily, but when the teachers started coming after me it got bad. The tiniest of mistakes was punished with full scrutiny. The good teachers didn't know it was going on, and I didn't want it to get worse so I stayed quiet." She took their scorn, grew angrier at the world and took it out on the next punk to say something to her. "It was a mistake on my part."

"I assume it stopped," Sakura said, unsure if it was true or not.

"Aunty Tsume and Lord Hokage found out there were teachers trying to sabotage my grades and constantly punished me for nothing in class when the teachers teamed up to kick me out of the Academy. Went to Lord Third and everything with their 'evidence.'"

Their hatred for Kiri fell on her shoulders. They saw her as the daughter of an enemy shinobi. Mimi would bet they lost friends or family to Kiri shinobi in the past and decided to take their pain out on her, but hatred was a cycle that never stopped spinning. Their actions bred resentment in her for them. The pain she felt grew and the darkness consumed her. She then took her pain out on others, spreading the pain and hatred even further with every new broken nose and fractured jaw.

Mimi wasn't proud of the person she became, but she wouldn't hide from it.

The greatest miscalculation those teachers made was trying to go to the Hokage with their "proof" of her treachery. What was their proof exactly? Ramblings about her father, sabotaged grades and her own actions of assaulting other kids. The first two were lies, Mimi owned up to the third.

" _Yeah, I have beaten the crap out of those kids. But only because they instigate me by hurling insults over and over again. And where the hell are all of you when they push me around, taunt me, shove my textbooks out of my hands and call me a half-breed traitor, huh? You've been in the same damn room and just ignored it until I can't take it anymore. But they never get punished, do they? They get coddled and praised for standing up to the great big bullying half-breed, Mimi Inuzuka."_

She hated them. Hated them all for everything they were putting her through. Hated them for bringing her Aunty into it. Hated that her parents were gone and how much their absence hurt. Hated that she wanted to cry from held back rage. But she refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing how much she was hurting inside.

What neither they nor Mimi anticipated was how well the Hokage knew her father. It should have been obvious, he would have had to allow him into the Village, but it took everyone except her Aunty by surprise. When their ramblings fell short and all the "evidence" had been laid out, only then did her Aunty lose her temper and tear them a new one verbally. Mimi would get her own later for staying quiet for so long, but that came from a place of care.

The one those teachers received came from rage.

"What happened to them?" Sakura asked.

"Lord Third and my Aunty defended me and my father. They lost their jobs. I graduated, got put on Guy-sensei's team and haven't been looked at suspiciously since."

"So that's where your blue eyes came from."

"Yep, my father," Mimi answered with a fond smile. That was her genetic inheritance from him, that and her natural affinity to the Water Nature. Her mother's final gift to her had been at her side through everything: Aoko.

Mimi shook her head, feeling the shivers of emotional thoughts creeping up on her. "That's enough about me for now. We've gotta get moving tomorrow and I need some sleep. I'll take third shift so wake me up then."

They nodded and the Inuzuka laid down. She moved Aoko from her lap to her stomach then rested her hands behind her head, staring up at the moon and stars.

 _Tomorrow we'll finish this exam. I just hope we can make good time._


	30. Chapter 29: Final Stretch

Chapter 29

Final Stretch: Heaven and Earth as One

Lethargy and fatigue strangled every cell in Amari's body. Her limbs felt heavier than they should, as if Kakashi snuck in during the Exam and placed weighted seals on her when no one was looking. Dull aches replaced the screeching, white-hot pain of her wounds, sore muscles kept her down and the usual fiery spirit in her body no longer burned. The embers she kindled cooled, leaving only ashes behind for the phoenix to eventually rise from once more.

Or, perhaps, for the dragon to awaken from its hibernation would be more accurate.

Amari shrugged it off. She was too tired to think, too tired to do anything except sleep and wait for her energy to return.

Her wait was in vain. She remained sapped of strength; body and mind worked in a state of automated actions and responses, none of which she really remembered. Most of the days were a blur, like a hastily put together collage of unimportant everyday moments she took part in, yet had no recollection of doing.

There were moments where Mimi's voice and blue eyes were directly in front of her, forcing her to focus on a specific task, such as eating or answering a question. Then it was back to sleep. Back to the hibernation her body desperately needed to recover as her mind dreamed of the Sound shinobi fight.

" _I'll take care of your buddy and all these Genin's right now in one fell swoop!"_

 _She believed him. She could sense the chakra building in him, far more than he used in his Slicing Sound Wave. No way for Shikamaru's team to escape. No chance for her team or Lee to get out of the blast radius._

 _ **Everyone one will die…**_

" _Supersonic Slicing Wave!"_

 _The power was incredible. She could feel the earth shaking. She could see the huge wave of power surging at them in slow motion._

 _ **No…**_

 _Amari shut her eye. Everything hurt. Everything hurt so much. She couldn't even feel the fingertips of her right hand._

 _ **You have to stand up…**_

 _Her body twitched. Her toes and fingers curled and stretched, the muscles in her legs and arms tensed and relaxed._

 _ **They need you…**_

 _Her heart pumped faster and faster, pumping the blood through her body as she curled her tiny body over the remaining embers to protect them from the cold embrace of unconsciousness._

 _ **Don't fail them too…**_

 _The scar over her left eye started to burn._

 _ **You swore to never sit and watch people you loved die again…**_

 _Chakra surged through her body._

 _ **Don't lose them like you lost Ryu!**_

 _Amari's red eye snapped open as her embers reignited into a large inferno. Her chakra exploded to life as she dashed forward._

 _ **No one else. No one else. No one else.**_

 _She threw her hands out in front of her and created a tornado of green chakra around herself._

 _ **It won't be enough. It's too powerful.**_

 _Her Sharingan could perceive every millisecond as the attack barreled towards her. Inch by inch it neared, her chakra rapidly spinning and draining even faster as she tried to move it faster, faster, faster._

 _ **They'll die because you're too weak.**_

 _Too little chakra. Too weak. Too pathetic. What hope did she have of protecting them when she couldn't even save her Ryu and Kasai? Amari squinted and gritted her teeth against the strain._

 _ **I won't…I won't let them die. No matter the cost.**_

 _The scars on her left arm started to itch and burn alongside the scar over her eye._

 _ **I will…**_

 _Amari's right eye widened, the tomoe within spinning rapidly as chakra poured into her eye._

 _ **Protect them!**_

" _ **Ultimate Defense: Dragon Shield!**_ _" she roared from the bottom of her heart._

 _An imperfect jutsu against the Supersonic Slicing Wave, it was the only card she had left to play. While it protected her friends it tore her muscles apart. And as soon as it ended she felt the distinct lack of chakra in her body. She was but an empty shell on the verge of death as unconsciousness claimed her._

 _The inferno faded, and the embers quickly started to fade like tiny orange stars succumbing to inevitable darkness._

 _ **Mom…Everyone…I'm sorry, but it's time for me to go home to my family…**_

 _Amari's eye slowly started to roll up into her skull._

 _ **I love you all. Thank you…for giving me people worth living for.**_

 _Then, as the final ember started to burn out, life surged back through her. The ember remained lit as chakra poured into her body, and with the return of her strength, her eye hardened._

 _She would finish this._

Amari tried to shake the memory off. Her scars itched, burned, more than her real wounds did. But, despite the damage her body endured, Amari was content with the way the fight turned out.

Sakura found her strength, everyone survived and they finally got the Earth Scroll; what more could she ask for?

 _Orochimaru never showing up._

Another bonus was field testing her new jutsus. It opened her eyes to the flaws of her Ultimate Defense and Shadow Dragons, as well as the possibilities for their real strength.

A mentally awake Amari would already be dialing in on the weaknesses, piecing together their origin and how to fix them. A mentally awake Amari, from there, would figure out what training to focus on to empower them.

Amari, however, was not mentally awake. Not even close.

Thinking about jutsus at a time like this? Talk about a drag. That was _way_ too much work. All she wanted was to go home, have the largest bowl of ice cream her mother allowed before falling asleep in her bed.

 _Ice cream…_

She could almost taste its cold sweetness.

Unfortunately, the likelihood of an ice cream shop suddenly opening in the Forest of Death was low. Really low. Opening up a shop out here wasn't a good business move. Too many giant snakes and other dangerous creatures to ward off customers.

Ice cream would have to wait.

Good news, she could slowly feel her strength returning. Amari was nowhere near one hundred percent. Hell, she wasn't even close to fifty percent by her tired estimations. But there were enough lights on to take her off autopilot zombie mode back to semi-functionality.

 _I have to take my victories where I can_ , Amari thought, a tired eye watching her teammates. She hugged her left knee to her chest and rested her chin on it with her right leg extended out in front of her.

Some distance away, Naruto and a few clones stripped down into their boxer shorts dove from a cliff into the river. The plan, or hope, was to cause some fish to jump out of the water into Sasuke's line of sight. The Uchiha boy stood on the shore nearby, a set of kunai at the ready, prepared to strike their breakfast down.

 _I wish it was ice cream…_

Vanilla ice cream for breakfast, with cookies crushed and mixed into them. Oh! What about two sugar cookies with a scoop of ice cream crammed between them? She could create several homemade ice cream sandwiches and then have her bowl of ice cream.

 _I'm a culinary genius._ Her stomach growled. _And really hungry for sweets._

Next to Amari, Mimi laid on the ground with Aoko lying on her stomach after yet another healing session. Their eyes remained closed and breathing calm while they waited for the boys to return with breakfast.

Thanks to Mimi's consistent work most of the pain was gone. There were still lingering problems; her right arm still tingled, the tips of her fingers were numb, not to mention the phantom burning sensation from her scars. Those, however, were her struggles to overcome.

 _One day at a time._

She lightly pressed two fingers to her left eye. _Ryu…when I dreamed of the fight, I would see you every time the dragon appeared, standing at my side. I know it's a dream…but I like to think you really were there, giving me the strength to protect my precious people._

 _I- I miss you…_ Amari lowered her hand and exhaled a quiet, sad sigh. _But I'm not coming back to you yet. Not until I fulfill your last wish._

 _I'll try not to be early._

Physically Amari felt better compared to the immediate aftermath. What Mimi was doing for her, she really appreciated it. She could have left with her team and finished the test faster, maybe even been the first to arrive at the tower. Instead the Inuzuka chose to delay her team and stay to heal Amari, expending chakra she wouldn't have had to use otherwise.

Amari did her best to express her gratitude when she could. It was only right. Without Mimi she would have lost more blood and been in even more pain. She wouldn't even be functioning relatively normally right now without her help.

 _She's a good friend._

Amari pulled at Mimi's sweater, readjusting it to hang more loosely on her smaller frame. Once comfortable, her eye flicked up to check on Sakura. Her fellow kunoichi knelt next to their extinguished fire pit, preparing it for a new fire to cook their breakfast.

After breakfast they'd be setting out to reach the tower.

 _Hopefully there won't be any trouble_ , she thought. _But honestly, I think I'm just going to expect the worst. At least then there's a chance I can be pleasantly surprised._

A total of three days passed since they embarked on this exam. That left them with all of today and all of tomorrow to reach the tower. It wasn't a bad situation. Time was still of the essence, but at least they weren't on the final day.

 _It sucks we spent day one and two getting our butts kicked._

No chance they were going to set any records, not that she cared. She hadn't come here to set records. She came to test her strength against stronger shinobi. _I really need to be more careful what I wish for_. Amari sighed. _Seriously, next time I ask to be challenged, I need to make sure I say against people who aren't legendary shinobi or so out of my league I'll live only on their whim. Or have stupid minions._

These last few days had been the biggest drag.

"Hey Amari, do you have the chakra to light this?" Sakura asked.

She nodded shortly and created the Tiger seal. She exhaled a tiny, pitiful fire. Pitiful it may have been, but it was all she could do, and it set the wood on fire. _Another small win for the exhausted Amaririsu Yūhi_ , she drawled sarcastically.

Sakura smiled. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

 _At least I can help a little bit. I'm not completely useless._ Not like when she lost Ryu.

Amari watched the flames dance, her thoughts awakening a little bit more when Shikamaru came to mind. _Did you make it to the end yet, Shika? Are you safe?_ She hoped so. Part of her wished he stayed, but it was better this way. He could get to safety and pass the exam without endangering his team further.

 _I wonder if Hinata's team made it through. It'd be cool if all of us rookies make it to the final stage._

Her stomach growled and thoughts of the exam faded.

Sasuke and Naruto returned and pierced the six fish they caught with sticks. After setting them over the fire, the group sat in relative silence as they waited for their food to be cooked. Once it finished, they each took one fish each and gave the other two to Mimi and Aoko.

Their food gone, Sasuke stood up and took their makeshift bamboo pitcher to go get fresh water for the team.

"Amari, do you think the area around the tower is going to be heavily layered with traps?" Sakura asked as they sat by the fire.

She and Mimi nodded. "Definitely," Amari answered. "At this point in the exam, anyone who doesn't have a scroll or wants to eliminate competition is going to be waiting around that tower for the remaining stragglers. Although intelligent shinobi will know to be cautious, it doesn't change how perfect the conditions are for an ambush and traps. Those who have had time to set up will be well rested and well-prepared for incoming shinobi."

"Good thing you have Aoko and I here to help smell out the trouble before we run into it," Mimi said, brandishing her usual grin.

Yes, they were extremely fortunate to have the pair here. Her need to replenish chakra left her eyes off limits, and in her state of fatigue her sensory abilities weren't sharp enough to avoid enemy shinobi. Mimi being here ensured they had a higher chance of avoiding all fights instead of stumbling like tired idiots into them.

"True," she said. "Your help does increase our chances significantly, but we can't afford to get overconfident in our abilities now. Between my current state and Sasuke's, we're already at a severe disadvantage in strength and sensory abilities. We'll be liabilities to all of you. It won't take an intelligent opponent long to notice our weakness."

Her exhausted state placed a giant target right on her. Sasuke, on the other hand, had to keep himself from expending too much chakra. If he didn't, or if he was placed in a situation where using chakra was mandatory to survival, the vile chakra from the Seal would gain more of a foothold in his system.

Something none of them wanted.

"Don't worry so much," Mimi soothed. "We'll avoid trouble when we can and take down any punks who get in our wa—" The Inuzuka's eyes sharpened and then she was gone.

Amari sensed the new chakra presence a second later—a second too late if it weren't for Mimi. She turned to face the new presence, kunai in hand and a quiet curse under her breath.

Why now of all times? Hadn't they been through enough already?

Next to Naruto, a familiar ash-grey haired and purple shirt wearing shinobi knelt on one knee.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Kabuto said, his hand extended out to hold Naruto's hands in place.

"Thought I caught your scent, just didn't think you'd be stupid enough to come here," Mimi growled, her kunai to his throat. "I know you're alone. Let go of the kid or I'll remove your head." She pressured the blade against his throat, a sliver of crimson trailing over her onyx blade. "Don't try to call it a bluff. This forest has taken what little patience I have and torn it to pieces."

No one doubted her.

"Heh, easy," Kabuto soothed nervously, a bead of sweat falling down his cheek to join the stream of crimson. "I'm not here to attack you guys. See?" He motioned to Naruto's hands with a downward flick of his eyes.

Amari and Mimi looked to Naruto's hands. In them was their Earth scroll, part of the paper unwrapped, but not enough to see what was inside. The Nara groaned. _Of all the stupid things…_

"Naruto! You know we are forbidden from looking into that scroll!" she reprimanded.

Mimi snarled, lowered her blade from Kabuto's throat, flipped it so the blunt end was facing away from her then swatted the blond top of his head. Naruto yelped and grabbed at the area, dropping the scroll into his lap. "Damn goofball."

Movement caught Amari's attention in the distance. Sasuke was rushing over, ready to destroy Kabuto from the look of it. "What's going on?" he demanded.

"Troublemaker making trouble when we weren't looking," Mimi responded, an edge to her voice. Kabuto retracted his hand from the boy and sighed in relief. She cast a glance to the older shinobi. "Sorry about that. Couldn't take any chances, and as I said, this forest has left me with no patience."

He laughed it off, a bit shaky and full of his relief. "No harm done. I understand completely."

Sakura walked over to Naruto and snatched the scroll from him. She stuffed it into her ninja pouch and returned to her seat, grumbling under her breath the whole way.

Mimi remained standing. Her eyes pinned back onto Naruto in a scathing glare seemingly meant to set him on fire. "Hey, what's the big idea? After everything you guys went through, and what Amari put herself through, why the hell were you trying to peek at the scroll?" she growled.

"That's why I wanted to look!" Naruto defended himself. "Amari put herself through so much, so I wanted to see what was so important inside." Mimi swatted him with the blunt end of her kunai again. Naruto recoiled and covered his head again. "Ow! Hey, what was that for?!"

"For being an idiot!" she fired back. "You were about to get your entire team disqualified and render the sacrifices pointless out of curiosity! I ought to tear _you_ to shreds and unleash this pent up aggression I have!" Naruto visibly shrank in fear of the furious Inuzuka. "You heard that crazy proctor: 'You. Don't. Want. To. Know.' Ring any bells? Whatever is in there will probably lay us all flat on our asses!"

"She's right," Kabuto agreed, standing up to his full height. "There have been others who broke the rules to read the scrolls. I've seen what happens to them." Sasuke joined the group, casting a suspicious look at the older shinobi behind his back. He didn't like him. Then again, his timing was inherently suspicious. Amari was just too tired to question it at this point.

"The scrolls are protected by a strong hypnosis jutsu—a sort of booby trap for anyone unwise enough to disobey the rules. It will knock you senseless, and by the time you wake up the exam is over."

Naruto blanched visibly.

"Thank you, Kabuto," Amari thanked. That would have been an unfortunate end to this exam.

He smiled at her. "It was nothing, really. I owed you one."

"What are you doing out here anyways? You obviously got past the genjutsu," she pointed out.

"Don't worry. I'm not after your scroll. I already have both, see." He pulled out both of his scrolls to show the group then stuffed them back in his pouch. "I was just on my way to the tower actually but fell into the genjutsu. I prepared for an ambush after I released it, but none came. I concluded it was set up to hide a team instead of meant for an offensive attack, so I came to see who was in trouble. Maybe they were enemies I could eliminate, or perhaps they were allies I could help." Another smile. "I'm pleased it was the latter."

"Mm. Lucky you showed up when you did, otherwise that goofball would have knocked us all senseless."

The ash-grey haired ninja put his scrolls back then regarded the Inuzuka carefully. "You're the medical-ninja from Team Guys team, right? What are you doing here?" he asked clearly confused.

Mimi's seriousness fell for a grin. "Lending a hand to the rookies. They were half dead when I found them; begging for help, pleading for the great Mimi Inuzuka to please, please, please guide them to the end."

All four members of Team Seven frowned at her humor.

"You don't say," Kabuto chuckled.

 _Guess it is partly true,_ the Nara conceded.

"If you're heading for the tower, then I don't see why we should wait around any longer," Mimi continued, far more serious than before. "We might as well go together. Increase your chances since you're on your own and increase our strength. A win-win."

"Can't deny it." Kabuto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I wouldn't mind the help getting to the tower. This is the furthest I've gotten in my years taking the exam."

Aoko sniffed the air then growled lowly. The Inuzuka's eyes flicked to the side behind Amari. "We should go now. We're lucky you were the first one to get through the genjutsu, but its potency isn't as strong as it was. I get the feeling the competition has caught onto to our ruse."

All the Genin nodded in agreement to the subtle message: the enemy was near.

"Get dressed, Naruto, and try not to do anything too stupid," Sasuke scolded before moving to get ready.

Naruto growled under his breath then proceeded to mimic and mock Sasuke behind his back, pulling faces and gestures as he moved to get dressed.

"What about Amari?" Sakura asked.

The question of the last two days, no doubt. Amari started to move to stand. "I'll be fin—"

Mimi's gloved hand rested on her shoulder and halted her motions. "Ah, ah, ah, no. You're not walking on your own just yet," she stated firmly. "You've got to rest the leg while you can, otherwise it won't heal properly."

"But—"

"No, Amari. When you're the medic and I'm the patient, we can have arguments like this. Until then, you'll be listening to me."

Amari sighed, displeased at the situation. Sure she understood Mimi's point, but she didn't want to burden the team any further. As long as they moved fast her leg wouldn't be an issue. But she wouldn't argue. Not when it was impossible to win.

 _Troublesome girl._

"Sakura, you'll carry her as we move," Mimi said, removing her sweater from Amari and putting it back on.

She received a nod.

As soon as Naruto finished getting dressed they set off towards the tower.

Through the trees, above the forest floor, they traveled, Sakura piggybacking Amari and the others remaining aware of their surroundings. Along the way Kabuto explained to Naruto and Sasuke why the area around the tower was the most dangerous.

The best way to get a scroll would be to set up shop around the tower with traps. Considering Kabuto said he found shinobi who opened their scrolls, half wouldn't be able to pass anymore. Even less scrolls were in the field, and that made shinobi more desperate as the days counted down.

People without both scrolls would realize this the longer they went without running into other shinobi. It would become clear the tower attracted all participants, and so they would wait around it, setting up ambushes and traps to get the scroll or scrolls they needed. Today and tomorrow shinobi would be waiting in abundance.

Then there was the other problem that Amari was afraid of being possible.

 _Collectors._

Those who had both scrolls but wanted to eliminate competition, give a scroll to their allies, or use extras to barter for safe passage when faced with a stronger enemy. This brought the group to the reason why Kabuto came along.

There were going to be a lot of ninja between them and their goal. Kabuto was away from his team, which left him vulnerable to teams of collectors should he encounter them. Sticking with their group meant they wouldn't face ninjas alone and added numbers into their favor.

 _We're a bigger target, but with Mimi and Kabuto we have a shot._ If they could reach the tower without problems, it would be great. Wonderful even. Yet if they did run into trouble, having Kabuto, Mimi and Aoko would help to make up for the absence of Amari and Sasuke's strength.

 _Here's hoping we can make it without issues._

By the time the tower came into sight, night was nearly upon them. "There's the tower. Too bad that means we're in a hostile environment more so than we were before," Amari said as Sakura let her back down for a small break.

Naruto pumped an enthusiastic fist into the air. "All right bring 'em on!"

Amari cringed. He already forgot the cardinal rule of silence. There was no telling how many enemies were out there, or how many just heard his voice.

"Hey Naruto, do us a favor and try to keep it to a dull roar, would you?" Kabuto stated in a question. The boy made a sound of confusion. "You see, the idea is to make sure no one knows we are here. If you go crashing through the forest like a bull in a china shop then you are going to draw collectors like flies."

"Which is bad, Goofball," Mimi teased with a grin.

"It's going to be a drag, but we want to avoid them completely if we can," Amari agreed.

"Time for us to shine, right Aoko?" Mimi directed to her ninken. A soft murmur was her response. The duo sniffed the air. "Okay, follow me as quietly as you can. We have an entire day left, so let's move with purpose but remain cautious."

They all nodded and followed the Inuzuka, Sakura once again piggybacking the Nara.

Two proverbs to trust in Konoha: "Always trust an Inuzuka's nose" and "Never play shogi with a Nara."

Jumping through the trees was no longer an option. Naturally they would want to move quick and fast, but now was the time to be more like a tortoise and less like rabbit. Or, more like Kakashi and less like Guy.

The large team moved with purpose on the forest floor, using the foliage and the Inuzuka's senses to sneak around enemy teams or avoid them outright. Twice they had close calls. Their large group used their shinobi training to hide from sight as the teams searched for the shinobi they were certain had been there.

They weren't wrong, but lacking a sensor left them unable to find the Leaf shinobi hidden among the forest.

Closer to the tower they ran into other ninjas—dead ninjas.

In a tree above them, caught up in ninja wire and littered with kunai were three shinobi. They paid the price for setting off a trap, whether through arrogance or sheer coincidence. It was a sad sight to see. _Such a waste of potential life._

All shinobi eventually killed. It was a part of the life they were in, and sometimes there was no other choice. One day Amari herself would have to face the same reality. Because of that, she wanted to spare life where and when she could. _I'll need to start taking genjutsu training more seriously._

"Seems some of the others really took the no holds barred thing seriously," Amari said to herself.

"It will only get worse as we go," Kabuto observed wisely.

Mimi and Aoko both quietly searched the area with their eyes and noses. The kunoichi looked troubled to a degree yet her confidence wasn't wavering. "Mimi?" Amari prompted.

"We're being followed, have been since we left camp." She shook her head. "I don't think they're trackers. If they were, they wouldn't have nearly lost our trail an hour ago, but they're back on it. I've tried changing our paths a few times to lose their trail all the while avoiding other ninjas, but these guys are stubborn," Mimi said distantly, her mind distracted by the three ninja on their tail.

"What are you thinking?" Kabuto asked.

"I want to say keep going and reach the end before they catch up, but it's unlikely we could. Not at the pace we're going and not if we want to avoid collectors. They could trap us in a genjutsu or set up a trap ahead of us if we did. We could try hiding, but if they found our trail again they are probably smart enough to find us if we hide. That would also waste time and leave us out here in enemy territory."

"A trap or a straight up fight are our only two options," Sasuke said.

The Inuzuka nodded. "Yeah, and the second one is a bad idea. We've be going all day and almost half the night. They may be just as tired as us, but with you and Amari in weakened states and me at half strength we'll just place your scrolls and Kabuto's at risk."

"And a straight fight will attract unwanted attention," Amari said, pursing her lips in thought at the problem in front of them.

"Why don't we use a trap like the one we used against the Rain shinobi," Sakura offered. "Naruto can create clones to transform into our group. We pick a place to hide and wait for them to take the bait then take them down."

"Think you can pull it off, Naruto?" Sasuke asked.

"You bet I can. It'll be no sweat at all," Naruto declared.

Amari shifted on Sakura's back to release some of the tension building in her thigh before speaking. "If they're smart, they won't try to take us on head-on, even if they are desperate."

Kabuto nodded. "She's right. They've made it this far without being killed or getting caught by the collectors. We should be cautious."

Sakura turned her head to look back at her. "What are you thinking, Amari?"

The gears in her brain slowly started to spin again, grinding and sparking as if unused for a century, but they were finally turning. It was a good sign. "They've been following us all day, so they have to be just as tired as we are. In their position, under the impression my enemies have no sensors among them, I would want to attack from the shadows and wear my enemies down even further while I remained rested.

"But the flaw is how much chakra Naruto will have to expend with his clones." She shook her head. "We wouldn't be able to wait them out all night; it'd sap Naruto of most of his strength." _Especially in his current state._ He may not have realized it yet, but he didn't have access to nearly as much chakra anymore. For him, they needed to be careful. "I say we draw their ambush to his clones. From there, with Mimi's senses, we take them out quickly and efficiently."

"It's a good plan as long as they don't see through the clones," Kabuto agreed, pushing his glasses up. "Until then we should try to find a good ambush area closer to the tower. Mimi, do you think you will be able to keep track of the ninja and all others around us?"

She nodded. "I'll track the ones around us. Aoko, you track the three on our tail." Her ninken gave a bark of understanding and then the group continued on their way.

When the ninja on their tail were closer, the large team set up their trap and hid themselves away in small groups. Mimi and Aoko paired up with Amari while Sasuke, Sakura, Kabuto and Naruto hid close by.

As they waited, Mimi placed a single hand to Amari's thigh and used her Medical Ninjutsu to knit together whatever damage was left. "Try to keep off the leg as long as you can," she whispered.

"I'll do my best."

Mimi glanced up at her shoulder and frowned. "Your shoulder…You'll need a more experienced medic-nin to fix it. It's beyond my current skill level. The tingles you feel and the numbness won't go away until you get it taken care of. The same applies to this wound on your leg. I can't fix all of it, even without restraining my chakra." Mimi sighed and removed her hand, shaking her head. "I appreciate and respect what you did to protect your team and Lee, I really do." Hardened blue eyes landed on her. "But don't you ever stab yourself again. You're lucky you didn't hit the artery."

Amari laughed softly. "Trust me, I don't plan to ever stab myself again. Getting stabbed really sucks."

Mimi grinned at that. "You don't say." Aoko's ears twitched up, as did Mimi's head in response to a sound only they could hear. Her features turned serious. "I'll be right back."

Then she was gone.

 _This is such a drag_ , Amari sighed. _I can't even offer anything except tactical analysis._

She felt useless, and she hated it. Hated it nearly as much she hated the injuries responsible for her uselessness. No doubt Mimi and the others were already taking down their stalkers. And sooner or later they'd come back to grab her, all in an effort to keep her protected.

Amari appreciated everything they were doing for her. They kept her safe, carried her when her legs couldn't and healed her injuries. Truly, she was glad to have such good friends. But she didn't train so hard to be protected by others. She trained to be the protector, to keep others safe so they wouldn't succumb to the same fate as Ryu.

 _I know my wounds are severe. I know I've done a lot to protect them_ …

But she needed to be stronger. To stop Kasai, to protect her precious people, she had to become stronger than this.

 _I will._ Amari curled her left hand into a fist. _I swear I'll get stronger._

Mimi suddenly appeared next to her. "All right, time to move." She grabbed her arm and wrapped it around the back of her neck before Body Flickering again to the field where their trap had been set.

Face down in the center of the field was a familiar shinobi and his two teammates. "Hey, it's that guy we took the Heaven scroll from," Amari pointed out, surprised to see them again.

The Rain ninja and his teammates didn't have any visible external wounds on them, but they were clearly unconscious.

"Poor guys didn't even see her coming," Kabuto said, smirking at their misfortune.

"Strike quickly and efficiently was the plan, right?" Mimi grinned.

"What did you do?" Naruto asked, lightly tapping one of the Rain ninjas with his foot.

The downed shinobi did not stir.

Mimi shrugged nonchalantly. "Aoko and I hit the pressure points in their neck with chakra. They'll be napping for a while."

Kabuto hummed. "Impressive. That must take some real precision to pull off."

"Aw man, and here I was ready to fight," Naruto whined.

 _I'll have to keep that skill of hers in mind_ , Amari analyzed. Kabuto wasn't wrong, the precision and anatomical knowledge Mimi needed to do that spoke volumes of her level of skill. _If she gets behind me, she could knock me out without any issue. But if she's even off by a few centimeters, her attack will fail._

She would remember that next time they fought.

With their pursuers down and out, the team continued on their way to the tower. It took some time; they couldn't abandon caution entirely even with the Rain shinobi down. Not when they were so close to the end.

They reached the tower without further incidents. All around the tower were doors marked with their starting gate numbers. For Team Seven and Kabuto, their doors were literally next to one another.

"Kabuto," a voice called. The group half turned to see Kabuto's teammates walking out of the forest to regroup. "You're late."

Amari frowned. _Well, that's a nice greeting. No worry or question of why? Just "Hey, you're late. What's your problem?" Jerks._

"Sorry about that. I got a little sidetracked," he apologized.

"It wasn't so bad. In the end we were able to help one another get to the end. It all worked out if you ask me," Amari said.

"True enough," Kabuto agreed, nodding once. He glanced to their door. "Well, this is our door." He looked back at them with a smile. "So long and good luck to us all." Kabuto gave them a thumbs up then left with his team.

Not even a second later Team Guy jumped down out of the trees to join them. "Mimi, you're okay," Tenten breathed out happily.

Mimi grinned at her teammate. "As if there was ever any doubt. Right, Aoko?" Her ninken barked a pleased bark. "I told you I'd be here today." She looked up at the darkened sky. "Took a little longer than planned, but I always keep my promises."

"Trouble?" Neji questioned, his eyes flicking over to the door Kabuto's team entered through.

"Them? No. Rain ninjas who couldn't find their own asses if they were sitting on their two hands? Definitely."

Lee looked a lot better than last time, his usual youthful energy alive and well in his eyes. Unlike Amari, he could stand on his own feet; she was once again piggybacked on Sakura.

 _This is such a drag._

"You guys okay?" Mimi asked.

"We're all right. We've kept ourselves hidden most of the last two days and haven't run into any shinobi," Tenten answered.

"Lee?"

"I am well, Mimi, thanks to your healing and the rest I received while we waited." He looked over to the two kunoichi's. "How are you, Amaririsu and Sakura?"

"I'm okay, Lee, don't worry," Sakura said.

Amari nodded in agreement. "Me too. Mimi's been a big help."

"Glad I could help. Now we can all finish this exam. Hopefully the next stage is something a bit more exciting." Mimi grinned. "Or maybe I should just hang around you guys more often. You guys attract all sorts of entertainment and fun."

"You have a strange sense of fun, Mimi."

Tenten jabbed her fellow kunoichi and smiled. "You get used to it."

"Oh, you wound me once more!" the Inuzuka quipped dramatically.

Amari giggled tiredly at the dramatics then let her features sober up. "Thank you for the help, Mimi," she thanked sincerely, bowing her head as best as she could in appreciation.

"Eh, don't worry about it," Mimi waved her off. "I'll stop by after we get through whatever the deal with these scrolls are and heal you a little more if there aren't any professionals here." The Inuzuka gave Team Seven a casual two fingered salute. "See you four later."

With that, Team Guy left for their door.

Team Seven entered through their own with Naruto in the lead and the other three taking up the rear. The room it led to was large, and empty, made either with concrete walls or painted to appear as such. On the wall opposite of the entrance was a large parchment hanging high up, the writing old and faded at certain points. One part in particular was incomplete.

 _This is strange._

She expected there to be an assistant to the proctor or the proctor herself waiting for them to give directions. After everything they went through, she hoped for a quick turnover so she could get healed, get ice cream and take another nap.

"Do you guys think they have an ice cream shop here?" she asked aloud.

Her question earned a giggle out of Sakura, a snort from Sasuke and a grin form Naruto. They thought it was a joke. Amari was dead serious; she _really_ wanted some ice cream, its cold sweetness called to her.

Sakura shook her head. "I wouldn't count on it."

"How troublesome," Amari grumbled.

"Hey, there's nobody here! What are we supposed to do now?" Naruto's voice reverberated off the empty room.

No answer came.

When they neared the center, Amari tapped Sakura on the shoulder. "Sakura, you can put me down here. You've been carrying me all day, and obviously we'll be here for a little while."

"Okay." Sakura knelt down and let the Nara lower herself to the floor to sit.

The floor was hard and uncomfortable. Cold, too. She could feel it underneath her palms and on the back of her calves as she leaned back and stretched her legs out in front of her.

"I'd check the parchment," said Amari. "Maybe it has directions."

Or maybe they would be stuck waiting for an hour until someone appeared. Amari shrugged. _Oh well._ Not like it mattered. They still had a day left of the Exam anyway.

"If qualities of Heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom to take your mind higher," Sakura read from the parchment. "If Earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body and prepare to attack. When Heaven and Earth are open together, the perilous path will become righteous forever. This… _something_ is the secret way that guides us from this place today."

A riddle. It had to be a riddle. And a riddle missing a word, no less. Amari was too tired to deal with this.

"This what? Or is that secret too?" Naruto asked, perturbed by the vagueness.

Amari massaged her temples. "There's a word missing, or it's so old it faded away," she explained tiredly. "The main point of it all is to tell us to open the scrolls together…I think. Maybe." She shrugged. "At this point it's the only option we have."

Sakura pulled out the Earth scroll and Sasuke pulled out the Heaven scroll. Neither appeared confident after her poor reassurance, but they still went through with it. They knew she was right. There wasn't any clear sign of where to go or what to do, and any door that might lead out of here was blocked off for them. Through process of elimination, it could only be the scrolls.

The group formed a small half circle with Sasuke and Sakura in the middle and Naruto and Amari on the outer sides. The pair looked at their scrolls, hesitant and full of concern over what might happen.

"Think happy thoughts. It might help," Amari offered from her seat below them.

Both shot her amused and nervous smirks before crouching down to open them for her to see. They unrolled the paper scrolls at the same time and pulled them out to their farthest distance. What was written within caused Amari, Sakura and Sasuke to share startled gasps.

"What does it say? What does it say?" the knucklehead pestered.

"Sakura, Sasuke, toss the scrolls quick! Their summoning scrolls and they're about to summon!" Amari warned.

Her teammates came to the same conclusion and tossed the scrolls away towards the parchment. Smoke poured from the scrolls before an explosion of smoke concealed the entirety of the area in front of them. Team Seven tensed, reaching for their ninja tools and preparing for a final fight.

When the smoke cleared, they were able to finally see the person it summoned. Brown hair in a ponytail, arms crossed over his chest and a long horizontal scar across his nose.

"What? It's you?" Sasuke said in shock.

"Iruka-sensei?" Naruto and Amari questioned in unison.

Before them stood their Academy sensei. "Hey. Long time no see huh?" Iruka greeted casually. He lifted his head as he opened his eyes and gave the team a smirk. He was genuinely happy to see them here, though his eyes did trail to Amari sitting form. The blood once covering her limbs had been washed off, thankfully, otherwise she was certain he'd have a heart attack.

But even then he could see the blood stains in her clothing and the pure exhaustion on her face. Worry did take form, but he did his best to keep it hidden.

"Iruka-sensei?" Sakura echoed her three teammate's surprise.

"Looks like you've gone through a lot in this test," he said.

"You could say that again," Amari mumbled. She wanted to tell him about everything they encountered. She wanted to explain the dangerous shinobi who infiltrated their home and left his mark on them. But she couldn't. Not yet. He was here for the Chūnin Exam first. As soon as he was done doing his duty, she would tell him.

"Are you making dramatic entrances now Iruka-sensei? I admit you surprised me and the others completely," she said.

He smiled at her. "At the end of the second exam we Chūnin are supposed to welcome the test takers back. And, well, it was just good luck that I was given the task to be the messenger for you guys."

"The messenger?" Sakura was as puzzled as her teammates.

Iruka, for the moment, ignored their confusion and reached into his pant pocket to pull out a stopwatch. He hummed. "Looks like you guys made it one day before the end of the exam." He closed it and gave them a closed eyed smile. "And now: Congratulations! You passed the second exam."

There was a collective exhale of relief. _Thank Kami, it's over._

"To celebrate your passing I would love to treat you all too some Ichiraku Ramen, bu—"

"Ramen!" Naruto's shout cut off their sensei. "Seriously?! That's so cool!" He tackle hugged their old sensei without knocking him over.

"Wait! I'm not done. Let go. Hey, Naruto!" Iruka tried to get through his continued shouting about how awesome getting some ramen would be.

Their sensei finally gave up on outshouting the loudest ninja around, choosing instead to smile at the little knucklehead he cared a lot for. Sakura and Sasuke promptly collapsed next to Amari. The boy fell back onto his butt and the kunoichi to her knees in sheer exhaustion.

"That boy has too much energy," Amari sighed.

"Where does he even get all that energy from?" Sasuke asked.

"I don't know, but I wish I had some right now. I'm beat," Sakura said. She received nods of agreement from the two Uchiha's who were equally tired. "Naruto, can you put a lid on it? We're tired."

Naruto released Iruka and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Hehe, sorry about that."

Iruka's eyes returned to Amari. "Amari, are you all right?"

She nodded. "Better than I would have been without Mimi Inuzuka's help. But she said I'd need a professional to look at my right shoulder and thigh." His features became even more worried. "It's…been a long few days, Iruka-sensei. I'll explain it when you finish telling us everything you have to."

He gave a reluctant nod, though his concern did not fade away.

A new thought hit Amari. "So Iruka-sensei, if you were summoned by the scrolls, that means if we were to open them out in the forest you would have come out, right?" she asked.

Kabuto must have misunderstood the sealing work.

Sasuke caught onto her line of thought and exhaled an amused laugh before smirking up at their sensei. "What would you have done to us, Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka turned around to grab the Earth scroll off the ground. "As usual Amari and Sasuke, you two are as sharp as tacks." He turned around and showed them the symbol on the summoning scroll. "You two have figured out the secret. Part of this exam was to test how well you could see a difficult mission all the way through. Simply put: you knew that opening the scroll was forbidden for your mission, and if you tried to open one…" Their sensei stopped, and then an evil smile formed on his face.

It was answer enough.

"Man that would have been a drag."

Sasuke nodded in silent agreement.

"What? What would have happened?" Sakura questioned.

"If the scroll was opened, we were ordered to knock out whoever opened it. Some ninja found that out the hard way," Iruka explained.

Both Uchiha smirked and looked to Naruto, shared humor in their eyes. "Heh. It's a good thing you didn't open yours, huh Naruto?" Sasuke teased dryly.

"It would have been a jack in the box to end all jack in a boxes. Da, da-da, da-daddity da-da, da-da, da-da, da-da, da. Da, da-da, da-daddity da-da, pop there goes Na-ru-to," Amari tagged on in a singsong voice.

His eyes grew wide in fear as he let out a wordless stutter of shock, finally realizing the implications of what his curiosity would have caused. Naruto clasped his hands together, almost as if he were praying, and grinned up at the ceiling in fear.

"I owe you. Thanks a million, Kabuto."

Sakura giggled in response to the two Uchiha's teasing then stopped when a thought seemed to cross her mind. "Oh yeah, Sensei?"

"Yeah?"

She pointed up to the board with the writing on it. "What does the writing on the wall mean? The parchment is kind of eaten away. We can't really understand it."

"Oh please," Naruto interjected. "Listen, we passed this test! That stuff doesn't matter now."

Their sensei turned back to them, a sheepish smile on his face. "Well, actually explaining that is one of the other duties I've been sent here to take care of."

"What?! Seriously?" Naruto's disbelief was palpable.

"That's right, it's serious business. Give it a good read. They are instructions Lord Hokage recorded as principals Chūnin should follow."

"Instructions?"

"Yes. Heaven stands for your mind and Earth for your body. If qualities of Heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom to take your mind higher." Team Seven remained in confused silence. "All right, I'll explain. In other words: if your weakness lies in your intellect, _Naruto_." Iruka smiled and brought his thumb to his forehead protector. "Then you have to make doubly sure that you work hard to learn all the information and skills you need to prepare for your missions."

Amari muffled her giggle the same as Sakura when Naruto growled, annoyed by his valid point. "All right, I get your point."

"And you." Iruka continued as he looked to Sakura. "If Earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body and prepare to attack. So if your weakness lies in your physical strength, _Sakura,_ then you have to make sure you work on your physical conditioning every single day so it improves all the time."

Sakura rubbed the back of her head shyly as she gave a nervous laugh.

It was then Iruka's eyes fell onto Amari, and so her teammate's eyes followed them to her. "When Heaven and Earth are opened together, the perilous path will be become righteous forever. This means if your mind and body are working together as one, even a very dangerous mission can become an easy one."

"Mind and body working together creating perfect balance…" Sasuke trailed off thoughtfully then continued when he seemed to hit a realization. "You specified when we were assigned to Team Seven that Amari was put on as _the_ balancing point. You could see her mind and body were closer balanced than ours, and through her you expected us to find our balance."

"Right." Iruka smiled.

"I…I never even thought about that," Amari mumbled. She just thought she was meant to keep them in line. She didn't know Iruka and Lord Third put her here to help her teammates find their own balance.

"But what about that spot with the missing letter?" Sakura asked.

"Well that part is meant for all of you to fill in." He lifted up the scroll again to show them the seal. "Do you see that symbol on the scroll? It's the character for person."

"This person is the secret way that guides us from this place today," said Amari.

"Right," Iruka said. "You see, these five days of survival were to test your abilities as Chūnin, and to see if you'd be any good at it. And I gotta say, you guys really did magnificent. A Chūnin is a leader, a guide. It's a Chūnin's responsibility to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of those serving under him or her, and to know what skills and training those ninjas are going to need in order to succeed on a mission.

"As Chūnin it will be your duty to lead other shinobi. One day you will be the leader who must guide your subordinates through a tough mission and back home. All of you have done an excellent job on your mission, and I want you to remember these instructions on your next one."

Iruka closed his eyes and smiled. "Well, that's it. That was all I was supposed to tell you."

"Got it." Naruto saluted their old sensei.

A troubled look crossed Iruka's face as he stared at the group, in return they each looked at him equally troubled and confused. "Uh…One more thing. For the third exam…please don't push yourselves too hard. I worry about you Amari. You're always pushing yourself harder and harder every day. The same with you Naruto—"

"Iruka-sensei," Naruto interrupted him. "When we got our headbands we stopped being students. So you don't need to worry about us at all, not anymore." Naruto grabbed his headband. "I mean these headbands mean we're full-fledged ninjas, right? You gave it to us. I may still be hyper, but I'm not a kid and neither are Amari, Sasuke and Sakura. Like you said, we got through the second Chūnin Exam, and we're going to pass the third one for sure. Right now, we're ninja too."

Naruto held Iruka's gaze, refusing to budge and hoping to find acceptance in his words. After a few seconds Iruka smiled proudly at the group. "Naruto, you're right. I'm sorry about that."

"Was Naruto just told he was right?" Sakura asked the two Uchiha, a tease in her tone.

Sasuke closed his eyes exhaled a long and deep sigh. "Well, I guess the apocalypse is coming."

"Naruto is right and my clan-brother isn't so broody anymore?…Yep, it really is an apocalypse."

"I was not _broody_."

" _Yes_ , you were," she retorted matter of factly, smirking at him.

Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, you were pretty broody," Naruto agreed.

"Ah, can it, Loser! Just because you were right once doesn't mean you always are. Even a blind rodent can find food once in a great while."

The outburst silenced the room. Team Seven stared at one another, the two kunoichi's eyes widened as they looked between the two boys. Then Naruto started to laugh, slowly but surely losing all control until he was clutching at his gut. His contagious laughter spread to Amari next, who began to giggle. From there it spread to Sakura until finally getting Sasuke to chuckle lightly.

Honestly, Amari wasn't sure what they were laughing about or why. The fact they survived death? Sasuke's ridiculous statement? Maybe reasons didn't matter.

After everything they went through, this laughter felt really good.

It wasn't ice cream, but it was the next best thing.

* * *

Iruka stared at his former students with pride and a smile on his lips as they laughed about nothing. _You've all really grown since your days in the Academy. It's quite surprising how far each of you come in all aspects. I know you four will do your very best in the next part of the exam._

He thought back to the concerns he held when he asked Anko to be their messenger. How badly he needed to be here when they passed to see them with his own eyes. See what injuries they might have sustained in the test, what state of mind they were in and to be here to remind them there was no shame in being incapacitated.

The Chūnin Exams was no joke. It hadn't been when he took it or when his seniors had either. The rookies hadn't waited a year like Team Guy to increase their skills. They jumped right into the frying pan to forge themselves to be stronger barely a year into their shinobi career.

He worried for them.

" _Iruka needs to realize that they're not his students anymore. They're mine."_

Looking at Team Seven, his eyes opened to finally see the growth Kakashi witnessed. These weren't the little kids he spent years teaching. Perhaps in age they weren't any older, but these four carried themselves differently. Stronger, more confident and battle ready.

Their youthful appearance kept them as children, but their experiences brought them closer to being shinobi. One day, perhaps sooner than he realized, they would cease to appear as children and become men and women—each shinobis in their own right.

In his heart they would always be the children he taught, his students who looked to him for guidance or gave him trouble every day. But in the time under the tutelage of Kakashi, they surpassed the strengths and weaknesses he once knew them to have.

 _It seems to me that the one who truly understands the strength and weaknesses of these young ninja best might very well be you, Kakashi._

He looked to his students again, who were calming down from their laughter but still brandishing smiles and smirks. _And who knows, maybe there are Chūnin among these young ninjas already._

"Hey Amari, what did happen to you four?" Iruka asked.

Iruka never could have guessed what he would soon learn.

* * *

"I see." Lord Third exhaled deeply through his nose, eyes falling away from the Head of the Crows. Her news was grave indeed. He did not wish to believe his former pupil had returned or that he had attacked Team Seven, nearly capturing one of Amaririsu's eyes and using nefarious fūinjutsu on Sasuke and Naruto, but he would be a fool to ignore the truth.

"Young Haya will seek to inform you as soon as possible," said the Head of the Crows. "She will see it as imperative to the safety of Konoha and her team. I ask you to reassure her it can be fixed. At this point, she needs hope to combat the darkness she has endured."

Lord Third nodded. "Of course. It will be done."

Haya…He never forgot her original name or the family she belonged to. Even years after she was believed a casualty of the massacre, one look at her small, malnourished frame, the blue hair and mirror like onyx eye was enough for him to remember the child she used to be.

The child named Haya Uchiha. Daughter of two incredibly talented shinobi…two shinobi he once considered great friends.

He could still remember the joy of her parents when her mother became pregnant with her. And the day she was born, he couldn't recall ever seeing them so happy before. But every day after, any time he asked them of their child, they bloomed like flowers in the spring with happiness and bliss.

They were not alone in the feeling. Haya's cousin…he cherished her. From the day she was born to the day he died, everything he did was to keep her safe. To protect her purity and give her happiness. The Hokage feared the day she would remember him and their bond, for when that day came, Haya would experience a pain unlike any she had felt before.

The pain of losing the person most precious to her.

The loss of her family was a heavy burden on the Hokage's heart, as well as the loss of the rest of the Uchiha Clan. Until his last breath he would regret the fate of the Uchiha.

A fate he wished he could go back and change.

"As soon as the next phase is over," he spoke, "I will have the fūinjutsu Orochimaru has placed on Naruto and Sasuke taken care of."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage." The crow bowed her head.

"Are you sure you do not wish to speak to her in person?" he asked.

The crow nodded. "Yes. For now she must focus on the present and the battles ahead." She shook her head. "I will only be a distraction to Young Haya at this time. She will have many questions, some of which she is forbidden to know at present."

The Hokage hummed. "I understand."

"However, my time in the shadows of her life will soon end. Until then," the crow bowed her head again, "fair winds and farewell to you, Lord Hokage."

"To you as well."

The Head of the Crows disappeared into the darkness, leaving the Hokage to ponder on both his next steps and past mistakes.


	31. Chapter 30: Sensitive Matters

Chapter 30

Sensitive Matters: A Genin Seeking Help and Mirrored Taijutsu!

 _Nearly all was silent on the mist covered bridge. After the clashes of blades and wills where the clang of metal, the impact of jutsus and fierce explosions of chakra were joined by cries of vengeance, menacing laughter and rallying cries, all those gathered stood in shocked silence. Only the echo from the young kunoichi's agony filled cry penetrated the quiet._

 _Her cry of agony._

 _She couldn't hear the profound silence over the crackling lightning in her ear or the shrieking pain of tearing flesh. Oh Kami. Pain. Pain everywhere. It tore and screeched and cried and hurt. It hurt so much._

 _Her eyes burned with tears as the pain receptors in her arm sent panicked messages to her brain, relaying the searing, explosion of pain. She tried to shut it out. Tried to pretend it wasn't there, that it was just an illusion._

 _It couldn't be ignored._

 _Pain. Pain. Pain. Every heartbeat echoed by a thundering pulsation of pain. Every tear joined by a drop of crimson blood._

 _She was drowning, tugged deeper and deeper into this bottomless pit of agony._

 _Why wouldn't it stop hurting? Please, make it stop. Take it all away forever._

 _It didn't stop hurting. No, even as she jolted awake, gasping for air after drowning, her scars still burned with the same intensity as that day. Scorching pain, shredding flesh. Kami, she could still feel it. She could feel her arm being torn apart over and over again. She could hear the lightning in her ear, see the mist encompassing her._

 _Please, make it stop._

 _A sheen of sweat covered her skin, her breathing erratic and impossible to catch while her entire body trembled._

 _Another explosion of pain reverberated across her arm, tensing the muscles and stiffening her left arm into a forced state of paralysis._

 _She grit her teeth, silencing the cry of pain desperate to break free of her lips and lurching forward as if struck in her stomach._

 _This pain wasn't real anymore; she reminded herself of that fact over and over, but it didn't stop hurting. The scars burned fiercer, the flesh tearing open once more as she heard the heated cries of her past self._

" _ **Haku lives for you, you heartless bastard!"**_

 _It wasn't real. It wasn't real. It wasn't real._

 _Arm still tense and stiff, she forced herself to lift her hand up in front of her, to prove the wounds weren't there. She could see it trembling through the fog of mist, covered in blood—her blood._

 _She started to hyperventilate._

 _It wasn't real. None of it was. This was a trick, an illusion cast by her own mind._

 _Yet it was real. Too real. This wasn't a trick or an illusion or even just a nightmare. That day was real. The pain was real. The scars were real._

 _And this time she was alone. No one could come and save her. No hand could reach out to her and pull her from this frightening memory into the warmth of an embrace. Her mother wasn't here. Only her peers were, and she refused to let them see her in this state._

 _Not real. Not real. Please, make it stop._

 _She squeezed her eyes shut to hide from the mist, hoping to shut it and the whispers of the agony filled child from her senses. Her heart thundered against her chest, her panic refusing to die._

 _This was her mind and her body. It would listen to her commands if she tried hard enough. Mind over matter._

 _Clenching her left hand into a fist, she whimpered as the action created a ripple effect of pain across her arm._

 _Her mind. Her body. This wasn't real anymore. This pain was in the past. It didn't exist in the present. She already experienced it and the wounds healed over. No blood. No pain. No mist._

 _She inhaled and exhaled as quietly as she could. Hide the pain. This was her struggle, not anyone else's. They would only see her as weak, and she wasn't weak. She was strong. Not the weak girl who watched her friends fight and die._

 _Another quake of searing pain, another silenced whimper._

 _How long she sat there, she couldn't say. Minutes? Hours? At times it felt like days._

 _There were times she tried to lie back down and ignore the pain, but her body would never make it all the way down. The pain, as if aware of her intentions, erupted every time to keep her trembling and stiff as a board._

 _Eventually she rested her forehead against her knees, left hand curling against the fabric of her blanket as her body trembled and shook, warm tears streaming down her cheeks in silent suffering._

 _One day she would be okay. Her mother believed that, so she held onto that hope as tightly as she gripped her blanket._

 _ **One day.**_

* * *

The accommodations given to the early participants at the tower were pretty much what Amari expected them to be: the bare minimum. Tiny cots were stationed across different rooms for the surviving teams; one of the larger rooms served to be the place of gathering for the few teams friendly with one another, while the other loner teams went to private rooms.

Besides the cots, the rooms weren't furnished or decorated. The walls were painted a dull color undeserving of a name, and the occasional window reminded those within of the forest teeming with danger beyond the safety of the walls.

Without a cafeteria of any kind, military ration bars were the food of choice. Bland and tasteless, the food was simply substance to eat when necessary, a way to resupply the body's energy and keep your hunger sated for a long while.

Amari tasted worse. The orphanage hadn't been a five-star restaurant by any stretch of the imagination. When your choice was to either eat or starve, a person learned to be less picky with their food.

Nobody was to be pampered here. This wasn't a luxury resort vacation; this was the Chūnin Exams, a chance to earn a promotion by proving you could be a smart and strong leader.

A chance to honor your Village.

The Rookie Ten proved once again why they shouldn't have been underestimated because of their rookie status. Team Seven, Team Eight and Team Ten all passed through the second phase to reach the tower; Team Eight in particular finished the second quickest of all this year's participants, falling shortly behind the Sand trio.

Amari wasn't surprised. Hinata's team was in their element for this particular survival exercise. All three not only had the experience of Land of Fire terrain, but their specialties were perfect for tracking other shinobi. It would have been more of a shock if they hadn't passed.

Still, Amari was happy for their good fortune, and severely disappointed the Sand trio successfully made it through. She hoped they wouldn't get through the round, or at the least would end up barely making it through. Both of her hopes went unfulfilled. Not a single scratch marked them, and they were still here to be pitted against the surviving teams.

 _What a drag._

So far only three other teams passed, not including Team Guy. Kabuto's team, another Leaf trio she knew nothing of and, unfortunately, the Sound shinobi. The latter team only showed up earlier this morning; they looked about as well as she, Sakura and Lee left them. Their most intelligent decision was keeping their distance, but the crazy eyed glare Zaku shot her didn't go unnoticed, neither did his still broken arms.

The Leaf team she did not know fared a bit better. One of their teammates looked pretty roughed up, yet all three still appeared ready to fight, and a bit mean looking if she was honest. They were probably taking this super seriously…not that she or anyone else wasn't. After the incident with Orochimaru, she found it hard not to take a single moment out here seriously.

At the start of the second phase, twenty-eight teams and eighty-six shinobi entered the Forest of Death. Now there were only eight teams left and twenty-six shinobi—the drop of participants was staggering. Far more than half either went home empty handed or weren't going home at all.

It wasn't unexpected. The test was meant to eliminate half of the participants, after all. And with individuals disobeying the rules to open their scrolls, less than half the teams could ultimately pass the exam. In the end, this test weeded out the lucky, the foolish and the weak—as was likely the intention.

Yet…something still felt incredibly off about the purpose of the test, specifically the balance of power portion of it. Out of all the ninja to go into the Exams, the Rookie Ten—three of the eight teams—passed. Team Guy, Kabuto's team and the mean looking Leaf shinobi made six of eight.

The balance of power was clearly in Konoha's favor here. In a simplified Shikamaru example, _"It's like filling a bag with eight colored marbles. If six of the eight colors are red, one is blue and one is purple, the probability you pull out one that is red is clearly higher. Either the intention they have to regulate the balance of power doesn't work as intended, or this entire test is built to work in favor for whoever is hosting it."_

Amari concurred with her cousin's conclusion and his final words.

" _Politics are such a drag."_

Amari turned onto her left side in her cot and stared into the blank darkness of the wall. The nightmare wasn't torturing her anymore. Her scars remained warm without pain, thankfully, but replacing the nightmare were jitters.

Prior to passing the exam, Amari had been too tired to think about everything that occurred in the forest. The exhaustion slowing her thought processes vanished after the night they made it to the tower. In the wake of the nightmare, however, her mind accelerated to full speed to catch up on lost time.

Orochimaru's intentions, the crows, her Ultimate Defense—or imperfect defense, really—plus Sasuke's mark and the seal on Naruto were the more important matters she couldn't stop thinking about.

Ice cream was also still on her mind, but no luck finding an ice cream shop yet.

 _Troublesome mind._ First the nightmare and now this? Couldn't it hit the brakes and let her sleep in peace?

 _Apparently not._

As if to prove a point, her mind jumped to another train of thought.

Her team told her about their conversation with Mimi regarding her father and the terrible reign of the Fourth Mizukage. Learning of her father's origin didn't change her opinion whatsoever on her fellow kunoichi. Mimi was still Mimi, a friend and comrade she aspired to befriend and rival with.

The Fourth Mizukage bits intrigued her. First off, she knew next to nothing of the Fourth Mizukage, other than he presided over Blood Mist and in all likelihood created the test or approved it. That one fact didn't give her a high opinion of him. A Village leader was meant to guide the next generation and nurture their growth, not have them slaughter one another.

The Blood Mist Exam in all likelihood psychologically damaged the shinobi who took part, but one question lingered in her mind: How were the natives of the Village affected? How did the bloodshed and brutality affect the civilian population? It couldn't do anything good, especially if the Fourth Mizukage was a tyrannical leader.

Fear might keep them in line, but it did not blind them to what went on around them. Amari could not draw an accurate conclusion without firsthand evidence—evidence she was in no rush to have. But she found it hard to believe the civilian population, or children yet to enter the Academy, were not somehow affected by what they witnessed.

Look at her and Haku. Kasai killed Ryu and destroyed her original eye. Haku killed his father after the bastard murdered his mother and tried to kill him too. These impactful, brutal and bloody events changed them significantly. Their worlds were torn apart, and in the end they were set on the paths towards their inevitable clash.

 _What if Blood Mist was a constant state of death and betrayal? What if battles happened in the streets and everyone from elderly folk to children witnessed death on a near daily basis? How would that affect them?_

Amari stared at the wall next to her, troubled and full of sudden heartbreak. _No one would be spared from the cruelty…but would they eventually just become immune to it? As if it is normal when it absolutely isn't?_

The thought hurt her heart. Her left hand curled around the edge of her pillow and squeezed it, desperately wanting to hug the pillow or person to stop these aches. But the thought fired her up too. It made her want to fight. To destroy whoever could impose such violence over people. To eradicate the enablers and those who profited from such a disgusting abuse of power.

Did any of the natives of Mist feel this same fire? This same desire to end the Fourth Mizukage's reign so they could bring new life to their home? Was that the reason Zabuza tried to assassinate the Mizukage?

 _I wonder if their attempt to create emotionless and powerful shinobi accidently created the Demon of the Hidden Mist._ Had the constant brutality affected Zabuza so much as a child he just snapped?

They never really talked about why he tried to assassinate the Mizukage; the talking point hadn't really come up as they tried to kill each other. Amari simply assumed his assassination attempt was fueled by a desire to become the new Mizukage and rule over Kirigakure himself. But could his goal have once been to end the Fourth Mizukage to turn the Mist towards a different direction? One with less bloodshed?

She sighed, unsure of her own thoughts. _In my heart I want to believe he once fought to stop a tyrannical leader. He still had good in him, it's the only reason we did not end our battle by killing one another. But…I don't know the truth, and maybe I don't want to._

The truth was probably harsher and less fairytale like. Zabuza was the Demon of the Hidden Mist. He wasn't the Friendly Spirit of Hidden Unicorn Village. And good intentions did not make evil deeds lesser. Great or small, evil was evil.

 _There's only one thing I am sure of: the Haku and Zabuza we parted ways with were not evil, not anymore in Zabuza's case and not ever in Haku's._

She hoped Zabuza's new path would be without carnage. One closer to the ideal she wanted to envision his younger self as: an ambitious freedom fighter who wanted to keep his people from turning into what he was twisted into.

Deep down Amari truly did hope Zabuza and Haku could be given a second chance to go back home without being hunted or killed. While others may not believe they deserved that chance, Amari did.

 _Hope you guys are okay and getting stronger._ She smiled to herself, twisting a lock of blue hair around her finger. _Wouldn't want to kick your butt too badly, old man._

The Land of Waves mission changed Amari in many ways. It left physical scars on her. It made her realize the flaws of her goals and how much of a hypocrite she was.

She clung so tightly to her goals, yet never questioned where it would lead her. She didn't even care to think about a future because she never adjusted her goal from dying alongside Kasai to living with her new family.

At the same time she talked such a big game about being a shinobi to the kids around her. She acted like the pain she experienced made her a shinobi the moment she earned her headband, yet she had so much more to learn, so much more room to grow to one day consider herself one.

The piece of her heart and soul she sacrificed on that bridge would always be there. The pain she experienced in fighting Haku and from the Lightning Blade would stick with her forever, and she feared the nightmares would to. But she wouldn't take any of it back. What she lost and what scars were given to her were worth all the good that came from it.

Through their mission to the Land of Waves she met good people in Tazuna's family. She found a kindred spirit in Haku, saved him from sacrificing his life and befriended him. Zabuza even earned a place in her heart, though she'd never tell the old man. Jerk would tease her about being so emotional. She got to ice skate, remembered her cousin's voice, found her nindo and tackled Zabuza into the water.

Much like the scars permanently marring her arm and heart, these moments and the people she met were forever engraved into her memories.

 _Such a crazy mission, and somehow we topped it in crazy thanks to Orochi-jackass and the fancy Sound gadget bastard club._

Amari sighed softly, turning again to lay flat on her back with her right hand resting on her stomach. Not that she had much choice where it laid. The medics put her in a stupid cloth sling to keep her from moving it too much. Apparently they didn't trust her to not use it.

A wise decision on their part, intelligent jerks.

 _I'm sure the old man would get a laugh at our expense. First we get an A-rank mission on accident, which led us to fight him and Haku. Then during this exam we face an S-rank criminal who placed a dangerous Seal on Sasuke, disrupted Naruto's chakra and severely injured me. And then he sends his goons after us._

Amari frowned. _Lucky sevens my butt._

Their luck wasn't all bad, she supposed. Sasuke did keep his mark in check and Mimi was able to heal most of her injuries. Overall, those two pieces of positivity did keep her a little bit hopeful.

The fact Sasuke fought with all his willpower to keep the mark in check left Amari extremely happy. Even when it started to spread across his body and his chakra—tainted by the vile mark—swirled around him violently, he never stopped fighting to control it.

On separate occasions she asked Sasuke, Sakura, Shikamaru and Mimi about the moment. They couldn't hide from it while the mark still existed. She needed to gather every scrap of information she could from credible sources to learn more about the mark so she could help, either directly or indirectly.

As Ibiki said, good information was imperative to a shinobi's mission.

As for her injuries, she was recovering well, by her standards at least. She was pretty sure the medics felt differently. Of course they were right, but overall she didn't feel too bad. After the chakra exhaustion and severe pain she experienced, aches in her thigh and shoulder and numbness in her fingertips didn't much bother her.

The medics here did provide medical attention, but as Mimi said she needed more than a simple healing. Given the choice to either forfeit now and get healed or continue the exams with her arm and leg as they were, Amari chose to stay in. She wasn't about to give up after coming this far. She would pass this next part and then deal with her injuries.

Shikamaru was quietly agitated about her decision. Others couldn't see it. To them he appeared as the same lazy Shikamaru, but she could tell exactly how troublesome he thought she was being.

" _You're angry with me,"_ she stated over a game of makeshift shogi. They used ninja tools and other miscellaneous objects as pieces since they lacked a real shogi board. It took a while to get used to, but they eventually found their rhythm.

" _Not angry, just worried."_

" _I'll be okay, Shika."_

" _We could have lost you, 'Risu. Had Orochimaru's whim shifted at a single moment—"_

" _I'm still alive, Shika. That's what counts, right?"_

 _Shikamaru exhaled a deep, heavy sigh. "Yeah. It does count, big time. But…Listen, I know you're not going to quit, no matter what I say. I won't push that. Just…please, try not to push yourself any further. This promotion isn't worth a permanent handicap."_

" _I'll be okay, Shika. I'm more durable than I look."_

" _Heh, suppose I can't argue with that. Still losing at shogi, though. Checkmate."_

" _Wha— damn it! I demand a rematch!"_

Their next shogi match lasted a few hours. It was during this match Shikamaru brought up the revelation of her Uchiha heritage.

" _An Uchiha, huh?"_ was how he prompted the subject.

They both spoke quietly of it since her Uchiha background still needed to be kept secret. _Kind of wish Ino didn't go and blurt it out in front of Hinata's team, though. Troublesome girl._ It didn't change anything about how her Leaf peers looked at her, or at least she didn't notice any changes. Amari just didn't mean for it to come out so soon. In the heat of the fight with the Sound shinobi she didn't even think about it. She just reacted.

Shikamaru didn't seem to be bothered by her hiding it. If anything, he was impressed she kept her Sharingan secret as long as she did through their years in the Academy all the way to now.

" _It was good practice for keeping secrets,"_ Shikamaru pointed out thoughtfully.

Another thing he understood was the need for secrecy faster than anyone else did.

" _Sorry about Ino telling Hinata's team without thinking. She's such a gossip hound."_

" _It's no big deal, Shika."_

" _No, it is, otherwise you wouldn't have had to hide it from us. The Sharingan has to be a coveted prize, even more so now that the Uchiha Clan is gone. I always wondered why so many Jōnin acted as your trainers and guardians. My dad, your mom, Kakashi-sensei, Asuma-sensei, even Lord Third. They weren't just trying to make you feel at home, they were protecting you from domestic threats and preparing you to defend yourself because you had the Sharingan."_

 _He hit the nail right on the head. The only piece of information he missed was her Byakugan._

"… _Yeah. They were," she admitted quietly, eye falling with her mood. She had been so weak back then. So helpless and useless and…she hated her past self. She hated her weakness so much, because that weakness cost her Ryu._

" _No one else here saw the extent of my malnourished state like you did, Shika. I was just skin and bone, no matter what I tried to argue. I cried a lot. Every night because my bed felt empty. Every morning when I woke up to the world without them in it. I was…I was pathetic. Just your voice was enough to scare me into falling down. I needed them to protect me and help me get stronger, desperately. More than our friends will ever realize."_

 _Because they didn't see her at her worst. They only saw the girl who climbed to the top of the class, not the girl who shed enough tears to overflow a river because she missed her friends. Not the frail girl a light breeze could knock over. Not the shell-shocked girl whose entire world collapsed around her in a cold, lonely forest._

 _Not the weak girl whose own decision caused the death of her friend._

" _They only ever saw Amaririsu Yūhi; quiet, reserved, shy but determined to be stronger. They never saw Amaririsu; meek, pathetic, fearful without a shred of confidence in herself or her own abilities."_

" _You weren't pathetic."_

" _Shika, don't—"_

" _You weren't pathetic, 'Risu," Shikamaru interrupted her argument. She looked up from their game and met his stern eyes. "It's true the others never saw you when you entered the Village. I'm sure there are a lot of things I don't even know when it comes to what went down back then, things you keep secret because you have to or because it hurts too much._

" _What I do know for a fact is you went through one of the most traumatic moments of your life that day. You lost the people you loved, people you considered family. Sure you may have cried a lot. Maybe you weren't as strong as you are now. But that doesn't make you pathetic."_

" _I…"_

 _Amari squeezed her eye shut as she struggled to find an argument. He was right to say he didn't know the full truth—the guilt of which gnawed at her gut. He didn't know she held on too tightly to Ryu and Kasai or how that single decision cost her both of them. He didn't know the sleepless nights or tear stained pillows or how her heart still yearned so badly to have Ryu back._

 _But what she lost she could never get back. She couldn't have Ryu back. She couldn't have Kasai back. She couldn't go back to a time where she didn't carry a burden of pain and guilt on her heart every day. She could only ever move forward, carrying the burden and hoping to have the strength to finish what Kasai started._

 _Then why couldn't she argue against his point? Was it because she was too afraid to tell him the full truth, or was she hoping he could somehow paint her past self to be stronger than she was?_

" _You got dealt a bad hand that would have crushed others," Shikamaru said, gentle and full of wisdom. "There aren't many people, especially kids, who could have endured what you did and turned it around for the better. But you did. You fought every day to be better, to be stronger. Sure you tripped and stumbled sometimes." Shikamaru smirked. "You even let out a startled 'eep' and fell over when we first met."_

 _Amari giggled, breathy and full of too many emotions for her to list. "But you got back up and tried again. Despite everything you lost, despite how much you were hurting inside, you kept fighting." He shook his head. "That's not pathetic. That's strength."_

"… _Thank you, Shika."_

It was because of people like him and her mom she kept fighting. They gave her a reason to fight, a reason to live and become someone stronger. They were her pillars of support, the hands always reaching out to her when she felt lost or started to drown in her despair.

In that moment, Amari nearly told him the truth of her Byakugan, about everything, but the sound of someone entering the room kept her from speaking. One day her peers would find out the truth. Whether it was everything about her past or just the fact she wielded the Byakugan, they would learn of her secrets.

But that moment had yet to come.

 _When morning comes it'll be the official end of the exam_ , Amari thought, rolling her head to the side to stare out the nearby window. The bright moon lit up the night sky, shining down through the window and onto the floor. Shadows of tree leaves danced on the floor as wind caught the branches. _I wonder what is in store for us. They wouldn't keep us here for no reason…hopefully. Then again, I think the proctor might find that funny._

"Psst, Amari."

Amari nearly shot up in her bed. Her head snapped back center to see Kakashi standing on the ceiling, upside down with _Make-Out Paradise_ in hand. He lifted his free index finger to his lips in the silent gesture of silence.

"Sensei? Aren't we supposed to wait until tomorrow to see our squad leaders?" she whispered.

"That is the rule, but Iruka passed on your urgent message." He was just as quiet as she was to avoid waking the rest of the Rookie Ten and Team Guy, all of whom were sleeping. Their only saving grace from the two Inuzuka's was Kiba and Naruto's loud, chainsaw snoring.

When she told Iruka the important bits of their encounters in the forest, her sensei did not take her lightly, promising to inform the Hokage and Kakashi immediately. By Kakashi's appearance this late at night—or early in the morning—it was obvious he meant business.

"Meet me outside this room in one minute exactly." He then disappeared quieter than his whisper.

Amari sat up, put her black ninja sandals on and pulled her still tied headband over her head to rest around her neck all the while counting the minute. Nearing the end of the minute, she stood and walked silently to the door. With Naruto and Kiba snoring louder than waterfalls and everyone else having their pillows over their heads, sneaking through the room took little effort.

She peeked out the door in search of a guard but found her sensei's back turned to her. Silently she opened the door wide enough for her slim body to slip through then shut it just as quietly.

"One minute exactly, always punctual," Kakashi said.

"I hate being late. Haven't rubbed your late habits off on me yet, Sensei," she quipped in a whisper.

He chuckled then crouched down. "Hop on. It'll be quicker this way." She obeyed and wrapped her left arm around his chest and adjusted her legs to fit in his gloved hands. Kakashi wasted no time in Body Flickering through the halls. By the time Amari got her bearings, he was already setting her down in a room containing the Hokage, Anko, Ibiki and Shikaku.

Lord Third and Ibiki stood on opposite sides of a couch where Anko and Shikaku sat. The kunoichi leaned forward on her knees, tense and on edge while her uncle looked alert but wasn't letting it ruin his relaxation.

 _Whoa…_ Apparently her warning was taken with the grave seriousness it deserved. She was just a Genin, yet these were some of the elite higher-ups of her Village—one being the very leader of the Leaf.

Gulping down her nerves, her right hand twitched in desire to grip her left arm, but she kept it within the sling. It took her a moment to register her surroundings, the eyes boring down on her, and then she remembered her manners. Amari bowed to the Hokage. "Lord Third."

"Greetings, Amari. I apologize for waking you, but I could not ignore the matter which Iruka came to me with."

Amari came up from her bow. "It's okay. I…" Her eye drifted away towards her left arm. The scars were still warm. "…I couldn't sleep anyways. Too much on my mind."

" _This boy has sacrificed everything for you!_ _ **Everything**_ _! His life, his dreams, they belong to_ _ **you**_ _! Would it kill you to let him know he matters?!"_

She mentally shook off the memory, snapping herself back to attention. "Where should I start Lord Hokage? He…he said and did a lot to us, and I'm not sure what you already know."

The Hokage's eyes moved to her left hand first, noticing the light tremble she felt coming back. _Not now. Just go away._ Then his eyes drifted to her right arm, frowning at the injury, almost shamefully as if he was the one to cause it. He, however, wasn't the one to speak first.

"Your doubts were misplaced, Anko," Shikaku said pointedly at Anko.

"She hasn't given us anything helpful yet," Anko replied.

"Relax, Anko," Kakashi interceded, the calm voice of reason. It didn't seem like the first time he had to do this tonight. "Amari wouldn't have asked Iruka to speak to the Hokage or myself if she hadn't gathered pertinent information."

He rested his hand on Amari's left shoulder. Comforting, gentle, as if he meant to not only calm her nerves about talking, but also ease the light tremble in her hand.

It worked, mostly.

"Start from the beginning, Amari. We don't want to miss a single detail."

He gave her the floor to speak. His voice soothed her nerves, but she waited for the Hokage to nod his head before speaking. "Orochimaru attacked my team in disguise as a female Grass Ninja, the one who snuck up behind you, Miss Anko," Amari started. "She—or he, I suppose is correct, hid his presence at that moment, but when he attacked us in the forest I knew instantly he wasn't a real Genin. The chakra I could sense irradiating off him was off the charts. We tried to flee after his initial ambush—a large Wind Jutsu—but Naruto was separated from us, and he quickly located me, Sasuke and Sakura.

"When we tried to run, he hit us with a level of killing intent I never thought possible. Do you all know of Zabuza Momochi?" Nods from everyone. "During our mission to the Land of Waves, I fought against him on my own. I know it sounds stupid, and it was, I fully admit to that. But during our fight I experienced his Demon Chakra firsthand. I was frightened into paralysis. Only by luck alone did I stop him from killing me."

" _Hehehe…hehehehe...Hahahaha!" His menacing laugh might have sent chills down her spine if his chakra and presence hadn't already. Violent reds and purples lashed together to create a demonic face—the face of her death. "You overconfident brat. I'll never be beaten by a little squirt like you!" He took a single step forward. The wave of killing intent that collided against Amari paralyzed her and sent her heartrate skyrocketing. "You think your anger and that demonic chakra is impressive? I'll show you what it means to be a real demon!"_

Amari lifted her shaky left hand up to her neck. "I can still feel the point of his blade on my neck. One millisecond later and I would have died. His Demon Chakra, it is the most potent and frightening concoction of killing intent I've ever witnessed…until Orochimaru. Zabuza's killing intent paralyzed me, but Orochimaru's showed us our own deaths."

" _Don't worry, child. I'll make it quick, but I don't have to tell you that, do I? You've seen it with your own eyes."_

Kami, she could still feel it—the pure evil. The bloodlust. How could someone like that even exist?

Feeling incredibly shaky, she continued. "Do you…do you have any idea what it's like to experience your own death, but still live? To see yourself die but still feel yourself breathing?"

It was horrible. Frightening. She just wanted to curl up in a ball and hug a pillow or another person as tightly as possible until this feeling passed.

"You overcame it?" Shikaku asked, trying to move the conversation forward for her sake.

Amari nodded. "I did, but it wasn't because I'm some brave warrior. I was afraid. I- I was so scared." She still was. _Stay focused. Come on, be strong_ , she coached herself. "But…I riled myself up inside. Rallied myself around my greatest fear."

"Oh?"

"I couldn't let Sasuke and Sakura die there. I refused to let them die. I refused to let myself die when people still needed me. I refused to die when I still hadn't completed my goal. And, from within me, I felt this burning fire explode." She glanced back to Kakashi. "The same fire that I used to fight Zabuza."

Kakashi's eyebrow rose a little, enough to show his genuine surprise. "You tapped into your fierce inner warrior again."

"Yes. And through it, my chakra cloak came to life again. I overpowered the fear and was able to grab Sakura and Sasuke to escape as he tried to make the visions a reality. But Naruto was still missing, and I knew there was little chance we could outrun our enemy forever. I was proven right moments later when he appeared again with a giant summoning snake.

"After defending ourselves, we tried to use fake versions of our scrolls to barter safe passage. As far as I can tell, he fell for the fake part, but not the safe passage part."

Anko furrowed her brow. "You sure he didn't just let you keep them?"

A fair question.

"Can anyone be sure when it comes to Orochimaru?" she asked in return. "He could have taken the real ones from me. He had the perfect opportunity to, but he didn't. He also later destroyed my fakes, possibly under the assumption they were the real ones. I don't know. Maybe he didn't care to take them. Maybe I somehow fooled him." Amari shook her head. "Doesn't really change anything.

"At the end of the day he knew I was onto him. Not his identity, granted, but he called out my knowledge in battle. Told me I was sharper than my team members because I realized his intentions had nothing to do with what he called an 'inconsequential test.' So if he was aware I could see through his deception, then I can only ask if he was too distracted to notice mine, or didn't care to take them from me."

Shikaku hummed. "Either is a possibility, but 'Risu's right. Regardless of if she tricked him or not changes nothing else. Orochimaru wasn't there to take their scrolls or involve himself in the test beyond attacking her team. Thinking any longer on that detail serves no purpose."

"Agreed," Ibiki said.

"Please continue, Amari," Lord Third ordered.

"Naruto tried fighting him, tried getting me and Sasuke back into the fight because Sasuke had given up. I acted like I did to further my ruse. But Orochimaru captured him and summoned chakra to his hand for some kind of attack. He then slammed it into his stomach and left behind this seal on top of the one already there."

Amari brought her hand to her chin in thought, missing the widening eyes of all the adults. She still couldn't figure out why he used it on Naruto. He seemed so obsessed with her and Sasuke because they were Uchiha's, treating Sakura and Naruto as background noise. So why disrupt his chakra? What purpose did it serve his goal?

"It's tampered with his chakra in a really strange way," she said out loud.

Looking back up, she noticed Kakashi standing behind the couch, as well as the concerned and downright fearful looks on their faces.

"Are you certain he tampered with the seal?" The Hokage's voice was steady yet grave.

Amari gave a nod. "Yes. I don't know enough about fūinjutsu to give you precise details. But to my untrained eye there seems to be an odd number on top of an even one and…" she trailed off, eye darting away in uncertainty of how to mention what she saw with her Byakugan.

"What else, Amari? You don't need to fear anyone here regarding any secrets of our team," Kakashi soothed, taking note of her sudden discomfort.

After releasing a breath, she continued. "I know he holds the Nine-Tailed Fox within him. Mizuki was quite proud of himself for telling Naruto that. But even before that I noticed a second chakra in him. His normal chakra is blue, warm, bright and cheerful just like him. The other chakra is red. Angry, violent, evil. No matter what we did, it was always there. Now, though, after Orochimaru's attack it's become…imbalanced."

The adults didn't appear any less concerned. If anything, the word _imbalanced_ set them further on edge.

"The best way I can think to describe it is seeing the chakra network as interconnected gardening hoses." That earned her momentary amused looks from Anko and Shikaku. "There are kinks within his chakra network now, disrupting the usual flow of chakra through his body at different points. Naruto has terrible chakra control normally, but with this it's even worse. From what I can see, he's been cut off from the Nine-Tailed Fox chakra."

Shikaku scratched at his goatee thoughtfully. "That doesn't bode well for Naruto."

"I was the one to fight him next. He was…fascinated by me. My Sharingan, my abilities, everything. He could hardly contain his own excitement as he theorized why Itachi left me alive. I gave it my all, even accessed my chakra cloak again to blast him with my strongest jutsu, but he shrugged it off. That's when he did this," she motioned to her bandaged arm, "to me. Stabbed my shoulder, twisted it around while smiling and talking about the fragility of my mortal body."

The Hokage so far kept his features fairly neutral, but her final words definitely struck a chord in him, as if he heard those words before. Then it was replaced by a look of guilt as his eyes once again were drawn to her right arm.

"He decided to not give me his 'gift' because he knew I would reject it. Instead he planned to take my eye and leave me alive. Or I assume leave me alive. He considered letting Itachi use me for whatever he wants, thinking it is a plan to use me to kill Leaf Village shinobi or to aid Sasuke's eyes 'maturity' as he called it." Amari shrugged. "I don't know what he meant."

As long as she had her way, she wouldn't ever have to find out either.

"And how did he fail to take your eye?" Ibiki wasn't asking, he was demanding an answer. He knew she couldn't have miraculously defeated Orochimaru to keep her eye. Somehow she escaped with her right eye still in her eye socket.

Amari braced herself for their disbelief, because the truth sounded far stranger than fiction. "This is going to sound like a lie, but it's the truth: the Crows of the Leaf intervened and attacked him."

Shikaku's eyebrows fell. She expected him to scold her for lying, but his next words startled her.

"How do you know about them, 'Risu?"

 _How do_ _ **you**_ _know about them?_ It was the question at the tip of her tongue. She expected doubt. Disbelief. His response, and the responses of the Hokage, Ibiki and Kakashi, didn't fall into that category. Recognition flashed in their eyes at the name, but not because it was a legend. They somehow _knew_ the Crows more personally than that. She could tell. No matter what they might say, they knew.

 _But how? I didn't even know their name until Mimi mentioned it. I didn't even know they existed._

Before she could answer, Anko turned to her uncle with disbelief on her face. "Come on, Shikaku, don't tell me you're superstitious enough to believe they're real."

 _That_ was the response she expected.

"They're real. Very real." Shikaku's voice was devoid of emotion, eyes hardened as he stared right at her. "So I ask again: 'Risu, how do you know the Crows of the Leaf by name?"

"Lord Hokage—"

"They are real, Anko," Lord Third interrupted. The Hokage, Kakashi and Ibiki each wore the same serious features as her uncle. It unnerved Amari immensely, to the point she felt herself shrinking inwardly. "The Crows of the Leaf have been a part of Konoha since its founding. They're loyalty to the Leaf is unquestionable, and from the shadows of myth and legend they have guarded our borders."

So…why did she feel like she was in big trouble for mentioning their name? If the Crows were loyal to the Leaf and still protected their borders, why were they staring at her like she called the Hokage an old, decrepit fool?

" _Itachi! Show yourself!"_

The light bulb flickered on and the shadows dispersed. "…Itachi Uchiha was the last user of the Crows, wasn't he?" It had to be the reason. Nothing else she could think of made sense, not when she learned the name secondhand.

"Yes," Kakashi answered.

That's why they were touchy about this. Just like Orochimaru, they believed Itachi might have been there to protect her. No. It wasn't the protecting her part, hopefully. It was the possible infiltration of two of the Leaf's S-ranked rogue shinobi at the same time setting them on edge.

Amari shook her head. "He wasn't there."

"How can you be sure?" Ibiki prodded.

"It doesn't add up."

"The crows protecting you just as you nearly lost your eye is an amazing coincidence, Shortcake. And you have no idea who they are or where they came from before this, right?" Amari could hear the accusation in her voice. "You really sure Itachi wasn't there? You don't need to cover for him if he did intervene," Anko said.

Amari bristled, incensed immediately by the accusation.

" _Anko_ ," Shikaku warned.

"I'm not going to go easy on her just 'cause you have a soft spot for her, Shikaku," Anko said. "This is about the security of the Village." Her eyes flicked back over to Amari. "Itachi obviously spared her that night. How can any of us know she never had contact with him in those years she was gone?"

"Because she only just relearned who he was before the Exams," Shikaku retorted. "Don't let the personal nature of Orochimaru's involvement impair your judgement."

Anko growled. "I could say the same to you regarding Shortcake here."

Amari had enough. Enough of the nickname, of the accusations and the questioning of her loyalty. "…Let me get this straight." Her quiet voice no longer was meek. It was sharpened. "You think I would lie to my sensei, my uncle and my Hokage, all to protect the man who _murdered_ my family."

Her nails dug into her palms as she grit her teeth. "This Village is my home. When I had nothing, when I was nothing, Lord Third gave me a chance. He let me keep possession of dōjutsu he could have easily sealed away or taken from me. I owe him and the woman who gave me a home, family and love more than I can ever repay given a hundred lives." She growled under her breath and shot a glare at the older kunoichi. "You can question my information all you want, but don't you _dare_ question my loyalty!"

She was furious. On the verge of exploding, but she had to remain calm. Sasuke and Naruto needed help she couldn't provide. They needed the help of shinobi with more experience and skills than she possessed—shinobi like her sensei.

"Kakashi-sensei," she turned all of her attention to him, "is there anything I can do to help them? I don't care if it's an A-rank mission where I have to travel to the other end of the continent. Just point me in the right direction and I'll go right now."

She was desperate, she knew it. But she would do anything for her teammates. Even if it meant jumping in front of another Lightning Blade, she'd do it without complaint.

"As fun as that might be, it won't be necessary. The mark on Sasuke, does it look like the tomoe of the Sharingan? And is it at the base of his neck?" Amari nodded, eyebrows rising in surprise by how easily he described it. "Hmm, I see. And has Sasuke kept it controlled?"

"When he woke up the day after the fight, Sakura said he was covered in black marks and had his chakra swirling around him. I've talked to her, Mimi, Shikamaru and Sasuke individually about it. All of them confirm he didn't give in to it. He fought to rein it in and hasn't had an incident since, but he said the mark feels…alive." Amari noticed Anko bring her hand to the back of her neck, her eyes becoming distant as she stared at the floor. "It's like whispers only he can hear, promising him power beyond his current strength, power it claims he can control."

"He can't," Anko said.

"He knows that."

Anko chuckled bitterly. "Yeah, for now. Without help, the Curse Mark will deteriorate his strength of will until he willingly gives into it."

That sounded like it was coming from a place of personal experience. Curious, Amari activated her Byakugan beneath her bandana and searched Anko's shoulders.

Then she saw it. Three tomoes marked her skin underneath her hand. Despite the darkness lurking in it, it remained contained, unable to pump its vile chakra into her system.

Hope blossomed in Amari's heart. "But you're still in control, so that means there's a way to help him," she said.

Anko tensed then sent a scathing glare at her.

" _'Risu_ ," Shikaku scolded through a sigh. "Deactivate your eye. You know better than to invade personal matters like that."

Amari flinched and obeyed his command, shrinking a little. "Sorry, Uncle Shikaku."

"You're not wrong, however," he continued. "There is a way to help Sasuke and keep the mark in check. And we should endeavor to do so as soon as possible." Shikaku shook his head and scratched his goatee. "Orochimaru has plans for Sasuke, possibly you as well. He intended to plant his Curse Mark on one of you, but through your battle he must have realized you were too strong willed to give in to the power. So he turned to Sasuke instead, yet he likely didn't expect Sasuke to fight it. But as Anko said, the longer the mark goes unchecked, the more it will deteriorate his willpower."

"I'm sure he'll be fine for one more day," Kakashi said airily.

Ibiki narrowed his eyes at the Copy Ninja. "What are you playing at, Kakashi?"

"I'm not playing at anything." Kakashi's voice became serious. "I'm well aware of how dangerous our enemy is and the mark. Don't misunderstand my words for standing idly by when my students are in danger. I won't."

Her sensei was so awesome.

"But if I perform the jutsu on Sasuke now, he won't be able to attend tomorrow's event. Sasuke has already proven he can control it at this point. Tomorrow it will be handled, that I promise."

"I'll allow it," the Hokage stated. Ibiki and Anko clearly wanted to argue, but the finality of the Hokage's statement kept them from doing so. "For the time being, Amari, I would like you to stay quiet about Sasuke's Curse Mark and the Seal on Naruto's stomach. Fear not, they will be taken care of." He gave her a comforting smile as he crossed the floor towards her. Gently he pulled her into a hug. "I know these last few days have been a very trying experience for you, but I promise you are safe now. And I am proud of each of you for the courage you displayed in protecting one another from an enemy beyond your skill."

Amari squeezed her eyes shut and rested her forehead against the Hokage's chest. He smelled like the pipe he smoked, but she didn't mind it. Not too much, anyways. She was far happier by the warmth washing over her here in the embrace. "That's what it means to be a Leaf shinobi. Protecting your comrades no matter what," she whispered.

"Indeed." The Hokage released her and smiled down at her. "You should go get some rest. Tomorrow is a big day for you and your team, after all."

"Thank you, Lord Hokage." Amari bowed.

Kakashi sauntered back around the couch and crouched down in front of Amari. She hopped on his back and wrapped her left arm around his neck again.

"Good luck tomorrow, little shadow," Shikaku said.

* * *

Kakashi and Amari disappeared via the Body Flicker Technique, leaving the gathered shinobi to their own thoughts. When Shikaku learned Orochimaru placed Seals on Naruto and Sasuke, he assumed at least one was a Curse Mark, but he hadn't anticipated the Five Pronged Seal on Naruto. As his niece explained in simplistic terms, the Five Pronged Seals entire purpose was to disrupt a shinobi's chakra. It was a very high leveled jutsu, one few shinobi could perform, and even fewer who knew how to remove it.

Fortunately for Naruto, there were two Leaf shinobi who could, so he wasn't too worried about the removal itself. He was far more troubled by the simple fact Orochimaru tampered with the Seal keeping the Nine-Tails within Naruto, as he was by the Sannin's attack on Team Seven as a whole.

Orochimaru did not play meager games. On one hand, attacking Team Seven could be all a smokescreen to hide his true intentions. But there was more to it than a simple diversion tactic there, otherwise he wouldn't have placed the Curse Mark on Sasuke or used the Five Pronged Seal on Naruto. He had a plan for the Uchiha boy, maybe even Amari too. So what was Naruto's role in it all? Why bother cutting him off from the Nine-Tails Chakra?

Shikaku hummed and hunched forward, bringing his hand to his chin as he tried to sift through the thick fog of information. _'Risu mentioned he theorized Itachi wanted to use her to mature Sasuke's Sharingan._ Another hum, deeper and far more troubled. _I can't deny I once considered the same thing. The Uchiha Clan became crazed for the full evolution of the Sharingan, willing to strike down the people they loved just to gain it._

Should that be Itachi's plan, how did that aid Orochimaru? It would gain Sasuke a new, great power, but how did Orochimaru benefit from Sasuke gaining new power? _He must want Sasuke to join him. It would explain the Curse Mark placement, and if Sasuke gains even more power through Itachi's plan, all the better for Orochimaru._

Two powerful former Leaf shinobi toying with his niece to further their own ends, he didn't like it. There was far more beneath the surface that he had yet to see. Too much for him to unpack in a few hours. He needed more time to look at this from all angles to piece together the intentions of their enemies.

Shikaku sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. _What a drag._

"Ibiki, I can hear the gears grinding in your head from here. What's on your mind?" Shikaku stated without having to look back at the man. He could feel his eyes boring into the side of his head.

"Orochimaru's belief Itachi has left her alive to kill Leaf shinobi," he stated firmly.

Yeah, he figured as much. The genjutsu on her mind made the concern valid in a way. If Itachi could place her memories under lock and key from those looking in and Amari herself, what other power might he exert over her? But Inoichi already reassured him Itachi couldn't turn her traitor. The genjutsu kept her past guarded and nothing more.

"Inoichi assured she's not under Itachi's influence. Besides, 'Risu would never betray Konoha. Orochimaru could see that in their short encounter."

"What makes you so certain?"

"Hm." Shikaku sat back on the couch and looked up at the ceiling. "'Risu is…well," he chuckled, "she's just like her mother and father." In more ways than Amari realized. "Her heart does not belong to a single Clan; it belongs to her loved ones and this Village. Nothing Itachi can say or do will ever change that."

"I see," Ibiki grunted. He fell silent, a sign he was returning to his thoughts and wasn't prepared to speak of them just yet. Shikaku didn't mind. Ibiki was naturally a cautious man, even more so after being tortured years ago. As the Head of Torture and Interrogation, where information gathering was crucial, he wouldn't jump to any conclusions just yet.

As for the genjutsu itself, Shikaku had plenty of thoughts about it. The memory Amari had of Itachi crying the night of the massacre in particular stuck in his mind. He couldn't dismiss it outright as false, not when Inoichi claimed the genjutsu wasn't nefarious in creation. Tears did not excuse Itachi's actions, but it opened doors of thought for the elder Nara.

Shikaku didn't place much faith in 'what if' scenarios usually. That memory, though, it got him thinking about Itachi's reason for sparing her.

 _What if Itachi was trying to protect 'Risu?_

Murdering his entire clan for the protection of Sasuke and Amari sounded ridiculous. Yet they were alive, and Amari's past was protected from outsiders. It was no secret to him the state of affairs between the Uchiha Clan and the Leaf around the time of the massacre. They were on the verge of a civil war.

Had Itachi not killed them all, Shikaku wondered if it would have ended in more bloodshed than the massacre itself.

 _Itachi killed everyone without hesitation, yet he left 'Risu and Sasuke alive._ In Amari's words, it didn't add up. Not really. What stopped him from killing them but no one else? And why take Amari to an orphanage away from the Village?

Far too many questions clouded his mind, few with solid answers. It was easier to believe Itachi a coldblooded killer…Actually, it was too easy to believe. But a coldblooded killer wouldn't spare his brother, let alone another child without cause. He wouldn't keep the same child's past a mystery to her for no reason either.

Why, then, would he do that?

Protection was the only reason Shikaku could think of. Either protection, or to eventually use her to mature Sasuke's eyes.

 _But protection from what?_ He paused as a new thought came to mind. _Or is it protection from someone else? Someone he did not want to learn of her survival or of Uchiha blood._

More question to ponder, just not right now. There was another matter to be discussed.

"The Crows of the Leaf never appear by coincidence. They were there for a reason." He turned in his seat to face the Hokage. "But I believe 'Risu. If Itachi was there, and used his crows to protect 'Risu, Orochimaru would have turned his attention to the greater threat."

"Yes, I agree." Lord Third nodded.

"Do you think they learned of Orochimaru's infiltration before us?" Anko asked. She lacked her usual exuberance, far more reserved than the usual Anko Mitarashi. He understood. Orochimaru's appearance was an incredibly serious matter to her given the history they shared.

"Unlikely. Had they known of his infiltration, they would have reported it to Lord Hokage immediately," Shikaku said.

"So what were they doing there?" Anko bit the nail of her thumb. "If they didn't anticipate Orochimaru's infiltration or plan, why would they be there at that exact moment? You said they never appear by coincidence, and as far as everyone else knows they're just a myth. What purpose did they have there?"

"Why are you asking a question you already know the answer to?" Anko turned to look at him, confused by his flat statement. "Their actions prove their purpose. They're watching 'Risu, protecting her."

"But…I don't get it. Why her? I get that she's of Uchiha blood, but—"

"There's your answer." Shikaku leaned forward, resting his forearms on his thighs as he stared at the floor. "And yet, it's even more complicated than that as well."

"You're hiding something, Shikaku," Ibiki noted. No anger, just a simple observation.

Shikaku nodded. Yeah, he was. But then, so was the Hokage. "Few know the truth about the Crows of the Leaf. They prefer to act from the shadows as myth and legend, gathering intelligence all across the Land of Fire to protect our Village from foreign and domestic threats," he explained. "While a vast number of them act autonomously, there are those who act strictly as summoning creatures. Every shinobi to summon them has been of Uchiha blood, but it isn't as simple as signing a contract. Only those considered worthy and pure of heart are chosen by the Crows to be granted their guidance, power and wisdom."

"So they've chosen her?" Anko asked.

"Yes. But as I said, it's even more complicated than them choosing her. 'Risu has been destined to inherit their power since the day the Uchiha were massacred." Shikaku shut his eyes and exhaled a deep sigh. Before today, the Crows of the Leaf were a part of his past he forgot. It hadn't seemed important after the day of the massacre, but now…

This was no coincidence. The Crows had chosen Amari, but they hadn't chosen her during this test or last week, last month or even this year. They chose her before the massacre.

Before her family was torn apart.

"For now let the exams continue. We'll keep our eyes on Orochimaru's movements," the Hokage said.

 _Well, I guess I've got no choice but to get to work._

 _What a pain._

* * *

The Next Morning

* * *

The eight teams to pass the second exam stood in single file lines in the center of a room with extremely high ceilings and a wide floor plan. The main attraction of the room was a large statue of two forearms coming out of the wall with the hands coming together in a handseal.

In front of the statue stood the Hokage, posture straight and arms behind his back with Ibiki and Iruka flanking his right side and Anko flanking his left. Behind them were the Jōnin Sensei's to each squad in order of the Sound shinobi sensei, the Sand shinobi sensei, Kurenai, Guy, Kakashi, Asuma and two Leaf sensei's Amari did not know.

Personally she stood second in her line behind Naruto, followed by Sasuke and then Sakura. Her right arm still remained in its sling—doctor's orders. It was a bit frustrating, especially since everything about this room spelt an incoming fight. _There's even viewing areas_ , she thought, glancing up at the balconies on either side of the room overlooking the ground floor.

Iruka had told them they passed the second phase, which could only mean they were jumping right into the third. It'd be a total drag, but she would make it work. She hadn't nearly lost her eye and life in their second phase to throw in the towel in the third.

Shikamaru's team stood on the far left edge, followed by Hinata's team, Team Seven, Team Guy, Kabuto's team, the Sand Trio, the Sound shinobis and finally the Leaf team she did not know. By the look of the shinobi here, every team except the Sand and Team Eight ran into trouble. Cuts in varying stages of healing marked them, some wore bandages on their limbs, and three shinobi wore slings.

Amari, unfortunately, counted herself among all three categories. A fresh bandaged wrapped around her right thigh underneath her shorts all the way down to her knee, and the visible damage on her body consisted of cuts, her torn apart tank top and the sling. Any enemy would see her state and think her an easy target, but she'd show them. She'd show them all why underestimating a wounded enemy was a terrible mistake, just like she did the Sound shinobi.

Besides her, Zaku—who couldn't stop glaring her way—still had his arms cradled in a single large cloth sling.

 _Serves you right_ , Amari thought bitterly.

Perhaps his arms were still broken. Perhaps they were in a repaired state like hers. Either way, she wouldn't underestimate him if they fought again. No. She would take him down without help this time, and she would do it as quickly as she could to prove how inferior he was.

The final shinobi with damage like theirs was a Leaf shinobi from the team she didn't know. Bandages surrounded his right leg and left arm—the latter of which was held up by a sling as well.

To be fair, their collective injuries placed them at a severe disadvantage against the other teams. They'd be slower, and their opponents would know exactly where to target them because of the bandages and slings. It was one of the reasons the doctors order frustrated her. After her uncle wished her good luck last night, she figured they would end up in some kind of combat scenario. With this stupid sling and the bandages on her thigh, she was begging for someone to take a shot at her weak points.

Sure the injuries were still there without them, but at least her injuries wouldn't have a giant flashing arrow pointing at them for everyone to see. Now she would not only have to work around an injury, but an injury her opponents would be aware of. It was all so troublesome. A few weeks of preparation would have given her time to get this settled. But of course that wasn't an option.

On a mission you couldn't go home and get healed. A shinobi had to remain on a mission until they fulfilled their duty or had no choice but to retreat. Maybe that was part of this test, or maybe they didn't expect a passing team to have her level of injuries. Could be a simple oversight.

"First of all, congratulations on finishing the second exam," Anko started.

Her voice drew Amari out of her musings and to the task at hand. Though, looking at the proctor reminded her of the mark she saw on her shoulder last night. _She must have run into Orochimaru in her shinobi career, but why place it on her?_ It was a question she thought a lot about but couldn't come up with an answer to. _The way she was so hesitant to believe me…I thought she doubted me because I was a kid, but it must be because of her history with Orochimaru._

Amari couldn't blame her for the attitude in that case. Orochimaru clearly left his mark on her—no pun intended—just as he did on her team. Evil like his couldn't be forgotten, and with that mark on her shoulder, Anko had to live with whatever her history with him was every day.

But Amari didn't pity her. No, pity was an insult to the woman who overcame his taint. It took her a few hours after returning to bed to sift through her feelings on Anko, but she found a word to describe them: respect. Respect for not giving in to the power Sasuke described. Respect for not allowing Orochimaru's influence shake her from her path as a Leaf shinobi.

Behind the proctor, Amari could see Guy speaking to Kakashi, quite proud of whatever he was talking about. Kakashi, however, continued to stare at the gathered group with a steady eye. Eventually he looked over at Guy as if he just noticed him standing there and tilted his head to the side in confusion.

Guy, who had been smirking, grabbed his head in horror as his jaw fell off its hinges. Amari stifled a giggle. _Must have hit him with the "did you say something" he used when I fought Team Guy. Smooth, Sensei. But don't think I've forgiven you for losing the lead._

Both Asuma and Kurenai spared their fellow Jōnin small smirks, amused by their consistent challenges in everything from conversation to fighting.

Then red eyes fell onto her, the smirk being replaced by concern as Kurenai took in the state of her daughter. Amari gave her a closed eyed smile in return, hoping to ease her nerves. Kurenai smiled back, though the concern remained prevalent in her eyes. It only grew when she zoned in on Akamaru, who trembled in fear from inside the neckline of Kiba's sweater.

Amari knew why, as did the rest of the Rookie Ten and Team Guy. During her games of shogi with Shikamaru, the teams gathered together to discuss two very important matters. First and foremost: why Akamaru refused to stop trembling. Akamaru, they learned, could sense the strength of an enemy, and after being in the vicinity of Gaara, he started to tremble.

" _Stay the hell away from him,"_ Kiba warned. _"He's a coldhearted killer. Didn't even flinch when he killed three Rain shinobi."_

 _"It would be best if we all avoided him,"_ Shino concurred.

Amari didn't need any other warnings.

The second discussion revolved around the abilities they learned in their fight with the Sound shinobi. On the chance any one of them ended up fighting the team at some point, she and Shikamaru wanted everyone prepared for their gadgets.

"It's amazing that all of us rookies made it," Sakura whispered.

"Yeah. Out of twenty-eight teams, only eight passed, and three of those eight are rookie teams," Amari agreed.

"Check it out. Even Old Man Hokage is here too." Naruto turned his head back to whisper to them.

"Looks like we're in for some sort of surprise, and not the good kind," Sasuke said.

They each nodded in quiet agreement.

"All right, now pay attention! Lord Hokage is about to explain the third exam to you. So you better listen carefully!" Anko told them. She turned to the Hokage and lowered her voice to a respectful tone. "Lord Hokage, they're all yours."

The Hokage took one step forward, his pipe between his lips and hands still behind his back. He took the pipe from his mouth and exhaled smoke before speaking. "First, before I tell you what the third exam entails, I want to explain something about the test itself. Listen closely now, it is something you all need to understand. I am going to tell you the true purpose of these exams."

 _The true purpose?_ Amari and Shikamaru shared their suspicions about this test with one another, but she hadn't expected to get a real answer.

The obvious points—advancing the abilities of shinobi and fostering friendship—were only part of a whole. These exams served as the representation of battle between allied nations. If anyone was to look at the history of shinobi, they would see that every shinobi nation had at one point or another been at war with another—some even had long and bloodier histories, like the Mist and Stone.

In order to stop the nations from destroying their entire military strength for no reason, they picked out champions to fight for their nations at a specific place.

 _Like this specific place._

This practice led to the Chūnin Exams being created. They weren't sending the shinobi who succeeded to war, but the shinobi who were fighting were meant to carry the pride of their nations on their backs. By fighting one another in front of leaders and people of providence, they were essentially showing their Villages strength to bring more jobs to their nation.

In short: politics. Lots and lots of politics, and a small hope the fighting could breed friendship between the nations. It wasn't impossible. The strange connection she felt with Mimi started from a fight, so perhaps there was a little logic to the theory. But she still didn't like the whole politics part of this.

Before the Hokage could explain the specifics of the third exam, another ninja appeared in front of him, kneeling on one knee with his head bowed.

He wore the standard Konoha shinobi attire with his forehead protector styled as a full bandana. His brown hair was shoulder length, and by the sound of his coughing he seemed to have a bad cold.

His name was Hayate Gekkō, their new proctor. When he turned around to face them, Amari noticed a dark coloring under his eyes, as if he hadn't slept for days. "Nice to meet you all. There is something that I would like—" He broke out into a few coughs he covered behind his hand. When he finished, he continued where he left off. "To do before the third exam."

 _With that rough cough, I wouldn't be surprised if he really hadn't slept in days._

"Uhh, we have to have a preliminary exam before we can move onto the real one," he said simply.

"Ah man, what a pain!" Shikamaru groaned.

"Why can't we just move onto the real one? What's the point of having a preliminary when there aren't that many candidates left anyways?" Amari questioned.

"Well, you see, the first and second exams might have been too easy. The fact is we never expected so many of you to be here."

Amari sweat dropped. _Too easy? Are we talking about the same exams?_

"According to the rules of the Chūnin Exams, a preliminary round can be held at any stage in order to reduce the amount of candidates remaining," Hayate explained.

"Is that fair?" Sakura's confused voice called from behind.

"It's just at this stage we have to speed things up a bit. As Lord Hokage said, a lot of important guests will be watching. We can't afford to waste their time. They've come to see only the best. So, if there are any of you who are not in top physical condition, now is your chance to—"

Once again Hayate broke off into a coughing fit.

 _And he wants to talk about not being in good condition? He sounds like he's about to cough up a lung onto the floor._

"Sorry about that," he apologized when he finished coughing. "As I was saying, any of you that don't feel up to this, now is the time for you to bow out. The preliminaries will be starting immediately."

While the other rookies weren't at all happy about the immediate start of the preliminaries, Amari didn't mind. There was a possibility for her to be first and then get her arm and thigh taken care of afterwards.

"Oh yeah, uh, the winners will be determined by one on one combat. Sudden death. So like I said: if there is anyone who doesn't feel up to it, now is the time to raise your hand."

"Sasuke," she spoke in hushed tones, "I spoke to Kakashi-sensei last night about your mark. There is a way to stop it from spreading the chakra through your system, but he wanted to give you a chance to take part in this today. As soon as you finish your fight he's going to take care of it."

"I understand. Thank you."

She turned her head to look over left shoulder. "We're clan-siblings, right? What kind of sister would I be if I didn't take care of my brother? Pass the message to Sakura to stop her from worrying."

"Got it."

Amari moved her head back to its natural position. "Naruto, you ready?" she asked.

Naruto looked over his shoulder with a grin. "You bet, Amari. We're going to pass this exam for sure. Can't let my sister show me up all the time, right?" She smiled a fond smile at him then looked over her right shoulder to see if Sakura was okay. She gave an affirmative nod and a grateful smile.

When she looked back to the front, she noticed the eyes of the Hokage, Ibiki and Anko on her team, their gazes unreadable as they spoke in quiet voices.

"They know too, huh?" Sasuke asked.

"I don't know how, but yes. Kakashi-sensei described it perfectly before I had a chance to explain it. It's because of him believing in your ability to keep it controlled one more day that you're allowed to stay in."

Anko knew how dangerous it was personally. She all too likely wanted him to get it taken care of at the cost of forfeiting his place in the exam.

"Guess I owe him one."

Sounds of surprise escaped some of the Genin when both Kabuto and the Leaf ninja with his arm in a cast raised their hands. "What the?" Amari whispered. The wounded ninja she could understand, but Kabuto? He didn't have a scratch on him and his chakra level was good.

"Okay, you got me. I'm out," Kabuto said.

"Yeah, me too. My arm is useless and I'd rather not get killed."

Hayate brought up his clipboard, flipping one paper over to read the names. "Kabuto Yakushi of the Leaf and Hirohito of the Leaf, right? Okay, you can go on and step back."

Kabuto and Hirohito nodded. "All right," the former said.

"Good luck guys," Hirohito said to his team before turning to leave.

Kabuto turned to leave as well, only to stop when Naruto shouted to him. "Kabuto! Hold on a second, you can't leave. I don't get this, what's going on?" the blond quizzed.

The ash-grey haired ninja turned back to them with a solemn look on his face. For some reason it set off suspicion alarms in Amari's heart. Something about the look on his face…it didn't feel real.

"Oh, Naruto. I'm sorry, I can't hack it. Ever since orientation and the dust up with the Sound Village team, I've had no hearing at all in my left ear." Amari's ears picked up the sound of Aoko growling. She cast a look to the ninken and noticed Mimi's blue eyes staring suspiciously at the shinobi. "To have to put my life on the line. To fight again right away without a break? I can't do it."

If her suspicion alarms were tripped before, now her Nara intuition senses were tingling. Nothing about this felt right. Forced. Fake. And Aoko's growling…Kabuto had been an ally since the beginning of the exams. Why did she now suddenly feel as if she was being played? Why did the look in his eyes not match the words coming out of his mouth?

Kabuto smiled and waved at the group before walking away.

The smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Now then." Hayate coughed. "Is there anyone else who wants to quit?" His eyes glanced to Zaku and then her, but neither reacted. "All right then, we will now begin the preliminary round. This round will consist of one on one individual combat at full battle intensity. This is not an exercise. There are twenty-four of you remaining, so there will be twelve matches. The surviving candidates from these twelve matches will move on to the third exam. As for the rules, there are none. You will fight until one dies or concedes defeat, or is rendered physically incapable of continuing the contest.

"Naturally the candidate who is losing is encouraged to accept defeat promptly to avoid a fatal outcome. Furthermore, as proctor I am given a certain amount of leeway to judge the matches." He coughed rather loudly. "I might occasionally intervene if a match seems hopeless, to save as many lives as possible. Now it is time to reveal what fate has chosen for you."

Hayate turned to the side to look at Anko. She turned to the wall behind them, bringing her hand to the microphone on her headset. "Open the panel," she ordered.

A panel on the top right opened up, revealing a dark green screen behind it. "The names of each pair of opponents are chosen at complete random. Before each fight these names will appear on the display behind me. As there is nothing more to say, let's begin. In a moment the names of the first two opponents will appear."

Amari watched as the screen began jumbling through names too fast for her to read. It stopped with a beep, the chosen names being Sasuke Uchiha and Yoroi Akodō—a member of Kabuto's team. He wore a mask in front of most of his face and his eyes were covered by blacked out circular sunglasses. He carried himself with an air of arrogance Amari did not like.

"All right, those whose names have been drawn, come forward." Sasuke and Yoroi stepped forward. "Yoroi Akodō and Sasuke Uchiha, you have been chosen for the first match. Are there any objections?" Hayate asked.

"None here," Sasuke said.

"No."

Sasuke was a lot shorter than his older opponent but he didn't seem to be showing any sign of discomfort. Hopefully that meant the mark was under his control.

"Uh, all right then. Let's begin the first match." Hayate brought his hand to his mouth to cover a cough. "Everyone other than the two opposing candidates will now clear the area and move to the upper level."

Everyone save for Team Seven began moving to the upper level along with the Jōnin's, the Hokage, Iruka, Ibiki and Anko. As Amari watched them go, she noticed that the Sound, Sand, Kabuto's other teammate, and the two mean looking Leaf ninjas all headed up to the opposite side as the rookies and Team Guy.

 _It's like we're setting lines of war_ , Amari thought. _All of us against them. Good and evil on separate sides. Yin and Yang._

"Hey Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted in greeting.

"Naruto, you and Sakura should head up." The two shared confused looks but listened to his order. He stopped next to Sasuke and Amari. "Sasuke, avoid using your Sharingan and chakra. If that mark gets out of control, your life will be in danger." Kakashi spoke quietly, only for the two to hear.

"I'm aware of that."

"Just to let you know, if it gets to that point I'll have to step in and stop the match." Kakashi nodded his head for Amari to start walking with him. "Good luck," he added on in a cheery tone. They walked a few steps away out of ear shot of the two combatants before her sensei spoke again. "Amari, I won't say your condition is as bad as Sasuke's, but you're injuries aren't to be taken lightly, as I'm sure you're fully aware of."

"Yeah…I'm going to need surgery, aren't I?"

"Yes." Amari's mood fell faster than body temperature in a blizzard. "We've looked at the tests the doctors ran on you. Whether because he wants you out of Sasuke's way, or in a weakened state to test your abilities is hard to say, but the result is clear: without surgery your shoulder won't heal properly."

"I…I understand."

"Don't look so down. Without Mimi's immediate application of Medical Ninjutsu, it's possible surgery wouldn't have been enough to fix the damage."

Amari nodded. _I'll need to thank her again for her help._

They reached the top of the stairs and made their way over to Naruto and Sakura. The boy of the duo sat on the ground, legs dangling between the vertical railings while Sakura stood next to him. Kakashi took his position next to Sakura, but Amari didn't join them immediately. She stopped at her mother's team, hugging her mother with one arm and receiving a warm embrace in return.

She needed the warmth and comfort this place always provided.

Afterwards she returned to her team, walking past Team Guy to Naruto's opposite side. Team Ten stood on the other side of her team. Everyone's attention, however, was drawn to the fighting arena, save for Shikamaru. He didn't much care for the preliminaries.

 _Good luck, Sasuke._

* * *

Sasuke wasted no time grabbing a kunai from his ninja tool box as soon as the proctor started the match. Shimmering blue surrounded Yoroi's hand—chakra. With his left he reached into his ninja pouch.

 _The chakra around his hand…The only time I've seen blue chakra around a hand like that is when Amari steals chakra._ His hand gripped around the kunai tightly. _Which means his attacks focus on taking my chakra. I can't allow him to do that._

One problem: he couldn't rely on Sharingan or ninjutsu because of this damn mark, leaving him with taijutsu. He had no choice but to fight in close quarters, which played right into this opponent's strategy.

 _I've got to think of something._

Yoroi tossed a set of shuriken at the Uchiha. In return, Sasuke tossed his kunai right at the first shuriken, bouncing it off all three weapons and knocking his kunai on course at his opponent. Yoroi dodged. Now on the back foot, Sasuke charged in, pulling out another kunai as he did and placing it between his lips.

 _It's all too likely he can steal chakra with both hands. I can't lose sight of either of his hands._ As soon as he was within a few feet of his opponent, he grabbed the kunai out from his lips and slashed downwards at his off balanced opponent. Yoroi dodged again, this time back and away. Sasuke didn't give him any breathing room, closing in again and landing a solid kick to his opponent's sternum.

Yoroi stumbled back a few steps. Again the Uchiha was on him like Naruto on ramen. He landed two hard punches to his stomach, then a third in an uppercut to his opponents jaw. Yoroi had no time to recover. Sasuke sped in and impaled his blade into his stomach.

"Hey, he got him!" Naruto cheered from above.

"Heh, not quite," Yoroi breathed out humorously.

Sasuke attempted to retract his arm and retreat, but his reflexes were too slow. Yoroi's hand gripped onto his forearm firmly and an instantly the blue hue formed around the point of draining.

"Sasuke, get out of there now! He's taking your chakra!" Amari warned.

 _I know!_ Sasuke grit his teeth in frustration. He fell right into this trap. His opponent let him land several blows, increasing his confidence in his speed and strength until he wouldn't be able to get out of range of a grab, even at the risk of injuries.

The perfect tactic for his specialty. Chakra left Sasuke's body in vast amounts; every second longer making the mark's itch turn into a burning sensation.

And with the burning the whispers returned.

Thinking quickly, Sasuke switched the hands holding his kunai, yanking it out fast and hard before impaling it into Yoroi's elbow. The man screamed, but his grip only loosened a fraction.

It was enough.

"Get off!" The Uchiha cocked back and punched his opponent square in the nose, sending him stumbling back, granting Sasuke the breathing room he needed to jump back and away.

He lifted his left hand up and looked down at it quickly. _I can barely feel my chakra._ But the other chakra was there. It begged to be used. To show the power he held by annihilating this measly worm in front of him. Sasuke squeezed his hand into a fist and growled. _I don't need your power to win. I refuse to use it._

Again he chose to play by the Leaf and their little rules. Soon, though, he wouldn't be able to resist this power. Deep down he wanted this. He wanted to gain this power to destroy his brother. All he had to do was relinquish control.

Sasuke shook the voices off and focused on his opponent. Yoroi pulled the kunai from his elbow, but looked ready for more. He then let his gaze fall onto his team and the other Leaf shinobi. Amari looked on the verge of a panic attack. No doubt she could see his chakra with her Byakugan right now, and that look was enough to understand the situation he was in.

 _How close is the mark's chakra from taking over?_

He really didn't want to know.

"Come on, Sasuke! Get it together! Use your head!" Naruto shouted, worry thick in his tone.

 _I'm trying, Loser. I'm trying, but…_ He noticed Lee standing right next to Amari, watching him carefully. _Wait, that's it!_

The blue hue returned to Yoroi's hand again. The time for thinking was over, but that was fine. He had a decent plan, one he was certain could end this match in the next minute. _I don't have a lot of chakra left, but I'll make the best of it._

Determination set in his face as Yoroi charged him. _Time to end this!_ Sasuke let his opponent close in and began dodging every single strike his opponent threw, never letting his hand get near enough to take the smallest bit of chakra he had left.

But why waste time dodging around? Let him take the last of his normal chakra and use the mark at his whim. It would destroy his enemy and show the gathered shinobi how inferior they were to him. Him, a pure Uchiha child—

 _Argh, shut the hell up!_

The mark burned, but he refused to give in. In-between one of Yoroi's strike, Sasuke flooded his body with chakra and disappeared from sight "What?! Where'd he go?" Yoroi gasped.

"Down here, you moron!" Sasuke appeared below him, planting his right hand and foot on the ground to support his weight as he extended a hard kick right into Yoroi's jaw. Quickly he got onto all fours and pushed off the ground to chase his currently airborne opponent, reappearing in Dancing Leaf Shadow.

"Nice move! Now finish him off!" Amari ordered, the panic still prevalent in her voice.

Sasuke smirked. _Oh, I plan to._

This was as far as Yoroi was going to go. He was too weak, too pathetic. And now it was time to unleash his true power!

The mark's chakra exploded. The burning surged from his shoulder, down his arm and across his face. Sasuke grunted. _No, not now._ He could feel it spreading, the evil taint flooding through his body while the mark turned the color of a burning fire as it climbed across his torso and face.

He couldn't find the strength to fight it this time. It was too strong. The power too intoxicating. Why should he restrain himself anyways? He was meant to be an avenger. He only needed to gather this power and use it to destroy Itachi. It could be controlled, by him. No one else.

The darkness surrounded him. The cold tendrils of power wrapped around his body as he could feel his control being tugged off finger by finger.

"Sasuke, don't give in!"

The scarred hand grabbed his wrist and burned away the shadows around him.

"Remember what I told you in the Forest of Death! Remember where real strength comes from!"

Real strength…it came from this warm light. This bright light that kept reaching out to him to remind him he wasn't alone. That he had a clan-sister to rely on, no matter how dark it got.

" _That makes you family."_

Sasuke shut his eyes in the present world, but inside his mind he opened them to look back to the light for strength. He gripped the scarred hand as tightly as he could and let it pull him back towards the light.

Just give in, the whispers demanded. Give in to his lust for power.

 _No!_

He gripped the hand tighter.

He needed this power to win. He needed it to kill Itachi. What hope did he have without it?

 _Don't underestimate the Uchiha! Now for the last time:_

 _Shut._

The dark tendrils screeched in agony and scurried into the remaining darkness as the light burned brighter.

 _The hell._

The burning of the mark receded back to the base of his neck.

 _Up!_

Sasuke's eyes snapped open, colored cool onyx as he regained control of his mind and body. "All right, I admit I kind of borrowed this move to get you up here. And I know you must be filled with suspense after my little delay. I apologize for that. But don't worry," he placed his pointer and middle finger against Yoroi's spine, "the wait is over."

He placed his hand fully against his back and turned him ever so slightly, bringing his left leg up to kick Yoroi. His opponent blocked and jeered, "Ha! You're no match for me."

"Heh, you just made your last mistake."

Sasuke swung his left leg back down, using the momentum to spin his body three hundred and sixty degrees as gravity started to take hold. As he came back around he landed a solid fist right into the face of his enemy. Yoroi cried out in pain as their descent quickened, but that was a part of the plan: to make the landing as painful as possible to ensure Yoroi didn't get back up.

With his body turned all the way to face the ground, Sasuke streamlined himself to catch his opponent. "Come back here!" His fist landed hard in his stomach, bringing them even closer to the ground. "I'm not through with you yet!" He spun his body yet again, using the momentum to take his leg and land it square into Yoroi's stomach right as they hit the ground. "Lion's Barrage!"

His opponent coughed up blood as he cracked against the ground and the heel of his enemy buried itself in his gut. Then all the momentum of the fall rebounded. Sasuke shot backwards, sliding across the ground as his entire body was tangled in fatigue from the technique. He flipped over at the end and remained on his stomach.

 _That took a lot more than I thought it would._

Tiredly, Sasuke forced himself onto his hands and knees, beginning to breathe harder and harder as the seconds ticked by. "Well, this one's had it," the proctor said after checking on the unconscious Yoroi. Sasuke forced himself to look up at the two. "I'm declaring this match over. As the winner of this preliminary round, Sasuke Uchiha advances to the finals."

If he wasn't so tired he would have smirked victoriously. He couldn't find it in him, though.

"Way to go!" Naruto shouted.

"Great move, Sasuke!" Sakura cheered.

"Show off!" Amari teased.

All three comments forced a smirk onto his face as he fell back onto his butt. _Yeah yeah, save it you guys. We'll celebrate when all of you win your matches._ Body too tired to sit up, he felt himself beginning to fall backwards. Before he could, a knee rested against his back in support.

"Hmm, not bad." Sasuke looked behind him to see Kakashi reading one of his pervy books. "Funny, before the Lion's Barrage your technique was very reminiscent of Guy's taijutsu." His eye left the book for a moment. "You used your Sharingan to copy their taijutsu when you fought with Rock Lee the first day of the Exam."

"Nothing gets by you Kakashi-sensei, even when your nose deep in a book."

"Well, what kind of Sensei would I be if I didn't notice things my students do, hmm?"

"Next time you fight, try not to come out looking like you're the one who got his butt kicked, Sasuke!" Naruto taunted.

Sasuke glared up at him, his breathing still not in his control. "Oh give me a break, Loser…" His glare fell for an exhausted smirk. "Ah, forget it. Try not to look like this after your fight guys."

The trio nodded but still looked amused. He couldn't blame them. He probably looked in pretty pitiful state for the winner of a fight. Glancing over to Lee, he noticed a pensive look on his face. _Rock Lee. If I hadn't seen your moves up close when we went head to head, this one would have turned out badly._ He glanced to Amari. _And I owe you even more for helping me control the mark._

Pain erupted across his body, caused by the use of Guy's style of taijutsu for the first time. _Still, it's not going to be a technique I use all that often._ The medics came out and took Yoroi away on a stretcher. Another approached him. "Sasuke Uchiha, maybe you should come along to the infirmary too and let us look at your injuries," they offered.

"I think you're a little out of your league with this one," Kakashi stated. "I'll look after him for now." His sensei crouched down next to him. "Okay, up you go. You're coming with me." He placed his hand on the Uchiha's shoulder. "While your ability to regain control of the mark is impressive, we've got to Seal it away fast. It'll continue to deteriorate your willpower if given more time," he told him quietly.

"Before the preliminaries are over? But I want to see who goes on to the finals," Sasuke argued.

"Forget it."

"Bu—"

"And don't even think about arguing. We leave it any longer and it may be too late. I've already cut you enough slack as it is. Come on, let's go." Reluctantly Sasuke got up and began following Kakashi out of the tower.

 _Do your best you three_ , Sasuke thought, _and good luck._


	32. Chapter 31: Crossing a Line

Chapter 31

Crossing a Line: Water and Sound, The Cruel Combination!

Everything with the Curse Mark happened in mere seconds, yet for all the Leaf shinobi it passed as an eternity. The mark's shape and color transformed from the foreboding black tomoe to resemble long, curved embers across Sasuke's pale skin. Horror consumed the Genin who witnessed its taint, bodies locking up and their mouths agape. Awe took to those who hadn't, curious to know what it was, like young children on the hunt to discover the world around them.

The Leaf adults all understood. Even those originally unaware of its placement sensed the taint or recognized the danger instantly. Years of experience prepared them to jump into action and stop the match, ready to restrain him as if he was the Nine-Tails so the necessary jutsu could be used to contain the mark.

None, however, expected the shout from Amari, not even Amari herself. It bubbled up out of her before her brain could register the action. She didn't even like yelling or shouting. It drew too much unwanted attention, and she was a girl who preferred the shadows.

Yet she yelled to him on more than one occasion. Panic, of course. She didn't do well with panic. It made her act on primal instinct, not analytical, well thought-out plans. Still, she couldn't complain with the results this time.

No one expected Sasuke's sheer willpower to contain the mark.

Amari was proud of him. She could hardly contain the small, relieved smile on her face when she glanced at the adults around her. Everyone from her sensei and mother to the Hokage and Anko wore bewildered expressions, as if the spirits of the past Hokage floated down from the ceiling to tell a joke they learned in the afterlife.

 _Nice work, Sasuke. You kept the mark controlled, and against the odds you won your fight on taijutsu alone, using your experience against Lee to your advantage._

Proud as she was of him, she could feel the onslaught of anxiety shooting back through her body. Her sensory abilities tingled; a slow chill ran down her spine, like a droplet of cold, melted ice cream sliding down her back. Cold pinpricks danced across her skin. Her heart battered her ribcage methodically, one hard slam after another to ram its way out of her chest.

Amari's body sagged forward, Byakugan eye deactivating and returning the left field of her vision to darkness. She could still _feel_ the presence of the vile, cold chakra. It lingered on her senses like a rotten stench stuck in her nose, only there was no smell. There was nothing to see or touch or hear or taste either, at least not for the others.

She could feel it, though. She could feel the chill in the air that did not exist. She could see the shade of Sasuke's purple chakra turning darker, sharpening its jagged edges as poison glistened on the blade of evil.

 _So cold…_

The cold darkness within…it reeked of Orochimaru. Bloodlust. Twisted evil. Death.

 _"You're paralyzed by fear."_

Amari jolted, eye widening, startled by the weight of a gentle hand resting on her shoulder. Torn from dark memories, she snapped her head to the source. Red eyes watched her; concerned but understanding. Comfort without judgement pooled in them, carried through the invisible thread binding mother and daughter together.

Kurenai knew. Of the tainted, cold chakra. Of the overwhelming anxiety they caused her and why. She knew everything; whether because she had been told or pieced it together on her own, Amari couldn't say. It didn't matter. She knew, and she understood better than anyone because she was both a Sensory Type like her and her mother.

Being awoken from her own mind came with the awareness of the burdened breaths leaving her and the white-knuckled grip on the railing even Lady Tsunade's colossal strength wouldn't be able to budge.

 _Deep breaths. Control it. In then out. In then out._

Inhale and exhale. Inhale and exhale. She controlled the rhythm and size of every breath, the only thing she could control at the moment.

"Is Amari okay, Kurenai-sensei? Aoko said her heartrate skyrocketed," Mimi said.

"She will be," Kurenai reassured, calm and confident. She needed that. She needed someone to be confident and calm _for_ her. "Amari is a Sensory Type, although her abilities aren't nearly as sharpened as they could be." Amari leaned forward and rested her forehead on the railing. Her mother's hand moved to her back and rubbed gentle circles over her ripped apart tank top. "Chakra isn't just the source of our power as shinobi. It is a part of us. Unique to the person it belongs to."

"Unique?" Naruto asked.

"Has Amari ever described how your chakra feels to her, Naruto?"

The boy crossed his arms and took on a thoughtful expression. "Um…She may have, but I don't really remember."

"Bright. Warm. Energetic. These are some of the words she tends to use when she describes your chakra, and she's right."

Her mother left out the second chakra. Red. Angry. Evil. Full of hatred and disdain.

"Sounds just like the Goofball."

"Ex- exactly," Hinata agreed. "Cha- chakra is unique to each person be- because it reflects an individual's personality. The color is- is also unique to the individual. Amaririsu's chakra is green, for instance."

 _How many times, Hinata?_

She lacked the ability to say it, far too focused on regaining control of her breath.

"Wait, so if you can sense how Naruto's chakra feels, that means you're a Sensory Type too, Kurenai-sensei," Sakura pointed out.

She could sense her mother's smile and nod without seeing. "I am."

"So…so what did Sasuke's chakra feel like?"

 _Cold. Sharp. Dark. Pure evil._

Amari exhaled a deep breath and lifted her head from the railing, eye staring at the blank wall across the room. "Nothing fun, I assure you," she commented. She couldn't explain it. Her reaction would worry Sakura enough. To describe the feelings it gave her, how it still lingered lightly on her senses like the pads of someone's fingers barely touching her skin, it'd only panic her teammate.

 _For her sake, it's better she doesn't know._

Amari looked back to her mother and smiled, grateful for her presence. "Thank you, Mom."

Kurenai smiled back, knelt down to her level and pulled her into a warm embrace. Amari shut her eye, focusing her entire being on the warmth her mother provided to banish the last of the cold away.

"He will not touch you again. I promise," she whispered for only her to hear.

That vow of protection was all she needed to feel safe again.

Amari hugged her back as if it were the last hug they could ever share.

"I love you."

Three words she could never say enough.

"And I love you."

Kurenai returned to her team after their embrace. Left alone with Sakura and Naruto, Amari did her best to reassure them she was okay. She wouldn't let this become common. It was embarrassing enough for it to happen once in front of all her peers.

 _I'm still too weak._

As they waited patiently for the next match to start, Naruto spoke up. "Hey Amari, could you do that technique Sasuke used?"

His cerulean eyes had a fire in them. He wanted to show his skill, determined to prove his growth and match his rival in making it to the finals.

To be honest, despite her incident, Amari could feel her inner fighting spirit thrumming in thrill. She wanted to get down there and fight, too. But she had to keep it controlled. In her injured state her mandatory goal remained surviving to the next round without more injuries.

 _Just get through this round as quickly as possible. You can show your growth in the finals._

"The Lion's Barrage?" He nodded. "No, not in the same way Sasuke did at least."

Her teammates tilted their heads at her, surprised by the answer given. "Why not? You watched Bushy Brow with your Sharingan, too. Plus you fought him on your own and hit him with one of your genjutsu's."

True and true. Yet his point caused her to sigh in frustration and frown. "Naruto, I know everyone around us knows, but can you try not to talk about it so openly. Or loudly."

She didn't need him slipping up about her Byakugan around Neji and Hinata of all people. Or Ino, for that matter. _Troublesome girl._ The less the Hyūga Clan knew about her eye, the better. _I've lasted this long without getting their attention. I want to keep it that way._

"Hehe," Naruto laughed nervously, a tinge of pink tinting his cheeks. "Sorry, Amari. Forgot about that."

"Just don't go blurting it to the world or I'll put you in a genjutsu so powerful you'll think you're a pretty girl after it's over." He paled and nodded rapidly. Point made, she returned to the original topic of discussion. "Anyway, you're right. I did see Lee's fighting style for a longer period of time than Sasuke, and I had my dōjutsu activated. But it's not as simple as seeing it and repeating it. I need to have the physical ability to pull it off as well. It's why I can't perform the Five Chakra Natures despite witnessing them all with my eye."

If only it were so simple. With that kind of power she could end Kasai, Orochimaru, find Itachi and deal with him, go to the other Hidden Villages and negotiate peace then have a large victory bowl of ice cream. And all of that would be done before she became a teenager.

 _Heh, if only._ She shook her head mentally. _I want nothing to do with that level of power. Power like that corrupts people or places a large target on their backs. No thanks. I have to look over my shoulder enough with two dōjutsus._

"So…you don't have the physical ability to pull off the taijutsu technique?" Naruto asked.

"It's a bit more complicated than that when it comes to this technique. The Lion's Barrage is based off the taijutsu style Sasuke learned from watching Lee, and Lee's taijutsu is based off of Guy-sensei's style of taijutsu. You saw what it did to Sasuke. It wore him out instantly after he performed it.

"For starters, I wear myself out enough on my own." A few of the adults, her team, Mimi and Shikamaru shared chuckles, smirks and snorts of amusement. She couldn't hide from the truth. Most of her fights either ended with her collapsing in exhaustion or critically injured. Honestly, it was kind of embarrassing.

"In theory, I could use my own style to get an enemy into the air and then knock them down hard, like using clones. It might lessen the strain on my body a bit, but if I were to use Guy-sensei's style of taijutsu, clones wouldn't help. His style has the user attacking fast and hard, to the point of wearing down flesh and bones."

Sasuke found that out the hard way.

"Although I'm fit and have trained really hard, my body isn't accustomed to his style. It'd leave me in a similar state under normal circumstances. In this condition," she motioned to her right arm with her left hand, "it'd only worsen my injuries. I won't discredit Sasuke's ingenuity in the moment, but Guy-sensei's style isn't meant for someone to copy and use at their whim without consequences."

"Damn right," Mimi sounded off.

Amari half turned to look at Team Guy. Mimi's eyes were drawn to the name jumbler, nearly bouncing on her toes in anticipation for her chance to fight. Guy, on the other hand, couldn't contain the bright grin he aimed her way. He honestly looked at her as if she just told her teammates the secrets of life.

It was a tad unnerving, to say the least.

"That's right! It takes more than Sharingan to master our style of taijutsu—"

A _beep_ cut off whatever else Guy was about to say. All the shinobi looked back to the green monitor for the names placed on it.

"Damn," Amari sighed.

 _Shino Aburame and Zaku Abumi of the Sound village._

It would be cruel of her to say she hoped Shino kicked his teeth in…but she really hoped Shino kicked his teeth in.

"Amari." Shino's calm voice startled Amari slightly. She met his sunglasses and waited for him to speak. "I have not forgotten what you, Sakura and Shikamaru told us of his techniques or his actions. Rest assured, although you were not chosen to fight him…" Shino turned away to walk to the stairs. "I will finish what he started. Why? Because: No one threatens to blow my comrade's head off."

"I believe you."

"You should. I am your comrade, after all."

Amari bowed her head to his retreating back. "Thank you, Shino."

"You're welcome."

Shino never wasted words or his time on false bravado. He was blunt, analytical; spoke his mind even if it came out strange to others.

For him to vow to finish what Zaku started, it made Amari pity Zaku. Not because she suddenly cared about his fate. She didn't. But the poor fool didn't realize how bad his day was about to get.

Out of all the Leaf Genin, there was only one Amari feared facing in battle. One she knew could beat her given one opening or moment of restraint on her part.

That shinobi was Shino Aburame.

As a sign of respect, Shino never held back. Never. Regardless of whom his opponent was or how insignificant they might be, to give anything less than his full power was an insult. And for a shinobi to do the same to him was an even greater insult.

For Zaku, he made an even graver mistake: he threatened and tried to kill comrades.

An unforgivable act by the Aburame's standards.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Sakura asked.

Amari nodded confidently. "Shino will be perfectly fine." There wasn't a shred of doubt in her mind. Shino had this fight won before it even began.

She rested her left forearm on the railing and leaned her weight on it. "If there is one shinobi in our class to respect and fear, it's Shino. Not because he's mean. Not because he's a bad person. He isn't. Shino is a good person and is unshakeable in his loyalty to his comrades." Her eye remained on the arena, watching both Zaku and Shino make their ways towards the center. "Why you should respect and fear him is his incredible talent."

"Hm," her mother hummed in laughter. "Shino feels the same way about you. Should you ever face him, little one, be sure to use your full power. Shino will expect nothing less from you, and you should expect nothing less from him."

"I know, and I will. I respect his strength too much to give him anything less than my best."

Giving anything less would only end badly for her anyways.

"I've never seen you so spooked by an opponent, 'Risu," Shikamaru noted, walking up to the railing to see what this fight was going to turn into. The Nara's traded a look.

 _Watch him carefully_ , she put behind her look.

Shikamaru nodded and returned his attention to the arena. "This should be good."

Watching these fights helped to scout future opponents. If you weren't paying attention—like Shikamaru pretended—then you'd end up in big trouble later on.

Naruto looked between the two Nara's, confused by their silent conversation. "Do you two have telepathy or something?" he asked at length.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. Amari giggled and shook her head. "We're not Yamanaka's, Naruto. We're Nara's."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Sometimes she forgot how knuckleheaded her best friend was.

The Nara's sighed in unison. "Idiot," Shikamaru muttered.

"Oh, Naruto."

Behind them, Asuma and Kurenai spared the pair amused smirks.

"Please just pay attention," she pleaded. "If you ever fight Shino, you'll want to understand his technique."

He nodded and peered down at the two shinobi who now stood across from one another. Shino was the epitome of calm and collected. His hands remained in his pockets as he stared—more likely glared—at his chosen opponent. Zaku, though hunched over due to the cloth bandage, still held himself with the same arrogance she tried to squash out of him.

Before she wanted Shino to kick his teeth in. To embarrass him and make him look like the fledgling fool he was. Now…now she still could only feel pity for him. He truly had no idea the kind of shinobi he was facing.

It took time for her mercy to wither away—Shino's was already gone.

"I can't believe Zaku stayed to fight," Sakura said, flabbergasted by his decision.

Amari wasn't surprised in the slightest. "He's all ego and hatred now. I guarantee he wanted to face one of us again."

The glare he shot up at her proved Amari's point.

"I suppose. But after what you did to him…" Sakura trailed off.

After she broke him, she meant.

" _These toys of yours, they don't make you a shinobi. Your arrogance does not make you a shinobi. Your lust for blood does not even make you a shinobi. You're a fake, a fraud, a coward who targets the weak and thinks it makes him strong. And after I'm done with you, you won't even be able to use those precious arms of yours without Medical Ninjutsu. But I don't have to tell you that, do I? Because my genjutsu showed you your fate."_

 _Absolute terror crossed her enemy's features. She could feel his weak attempts to break free. Feel the desperation to escape and keep his arms intact. She could see his terror. Could see every drop of perspiration on his body, those caused by exertion of energy and those beginning to form from fear._

 _In return, he could see the merciless burning red eye searing into his soul, branding itself into his memory banks forever. He could see her hatred, her disgust for him. He could feel the chill of her killing intent caressing his skin like a reaper preparing to take his soul, and though he couldn't see it, he could feel the presence of the demonic black dragon by looking into her eye._

 _And he was afraid._

 _ **Good.**_

" _No! No! Stop, let go of me! Leave my arms alone!"_

 _There it was. The cowardice. The fear. The cry for mercy after all the pain he caused and tried to cause._

" _See? Begging for mercy. But remember what I said? My mercy has withered."_

 _For threatening her teammates, for wanting to kill her and Sasuke in front of Sakura as some twisted game, for using a technique that would have killed the people she cherished, Amari had no mercy left in her beaten and battered frame._

 _Zaku didn't deserve compassion. He didn't deserve to walk away from this without punishment. He didn't deserve to use those precious arms of his._

 _So she broke them. Without remorse, without restraint, without flinching._

 _He begged more before they snapped. It fell on deaf ears. Only the sounds of his cries of agony were audible to the child._

 _Amari watched in silence. She felt no pleasure. No sick smile tugged onto her face at his pain. The red eye full of fire watched on, cold and emotionless as her shadows returned, leaving the arrogant scum to fall face flat in the grass—unconscious and broken._

 _He didn't deserve her mercy._

"I don't regret it," she muttered.

She'd do it again in a heartbeat for the same reasons.

One violent act did not justify another, but he tried to kill people she loved, cared and lived for in one fell swoop. He threatened to put Sakura through the torture of watching him kill her teammate's right in front of her.

No. She did not regret it.

"Zaku reaped what he sowed."

Funny how he wanted to cause her and her team so much pain, but the moment the sandal was on the other foot, he begged and pleaded for mercy. Mercy he would have never given them in exchange.

But she wasn't Zaku. She didn't break him out of pleasure and enjoyment of another person's pain.

"He wanted to kill people I love…So I stopped him from ever doing the same to someone else," Amari said quietly.

She could have killed him. Instead of breaking his arms she could have broken his neck, but she didn't.

Zaku wasn't worth killing.

There was only one person she planned to kill. One monster to be slain for stealing her two best friends from her. And when that day came, she hoped she wouldn't hesitate. She hoped looking in his eyes wouldn't remind her of the friend she lost. She hoped when his body lay dead before her she wouldn't have to carry the burden of killing someone she called a brother.

But Amari knew her heart better than that. All she could do was prepare as best she could for the pain that day guaranteed. Because when the fight was over, when their kunais and shurikens pierced the earth all around them and their jutsus scorched and cracked the ground…when his body was at her feet, she knew she would remember the boy he used to be.

The boy she called brother. The boy she yearned to have back, along with Ryu. Once more her world would shift around her, leaving her heartbroken and full of pain she didn't know what to do with.

That was later, though. For now, she needed to stay focused on the path ahead. She had to become stronger so she could finish what Kasai started and fulfill Ryu's final wish.

Her peers and the adults heard every word she spoke. She could feel their eyes on her, but she couldn't guess what they were thinking or feeling without looking at them. Shock? Sympathy? Remorse for what they must have went through to push her to that point? Fear of who she might have become without having people to care for?

It could have been any of them or none of them. Either way, it didn't change Amari's lack of regret.

"You better not be talking about Sasuke," Ino growled.

Shikamaru and Sakura groaned at her ignorance to Amari's feelings for Sasuke.

"Ino, you do realize—"

"Save your breath, Chōji," Shikamaru interrupted. "Trust me. Nothing any of us say will change anything."

Her cousin was right. Nothing any of them could say would change Ino seeing her as a threat. Amari, however, saw an opportunity for fun.

"Aw, but I do love him," Amari said innocently.

"Hands off, One-Eye! He's with me!" Ino told her.

 _Heh, in your wildest dreams._

The response was everything she could hope for.

"You can't stop me from loving him, Ino," she said. Those few words almost caused the Yamanaka to blow a gasket. "It's too soon right now, but one day we'll reform our Clan."

Mimi lost it. Uncontrollable cackles left her before a hand covered her mouth, muffling the laughter to not distract the proctor or the combatants. Amari turned her head just enough to hide the fact she was biting her lip to contain her own giggles.

Ino's face was _priceless_! It was like her brain couldn't take the information coming in and paralyzed itself. But what made it even better was the reactions of those around her. Asuma was shaking his head to try to scold her, but he didn't bother hiding his grin. Kurenai brought a closed fist up to her lips to hide the smile on her lips.

Then there were Naruto, Sakura and Shikamaru. All three turned green or pale at the idea of the two Uchiha "reforming" the Clan. Further down, Hinata's cheeks turned feverish red at the same use of the word—a word everyone was misunderstanding.

Kiba grinned at his cousin's hunched over and shaking form.

The use of the word went exactly how Amari planned it to, but there was a far less comedic use for it. She did believe they needed to reform their Clan—reform it to be kinder than what she remembered it being for a…half-breed like her.

Sasuke as a romantic partner wasn't going to happen. He was a clan-brother, nothing more, and he undoubtedly felt the same.

But that wasn't going to stop her from having fun.

"He loves me more anyways," Amari added on.

Ino's brain switched back on. "What did you say?!"

"Please stop, Amari…" Naruto shuddered. "I…I can't handle thinking of you two being…you know, _in_ _love_."

Amari bit her lip harder. One barely contained giggle later and she was back in control. _Hehehe, his response was even better than I hoped!_

It was time to finish up, though. She couldn't keep everyone like this when a fight was about to happen. "But I do love him. I love him as a brother, just like I love you, Sakura and Shika as family. That's far stronger than her fan girl love. What did you all think I meant?" She waited a few seconds, for effect.

To her side, the struggle for Tenten containing Mimi's laughter raged on.

Ino's eye twitched, finally realizing how well she had been played.

"Wait, don't tell me you thought…You sickos!" she accused. "We have to literally reform the Clan to be better than they were, not…Eww!"

Her act only furthered the struggle next to her.

"Hold it in, Mimi! Come on, keep it together!" Tenten scolded. Amari finally glanced over to the pair. Tenten was piggybacked on Mimi, holding her hands over her mouth to muffle the Inuzuka's cackle. Mimi's entire body shook with laughter. She grabbed at her sides and her eyes welled with tears.

 _Score one for the great Amaririsu Yūhi!_

Aoko merely shook her head at her partner, but the humorous glint in her eyes didn't go unnoticed.

"Deep breaths! Come on, deep breaths! If you don't, I'll have Guy-sensei make you do three hundred laps, four hundred squats and two hundred push-ups straight."

Alarm hit Mimi when Guy flashed a sparkly grin her way. Immediately her muffled cackling was replaced by deep breaths.

"Heh, I haven't seen her laugh that hard in a long time," Kiba said, grinning. "Nice one, Amari! You even had Hinata here blushing."

Hinata's blush returned. "Ki- Kiba!"

"I saw. She's too cute for her own good."

Hinata squeaked, her blush intensifying. "Ama- Amaririsu! Yo- you can't jus- just say those things!"

Amari sent a smirk her way. "Hinata, how many times?"

"Ah! Sor- sorry! One last time, I promise."

 _Too adorable!_

With the situation defused, Tenten hopped off Mimi's back and sighed in relief. "Phew, that was too close."

Mimi jabbed a finger Amari's direction, her blue eyes shimmering with mirth as she grinned. "That was amazing! But never do it again in public!"

Amari gave her a closed eye smiled and giggled. "No promises."

"All right, you had your fun Amari. Now everyone focus on the match. They're about to start," Asuma told them.

Everyone focused back on the two standing below them. Luckily the whole incident went unnoticed by the proctor and the fighters. Unlike the light atmosphere she incited up on the balcony, the arena floor held a very serious and no nonsense air to it. Shino in particular didn't have an amused cell in his body.

"I'll give you one warning: Forfeit," Shino stated firmly.

Zaku growled. "What did you say?"

"Forfeit. Your condition will be irreversible if you chose to fight me. Why am I telling you this? Because: I never hold back against an opponent, nor do I underestimate them, regardless of how weak or insignificant they may appear." His words struck a sharp chord in Zaku. She could see it even at a distance, the sudden spark of anger in his eyes at being called _weak_ and _insignificant_. "Furthermore, I will show no mercy to those who bring harm to my comrades. So I say again: Forfeit. You will not defeat me. Why? Because: I vowed to Amaririsu Yūhi to finish what you started."

Zaku's eyes became crazed at the mention of her name. "Is that so?" His left arm began twitching. "Then I guess you're gonna have to disappoint that little brat, 'cause I'm gonna use you as an example for what she did to me!"

He pulled his left arm out of the sleeve, perfectly functional from the look of it despite her breaking his arm.

The presence of her mother's chakra next to her made Amari glance up. Kurenai's features weren't worried by any means. She was confident in Shino's abilities, but there was a question in her eyes. "Are you sure you broke his arms?" she asked.

"One hundred percent," Mimi answered before she could. "Don't mistake him using the arm for it being fully healed, though. They aren't. He needs to end the fight quickly if he doesn't want to intensify the damage already done." The group looked to the medic of the group, finding a clinical disconnect in her eyes between herself and Zaku's pain. "Those pipes in his arms must have some damage to them as well, and I'd bet they're extremely sensitive too."

Blue eyes flicked over to her. "I'm not sure what knocked him out to be honest. It could have been the pain of both his arms breaking. It may have been the power of that genjutsu of yours."

Kurenai hummed in surprise and turned back to her. "You didn't mention your genjutsu's were ready for battle. Did you use Shadow Checkmate or Shadowed Death?"

"Shadowed Death. I…need to refine it more," Amari admitted.

"Mm." Kurenai didn't seem surprised. While her genjutsu's worked as needed in the moment, to be on the level her mother considered battle ready required more work and time. Time she hadn't had before the exams. "You'll get there. Mastering a genjutsu is like mastering a ninjutsu technique. It takes time and experience to perfect." Her red eyes returned back to Zaku. "Did he have the chance to release it?"

"No. I broke his arms immediately after."

"I see."

She sounded…pleased?

Amari snapped back to attention when Zaku charged Shino. He went for a strike, only for Shino to block it easily, keeping his other hand in his pocket. Before Shino could get him away, Zaku turned his hand and released a Slicing Sound Wave right in his face, sending him flying away in a heap of smoke.

Aoko murmured then Mimi spoke. "Hmph, figured as much with that weak attack."

"Weak? He just blasted Shino at point blank," Kiba said, clearly confused and slightly perturbed.

"Yet Shino has no internal injuries, except slight bruising. Amari took one of his blasts head-on. The contusions it left on her were severe, Kiba. She was lucky it didn't fracture her ribs."

"Wait? Seriously?"

"Yeah." Mimi nodded. "And compared to the rest of her injuries, those were minor. Just little bumps in the road for her recovery." Her eyes narrowed on the Sound shinobi. "He talked tough to Shino, but he's regulating how much power he uses to avoid more pain. All of the energy and power of his attacks are shooting through the very limbs that are broken. It must be excruciating."

There wasn't an ounce of remorse in her voice.

Shino's outfit was scuffed from the attack, but otherwise he seemed fine. He stood back up and faced his opponent, posture straight and confident.

Things started going downhill fast for Zaku. Behind him, a horde of parasitic insects gathered together to block the path behind him, earning shocked gasps from the Leaf Genin with the exception of Shino's own team.

"Shino wins," Amari stated.

Quite frankly, Zaku was screwed. If he attacked Shino with his good arm, the parasitic beetles would get him and suck him dry of all his chakra. If he tried to attack the beetles using his good arm, he'd leave himself wide open for the Aburame to attack him, thus ensuring he won no matter what option he chose.

His best option was to forfeit. He could avoid unnecessary harm and get out without the permanent damage Shino promised.

Amari knew better, and she was sure Shino did too. This punk wouldn't forfeit. He thought his arms made him more powerful than all the other Genin here.

They didn't.

"I suggest you choose your next move wisely," Shino told him. "I hate repeating myself, but I'll remind you one last time: I never hold back against an opponent. If you don't forfeit, the damage you will succumb to _will_ be irreversible."

Zaku lowered his head, teeth grit together as he growled under his breath. Finally, he snapped. "Rrrraaagggghhhhhh!" Zaku turned his good hand at Shino. "Now you've done it. Now you've made me mad!" His other hand shot out from the cloth cast to aim at the beetles.

Zaku opened his now free hand and let out another scream. "I'll blow you away! And then I'll blow the head off that little brat for humiliating me!"

"Wrong decision," Shino said.

Everyone expected a Slicing Sound Wave to happen. What happened instead caused many of the gathered shinobi to gasp in horror or bewilderment.

Holes broke open in Zaku's arms, releasing blue chakra in large amounts before his right arm—from the forearm down—blew off completely.

"Holy hell," Mimi muttered, disturbed and wide eyed at the scene.

The same expression and feelings found their way to Amari.

Over his own screams of agony, Zaku somehow found a way to form words. "Wha- What did you do to my arms?!"

Amari pitied him. She really did.

"Do you know what's better than having one Ace in the Hole? Two Aces," said Shino, cold and calculated. "Amaririsu explained to me exactly how your jutsu works, and how heavily you rely on those arms of yours. I already had a plan to counteract them long before we entered this arena. That's not all she told me, however. She also told me of your misplaced arrogance and fragile ego.

"So I used both to my advantage. I told you to forfeit to incite your anger, then told you of my vow to Amaririsu to remind you of your defeat at her hands. Blinded by your emotions, you left yourself open to my real plan. As I said, I never underestimate my opponent. You pretended to still be unable to use your arms, but I knew better than to believe in such a simple trick. When I blocked your attack, I planted a female beetle on you to draw the males to your pipes exits—both exits just to be sure."

Shino lifted a hand to rub his face where the attack hit him. "I admit my reflexes were slower than they should have been given all I knew about your technique, but Amaririsu's, Sakura's and Shikamaru's information was on point. Still, after your first attack I learned of another weakness you had: The use of your Slicing Sound Waves was causing you pain. You had no choice but to hold back, otherwise you might hurt yourself. So again I used your fragile ego and arrogance to move you exactly as I wanted, like the puppet you are."

"Wha- What the hell happened?!" Naruto asked as Shino continued to explain every detail of his plan to Zaku.

"Shino used his insects to plug the holes in Zaku's palms—both holes," Amari explained. "All the pressure of the Slicing Sound Wave exits from his palms. With them plugged, the pressure continued to build and build and build in his arms. Eventually the pressure had to exit, but with it usual exit blocked…"

"Something had to give. His arms or the bugs," Shikamaru finished where she had trailed off at.

And they all knew which gave out first. Enraged by Shino's final prod, Zaku increased the pressure to full power—his final mistake. A mistake that cost him his arms, just as Shino promised.

Shino sped to Zaku's side and laid him out with a hard punch, ending the match.

"But where did the bugs come from?" Sakura asked.

"They're inside him." There were yelps of surprise from her teammates and Shikamaru's team, save for the Nara himself. "Neji, take a look. You'll see it yourself."

The boy cast a skeptical look her way then activated his Byakugan. Barely a moment later, he gasped, taken aback by the truth. "I had no idea. I thought he used a Summoning Jutsu to get all those insects, but she's right. They are actually living inside him!"

The medics came out with a stretcher and carefully placed Zaku's unconscious body on it with his missing limb. They then proceeded to carry him out.

"I've heard of the Aburame Clan being insect tamers, just never realized the full extent of the pact between them and their insects," Mimi said.

"I've heard of it as well," Neji agreed. "It is said a bug master allows their chosen insects to nest in his body. In return they obey their hosts will. They serve him, answering his call, fighting his battles and destroying his enemies. I have also heard they allow the insects to feed on their chakra as part of the bargain."

Amari nodded along silently, watching Shino walk towards the stairs to return to his team. Shino Aburame was a dangerous opponent. Far more dangerous than many of her peers realized, until now.

"I told you. Shino is a shinobi worthy of respect and fear."

"You weren't kidding, 'Risu. Troublesome."

Shino returned to his team. Kurenai joined him and congratulated her student on his victory over the Sound shinobi.

"Shino." The Aburame's obstructed eyes met Amari's single onyx eye. "Thank you."

He nodded once. "You're welcome."

Hayate prepared to announce the next candidates below them.

"Hey Sensei," Amari greeted without turning around.

Her puzzled teammates first looked to her at the sudden greeting. Yelps of surprise followed when they noticed Kakashi standing behind them.

Naruto turned back to face her in shaky confusion. "Ho- How do you always do that?!"

She gave her knuckleheaded teammate a closed eyed smile and stuck her tongue out at him. If he wanted to forget her sensory abilities and think she was psychic, she wouldn't mind. It'd be fun.

"Hey guys. Sorry I'm a bit late but you won't believe how hard it is to navigate those halls. I lost my way three times," Kakashi greeted.

"Kakashi as usual," Asuma chuckled.

Kurenai sighed. "You probably got caught up in one of your books."

"Or he got lost on the path of life," Amari teased.

"Or there was a lady who _naturally_ wanted to go dancing with him," Sakura jumped in.

"Or maybe another black cat crossed his path so he had to take the long way," Naruto added, a roll of his eyes as he relaxed against the railing.

Kakashi raised his eyebrow at them. "You don't believe me?"

" _Of course_ we do, Kakashi-sensei," they drawled in unison.

Defeated by his students, Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck and exhaled a sigh.

"How's Sasuke?" Sakura asked.

Kakashi returned his hand to his side and met their curious gazes. "Oh, he's fine. When I left him he was sleeping soundly in the infirmary." His tone was casual and light, but the look in his eye betrayed it. Something serious was going on. His eye was hardened, a signal he took care of the problem, albeit temporarily, but he would be on guard from now on.

"But later I would like to talk to you about something Amari." Again his tone hinted at nothing serious. It was the look in his eye she found far more unnerving.

Had she done something wrong?

"It would seem a certain Bishop has finally realized the piece misjudged as a Pawn is far more powerful and important to the game of shogi."

Only the Jōnin and the present Nara caught onto the _exact_ meaning of his words. Amari's hand tightened around the railing. She swallowed hard and did her best to keep her features neutral against her rising nerves.

" _Such a sharp eye and mind you possess. It's only a pity you lack both eyes. Without both Sharingan your value is greatly diminished."_

" _So I'm just a useless pawn, huh? An extra piece on the board? Heh!"_

There wasn't a doubt in her mind who the Bishop was.

 _Orochimaru_.

And now he was seeing her as a greater target than before.

"I…" Amari swallowed again and shut her eyes, inhaling a deep breath. _Stay calm. Breathe. He wouldn't bring this up if he didn't have a way to protect you._ "Any tactics you'd advise in countering the Bishop's next move?" she asked, her eyes still closed.

Was there anything she could do to keep herself from his grasps?

"As soon as this test is over, there's something I will teach you to counter its next move."

She nodded, grateful and hopeful the technique would be enough. She turned back to the arena and opened her eye. "Okay." Kakashi had a plan. He had a technique to teach her so she could counter Orochimaru's next move. That was more than she had and enough to calm her down.

"I don't know about you Sakura, but I don't understand a word they are saying," Naruto said.

The beeping of the monitor signaled the next fight.

"Haha! About time! I was itching for a fight!" Mimi cheered. She looked up to Aoko. "You ready for this, Aoko?" The ninken barked happily.

"What a drag." Amari sagged. "At this rate I'll never get to fight."

"Your time will come, little one." Her mother didn't even try to hide her amusement.

 _Troublesome adult._

"Listen up Mimi and hear your Sensei's awesome words!" Guy bellowed. Mimi turned around to stand more or less at attention. "I can't claim to know who your opponent is or his skills, but I know he's no match for you. As long as you remember to take this seriously and not grow overconfident, you will succeed. And be careful." Guy shot the other Leaf ninja a suspicious eye. "He may look as if he has been hurt, but that doesn't mean he can't fight."

"Right." Mimi nodded.

Guy grinned again and pointed out into the…wall across the room? Sometimes Amari worried he was seeing more than their current surroundings. Like just by pointing he could create a beach and sunset to run off on.

"Now go! Let the flames of youth consume your very soul! Show them your power!"

Lee and Guy started to pump their fists into the air, practically glowing with the fires of youth they spoke of.

Tenten cast a long look at them then sighed and shook her head. "I don't know about all that, but good luck, Mimi."

Mimi grinned and gave the trio a sharp nod before jumping onto the railing and then down to the ground below. _Time to see her power again._

Amari was excited.

* * *

Mimi landed down in the arena and turned her blue eyes to her opponent walking down the stairs. By the look of him he was at least two or three years her senior, and about three heads taller than her. Most of his head was shaved, except a ruffled black Mohawk down the center of his head. He wore a grey short-sleeved shirt and a black sleeveless jacket with baggy black standard shinobi pants.

Only when he was closer could she see his pale eyes as well as the permanent scowl etched into his features. According to the monitor his name was Hironori, and from the look of his body he seemed to have a good muscular build.

" _His injuries are mostly superficial. Although,"_ Aoko sniffed the air. _"His right bicep smells of blood. I believe he may have been stabbed."_

 _Hmm, so nothing I can really make use of._ She grinned. _At least this won't be boring._

"Mimi Inuzuka and Hironori of the Leaf, you are set for the third match. Are there any objections?" Hayate asked.

"Nope, I'm ready," Mimi said, feeling her grin dissipate into a feral smirk. She could feel her thrill building, making her want to bounce on the balls of her feet. If this guy made it this far, he must at least be somewhat of a challenge. He might even be a thrill to fight!

She hoped.

"Other than having to deal with dog breath here, no," her opponent said, his tone bored and irritated.

 _"The nerve!"_ Aoko growled.

Those words stole the smirk from her face, destroyed it beyond all recognition and replaced it with a vicious snarl. "What did you just say?"

Her anger surged through her veins. The past insults those Academy punks tried to hurl her way resurfaced in the back of her mind, doing nothing except pissing her off more.

Why did she ask him to repeat it when her ears heard the insult loud and clear? Old habit. She wanted him to say everything on his mind, insult her with his harshest words. Tell her _exactly_ how he felt. Then she would shove all of the words back down his throat, along with his teeth!

"Listen mutt." A _very_ raw nerve stabbed. "Forfeit now. I have no interest in kicking a pathetic pup like you."

Mimi heard nothing else. Not his ask for her to forfeit again or anything else he might have said.

The rage she contained since the Academy broke free.

 _"Let's rip him to shreds!"_ Aoko growled.

"Proctor, start the match," Mimi snarled. Her slit pupil flicked over to Hayate. " _Now_."

"All right. When you are ready, you may begin," Hayate said, stepping back and out of the way.

Hironori didn't make a move. He looked bored and irritated at having to fight her.

Nothing he felt could match the fiery rage pumping through her veins, spreading its poison to every molecule in her body.

He didn't want to make the first move? Fine. She'd take it then and make him regret ever opening his ignorant mouth.

Mimi crouched onto all-fours. "Ninja Art of Beast Mimicry: All-Fours Jutsu!"

Chakra cloaked her body, red and lashing like the blazing anger she contained within her heart. As the chakra enveloped her, her appearance began to change, becoming far more feral than natural for her. Her canine teeth and nails grew longer, her pupils shifted into slits and her facial features became sharper in intensity.

Aoko hopped onto her back and snarled viciously at their opponent. "I wasn't gonna tear you apart 'cause you were a Leaf shinobi." Even her voice was harsher. "But then you opened your mouth. Man Beast Clone!"

Aoko transformed into a carbon copy of her. Finally Hironori realized how serious he needed to take her. It was too late for him. Nothing he could say or do now would change what she was going to do to him.

He took up a defensive stance and grabbed at the kunai in his ninja tool box.

"Bring it on mutt!"

She snarled. "Let's go, Aoko!"

The two flashed away in sheer speed.

He was dead!

Mimi reappeared in the air on his left side, her foot aimed directly for his face and Aoko below her, going in for a shoulder charge. Hironori barely had time to register their appearance, eyes bulging in surprise as his body slowly tried to react to the faster shinobi.

The Inuzuka duo landed their blows in synchronicity to send him skidding across the arena floor. Hironori rolled out of it and onto his toes, but Mimi was already there, a wild look in her eyes.

 _"You're a half-breed traitor!"_

 _"Mutt!"_

 _"Look at the half-breed mutt with a mutt for a friend! Aw, what's wrong, can't make any human connectio— ah!"_

So many insults, so much pain and hatred she buried away, all releasing at the same time because of this arrogant piece of trash.

"You're dead!" she roared.

Hironori had no chance to counterattack. The All-Fours Jutsu increased her speed, strength and senses exponentially beyond a worm like him. Her entire body felt warm, thrumming with heat and hatred as red chakra lashed off her.

Mimi came off her hands and slammed her right knee into his jaw. This piece of trash had crossed one line too far, and now he was going to pay for it!

Hironori cried out in pain as the attack sent him flying into the air.

"Aoko!"

 _"Got it!"_

Using her shoulder as a springboard, Aoko jumped off after Hironori, getting higher than their enemy and into the perfect position to drill him into the ground. Mimi crouched back down and dashed forward where the momentum of her companion's attack would shoot him to.

Aoko spun into a ferocious spiral and drilled into Hironori. Their enemy shot faster to the ground, but Mimi was there. She jumped off the ground and spun herself in a violent tornado, yelling out, "Fang over Fang!" before hitting him.

The technique slashed and clawed at him, drawing blood and filling her nose with its scent. Like a moth drawn to flame, the scent intensified her innate need to destroy him.

Mimi came out of her spin and skidded on her feet across the concrete floor, watching with feral eyes as her opponent skipped away with plenty of slashes and cuts through his outfit and skin.

Slowly, Hironori pushed himself up off the ground. His pale, wide eyes looked at her as if seeing a wolf demon.

"I can smell your fear." She chuckled nastily. "What's the matter? Afraid of the big, frightening wolf? Gonna cry? Wanna throw in the towel and tell the proctor you're done? Go ahead." Mimi stalked a circle around her prey on all-fours, Aoko mirroring her movements. "Go ahead and try to quit. I dare ya. 'Cause before you even form the syllable, I'll be there, slamming my fist so far down your throat I'll be able to examine your organs without a Diagnostic Jutsu."

Hironori moved into a crouch and watched the pair carefully. "I'm not scared of you, mutt."

Another chuckle, even more feral and nastier than before. "I'm gonna enjoy shutting your mouth."

Mimi charged back in with Aoko. As they neared, Hironori jumped up and away from the two sets of claws about to tear him apart. Kunai and shuriken started to rain down around the duo, but their enhanced senses allowed them to dodge them all.

Hironori landed, hands held in Tiger as he inhaled. Recognizing the technique, Mimi sped through her own handseals. "Aoko, prepare the scrolls," she ordered.

 _"Right!"_

Her companion darted behind her back, deft hands reaching into her ninja pouch and taking the necessary two scrolls in a quick exchange only the dōjutsu wielders above could see. Upon exhalation, Hironori released a massive fireball right at Mimi, but she was ready.

 _Water Style: Water Bomb Jutsu!_

A sharp and powerful stream of water shot from the Inuzuka's mouth directly at the fire. The two jutsus collided, and in the end her Water Style proved more than enough to douse his flames. Steam formed at the point of impact, concealing her enemy's visible presence behind it.

"Too slow mutt!"

Mimi canceled her jutsu and ducked down into a crouch, a wild smirk on her lips. She heard the blade cut past where her head once was, the sound of it slicing through the air piercing her sharpened sense of hearing. She quickly spun one-eighty, shifted her weight backward and dodged into a handspring out of the way of his next strike. Her feet met the floor again and she hopped back, narrowly dodging two thrown kunais she could hear whiz past her ears.

Had her opponent already forgotten? An Inuzuka's sense of hearing and smell were far stronger than the average human. With her All-Fours Jutsu activated they were even better. She heard and smelled him coming before he even got within a few feet of her.

His attempt at a surprise attack failed, but Hironori didn't let it discourage him. He closed in on her to engage in a brawl. She blocked his punches and threw a few of her own, nicking his face with her claws when she feinted a punch with her other hand. Her enemy blocked her follow up strike and countered with a spinning roundhouse kick.

Dodging underneath it, Mimi felt confident in her abilities. The bout of confidence left her off guard when her opponent's next attack came faster and with a surprise. Her ears heard it first, the kick with a blade cutting through the air. Then her eyes caught the glint of the blade attached to his ninja sandal.

 _Damn! Where did that come from?_

Only by her enhanced speed did she dodge a fatal strike. The blade sliced past her cheek, drawing blood and awakening her pain receptors. Mimi slid back out of the way, and as she did she felt the change of texture beneath her feet.

 _Perfect timing, Aoko._

She hopped up and channeled chakra to her feet then landed on the new surface, gliding effortlessly on the water like an ice skater.

The water continued to spread across the arena, combining with the remnants of her Water Bomb Jutsu. "Water? But—" His eyes widened as he noticed the carbon copy of Mimi crouched behind her, kneeling before two scrolls releasing water at a slow pace.

"Forgot about Aoko, didn't ya?" Mimi slid to a stop on the water a few feet away from her partner. "It's too late to realize your mistake. Now, Aoko!"

Mimi jumped up and backflipped in the air as Aoko sped across the water in a Fang over Fang. She landed feet first on the scrolls and instantly unsealed more water. Out of the scrolls, two shin high waves surged forth and, after speeding through twenty-two handseals, Mimi prepared her next attack.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

The Water Dragon that formed wasn't much to boast about. Thin and nowhere near as large as the one she used on Amari. But it would work for its intended purpose.

Aoko, having heard her shout, stopped distracting and attacking Hironori to retreat out of the way of the incoming attack. Her enemy spun around and saw the golden eyes of her dragon speeding right for him.

Quickly creating handseals of his own, he slammed his hands into the ground. "Earth Style: Mud Wall!"

 _He knows two Natures?_ She'd be impressed if she wasn't hell-bent on destroying him.

A wall made of the arena floor shot up right in front of him, blocking him from view and providing the perfect barrier against her weaker jutsu. Her dragon impacted hard against the surface of the wall, but it did little else, except maybe splashing water on him.

Her opponent jumped over his wall and charged in once again to exchange blows. Mimi met him, their feet glowing on the surface of the water as their intense exchange grew more and more heated. Mimi took more than a few blows, too filled with rage to care about refined technique, but for every punch he landed, she hit him back that much harder.

Hironori grit his teeth. "Just let yourself be put down already!"

Mimi snarled. "Enough of the dog insults!" She put as much strength as she could behind her fist and slammed it into his face. "Who the hell do you think you are to insult my Clan?!"

Hironori came back with a punch of his own, but she dodged under it and went for a sweep kick. Her enemy jumped over her attack and, as she came back up, brought his hands into Tiger.

Point blank range.

" _Mimi! Water Wall!"_ Aoko ordered.

Her hands were already moving. "Water Style: Water Wall!"

Just as the fire left his lips and closed in on her, a wall of water sprang up from beneath her feet to protect her. The water blocked the attack, forming steam at the point of impact, but with such little water, Mimi struggled to keep herself from being turned to toast.

His flames were intense, though not nearly as intense as Amari's. And unlike her fellow kunoichi, Hironori kept forgetting one important detail: An Inuzuka never fought alone.

"Aoko, let's finish this!"

The flames intensified, as if to insult her and tell her the fight was over. Mimi wasn't done yet, though. Not by a long shot.

His flames abruptly stopped and were replaced by a cry of pain as Aoko, in her natural form, sunk her teeth into his right arm.

It was time to finish him off.

* * *

Amari watched carefully with her Sharingan activated as Aoko's teeth sank further and further into Hironori's arm. Blood poured out of the wound. He desperately tried to pull her off, swatting at the animal and cursing it the entire time. Finally he ripped her off and threw her at Mimi, but not without the ninken taking some skin with her.

Kakashi whistled behind her. "It's going to take time for that wound to heal."

She nodded in agreement. _Shouldn't have been a jerk._

What impressed Amari more than the bite was the speed and strength of Mimi in her All-Fours Jutsu. She was fast, faster than she had shown herself to be during their fight. And the chakra coming off her, the raw power behind it, it was amazing.

No, she was amazing.

"If Aoko's back in her normal form, I'd bet she's setting up the attack she tried to finish me off with. That's why she had Aoko use those scrolls," Amari noted. Despite how lost the Inuzuka appeared to be in her feral rage—rage Amari hoped to never stir—she hadn't lost sight of planning ahead. Not completely, anyways.

"You're right, Amaririsu," Guy said, grinning down at his student. "Mimi has worn down her opponent and created an environment she can use her unstoppable combination."

Naruto and Sakura turned to look at Guy. "Unstoppable combination?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, unstoppable. Once inside, no one can escape."

"But what is the combination?" Sakura quizzed.

"Water and Sound. It's a cruel combination, but effective in rendering an opponent incapable of fighting any longer."

His prediction came true not long after. Mimi captured Hironori in her Water Prison Jutsu and left him floating in the center of it. Amari couldn't see the look in her eyes, but what she said and did next made her feelings clear.

"This is the part where I usually ask my opponent to forfeit because I don't want to cause them more pain. But for people like you I make an exception. Aoko, knock him senseless."

Her ninken moved across her arm to the Water Prison then unleashed the most piercing howl Amari had ever heard. It was loud even at a distance. She didn't want to feel how terrible it was at the concentrated point of attack.

Hironori clutched at his ears to protect against the onslaught, screaming in agony as the howl continued on and on and on. Amari swore she heard him attempt to forfeit, but then Aoko somehow went even louder to drown out his voice.

Only when Hironori passed out inside the Water Prison, blood floating in the orb of water from his ears, did Aoko stop howling. Mimi released the jutsu and let him fall unceremoniously face first onto the ground.

"Since he can no longer continue." Hayate coughed then cleared his throat. "I declare Mimi Inuzuka as the winner of this round. She will move on to the finals."

Slowly Mimi's features, nails and teeth reverted back to normal while she moved to her sealing scrolls. By activating them again, the water returned to the scrolls, sort of the same way water ran down a drain. Once all of it was absorbed again, she watched the medics take Hironori away.

"Maybe next time you'll show some manners, jackass," she snarled before walking to the stairs to rejoin the group.

Amari deactivated her Sharingan and relaxed her weight against the railing. Scouting Mimi went exceptionally well. Given time she would come up with good strategies beyond _don't piss her off._

 _Though that one will remain at the top of my list._

When Mimi reached the top of the stairs her eyes were still distant and with slit pupils. Her sweater was tied around her waist, likely because she was too warm internally for it. Amari couldn't blame her, not really. After all the insults to her Clan Hironori threw her way, he earned the beating he received.

"Nice going, Mimi. You kicked his ass!" Kiba congratulated.

The sound of her cousin's voice woke Mimi up from her thoughts. Her pupils returned to normal and her lips split into a wide grin. She hooked her arm around his neck and pulled him in closer, strangling him a little as she did. "As if there was ever any doubt! You better win your match Kiba or I'll start whipping your ass into shape."

Kiba struggled to get out of her headlock to no avail. Eventually Mimi let him go and took a small jab to the arm from him. "Yeah yeah. You watch. I'll blow my opponent away!"

"You better."

Mimi was greeted by her team with a large slap to the back from Guy. "Nice work Mimi! I knew you could do it!"

"Ohh, your fight has fired me up, Mimi! I can't wait to get my chance to show what I can do!" Lee was on the verge of bouncing up and down with excitement.

"You did really good Mimi, but you should probably heal up that cut," Tenten said, pointing to her own cheek to remind the Inuzuka of the cut on her face.

Sudden remembrance crossed her features. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that." She brought her gloved hand to her cheek and healed the wound. When her hand dropped, the only sign of the wound was the dried blood on her face, a darker shade of crimson than the Inuzuka fang markings on her cheeks. "Good as new."

"Only you would forget about getting hurt," Tenten sighed.

"But if I didn't forget then you couldn't remind me. How boring would that be?" Mimi retorted getting a bark from Aoko, which made her grin. "Exactly, Aoko."

"What did she say?" her teammate asked.

The Inuzuka shrugged. "Can't tell. It's a secret between us."

"She said that it also meant you wouldn't fuss over her anymore, and that would be even more boring," Kiba piped in, a grin in his tone.

The blush that crossed Mimi's face served as a source of amusement for Aoko. The ninken chortled and made no effort to disguise it.

"I'm going to strangle you, Kiba!"

Mimi's attempt to strangle her cousin was thwarted by Guy, who grabbed onto the back of her shirt to hold her in place. She still tried to lunge forward, hands slashing through the air as she tried to break free. "All right, that's enough Mimi. Save your youthful energy for when it's needed," Guy scolded.

"You better sleep with one eye open, Kiba," Mimi grumbled quietly. "Yes, Guy-sensei."

"Hmm," Kakashi hummed.

Team Seven turned around to see what was on their sensei's mind, but he didn't meet their eyes. He leaned against the wall, his hands in his pockets and eye staring nostalgically at the ground between them.

"Sensei?" Sakura prompted.

Kakashi perked up. "Huh? Something wrong guys?"

They each sweat dropped at his question. "You were the one who hummed, Sensei. We thought you wanted our attention."

"Oh, that." He gave them a closed eyed smile. "I was just remembering the shouting about pulverization Amari ranted about in the Land of Waves."

Nothing else needed to be said to turn Amari cherry red. She too remembered her threats to pulverize Zabuza for inserting his opinion into a conversation he was not invited to. A conversation she totally flubbed by calling Haku cute.

 _It's so embarrassing!_

Then there was the whole age discrepancy as well as the insinuation she'd never become a woman. Irked by the memory, her embarrassment was not whisked away, but joined by her anger to dance together.

 _I'll show him! I'll hit a growth spurt someday!_

Why did she have to be so short? It was such a drag.

Her teammates were no help at all. They covered their mouths to hide their laughter at her expense, but even then she could hear it loud and clear.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with us, Amari," Naruto teased, bumping her shoulder with his own.

Oh. Oh he was _not_ getting away with teasing her about this. "Naruto, do you remember when I threatened to pulverize _you_." Remembrance crossed his face and his teasing grin began to fall. "Me too. Want to try that again?" she dared, a dangerous look in her eye.

No way. No way was he getting away unscathed if he tried to tease her more.

Sweat began to pour from his forehead as he shook his head rapidly.

"My Sensei senses tell me I should probably know about this… _incident_ by the sound of it," Kakashi inserted himself into a conversation he didn't belong in.

Amari sent a scathing glare Naruto's way. _You will not speak of what happened that day._

No one was allowed to know about _that day_. No one!

"I- it was nothing Sensei, ha ha! Nothing happened, be- believe it," Naruto stuttered in fear.

Kakashi could see straight through his bluff, of course. "Don't worry, Naruto, Amari won't hurt you so long as I am here. So what happened?" Naruto shook his head and mimed zipping his lips. He knew the sort of consequences awaiting him. He could almost see the red behind the onyx eye, ready to strap him into a genjutsu he would never recover from. "I'll teach you a new jutsu if you tell me."

That was playing dirty, but two could play at this game. She wouldn't let either of them get away with this.

"By the way, _Sensei_." Kakashi stiffened instantly at her sweet and innocent voice. "Remember when you sat in a tree after sticking the weighted seals on me? Because I seem to recall you knocking me over as I struggled to stand up."

His eye bulged when Kurenai's eyes snapped onto them.

 _If you want to battle with blackmail, I have the most and Mom in my corner. Your training regimen on my mind taught me many things from seeing through deception to always using gathered information wisely._

"I don't recall anyone ever telling me about this _incident_ ," Kurenai said. The momentum shifted completely. Now it was Kakashi on the back foot. "Care to give me all the details, little one, so I can punish those responsible."

It was neither a question nor a joke.

Everyone watched their dual as if it were another round of the exams. Their heads moved back and forth between them, watching every strike and counterattack with intensity to see who would end up on top.

"Okay, I can't lie to you. Sensei—"

When the gloved hand clamped over her mouth, Amari knew her victory was guaranteed.

"Ha ha, nothing happened, Kurenai! She worked really hard at getting stronger and I was very proud of her," Kakashi answered nervously then lowered his voice to a threatening whisper. "Don't you dare."

He knew the kinds of consequences awaiting him too. The genjutsu's her mother could cast far outranked her own.

She wasn't about to let him get away easily.

His hand left her mouth and she sprang her next attack. "Oh, and the ending to _Make-Out Violence_ is—"

Kakashi yelped in surprise and covered her mouth instantly.

Okay, she was cheating. She didn't know the ending of his new book, but he didn't need to know that. They were ninjas, after all. Deception was their fun little game.

"How do you know that? Kurenai would never let you read these books," he whispered urgently.

True and she would never read them anyways. She had higher standards for books than his perverted taste in literature. How anyone could call something that made a grown man blush and giggle like a…well, like a perverted teenager sneaking a peek at an adult magazine _literature_ was beyond her.

Again, he didn't need to know the truth of her ignorance. He only needed to believe she knew the ending.

Because of his hand over her mouth her words didn't form correctly. It was his way of ensuring she didn't blurt out the ending.

"I ovarherd adults twalking abut it. It a real cwiffhanger."

"Shhhh!" he shushed her. "Don't tell me that!"

"Aparrotly, the lady—"

"If I teach you a new jutsu, will you stay quiet?" he asked quickly.

Hmm. Tempting. "Yesh…as lung as yo pawmise it isn't lwam."

"I promise," he said in a cheery voice.

Slowly and carefully, as if trying to diffuse a trap, Kakashi removed his hand from her mouth. When she didn't blurt out the ending to his book, he audibly sighed and relaxed.

"Yeah, I got stronger that day," Amari reassured her mother despite everyone knowing it was a lie.

Sakura covered her snickering behind her hand at both Naruto's visible relaxation at the passing danger and Kakashi's.

"Say Kakashi, I haven't seen you sweat like that in a long time. Amari really out played you there," Asuma prodded, a smirk on his face.

"She had the odds unfairly stacked in her favor," Kakashi defended.

"You taught me that way, Sensei."

He sighed. "In hindsight, teaching you that was a bad idea. You already had the perception of a Nara. I just made it worse for myself."

Amari giggled then focused back onto the screen in the distance, waiting for the next opponents to be picked and silently hoping it would be herself.

 _At least Sensei is going to teach me something new and…wait a minute!_

Amari's eye bulged.

" _As soon as this test is over, there's something I will teach you to counter its next move."_

She spun around in shock. How could she have been played so easily?

Kakashi noticed the change of look on her face immediately. In response, he eye smiled at her, victorious over her in his high-stakes gamble.

 _I was so focused on preventing Naruto from telling him about the Sexy Jutsu, I forgot he even said that. In the end, I won the battles but he won the war. Well played, Kakashi-sensei, well played._

The monitor beeped again and revealed the next two opponents—neither were Amari.

 _Kankurō vs. Misumi Tsurugi. Looks like we'll finally get to see the Sand ninja use his puppet and see what Kabuto's other teammate has to offer._

Yoroi had a good ability but was way too overconfident. If Misumi was also overconfident then it was possible the Sand shinobi would make easy work of him.

As soon as they were down in the arena, Kankurō took the wrapped up puppet off his back and set it next to him, still contained within the bandages. The proctor started the match before he could unwrap it, and Misumi didn't waste time to take advantage of that. He charged in to strike him. Kankurō blocked his attack easily, an arrogant grin on his face, unimpressed by the assault.

Before the Sand shinobi could even utter a word, Misumi countered his block by using a technique that sent chills down Amari's spine faster than a bolt of lightning.

Misumi's body began to stretch unnaturally, as if he had no bones to speak of, and proceeded to wrap Kankurō in a deadly chokehold.

Just…like…Orochimaru.

"That jutsu," Amari choked, eye wide and unfocused in fear.

Misumi faded from her sight, replaced by Orochimaru's Grass shinobi disguise. The arena disappeared next. Large trees and grassy floors where their battle took place. He was racing around the trees, body stretching unnaturally around the branches like the very snake summoned to attack her team. She could hear his female voice in her ears.

" _Dearest Amaririsu."_

Amari's breathing quickened.

" _Your Sharingan eye is so perceptive. Perhaps I should take it as a trophy."_

His face was mere inches away from hers, green flames flickering on his arm as he caressed her cheek, his obsessed and crazed eyes staring deep into her soul.

He was going to take her eye. He was going to pluck it right from her skull just like Kasai plucked Ryu's out…and there was nothing she could do about it.

Someone's hand resting on her shoulder jolted her, but not awake. No, she was still there, her entire body quivering. She heaved heavy breaths she could not control as her near death experience played before her eyes.

His hand was inches from her eye. Inches from taking the prize he coveted.

 _I can't- I can't breathe._

She was going to die.

"Amari. Hey, it's okay."

No, it wasn't. He was here. Right in front of her. He was going to take her eye. He was going to steal it from her socket with his insane glee at her pain.

Her knuckles turned white as she clenched the railing for dear life. Her legs lost their strength, turning from solid trees to melted ice cream.

She could hear his female laugh. She could feel his breath on her face, feel the heat of her flames still dancing on his skin.

 _I- I can't—_

"Little one!"

Amari gasped a sharp breath as her vision shifted back to reality. She wasn't standing anymore. Hard concrete greeted her back and butt, as did the concerned eyes of her mother and Kakashi. Her eye darted around wild, frightened, seeking out the Sannin who nearly killed her.

"Breathe, little on. Breathe. In." The command registered in her subconscious mind. She inhaled. "Out." She exhaled. "In. Out. There you go. Slow, deep breaths. Easy, don't rush it. In. Out."

"I understand the jutsu looks weird, but it isn't that bad." Ino's voice was distant to the blue-haired ninja.

Asuma, who she finally noticed hovered behind her mother, shot a look away from her. "Not the time, Ino," Asuma scolded, his tone serious.

Behind him, Mimi retreated back to the railing, casting one worried look back over her shoulder before leaving for good.

"In. Out. In. Out," her mother continued the mantra.

 _In. Out. In. Out._

Amari kept breathing, slowly bringing her heartrate down and easing the quivers of her body. One breath at a time, that's all she needed to focus on. One breath, and then another, then another. Inhale, exhale. By controlling her breathing she could control herself.

"Snake?" Kakashi asked quietly after she regained some grip on reality. She nodded without speaking, unable to trust her voice to be sturdy. "Exactly the same?" Another nod from her.

From around her, as she kept breathing, she heard bits of conversation regarding the fight.

"I- I think he just broke his neck," Lee stated in shock.

"Nah, that was just a puppet," Kiba said.

"He switched places with his puppet before the match began. Misumi miscalculated his opponent's intelligence, and now all the bones in his body are toast, save for his neck," Mimi said.

Slowly but surely she reached close to normal. It…it frustrated her immensely this happened. Not once, but now twice in front of everyone she lost her composure. Why did this have to keep happening? Why couldn't she be stronger?

In an attempt to regain some lost ground, she tried to smile to reassure the adults. It didn't reach her eye or hold any real strength to it. "I- I'll be okay."

"Are you sure? You collapsed on us, Amari," Asuma said.

She nodded. "Just…" The mark Orochimaru left on her. The intensity of the battle, of her fears as his hand neared her eye, of his crazed obsession she couldn't erase from her mind, all of it was still so fresh. But this time she swore it wouldn't happen again. "…I just remembered something I wanted to forget."

"Something or someone?"

"Both are appropriate."

The sound of the machine beeping drew all of their attention to it.

 _Sakura Haruno vs. Ino Yamanaka._

Why wasn't she surprised this whole thing got more troublesome?


	33. Chapter 32: The Strength of Kunoichi's

Chapter 32

Past Friends, Present Rivals: The Strength of Kunoichi's

 _Sakura Haruno vs Ino Yamanaka._

Sakura couldn't get the image of their names out of her head. It felt like a trick. A cruel joke played by the higher-ups. What were the chances of their names being drawn simultaneously? By random selection no less? Of the thirteen competitors left, excluding herself, it ended up being Ino she had to fight? It didn't feel real, but it was. No matter how many times she blinked, the names remained the same.

 _Sakura Haruno vs Ino Yamanaka._

Still the same.

They had no choice but to fight one another. Fate or chance or someone working behind a curtain placed them together. Now they were to be shoved into an arena to physically fight through their problems; problems that stemmed from their fractured friendship.

Kami, it felt like ages had passed since they called one another friends. Since they were inseparable. Ino had been her first real friend. The person who defended her from bullies. The one who taught her about everything from flower arrangements to confidence.

Ino had been special to her. She had been a true friend, someone she knew she could rely on through thick and thin…And somehow, this precious friendship they shared ended over something so small, so insignificant, just the thought of it made this burning feeling build in her gut. Anger. It bubbled like boiling water, churned like the ocean in a powerful storm, it boiled her insides until she just wanted to scream, cry and hit something.

Not Ino, though. This anger was aimed at one person and one person alone: herself.

All it took to ruin their friendship wasn't something meaningful. No one backstabbed. No one lied constantly or talked behind the others back. They hadn't spat venomous insults like they did in the present. No. Nothing that could have ruined their friendship did. Instead it was something that should have never come between them. In fact, she actively made it come between them.

A crush. A stupid crush turned best friends into bitter rivals.

It was ridiculous.

Sakura hated herself so much for it. She hated herself for being so irrational and childish, because she owned a lot of the blame. Ino might have shared the same crush, but she hadn't wanted it to come between them. Sakura let it. She pushed Ino aside, took the helm and steered their friendship into the storm until it became an unhealthy rivalry. Why? All for a boy who saw their constant fawning and desperate need to be with him as pathetic and annoying.

 _I'm so stupid._

And stubborn. Too prideful for her own good to be the first one to try to mend their friendship. Too afraid her attempt would fall on deaf ears and leave her feeling worse than she already did about the whole mess. How did she even go about apologizing or asking to stop fighting when she felt it would make Ino look down on her as weak willed?

Sakura deep down always yearned to have those days of friendship back. She missed Ino. She missed her charisma, her presence, her ability to brighten her day like a bouquet of flowers from a secret admirer. But because of her actions, Sakura could never admit it or act as if she missed Ino, even when she did. It was like another challenge to see who could be stubborn the longest.

Prior to Team Seven, she pushed these thoughts and feelings away. Buried them in a fort of sheets, pillows and comforters, just like the old forts they used to make during sleepovers. It wasn't until after the Land of Waves she slowly started to acknowledge them. She was still childish before that mission. Too lost in her own ego and lovesick to see herself in the mirror—the _real_ her, not the illusion she pretended to be.

Watching Amari, Naruto and Sasuke from the background, she learned a lot. Each in their own ways taught her a little more about what it meant to be both a great shinobi and a kind person. She saw them make mistakes and witnessed their flaws. Naruto struggled with some of the basics but was usually too stubborn to ask for help. Sasuke was too prideful for his own good on most days, seeing reliance on others as a hindrance. Amari was a stubborn workaholic. She rarely took personal time for herself and often tried to take on a struggle or a stronger enemy on her own despite knowing she could rely on her team.

But they learned from their mistakes. When they screwed up, they didn't run away from it. They owned it and tried harder to do better, to _be_ better. It wasn't a change that happened overnight for any of them. Her three teammates were still trying.

Their actions encouraged her to do the same. They inspired her to stop hiding from her mistakes and her faults. They opened her eyes. It took her time to start learning from their lessons in strength, courage and compassion; Team Seven was a full house of stubbornness. But because of them she was beginning to grow more as a person and shinobi, even if it was only a little bit right now.

Mentally she shook her head. _I was so foolish._

Staring across the arena to her old friend left her jumbled in a sea of clashing emotions. She still felt feelings of affection for her former friend. Memories of their past friendship pressed against her mental barriers. Some made her want to laugh and smile. Others made her tear up for what was lost.

Yet…she wasn't sure an apology could fix anything. They couldn't take back anything they said. Words weren't made of chalk; they couldn't be erased forever. Words, when laced with venomous emotions of jealousy and anger, left their own kind of Curse Mark on an individual. Almost like the scars on Amari's arm, words could cut deep and stay with a person forever.

What Sakura yearned for—the past friendship they used to share—she knew deep down there was no getting it back. Time moved forward always. You couldn't turn it back and stop a mistake from being made or recapture the innocence of youth. Those days in their pillow forts were gone. The days of Ino being her staunch protector, her knight in stylish clothing didn't exist anymore. Their paths diverged. They grew and matured separately despite claiming in their youth to stick by each other's side forever.

It pained her to think that way, but she knew it to be true. Their childhood was behind them, and she didn't want to be protected anymore. She wanted to be considered an equal, not someone weak who needed to be protected.

Maybe the only way to fix it was to move forward. To start new as who they were today and not who they used to be. Their history would still exist. Starting over wouldn't wipe away their great friendship or these last few years of bitterness, but by starting over they could reach a middle ground where neither had to feel as if they caved or were weak.

It wasn't as if they couldn't still be rivals. Rival could just be another word for friend, after all.

"I never thought I'd fight you. Or I didn't think it would happen this soon," Ino said.

 _I didn't think I would either. I was worried I would have to fight Amari or Naruto, but I never considered the possibility of fighting Ino._

The thought of her teammates made her emerald eyes flit up to the balcony. Amari and Kakashi rejoined Naruto at the balcony. The kunoichi of the pair appeared less pale than during her panic attack, though Sakura wasn't sure if that alone was enough to gauge her state of mind.

Sakura hesitated to come down here after her name was drawn. The fight didn't feel as important as knowing whether or not Amari would be okay. No one just hyperventilated for no reason. And Amari looked frightened. Shell-shocked. Lost on a distant planet far away from all of them. Lost in a dark forest in her mind with Orochimaru.

 _That's the second time today she's lost her composure._

First the Curse Mark and then Misumi's jutsu. Was it only because their fight with Orochimaru was so recent? Or did the fight leave deeper psychological scars on her?

" _D- Don't worry about me, Sakura. Focus on your fight. I'll- I'll be fine."_

Sakura frowned and cast her eyes to the floor. _Amari…_

Amari was always strong. Even when beaten and battered by the Sound shinobi, she never stopped fighting. She kicked and clawed her way back for more, all to protect the people precious to her. But Sakura knew the human body and mind had its limits. Too much trauma to a bone would break it. The same could be said for the mind. Even the strongest willed people had a breaking point—Amari included.

 _I want to believe you…_

So she did, but only after promising herself to keep her eyes open.

For now Sakura would listen. She couldn't roll over and lose against Ino. Not because they were enemies. Not for the stupid reason of a crush. No, this fight for her was about proving her growth to Ino. To prove they were equals.

 _I don't think I'm ready to be a Chūnin yet anyways_ , Sakura thought, eye focusing back on Ino. _I have a lot of training to do once this Exam is over so I can catch up to the others. There's more I need to learn about being a strong and smart kunoichi before I'm ready to lead a squad._

This battle might be about a promotion to Ino, but it wouldn't be for her. She knew she couldn't call herself a Chūnin yet. To lead others into battle when she was only just starting to create a foundation to stand on? No, she wasn't ready. Innocent shinobi would die under her command, and that was unacceptable.

Maybe she wasn't on Amari's or Mimi's level. Those two were leagues ahead of her in strength, speed and tactical analysis. To match them, to one day walk alongside her fellow kunoichi instead of watching them from the background, it would be a long, arduous path. It might take her years to finally catch up, but that was okay. She would work harder than before. She would stop letting everyone coddle and protect her and start standing her ground.

Here and now, this fight, it wasn't to prove she could be a leader. No, her fight here was to prove she wasn't the same useless girl put on Team Seven. She would show everyone the girl who stood in the background, watching her teammates risk their lives and take heavy burdens on their shoulders as she sat protected was gone for good.

She would prove it to the person it needed proving to the most: herself.

"Don't expect me to go easy on you," Ino said.

She wouldn't want her to. If she did, it would be an insult to her as a kunoichi. It would mean Ino didn't see her as anything more than a weaker opponent, unworthy of her time and energy.

Sakura refused to stand for being taken lightly. If it even felt as if Ino wasn't taking her seriously, she would increase the pressure on her to give her no option but to use her full strength.

"Go Sakura! You can do it! Don't lose!" Naruto cheered.

"You've got this Sakura!" Amari joined him.

Amari was okay now. She didn't need her worrying when she had to fight.

 _I owe it to her to give it my all_ , Sakura thought, determination settling in.

She went out of her way to train her. She believed in her even when Sakura couldn't believe in herself. She and Lee gave her the courage to stand up and fight when they needed her most. For them, for the foundation they helped her form, she couldn't give anything less than her best.

The proctor looked between the two, checking to see if they were ready. When it was clear they were, he brought his hand up and moved it back down in a chopping motion.

"Begin."

Sakura dashed in, darting side to side to close the distance quickly and give no hints to where her real attack was coming from. Once in range, she swung her leg, aiming a high kick right at Ino's head. Her opponent dodged under and threw a punch immediately after, but Sakura was faster. She blocked it and, deciding to test a theory, she tried to land two low kicks, placing herself in a vulnerable position Ino could easily capitalize on.

Instead of capitalizing on the opening, which she could have done, Ino dodged back and away.

 _She's holding back on me._ The position she placed herself in, no way could she have countered an attack from Ino. Any of the gathered shinobi here, Genin or otherwise, would have seen it and made her pay for it. Yet Ino didn't. She saw the opening and retreated instead of attacking.

Was it because she didn't take her seriously? Or was there some part of her holding her back because of their past friendship?

Sakura wasn't sure. It wasn't as if she didn't feel anything now, but neither of them could afford to hold back because of their past right now. This was an important fight for both of them. If they didn't give their all, if they treated this as some sort of inconsequential test over past feelings, how could they ever grow or be taken seriously as kunoichi?

Stopping to talk about it wasn't an option. All Sakura could do was what she promised: Force Ino to fight her at full strength.

She pulled out a set of kunai in-between all of her fingers. _You're not going to underestimate me or give me a pity victory._ Quickly tossing the kunai at her opponent, Ino dodged between most of them, snatching one out of the air and throwing it back—proof of the skill she wasn't using on her.

The opening wasn't great, but she could work with it.

Chakra flowed throughout her body like an electrical current. Rather than using the Body Flicker to increase her speed to the same level she used against the Sound shinobi, she vitalized her body and dashed in, still visible to the naked eye, but moving far quicker than before.

Ino stuttered in her reaction. She hadn't been ready for Sakura to increase her speed in such a way. By the time she tried to retreat again, Sakura was there, slamming her fist into her gut, causing her to double over forehead first into a knee. Her attack knocked the Yamanaka back up, dazed by the blow. Seeing her moment, Sakura jumped up and landed a hard kick to send her flying away.

 _ **That's it! If she isn't going to fight seriously then I'm going to make her do it! Cha!**_

* * *

"Sakura really isn't taking Ino holding back lightly," Kakashi observed. It was…unexpected, he had to admit. Sakura had a fierce spirit, he never doubted that, but it took a while to get it to show up—time they didn't have in battle.

Yet something clearly changed. She wasn't waiting for Ino to bring the fight to her. This time she was jumping right in to the fight. No holding back. No second guessing herself.

Even more surprising, in the short skirmish between her and Ino, she displayed a synchronized use of taijutsu and chakra control the student originally placed on his team wouldn't have thought of.

Kakashi's eye slowly moved from his pink-haired student to the blue-haired one right in front of him. _One week of training with Amari and five days in the Forest of Death have really changed Sakura for the better._

"Say Amari, what kind of training did you put Sakura through?" he asked.

"I trained her in taijutsu and tactics. When we would train together, I implemented a mix of Mom's training and…an old trainer of mine. I was supportive and gave her no choice but to get better."

 _Old trainer…Itachi._ Not a bad place to take hints from. The kid was a prodigious talent from a young age.

"I can't take all the credit, though. She brought the will to grow stronger. She wanted to change. All I did was point her in the right direction…and take every opening I had so she would learn to block and stop shutting her damned eyes."

"You did good," he complimented. "The kunoichi I'm seeing down there is not the same one put on my team."

"Thanks, Sensei."

He was genuinely surprised by the change. Nothing he tried took to her the same way Amari's training had. Yet Amari made an incredibly important point: Sakura brought the will and desire to become stronger and grow with Amari. She hadn't had that same will or desire when he tried. That was the game changer.

Naruto turned to look back at him, brow furrowed and a puzzled expression on his face. "What do you mean, Sensei? Sakura's still Sakura."

Ino slowly pushed herself back onto her feet down below.

"No, Naruto, she isn't. To say that discredits the hard work she has put into growing," Kakashi told him. "Sakura's sharper, fiercer. Amari's training and the events of this test have motivated and hardened her equally. It'll take more training, but don't expect her to need protection from any of us for much longer. Sooner rather than later she'll be a force to be reckoned with."

Before recent events those would have been empty words. The kind of thing to make someone feel better even if it wasn't the truth. But Kakashi's words weren't empty. There wasn't time for empty words in the shinobi world. Hard truths needed to be said to prevent loss of life or get a shinobi's act together.

Naruto hummed in uncertainty of what he meant but returned his eyes on the fight.

Kakashi left him to his thoughts. One day he would see it. Even dense as lead Naruto would begin to see the difference in how she held herself, the fierceness behind her attacks and the fire in her eyes. The same fire in his cerulean eyes.

"Though I have to say I am a little upset you didn't channel any of my teachings, Amari," Kakashi pouted.

His student snorted. "Oh I did. You were my inner sadist, Kakashi-sensei. Sometimes I forced her to train with a clone while I watched clouds. Almost in the same way you sat in a tree an— mmphh!"

The Copy Ninja's hand covered Amari's mouth with lightning speed even he was a little shocked at. The back of his skull lit up as red eyes drilled their way into it. He could feel sweat beginning to form in sheer nervousness at the exceptionally dangerous mother on the verge of strapping him in an eternal genjutsu.

"Didn't we talk about this already?" he quizzed, tone light against the acceleration of his heart.

 _This situation is deteriorating fast. I thought I finished this when I tricked her earlier, but she never stopped calculating the perfect moment to strike again. Amari's patience won out._

Kakashi, on the other hand, let his guard down and put the entire thing behind him. It was sloppy mistake. He should have known better than to think she accepted defeat. She played possum, and with her sudden panic attack he forgot all about their battle of wits.

She didn't forget. Amari rarely forgot anything.

 _If I release her mouth now, she could finish explaining that day for Kurenai. But if I don't release her, I'll have to stay like this until she fights, or until Kurenai removes me herself._ Kakashi sweat dropped. _She has me right where she wants me. I fell right into her trap._

"Teach Sasuke a new jutsu and we even," she mumbled from behind his hand.

Out of the darkness of despair his shining ultimatum appeared, brighter than the sun and held out for him to snatch whenever he realized there was no other option left.

He sighed. _Well, I was planning to teach him something anyways._ "Fine." No sense in prolonging his inevitable defeat, and it was _inevitable_. Amari placed her pieces too well for him to worm his way out by the skin of his teeth. There was no miracle play to slip through his opponent's defenses and defeat her when surrounded on all sides by danger. Kakashi would accept his defeat gracefully and begin preparing for the next battle.

He removed his hand off her mouth and retreated from the battle with his wounded pride. Amari spared him a victorious smile then focused back down on the fight. _That girl's mind is a dangerous weapon._ Kakashi smiled proudly behind his mask. _Keep it up, Amari._ "Did you really cloud watch while Sakura trained?"

"Maybe," she giggled, "but she didn't know it."

 _Inner sadist indeed._

"Listen up, Ino! I'm done fighting with you over Sasuke," Sakura stated firmly. "The constant bickering, the stupid fights for no reason, the name calling, I'm over it. I still care for him, but I can't keep chasing after his shadow or the shadows of my teammates if I'm ever going to be a kunoichi. I have to catch them. I have to become strong enough to stand on my own without them always protecting me. But at this point, if you don't get your act together and start taking me seriously, I'll end up dashing right past you. Then you'll have to chase my shadow."

"What did you say?" Ino snarled. "You better watch your mouth, Billboard Brow."

"I'm done chasing you, Ino. I've caught up to you." There was finality to her statement that only angered Ino further. "Now there's someone else I have to chase. Someone who helped show me how to be strong just like you did. I owe it to her to do everything I can to win. That means I have to blow right through you!"

"Whoa, Sakura's getting pretty intense," Naruto said.

"As she should be," Amari said. "For Sakura, this fight isn't about getting to the finals to become a Chūnin. She has the self-awareness to know she isn't ready for the promotion. Right now, Sakura is fighting to prove herself."

Ah, so he wasn't the only one to notice the subtle difference.

"Do you mean she's trying to prove her strength to Ino?" Lee asked.

"Yes and no. I don't know everything going on in her head, nor do I know everything about her past with Ino. We weren't exactly friendly with one another back in the Academy. But based on what she said, I have to assume Ino played an influential role in her life. She helped her to grow in some way when they were younger. At some point, though, their friendship splintered and became volatile over their crush on Sasuke. Rather than focusing on their shinobi training, they started to focus on their beauty.

"But after our mission to the Land of Waves Sakura realized how colossal that miscalculation was. She saw me get critically injured, Naruto exhausted of chakra and Sasuke put into a death-like state, yet she went unscathed. Unharmed. In her eyes, she failed us. She held us back because we had to protect her every chance we could."

"Bu- but that's not how it was!" Naruto argued, shocked by the revelation.

It didn't surprise Kakashi his student was only now learning of Sakura's state of mind. He was sure even Sasuke didn't know. Both boys had been too self-absorbed after the Land of Waves. Sasuke's ego and pride were wounded by his defeat at Haku's hands and Naruto's ability to win, unaware it took him losing some control over the Nine-Tails to do so.

Naruto saw Amari shatter faster than one of Haku's mirrors right before his eyes, her strength fading as she was shaken off her path and left crying in agony. It left him with an innate need to be stronger so he could protect her. At the same time, Sasuke's attitude drove him to prove he was cooler than him and becoming as strong as his rival.

Amari struggled with her own internal conflicts; conflicts his other students still didn't know about, but she took her duty as the balancing point seriously. She put it above her own issues. Ironically, she was similar to the very crows watching after her. She watched and listened from her perch in the shadows, noticing every tiny little detail and gathering good Intel so she could act accordingly.

Kakashi was almost certain, if he asked, she could describe exactly every detail about her teammates states of mind after the Land of Waves verbatim. It was a great skill of hers and one of the reasons her position as the balancing point was so important. Her ability to not just understand, but sympathize and empathize with her teammates was why he trusted her to handle Sakura.

"We never felt that way," Naruto declared. "And if she did feel that way, why didn't she say anything?"

"What did you want her to say, Naruto? That she felt like a failure? That she didn't feel good enough to be on the team?" Amari asked in return. Those words took the steam right out of Naruto's argument. "Don't blame her for not speaking up. Weakness is never easy to admit to. We are trained to be strong, unflinching warriors. That's what shinobi are. We're trained to bury our emotions, to hide from them, to pretend everything is okay when it isn't because we cannot afford to be seen as weak.

"Sakura didn't need to be told she was amazing or that everything was okay. She doesn't want to stand in the background watching us defend her. What Sakura needed was someone to support her growth so she could become stronger. Someone who understood exactly how she felt. Someone who wouldn't go easy on her because she's a girl or weaker than them."

"So that means…"

"I'm the one she's chasing now."

"Does that mean she intends to prove herself to you and Ino?" Lee asked.

"No." Amari shook her head. "She wants to prove to Ino she's become an equal, but there's someone far more important she's trying to prove her strength to. Someone who needs to see it more than Ino and I do."

"Who?"

"Herself." Sounds of confusion came from the two boys. Kakashi nodded to himself, agreeing with his student's point word for word. "Sakura has to prove it to herself she's grown. That's why she wants Ino to fight her at one hundred percent. Anything less will make a victory hollow."

"I get it," Mimi said. "What you and Lee did for her in the Forest of Death gave her a foundation. Now she's trying to build on it. The first step to her is proving she's Ino's equal. Proving she's outgrown her past so she can start on the path towards her future."

"Exactly," Kakashi agreed. "This fight has far more weight to it than a promotion. Win or lose, this is Sakura's chance to prove to herself that she belongs here. Not just on Team Seven, but as a shinobi of the Leaf."

Down below Sakura's features remained set in determination as she untied her headband and stared intensely at Ino.

"So it begins," Amari murmured.

"What in the world is going on?" Naruto questioned.

"What do you mean?"

"Why are those two getting so worked up just staring at each other?"

"You're one to talk. You are the same way with Sasuke."

"Huh? How do you mean?"

Amari rolled her eye and shook her head. "Forget it. It'd be too troublesome to explain."

Deciding to throw the kid a lifeline, Kakashi spoke up. "Rivalry is a tricky business, Naruto. It can bring out the best in two shinobi. Not that I would know."

Amari giggled and looked back at him, a smirk on her lips. " _Of course_ you wouldn't know. Because I _never_ got dragged into your 'not-a-rivalry.' My trip to the hospital after fighting strangers was _completely_ voluntary."

Kakashi squeezed his eye shut and mentally kicked himself. Another sloppy mistake. How could he forget she was involuntarily dragged into Guy's challenges? And Guy was standing barely a few steps away. If he didn't play this off cool, he'd lose another round to Guy.

As if on cue, Guy glanced over to him, eyes stony in determination to snap at the slightest opening. Kakashi schooled himself, cool as a cucumber, and offered a small wave. "Oh, hi there."

Guy's brow furrowed, the only sign on his stone-face that hinted he knew he lost the round.

 _Phew, that was a close one. Almost lost to Amari and Guy in a short time frame._

Way too close for comfort.

Sakura tied her headband around her forehead as Ino followed her actions, taking her own off her waist to do the same.

Now they were going to fight at full-power, as equals.

The pair charged back in, their fists connecting against one another causing a swirl of power and chakra to form at the impact point. The force repelled them, sending them sliding on their feet away from each other. Neither wasted time charging back in again.

Sakura's hands moved through the Clone Jutsu handseals. Two illusions of herself joined her, one on each side, dashing in with their original towards their opponent. _Illusions are good for diversions, but they aren't solid like Naruto's or Amari's clones. What are you planning, Sakura?_

Suddenly, in a similar burst of speed as earlier, all three Sakura's sped ahead, weaving in and out to conceal who was in fact the real one. Ino, unable to decipher which was real, prepared as best she could for the incoming attack.

The three Sakura's went for a strike, but at the very last moment possible the two illusions popped, allowing the real one to land a punch square in the Yamanaka's face. Ino tumbled across the ground. Sakura followed her attack with a taunt to keep Ino from shying away from the fight.

"Keep it up, Sakura!" Amari cheered.

Naruto pumped his fist into the air. "Nice! You're doing awesome, Sakura!"

Kakashi stood, intrigued and a bit flabbergasted by the type of attack Sakura pulled off. "Powerful strikes using chakra while simultaneously vitalizing her body with chakra to increase her speed? Top notch considering she's a rookie. I've never seen Sakura this good."

"Sakura's chakra control is one of her greatest strengths," Amari said. "But she wasn't using it in battle to increase her speed or strength when she could. It's going to take time to build her physical strength and stamina, more than the week I had, so this was the best way to supplement it in a short time."

"Best, and also incredibly difficult to pull off," Kakashi said. "Strength and speed enhancement together like that isn't easy, especially for young kids. With the exception of you, Sakura and Mimi, I don't think the Genin here could pull that off."

Not even Sasuke or Neji. They had their strengths; Sasuke had power and Neji had great chakra control, but combining strength and speed enhancement via chakra wasn't in their wheelhouse. Gentle Fist worked best in close-range, either allowing an enemy to close the distance into their range of attack or closing it themselves. From there it was all about hitting chakra points, not devastating external blows.

Sasuke's style aimed for powerful blows and agility, but his was based on natural strength and speed, not chakra enhanced. He needed finer chakra control before that became a possibility for him.

Naruto turned around, a slightly perturbed look on his face. "Hey, you're not saying they're better than me, are you Sensei?"

" _No_ , you're the _greatest_ ," he drawled. Naruto slouched and groaned in defeat while Amari hid a giggle behind her hand. The kid set himself up for that one. "Sending chakra all throughout her body in conjunction with a well-timed jutsu, all the while enhancing her strike with chakra? That takes a level of chakra control most shinobi don't possess."

 _But it doesn't come without a cost. Sakura may have great chakra control, but she needs a lot more training to pull off techniques like that without exhausting herself within a few moves._

* * *

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

The struggle to win was never ending.

For every opening Sakura used to land a solid, strong blow on Ino, her opponent came back with her own, hitting just as hard. Using chakra enhanced strikes was becoming more difficult; it was exhausting her, taxing her tired body.

Ino was in the same boat, possibly even a little worse off than she was, but she couldn't assume anything. She couldn't afford to underestimate Ino or overestimate herself, not when she was reaching her limit. Now was the time to fight smarter, not harder.

Shaking off the thoughts of exhaustion, she moved back in for a strike, dodging past a punch, spinning on her toes to kick Ino. The kick connected in her gut, but before it did she infused a tiny bit of chakra into her blow. The chakra did as she hoped, knocking Ino back as if kicked by a horse to give her breathing room.

 _I need to finish this soon._ Bruises on her face and stomach pulsed with pain. Her entire body felt heavier while her head felt lighter than air.

Sakura watched Ino get onto one knee, the pair panting out of synch of one another.

"I- I don't understand…How can you be evenly matched with me?!" Ino shouted in disbelief.

An exhausted laugh escaped Sakura. Much as she wanted those old days back, she felt satisfaction from Ino's shrill shout. It was the acceptance she yearned for. The acceptance from her old friend that she didn't need to be coddled or protected by her anymore. They were on even ground, finally.

"Heh. I told you, I'm done chasing your shadow. There's someone else I have to reach. Someone I believe is already a real kunoichi."

Ino glared at her. "What did you say?"

Another laugh, this one self-deprecating. These next words, they were going to be full of painful truth both of them needed to hear. "Ino, it's time we both face the facts: Amari is way out of our league." She took in several breaths and continued. "We wasted so much time trying to get Sasuke's attention, focusing more on our beauty than our training. Besides training with Amari, I can't remember another time where I was this winded. And that's my own fault. My lack of conditioning is my mistake. I fell behind everyone, even you, because you still trained your ninjutsu."

Her mistake. Her fault. Her problem to fix. She couldn't cast away the blame; it'd only boomerang back and end up cracking her in her giant forehead anyways. _She_ didn't train. She studied, earned high scores on written tests and focused solely on her infatuation with Sasuke. Even the act of growing her hair out had been the result of believing he only liked long-haired girls.

Sakura did everything she could to be seen, and in doing so faded into the background like the sun. Everyone knew it was there, but no one really paid attention to it. She lost her identity, her own sense of self. Rather than being unique and drawing her own portrait of who Sakura Haruno was, she colored in the lines of someone else's ideal.

Ino didn't. Ino always had a strong sense of self. She knew who she was and walked to her own beat. Not her, though. She followed trends, she didn't create them. She fell in line instead of burst from the pack.

All of this was her mistake. Her current lack of conditioning, her lack of training, it all came back to a decision she made. A decision to be obsessed with being even a small part of someone else's life instead of living her own. It was a mistake Ino somehow made as well. Otherwise they wouldn't be here, panting in exhaustion and staring at each other as equals. Ino would have still been a shadow on her if she kept walking to her own beat.

It saddened Sakura she stopped. Ino was always so confident. Always a leader and a unique individual, never coloring in someone else's lines. It…it was like the shattering of their friendship threw her off course, and that filled her with a great sadness and sense of guilt that twisted her gut.

"But even though you trained more than me, you still weren't as focused as Amari," Sakura continued. "She trained harder than everyone to become a kunoichi. In her first year in the Academy she caught up to everyone. In the second she surpassed everyone, even Sasuke. She became the top kunoichi and top rookie of our year."

It took Amari time to find her feet, she wouldn't deny that, but when she did, Amari charged ahead on her path. It's what Sakura wished she had done. Amari didn't allow herself to fade into someone else's shadow. She wasn't content to be a side character in someone else's life; she strived to be her own person, to be true to herself, especially after finding her nindo.

It was just like Ino used to be.

Amari wasn't Ino, though. She didn't have the same boisterous charisma or the unshakeable confidence. She wasn't the type of person who would approach a random stranger to start a conversation. And, if they were honest, Amari didn't really care much for being stylish.

Yet, despite those differences, Amari's friendship meant as much to her as Ino's had. They both taught her so much. Supported her through her weakness and gave her the strength to stand on her own. She owed them so much.

Ino growled. "You leave One-Eye out of this!"

Sakura's eyes hardened. "Her name is Amari. Stop trying to cut her down with petty insults about her appearance. It's beneath you, Ino, and it comes from a place of jealousy. Don't try to deny it; I know you feel that way because I did too. When I looked at Amari, I saw everything I wasn't. She was stronger than me, more skilled at taijutsu and ninjutsu, intelligent beyond the textbook and confident in her abilities."

Why was all this bubbling out of her? It didn't embarrass her. Honestly, admitting her inferiority and her mistakes felt freeing, as if a heavy weight was being lifted from her shoulders. For so long she buried it all, pretending at the time as if the problem really was Amari and not herself. But she finally reached a point where she could accept her failures and insecurities, learn from them and move forward. She could improve and become better than the brat who tried to attack Amari back in the Academy.

"I've seen her engage enemies I cowered at. You should see her, Ino. She's incredible. That's why I've stopped measuring myself to you, because all the kunoichi in our class should be measuring themselves to Amari—the top rookie kunoichi of the Leaf." She took another breath and smirked at her opponent. "So, where do you fit on that measuring stick, Ino?"

The last jab was a last minute decision. The condescension in her voice was pretty low of her to stoop to, but it was part of her new plan to get Ino to lose her cool. Physically she was at her limit. So she decided to take a move out of Amari's and Shino's book: mind games through facts. Nothing was worse for an opponent than being toyed with by someone who knew their worst fears or insecurities.

If she could make Ino fight harder than necessary, she might leave herself open. Perhaps she could win this.

Anger contorted Ino's pretty features. She pulled out a kunai and said, "I've had enough of you making fun of me, Billboard Brow." Then, without hesitation, the Yamanaka cut her ponytail clean off right below the hairband.

 _I may have pushed it a little too far with my inferiority speech._ On the outside she kept her face in a determined smile. "Heh, you think that'll help?"

"That's it!" Ino shrieked before tossing her hair across the ground. "See! I don't need this!"

 _It isn't about the hair, Ino_. She hadn't cut her long hair because short hair somehow made her a kunoichi. Cutting her hair let her escape Kin, and in the process started her on the path to fix the mistakes she made in the past.

To explain that at this point, however, wasn't possible. Ino went even further off the edge than she expected her to go. Granted this worked into her plans, but it wasn't her intention to drive her old friend to chop off her hair.

"All right, I'm going to end this right now! Get ready to tell everyone you lost to me, Billboard Brow!" Ino extended her hands out in front of her and created the Mind Transfer Jutsu handseal.

Ino officially lost her mind. There was no way she could think using this jutsu was a good idea. "Look, I know you're frustrated, but using that jutsu like this is pointless," Sakura told her.

"Oh yeah? We'll just have to see about that."

"Sakura, don't get overconfident! Keep thinking tactically and take her seriously!" Amari coached. "In shogi and in combat it only takes one move to turn the situation against you! Overconfidence and underestimation always lead to defeat!"

 _I know she's right, but Ino's jutsu can only be launched where she aims it. If I dodge away from there then she won't hit me. Just like you say, Amari, every jutsu has a weakness._

"Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu is a jutsu of the Yamanaka Clan. It allows a user to take over their opponent's spirit and arrest control from their body away from them for a few minutes. They achieve this by discharging all of their own spiritual energy and striking their enemy with it, but despite its power there are major flaws to this formidable jutsu that makes the use extremely dangerous," Sakura explained, for both Ino to hear and to hear herself think.

Maybe she was missing something. Something Amari realized that she hadn't yet. If she worked her way through the structure of the jutsu, she might find it.

"First: The user's discharged spiritual energy can only fly straight and it moves at a very slow speed. Second: Even if the spiritual energy misses the enemy, it can't return to the user's own body for several minutes and this would take place in battles that are most often measured in seconds. I should add that while the user's spiritual energy is gone, the user's body—your body, Ino—can't move at all. It'll be little more than a doll."

That was everything she knew, and it seemed like she was right to be confident in her ability to dodge it…but then why couldn't she shake Amari's warning off? There had to be a detail she was missing. Something Ino could be planning to succeed in using her jutsu.

 _Whatever happens, I can't let her hit me with that jutsu._

"I don't care! I won't know unless I try," Ino declared.

Sakura took up a running stance. "You do realize that if you miss, this is all over?"

The Yamanaka stared hard at her, refusing to budge from her decision. Sakura didn't wait any longer. She dashed away from her original spot and kept running on fatigued legs.

"Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu!"

A brief moment passed of nothing. Then Ino's body slumped down, yet Sakura remained in control of her body and mind. The kunoichi stopped running and exhaled a breath, blonde locks underneath her sandals and between her and Ino.

"This is over, In—"

"Sakura, get the hell out of there!"

Sakura's muscles locked up. The moment of hesitation in listening to her comrade cost her. Her feet wouldn't budge. No matter how hard she tried to lift them and run, they remained firmly placed on the ground. Glancing down with wide eyes, she saw the reason.

 _Chakra?_ Blue chakra flowed from Ino, through her hair and to Sakura's feet. The chakra strings tied around her ankles and held her down.

"No way," she gasped.

"You fell for it, Sakura," Ino snarked.

 _This is bad._ She tried to move her legs but they wouldn't budge. _This is really bad._

"I finally caught you. All those handseals were fakes to get you to run right into my trap. You can't move, can you?" Ino calculated the entire charade. The anger, the cutting of her hair, she played right into her confidence to get her in this trap. "You're being held in place by a special rope made of my hair with my chakra poured into it."

Ino placed a foot where her hands once were to continue feeding her chakra to the special rope holding her in place. "Now that you're trapped I can take over your body and make you say you're giving up on this match." She did her handseals again and aimed them right at Sakura. "There's no way I'll miss with this jutsu now."

"You've gotta get out of there quick!" Naruto shouted.

"Move Sakura!" Amari's voice followed.

She struggled to move but her feet may as well have been covered with cement. _I can't move._

"Mind Transfer Jutsu."

After a few more attempts to break free, everything went black.

* * *

"Oh no." Amari squeezed the railing tighter with her left hand. Ino played Sakura perfectly into her trap, and now it was all over.

"The Mind Transfer Jutsu worked," Kakashi echoed her thoughts.

Lee, who stood next to Naruto and Amari, turned to look back at their sensei. "The Mind Transfer? Does that mean that Sak- Sakura—"

"Yes, I'm afraid so. Sakura's spirit has been completely taken over by Ino." Naruto gasped. "Ino's spirit is inside Sakura now. Now she will move forward with her plan to force Sakura to forfeit."

Sakura's hand started to rise. _Damn it, this will undo everything Sakura's trying to do. If she loses by forced forfeit because of a single mistake, she'll be crushed._

But what could she do? She couldn't physically get involved in the match or they'd disqualify Sakura. There had to _something_ she could do. Some way to stop Sakura from losing this way.

 _Think, Amari. Think._

* * *

Sakura hung in dark limbo, unaware to the world around her or her current place in it. Everything was silent, almost like she was in a dreamless sleep.

Then, through the silence, the loudest voice she knew disturbed it all.

"Noooo! Sakura, don't!"

 _Naruto?_

Why did he sound so distant? What was he trying to tell her not to do?

"You worked so hard to get here, Sakura! Don't disgrace yourself now by letting Ino make you forfeit!"

If she could have, her eyes would have widened in shock. The entire fight came flooding back. Every moment, every punch, every word spoken before the Mind Transfer Jutsu pushed to the forefront of her mind.

 _That's right! I was in the middle of fighting Ino when she hit me with her Mind Transfer Jutsu._

Which could only mean Ino was in the process of trying to make her forfeit. She couldn't allow it!

Sakura could feel Ino's presence, but without a body she wasn't sure how to break free of this. How could she stop Ino? What could she do from this position if she didn't have the power to fight back?

"You can't give up, Sakura!"

 _Amari too?_ But what could she do? This wasn't a physical fight to win. Her spirit was arrested by Ino's jutsu, just like she said it would be. _I got too confident. I underestimated her and let myself fall into this mess._

"Don't cave in! Fight it! Show her your strength and break free! I know you can do it! You still have strength left to fight, so fight damn it! Don't let all your hard work be for nothing!"

From deep within Sakura, she felt a flame ignite.

 _ **Chaaa!**_ It roared. _**Amari and Naruto are right! I've put in too much work to lose like this! Inoooooooo!**_

She heard a shriek of shock as her spirit grew in size and gained physical mass inside her mind. Blazing eyes landed on the invader of her mind before clutching her old friend in her grasps. _**If you don't get out of my mind right now, I'm going to crush you!**_

Again in the distance she heard another voice, this time belonging to the proctor.

"I ask again: Are you withdrawing from the match, Sakura Haruno?"

Sakura snarled in fury as she took full control of her body. "No! Never! Not in a million years! I refuse to withdraw! Not today or any other day! CHA!"

 _ **Ino! Out! Now!**_

* * *

"Good plan, Naruto," Amari complimented.

"Hehehe!"

"What's up with Ino? Something looks wrong," Shikamaru stated in surprise.

"Sakura has retaken control of her mind," Amari said. _But they're both at their limit. The next blow will decide this fight._

Chakra surged off of Sakura's body and returned to Ino's limp body. Sakura collapsed to her knees and joined Ino in panting from exhaustion.

"How can you have two spirits in you?" Ino demanded. "Just what are you anyway?"

"Someone who is just as strong as she is beautiful," Sakura responded, the previous fire dissipating. "I mean, a girl has got to be tough to survive in the ninja world."

 _It's amazing how far Sakura has come, especially her ability to break out of that jutsu. Of course Ino's lack of chakra played a role in it, but you can't discredit Sakura's will, not for a second. Like Naruto, Sasuke and I, she too has a strong will. She can push past her limits just as we do._

Amari smiled as the two prepared for their final attacks. _Do you see now, Sakura? You_ _ **are**_ _strong. And with more training you'll one day find you're no longer chasing after our shadows. You'll be walking with us. Until then, though, you have a fight to finish. You've got one shot, so make it count._

The two charged in, their fists cocked back, ready to land the final, victorious blow to decide who went on to the finals. As they came into range, their fists connected against the other's cheek, knocking their headbands off and sending them sliding across the ground away from one another.

Both tried to stand again. Neither made it. Their bodies crumpled to the concrete and showed no signs of moving anytime soon.

Hayate called the match a double knock out and ended the round. There was a small uproar by some of her comrades, mostly in worry for the two, yet Amari smiled silently to herself.

 _You knew you weren't ready for the promotion. You had the self-awareness to notice your faults and the need for more training, but don't take this loss too hard, Sakura. You may not have won the match, but you won something far more important._

 _You won against your doubts. You proved to Ino and yourself that you were different, that you were stronger than before. The fight isn't over, though. This is something you'll have to keep fighting to become even stronger. I will continue to help you train as promised, but it's in your hands where you go. I can only show you the way. You have to walk it._

Asuma and Kakashi jumped down to retrieve the two girls and their headbands. They returned shortly after with both teams and Rock Lee joining the adults to check on the two kunoichi, concerned for their health.

 _And who knows, Sakura, maybe it's you who we kunoichi will measure ourselves to one day. Maybe one day you'll inspire others to become stronger._

 _Who can say?_

Kakashi shushed the gathered group and motioned to the sleeping pair with a nod of his head. "I don't think the treatment will be necessary," Asuma said as he stood up. "They'll probably just wake up after a little while. But they both put up a great fight."

"Yeah," the Copy Ninja agreed.

"You made the right choice to send her here, Sensei. She's found strength she wouldn't have through my help alone."

Kakashi eye smiled at her, appreciative of her words.

Mimi crouched down next to the two kunoichi and rested a hand on their foreheads. After a few seconds she removed them and stood up. "They've got some bruising, but they'll be okay without treatment."

The exams continued on. The next two combatants chosen were both kunoichi, neither of which were Amari.

 _Tenten vs Temari._

Amari slouched and groaned in despair. "I just can't catch a break today. What a drag."

Naruto joined her in slouched defeat. "I know how you feel."

Behind them, Kakashi chuckled at their expense and ruffled their hair. "Don't be so dramatic, you two. You'll both get your chances at some point."

 _At some point_ wasn't soon enough.

The two kunoichi met down below and stood across from one another. Tenten stood with confidence, prepared to show her own talents after watching the brawl between Ino and Sakura. Temari appeared smug, as if she had already won the match.

 _This is a bad match up for Tenten._ Amari didn't doubt Tenten's skills. She witnessed her abilities with a variety of ninja tools firsthand; her accuracy was exceptional, especially for someone without a dōjutsu, and she wielded every tool she used with impressive skill. She didn't fumble around or lack technique regardless of the tool she used, which made her a dangerous opponent.

But Temari carried a large fan on her back. As a native of Suna, it was all too likely she used the tool to enhance Wind Style ninjutsu.

Tenten preferred long distance combat; she was comfortable there and could do a lot of damage. Against a user of Wind Style, however, fighting long distance wasn't a viable option. Tools could only do so much against a powerful ninjutsu user, and if Tenten didn't find a way to close the distance and force Temari into close combat, she wouldn't win this match.

Guy and Lee didn't lack any of their exuberance, though. They cheered for Tenten despite the match not being started, pumping their fists in the air with every rowdy cheer. Mimi watched quietly, blue eyes full of activity, piecing together every little detail she could about her teammate's opponent by looks alone.

Hoping to help, Amari moved closer to her fellow kunoichi and said, "She's as arrogant as they come. Considering her team made it through the Forest of Death without a scratch, I can only assume her arrogance comes from a place of skill. She's sharp, too. I don't think she cheated during the first exam, but it wouldn't surprise me. She has two years more experience on you guys. Three on my class."

"How did you learn that?" Mimi was genuinely surprised by her knowledge.

"Ran into her before the exam. She showed us her Ninja Identification Card and I saw her age," she explained.

Mimi snorted in amusement. "Nothing slips by your eye."

"I'm pretty sure she's a Wind Style user as well. Tenten needs to avoid a long distance fight if she wants to win."

Mimi nodded but didn't appear alarmed or worried for her teammates chances. "Yeah, but she doesn't need me to tell her that. Tenten's smart. She'll test out her opponent to confirm if she uses Wind Jutsu and then, if she does, switch up styles to close-range combat." She scratched at her chin. "Won't lie, it's gonna be tough for her. She isn't a slouch at close combat. Her struggle will be keeping the fight there if Temari is a long-distance fighter. Temari won't just stand there and take the beating. She'll do everything she can to keep her distance."

"Mm," Amari hummed in agreement.

"By the way, Kabuto lied about his ear. He was in perfect condition. Not a scratch on him."

Frustration crackled to life in her heart faster than a bolt of lightning cracking the earth in a thunderstorm. Amari shut her eye and grit her teeth. "Damn it."

He played them like a fiddle. Played _her_ like a fiddle.

"I already told Kakashi-sensei and the others when you collapsed earlier. I wasn't sure if he was just being a coward at the time, and maybe he was. But considering the way you reacted to Misumi's technique, I'd bet my next mission payment he and his buddies work for Orochimaru."

She would bet her lifetime earnings on his loyalty to the slithering Sannin.

"And I trusted him like a fool," she cursed.

Mimi lightly jabbed her arm. Her voice took on warmer, softer tones. "Don't be so hard on yourself. He wore his mask well and tricked everyone, including the more experienced shinobi here. You may wield a dōjutsu, but you're not all-seeing, Amari. No one is."

"…Yeah."

She was right. No one was all seeing. Kabuto clearly had a talent at immersing himself into a group to gather information, and he _had_ fooled her superiors. But she still didn't feel any better about it.

Amari returned to her team, joined by an awakened Sakura. She congratulated her teammate and was happy to find she didn't take the loss too hard, but her mind did not leave from Kabuto. He tricked her with a friendly face. Faked his smiles so well she snapped at his lure and let him reel her in. He used their inexperience against them, befriending the _helpless_ rookies to pretend they were allies when he was an enemy.

He tricked her. The enemy tricked her and she fell for it like a foolish kid.

Despite her initial suspicious gut feelings, she trusted him because of a kind smile and a Leaf headband. Even when he appeared suspiciously in the Forest of Death, she didn't think anything of it. She let her exhaustion cloud her judgement and allowed him to walk among her team as an innocent sheep instead of the wolf he was.

They could have died because of her terrible judgement of character. But he left them alive. Why? She could only assume because he was gathering information on the state of her team. How was Sasuke taking to the mark? How were her injuries healing? Did his other minions do any damage?

He never expected Mimi to be there, though. He didn't expect her to be healing Amari or for her to be fast enough to get her blade to his throat. But her being there allowed him to gather more information on Mimi. Kabuto learned more about them than they did about him, and now all of that information gathered on his Ninja Info Cards would land in Orochimaru's hands.

It infuriated Amari. She allowed herself to be played so well. After all her training to see through deception, she failed when it really counted. Now their enemy was in possession of more reliable information regarding his prey.

 _He better hope we never meet again because I'll make him regret playing me for a fool._ She clenched her left hand into a fist. _I won't make the same mistake again._

Below, the fight picked up. Tenten tested Temari with ninja tools at the start, as Mimi predicted, and Temari used Wind to deflect the tools. Knowing long-distance wasn't a viable option of attack, Tenten switched to a Kusarigama—yet another weapon she wielded with exceptional technique.

Tenten worked hard to close the distance, using both the sickle blade and the long chain and weight to force Temari onto the back foot. The Sand kunoichi never lost her air of arrogance. She kept her calm. Calculating eyes measured the distance between herself and her enemy at all times to ensure she was out of range of the chain.

Neither landed a physical blow on one another despite their many attempts. Tenten kept on her toes and dodged the Wind ninjutsu; Temari narrowly dodged many attacks when her opponent would close the distance faster than she could prepare an attack.

Both put on a clinic of technique and intelligence, always calculating their distance between one another and rarely wasting energy on unnecessary movements or attacks.

One of the best exchanges came close to the end. The chain and weight zoomed towards Temari, who skidded back on her heels to dodge back out of range. When certain she escaped the range, Temari smirked and prepared to counterattack by bringing her fan back behind her. Before she could unleash her technique, the weight passed the perceived line in the sand and continued on its path right at the Sand kunoichi.

Temari didn't have time to dodge back further. Her feet were planted, leg muscles braced for the technique she originally intended to hit. All she could do was shift her body a mere inch out of the way of the weight. Still, the weight hit its intended target—Temari's fan. Tenten's strike collided against the tool and knocked it right out of her opponent's hands.

"Perfect shot, Tenten!" Mimi cheered, grinning proudly at her teammate.

"I thought for sure Temari made it out of range," Sakura said, dumbfounded by the attack landing.

"She did," Mimi confirmed. "But Tenten is a weapon nut. She doesn't settle for the average weapon variation. She goes out of her way to save up the money necessary to purchase special versions of ninja tools. Her Kusarigama has an extension feature hidden within the hilt. It extends her reach that extra bit more to hit out of reach targets."

"Hm, I see. When she realized Temari was calculating the range of her weapon, she pressed her attack, allowing her to get used to the range so she would leave herself open for a strike. Smart," Amari said.

"Woohoo!" Lee cheered, pumping a fist with fire in his eyes. "Masterful plan, Tenten!"

Guy laughed loud and proud. "Excellent work, Tenten! Let the fires of youth explode and consume your very soul!"

Tenten charged in, retracting her chain and preparing it again for another strike. Temari didn't sit and wait for her to approach. She hopped back towards her fan, never removing her eyes from her opponent, though the frustrated snarl on her lips was telling of her irritation.

"Take this! Ha!" Temari barely dodged the weight as it swept across the floor to take out her legs. Tenten came up, continuing her spin, using the momentum of her last attack to throw the weight again. It extended just as Temari tried to get out of range. The majority of the Sand shinobi's body barely made it out of range, but her arm didn't. The chain wrapped around the limb tightly and gave Tenten the leverage she needed.

Tenten tugged Temari forward, nearly pulling her arm out of the socket as she did and sending her chest first to the ground. Seizing the opportunity, the Leaf kunoichi rushed in, prepared to end the battle once and for all, but her opponent wasn't done.

Temari escaped the chain and started her retreat again. Anger was clear on her face; anger that would not bode well for Tenten if she couldn't put her opponent away.

The fight did not last much longer, nor did it end in Tenten's favor. Temari regained control of her fan and, when the opening came, used it to catch Tenten in a giant vortex of wind. Sharp cuts of wind sliced at Tenten's outfit and arms. Nothing grievous she couldn't recover from, but definite finishers to this fight.

Mimi and Lee tensed, helpless to do anything except watch their teammate get ripped apart by the wind.

When the vortex ended, Tenten plummeted towards the ground, no fight left in her body. She landed back first right on Temari's fan; a purposeful and vindictive unneeded attack done out of spite. Feral growls left Mimi. Her grip on the railing tightened as her body began to quiver under held back rage.

"The winner of this match is Temari," Hayate called the match.

Temari, full of arrogance and disdain, tossed Tenten off her fan and away. Mimi and Lee dashed into action, the boy of the pair catching his unconscious teammate before she could land on the concrete.

 _Their completely ruthless just like Kiba warned us._

Lee laid Tenten down and allowed Mimi to run a Diagnostic Jutsu to check for all the damage.

As if she hadn't done enough already, Temari scoffed at the trio. "Why don't you scram. And while you're at it, take that trash with you."

No genius level intellect was needed to predict the reactions of Lee and Mimi. Amari summoned her chakra through her body and Body Flickered from the balcony down to the floor where the two Leaf shinobi were. Lee took off without hesitation directly at Temari, immediately getting out of her reach.

Mimi didn't hesitate to move, but the extra second she needed to prepare her All-Fours Jutsu gave Amari the chance to stop her. The slightest hue of red chakra surrounded Mimi's body. It was nowhere near as intense as before, though her transformation was likely incomplete.

Being down to one arm didn't give Amari much room to stop her without Shadow Possession Jutsu. To use her jutsu, however, would only cost her valuable chakra when the strong kunoichi would fight it with all her rage.

Left with only one real option left—and a troublesome one at that—Amari hopped onto Mimi's back. She wrapped her left arm under the Inuzuka's chin and locked her legs around her waist, using her feet to restrain her legs just enough to halt her charge.

"Mimi, stop!" Amari ordered.

"Get the hell off me! I'll tear her to shreds!" Mimi thrashed about, hands rapidly grabbing at anything she could grab on Amari like some sort of demon claw attempting to pull her to hell. Amari dodged and kept her grip as best as she could.

Today really was becoming a drag.

Aoko transformed into Mimi and chased after Lee. Amari hoped she planned to stop the boy, not lash out at the Sand kunoichi, but she had other problems to worry about. Chief among them being the furious Inuzuka about to tear _her_ to shreds.

Mimi continued to grab at her. Sharpened nails dug into her skin as she tried to get a solid grip on the younger kunoichi. "Stop! You attack her and you'll waste all the hard work you put into getting this far! Use your head, Mimi!"

The Inuzuka growled viciously at her. Not a moment later, she felt her friend's hand clutch her good arm. The nails dug in even deeper into her skin than before, enough to feel warm blood be drawn.

In a mere moment Mimi reversed her chokehold and had her back pinned against the ground. She didn't appear to want to waste any more time on her. Her eyes left the Nara and her body began to turn to charge Temari. Amari, unwilling to give up, snatched her wrist with her good hand, pulled it back towards her and locked her legs around the limb. Mimi's already wild blue eyes intensified as they snapped back to her.

"Let go of me!" she demanded.

"Not a chance! If you attack her then you get disqualified and Tenten's loss will be in vain! You're both in the finals, which means you have the chance to fight her. You'll have the chance to have a one-on-one no-holds-barred match where the proctor and the Jōnin won't stop yo—"

The clawed hand gripped around her neck. Amari's eye widened and a strangled gasp pushed its way up through her throat, but she did not loosen her grip.

"Let. Go. Of. Me. _Now_." The wild eyes seemed to barely register who Amari was.

Behind her, Guy joined the fray to try to cool Lee down after his failed attack on Temari. Aoko had the boy gripped in a chokehold of her own and didn't appear to have any intention to let go until he was calmed down. The feeling was mutual.

Directly behind Mimi, Kurenai appeared, a serious expression on her face. Mimi's nostrils flared as they picked up the new scent but her eyes remained pinned on Amari.

"Mom, stay out of this, please." A knot formed between her mother's brow and she opened her mouth to speak, but Amari cut her off. "Please, Mom. Head back up, I'll be there shortly. Trust me."

This was between her and Mimi. Getting her mother involved or another adult would only complicate the situation. They would want to add their opinions and their feelings into this—legitimate opinions and feelings, of course, but now wasn't the time for them. To their eyes this only looked like an overreaction of Mimi's fiery temper, leading to her grappling with a comrade.

This went deeper than a simple overreaction, though. Much deeper.

"Okay," Kurenai relented, sighing.

She disappeared via the Body Flicker, leaving the two kunoichi alone once more. "Calm down," Amari ordered through gritted teeth. The red chakra was becoming more visible by the second—another reason her mother showed up. She could sense the same fury Amari could.

"You don't want to do this here, Mimi. I get what you're feeling, trust me. I'd feel the same way in your position. And I know you would be here stopping me if our roles were reversed, because that's what friends do for each other. They do what they know is best even if it puts them at odds."

"Let go and I'll end her now," Mimi demanded.

"No, you won't, because every Jōnin will stop you. The only reason we're still here is because I stopped my mom from interfering. Had I not, you'd be stuck in a genjutsu or unconscious, and you know that." No argument formed, but she clearly wanted to. "Wait for the finals, Mimi. You'll have your chance to avenge Tenten without interruptions there. It'll be so much sweeter to tear her ego and arrogance to shreds in front of a larger audience, don't you think?"

The stalemate between them passed like years. Only seconds passed in reality before the red chakra dissipated. Her nails reverted to normal and the grip around her throat loosened.

Mimi shut her eyes, nose scrunched in frustration. "Just let go of me already."

Amari released her and lay there, ready to spring forth and grab her again should the need arise. Mimi didn't attempt to go for Temari again. She returned to Tenten's side without a single word or glance in the direction of the Sand shinobi.

 _Phew._ Amari got back on her feet with a relieved sigh. She _really_ didn't want to do that ever again. Aoko padded by in her natural form back to Mimi, who knelt next to her teammate's unconscious body with her gloved hands glowing green.

"Amari…" The blue-haired kunoichi hummed. "For whatever its worth, I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that," she apologized sincerely.

"Don't worry about it. Like I said, I understand how you feel." She wasn't the only one to fly off in a rage without a single rationale thought left. "I know what it's like to be lost in a rage and do something stupid."

"If you win your match and end up fighting her instead of me, do me a favor." Mimi lifted her eyes from Tenten to look directly in Amari's onyx orb. The slit pupil was still wild. "Make her regret ever touching Tenten."

Amari nodded. "I promise."

The Inuzuka nodded back then returned her attention to Tenten.

Guy and Lee joined Mimi while the medics came to help. Up above on the opposite balcony, Gaara's cold stare penetrated through them. Amari met his gaze, onyx eye unflinching in its strength.

Neither spoke a word, yet no words were needed to convey their feelings.

Someday they would meet in battle. It was as inevitable as the rise and fall of the sun on any given day. One chance encounter bound them together by a string of fate lost to the sands of time. A light lost in a world of darkness. Soon, though, that light, that thread, would bind them together towards inevitability. Towards the clash between his cold heart and her fiery will.

When that day came, only one of them would walk away on their own free will, head held high in victory and assured in their existence and ideals. Amari could feel it in her heart, and in that frozen over place devoid of emotion he called a heart, Gaara felt it too.

When Tenten was placed on the stretcher, Amari disappeared from the arena floor back up to her team.

"Are you okay, little one?" Kurenai asked immediately, stepping over to her.

She glanced to her mesh covered arm and the blood running down it. The wound stung, but it wasn't severe. It wasn't like her outfit didn't already have dry blood on it anyways. Compared to her recent injuries, this was nothing. "I'm fine, Mom. It really isn't a big deal." She met her red eyes with an earnest look. "Don't be mad at her. It could have easily been me in Mimi's position and her stopping me."

Their connection was growing. Their small skirmish didn't lessen it in anyway. If anything, it helped her understand it more.

Her mother sighed. "Fine, but only because you asked and because I understand the circumstance. This is her only freebee, though." Two fingers prodded her forehead. "And you need to be more careful. You still have a fight ahead of you."

"I know, and I will be," Amari promised.

Kurenai nodded once. "Good."

Amari rejoined her team and had her hair ruffled by Kakashi. "Good work calming her down, Amari," he said.

"Thanks."

The monitor jumbled through names and picked the next combatants. None were Amari, but she didn't groan. She remained focused.

 _Shikamaru Nara vs. Kin Tsuchi of the Sound Village_.

"Guess it's my turn now. What a drag," Shikamaru drawled.

As her cousin walked by, she grabbed his arm to stop him. "Be smart and safe, Shika. They know you can use the Shadow Possession, and she's the only one we didn't learn enough about. Stay on your toes."

He nodded and continued on his way down to the arena floor at his lazy pace. The two met at the center of the arena and the match began a few moments later. Shikamaru extended his Shadow immediately at the start of the match. Kin, likely having suspected the attack, dodged it quickly and tossed two senbon with bells attached to them.

 _Bells?_ Amari quirked her eyebrow and pursed her lips. _It's a simple trick. By attaching bells to her senbon, it'll train Shikamaru to dodge the sound rather than what his eyes see. So, in theory, he'll only dodge the senbon he hears, failing to dodge the ones without the bells._

Shikamaru dodged the senbon and prepared for the next. When the next set came, he dodged both those with bells and those without. A simple tactic like that wasn't going to work on her cousin. He was too smart for it.

Or, that was what she thought, but then she heard the chime of a bell despite no senbon being tossed. Shikamaru turned to look back at the wall in shock, leaving himself open to another set of senbon from Kin. The sharp needles hit him in his arm barely an inch away from a fatal point.

Upon closer inspection, Amari realized exactly where the bell chime came from. Kin's first set pierced the wall behind Shikamaru and had ninja wire attached to them. With the ninja wire still in her hands, she could create extra noise to throw Shikamaru off. But it went deeper than that as well.

Shikamaru fell to his knees and placed his hands over his ears in an effort to block sound only he could hear. "Shika…" Amari bit her lip in worry. "So that's her specialty." Another sound based technique, just like her teammates.

Kin brought out more senbon and tossed them at her cousin. Unable to move, he could only block them with his arms and be slowly turned into a human porcupine.

"I don't get it. Why's he just sitting there?" Naruto asked.

"Shikamaru's been immobilized by a sound based genjutsu. It's paralyzing and disorienting him so he can't do anything except sit there and get attacked," she answered.

 _Shika…_

She knew the ruthlessness of the Sound shinobi. If Kin had the opportunity, she would turn her cousin into a pin cushion to spite her and for vengeance.

The sight of a slim shadow moving along the ground underneath the ninja wire eased her nerves. As Kin moved her hand back to throw another set of senbon, she stopped and returned her hand back to her side, unable to resist her cousin's Shadow Possession.

"It took me a little while, but my Shadow Possession was a success," Shikamaru said, standing back up, no longer effected by the genjutsu.

Amari exhaled a sigh of relief. _Damn it, Shika. Don't scare me like that._

Shikamaru grabbed at his shuriken holster, forcing Kin to do the same and setting her up for his final act.

"Shika wins. Man, this is just like playing shogi with him. One moment you think you have him and the next you lose."

They threw their shurikens at one another. Shikamaru then started to lean himself back, and then at the last moment swung himself down fast into a backbend. Kin did the same, the only difference being how close she was to the wall behind her. As she mimicked his movements, her head cracked against the concrete and knocked her out.

" _The wise shinobi carefully scouts the physical layout of the battlefield and never loses sight of their position on it."_

It had been one of the first lessons Shikaku taught her, and thus taught Shikamaru as well. _Kin was so focused on Shikamaru, she forgot about the wall right behind her, just like Sasuke forgot about the tree behind him when we sparred before the Land of Waves. What Shikamaru lacks in physical strength he makes up for in intelligence. He could make a great ninja if he actually put some effort into it._

The arena cleared and the machine prepared to pick the next combatants. When it stopped Amari bumped Naruto's shoulder with her own in a show of support.

"You can do this, Naruto. Show us what you're made of," she encouraged.

"Good luck, Naruto. Do your best," Sakura said.

"You bet I will! I'm going to win this for sure!"

 _Naruto Uzumaki vs. Kiba Inuzuka._


	34. Chapter 33: Failures Stand Tall!

Chapter 33

End of the Line: Failures Stand Tall!

Amari had been excited for Naruto when his name appeared. Victory here cemented his placement in the finals, joining the likes of Mimi, Shikamaru, Shino, Kankurō, Temari and Sasuke—intelligent, powerful and prodigious Genin's of their generation. Only the best could join them. To even have your name in the finals rubbed the glimmer of the stars on a shinobi, raising their status and placing even more eyes on their growth by the higher-ups. To be among this crop of candidates, who were as talented as they were unique, didn't just rub the sparkle of a single star on those involved; they glowed with the shining silver of hundreds of stars combined together.

More than that, though, by earning his place in the finals, Naruto couldn't be outright ignored by anyone. For the first time in his life, every important figure, every Leaf shinobi attending the event would have to acknowledge _him_. None of them could simply pretend he didn't exist. Every single person in attendance—civilian, shinobi and Lord alike—would be given no other option but to acknowledge Naruto's existence, his will and his strength.

The finals were his chance to prove he was Naruto Uzumaki of the Leaf. Not just the Nine-Tails container. Not an incarnation of the Nine-Tails waiting to unleash vengeance and wreak havoc on the Leaf. He was Naruto Uzumaki, a Leaf Village shinobi.

How could she not be excited for him?

Well, her knucklehead wielded the power to transmute excitement into annoyance instantaneously. An irritating power that required two key ingredients to activate: An ego the size of the sun and a fellow loudmouth to draw it out from behind an eclipse. Why, why, _why_ did fate place two loudmouths together? Naruto and Kiba hadn't even started to fight yet because they were bickering. _Bickering_! She wasn't even sure why anymore. But she could feel a headache stretching itself out after a long nap, preparing to tear through her skull on a sugar rush it wouldn't come down from.

 _Ugh, this is all such a drag._ Stupid, too. Naruto and Kiba were two volatile chemicals, full of testosterone and ego, being mixed together in fate's science lab just to see what the reaction would be. Only fate was safely out of earshot and out of the blast radius while all of them were seated next to the mixing chemicals without safety equipment on.

 _At least an explosion would be entertaining. This is boring._ How long were they going to go at it? Or, better question, how long would the proctor let it go on for? She wasn't an impatient person, not usually. Shogi proved she wasn't impatient. Impatient people couldn't sit for hours on end, demanding rematch after rematch against their troublesome uncle and cousin because they kept winning, and she was _so_ close that time.

But _come on_. She wanted to fight already! Or to see a fight! Or anything that didn't include these two bickering over nonsense that didn't matter! Amari tilted her head back to stare in frustration at the ceiling, internally groaning as loudly and annoyed as was possible within the confines of her own mind.

Somehow, despite not being Yamanaka's, Kakashi and Kurenai could hear it. The pair chuckled and hummed, amused at the tiny hint of body language translating the internal thoughts of the Nara. They understood. It wasn't as if she was alone in her annoyance or the only one unimpressed by the ego-fest going on down below.

Standing around was such a waste of everyone's time. Amari's specifically. Droplets of warm blood dropped off the fingertips of her left hand, the numbness hadn't improved in her right, and she _really_ needed a shower. A warm one, preferably, but honestly she wouldn't care if she had to stand under a melting glacier. She'd still hop in as if it were a warm bed she could nestle under and relax with either a novel in hand or nothing at all.

Unlike everyone else here, she actually had dry blood stains in her clothing no amount of cold wash cycles or homemade remedies could fix. _And no amount of sewing_ , she thought of the torn fabric hanging off her back, revealing the mesh long sleeve underneath.

Her peers were all relatively clean, and uninjured to top it off. Not her. Nope. Her relationship with cleanliness hit an all-time low in the Forest of Death. Almost as if she enjoyed sweat induced knotted hair and the fuchsia color her blood created when it combined with her purple tank top. She really didn't. On her list of priorities, ice cream and surgery were second and third to bathing.

Amari could hardly believe the placement of ice cream below anything. Making ice cream a secondary objective was practically blasphemy. Yet given the choice between mountainous ice cream peaks, paired with sugary cookies crushed in it and a shower, Amari wouldn't hesitate to ignore her holy grail for warm water and toiletries.

 _I think I've become a heretic._

Complaints aside, she was still excited for Naruto, even if he and Kiba were being idiots. Everyone here saw Naruto as the Naruto of old. The knucklehead, the dead last, the loser. He was still a knucklehead, of course. The back and forth bickering with Kiba proved that. But her best friend wasn't a loser or dead last anymore. Naruto grew. He became stronger and had more willpower and determination than their peers understood.

Only she, Sakura and Hinata—albeit secretly—believed in him. Kakashi did as well, but he wasn't about to grab some pom-poms to cheer his student on. When the fight started, Naruto's actions would speak for him, proving beyond any doubt he wasn't the same kid from the Academy. Imagining her sensei wielding pom-poms, cheering on Naruto with Guy's exuberance, however, made her giggle.

Everyone else, from her cousin's team to Team Guy, didn't have an ounce of faith in him. They knew Kiba's strength and speed. Mimi's furious display against Hironori only increased their skepticism of Naruto's chances here.

In short, it was the same old story. Naruto stuck on his uphill struggle to prove to others he wasn't just a prankster or a nuisance. He was a fighter, training to be a shinobi so he could one day become Hokage. It wasn't just a catchphrase or pipedream to him. Hokage was his goal, his dream, and no one was going to stop him from reaching it.

 _This is your shot, Naruto. Everyone here has no choice but to watch you, so show them all your true strength. Show them why doubting you is the worst mistake they can make._

When the match finally began, Kiba crouched down to use his Beast Mimicry: All-Fours Jutsu. Instead of the furious red that consumed Mimi, he was enveloped by blue chakra. From there the transformation followed the same pattern; sharper and longer nails and canine teeth as well as the enhanced speed and strength.

Naruto didn't have a chance to dodge. As soon as the jutsu took hold, Kiba darted forward, drilling an elbow right into Naruto's sternum, knocking the air from his lungs and toppling him. A solid blow. Against a weaker opponent the single hit would have done the trick.

Naruto wasn't a weaker opponent. No one else could see that, though. Their peers called the match, commented on how Naruto never stood a chance against Kiba because of how much stronger and faster the Inuzuka was. Mimi and Shikamaru notably said nothing. Both watched and waited to see what occurred.

Amari rolled her eye at the others, more annoyed than anything at their underestimation. "You guys should stop talking and pay attention. He isn't done yet," she said. A preconception based on past data was a terrible miscalculation. It could get a squad killed in the field.

None of them witnessed Naruto push himself to his absolute limit using the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu against Haku. They did not witness his courage to knowingly stand against an infinitely more powerful enemy than them in the Forest of Death. Their peers did not know the new Naruto, but they would learn. He would show them all how far he had come since their Academy days.

"Naruto's not the same kid he used to be," she stated firmly. "He's so much stronger than any of you realize. If you guys or Kiba think a single hit like that is all it will take to win, then you are all in for a rude awakening."

Down below, Naruto chuckled without moving from his spot on the ground. "That all you got, Kiba?" The Inuzuka furrowed his brow and titled his head at his opponent, confused by the taunt from his thought to be defeated opponent. Naruto sprang back up onto his feet and brushed the center of his jacket off. His lips curled into a daring smirk; determination shone in his cerulean eyes like the bright fire that burned in his heart. "I know a grumpy old man who hits harder than you!"

"Heh, I haven't even got started yet!" Kiba declared, grinning confidently. "Let's see how tough you're talking after this!"

Kiba reached into his ninja pouch as he charged in. Upon nearing his opponent, he tossed two tiny ball shaped objects at Naruto—smoke bombs. Thick clouds of dark lavender smoke the naked eye couldn't see through enveloped her teammate.

"Hmm, Kiba must be using the smoke to hide his presence as he hits Naruto with hit-and-run attacks. I'd say he needs to get out, but…" Amari's eye flitted over to Akamaru. The ninken waited outside of the smoke, stalking carefully as he waited for his prey. _If he leaves, he'll play right into Kiba's plan._

"Kiba has the Goofball right where he wants him," Mimi said. "The density of the smoke renders your sense of sight useless. Without our enhanced senses, sensory abilities or dōjutsu, Naruto is blind, deaf and screwed. He'll realize his best plan is to escape the smoke, in the end running himself right into Akamaru."

She still appeared distant. Obviously Temari's actions weighed on her mind, extinguishing her upbeat personality like a waterfall on a campfire. _At least she's invested in Kiba's victory._ It wasn't much, but it was something.

Naruto rushed out of the smoke cloud, unfortunately running right into Akamaru. The ninken, having prepared for his prey's exit strategy, lunged through the air at him, tackling the blond back into the smoke with an aggressive attack.

The trap was sprung.

Kiba jumped out of the smoke and waited for the smoke to dissipate; the move intrigued Amari. Had it been her, she would have attacked Naruto alongside Akamaru, pummeling him when he couldn't fight back to assure her victory within the first few minutes of the fight. Yet Kiba hung back. _Mimi said the density of the smoke renders sight useless._ Amari rested the knuckle of her thumb against her chin, chewing on the inside of her bottom lip in thought. _Could it be his sense of smell alone isn't enough for him to accurately pinpoint Naruto in the smoke?_

If he couldn't, then the smoke cloud was as ingenious as it was flawed. An enemy trapped within couldn't see, hear or smell their enemy. As Kiba landed attack after attack, the idea of his enhanced senses pinpointing an exact target without sight grew, sewing panic in whoever was caught within. But perhaps that was only an illusion. Kiba wasn't an idiot. He would know double teaming Naruto would all but ensure his victory when he couldn't see him to counterattack. _For him to wait outside the cloud must mean his senses don't have a one-hundred percent accuracy in the smoke like a dōjutsu. He isn't attacking because he'll risk hitting Akamaru._

It was a sound hypothesis, but a hypothesis nonetheless. She needed more evidence before making such a conclusion.

The smoke cleared. Face down on the arena floor was none other than Naruto. Next to him sat Akamaru, tail wagging happily with his accomplishment in taking down his opponent. At the sight of Kiba he gave a light yip of victory.

"Hmph. Looks like Kiba managed to do pretty damn well," Mimi said.

"Haha! Nice one, Akamaru! Come here, buddy!" Kiba knelt down and reached his hands out for an embrace. Akamaru yipped again and ran over to his companion without hesitation. As he neared, though, his lips curled into a snarl before springing into the air directly at Kiba.

Out of a Transformation Jutsu, Naruto appeared, fist cocked back and ready to pound Kiba into the floor. The Inuzuka's enhanced senses weren't enough for him to dodge. The shock of the sudden dispelled transformation paralyzed him; eyes wide as he watched the orange-clad shinobi's fist speed right for his face.

Naruto's fist connected and hit hard, leveling Kiba and casting him away across the hard concrete like a stone skipped across a calm lake.

Mimi's eyebrows shot up. "How did he… There's no way Kiba's nose would have confused their scents if Akamaru wasn't there!"

The Naruto on the ground stood up. In his hands were Akamaru's front paws, the ninken awake and unharmed, but hanging limply in defeat.

"In case you're all wondering, that's a Clone Jutsu and Transformation balanced perfectly," Amari bragged on behalf of her teammate. The Naruto from the Academy couldn't have pulled this off. He couldn't even pull off a functional Clone Jutsu, let alone balancing two separate jutsu's.

"That was amazing, Naruto!" Sakura cheered.

"Is that…really Naruto?" Ino questioned. Her bewilderment was as satisfying as everyone else's. Nearly as sweet and delicious as ice cream.

"Yeah," Shikamaru said. "'Risu told us upfront right at the beginning: This isn't the same Naruto we used to know. He's different. Stronger. Still a loudmouthed idiot, but he knows how to think on his feet in a fight."

"That's right, Shika."

Naruto was a knucklehead. And loud. Sheesh, the boy didn't know what an inside voice was. But he wasn't a loser or the dead last anymore. His suffering made him stronger than those who always looked down on him from their balconies of self-righteousness. When you were a loser or the dead last, you had to fight and claw your way to the top. That's exactly what Naruto intended to do. Fight and claw his way from the bottom to the seat of Hokage.

For Naruto, every fight was important to win. He went in with the mentality of everything to gain and everything to lose. If he lost, he was back at square one. The loser. The dead last. The annoyance everyone shunned and tried to ignore. The pesky fly no one could stop from buzzing around their heads. If he won, he was one step closer to his goal by the sheer acknowledgment of those around him witnessing his new strength.

Kiba rubbed his cheek and growled at his opponent, but quickly schooled himself. He shut his eyes, inhaled a deep breath to soothe his fiery Inuzuka temper then opened his eyes again. His growl was replaced by a smile, confident once again.

"Hey Naruto, you should really let go of Akamaru." The Inuzuka reached into his ninja pouch then flicked a small, round shaped object directly into Akamaru's mouth. The object—a food pill by her estimations—had an instantaneous effect on the ninken. Akamaru's fur was normally a white color, with brown around his ears and mouth. But after taking the food pill his fur changed from light white to feral red.

The ninken let out a roar. Not bark or a growl or a snarl. A legitimate roar. He sounded like a lion. Akamaru mule kicked Naruto's clone, popping it, then rushed over to rejoin his partner, who also consumed a food pill. Kiba crouched down again, his body once more enveloped by chakra, though this time it was stronger, fiercer—results of the food pill, no doubt. His ninken hopped on his back and followed through with Man Beast Clone, transforming himself into a carbon copy of Kiba.

"He's going to use the food pills?" Mimi wondered aloud.

"Is that a problem?" Amari asked.

Her fellow kunoichi shook her head, eye still not budging from the fight. "As long as he uses just the one, no. Food pills can replenish depleted chakra for combat purposes. They're developed by the military and allow a shinobi to fight for three days and three nights without a break. Medically speaking, though, the aftereffects are pretty bad. If a shinobi is stuck in combat for the duration of the effects, their bodies begin to experience negative reactions."

"Sounds troublesome. What kind of negative reactions are we talking about?" Shikamaru asked.

"High levels of stress and anxiety, insomnia, headaches, and a level of chakra exhaustion most shinobi don't even know exists. It's bad. But when you're at full chakra like Kiba, the stimulants and nutrients in the pills double the power of the users chakra. It intensifies it, and Kiba already has intense chakra." Mimi narrowed her eyes. "I just don't get why he's going to use it on the Goofball. We usually save our food pills for when we need them most. He might be trying to show off his strength. He may also be trying to take Naruto down as quickly as possible to prevent a counterattack. Or, the more irritating possibility, their egos are clashing so much he wants to humiliate him."

"Why didn't you use your food pill?" Amari asked.

Mimi scoffed. "Tch, that bastard wasn't worth my time."

The next hit-and-run assault by Kiba and Akamaru left Naruto off balance. He couldn't react fast enough to counterattack or to get in any offensive attacks. All he could do was stay on his feet, dodging the two on one attack, hoping he could at some point find an opening.

Kiba gave him no chance to find one. He and Akamaru lined up a perfect Fang over Fang and landed a direct hit to Naruto. Her teammate cried out in pain, blood splattering across the concrete floor from newly opened wounds before ultimately crashing chest first to the ground, unmoving at first. Slowly his fingers started to curl back into fists, arms beginning to shake as he tried to push himself back up.

 _Come on, Naruto. Don't quit yet._

"I- I will…I will become Hokage," Naruto uttered through labored breaths.

Kiba, full of confidence, ego and the stimulants of his food pill, laughed harshly at the statement. "Oh yeah? How you going to do that when you're face flat on the floor? Hehehe! Well, I've got news for you: I'm the one who's going to be Hokage! You really think a weakling like _you_ can become someone as great as the Hokage?" Kiba swiped his hand through the air. "You must be weak in the head!"

More laughter. More doubts. It never changed, no matter how hard Naruto tried to prove himself. Why, though? Why couldn't more people see the strength in Naruto? He wasn't weak. He wasn't. Naruto struggled with the basics, she wouldn't deny. He sometimes needed more time than others to grasp a concept, but that didn't make him weak.

No. Naruto knew what it meant to struggle. He endured even when an entire Village cast its disdain on him for a reason he wasn't responsible for. And though he screwed up from time to time, he always put forth the effort to become stronger, to become better than he was. He had to work harder than people with natural talent; something he and Lee shared equally.

Yet it wasn't Amari to speak first to rekindle the fires in her teammate's heart. It wasn't even Sakura or Kakashi.

Mimi spoke first. "Kiba, shut up or I'll shut you up."

Her cousin snapped his mouth shut and cast a surprised look at Mimi. Amari did the same, stunned to see the heated gaze in her ocean blue eyes. "Huh? Mimi, what's with that look?"

"You're my family Kiba, and I think of you like a little brother, but what you're saying to Naruto right now, it's pissing me off." Amari could feel it. The tense air around Mimi was becoming stifling. Her heart beat a little faster on its own, distressed by being in such close vicinity to visibly held back anger. "I don't care about the ridiculous macho, testosterone-fest you two were having before. Taunt each other. Play mind games to get in his head. Rip him apart if he disrespects our Clan. But _don't_ act like the bastards who made my life a living hell."

Kiba visibly flinched at the comparison and raised his hands as if it could soothe anything. "Hey, hold on a second—"

"This isn't a conversation or a debate, Kiba. This is just a warning. Naruto is your opponent, and this is your chance to advance to the finals, so show no mercy. I expect nothing less than your best. I'll fix the Goofball up afterwards." She could sense the searing glare in the slit pupils without seeing them. "But do not lower yourself to these…infuriating insults you pair with condescending laughter. You're better than that."

"…All right," Kiba sighed.

* * *

 _I- I won't lose here. I can't._ Naruto squeezed his hands tightly into fists. Kiba's laughter may have stopped, but he could still hear it in his ears. He could still hear the laughter of his Academy class when he would fail, and those eyes full of hatred always staring at him. Hatred he didn't understand. Hatred that caused him to be lonely.

"Come on, Naruto!" An involuntary gasp escaped him at the sound of Amari's voice. "You've worked too hard to give up now! Don't tell me you're going back on your nindo!"

"On your feet, Naruto!" Sakura shouted.

But…there were others now. The first had been Amari. She was the first to open her arms to him, to look at him without suspicion, disgust or hatred. She just saw him. A boy who startled her as she studied; a boy with a dream she hoped he succeeded in. Even when she learned what was contained within him, Amari still looked at him with the same fondness that illuminated his life from darkness like the sun after a terrible storm.

One turned to two with Iruka-sensei. Then two turned five with his team. It took some time, but he found people who acknowledged his existence and cared about him. People he would do anything for because they helped him find joy in life. That meant he couldn't give in here. Even if he was in pain, he had to stand back up. Even if Kiba ended up breaking his legs, he would just have to stand on his hands and win that way.

He had to show everyone how far he had come since the Academy. He had to prove he could go the distance when it really mattered. That he could get to the finals of this exam just like Sasuke did, and no doubt Amari too when she had her chance. Just like Sakura, he would prove he belonged here by meeting his teammates in the finals. No matter what.

 _I won't…lose here._ The Fang over Fang did a number on his body. He could feel warm blood dripping from his forehead as well as other open wounds on various parts of his torso. A metallic taste assaulted his taste buds. But he still forced himself back onto his feet. "Sorry to break it to you, but you can forget about being Hokage," he said slowly. He raised his defiant eyes to meet Kiba's. A frown creased his opponent's lips. "Because I'm the one who will become Hokage!"

"You're a real glutton for punishment, aren't ya?" Naruto smirked. He supposed he was, otherwise he would have given up long before he met Amari. "All right, it's your funeral. I'm going to make sure you never get up again! Come on, Akamaru!" Kiba declared.

Once more the duo charged in to use their Fang over Fang. "That technique again? How many times are you going to use it?" Naruto said cockily to hide his unease. _They're moving too fast. I wasn't able to keep my feet last time, and dodging around isn't going to be enough to win. I need to think of something._

They spun themselves into the ferocious spirals again. In an attempt to dodge, Naruto jumped straight up, hoping they would fly right under him. The duo grinded past one another, the sound like a lumber mill saw at full-power as it sawed through a giant log. Whether intentional or not, their direction shifted just enough to nick him and open a new wound, throwing his entire landing out of whack, bringing him chest first back to the ground.

 _Man, they're just too fast!_

"Naruto! He's using the same technique over and over again, so the longer you stay up the more you should see the flaws! Think about it!" Amari coached.

He was trying, he really was. Kiba's consistent attacks made it really difficult to create a concrete plan and pick apart any flaws of his technique, though. More smoke bombs detonated around him and swallowed him whole within an impenetrable purple cloud to his normal eyes and normal senses. Unlike him, Kiba and Akamaru weaved in and out of the cloud without restraints, their vicious razor sharp attacks hitting their marks now and then, but more than a few failed to find flesh. Air brushed past his body, causing him to flinch in preparation of pain, but then the attacker kept going.

 _He's using the same trick as before, and it's working like before. It's like fighting in the dark._ Only they could actually see him and he stumbled around like an idiot. Or, as Sasuke would probably put it, more of an idiot than normal.

 _Jerk._

The assault ended as the cloud faded. His two opponents slid on all-fours to a stop a few meters in front of him, their eyes watching him carefully and gauging his current state. It wasn't great, he had to admit. He panted lightly, blood dripped off his hand from a slash on his arm, and man did his body just hurt everywhere. To them it must have appeared he was attempting to win a futile battle. Maybe to others it was futile. Not to Naruto.

He wasn't going to lose here. They could attack him all day for all he cared; he'd keep getting back up until he found a way to win. He had so much riding on this, more people than he ever had before believing in him and wanting him to win. He couldn't let them or himself down.

Naruto Uzumaki didn't quit or run away, and he certainly wasn't about to become the same loser he used to be.

"Looks like you're running out of gas, kid," Kiba jabbed.

Naruto took up his fighting stance again. "Heh, no way! It doesn't matter how many times you attack me, I'll still have enough gas to beat you!"

"Ha! You always have a snappy comeback, I'll give you that! Let's see you come back from this! Ready, Akamaru!"

Again smoke bombs exploded around him followed by the Fang over Fang slashing past him. "Gotta find a way to counter attack," he muttered.

 _The problem is I don't know which one to attack._ Hearing an incoming attack, Naruto scrambled across the ground to dodge out of the way, narrowly escaping the hit. _They have their enhanced senses to pick me out in this smoke, but I don't. I can't tell them apart!_ More attacks scraped by him. _But…they've missed a few attacks when I was a stationary target, which must mean they're enhanced senses aren't one hundred percent accurate. And neither of them want to accidently hit each other. That must be why, when the smoke bombs are active, they only attack me one at a time instead of at the same time._

It'd be more effective to hit him at the same time to put him down for the count, especially when he was blind. He didn't have Sharingan or Byakugan, Kiba knew that. Kiba didn't have those eyes either, though. So really, although it felt as if the Inuzuka could see him in here, he really couldn't, and when he was stationary he couldn't hear him. That could only mean he was smelling him!

Which was kind of weird when he thought about it.

Naruto listened to the sounds of the Fang over Fang scratching across the concrete. He wouldn't be able to run out of here, and running wouldn't help anyways. He needed to get this fight to a one-on-one battle by getting Akamaru out of the way. But how? It wasn't as if he could tell the difference between them. They looked identical.

A light bulb switched on in Naruto's brain. _Wait a minute, that's it!_

Naruto brought his hands into Ram seal. "Transform!"

* * *

Kiba's attacks came to an abrupt halt after Naruto's jutsu, yet all had to wait for the smoke to clear to see what exactly was going on. Out of everyone, only Amari was prepared to shut her eye at the sight of pigtails or Kiba with a bloody nose. _Naruto, please don't be troublesome. It'd just be embarrassing if you used the Sexy Jutsu, for both of you_. But, despite her anxiety over what they might see, there was a chance her knucklehead pieced together a decent plan based on the repeated use of the same technique.

"Very clever," Kakashi said.

"Huh?" Sakura sounded off in confusion.

"Wait, you'll see."

His reassurance did settle her nerves a little. If it had been a Sexy Jutsu, Kakashi probably wouldn't be praising it with a straight face. He'd either sigh or shake his head, all to play it off cool despite his choice of pervy reading material.

The smoke cleared and revealed not one or two Kiba's, but three. The three stared one another down, eyes moving from Kiba to Kiba in search for hints at who the imposter was. None of trio seemed willing to make the first move when it could either end up hurting an ally or revealing his presence too soon.

"Good one, Naruto! Brilliant!" Sakura cheered.

 _Now we'll see if he can fool Kiba's nose._

Kiba's nose would remain the single flaw of this plan. Even in a Transformation, the nose of an Inuzuka could smell the scent of their opponent compared to their partner. Scent could be tricked or concealed by a shinobi; it was just a lot harder to pull off. The disruption of Naruto's chakra wouldn't do him any favors here either.

Should his plan to have Kiba attack Akamaru instead work, his problems were far from over. His opponent wouldn't simply raise a white flag and plead for mercy because the ninken was down for the count. Naruto was still slower than his opponent on a normal day. The All-Fours technique plus the food pill only increased Kiba's speed and strength to a far more dangerous level. In a way, Naruto was stuck in a fight against her speed and Sasuke's strength combined together in two opponents.

 _Talk about a drag._

"Impressive. By making himself look like Kiba, my knucklehead doesn't know which one to attack while your knucklehead remains safe," Mimi noted thoughtfully, leaning her forearms onto the railing. "So long as Kiba doesn't catch his scent, Naruto will be fine. Otherwise it won't matter and Kiba will attack him again."

"Brilliant idea! Woohooo!" Lee praised, pumping a fist.

The real Kiba patiently examined the pair, eyes and nose working together to solve the mystery in front of him. When he made his decision, he wound up a punch and slammed his fist into the face of one of the other Kiba's. The transformed version fell to the ground, disappearing into a cloud of smoke as the Transformation Jutsu dispelled.

When it cleared, Akamaru was lying out cold on the ground.

Mimi bolted upright from her hunched over position, wide-eyes full of disbelief. "No way!"

Angrily, without thinking, Kiba turned around and socked the other version of himself even harder, knocking him through the air and to the ground.

This one too dispelled to reveal Akamaru.

Kiba looked on in bewilderment, as did Kurenai and Mimi. Amari couldn't help but smirk, pleased by her teammate's ability to think on the fly. _When he actually uses his head, he can be quite ingenious._

Naruto had been the original transformation punched. The trap was sprung. Her teammate dispelled his second transformation of Akamaru and dashed in. Sensing the incoming attack, Kiba—still in shock—turned right into the jumping kick, taking it right in the chin. He tumbled across the concrete and skidded to a stop next to his fallen partner.

"Attaboy!" Sakura cheered.

Amari shared her elation, yet kept it in as Kiba sat up and checked on Akamaru. His entire body quivered in anger at what Naruto caused him to do. Harming an Inuzuka's ninken was no different than harming a family member to the Inuzuka Clan. The fact the harm came at his own hand because he lashed out without thinking mixed guilt and anger together into an even more volatile chemical explosion.

 _Uh-oh. Kiba is really mad. It may blind him, but it may also make him even more dangerous. Come on, Naruto. Don't get a big head. You need to finish this._

Mimi laughed in bemusement. "Heh, I'll give the Goofball credit, he used his head to get past our sense of smell. Instead of letting Kiba's fist call his bluff, he faked him out again by transforming into Akamaru. Kiba believed his eyes over his nose and reacted like a hothead, taking out Akamaru in the process. I'm impressed. Not many shinobi would have thought of that in the heat of the moment."

Kiba bit down on his own hand and visibly started to calm down. An interesting move, in Amari's opinion. Rather than continuing to get worked up, losing focus and likely leaving himself open for a counterattack, the Inuzuka used his sharpened teeth to puncture his skin, dialing in on the pain to put his temper aside. He was being consciously aware of his temper and how it could affect his ability to fight.

 _He may be a hothead, but Kiba is aware of it. He knows it's a flaw that could cost him this fight. Now he's refocused, ready to pick up where he left off on offense, because despite losing Akamaru, Kiba is still under the influence of the food pill._ Amari narrowed her eye. _If Naruto wants to win this on endurance alone, he'll lose. Kiba won't lose speed or strength in this fight. He'll be able to keep going and going until Naruto has literally nothing left to give._

At the same time, due to his lack of Shadow Clones, Amari had to believe Naruto was at the least subconsciously aware of his disrupted chakra. Otherwise he would have evened the numbers or tried to overwhelm Kiba with larger numbers. But he hadn't. He only used a single clone so far and the Transformation Jutsu. Though the tricks worked in the moment, it wouldn't get him through this round if that's all he kept doing.

He needed a new strategy. Had he faced a normal enemy, and had his chakra not been disrupted, an endurance battle would be in his favor. This battle wasn't his normal variety. His best bet was finding some way to slow Kiba down to get in a powerful strike. It was similar to Sasuke's situation. He couldn't rely on ninjutsu or Sharingan to get him through his fight. He had to close the distance and take him down with powerful taijutsu.

All of this was easier said than done, though. Slow down an enemy of Kiba's speed when he couldn't use his Shadow Clones to his usual extent? She might as well ask him to arrange a mosaic in the midst of the fight. Or ask him to perform Fire Style or Shadow Possession Jutsu.

 _So, Naruto_. Her eye flitted back to her teammate. _What are you going to do? You're not an absolute idiot. You can see the situation in front of you and how the odds are against you. What is your plan to beat those odds and win?_

"You finally getting serious, Kiba? Good! Because now it's time I unleash my super-secret killer move!"

Amari quirked an eyebrow up. _Super-secret killer move?_ She didn't recall Naruto having a super-secret killer move. Unless they counted Sexy Jutsu, which she didn't. _Could it be a bluff?_ Possible. But a bluff wouldn't get him far. He needed a legitimate move and plan to win. _Maybe he thought of something just now?_ Another possibility. Her knucklehead improvised constantly. Maybe he thought up a technique during this fight without actually training for one.

 _But what could it be?_

Whatever it was, Kiba didn't wait to find out—an intelligent move on his part. He charged in, tossing shuriken at Naruto to give him no chance to prepare for his new move. The blades never found flesh; her teammate dodged them well, but in the end they didn't have to find their target. As Naruto landed back on his feet after jumping over a shuriken, Kiba met him there, speeding in and slamming his shoulder, and the momentum behind it, into his opponent.

To his credit, Naruto didn't let himself fall down. He slid back on his heels and tried to recover to build his chakra for his new technique. Again, Kiba was on him faster than Chōji on barbecue. This time his punch landed perfectly and knocked Naruto to the ground.

 _Oh man, Kiba's using his speed to prevent Naruto from building up his chakra and executing his technique. But Naruto isn't doing anything to get him off guard or off his feet long enough. He's too focused on unleashing his new move to do what's necessary to prepare it._

It reminded her of their battle on the Land of Waves bridge. Instead of keeping on the move, using ninja tools and the like to distract from his use of the Shadow Clone Jutsu, he simply stood there and tried to use it. Zabuza wasn't some foolish Genin, though. He saw the trick coming the instant he started to go for it and acted accordingly, throwing ninja tools right at him.

The same applied here. Naruto, ever the boaster, told Kiba he was about to unleash a new technique. A "super-secret killer move" as he called it. But for all of Kiba's hotheaded tendencies, he wasn't stupid. He wouldn't risk his chance to win by allowing Naruto breathing room to use the technique. So, he did what any intelligent shinobi would do, he attacked relentlessly and ferociously to keep his enemy from using a game changing technique.

It was simple Battlefield Tactics 101. Unfortunately for Naruto, he either skipped that class or completely forgot the whole point of a fight wasn't to tell your enemy your next move.

"On your feet, Naruto!" Sakura shouted.

"Come on, use your head! You can't keep standing still to build up your chakra! You need to distract him and build it while he can't touch you!" Amari coached.

"Don't be too rough on him, Amari," Kakashi scolded lightly. "The disruption of his chakra is playing a large role in his inability to build his chakra up. Naruto may not understand why, but he realizes he can't use the Shadow Clone Jutsu as he usually would, so he's doing what he can without expending too much chakra."

Amari bit her bottom lip in frustration and curled her hand into a fist. "I know. I just…"

"You're invested in his success. I understand. But Naruto _is_ trying his hardest within the constraints he has. Don't forget, you've focused on building your speed and your strength equally, and with your dōjutsu as well as your ninjutsu you have an extra edge against an opponent like Kiba. Naruto has trained for strength only. He's a hard hitter, a frontline fighter built to take on other frontline fighters. Kiba can switch between hit-and-run and head-on assaults because of his enhanced strength and speed."

"It's a contrast of styles, I know," Amari sighed. _But I really want him to win._

Naruto got back on his feet and caught Kiba's arm right as he clawed him. Blood pooled from the strike, but her teammate seemed unfazed by the new wound. He tightened his grip then tossed Kiba away as hard as he could. Ironically, Kiba twisted out of his fall and landed on all-fours like a cat; the momentum of the throw left him sliding across the concrete for a few feet.

 _Close, but not enough._

Again Naruto tried to build his chakra, again he was stopped. One slash from the front then another from behind.

"Naruto!" Sakura panicked.

"Back on your feet, Naruto! Don't let Sasuke show you up!"

Yelling was such a drag, but panic took hold and she didn't do well with panic.

Resilient as ever, Naruto pushed himself back onto shaky legs. Streams of crimson dripped from his fingertips and jaw; his clothes were scuffed and slashed up more than they had been from their time in the Forest of Death. Again he tried to build up his chakra. Again Kiba dashed in, speeding around his enemy to attack him from behind.

What happened next was a testament to how much of knucklehead Naruto really was, and it would forever go in the history books as the strangest, most effective way to defeat an Inuzuka.

Team Seven's knucklehead passed gas right in Kiba's face.

Stupid? Yes. Baffling? Yes. Repulsive? Absolutely. Effective? Unfortunately.

For a normal shinobi, this simple flatulence would do nothing except irritate and disgust them, leading to the annihilation of the fool who did such a thing. However for an Inuzuka, a Clan with a sharp sense of smell intensified by the All-Fours Jutsu, it was debilitating.

Deep down, Mimi probably felt sympathy for her cousin. She probably even wanted to help him punch Naruto's lights out. None of her sympathy could be heard over the mad cackling.

"I- I- I can't believe he just—" Mimi fell further into a fit, face turning as red as her clan markings and tears forming in her eyes as she bent over at the waist like a hinge and braced herself on the railing. "He- he- he-" Her words died by laughter.

Amari sweat dropped and frowned. This was…this was one of the most ridiculous things she ever witnessed. While she appreciated Mimi's evil cackles, because it meant she was being forced out of her bad mood, she was beginning to wonder if _this_ was his super-secret technique. If it was, Naruto punched a ticket to genjutsu city for being stupid.

Kiba found no humor in the situation. He clutched his hands around his nose in futility as he screamed in agony. _Sorry Kiba. Your sense of smell is a thousand times stronger than normal so…that's going to be stuck in your nose for a while._

She could never condone this type of action, but since this was still a fight and since it was working, she would cheer her teammate on. "Wha- whatever works, Naruto. You slowed him down at least," Sakura cheered awkwardly.

"Don't waste any more time, you troublesome boy. This could be your one and only shot," Amari said.

"I wish I could say I planned it. Anyway, the time has come to unleash my new technique!" He brought up the clone seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

He created four clones, who promptly surrounded the incapacitated Kiba. The Inuzuka watched them, but his agony and the crippling stench in his nostrils prevented any form of defense.

One Naruto jumped in, landing a hard punch to Kiba's face. Using the clone's back as a springboard, the real one jumped into the air, flipping himself end over end repeatedly to gain momentum. The other three Clones slid in, kicking the Inuzuka up into the air with a similar kick to Lee's and Sasuke's.

"Na-Ru-To!" the Naruto's shouted.

The original came out of his flip and slammed the heel of his foot into Kiba's face. The hard blow sent Kiba chest first into the concrete.

"Uzumaki Barrage!"

The attack incapacitated Kiba instantly.

"He may not have changed the name of Lion's Barrage that much, but he took what I said earlier and applied it faster than I expected," Amari said. _But_ …Her eye watched her teammate closely as his clones dispelled. Naruto was breathing hard. He still stood on his feet, yet his limbs shook in a clear sign of exhaustion and pain. _Either those few Clones are the cause of his heavy breathing, or the use of Clones only lessens the strain a little in comparison to the Lion's Barrage._

Either way, a job well done, if she said so herself. It wasn't exactly how she imagined his victory, but a win was a win.

"Since he can no longer continue, I declare Naruto Uzumaki the winner of this round," Hayate announced.

"Woohoooo!" Lee shouted, his eyes alight with fires of youth.

"Yeah! That's my teammate!" Sakura followed.

"Nice going, Naruto!" Amari joined them.

Another step taken on his journey towards becoming Hokage.

Naruto, either full of adrenaline or somehow miraculously recovered, ran the entire way to the stairs and back up, grinning from ear to ear. He only slowed down to a walk when he reached the top of the stairs. Hinata managed to stop him, quietly speaking up to try to give him a jar of healing ointment. Naruto didn't quite understand, mostly because he was too dense and loud for his own good, and Hinata was barely able to speak above a whisper around him.

Hinata's cheeks tinted pink as she tried, and failed, to explain herself. Eventually she just chose to bow and hold out the healing ointment for him to take. "Naruto, take it," Kurenai urged, smiling at the pair. "It's a healing ointment Hinata made; it will help with your wounds."

"Oh! All right. Thanks, Hinata!" he thanked and took the jar from her.

"Yo- you're wel- welcome, Naruto!" Hinata squeaked out.

Mimi's laughter died out at the end of the fight. At the sight of her cousin being taken out on a stretcher, she turned to head down to meet up with the medics. On the way, she wrapped an arm around Hinata's neck, grinning as the shy kunoichi awkwardly tried to keep her feet and figure out how to handle such a gesture.

"So, you make healing ointment, huh? What kind of herbs do you gather?" she asked.

Those were the last words Amari heard from the Inuzuka before they descended down the stairs.

Naruto rejoined the group, unscrewed the jar and applied the ointment to one of the cuts he received. Almost instantly it started to heal. Amari eyed the ointment suspiciously. _That worked too fast. Either it's the power of love, which I highly doubt, or something else entirely._

"Whoa, this stuff works fast!" Naruto exclaimed. He closed the top then extended his arm to her and Sakura to offer it. "Here, try it out."

Sakura joined her suspicions and didn't take it. Amari trusted Hinata and had no doubt it would work on her fresh wound, but it wouldn't be instantaneous. It wouldn't seal up the wounds as if by magic or miracles. Ointments didn't work that way. Amari cast a sidelong glance to Kakashi, who gave her an unnoticeable shake of his head.

 _Don't_ , the gesture transmitted.

She returned his headshake with a nod. The last thing they needed was to draw attention to its lack of miracle healing.

Amari smiled at her friend. "I'll be fine, Naruto. It really isn't even worth the ointment," she said.

"Yeah, I'll be okay too, Naruto. You need it the most, anyways," Sakura agreed.

"Oh, well, all right. If you two say so." He took their words at face value.

When the machine chose the next two opponents, Amari's concern shot through the roof. She wasn't alone. Her mother's features revealed the same worry over who was chosen.

 _Hinata Hyūga vs. Neji Hyūga._

If placing Naruto and Kiba together was meant to be fate's sense of humor, this was fate simply being cruel.

Anger flashed in Neji's lavender eyes. A deep rooted hatred Amari didn't like.

Hinata reluctantly made her way to the center of the arena. Neji only stopped once on the way, but not by choice. He stopped when Mimi grabbed him by his arm. His angry eyes snapped to his Inuzuka teammate's unflinching blue eyes. Mimi spoke in a hushed whisper; her words were only meant for him and nobody else. By body language and the intensity of Mimi's features, Amari bet it was some kind of warning. Something regarding the anger in his eyes that the Inuzuka knew about.

The Hyūga tugged his arm from her grip. "Don't involve yourself in matters you don't understand."

"Oh I understand plenty," she snarled. "Don't mistake me for Guy-sensei, Lee or Tenten. I don't give a damn if you pass or fail. I've got nothing to prove to _you_ of all people." Someone who disrespected her because of her heritage. "My fuse is razor thin right now, so you've only got one strike. Don't cross that line," she warned, shaking her head. "If you do, you'll answer to me."

Neji scoffed and started down the stairs. "Tch. Whatever."

"Don't test me, Neji. You'll regret it."

The two went their separate ways with no other words spared; Neji joined Hinata down in the center of the arena, Mimi took her original spot and watched Neji with intense eyes. Her muscles remained wound up like a spring. Her body language did nothing except put Amari on edge.

 _Hinata…please be careful._

There was a reason her mother gave Hinata special training. Amari didn't know all the details; it wasn't her business to know. But she knew enough. Hinata's father gave up training her. Not because he was too busy. Not for some honorable cause. Hinata just wasn't the prodigious talent he wanted. She wasn't the fierce kunoichi who steeled her heart and turned it as cold as his eyes. To him, she was a failure. An ineffective heir. Unfortunately, Hinata knew he felt that way, hence her lack of confidence and struggle to improve.

 _When you see yourself as a failure, you fail constantly._

Amari knew that struggle intimately. She knew how hard it was to see value in yourself when others didn't; it was one of the reasons she cared a lot for Hinata. She went out of her way to be kind and supportive to her fellow blue-haired kunoichi because she wanted Hinata to see her strength, to see herself as more than what her jerk of a father saw.

Her kindness, her compassion, they weren't weaknesses. They were strengths. And one of these days she hoped Hinata would see that. Amari just hoped she never had the misfortunate of meeting her father. Not because of the Byakugan under her bandana, but because she wasn't sure she could keep a lid on the many harsh words she had for him. Words to tell him _exactly_ what she thought of his treatment to his daughter.

Amari understood the need for strong warriors and the pride people had in their Clans. But to let that need for warriors and that pride cause you to treat the very people you are meant to love and protect as trash? To ignore her existence, to make her believe herself worthless because she didn't match his idea of strength?

It infuriated her.

"I never thought we would have to face each other, Hinata," Neji said slowly.

"Nor I brother," she replied, meek and quiet in the presence of Neji, more so than usual.

The gears in Amari's brain screeched to a halt. "Whoaaa, hold on, that arrogant jerk is the brother of shy, caring Hinata?" It had to be a mistake.

"They are both descended from the Hyūga Clan—one of the most ancient and honorable families of Konoha. But they aren't actually brother and sister," Kakashi explained.

"But they are related?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, like a branch of a tree is related to a trunk. It's more accurate to say they are cousins. Your relation to Sasuke and Shikamaru, Amari, is pretty much the same, though we can't actually say you are direct cousins."

"And I see them as brothers anyways, so my perception of family isn't based on actual blood ties."

"The trunk of a tree?" Naruto was confused by the example.

It was Lee to speak up next. "Yes. Hinata is directly related to the Head of the Clan while Neji's family is just a side branch of the Clan."

"But still, they're family and now they have to fight each other. I feel for them. It must be hard," Sakura sighed.

"Not this time," Mimi said. The gathered Genin looked to her, but her eyes never left the arena. "The Hyūga aren't like most families. If it were me against Kiba, or Amari against Shikamaru or even one of you, _that_ would be hard. But this? Hinata is the nice sort, so I have no doubt this is hard on her. I have no doubt she's tearing herself up inside right now because of the state of her Clan." Mimi snarled and tightened her grip on the railing. "But not Neji. Neji doesn't care about her. He won't feel an ounce of remorse in hurting her."

"Is that why you warned him?" Amari asked.

Mimi's eyes flicked over to her briefly, a small flicker of surprise in them, before returning to the arena. Clearly she hadn't meant for anyone to hear their conversation. "Yeah. It is. There's been bad blood between the Main Branch and Side Branches for a long time, and it all comes back to the Byakugan. Unlike the Uchiha Clan, the Hyūga take the protection of their dōjutsu insanely serious. They created a ton of rules, all that favor the Main Branch, of course. That's politics in a nutshell: Do whatever is possible to increase the favor to your own side."

She sounded disgusted.

"And those rules, they're messed up. It's subjugation of innocent people. Kids who never had a choice. All for the 'greater good' and 'the safety of the Byakugan' as they justify it. Families are torn apart. Divided down a line old men created years ago."

Amari couldn't find words. She was appalled by how the Hyūga divided themselves. Her heart hurt for Hinata and the children affected by these archaic rules. Yet she was also even more fearful for her own safety than ever before. If the Hyūga were willing to do terrible things to their own Clan members for the Byakugan, what would they do to an outsider?

"Funny thing is, I get why Neji is so angry," Mimi continued. "I get where he's coming from, but he's so blinded by his own anger and need to prove a point to the Main Branch, he's become a cruel and arrogant ass. He thinks his prodigious talent gives him the right to sneer down at others. He thinks because the world was cruel to him that he can be cruel to others. That his experiences and his Byakugan allow him to see the destiny of others."

The Inuzuka's hand tightened even further around the railing. At this rate, Amari worried she might crush it. "I admit, I don't have much of a right to judge anyone for their cruelty. I've hurt a lot of people for less legitimate reasons. But Hinata didn't cause the problems of the Hyūga. She didn't have a choice of what branch she was born into. She's innocent, just like Neji was innocent."

"Neji doesn't see her as innocent," Amari observed.

"No." Mimi shook her head. "No, Neji only sees the daughter of the Head of the Main Branch. Somehow, in his skewed view, that makes her guilty for his pain."

If she was tense before, she was ready to jump down on Hinata's behalf now.

Hayate started the match. Once more, instead of the combatants moving to fight, Neji started on one of his destiny talks. How Hinata was never meant to be a ninja because she was too soft, too kind. She was too _gentle_ for a kunoichi. She didn't want to hurt people, and somehow that made her a disgrace.

Amari didn't keep track of how long he jabbered on for, mostly due to the growing rage building in her heart. Unlike her, Hinata didn't have thick skin to ignore his words for the pointless drivel they were. Tears welled in her eyes, her breathing quickened as if being overtaken by a panic attack.

Hinata wanted to change. She wanted to become stronger as a person and as a ninja, and damn it did she put all of her effort towards the goal. But she continued to have people like Neji, people like her father who tore her down when she tried so hard to become better.

Next to her, Naruto fumed as well. What set him off was Neji telling Hinata, "You're a failure, and a failure will always be a failure. You can't change that."

Between the two of them, though, Amari was the first to hit her breaking point. This _bastard_ was pushing Hinata to the point of nearly shedding tears. No more. No way would she stand by and let him continue to cut her friend down.

"Shut up, you arrogant jackass!" Her entire body was thrown into the shout. If she wasn't holding onto the railing, she might have flung herself over. "Hinata! Stop standing there and kick his ass! You've trained so hard and become so strong! Don't throw it all away because of this _bastard_!" Neji turned his head just enough for her to see the scowl on his lips. Her Uchiha rage took full control at his hatred filled eye. She pointed down at him. "You have no right to treat her that way! How about I come down there and bury you up to your neck in cement, then we'll see who the _failure_ is!"

Neji glared. "You insolent—"

"Who gave you the right to tell her who she can and can't be?!" Naruto didn't let him get another word in. "Go on Hinata! Show this idiot he's wrong!"

Hinata looked like a startled deer. Frozen in place by the sight and sound of two people shouting encouragement to her for the first time in her life. Her lack of movement, however, spurred the pair on.

"Stop listening to people like him and believe in yourself! You can do this! I know you can!" Amari yelled.

"Stand up for yourself and fight, Hinata! Amari and I believe in you, Kurenai-sensei believes in you, Shino too! Don't just stand there and take his crap! Show him how wrong he is!"

"Naruto…Amari…" Hinata lowered her eyes for a moment. Neither of the pair heard her quiet whisper of, "Thank you."

When Hinata raised her eyes again, they were reinforced by steel and sharp as kunai knives. She quickly activated her Byakugan and took up the Gentle Fist stance. Neji mirrored her movements exactly.

This was to be a battle between Gentle Fist and Gentle Fist. Their stances, their techniques, they'd be exactly the same. The winner would be determined by who struck fastest, strongest and by who made the most of the tiniest of openings.

"Take him down, Hinata," Amari whispered.

Her veins still boiled with anger. The more she experienced intense anger like this, the more she felt this strange tugging feeling in her heart. It was like a tug-of-war being waged between her normal, passive and compassionate attitude, and a dark, festering hatred that demanded to strike down people who hurt her loved ones. Or like a roaring battle between two dragons; one protective and colored in a similar soothing green as her chakra, the other demonic, its black scales sheathing it in darkness as its red eyes gleamed with malicious intent.

She didn't like the demonic dragon, or the feeling of the tug-of-war.

The fight began without any other words spoken. Due to their style of taijutsu, Hinata and Neji did not strike one another in the same way Naruto, Sasuke or herself would hit another person. Though, it was more accurate to say they weren't able to land strikes on one another at all. Their palms struck together, the collisions sending off waves of blue chakra from both combatants, but nothing more. These palm strikes were essentially blocks to prevent their opponent from letting loose those chakra strikes on their chakra network.

Their footwork was incredible. Not a single wasted movement. Not a single wasted opportunity. Only those blocks and varying dodges kept them from falling prey to the internal damage the Gentle Fist focused on. Whereas Guy's style of taijutsu, and most other styles of taijutsu, focused on external injuries—bruises, broken bones, etc.—the Gentle Fist was dangerous to the internal systems.

Truly, it was an incredibly powerful style of taijutsu, because no matter how hard you trained, you couldn't strengthen your internal organs. They were completely vulnerable to attacks. One full-powered strike to a major organ and the fight was over.

Hinata narrowly missed a direct hit on Neji, but even that glancing blow dealt damage. Because the chakra network was so closely intertwined with the major internal organs, they were practically one and the same.

Both Hyūga went in for a strike at the same time. Both blows appeared to land, but from the angle they were all at, no one could see if that was in fact the truth.

Not until Hinata coughed up blood.

 _Hinata…_

Neji managed to stop her blow from hitting its mark while the tips of his fingers were pressed right over her heart.

"So, that's all the Main Branch has to offer?" Neji's was as condescending as ever.

Hinata slapped his arm away and went for another strike against Neji, only to have the boy grab her wrist and slam two of his fingers into the bottom of her forearm. The blow itself didn't seem like much, but upon pulling back the sleeve, even at a distance the red spots on Hinata's pale forearm were visible to the naked eye.

"Her chakra points…He's able to pinpoint every single one," Amari realized.

"Chakra points?" Naruto asked.

"In our Chakra Network, there are three hundred and sixteen chakra points that are no smaller than the head of a nail. Hitting one directly affects our chakra flow by speeding it up or cutting it off completely. The problem is those points are undetectable even to the Sharingan, but the Byakugan has an even sharper sight. Even then, though, it takes someone of great skill to be able to strike these tiny points in the heat of battle."

A person with Neji's prodigious talent.

Neji brought his palm back and struck Hinata square in the chest without chakra, knocking her down to the ground hard. "I'm out of your league, Hinata; that is a fact. This is what separates the elite from the failures. From the moment you told yourself you would no longer run, you sealed your own fate. You were destined to fail and now you are consumed—"

"Oh for the love of Kami, would you shut the hell up!" Amari interrupted him. "Don't listen to him, Hinata! What I've seen from you is far more impressive than that loser!"

Neji turned his head to send a seething glare back at her. "Irritating little brat. Someone ought to teach her where she belongs too."

"Don- Don't talk to Ama- Amaririsu tha- that way." Hinata struggled to stand and speak equally. "She- she has been a true friend to me. I- I owe her for giving me the courage to keep standing up. Besides, brother, your fight is with me. Not her. I- I'm not going to run. I never go back on my word." She stood on shaky legs, yet she appeared stronger and more determined than ever. "Because that too is my nindo, my ninja way," she said, smiling up at Naruto and Amari.

Sweat beaded on her forehead and trails of crimson led down from the corners of her mouth. But even then she did not look weak or defeated. She looked strong and carried herself with the same strength in her eyes.

"I didn't know Hinata was this tough," Naruto said in surprise.

"Heh. If you really look at her and where she got her nindo from, you would see similarities to yourself," Amari pointed out.

"She's right," Lee agreed with a smile.

Sakura nodded. "Come to think of it, I remember seeing Hinata watch you a lot. I bet you've inspired her too."

Hinata activated her Byakugan again, but the dōjutsu deactivated immediately after as she coughed up blood. The kunoichi grabbed at her chest and shook in pain with every renewed cough.

Part of Amari realized that the match was over. She knew Neji's initial strike cut her off from her chakra completely, and that meant she couldn't put chakra behind her strikes. The other part of Amari wanted nothing more than to ignore those facts and continue to cheer on her fellow kunoichi.

At the voices of dissent around her, speaking of how mismatched Hinata was and the difference of skill between her and Neji, she chose to shut off logic and follow her heart.

"Don't give up, Hinata! You still have a chance to win!"

A _very_ slim chance, but a chance nonetheless. All she had to do was get ahold of Neji and disable him.

Still, at the same time, this wasn't about winning a promotion or even about beating Neji anymore, not to Amari. This was about encouraging Hinata's growth as a person and helping her grab hold of the strength in her heart.

"Go Hinata! You can win this!" Naruto shouted.

Their shouts rallied the kunoichi. She grabbed hold of her strength and charged back in, forcing Neji onto the defense as she threw ferocious strike after ferocious strike. Every next strike was even fiercer than the last; faster too. Neji dodged and blocked, and quickly found her new spirit made it impossible to get back on the offensive.

 _No matter what happens, you should be proud of yourself for what you've accomplished, Hinata. And Naruto, even if she doesn't win, I hope you can see that she has won something far more important thanks to you inspiring her to keep fighting. It's not just her, though. You inspire me too._

 _I hope you see that…you make us feel worth something._

Hinata moved in for another strike, but Neji grabbed hold of her forearm, dragged her forward and jaw first into an upwards palm.

"Hinata!" Naruto shouted in worry.

She slid backwards on her heels but didn't allow herself to fall. Bloody coughs reverberated off the walls of the arena, yet the moment she regained her composure, she charged in again and went for a strike. Neji's palm hit her first, a chakra filled blow right to her chest yet again. Hinata's legs caved and she fell to the concrete floor.

"You just don't get it. Your strikes were completely ineffective from the start. You're finished," Neji stated.

Murmurs from Aoko caught Amari's attention. Mimi sprang onto the railing, snarling viciously. "I warned you, you bastard! Now you're answering to me!"

Before she could launch into action, Guy grabbed her and pulled her back down to the balcony. Something snapped in Mimi. She spun out of Guy's grab and shoved his chest with rage written all over her face. "Guy-sensei, what the hell!" Her mentor was taken aback by the shout and shove. "I know these matches are no-holds-barred. I understand the rules perfectly clear, but you know, _you know_ those strikes to her heart are on purpose! He's taking out his hatred for the Main Branch on her when you strictly forbade him from ever doing that! Why haven't you stopped him?!"

"If I interrupted the match, Neji would be disqualified," Guy tried to defend his actions.

"To hell with the match!" She swiped her hand through the air. "This is about Hinata's _life_! She's on the verge of cardiac arrest, damn it, and for what?! So Neji can get a promotion?! She should have never been placed against him in the first place!"

Guy recovered from his state of shock and hardened his eyes. It was one of the rare times Amari saw the tough shinobi beneath the exuberance and youthful nature of the spandex wearing man. "Do not dishonor Hinata's courage by saying she shouldn't have fought. Hinata may not have won this match, she may be extremely hurt, but she _chose_ to fight. She chose to face her doubts, her fears and fought to prove her strength to all of us. She deserves your respect."

Mimi flinched and tried to protest her point. "Guy-sensei, that's not—"

"I know you're still angry about what happened to Tenten, and I know you and Neji have your own problems. I understand _why_ you are angry, Mimi. I'm disappointed in Neji for unleashing his hatred on her, but Hinata has gained far more than she has lost in this fight. You see this, I know you do. Don't let your duty as a medic-nin blind you to what your comrade risked her life for."

Mimi didn't argue further, but her slit pupil and the rage within it did not fade either. She turned back to the railing and started to bounce on her toes, not in the usual excitement Amari witnessed from her, but from holding herself back when her duty as a medic-nin demanded her to intervene. "Come on, come on, come on," she muttered under her breath.

Hayate stepped forward and cast a glance to Hinata's prone form. "Since she is no longer—"

"Nooo!" Naruto's shout cut off the proctor. "Don't stop the match!"

"Naruto! What are you doing? Hinata's done, you can see she's out cold, can't you?" Sakura scolded.

"Stop, Goofball! Stop pushing her! She's done enough already!"

Gasps of shock escaped everyone as Hinata, who they thought was unconscious, shakily made it up onto un-sturdy legs. She held her side, her frame hunched over and quivering from the pain she was experiencing.

 _Hinata…your will is incredible._

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Mimi cursed under her breath, her jitters growing worse. She grabbed onto the railing but her muscles stiffened and kept her from flinging herself down there. "Stop it, Hinata! He'll kill you!"

Amari believed her. Covertly, she prepared herself for action, steadily sending chakra through her body in preparation of a Body Flicker Technique.

"I'm far from finished," the shy girl said firmly.

"Drop the act," Neji said. "You're barely able to hold yourself up. You've been carrying a heavy burden by being born to the Main Branch of the Hyūga Clan. And you've cursed and blamed yourself for being too weak, but it isn't in your power. People can't change the way they are; it is what it is. Just accept defeat and you won't have to suffer anymore."

"No," Hinata panted, shaking her head ever so slightly. "You're wrong, brother. You've got it backwards. You see, I can tell you are the one who carries a heavier burden than I. You're suffering on the inside because of the fate of the Main and Side Branches of our Clan. Because of what happened between our fathers."

Those final words sent Neji into a rage. He charged the weakened Hinata with blind anger and the intent to kill, roaring with raw emotion of the pain she accurately pinpointed.

 _Oh no you don't!_

Amari's body flooded with chakra and then she was gone. A large explosion of smoke surrounded Neji and quickly dispersed, revealing Kakashi, Guy, Hayate, and Kurenai all holding the boy back.

Her sensei had a firm grip on his extended right arm, Hayate had his two fingers set right against Neji's forehead protector, Guy had the boy in a headlock and her mother was crouched down holding his other arm in place.

Directly in front of Hinata were Mimi, Aoko and Amari. The Inuzuka duo were on All-Fours while Amari stood braced and ready to launch forward right at Neji.

"Fancy meeting you here, Mimi," she tried to lighten the atmosphere.

"Fancy that," she growled.

"Can you check on Hinata? I think they have him handled."

"Yeah, just keep on your guard. I don't want _him_ anywhere near her." Mimi stood up and turned to the Hyūga heiress. "Hey," her voice was far gentler, "let's sit you down so I can get to work. You took some serious damage in your fight. I know you can feel it; it'd be impossible for anyone to not feel it. Easy there, slow. There we go."

"Th- thank you."

"You know, you put up a damn good fight. I haven't known them long, but I could tell Kurenai-sensei and Shino were really proud of you, so wipe that sad look off your face. You got nothing to be ashamed of. Amari and Naruto, everyone really, thought you were incredible."

Amari tuned out of their conversation at the sound of Guy's voice. Her eye darted forward and back to the boy struggling to break free of the Jōnins grasps.

"Get ahold of yourself, Neji. You promised you wouldn't let the state of the Hyūga Clan get you so riled up."

"Why are you and the other Jōnin butting in?" the boy growled back.

"You've already won the match, kid." Kakashi did not sound pleased. His eye bored down on the boy. "But that's not enough for you, is it? You've let this personal vendetta of yours cloud your judgement. You have incredible talent, I don't deny that, but so long as you hold onto this hatred of yours, I will personally ensure you are never promoted. Even if you somehow win this tournament, I will see you remain a Genin for the rest of your life until you _grow up_."

"Kakashi, that's not your decision," Guy tried to argue.

"No, Guy, it may not be, but I will argue my point to our superiors for as long as it takes them to see the truth." Kakashi's eye squinted into a frightening glare. "This isn't his first time trying to kill a fellow Leaf shinobi. During our little contest he purposefully struck Amari with a blow that would have put her in critical condition. Fortunately for her she used a Clone in her place. Now this?

"To purposefully try to kill fellow Leaf shinobi's is unacceptable. It's not the mind of a leader. No, it's a disgrace to the headband you earned." The glare intensified. "Someone like him, he'd let his entire squad be sacrificed for the sake of a mission and call it a success. That _is not_ the way of the Leaf."

"He's right," Hayate said. "I will remain neutral and give my reports of his talent as is my duty, but should I be asked for my personal opinion, it will not be positive. Neji, you have great skill." The proctor coughed into his free hand, the fingers of his other still pressed against the Hyūga's headband. "I am sure no one will dispute this point. You are also intelligent and one day may be a great leader and one of the Leaf's elites. But Kakashi has described your attitude perfectly: You are clouded by a personal vendetta. Hinata had clearly been defeated and, despite her standing up again, I would have ended the match to prevent loss of life."

Hayate coughed again. Someone really needed to take care of that for him.

"Yet you still charged her with the intent to kill. Leaf shinobi killing Leaf shinobi is unacceptable," he stated. No anger. No emotion. Just simple facts.

"Oh so the Main Branch gets special treatment, huh?!"

"My opinion would remain the same had she been any of the Leaf shinobi here," Hayate continued. "For example, had Mimi Inuzuka tried to kill Hironori instead of incapacitating him, I would hold the same feelings and opinion for her as I do you. I am only slightly more lenient for her due to Hironori continuously using derogatory insults in regards to her Clan.

"Let it be said, though, her quick temper needs to be worked on if she intends to be a leader. Her attempt to attack Temari, and her subsequent grapple with Amaririsu Yūhi, is dangerous example of unchecked anger."

"Fortunately for both of you, there's still plenty of time for you two to grow and mature," Kakashi said evenly. "You've both earned a chance to prove it in the finals. For your sake, I hope you've been listening _very_ clearly to what we've said."

Rough coughs turning into choking sounds startled Amari from her eavesdropping. She spun back around to see Hinata laid flat on her back. Fresh blood ran down her chin, pain was etched into her features and her breathing uneven. Mimi kneeled at her side. Alarm was clear in her body language and in her eyes as Aoko barked at her.

"I know, I know! Damn it to hell, why isn't it working?" she cursed under her breath. She unzipped Hinata's sweater and pressed her ear to her heart, listening intently before snapping back up and placing her green glowing hands over it. "Hey, stay here. Look me in the eyes and stay here, Hinata. You hear me!"

"Mi…Mi," the girl choked.

"Yeah, that's me. Medic-nin extraordinaire. One day gonna be better than Lady Tsunade herself. And you, you're gonna be just fine. Just stay here, you get me?"

"Ye- yes."

"Good. Just— Hey, keep your damn eyes open. I'm talkin' to ya! Don't you know it's rude to close your eyes when someone's talkin' to ya?"

The frantic nature of Mimi's voice concerned Amari immensely. She was beginning to shorten her words, talking the same way she did when she was enraged.

Amari stood rooted in her spot, unsure of what she should do or if she should do anything at all. It wasn't as if she knew Medical Ninjutsu. So she stood there, frozen in place as she watched Mimi work.

"Sor- Sorry," Hinata apologized weakly. Her eyes struggled to stay open.

"You better be. Don't think I just talk to anyone when I'm healin' 'em. I've gotta particular taste in people." Mimi spun her head around to look at her and the adults. "Get your Medical Ninja's out here! I can keep her stabilized, but she needs professional help right now!"

The adults heeded her words. Kurenai rushed over to Hinata's other side and took hold of her hand while Hayate disappeared to retrieve the Medical-Ninja's. Guy and Kakashi hovered near Neji. The boy didn't rush in for the kill. He just stood there, watching the situation unfold with cold eyes. Eyes full of hatred. Eyes of condescension, as if Hinata deserved what he gave her.

Naruto, Lee and Sakura joined the group, stricken with worry as they too rushed to Hinata's side. Amari wanted to. She really did. She just…didn't. They were consumed by emotions. Fear. Concern. Hope they could do something to help, but they couldn't. Just like her, they didn't know anything about Medical Ninjutsu. They'd all only get in Mimi's way.

Besides, she had another set of emotions tugging at her. Violent emotions. Emotions that _demanded_ to be unleashed.

"Give her some damn room, Goofball! I get you're worried, but she needs some space!"

Amari watched as Hinata coughed up blood again. "Hinata!" her mother cried out in worry.

Mimi put together an impressive string of curses under her breath before raising her voice. "Neji, you prick! I can't believe you actually tried to kill her!" Her blue eyes never left Hinata, neither did her hands. But Amari's body shifted, turning in place so her onyx eye could sear into Neji's soul.

Neji snorted. A smug smirk twitched onto his lips. "Glare all you like. You're just as responsible for her state as I am. Encouraging such foolish behavior, telling her she could win as if she truly had a chance; it's because of _you_ she kept fighting. Not me. I told her to forfeit. I gave her legitimate reasons why she shouldn't fight, but you and that fool pushed her."

Amari grit her teeth and clenched her hands into fists.

"Hey! Stay right here, Hinata! Look at me! Look at me damn it! Where the hell are those Medical-Ninja's?!"

Mimi's frantic yelling was nails on chalkboard for Amari. Not her fault. She didn't realize the darkness latching its scorching nails into the Uchiha's heart, setting the blood in her veins on fire with every pulsation of her heart.

"I don't use these words lightly, so when I say them, know they're coming straight from my heart. You are worse than scum," she said. Her voice was even, her words sharpened to a fine point. Hatred dripped off the blade. A dark, poisonous hatred.

She wanted to make him _suffer_. Just like Hinata was. He didn't deserve to walk around, chin held high as if he was so great with that stupid condescending look on his face. He deserved to _suffer_. Every ounce of pain Hinata was enduring right now, the coughs that made her chest ache, the crimson, metallic liquid her taste buds were flooded in, _he_ deserved _that_.

Not her. No, never Hinata. Hinata was innocent, compassionate, gentle, never had a bad thing to say to anyone. Even when people deserved it, she stayed respectful. She didn't look at others as if they were trash. She didn't treat others as if her birth into the honorable Hyūga Clan made her far better than those around her.

She was nothing like Neji.

Neji sneered at her. "Is that so? Worse than scum, huh? What does that make you? A righteous hero?" He scoffed. "Please, don't delude yourself into thinking you are anything more than a half-breed. You're not scum. You're not even trash. You are beneath the scum and trash. You are the bottom-feeder parasite inflicted on your Clans, just as Mimi is on the Inuzuka Clan."

The hatred grew. The heat pumping through her veins intensified and turned Amari's eye the color of fire unconsciously. She didn't even notice Naruto and Lee's small confrontation with Neji. Her mind tugged further and further towards the darkness. How _dare_ he say that about her and Mimi. How _dare_ he call her a half-breed, _again_. Not even just a half-breed, but a bottom-feeder parasite.

All Amari could see in her vision was Neji. Everything else, everyone else, they were gone. Shrouded by the violent darkness tunneling her vision on him. This anger, this hatred, she couldn't control it. The more he opened his mouth, the more she wanted to destroy him. She could feel her nails digging into her palms, to the point of almost drawing blood. Her teeth felt on the verge of cracking she was clenching them so tightly.

Then, a voice spoke. Not Amari's voice. It didn't belong to the girl or the kunoichi. It belonged to a different person altogether. The voice cut the air with coldness she found unnerving.

"I don't delude myself into thinking I'm some righteous hero," the foreign voice said. "A righteous hero wouldn't want to disassemble you into such small pieces, you could fit in a to-go box from Ichiraku."

"Amari," Kakashi's voice warned.

Amari didn't know why he was talking to her. She wasn't even the one talking. Whoever this new person was frightened her. They felt dark and cold. Full of nothing except hatred and unquenchable rage.

"A righteous hero would look at you and find something worth redeeming. A righteous hero would try to show you the error of your ways. A righteous hero wouldn't look at you and see her next victim."

Killing intent unshackled itself and swarmed Neji. The boy flinched and shivered as the red eyed, demonic dragon flashed before his eyes and glared straight into the place he called a soul. "Call me or Mimi a half-breed again. I _dare_ you. Because when you do, I'll break you bone by bone. Finger by finger. I'll break you until you beg for mercy. And then I'll keep breaking you until you realize one truth: For scum like you, I have no mercy to give."

Oh. Uh-oh. This _was_ her. What remained of Amari's rationality flickered on like a nearly dead light bulb and found itself deep in roaring waves of darkness. In a desperate attempt to regain control, she started swimming through the dark ocean towards the light of her Will of Fire. She swam and swam and swam, but her struggle was in vain. The undertow tugged her down deeper into the ice cold darkness. She had better luck swimming up a waterfall.

A bead of sweat fell down Neji's cheek. His left foot unconsciously slid backwards—a sign of retreat from the killing intent flooding off her. "You bullied and tried to manipulate Hinata. You treated her like trash, and you have the gall to say you gave her _legitimate_ reasons to forfeit? You have the gall to act smug when she could die?"

Amari's foot stepped forward. As it did, the physical form of Amaririsu Yūhi disappeared fully and the visage of the demonic dragon took over. Sharpened teeth, fiery eyes, snarls and rumbling growls that shook Neji to his very core. And death. His death reflected in those red eyes.

She had never seen Neji look so frightened before. She never would again.

"Pray she lives, Neji. Pray she doesn't succumb to her injuries. Because if she dies…I will make it my personal mission to send you straight to hell."

Amari felt the weight of a hand on her shoulder. Desperate for help, she internally latched onto it and hoped it would pull her ashore. "Excuse us." It was Kakashi. Weightlessness followed the absence of Neji in front of her. Kakashi's face then filled her vision. There wasn't a hint of amusement or humor in his eye. She wasn't seeing Kakashi her kind mentor. This was Kakashi the shinobi. One of the few people who could see the darkness lurking in her; someone who always stood ready to defend her and others from it.

"Calm. Down."

Not a question. Not a debate. An order.

Amari shut her eye and exhaled a shaky breath. She hadn't known it was possible to be frightened by herself.

 _Here we are, though…_

"…He…He called me a bottom-feeder parasite."

Those words hurt. They tangled themselves in past pain and aided the darkness lingering beyond where her dōjutsu could see.

"And he's wrong."

"The Uchiha's used to…they used to look at me the same way he does. I can feel it in my heart. Every time he calls me a half-breed, this…this terrible feeling swarms me. Old pains knot themselves together and make me so angry! Because I couldn't be angry back then! I couldn't fight back. I was too frightened and helpless and my heart hurt so much, I just wanted to disappear from the world. And the way he treated Hinata when she did nothing wrong…Everything went dark. I didn't even realize I was the one talking."

"Hatred blinds all. Remember your nindo, Amari. Remember who you are. Because the display down there is someone you don't want to be. Trust me, I know."

The time it took everyone to return to the balcony and for the arena to be fully cleared was enough for Amari to regain control of her emotions. She could still feel the incessant tugging in her heart. The tug-of-war between darkness and light. But as long as she held true to her nindo and stayed close to the fire in her heart…as long as she had people like her sensei around to reach out to her, she knew she would be okay.

Kakashi stayed at her side. His body served as a physical barrier between her and Team Guy. It kept Neji from her vision and Neji from instigating her further. She saw Mimi, though. The Inuzuka looked tired. Could have been only chakra exhaustion, but Amari believed part of it was emotional as well. She knew hers was.

The exhaustion evaporated at the sight of her name on the monitor.

"Good luck, Amari," Sakura said with a smile.

Naruto grinned at her. "Yeah, show that guy whose boss, Amari."

Kakashi ruffled her hair. Amari looked back only once to meet her mother's eyes, finding a smile and a confident nod. "Do your best, little one."

"I will." She jumped up onto the railing then, in a flash, was gone. Amari reappeared on the ground in a crouch.

 _Amaririsu Yūhi vs. Hisashi of the Leaf._

Now it was her chance to follow Sasuke and Naruto to the finals. She wouldn't waste the opportunity. A Nara and Uchiha never wasted opportunities like these.

It was finally time to fight.


	35. Chapter 34: Amari's Desperation

Chapter 34

Amari's Desperation: A Dragon's Spirit Revealed!

Hisashi, like his teammates, was older than the Rookie Ten and Team Guy; at least four years older than Amari, maybe even five by her estimations. He towered over the younger kunoichi by several heads. Naturally his height advantage came with greater reach; Hisashi's strong arms and legs outmatched her smaller, twelve year old arms and legs in length. She'd be nervous if every opponent she faced didn't have these same advantages on her.

Her growth spurt hadn't exactly hit yet, but it would! …One of these days. Somedays she feared she'd be short for the rest of her life. She wondered if her parents had been tall. Had one been short? What if she ended up with a rare gene of shortness in her family? _I can't think like that. I'll hit a growth spurt! I'll become taller!_

… _Hopefully_. Amari sighed. _At least I'm used to fighting taller opponents._ It rendered the advantage mostly moot. Training with her mother taught her how to make the best out of her shorter size against an opponent with better reach and longer legs than her.

Her opponent had unruly sandy blond hair underneath the forehead protector he wore as a full bandana. The length of his hair reached his shoulders in the back but only his cheekbones in the front. He wore an opened black sleeveless jacket and nothing beneath it, a blue sash around his waist, slightly baggier standard Konoha uniform pants and sandals.

Overall he wasn't in bad shape. Lean and mean with light definition to the muscles in his arms and entire torso. The shirtless display probably had Ino lovesick.

Amari was unbothered. It took more than abs and the chiseled torso of an enemy to distract her. Her tactical eye was drawn to two far more important details. It flicked down to the sword hung from his sash, hidden in its black scabbard, awaiting its call to battle from its master. Ornate designs decorated the hilt and the guard, and no doubt the steel within the scabbard was in pristine condition. His hand rested on the hilt, ready to spring it forth in the blink of an eye to cut her down.

 _And I'm down to two kunai._ The rest of her tools were used to combat Orochimaru and his Sound shinobi puppets. It didn't help her that right hand—her dominant hand—had numb fingertips and tingles dancing up through the arm itself. She was better off keeping the limb in the sling. Her right hands grip strength wouldn't be impressive, probably akin to a cooked noodle more than the firm rock climber grip she was used to. With only two kunai left, the loss of a single blade in the midst of combat could be fatal.

Which led into her second detail: Hisashi's eyes examined every detail about her. He saw the bandages on her right thigh, the sling holding up her arm, the torn up tank top and dried bloodstains; he saw her weakness. Her wounds couldn't be hidden from the analytical eyes of her opponent.

Unlike Hironori, Hisashi didn't have a single qualm about fighting her. He didn't see the wounds and scoff at her decision to fight. He looked at her as an alpha wolf might size up a new contender; cautious, pointed, intelligent. Could this new challenger be the one to topple him? Were the wounds superficial? Was she playing possum, hoping to get him to lower his guard even a little?

Hisashi showed no intention of lowering his guard. He remained alert. Eyes examining the kunoichi before him as she examined him in return. What kind of threat might she pose? What had the Hyūga felt to back away from her moments before? Why had her Sensei taken her away?

 _He's not going to underestimate me._ Normally she'd be glad. Being underestimated perturbed her greatly, but at a time like this Amari would have liked the advantage of underestimation. Given the choice to pick her opponent, she would have easily chosen Zaku or one of the other Sound shinobi. Against them she could use her Sharingan to strap them in a genjutsu the moment the fight started, preventing the agitation of her injuries and sealing her victory before anyone could blink.

Against Hisashi, though… She couldn't risk it. Being a Leaf shinobi wasn't enough to earn her trust anymore. Kabuto proved her a fool. Preyed on her loyalty to the Leaf to attach himself to her team like a parasite. To use the Sharingan—an eye meant to be kept secret—against him could lead to unknown consequences she couldn't foresee or defend against. Hisashi might blab about her Sharingan to anyone who listened, spreading the news throughout the Leaf or even the Shinobi Nations of another Uchiha survivor. Eyes would be drawn to her. Unwanted eyes of powerful shinobi she had no chance against.

The sight of it could stir in his heart the same greed that led Kasai to kill Ryu. Maybe not here, but later Hisashi could decide to steal it for himself. The urge to gain new power to overcome his weakness could drive him to pluck the eye from her head. For his sake and her safety, she couldn't risk using it here.

 _I'll have to win without my Sharingan._ She glanced down to her right arm. _And my right arm, I suppose. I'll still be able to create handseals, but I'll need to rely on my feet and left hand for combat. Plus my Byakugan._

This whole thing was going to be a drag, she could feel it. Her tactical mind needed to be her main weapon. Down to three limbs, no Sharingan and two kunai placed her at a significant handicap due to her injuries. Hisashi wielded a sword; that meant he would want to stay close, force her to fight his battle instead of the other way around. His sword wasn't bulky like Zabuza's. It'd be meant for quicker strikes, not large, powerful cleaves.

So how was she going to play this?

Hayate looked between them. "Amaririsu Yūhi and Hisashi of the Leaf, are you ready to begin?"

Amari activated her Byakugan and grabbed at her back pouch where the hilt of a kunai waited for her. "Ready," she said. The cool steel brushed against her fingertips and she gripped the hilt. Her heart beat steadily raised its tempo a single notch; electricity flowed through her veins. Her fight was mere seconds away. The anticipation she felt as her feet shifted into place made her thrum in excitement.

Hisashi's sword hand barely moved at all, but her left eye caught the slightest twitch as the fingers tightened around the hilt. Unreadable to the naked eye, of course. _He's planning to end this with the first blow._ Smart. She was thinking the exact same thing. Their similar strategies turned this first move into a game of quick draw. Whoever drew first could seal victory. If her reflexes were even a fraction of a second late, this fight would end as soon as it began.

"I'm ready," Hisashi said, cool and collected. Arrogant, but not smug.

Hayate swung his hand down. "Begin."

Only in her Byakugan eye could she see every single movement he made. The contractions of his muscles in his arm, the shine of the pristine steel as it sprung from the scabbard and his Body Flicker all moved naturally to her left eye, as if these movements did not happen in milliseconds. Amari dashed in simultaneously, mirroring his use of the Body Flicker as she darted in a half circle to her left, hoping to out maneuver him. As she moved, he tracked her and adjusted course appropriately, planting his foot and pivoting direction. Every adjustment and movement was imperceptive to anyone except a veteran or a dōjutsu wielder.

 _He reacted a fraction of a second faster than me._ Internally she smiled. _Heh, what a drag._ She spun her kunai into the proper guard and slid on her feet across the concrete, preparing her body for their strikes to land.

All her peers saw was Hayate's hand swing down then the two shinobi disappear upon blinking. Sounds of metal colliding against metal hit their senses next and, as their eyes opened, they noticed the new positions of the two combatants. Amari now faced the giant statue's arms coming out of the wall, her kunai holding back Hisashi's blade. Her opponent stood calm and collected behind his blade, unfazed by the draw.

 _This guy has lightning fast reflexes._ His blade pushed down on her, seeking out the flesh beneath it with its master's strength. She pivoted her body and pushed the blade off to the side. Before she could capitalize, the sharpened steel sought her out again. Their blades met twice more; parries of aggressive attacks as their feet carried her enemy forward on offense and her backward on defense. Hisashi swiped twice, hopped back and sheathed his sword—his hand held the hilt tightly and his feet braced to spring him ahead like a kangaroo as she moved in.

 _I see._ Amari hit her skids, pivoted her body towards his blade and spun her kunai into a guard. Their blades met again and held one another back.

"Your reaction speed is impressive. I've felled more than twenty bandits and shinobi with that move. But can you keep it up when all I need is one strike to finish you?" Hisashi said.

The weight against her blade vanished. _So this is what it's like to face a Body Flicker user like me. Talk about a drag._ Amari tracked him via her Byakugan and spun one-eighty on her toes to face him again then dashed ahead to force him to strike earlier than he intended. _One strike is all he needs?_ Sounded like his arrogance needed to be crushed into dust.

Hisashi planted his foot and sprang in at her, sheathed blade all but jumping from its scabbard into its master's hand once more to cut an angular upward slash. He followed the parried attack with a series of steel strikes biting at her with the speed of a viper. Amari dodged back out of range of the first strike then sped in, parrying the second and third before getting past his reach advantage. In close, she used her left forearm to block his arms before they could bring his blade into range, halting his forth attack completely. Hisashi reacted quickly, dodging back and out of range of her shorter leg as she tried to land a chakra filled strike to his ribs.

Then he was back on her, blade striking fast. The cutting of air and clang of their blades filled her ears with the symphony of battle. Both tried to unsuccessful ends to land the first blow. Hisashi's footwork and technique were far superior to her own. Every move was fluid, every opening covered—the result of years of practice and experience she had yet to gain.

Neither blade greeted flesh. He kept himself covered with his technique; she kept her body unharmed through quick reflexes honed by a Jōnin mother combined with her dōjutsu's ability to perceive body movements.

Hisashi pressed his assault and kept her on the back foot. _I won't win this fight in a one-on-one duel_ , she realized, dodging her torso back for the blade to pass underneath her chin. She could see the reflection of her face on the steel; determination and focus rather than anger or fear.

Although she could wield a kunai with her left hand, there was a definitive difference between her skill and Hisashi's. He outmatched her. _I'd feel more comfortable with two blades instead of one…_

Two well-timed blocks kept his blade from opening new wounds. Amari held him in a deadlock, both using only one hand to hold their chosen weapons, eyebrows furrowed in their resolve to win this battle. _He's too skilled for me to find a decent opening. I'll need a different strategy to beat him._ Continuing to fight to his tune would only expend more of her energy as he wore her down strike by strike. The longer it went on, the higher the likelihood Hisashi found an opening in her defenses. She couldn't risk that. _I need to force him to start fighting my fight._

"You've managed to last beyond one minute without a single scratch. I must say, you have skill. Still, this fight is over." Hisashi brought his free hand up and created a seal; his pointer and middle finger flexed upright while his ring finger and pinky bent at horizontal angle to create a cross.

Amari's eyes widened. _A one-handed handseal?!_ Only highly advanced shinobi could pull off techniques with one hand. _Aw man, what a drag!_

A second chakra signature matching Hisashi's formed directly behind her. _A Shadow Clone?_ Amari's Byakugan witnessed the Clone reach for its blade. Her heart hammered against her chest in a desperate attempt to break from of its cage and spare her life. As the clone drew his sword, instinct directed her right hand into action. Fabric tore as a blade cut through the cloth sling. Amari pivoted on her left foot, the white cloth falling from her body, revealing her second kunai gripped tightly in her right hand.

 _Clang!_

Amari grit her teeth. The reverberations of the block rolled up her tingly right arm into her shoulder. The grip on her last kunai shook as she held it vertical next to her right hip, the blade pointed towards the ground while holding Hisashi's back mere inches from her flesh.

"How did you—"

"I kept a kunai in my sling just in case I needed it. And your handseal looked similar to the Clone Seal for the Shadow Clone Jutsu. You also gave away its solid nature when you bragged about the fight being over." Her eye narrowed. "Don't predict a fantasy you can't turn into reality. I'm only getting started."

Chakra swirled across the ground around her feet in a ring of green fire. An instant later she released it and flew out of the deadlock into a tactical retreat. _I'm impressed he can even use Shadow Clones. It isn't as if they don't take their toll on chakra reserves. The fact he even managed to do it with a one-handed handseal…_

Her enemy was dangerous, that was for certain. One wrong move and she'd end up needing more than surgery after this fight was over.

Amari landed on the arena floor then jumped again, backflipping and parrying two separate blows from the two Hisashi's. She landed feet first on one of the arms of the statue. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Two Amari's appeared on either side of her just as her two quick opponents darted in from her sides. Their blades met the kunais of her Clones, but her hands were already moving through handseals. _Dragon, Rat._ "Now try this. Ninja Art: Shadow Dragon!"

Two separate black tendrils shot between the legs of her clones, shaping into the heads of four-horned dragons. Both Hisashi's jumped back, narrowly dodging the dragons lunging at their legs. Amari retracted the dragon going for the clone and created another Shadow Dragon to send after the real one. With one of her clones keeping Hisashi's at bay, the other sped after the real one, running alongside the two Shadow Dragon tendrils on the hunt for human flesh.

 _Speed is his ally_ , Amari noted, eyes watching her enemy as he hopped back swiftly to avoid the Dragons hunting him. Hisashi relied on his quickness to outmatch his opponent and break their defenses where he could land fast slashes. Because of her dōjutsu and speed, though, she was able to neutralize this advantage he would hold against the likes of Naruto or Shikamaru and Chōji. Hence why he decided to use a Shadow Clone. If he couldn't overwhelm her by himself, he could do it with two.

Again her abilities allowed her to neutralize his advantage. He never suspected her to be able to use the Shadow Clone Jutsu either or for her to be able to create the sudden disadvantage of numbers. _Now_ it was time to test how fast he really was. One mistake and her Dragons would have a new meal to feast on and _break_.

The Shadow tendrils curved and chased him up the vertical statue hands. Her clone sped in, clashing steel against steel in rapid strikes that kept Hisashi on retreat. Hisashi parried a strike and kicked the clone away. Simultaneously a Shadow Dragon lifted off the hands and shot directly at his chest. Her opponent skidded back and watched as the Shadow Dragon pierced into the stone. His head jolted to the floor beside him as the other darted right for him—mouth open and sharpened teeth ready to break him.

He handspringed back again, equipping three kunais and throwing them towards the real Amari just as the Dragon ensnared his foot. The Byakugan analyzed the paper bombs attached before the three kunais were in blast range. Amari smirked. _Good move. He knew he was about to get caught so he's giving me no choice but to release him or be blown up._

The Shadow Dragons receded and released him as she jolted forward in a Body Flicker. The explosive kunais landed a moment later and exploded. Heat caressed her skin and air pushed her wild hair to drape over her shoulders as curtains of blue. Amari's head lifted up to the heavens to see Hisashi diving at her, blade at the ready for another strike. _And now he's pressing the assault so I can't focus on my Shadow Dragon Jutsu._

Amari cartwheeled back out of range of the strike and let her Clone put herself between her and her opponent to block the next strike. Hisashi's eyes watched the clone and the floor equally. Intelligent. He wasn't going to let her previous trick come close to him again. _What he doesn't realize is the toll my Shadow Dragons take on me. For me to extend two of them that far drains a lot more chakra than the average Shadow Possession. The fact I wasn't able to capture him means the next use won't be as strong. I'll need to save it and my chakra for a moment where he'll have no chance to escape or dodge it._

"I have to say, you have skill," she parroted his words back at him. "And you're fast, but let's see how long you can keep it up when we go full blast!"

Amari hopped over the clone holding Hisashi in place, light gleaming off her onyx kunai blades. Hisashi pushed her clone away and blocked her first strike and second strike. The Nara's feet touched the surface of the statue again and she launched an assault of aggressive attacks. His eyes watched her movements closely, using her own body language against her to predict her attacks.

Rapid strikes were parried one after another after another; sparks flew from their blades at each meet of steel, warming the blades at the points of impact. Amari spun like a dancer on her toes in her whirlwind of strikes, blades seamlessly spinning in her hands to attack from different angles before she firmly held her ground to block Hisashi's offensive strike, catching his blade between both kunais. Tingles shot through her right arm and irritated her shoulder again, but she ignored it and how the kunai shook in her grip.

Now wasn't the time for weakness.

Amari's clone slid between her wide stance legs, a surprise attack that had the desired effect. Hisashi cursed and jumped back, blocking the two thrown kunai blades out of air before landing on the hands of the statue again. Chakra emanated from his feet to hold him in place; he lifted his blade in front of him and pointed it directly at the Nara.

Amari received the silent message loud and clear.

 _Show me what you can do!_

If that's what he wanted, she would make him regret asking for her very best. The real Amari shot at him, zigzagging up the vertical hands and engaging her enemy once more in a fierce duel.

For the second time in the fight, Hisashi didn't push forward on offense. He ran backwards on defense, parrying and dodging every fierce attack all the way up to the tips of the statues fingers and down the other side. Amari reached the tip of the fingers then swan dived off with chakra, shooting through the air faster than a kunai and clashing with Hisashi's blade as she darted past him.

"Take this!" The kunoichi spun her body around and tossed her right kunai back up at him before corkscrewing to land on her feet. Hisashi spun around and dodged his head out of the way of the kunai, still calm and collected despite their battle. The blade impaled against the statue fingers behind him. He skidded to a stop in his forward momentum when he saw her hands in Tiger.

 _Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!_

A barrage of fireballs from the hottest depths of hell surged out of her belly and throat on a direct course to scorch her opponent. Thinking quickly, Hisashi sheathed his blade and dodged back, handspringing his way up the statue hands out of the way of her attack and, unbeknownst to him, right into another.

"Hope you didn't forget about me!"

Hisashi gasped. He _did_ forget about her clone. Spinning around, Hisashi tried in futility to block the weaponless clone's attack. She feinted a right then Body Flickered past his guard to land a hard left hook. The punch had him stumbling back past the kunai he dodged. Her clone sprinted ahead, sliding across the statue with chakra, grabbing the kunai and hopping up to attack. Hisashi's unsheathed his sword fast, the sound of the steel sliding out, cutting through air and meeting the kunai heard by all.

Unwilling to stand by and watch the fight without participating herself, Amari dashed up the hands again to attack her enemy from behind. As she neared him, he blocked a strike from her clone then proceeded to awe his opponent and the spectators. Despite having no dōjutsu, Hisashi fought the two Amari's on singlehandedly with them at his front and back. Hisashi pirouetted and moved with such agility and technique he essentially had someone fighting back to back with him despite his clone engaging hers on the other side of the hands. Soon it was the Amari's on defense as he pushed them back with his defensive offense.

 _Kami, this guy is good._

Hisashi blocked her strike, ducked under her clones then sliced the clone in half. Her second kunai fell past her, but she couldn't let it be lost at a time like this. Amari cut off the chakra to her feet and let gravity pull her towards the forearms; the action causing Hisashi's blade to slash the air as he spun back around to attack her. Distant clangs of blades sounded off from the other side. _At least my clone is putting up a decent fight._

Her opponent darted at her through the air, streamlining himself to reach her faster. "Shadow Clone Jutsu." Another clone appeared in front of her. She pressed her feet to its back and pushed off into a nosedive directly at her kunai. Her fingers curled around the hilt once more before she flipped around to land feet first on the forearms of the statue. Her clone popped simultaneously. Amari lifted her blades up, braced her body and blocked the hard downward slash from Hisashi.

This time the aches rolled through her right thigh as well as her arm.

Amari grit her teeth and pushed Hisashi back before hopping back, hands darting through handseals. _Burn out!_

 _Fire Style: Fire Ball Barrage!_

One small fire ball after another raced for Hisashi. Again he impressed her with his speed, darting out of the way of every single attack until but two meters separated them. Amari's foot touched the statue again and chakra flooded through her body. She shifted the weight of her body from backwards movements to a charge. Then she was gone.

Hisashi's eyes widened when she appeared sliding on her back across the hard surface of the statue directly at him. He instinctively jumped up and started weaving handseals one-handed again before inhaling. Amari knew the familiar technique before it could expel from his lungs. She expanded her own inhale and molded her chakra to increase the power and size of her next attack.

Together they unleashed shapeless torrents of hellish fire at one another. The blasts impacted like an explosion of paper bombs, covering them in smoke as their attacks doused each other. Amari spun back up into a crouch, kunais at the ready in front of her. Hisashi landed and held his blade up in anticipation for the next strike. Neither moved immediately, their breathing not heavy or labored by exhaustion, but uneven after such an exchange of blows.

 _He's fast. His technique and skill with a sword is great. He knows ninjutsu and can use one-handed handseals._

Hisashi was an excellent opponent for her. She couldn't help but smirk. The sight of her lips turning upwards turned his in the opposite direction. "What's with that smile on your face?"

"I'm just excited to be challenged. I came to these Exams hoping to be pushed and forced to overcome my weaknesses. You're delivering on everything I wanted."

Hisashi stared at her, dumbfounded for a moment. Then he chuckled despite himself. "Heh. Well, the feeling's mutual, I suppose." He readied his blade and his body for attack. Every tiny muscle ripple hinted at his planned attack, she just had to read it. "But I'm not here to make friends. I'm here to win."

"So am I."

With that, the battle continued.

* * *

 _Leave it to 'Risu to enjoy a tough fight. Troublesome girl_ , Shikamaru thought, rolling his eyes. She didn't even look worried despite not landing a single defining blow yet. Then again, Hisashi hadn't either. Looking at how this battle turned out, he was happy to get Kin for his opponent instead of Hisashi. Sure, he had to fight a girl, and that was a drag. And he didn't even want to be here fighting anyways, but at least Kin was too overconfident like her other Sound shinobi pals. It let him play her right into his hands.

Against a guy like this, though? He'd be screwed. He just didn't have the reaction times Amari had, or the stamina. These two fought on an entirely different level than he was used to. The Nara boy watched as closely as he could, afraid if he blinked he would miss the decisive moment.

Hisashi's set of skills were impressive. Especially his ability to fend off his cousin and her clone to make the numbers game moot. _Technique like that, it takes years of dedication. To fight off two enemies as if he has eyes in the back of his head when they're coming at you with the speed and strength 'Risu uses takes experience none of us have yet. He turned defense into offense as if it was nothing._

Amari was clearly at a disadvantage going in. Her injuries left her using her non-dominant hand at first, and every renewed strike with her right risked agitating the injury and losing the blade. Those were her known disadvantages at the start. Now that he had seen Hisashi fight, he could say with certainty that Amari didn't have the same ability and finesse he did in swordplay. She was good, better than every Genin except Tenten, but Hisashi was an expert with his sword. It was an extension of himself. To put it in a corny way, he was one with his sword, and his sword was one with him.

This made Amari's ability to stay on even ground a greater feat. Even Asuma was impressed by the two, and the guy had hardly got into any of the fights.

"Whoa, Amaririsu and Hisashi are amazing. I can barely track them," Chōji said, his awe clear.

Shikamaru felt it too. The awe. The amazement at both his cousin's and this other guy's skill. The sudden doubt in his own ability to win a match like this. He was too slow. He preferred slow. Being energetic or moving any faster than necessary wasn't his style. Shikamaru preferred to move at the speed of clouds, not the speed of sound, but this battle was a perfect example of what to expect between two shinobi. If he ever faced a swordsman like Hisashi—who relied on quickness to overwhelm his opponent—or someone like his cousin—who coupled speed with strength as well as physical and mental flexibility—a simple Shadow Possession trick wasn't going to do him much good.

Something flickered on in him because of the battle. Was he…feeling motivated to be better?

 _I blame you for this, 'Risu._

"I'm just glad I'm not the only one," Ino said. "You weren't kidding, Sakura. How is Amaririsu this good? She's keeping up with someone with more experience than her without breaking a sweat."

"That's my little one," Kurenai beamed in pride.

The pair returned to the side of the hands; their clones mirrored their fight on the other side, only reversed. The real Amari was being pushed towards the fingertips while the clone Amari pushed Hisashi up towards the top.

"Watch them closely, all of you," Asuma said. "This is what full battle intensity between shinobi looks like. One wrong step, one misjudged strike and it will be all over for one of them."

Shikamaru wasn't a frontline fighter. He was support. A tactician who worked from the back to come up with a strategy so the frontlines could defeat the opposition. Through their missions as a team and even in the Forest of Death he never experienced frontline fighting. He saw glimpses of it. Heard about it from the likes of his father and Asuma. His sensei spent a few shogi games talking to him about it, usually scolding him when he complained about how much of a drag the lessons were.

 _"You know, despite having a genius level intellect, you can be incredibly shortsighted, Shikamaru,"_ Asuma once chastised him.

 _"Huh?"_

 _"I'm not telling you about how fast paced a frontline fight is because I want to regale you with old battles of mine. I'm telling you because you need to be prepared."_

 _"Prepared for what? You said it yourself, we're a support team. We won't be on the frontlines."_

 _Asuma sighed. "One of these days you'll understand."_

"This is what you meant," Shikamaru said suddenly. He hated how slow he was sometimes. All this brain power and something so simple could slip past him. It was such a drag.

"What who meant? Are you okay, Shikamaru?" Chōji asked.

He refused to take his eyes off the battle, but he knew Asuma was listening. "I get it now, what you were trying to prepare me for. We hear it all the time, even Sakura pointed it out in her fight with Ino, how battles are fought and determined in seconds. Only now, though…"

Only after seeing his cousin and Hisashi battling faster than his eyes could keep track of did he understand.

"What are you talking about?" Ino questioned.

"I thought because we were a support team we wouldn't have to worry about the frontlines. I'd have the time to think and strategize a plan as the shinobi held the line, and then we could implement it." _But that was so shortsighted, just like you said, Asuma-sensei._

The real Amari made it to the fingertips first, still without a scratch on her. Hisashi's clone reached the fingertips next and the pair bumped into one another. Amari ducked under a strike and swiped at his legs. The clone jumped over the attack then reengaged her clone as the real Amari attacked the real Hisashi.

The clones and the real versions dueled with increased intensity, as if their fierce fight hadn't been intense enough. The real ones would trade blows, then the clones would jump in and attack the real versions. In a quick space of time, all four switched places, blocking and parrying one another in an incredible four-way dance until the real Amari and Hisashi were back to back fighting off the clones.

"I don't see what's wrong with that," Ino said.

"Think of it this way: We're engaged by 'Risu in combat. Chōji would be our frontline and you and me are support. The immediate plan would be to capture her with my Shadow Possession to neutralize her speed so you could use your Mind Transfer Jutsu or so Chōji could flatten her." Shikamaru shook his head. "And we would fail, spectacularly. Even if 'Risu didn't know our techniques, Chōji's jutsu are built for power, not speed. You're jutsu is best used when I have already captured our enemy. And I have a better shot at capturing someone when they're distracted by Chōji."

"Now you're getting it." Asuma sounded pleased.

"But against someone of 'Risu's speed? Or Hisashi's? Or Mimi's?" In real combat, against enemies who wouldn't hold back a killing blow, they'd die. "She'd run circles around Chōji, letting him wear himself out and only attacking when he was vulnerable. As we've seen with her fight with Hisashi, they're awareness of more than one enemy at a time would neutralize my ability to capture her, because she would be monitoring my movements the entire time she's fighting Chōji.

"Against someone like Naruto, who is a power build like Chōji, we'd be fine. And honestly, he just doesn't have the same battlefield awareness or intelligence 'Risu has."

"Hey! Why are you dragging me into this?!" Naruto whined.

Shikamaru ignored him, frowning as Amari and Hisashi spun around each other, their blades striking like flashes of lightning in their dance as they moved to rejoin their clones. "But what happens when the frontline fighters break through to us? When our enemy is physically faster and has battlefield awareness outmatching our own?" It was a calculation he never accounted for. He had no strategies for that situation. "How do we fight someone like that and come out on top?"

It was a question he really needed to think about.

 _How do you always find a way to make me work harder? Troublesome girl._

* * *

Both Amari's and Hisashi's breathed in the air of the arena deeply; their gazes monitoring their enemy's movements down to the slightest twitch at the top of the statue hands. A few droplets of sweat beaded at their foreheads. This battle was intense. It wasn't like fighting Zabuza, Haku or Orochimaru. Those battles were intense in a different way. Against them the fight was an uphill battle for her as an underdog to overcome the gap of power between them.

Here against Hisashi they were on even ground. He wasn't out of her league, and she wasn't out of his. They were meeting as equals. This fight wasn't about survival against an overwhelming powerful enemy. This fight was about winning. About proving who the better shinobi was. Neither wanted blood. Neither exuded killing intent nor felt connected by past pain.

Hisashi and Amari were simply shinobi doing battle. Here to be the indisputable winner to earn their place in the finals. Her opponent had his own reasons to win. Reasons as legitimate as hers, but Amari couldn't allow herself to lose on his behalf. She had to win.

 _I owe it to Kakashi-sensei, Mom, Uncle Shikaku and everyone else who helped me to become a kunoichi to win here. I can't let them down by losing to him!_

So far, from the outside, the battle remained even. Neither she nor Hisashi landed any significant blows, and neither found a significant opening in the other's defenses. From the inside, though, the battle wasn't so clean cut. Like an onion, their battle had several more layers to cut through beyond the surface.

Every exchange provided further Intel for both opponents on openings and weaknesses. Amari was beginning to see patterns. He varied his technique well enough and made his movements hard to read, but the longer they fought, the more she could see them. There were moments she could capitalize on them and get a minor wound on him, a single cut perhaps, but Amari and her clone held themselves back.

It was all a part of her plan. She was waiting, compiling Intel and letting this become an endurance battle. At any moment she or her clone could have eliminated his clone. Unlike the real thing, a clone could only take so much damage before popping. One good slash and he'd be gone. But by leaving it active longer, by forcing the real Hisashi and the clone to expend more and more energy, the greater his fatigue would be when she finally eliminated it.

Hisashi didn't have her chakra reserves or chakra control. His limit was likely one clone at a time, and she'd wager at least two or three total before his average reserves started to feel it. So if she took out the clone, it was unlikely he would create another in its stead. He already proved to her and himself he could handle a two on one fight with relative ease.

 _There's no winning this fight by breaking through his defense and landing a decisive blow. Not yet, anyways._ No, she needed to do the exact thing she wanted to avoid: draw the fight out for an extended period of time. The longer it went, the more energy they would both expend until the intensity of their fight began to dwindle.

It wouldn't be an hour. Shinobi battles were not hour long slugfests. They were looking at another ten minutes at most, if he could keep up with her that is. Amari wasn't nearly as tired as she made herself look. Her stamina and her team's earlier arrival at the tower gave her more energy to burn than Hisashi had in reserve.

Hisashi's fighting style was meant for quick, decisive ends. He was in good shape and his stamina wasn't poor by any means, but he didn't drag out fights. Amari could and was. She trained herself to be able to endure battles for long periods of time, to endure bruising and pain so she could stand back up again and fight.

From this singular point of view, she was winning. But there were other layers to this onion besides her plan. For every weakness and opening she noticed, Hisashi's intelligent eyes found one of hers. He continued to force her to block with her right hand, weakening it more and more with every hard blow.

The numbness was spreading. It was nearly at her knuckles, making it harder and harder to hold onto the kunai tightly. Tingles were agitating her entire arm up to her shoulder girdle. _I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to use it._

Was she worsening the damage done? Pushing it beyond repair?

Her footwork wasn't nearly as smooth as it could be, nor was her speed. Her right thigh ached as if she overworked the muscles.

Dragging out the fight to exhaust her enemy would be the perfect plan for her if she started at full strength. Amari hadn't. The longer she let the fight continue, the weaker her injured limbs got. Unfortunately, against an opponent with Hisashi's skill—who matched her speed and reflexes almost perfectly—there wasn't much else she could do except rely on her greater endurance.

Hisashi knew this all. He knew he couldn't keep fighting her until the end of time. They were both on a timetable. Hers revolved around how long it took for him to weaken her right side. His revolved around his depleting stamina.

This battle wouldn't be won by an explosive finish. It would come from whoever could wear their enemy down faster. Whoever could force the other's hourglass to run out first.

 _I can't let him rest any longer. I have to push him to his limits first!_

Her opponent must have had the same idea. Hisashi darted at her before she could do the same. She parried two blows then pushed off the statue to avoid a sweep kick. Hisashi chased after her. Gravity tugged them both down towards the floor while their clones remained on top of the hands to play their game of king of the hill.

Their blades clashed in air again before both landed. Amari scrambled to the side of the forearm and dodged under a whistling slash then pushed off back to the arena floor. _He's pushing his assault even harder than before._

Hisashi sheathed his sword as she skidded across the concrete on the balls of her feet, her eyes never leaving him. In her Byakugan she saw the surge of chakra emanate from his feet. Then he shot directly at her like a homing kunai. "This is the end!" he yelled.

Amari's Byakugan tracked his movements the entire way. What only happened in a mere second passed slower in her mind. Hisashi waited until the very last moment to draw his blade from its sheathe. She prepared her block, bracing her legs for the impact. As their blades were about to collide, she saw chakra sheathe his sword.

 _Damn!_ It was too late for her to dodge out of the way of the blow. All she could do was send chakra to her own blades and hope he didn't cut them like butter. Their blades collided. The strength behind his attack rocked her arms and made her feet skid back across the cement. She felt her right hand give way a moment later. The blade fell from her hand, and she knew at that moment the tides of battle had shifted away from her.

Amari managed to spin out of his strike, but Hisashi was back on her in an instant. His blade sliced across her left forearm, cutting through the fabric and leaving behind a tiny cut on its way to find her abdomen. Then the blade halted mere inches from her stomach.

Despite catching him with her Shadow Possession Jutsu, Amari's heart hammered against her chest, eyes wide at the sight of the blade one deep breath away from touching her.

The wound on her arm was slowly beginning to burn more than it should. Desperate to regain footing, she slowly forced him to remove the blade from her side and then had him toss his sword towards the balcony he came down from. But the burning was intensifying. Muscles in her forearm were contracting and stiffening to be harder than an Earth Style wall. Pain etched onto her features as she started to pant.

"You were a good opponent, but it's over, Amaririsu Yūhi," Hisashi stated.

Amari's legs gave way, forcing Hisashi to mimic her movements down to the slightest twitch. What her Shadow Possession couldn't make him imitate was the strangled cry of agony escaping her lips. Perspiration slowly started to build on her face and beneath her clothing.

 _"Your reaction speed is impressive. But can you keep it up when all I need is one strike to finish you."_

Poison. His blade had been coated in poison. It wasn't arrogance, but the smallest hint at his trump card. She was the arrogant one to not see through such a blatant tell.

"Grrg! Arggggghhhhh!" She shut her eyes and grit her teeth, doing her best to keep the Shadow Possession on tightly. It was like someone cutting circulation off to her hands while telling her to squeeze a stress ball. Mentally she tried to order her Shadow to hold him, but she could only feel it trying to slither back to her. "Clone! Finish him!" she cried out.

"I'm on my way!" she called back. There was a pop. "This fight isn't over yet, Hisashi! You still have me to deal with!"

Her Shadow Possession faded a second later. Against the searing pain coming in wave after wave, she just couldn't focus enough to keep it active. Her entire forearm felt as if someone had set fire to the limb and the flesh was gradually being eaten away by the flames.

 _Damn it, damn it, damn it!_ She couldn't even move her hand anymore. The entire thing was stiffer than a board, and upon looking at it, her forearm was turning an angry red.

"Gahhhhh! Ahhhh! Rrgghh!"

What the hell was she going to do?

* * *

Shikamaru clenched the railing tightly. This was really bad. Amari was in extreme pain and all he could do was stand here and watch it unfold.

"What the hell is going on? Amari caught him! I saw it! Why is she the one in pain?" Naruto didn't like the situation any more than he did. The only difference was Shikamaru understood exactly what happened.

"Hisashi coated his blade with a Leaf Village poison," Mimi answered. She looked jittery again. The Inuzuka started bouncing on her toes in held back panic at the sound of another agony filled scream. "That tiny cut he gave her was all he needed to get it in her system. Searing pain is the first reaction as it starts to break down her cells. Then the paralysis hits. It'll start in her forearm, but soon enough it'll spread throughout the rest of her body." Her gloved hands squeezed around the railing before she spun around to face Kakashi. "You have got to end this fight now. She needs the antidote before it gets worse."

"No way! Amari can still come back from this!" Naruto argued.

Mimi shot the boy a look that would have incinerated him into ash. "Stay out of this, Goofball. You don't understand the slightest thing about poisons. You think she's in pain now? It gets worse. Much worse. And if she doesn't get an antidote, the reaction she has to the poison could be fatal."

Naruto grunted, concerned but defiant, and turned back to look at Amari. "You don't know, Amari. She'll make it out of this. She'll pull through."

Hisashi swung his leg back and followed through his kick to her hunched over head, sending Amari head over foot across the concrete as her clone rushed in to fight him.

"This isn't just a physical attack you can brush off, you knucklehead! It's not like the wounds Kiba dealt to you! Poison isn't something I can heal using Medical Ninjutsu or that Hinata's healing ointment can fix. Even if we give her the antidote now, she'll still need to be monitored until it's out of her system. And the longer its in, the worse her situation gets. I want her to win, but not if it comes at the cost of her life or career as a shinobi!"

Shikamaru hardly heard her at the sudden jump of his heart into his eardrums when he saw his cousin's bandana be pulled off after her face dragged across the concrete. Around him he felt the tension in the Jōnin rise significantly. The entire balcony seemed caught in a Shadow Paralysis Jutsu.

Through all the pain, his cousin started to kick and crawl her way towards the lost piece of cloth. Hisashi regained his sword after several dodges and engaged in a heated battle with her clone.

"Why is she trying so hard to get her bandana back? Is that really important at a time like this?" Ino asked.

"That bandana is more precious to Amari than this entire tournament," Kurenai said.

"It's just a piece of fabric. It can be replaced."

Kurenai shook her head firmly and stepped closer to the balcony, placing one hand on the railing in preparation of intervening if need be. "No. Amari's bandana isn't some random piece of fabric. It cannot be exchanged like an old outfit or her torn up attire for something new. You may as well say the people precious to you can be replaced."

"I don't get it. I understand it covers her blind eye, but I don't see how it's _that_ important."

Shikamaru couldn't help but hiss out a breath at his teammate. How could she be so blind? "We all just learned a few days ago she's an Uchiha. You even went to blab it to Hinata's team, and yet you have _no idea_ how that bandana can be important to her? Use your head, Ino."

"Oh yeah, smart guy, then what's so important about it?!"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "It's the only connection 'Risu has to her past. The only thing left from her life before the Uchiha were massacred. The only material item 'Risu would risk life and limb for, because it was given to her by someone she'll never get to see again. Someone she can't even remember, but still feels the connection to in her heart."

Ino's features shifted into embarrassment for her ignorance then sympathy for the girl she once tried to bully. Shikamaru turned his eyes back to the battlefield. It wasn't Ino's fault. Amari kept these secrets from everyone, and most of them had no idea what it was like to lose family.

"So yeah, she's focusing on grabbing it again. Not because it's a piece of fabric. Not because it covered her eye. But because through her life at the orphanage, through the pain she experienced there and through everything since, it's been with her. Just as the words sewed into it promised."

"So you've seen them too, Shikamaru," Kurenai said.

He nodded. "Once." He had gone over to the Yūhi household to see if Amari wanted to cloud watch. She had been up in her room getting ready after spending the evening training. As he waited for her to come down, he noticed the purple cloth was among a few other pieces of laundry, cleaned and set out for his cousin to grab with the part always against her forehead facing out.

Shikamaru never told her he saw them. Those words hadn't been meant for him. They were like her little secret. Or another secret, he supposed. But those five words meant the world to his cousin. They gave her strength when she needed it most. Despite how much he wanted her to just stop, a part of him hoped she'd find that strength before it was too late.

* * *

 _Almost…there._

Amari's right hand clutched around the soft fabric of her bandana, though even that was hard to do between the fire consuming her left forearm and the numbness in her right hand. Her teeth clenched together as she struggled to pull the bandana in to her.

As she laid there on the cool concrete, barely catching the sounds of her clone fighting out of the sheer hope she could end the fight before the proctor ended it for her, Amari felt the urge to just give up. The poison would keep spreading through her until every cell in her body was screaming in the same pain her forearm was. There was no telling what kind of lasting damage the poison might do to her if she didn't get an antidote soon.

 _I…I don't think I can keep fighting._ Amari pulled her bandana to her chest and shut her eyes. _Cousin, you wouldn't let something like this stop you, would you? You'd find some way to keep fighting, to not let everyone down like I am. I…I wish I had your strength._

In that moment, before the words _I quit_ could form, Amari felt her consciousness pull her back to a time she had long since forgotten.

A time long before she knew what the pain of loss was.

* * *

Several Years Ago

* * *

 _Haya laid flat on her back staring up at the blue sky and the pillowy white clouds drifting across its bright canvas. The wind brushed across her skin and over the all-encompassing ocean of green grass she was surrounded by. Among the sea of green of her backyard lay a lone, tiny purple island with wild and curving blue streams spreading out like a spider's web._

 _Her thoughts drifted away like the clouds above her. She exhaled a relaxed breath, closing her onyx eyes as the sounds of nature filled her ears. The house Haya and her family lived in wasn't in the center of the residential area of the Uchiha District, which meant it had a lot more green than most of the other areas and was a lot quieter._

 _It was really nice._

 _There was something really calming about her home. A tranquility the busyness of the main part of the district and the rest of Konoha lacked. Those areas had a different heartbeat to them that just wasn't the same as the calm of home. Here she was safe. Here she could be among the shadows where the rest of the Uchiha's couldn't bother her._

 _Haya knew why other Uchiha's hated her; they shouted it in her face every chance they got._

 _ **Half-breed.**_

 _A simple word. Simple and to the point for their reason to hate her, yet Haya couldn't understand_ _ **why**_ _they hated her. Why did coming from two clans make her so different? Why was it such a travesty that her mother wasn't from the Uchiha Clan? Why did they hate them for it?_

 _Her cousin was the only one outside of her parents that cared for her and encouraged her to not give up on becoming a ninja. He was always there when she needed him most and his presence always managed to comfort her when her parents weren't around. Still, some days it felt like her family was only telling her that she was good without meaning it. Part of her knew they truly did believe in her, yet because of the daily berating's, their words on certain days felt hollow._

 _Logic would be overturned by self-doubt and the discouraging words from kids her age and older. Some days were worse than others, but today wasn't one of those days. Today Haya was free of all the burdens doubt gave her, and like the clouds she was just going to take it easy today, letting the wind guide her wherever it decided to take her._

" _Now what's my favorite little cousin doing just lying around?"_

 _A smile made its way onto Haya's face at the voice. She opened her eyes and looked up to see her cousin standing above her; a broad smile split his lips. Life and happiness shone in his onyx eyes and were passed onto her through the single look._

" _I'm cloud watching," she answered simply._

" _Cloud watching? You don't say." He sat down next to her crossed legged. "What are the clouds up to today then? Are they plotting their course for world domination?"_

 _She giggled softly at his question. "They're going where the wind takes them. No direction and no strenuous thinking about it. And no missions for world domination. Maybe when it doesn't take so much energy."_

 _Her cousin snickered. "Yep, its official, you are definitely part Nara." Haya simply smirked at him before looking back up to the clouds above. "Any interesting shapes this time? You saw a leaf shaped one a few weeks ago."_

" _I saw an interesting one today but I doubt anyone would ever believe me."_

" _Well not if you keep it to yourself they won't. You have to share your secrets, Haya! How else will we know what the clouds are up to?"_

 _Haya rolled her eyes, smiling as she did. "It looked like a dragon head, troublesome boy."_

" _Huh, that would be a pretty well defined cloud."_

" _It was. Maybe the clouds knew I would be watching so they formed a special one for me." Haya had a fascination about dragons. They weren't the malicious killers that some stories made them out to be in her mind. To her they were wise protectors who watched over the world from the sky. Obviously they weren't actually real. Sometimes, though, she liked to imagine they were. That they'd pass by overhead one day and share some of their wisdom with her, or just take her for a flight around the shinobi world._

" _You really like dragons, don't you?"_

 _She nodded. "Mmhm. They're wise protectors and they get to fly around the sky."_

" _Aww, you're not trying to replace me being your protector, are you?"_

 _Once again Haya giggled to herself but this time she sat up and poked him in the forehead. "You aren't replaceable, Cousin." He smiled at her, flattered by her genuine love. She tapped her own forehead. "You're the one who gave me this bandana so you are always with me even when I am alone, after all. Like Papa always says, our spirits are tied together by our bond. To me, this bandana is the physical symbolism for our bond. As long as I have it, you're always at my side, protecting me and giving me the strength when I need you most."_

" _Hey, come here." Her cousin pulled her into a hug and held her tightly. "I'll always be with you Haya, no matter what. I promise."_

 _She squeezed him a little tighter. Who needed dragons when she had him? "I love you, Cousin. One day I'll be able to protect you and this village so you don't always have to do it for me. I'll be strong and wise like a dragon."_

" _You won't have to protect me and this Village alone, because we'll do it together." He stood up and carried her up off her feet as he did, receiving a squeak of surprise at the sudden movement. He sat her on his shoulders and held her hands. "We'll be the wise dragons that protect our home. Starting right now!"_

 _To her delight, he began running around the yard, spreading her hands out wide to imitate a wingspan. In that moment, neither cared about life beyond the safety of their yard or what the rest of the world might think of two members of a prestigious Clan roaring like dragons and imitating sounds of flight as they giggled, laughed and played._

 _Haya lost track of time because of the fun. No matter what, her cousin would always be her hero; the person she wanted to grow up to be like more than anything else. Someone who never lost his compassion for others and always remained true to the people he cared for most. Someone who could brighten another person's life just as he brightened hers every day. A person who could inspire strength and love equally._

 _After a while the duo noticed her parents watching them, smiling lovingly at the two children they raised. Her cousin wasn't quite out of steam yet, though. There was fun to be had, and he would have it even he had to drag them in._

" _Uh-oh, it's Shadow Dragon and Wind Dragon coming to share their wise words of 'lunch time.' What should we do, oh wise blue-haired dragon?" her cousin asked._

 _"We'll have to use a shield to protect us from the terror of ending our playing around," Haya grinned._

 _"Right! We'll use our Ultimate Defense: Dragon Shield, for nothing can penetrate it. Dragon scales are impenetrable to even the strongest of jutsu's!" Her cousin let out another roar and started running around again. Haya couldn't stop the giggles even if she wanted to._

 _"Looks like he forgot the number one weakness of the Dragon Shield, my love. They can be dragged out by another," her father said and 'charged' after them. Her cousin began to use the Body Flicker in a desperate effort to escape him. Her father and cousin even used their Sharingan's to predict movements and continue the intensity of their chase through the skies._

 _Suddenly her cousin stopped in place, unable to move a muscle. "Uh-oh," he muttered. "It would seem the Shadow Dragon has captured me, oh wise blue-haired dragon. You must escape!"_

" _Too late." Her father patted her on the head. "For I have captured the wise blue-haired dragon as well."_

" _Aw man. What a drag. Sorry, Cousin."_

" _We were outmatched today, little cousin. But one day we will defeat them!" he grinned up at her._

 _Her mother rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Come you two. A dragon must eat the Shadow Dragon's glorious food or it will get into a troublesome situation."_

 _Their stomachs growled at the promise of glorious food. "Our greatest weakness," her cousin deadpanned._

 _"The treat of glorious food," Haya echoed him._

 _Once her mother's shadow receded, she smiled and motioned for them all to follow her back into the house. Her father ruffled her cousin's hair and then her own, grinning fondly at the pair before following after her mother._

 _ **I promise that one day I'll be strong like you, Cousin.**_

* * *

Present Day

* * *

Amari gasped as the memory faded and the real world came back into sight. Whether from the shock of the memory or the returning pain was hard to say.

" _You are strong, Haya. You can do this, I know it. You're an Uchiha and my little cousin after all."_

Tears brimmed in her eyes at the swarm of emotions the memory left her. She didn't need to look at the bandana to read the words sewn into them. She could feel them in her heart and see them in her mind.

 _I'll always be with you._

Amari gripped the bandana tightly.

 _I'm…not giving up yet._

Raising her watery eyes from the concrete, she noticed one of her kunais a few meters ahead of her, lying flat on the arena floor. _I won't be able to wield them with my hands to any effect. And with this poison in my system, it won't be long until it circulates through my body. I'll be completely immobilized and unable to keep fighting if it turns out that way. There has to be something I can do to slow down the poison, but what?_

Her eyes locked onto her other kunai, further away but pierced straight into the floor. A sudden memory of Kakashi's voice came to the front of her mind.

 _"Naruto! Stand still. These ninja have poison in their claws. We need to get the poison out of you quickly. You have to open the wound and remove it. Because the poison is in your blood you need to limit how much you move otherwise you'll end up spreading the poison faster through your body."_

Amari's eyes widened. _That's it! I need to get to my kunai, now!_ Gritting her teeth through the pain, she wiped away her tears and pushed herself onto her feet. She wasn't done yet. She still had one last card to play.

* * *

"Have you seen her scar yet? She isn't covering it up," Ino prodded, shifting around in her place to try to get sight of Amari's other eye.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes at her. "You're such a pain, Ino. If she wants you to see it, then she'll let you see it. Otherwise mind your own business."

Admittedly, he was curious. But he didn't really care about the eye she kept hidden as much as whatever motivated his cousin to stand up and stumble towards her kunai, left arm gripped tightly as she hissed out breaths of pain. Step by step she forced her way forward until she all but collapsed in front of one of her kunais and took it in her right hand.

His eyes bulged. _Oh man._ He knew what she was about to do. Granted, it was intelligent, but it was also incredibly stupid.

"Amaririsu Yūhi, are you certain you wish to continue?" Hayate asked.

"Don't…count me out…yet!"

His cousin brought the onyx to the wound and slashed it across her flesh, opening the wound and causing blood to spread across her arm and plop to the ground. "Argh! Fine!" Mimi snarled. "Since none of us are going to stop this…Amari! You've gotta tie something tightly just above your bicep! It'll slow the blood flow like a tourniquet! Opening the wound won't be enough to stop the poison at this point!"

"Way…ahead of you," Amari grunted.

Why did his cousin have to be so stubborn? At this rate, he was going to wither away, go gray and die early from the stress she put him through on a daily basis. _Troublesome girl._

Using her teeth and her right hand, Amari tied her bandana around her bicep as tightly as possible. Her hair covered the left side of her face until she tugged the bandana hard with her teeth. Then it became visible—scar, eye and bulged veins equally.

"Is that…It can't be!" Neji gasped.

Shikamaru saw it too. The lavender eye of the Byakugan, veins stretching from the eye, across her cheek and temple just like Hinata's and Neji's. _'Risu…So, this is the burden you carry_ , Shikamaru silently realized. _This is the reason why you've had so many Jōnin watching over you and why you've trained so hard to become stronger. It's not just the Sharingan or what happened at that orphanage. You are in possession of two of the most coveted kekkei genkai's of our Village. Kekkei genkai's other Villages and our own allied shinobi have killed for._ He exhaled a soft but burdened breath. _I can't imagine the kind of stress it's put on you. The fear of anyone learning. And with what Mimi said about the Hyūga Clan…_

This is why the adults kept the Genin out of the loop. They couldn't risk word reaching anyone, whether that was the Hyūga Clan or one of the other Villages.

"Just so you're all aware," Kakashi spoke up, somehow sounding casual and light despite the gravity of the situation, "what you know of her heritage and anything you see in this fight is considered top secret. You are forbidden from speaking of it to anyone, including the leaders of your Clans or your family." Suddenly his tone shifted to grave seriousness. The same voice he used when he spoke to Neji after he tried to kill Hinata. "If I even catch wind of any of you spreading word of it beyond this group, you'll answer directly to the Hokage. Am I understood?"

"But…How did she—"

"Am I understood?" Kakashi repeated, firmer and unflinching in the severity of the punishment.

"Yes," Neji growled.

"Good."

"You've gotta kick his ass fast, Amari!" Mimi continued to coach, unbothered by the reveal of her eye. "That poison is still gonna spread through your system. And the pain is gonna get worse!"

 _'Risu…Finish this fight already._

* * *

Hisashi dispatched her clone with a single slash and turned his attention back to her bleeding and pain filled form. His eyes went wide with disbelief. "The…Byakugan?" He shook his head, as if trying to shake a bad thought off. "Are you seriously going to keep fighting? You won't be able to wield a kunai with either hand, you _know_ that."

Amari nodded and pushed herself to her feet. "You're right. I can't wield my kunai against your sword with my hands. But that just means I have to get creative." She prepared her body for combat. "I refuse to lose!"

She brought the grip of her kunai up to her mouth and bit down on it firmly. _I may not have my hands, but I still have my mouth and my feet. That's all I need!_

Chakra flooded her body and she darted forward, arms hanging limply at her sides as she sped across the arena floor. Hisashi growled then Body Flickered directly in front of her path, his blade slashing horizontally at her. All he needed was one more strike to end this. One more strike to put her down for the count. She couldn't let him have it. No matter what, she had to win this fight!

Amari slid under the strike. She twisted her head to avoid it, sacrificing strands of her blue hair instead. She felt her blade grind against his for a brief moment before zooming past him. The kunai sticking out of the cement was her real target. She came out of a Body Flicker, spinning around on her feet across the floor and pressing the bottom of her left foot to the blade when she reached it. Chakra emanated from her foot and connected the blade to it, giving her back her second weapon.

Pain still seared across her forearm. Screeching cries of agony from her cells all but ruptured her eardrums. The feeling of her being torn back by a cheese grater despite remaining intact throbbed at her mind like a giant nail wedged between her lobes. Yet just like against the Sound shinobi, the pain paired with her innate need to win sent an explosive surge of adrenaline through her system, drowning out everything except the sound of her heartbeat thundering in her ear and the sight of her opponent.

 _Let's go, Hisashi!_

She flashed back in with the fierceness of her warrior spirit at its peak. Speed, flexibility and the Will to never give up was all she needed to win here. So long as she had strength left in her body, so long as she had this bandana, she wouldn't quit. Because fighting right alongside her was her precious cousin. Together they could overcome anything!

She ducked, weaved, dodged and spun around his attacks, parrying with the kunai in her mouth when necessary but attacking ferociously with it in return. Growls like some kind of wild monster from a fantasy novel rumbled through her throat as she struck harder and harder against his blade.

Every clang rolled through her teeth, but she kept the pain in the back of her mind. This was her last chance to win. Her last chance to earn her place in the finals. She couldn't give him an inch. She had to attack him at full power and win this beyond any shadow of a doubt.

 _I won't lose to you!_

Amari sidestepped an attack then darted in, growling viciously as she moved to cut him. Hisashi dodged back and moved for a strike on her left side. She ducked down, bracing her weight on her numb right hand and blocking the strike with the blade attached to her left foot. Quickly moving into action, she kicked the sword away, pushed back up onto her feet and dashed in under another strike, going low, beneath his guard where he was vulnerable. As she passed by him, she swiped her blade across his side, drawing blood that splattered against her cheek.

Spinning around him like a ballet dancer on top of her own blade, she planted firmly on her right foot then kicked her left foot blade into his other side—once in the thigh and the other in his hip. As her leg retracted, Amari loosened her grit teeth just enough for some play with her blade, spinning it around between her teeth so the blade was facing her left cheek instead. Clenching it tightly again, she jumped back in to slash across his back.

None of the wounds were deep, but they were progress and she needed that. It was the slightest glimmer of hope, the flicker of an ember igniting for her to turn into a raging inferno.

Hisashi jumped back and away, unprepared for her to even land a single strike on him in this state, let alone sneak through defenses after dueling on even ground for so long.

 _Get back here!_

"Rrrraahhhhhh!" she roared, charging ahead. Their blades grinded against one another as they met again in the center of the arena. Despite not foreseeing the poison blade, her initial plan to exhaust him had worked. Hisashi was beginning to show signs of exhaustion. His reaction time was slower, his attacks weren't as frequent, but he still held to his technique. Technique was his greatest ally and her greatest weakness at the moment.

Blades clashed, the smell of the sparks filling her nostrils with every renewed attempt to strike him down.

 _I won't let you beat me!_

Amari jumped over him, corkscrewing her body as she did. She pulled her head back, forcing his blade to pass harmlessly underneath her chin. Hisashi spun around with her. As she pulled her legs back down to land, she released the chakra at her foot and threw the kunai directly at him. He didn't see it coming. The kunai passed through his defenses and pierced into his left shoulder.

Thrown off his balance by the wound, Hisashi didn't have time to block the next kunai either. Amari released the blade from her mouth and kicked it at him, sending it right into his right thigh. _I'm not finished with you!_ The Uchiha surged forward, jumping onto the kunai in his leg with her right foot and grabbing the one in his shoulder with her teeth again. With chakra clutching the blade again, she kicked him hard in the sternum with her left foot and yanked her blades free.

She landed and spun on the bladed foot before moving back down to brace her weight on her right hand again. Hisashi Body Flickered a moment earlier, but this time she was the one moving a fraction of a second faster. He appeared behind her, swinging his blade downwards at what he likely meant to be her back. Now it was aiming right for her face. Amari craned her neck to place her blade in the line of attack, but as she did her Byakugan picked up the sight of chakra emanating from his blade again.

 _You're not going to get me with this attack ever again!_ Channeling her chakra through her teeth, her blade sheathed itself in chakra as well, and their blades met with the same strength. _This is my chance!_

Amari tightened her core and twisted her body while placing her right arm to be flush against her side. She turned her head next. Hisashi's blade slid right off and towards the ground where no target was. Still moving fluidly, Amari jumped and spun rapidly in the air, mimicking Mimi's Fang over Fang rotation to increase her speed. With her Byakugan eye she targeted and released the kunai on her foot with precision aim to pierce directly into the center of his back, just to the side of his spine. Her feet touched the ground again and she darted in as he reacted to the blade piercing into his back.

Just as planned, his body was left open for her final attack.

 _You may not be alive, Cousin, but I know you're at my side right now. Let's finish this together!_ Intense features took over her face. The Sharingan activated in her right eye in response to the emotions flooding her heart.

To Hisashi's eyes, the visage of a green scaled dragon appeared behind her. It did not give off the dark emotions of the demonic black scaled dragon, but instead burned with the fire of the bond tying her and her cousin's spirit together. It's red and lavender eyes revealed unflinching determination, love and a promise of protection, no matter what she faced.

 _This is the end!_ The dragon roared as she growled fiercely. _Don't ever underestimate an Uchiha!_

Her blade cut up diagonal left across his torso. She spun it in her mouth once more then cut horizontal right across his open chest. As Hisashi collapsed to a knee, she stepped on his blade, pinning it to the ground and brought her blade to his throat.

Hisashi's eyes widened in horror as he breathed heavily, the edge of her blade resting against his throat. Looking into the intense lavender and red three tomoe eye, he swallowed hard and watched them stare straight through him. No one else could hear it, but he could; the flaring nostrils of the dragon as it breathed in sync with her.

"You're finished," she said.

The finality of her statement kept him from arguing. If he didn't give up in the next second, he knew she could either kill him or strap him in a genjutsu to make him wish he died.

"I…concede."

"Since he has conceded to defeat, I declare the winner of this round Amaririsu Yūhi. She will move on to the finals."

Amari backed away from Hisashi, her own breathing becoming more labored by the second. The blade she held in her mouth clanged against the concrete, blood still dripping off it and off her face. The adrenaline was wearing off quickly. The pain it nulled crept out from the shadows of her mind back towards the light.

"You're pretty good, Amaririsu Yūhi," Hisashi complimented.

"You are…too. Thank you…for the good fight."

And though she was declared the winner, Amari did not appear as such. She collapsed to the floor again and yelled out a strangled cry of agony as the intensity of the poison skyrocketed through her entire arm.

She was not aware of anyone coming to her side. Not her team. Not her mother or Mimi or Hisashi providing the antidote she eagerly drank when prompted. She couldn't recall anything anyone might have said to her, nor was she aware of the browless Sand shinobi watching her with immense interest.

All she was aware of was the searing pain of what could easily be described as acid tearing up the inside of her arm. Eventually a lack of sensation and light followed when the Medical Ninjas put her under to stop her from screaming so much. Before unconsciousness took her completely, she had one final thought.

 _Cousin…Thank you._

He may not be physically with her, but his spirit was always there for her when she needed him most.


	36. Chapter 35: The Toad Sage Returns!

Chapter 35

An Ace in the Hole: The Toad Sage Returns!

Amaririsu Yūhi was quite the naïve girl. Quite naïve indeed. Out of all her little Leaf pals, Kabuto worried her keen eye might actually see through his little charade as if it were a genjutsu. The rest were easy pickings. Too egotistical to suspect a dangerous enemy masquerading as a weakling. Too oblivious and ignorant to the reality of shinobi life due to their pampered upbringings. Not Amaririsu Yūhi. To her superiors she was a unique, prodigious talent, bursting at the seams with rare potential few in a generation possessed. To Kabuto she was an unpredictable variable he had to adjust his calculations for.

Like Sasuke Uchiha, Amaririsu Yūhi experienced death and betrayal as a mere child. In that, they three were alike. Comparable to siblings, even. Death and betrayal bound them together closer than the Leaf's ridiculous Will of Fire, as did the interest of Orochimaru in their exceptional talents.

Amaririsu Yūhi differed greatly from Sasuke Uchiha, however; on a personal level, Kabuto preferred her amicable attitude over the boy's silent arrogance. She walked on his intellectual plane, which would have made her a pleasant conversational partner over experiments and intelligence gathering. She also did not let hatred blind her the same way Sasuke allowed it to narrow his vision from the bigger picture. Through Kakashi Hatake and Kurenai Yūhi, Amaririsu gained the wisdom to keep her vision unimpaired by something as childish as Sasuke's desperate need to avenge a Clan long gone.

 _That's why he was chosen_ , Kabuto thought. _Lord Orochimaru can use Sasuke's childish impulse for revenge to control him_.

Amaririsu was not infallible, of course. Kidnap one of her _precious people_ and she would bend to Orochimaru's whim as if bowing her head to her _precious_ Hokage. Connections were weaknesses to be exploited by enemies—a lesson she evidently had yet to learn. But why go waste so much effort choosing a target, kidnapping them, killing them without her knowledge and then using unscrupulous methods to break her willpower down to become a hateful servant when Sasuke was already a puppet waiting for someone to attach chakra strings to? They were on a timetable, after all. They couldn't risk too many distractions.

Mizuki's betrayal of the Leaf happened right before her eyes as well. Unbeknownst to the Leaf higher-ups, he was yet another of Orochimaru's pawns; a sacrificial pawn not even worth being called a pawn, in Kabuto's humble opinion. The overconfident failure, he couldn't even do the simplest job. Trick Naruto into stealing the Scroll of Sealing, frame him and escape with the Scroll back to Orochimaru. Instead he played around and ended up defeated by a young kunoichi who only earned her headband earlier that day.

Kabuto snorted, amused by Mizuki's pathetic loss. _Only a fool underestimates a child of Uchiha and Nara blood._ Mizuki got what he deserved in the end—locked up in one of the Leaf's secret prisons separated from the Village itself. How humiliating must it be for him to live knowing he failed Orochimaru because of a young girl. _Hmph. How unfortunate for you, Mizuki._

Alas, despite her experiences, Amaririsu Yūhi hadn't seen through his façade one bit. She eyed him suspiciously, watched his mannerisms, dissected every tiny detail from the inflection of his voice to the motivations in his eyes. _She's good, I'll give her that_. Eyes and voice couldn't be so easily faked as mannerisms. Still, he had been at this game a lot longer than her; in the end all it took was a kind face, a smile and a Leaf headband for her to lower her guard.

 _An amateur's mistake._ He sighed. "It can't be helped. You're still only a child, after all," he spoke out loud. "You haven't been a shinobi nearly long enough to know the truth: No one can be trusted. Enemies are everywhere, and all harbor ambitions for power. They're ruthless. Always ready to betray their so-called comrades for a taste of greatness. Although you have experienced that, you think the Leaf is so good and innocent."

The child didn't respond. She couldn't. The anesthesia from the surgery left her unconscious to the world around her, unaware of the dangerous shadow lurking in her room, closing in to pull her into eternal darkness.

"But there's a darkness in this Village just beneath the surface. Hidden from the sunlight you all crave standing in. It hasn't sniffed you out yet, but its eyes are everywhere. You better be careful. One wrong step and you'll attract its attention."

Kabuto pushed his glasses up and examined her. Her arms rested on top of the sterile white sheet covering her small body. Gone was the mesh long sleeve and tank top, replaced by a simple black shirt, allowing him to see in full detail the several scars lining the left arm. _Such extensive damage. Those aren't the wounds of any blade; they're distinct, and the patterns are erratic. A Lightning Style jutsu._ He smirked maliciously, not at her. He felt sympathy for her. _Kakashi_ , his lips twisted cruelly. _How does it feel to be responsible for her pain? And you call yourself her teacher, her protector._

His eyes flitted over to the bandana laid out on the tabletop next to her then to the scar over her left eye, the malicious smirk falling for neutral features once more. _The scar from a day she'll never escape. It's like a Curse Mark, and will haunt her until her final breath._

Red irritation and light swelling around the left forearm caught his eye. _Hm. Seems her opponent poisoned her in the preliminary rounds._ He wondered if she won. Poisons were quite dangerous; the average shinobi, without medical help, was more likely to die than win a fight after it entered their system. Yet there was an even longer fresh cut near it. Had she tried to get the poison out of her system by opening the wound?

 _From what I learned during the Forest of Death, I wouldn't doubt it. She isn't skittish about blood, and her pain tolerance is higher than the average shinobi._

If she did try to get the poison out, that was some quick thinking in the moment. Based on the swelling and irritation existing hours after initial exposure, he could assume a few poisons were the culprit—all were fast acting and unbelievably painful.

Still, he didn't much care for a closer inspection on those wounds. His eyes were drawn to the right shoulder and the fresh bandages covering it. No doubt the Leaf surgeons fixed up the deep stab wound quite nicely. _She's lucky for Mimi Inuzuka's intervention._ Orochimaru intended to permanently weaken her; render her incapable of ever posing a threat to his plans, yet the Crows of the Leaf and the mutt interfered; even a genius of Orochimaru's caliber couldn't have anticipated those events.

Now they were here. Her an unresponsive corpse-to-be, him feeling pity for the poor thing. So young. So naïve. Had she not gained the attention of superior shinobi, she may have one day become one herself. _What a waste of aspiring talent._

Strewn across the cold tile floor were the corpses of two members of the Leaf Anbu. They were meant to protect her from the likes of him. Of course they underestimated him. Why wouldn't they? He was just a weak spy, right? Unfit for real battles. Kabuto chuckled. Honestly, if they wanted to protect her from him or Orochimaru, they needed more than two measly Anbu agents.

 _Oh well. I won't complain about them making my task easier._

Orochimaru's orders couldn't be ignored. He wanted her out of the way, and so she had to die. "It's not your fault. This is the curse of our prodigious talents. It snatches the attention of people like Orochimaru, and once he sets his eyes on something, there's no stopping him from getting what he wants. Killing you is a mercy. If you only knew what he had in store for your pal Sasuke, you would understand."

She wouldn't even feel it. It'd be like passing away in a dream.

Kabuto pulled out his kunai; a sharp blade with a curved end. Stalking closer to the child, he raised the blade and prepared his strike. The Sound shinobi spun around and held his blade in front of him in defense of an attack. No attack came, yet the door he closed sat open.

"Hmph," he snorted. "I knew you wouldn't be far behind, Kurenai. Mother Bears don't stray far from their cubs."

No answer. Only unnerving silence and a distinct lack of presence from the Genjutsu Master. Kabuto's eyes flicked around the room, seeking out the presence of the enemy. This would be a tough fight. According to his Intel, Kurenai was only a few steps behind Itachi's genjutsu prowess, lacking only the Sharingan and the level of genius Itachi possessed. Still, even if she wasn't Itachi Uchiha, Kabuto knew he had to be careful. Genjutsu of her level wouldn't be undone by a single release. He would be fighting through layers of genjutsu if he didn't act fast.

"Hide in the shadows all you like. I still have all the cards in my favor." He moved his blade towards the throat of Amari. "Show yourself or she dies!" he offered the ultimatum with a sadistic smile on his face.

"How foolish to believe you hold all the cards."

Kabuto stiffened at the voice behind him. That voice did _not_ belong to Kurenai Yūhi. He snapped around and jumped back a step, eyes widening at the sight of four crows perched on the hospital bed. He hadn't even sensed them enter, and yet…

"It can't be helped. You're only a child, after all."

A bead of nervous sweat trailed down his cheek. _This isn't good._

" _And Kabuto, when you move to kill Dearest Amaririsu, stay alert. It would seem she is under the protection of the Crows of the Leaf. You would do well to avoid a confrontation with them; otherwise you'll meet an untimely end. And that would be…disappointing for someone of your exceptional talents."_

Kabuto heeded his master's warning, prepared for every possible delay and setback, yet he believed he would be able to sense their presence. _I was careless._ Kurenai would have been tough alone; these crows complicated matters significantly. And this feeling he had just by staring at the leader of the crows… _She's exuding high levels of killing intent._ His hand trembled without his consent. _Just who is this child to you?_

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Hmhmhm," the crow hummed in amusement. "You are quite frightened, Kabuto Yakushi. I can sense it." He did his best to hide his surprise at the knowledge of his name. "How do I know you? It is the next question you wish to ask, is it not, puppet of Orochimaru?"

The Crow's eyes glinted with mirth over his growing anxiety. "When you learned of our presence from your master, did you never question where we were in the final days of the Exam? Surely we wouldn't leave Young Amari's side after Orochimaru of the Sannin attacked her team."

 _Of course_ , he thought, gritting his teeth as he realized her point. "You allowed me to get close to them to gather Intel on me."

"A wise conclusion, young man."

 _Damn it_ , Kabuto cursed. _I didn't regroup with Lord Orochimaru until_ _ **after**_ _the Forest of Death. Had I known of their presence before, I would have used other means to gather Intel on Team Seven instead of the direct approach._ He swallowed hard. _Every move I've made has furthered their Intel beyond my own. This…This is why they're legends._

"Terrified?" she asked rhetorically. In her black eyes he could see she knew the answer. "Good. Good. You should be, puppet of Orochimaru. For blood will be shed today, only it will not be Young Amari's blood. It will be yours."

From the tile floor around him, tree branches sprang forth, coiling around his limbs and ensnaring him to a large tree. Kabuto's eyes bulged as he struggled to break free. _Is this the First Hokage's Kekkei Genkai? But how?!_

"You're finished, kid."

 _That_ was Kurenai Yūhi.

Kabuto never saw her, though. Flower petals covered his skin. Then, as if taken by a breeze, they started to fall off, starting at his fingers. But his fleshy fingers did not reveal themselves. His body had turned into flower petals. Every petal that fell off was like having his skin peeled back by a potato peeler. All he could do was scream until darkness consumed him.

* * *

Kurenai knelt down next to the prone form of the ash-haired shinobi known as Kabuto; she gripped her kunai tightly and kept it at the ready for a possible counterattack. To take down two of the Anbu without alerting the entire hospital…

 _This kid is no joke._

Few shinobi could pull this off so cleanly. Fewer of his young age. Victory seemed absolute; the genjutsu she used on him had taken down far more powerful enemies than him, yet to let her guard down for even a second meant certain death for her and her daughter. The two Anbu learned that the hard way. She wouldn't allow him a single opening. Orochimaru and his puppets touched one hair too many on Amari's head; they would not touch another.

This was the end of the line for Kabuto Yakushi.

Then it happened; like a light being shut off in the room, his chakra signature vanished completely. His body, and the bodies of the two Anbu, remained on the undamaged, cold hospital floor, lifeless. Yet the presence of Kabuto she sensed moments before no longer existed—the embers of his chakra extinguished by cold death.

 _What?_ Kurenai reached to his neck and checked his pulse. Nothing. Not a single beat left in the corpse. Immediately Kurenai started to piece together the mystery. It couldn't have been the genjutsu; the power behind it wasn't nearly enough to kill him. Which only left one real possibility…

"The Dead Soul Jutsu," she muttered. The technique temporarily reanimated a corpse through the use of chakra, and based on the identical appearance to the user, Kurenai had no doubt he used plastic surgery to create the perfect decoy. "Being the son of a Captain in the Medic Corps has its advantages."

 _The real Kabuto must be close by_. She knew where without using her Sensory Abilities. "So, his real goal was Sasuke all along," she said, turning her head back towards the door. "Coming here was a diversion to split us up."

Unfortunately for Kabuto, Kakashi and her suspected as much when she sensed the similar chakra signatures coming from both rooms. The Copy Ninja was already there to handle him.

"In a manner of speaking," the Crow spoke. Kurenai nearly forgot they were there. She raised her red eyes to see the leader still perched on the bed above her—only the leader. Her companions had faded back into the shadows where even a Sensor Type couldn't feel them. "A far more likely conclusion is this: His goal was to eliminate Young Amari and capture Sasuke simultaneously, but his real body would be used to kidnap Sasuke on the chance you or I interfered here."

Kurenai hummed and stood up. She couldn't doubt the possibility. Kabuto made it clear he suspected her arrival as an eventuality.

" _Mother Bears don't stray far from their cubs."_

His decoy only had a taste of how sharp the Mother Bears claws could be. Should he ever personally try to touch her daughter again, he would find himself mauled by a _very_ protective Mother Bear until all that remained was a disfigured corpse no one could identify.

The Crow cast one last glance to Amari then turned to leave out the window she entered.

"I don't know who you are, but thank you for protecting Amari from Orochimaru," Kurenai said, bowing her head to the Crow in gratitude.

The Crow hopped from the bed to the windowsill and stopped. "It is I who must thank you, Lady Kurenai," the Crow's soothing voice was softer. "When this child you owed nothing to lost everything she knew, it was not I who emerged from the shadows to raise her up and guide her. It was you. You owed her nothing, yet you gave her everything she ever wanted: A home. Love. Family. Guidance. Everything I was meant to protect, but failed to. You trained her and taught her how to stand on her feet again. Through your love and guidance, Young Haya regained her strength and stands tall once more, carrying the very best of her Clans and family in her heart.

"Be proud. Raise your head. She has become an excellent kunoichi and retains her purity because of you, for which you have my eternal gratitude."

"I…" Kurenai stumbled for words.

"Hm," the Crow hummed humorously. "I suspect you have many questions. Who am I, how do I know Young Haya, why do my agents and I protect her, where have we been all this time, perhaps even curiosity of our personal history."

"I do."

"Soon, Lady Kurenai, you will both see much more of me and come to know me by name." She turned her head to look back at the Genjutsu Master. "Until then, fair winds and farewell."

The Crow flew off without another word.

When Kurenai regrouped with Kakashi, she learned Kabuto had managed to escape by temporarily stopping his heart to hide as one of the two dead Anbu's in Sasuke's room. In total, the kid killed four Anbu without raising an alarm. Although they had successfully protected the children, both Jōnin came to the same conclusion: They had to become stronger. With someone like Kabuto around and Orochimaru targeting Sasuke and Amari, both shinobi had to kick it up a notch to keep these two and the Village safe.

 _They will not touch you again, little one. I promise._

* * *

Mimi trudged through a secluded, sterile white hall of the hospital, blue eyes downcast and hands stuffed into her sweater pockets. She felt cold. Hollow. Clinically dead even though her heart still pumped dully in her chest. None of her usual energy remained. No embers lingered among the ashes for her to grab hold of to reinvigorate herself. Even the ashes had cooled, submerging her into the cold depths of a dark ocean, where no light ever reached and the pressure crushed any hope of survival out of her.

Over her time on Team Guy, Lee and Tenten had become bright fires in her life. She swore to protect them, to heal them from any injury and keep them walking ahead on their chosen paths. She owed it to them for the happiness and light they brought to her life when she was so sure only her family could ever accept her. They inspired her to become a better person. Their kindness helped her to put the mask away and find joy in life again, just like her parents would have wanted her to.

Because of them and her family she learned to smile, grin and laugh heartily again. Yet the dark clouds blocked out the light of the sun, plunging her back into familiar darkness she didn't miss one bit. The Sand shinobi in their cruelty leapt at the chance to extinguish their flames, sneering as they sadistically stole the fires in their hearts.

 _I…I couldn't do anything._

No matter what, Lee's injuries were bound to be bad after his fight; that was the price of opening five of the eight Inner Gates to fight Gaara. What Gaara did to him at the end, though…

" _His career as a shinobi is over."_

Mimi missed a breath and her heart skipped a beat. She could still hear Lee's cry of agony as Gaara's sand crushed his leg and arm, but it wasn't nearly as loud as the sound of her heart shattering like a mirror when she watched her friend, despite all the internal damage the Fifth Gate put on his body, despite having his arm and leg crushed, despite being unconscious, still stand up to keep fighting, all to prove to everyone that he was a splendid ninja.

 _Lee…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry._

Even medic-nins with more skill and experience than her couldn't perform the necessary surgery. The risks were too great. Without someone of Lady Tsunade's skill, Lee would die on the table without ever realizing his dream…and without the surgery his career was over. The one thing that mattered to Lee, the thing that motivated him and gave him purpose in this vast world was being robbed from him, and there wasn't a damn thing Mimi could do.

 _I couldn't even help Hinata._ All she could do for the shy Hyūga girl was keep her stable long enough for real medic-nins to save her. All of her training, all of the hours spent studying and she couldn't even fix Neji's cruel attack. _What's the point of a medic-nin who can't even heal her friends and comrades?_

Tenten's injuries weren't severe compared to everyone else, but the loss to Temari did far worse to her mental state.

" _Mimi…Remember when I managed to beat Guy-sensei with one leg and arm tied together behind his back? I was…I was so embarrassed when he forced me to sit on his feet as he walked on his hands through the Village, but I was also really glad. I had finally found my specialty. I tried for so long to be an exact copy of Lady Tsunade because she was my hero. I didn't have her physical strength, or her chakra control to use Medical Ninjutsu._

" _I…I was jealous of your abilities for a long time. You were so far ahead of me and so much closer than I ever could be to following in Lady Tsunade's footsteps. I was happy to see you get better, but every time you did, I felt like I was falling farther and farther behind."_

Those words hurt Mimi more than she could admit. She _hurt_ Tenten. She made her feel worthless because she was chasing the same dream…only Tenten didn't have her talent with Medical Ninjutsu or a specialty of her own at the time. It was all unintentional, and she always tried to encourage Tenten to keep trying, yet she never saw the pain in her friend's eyes with every success she had.

" _I even tried to stop Lee from fighting Neji because I started to believe we weren't geniuses like you and Neji. I was so sure hard work wasn't enough to match people with natural talent. Yet…Lee never gave up, and you kept trying to push me to follow my dream. You two inspired me to not to give up, and because of that I found something I was good at._

" _Even though it was embarrassing sitting on Guy-sensei's feet with you and Lee walking beside us, you three were all so supportive of my new skills. You three told me I didn't need to be Lady Tsunade to become a legend; I could be the legendary ninja tool specialist. The very first one. I was_ _ **so**_ _happy."_

Mimi stopped walking and clenched her hands into fists, teeth gnashing together. A different fire was lighting inside of her. Not bright. Not full of warmth, but hot and painful. Flames as crimson as blood flickered to life; not smoke but poisonous gas rose from the flames and fed into her respiratory system.

" _A ninja tool specialist…Who was I trying to kid. I put up a fight, but against real talent, I'm just…average. I'm nothing special like you and Neji."_

The quiet hospital was disrupted by the dull thud of a fist colliding against a wall. Mimi inhaled deep breaths of rage, every breath filling her lungs with more and more of the poison. Her entire body began to quiver as the crimson flames began to intensify. How _dare_ that Sand kunoichi make Tenten feel that way!

" _Don't you dare put yourself down like that!" Mimi grabbed Tenten by her shoulders. "You can't let this single loss ruin all the hard work you've done! You_ _ **are**_ _special Tenten. You're_ _ **our**_ _ninja tool specialist and you're gonna become a legendary kunoichi. All we have to do is train more."_

" _Mimi…" Tears welled in her friend's eyes._

" _You're not giving up. I'll train with you by using long distance ninjutsu until you can beat me without a handicap. And I'm going to fix Lee too. I'm the kunoichi who's gonna surpass Lady Tsunade's Medical Ninjutsu prowess after all. So don't you quit on me. We're gonna get stronger and we're gonna get Lee back on his feet in no time. Trust me."_

 _The tears spilled over and her friend buried her face in Mimi's chest as she embraced her tightly. "I- I won't give up! I promise!"_

 _Mimi wrapped an arm around her and rubbed circles on her back, tears welled in her own eyes. She hated seeing people close to her cry. It stung her heart awfully, but she refused to cry. Her pride wouldn't allow it. "I'm gonna make this right. I swear."_

Mimi slammed her fist against the wall again as two hot tears burned down her cheeks from all the volatile emotions exploding within her. The crimson flames exploded into an inferno and turned her pupils to slits. "Aoko, we're gonna fix everything. And we're gonna gut those bastards for what they did to Lee and Tenten!" she growled, vicious and full of rage.

" _If that is your wish, then we will see it done. I'll be at your side. Always,"_ her companion rumbled.

"Thank you."

* * *

Three Days Later

* * *

Doctors were troublesome, Amari decided. Apparently she had a month to train for the finals, where she would be facing the toughest competitors of the Exams, and the doctors outright _forbade_ her from participating in all types of physical training for an entire week. The way they ordered it felt more like they were forbidding her from entering the adult section of a bookstore, going so far to tell her mother every single troublesome detail until Amari was shrinking under her red gaze.

If there had been any chance for leniency, it died a horrifying death via genjutsu in that moment. The whole meeting was a drag. Sure, they only wanted to ensure she healed properly with no further complications, but this was a huge event she had to train for. Everyone else would have an extra week of training on her, perhaps creating a gigantic ravine of power between her and them. This wasn't the time for rest. This was a time to kick it up another level and get stronger!

" _No training, Amari. Yes, I know, I'm a troublesome adult, but you're not out of the woods yet with these injuries. You need to, and will, give your body the time it needs to recover properly."_

Amari knew her mother and the doctors had her wellbeing in mind. It just really sucked to be benched, especially when she was set to face Mimi in the final round of the first set of matches. The person she wanted to fight most, who already walked ahead of Amari by several long strides, was going to be training harder than ever for the finals.

What little ego Amari had wanted to claim it was for her sake, but the Nara knew better than to believe it. Mimi would be training harder, not for their fight, but to crush Amari quickly and then take all of her rage out on Temari—who the winner of their fight would have to face no matter what due to the way the tournament chart was set up.

Sakura told her everything about the final two rounds of the preliminaries, as well as the way the finals were set up. Before her fight with Hisashi, Temari cruelly hurt Tenten because her inflated ego was bruised. After it, Gaara critically injured Lee by crushing his arm and leg with his sand techniques, and he would have killed him if Guy did not intervene.

This was no longer about a promotion or the finals to Mimi. It was about doing everything possible to destroy those who hurt the people close to her. Amari hadn't even seen Mimi since the preliminaries to gauge her attitude but she knew those words to be true.

 _I would feel the same way._

The tournament chart, dictating the order of the fights, started the first round with Naruto fighting Neji. In the second round Sasuke would fight Gaara, Shino followed in the third against Kankurō and Shikamaru had Dosu in the fourth. With the odd number of combatants, Temari's position left her waiting for whoever won the final round between the two Leaf kunoichi's.

She was a piece of meat being hung over an alligator enclosure at feeding time. Mimi smelled the blood of the live meal hanging over her head, and knew the best way to get to it was by using Amari as a stepping stool to reach it. _If she thinks I'm just going to let her pass me by, then she has another thing coming._

This was their chance to finally face each other one on one. Amari had been waiting eagerly for the chance to fight her again without interruptions or others to get between them. Amari couldn't ignore it or let it pass her by like a shooting star across the night sky. She was going to train even harder than before and snatch this opportunity while it was in front of her.

After all, a Nara and Uchiha never wasted opportunities.

 _At least they let me leave the hospital_ , Amari conceded. Her right arm ended up back in a cloth sling, and her right knee had a black brace around it under her shorts, but it was better than being cooped up in the hospital. Hospitals were a drag.

As soon as the week of waiting was over, she would jump back into physical training with even more fervor than usual. Sakura volunteered to be her sparring partner so they both could keep improving their skills. Apparently even Ino was considering joining them. Amari didn't mind. Her dream was to become a sensei anyway, so why not start learning now? Whether or not the Yamanaka would appear at all still hung in the air on a precarious edge. Ego, of course. Also not Amari's problem. It was in Ino's hands to choose if her ego was worth getting surpassed by Sakura.

Her first stop of the day, after checking out of the hospital, had been meeting Kakashi at their usual meeting spot—the bridge with the two Torii's. He was, surprisingly, on time for once.

" _Are you feeling okay, Sensei? You're not late today,"_ she had quipped.

" _Being late is a matter of perspective. I arrive exactly when I mean to."_

" _With an excuse about being late?"_

" _Heh, good point."_

The pair spoke of his plans to train Sasuke. Amari had assumed as much. Unlike her, Sasuke _needed_ Kakashi to train him for Gaara. From what she heard of Lee's and Gaara's fight, the Sand shinobi was on a level of tough her teammate wasn't prepared for. Lee's incredible speed kept him safe from Gaara's sand for most of the fight, making it impossible for his sand shield to protect him or for his attacks to grab Lee.

Quite frankly, Sasuke wasn't nearly as fast in reaction speed or physically as Lee or Amari were. He desperately needed to fix that in this month and learn a ninjutsu that could defeat Gaara, because taijutsu alone wasn't going to cut it. While Mimi wasn't a pushover—her strength and skill were superior to Amari's—she wouldn't kill Amari either. Gaara would kill Sasuke without blinking.

Had she or Naruto been chosen to fight Gaara instead of Sasuke, Amari had no doubt Kakashi would be taking them away from the Village to train. Since that didn't happen, Kakashi lined up two trainers for her; one she knew, the other someone she had yet to meet.

" _I spoke to Shikaku. He wants to train you another Clan technique tomorrow and hear about those Shadow Dragons you used. He sounded intrigued. When you aren't training with him, you'll be training with another shinobi. He isn't someone you know, but I'll let Shikaku provide introductions. He's the one who will be teaching you the jutsu I mentioned during the preliminaries."_

" _Oh? How come you can't teach me it?"_

" _I only know of the technique. I don't possess the skill to use it, but I believe, given time, you will. We do not expect you to learn this in a month. It's not meant to help you win your match. This technique is meant to help you escape the likes of Orochimaru on the chance I or another_ _Jōnin can't reach you in time." Kakashi's eye left her and stared at the concrete bridge, troubled and uncomfortable. "He let you four live. Without the Crows, you'd have lost your Sharingan, maybe even your life. Had he decided neither of you were worth his Curse Mark, he may have killed all four of you, and there wouldn't have been anything you could do to stop him."_

"… _I know."_

 _Kakashi shook his head. "There's no telling when he plans to strike again, but he will. That is absolute. He left the Curse Mark on Sasuke for a reason, and it's not a diversion from a real goal. It's a part of his overall scheme." Her sensei sighed deeply. "Hopefully you guys won't need this technique anytime soon. Should all go well, you guys won't ever have to fight him again. In the meantime, I want you to give this technique your best try, Amari. Even when it gets frustrating and you feel like you're never going to be able to do it, keep trying. The reward is well worth it."_

" _Come on, Sensei," she giggled and smiled at him, "you know I never give up no matter how troublesome something is. That's why I ended up in the hospital, remember?"_

 _Kakashi chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Good point. Though let's try to make your trips there less frequent."_

" _I know I know. I already got that lecture from Mom. Don't need a repeat."_

After learning he contained Sasuke's mark and that Naruto's new trainer took care of his problem, Amari informed him of her plan to teach Naruto about the Byakugan blind spot. He agreed but warned her to not push herself physically.

 _I know more about Neji's fighting style and Byakugan than anyone else who isn't his teammate or a Hyūga. He needs every edge he can get to beat that jerk._

The pair departed after a final farewell.

" _I don't know if I can do anything to help with Sasuke's training, but if you need me—"_

" _I'll come find you." Kakashi eye smiled at her. "Don't worry."_

So began her journey to find Naruto. Rather than starting in the Village, she went to the training fields and outskirts in search for him. Along the way she thought of the memory of her family awakened during her match with Hisashi. Their voices still whispered in her ears, calling to her, asking her to remember their faces and names once more. She tried. She closed her eyes and reached out into the shadows of lost memories, seeking out the parents and cousin she wanted and feared remembering. Past memories brushed against the tips of her fingers like an old box hidden in her attic, always out of reach because someone else placed it there, beyond her arm length and out of visual sight.

 _Cousin, Mama, Papa…I miss you_ , she whispered affectionately in the safety of her mind. _I can feel the ghosts of our bonds in my heart. I'm…I'm afraid of remembering you three, though. I get cold inside. I begin to feel…empty, like a bowl without ice cream in it. It's…it's really going to hurt, isn't it? Remembering you three? Those gaps I've lived with in my memory will become holes in my heart, shattering it into pieces because I'm still here…and you're not anymore._

Amari's hands began to tremble. _It's enough right now to have you in spirit with me, always, but I don't know if it will be when I remember your faces, your smiles or the happiness we once had. Will I- will I even be able to move on? I've…I've only been able to walk forward because there was nothing left behind me. But what happens when my past returns? Will I be able to keep walking forward, traveling farther away from all of you? Or do I turn back, leaving behind what has made Amaririsu who she is to become Haya once more? Who…who will I be when Haya's world collides with Amaririsu's?_

As the anxiety started to take hold, Amari recalled powerful words of her sensei.

" _No matter how much it hurts, know that you will not have to shoulder the burden alone. This team, Kurenai, even lazy Shikamaru will be here to support you when or if that day ever comes. Never forget that."_

She wouldn't.

Amari finally found Naruto's chakra near a riverbank on the outskirts of the Village, far away from the densely populated center. A tranquil stream passed through the area, shrubbery and scattered trees concealed his chosen training grounds with a small forest a short jaunt away; adjacent to his location was a tall waterfall, quiet from a distance but no doubt crashing loudly into the stream below it. With Naruto was another man; a man who had long white hair and powerful chakra.

 _Whoever he is, he's incredibly strong._

Amari hopped up onto a tree branch to analyze the situation. She rested her left hand against the rough bark of the tree trunk and knelt onto her left knee, eyes scanning over the area from beyond their line of sight and ability to sense her. Naruto appeared to be training hard. At this distance, though, she couldn't tell what jutsu he was working on. No matter, she'd find out soon enough.

Through her Byakugan eye she could see his attempts to build chakra in large amounts, and within his chakra network the red and blue chakra flowed normally once more. Her eye moved from her friend to his trainer, who crouched nearby, spying through a dense bit of shrubbery with a binocular telescope on a bunch of civilian women playing in the water next to the waterfall. Women, she might add, who wore swimwear and clearly came out here to enjoy themselves without some pervert spying on them.

 _Whoever he is, he corrected what Orochimaru did. I should thank him for that._ Her right eye squinted in irritation. _But he's peeping on those women down there._

Amari was grateful, yet she also wanted to bash him along the head for being a pervert. It was a strange concoction of emotions. Her sensei read pervy books in public. He giggled, too, which always weirded her out. But at least he kept his perversion to himself. Kakashi didn't go around spying on women in as little clothing as possible. He met their eyes with respect. Never had she caught him trying to sneak a peek at their chest or butts.

This lecherous pervert was on a different level of perversion. Unlike the closet pervert Ebisu, this guy didn't even try to hide it. Probably held pride in his perversion, too.

 _And he's training Naruto._ The man needed a warning from Amaririsu Yūhi, one he would never forget so long as he lived within vicinity of her.

She stood up as Naruto let out a frustrated shout and began pointing and yelling at the other ninja. _Well, here's hoping I can convince them both to let me teach him something. But first…_

* * *

Jiraiya's cheeks burned hot enough to cook eggs; his lips split in a wide, lecherous smile as he watched the three gorgeous young ladies playing in the water. Oh yes, this was an _excellent_ place to do his research for his next novel! These three ladies provided the perfect material and inspiration he _desperately_ required to get through his writers block.

"And you're just sitting their peeping on women!" the brat ranted and raved about…something.

Who cared? The kid would work his way through it, and Jiraiya would tag along more often if this was how training with him was going to be. Pretty ladies, perfect scenery and… "Ohohoho! Perfect!"

Plenty of research would be finished by the end of today!

To be fair, he hadn't intended to stumble into the kid so soon. Sure, he did want to eventually do the whole face to face meeting and give him some training, but he hoped to complete his research for his new book first. One must have priorities, and Jiraiya had his— _oh, so voluptuous, so fit, and those legs!_ He expertly wiped the fresh blood from his nose and chuckled quietly. Anyway, he had his ducks in a row already. Research and ladies first. Training a Genin second.

It couldn't be helped. Meeting the kid happened too soon, so he would have to multi-task. This was the curse of the writer, to always be thinking of the project at hand and new ideas for novels yet to be written regardless of what was going on. Jiraiya learned to tap into the well of inspiration the muses had gifted him with through his research. Taking the time to research always plowed through his writers block faster than an Akimichi plowing through a barbecue buffet.

Still, his sacred research, his illustrious time spent around the half-naked muses as they poured onto him wisdom few men dared to seek, had been interrupted at the bathhouse. What…wisdom he gained wasn't even enough for a single paragraph.

 _They just had to go and interrupt, didn't they?_

 _They_ was an inclusion of both Ebisu and Naruto.

Upon returning to the Leaf on a lead after a certain organization, he took time to check on the boy to ensure he was getting some decent training done. The kid was apparently in the finals against some Hyūga prodigy. He'd need to take this month seriously if he hoped to actually win. Ebisu, he figured, was a good match for the kid. Fundamentals were one of Naruto's weakest areas from what he heard. Most shinobi overlooked the importance of them—Jiraiya sure had, for a time.

Ebisu specialized in training elite shinobi. It was his specialty, in the same way baby-faced Ibiki specialized in torture. Naruto would need to put away his pride and accept the help offered, then he would be able to learn a lot from Ebisu. It took some doing, but Ebisu finally got the stubborn kid to shut his mouth and listen—a tremendous feat to be sure.

Satisfied, Jiraiya headed off to seek the guidance of his half-naked muses, for he could hear their siren cries, their tantalizing promises of inspiration too much for him to ignore. What no man could have anticipated was Ebisu's training accidently tracing his path to the bathhouse, although for not nearly the same noble purposes as Jiraiya's. Ebisu planned for Naruto to practice the Water Walking Technique on the scalding hot water spring _outside_ of the bathhouse.

In hindsight it was an obvious destination. Ebisu clearly wanted to work on Naruto's poor chakra control. By having him practice on a boiling hot spring, Naruto either learned fast or turned into a boiled toad. Frankly, chakra control was a mandatory objective for the kid. There was no nice way to put it: Naruto's control was severely lacking. Climbing trees without being attacked was one thing; controlling your chakra on shifting waters as you face an overwhelming enemy was an entirely different achievement.

To his credit, the Toad Sage could tell the kid had been working on it. He made mentions of a girl named Amari to the Special Jōnin and the lessons she taught him. Some of the things Naruto spoke of surprised the Toad Sage. Tree Climbing and Water Walking Techniques he understood a Genin understanding, but Yin and Yang Release? Nature and Shape Transformation? Most kids had no idea what those words even meant.

By his voice, Jiraiya could sense a lot of familiarity between Naruto and the girl. Friends or comrades. For some those were as opposite as Yin and Yang were; he had yet to figure out where they fell on the spectrum.

After knocking out Ebisu for interrupting his research, and subsequently being coerced into training Naruto by the kid himself, Jiraiya took the time to dig up Intel on the rest of Kakashi's team. _Quite the group he has._ Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno and Amaririsu Yūhi.

Now Jiraiya was the curious kind of person. When something wasn't life threatening, he liked to learn the answers to his questions on his own instead of being handed the answer. It made learning the information more rewarding. He knew of the Yūhi's, knew Kurenai's father and of the woman herself. Their red eyes were a dominant gene and did not match the child's onyx eye. And the picture he saw of Amaririsu, something about her struck him as familiar. As if seeing an old acquaintance after many long years.

Digging deeper, he learned quite the interesting twist to Amaririsu Yūhi's origins—she was not a Yūhi by blood. Kurenai adopted an orphan Amaririsu after finding her alone, holding onto a dead friend she hadn't been able to save close to an orphanage near the Leaf. Okay, so maybe he had to ask Kakashi about the girl. His digging without help came back emptier than his pockets after a night with the ladies. No information existed around her origins, which only intrigued him further.

" _Amari is descended of the Nara Clan and Uchiha Clan."_

Jiraiya couldn't hide his shock at that. Most Uchiha wouldn't dream of having a partner outside of the Clan. It was practically sacrilegious. Inter-Clan marriages usually happened for political purposes only. Otherwise the Uchiha preferred their bloodline to be pure, untainted by any Clan they believed was lesser than theirs—which happened to be all of them to the hardliners.

" _Huh, an Uchiha and a Nara. That's quite the combination."_

Why did it feel so familiar? Why did it create an itch on his brain he couldn't reach and scratch?

Still, this Amaririsu did her best to help Naruto understand the concepts and importance of chakra control. Naruto had two distinct problems—three if you included his impatience. First was his very large chakra supply. The larger the supply, the harder it was to control every drop of chakra. Second wasn't anything to do with his skills or his chakra supply.

Despite staring at such gorgeous women and their lovely…

"Hehehe!" the Toad Sage giggled. _Incredible!_

Despite that, he felt his features turn serious. The tampered Seal on Naruto's stomach disrupted his chakra heavily; crude in its creation, so very similar to Orochimaru's heart. By using the Five Pronged Seal Release, Jiraiya was able to remove it and rid him of his chakra disruption. Soon after Naruto could walk on water.

Those events happened over the last two days. Now he had the knucklehead working on the Summoning Jutsu. His attempts were…frustrating. The kid wasn't slacking. He was putting a lot of effort into learning the jutsu, but he was summoning tadpoles instead of frogs.

Tadpoles.

If he had managed to summon a small frog, Jiraiya wouldn't be so upset. But _tadpoles_?

How the gallant Jiraiya's protégés had fallen.

Naruto simply couldn't access the large chakra supply of the Nine-Tailed Fox that was needed to perform this jutsu—Jiraiya's main objective in teaching him. If Naruto was going to survive in the future, he had to be able to access the Nine-Tailed Fox chakra without allowing it to take him over.

There was still time before anything of that magnitude as far as he knew, and in that time he was going to take the boy under his wing. Jiraiya sighed and lowered his telescope. His mind was getting a bit ahead of itself. They were only on the third day of training. He would figure out all of those things when he wasn't in the middle of his research.

He felt a larger surge of chakra than what Naruto had been pulling off so far behind him. _Hm?_ Had the kid finally got a frog to appear?

"So, have you gotten it down yet?" he asked as he looked over his shoulder.

There was no frog, but there was no tadpole either. There was a girl standing with her back to Jiraiya, right arm in a cloth sling and a knee brace underneath her black shorts. She wore a loose fuchsia top a few sizes too big for her small frame and a normal mesh long sleeve underneath. The pointer and middle finger of her left hand were planted on Naruto's forehead.

"Amari?" Naruto questioned the sudden appearance.

"Looks like you've been busy, Naruto."

Blue hair flowed with the coming of a breeze, naturally wild and untamed. Her posture was straight despite the sling. Pride. Confidence. An Uchiha through and through.

 _She's quick_ , Jiraiya noted. Her short stature didn't limit her speed at all. _If she ever hits a growth spurt, longer legs will give her even greater speed._

An affectionate grin tugged onto Naruto's face. "Hehehe! You bet I have! We both have to train so we can meet in the final rounds of the Chūnin Exams!" He took in the sling and brace a moment later. "Oh, hey, are you still going to be able to train? The surgery and poison isn't going to take you out of the Exams, are they?"

Genuine concern. Seems these two were closer to friends than comrades.

"Nope, I'm still in. Just have to wear these stupid things and not train for a few more days then I'll be back to training. It's all a drag, really, but it can't be helped. Already got a lecture from Mom and a warning from Kakashi-sensei to not train. Troublesome adults."

 _I wonder what she's doing here_. He wanted to get to the bottom of it quickly and assess the girl. If she could become a powerful ally for Naruto when she was older then he wanted to find that out now. As Amaririsu grew older, her Sharingan—when or if she unlocked it—would become more powerful. Because of what was locked away in Naruto that would make her a powerful ally or a dangerous enemy.

He intended to keep a close eye on which she turned into.

Jiraiya took on a sarcastic tone and let his lips curl up into smirk. "Hey kid." Naruto looked around Amari to him. "Next time you summon a girl, try to make her a little older or like that Sexy Jutsu of yours. Okay?"

The boy of the duo growled in frustration. Then his features shifted again from frustration to fearful and slightly amused. Jiraiya noticed the slight twitch in the Uchiha, though he wasn't sure what to make of it yet.

"Naruto, who is this pervert peeping on women as they play in swimwear?" Her voice was steady, yet it alone sent an unnatural chill sprinting down Jiraiya's spine.

"Pervy Sage? I don't know. He calls himself a Mountain Toad Sage. Master Jiraiya or something."

"Master Jiraiya huh?" He nodded to the girl. "Jiraiya, as in of the Sannin?"

 _So unlike my new pupil, she actually recognizes my name._ Maybe he should take her under his wing instead.

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Wow."

She sounded equally impressed and in disbelief due to the current circumstance she found him in. Jiraiya had to admit, it wasn't a great first impression. Naruto's Sexy Jutsu proved he wasn't bothered by a little perversion. He was a boy and on the verge of being a teenager. Jiraiya remembered how he was at that age; obviously the kid had an interest in getting a closer look at the finer gender. Amaririsu, however, was a member of said finer gender who wouldn't find his research amusing or shrug it off so easily.

"Hold on, so you're telling me Pervy Sage is one of the Legendary Sannin?" She nodded this time. The blond furrowed his brow, a disbelieving frown forming on his face. "The guy who authors those pervy books Kakashi-sensei reads is also as strong as Orochimaru? You've gotta be kidding me! How is that even possible?!"

"He authored _Make-Out Paradise_ and _Make-Out Violence_?"

Another chill bolted down his spine hearing _that_ tone. The tone that haunted his dreams for months after Tsunade caught him peeping on her…and beat him to the first and only near death experience he ever had. _Oh no_ , he worried. _I have to get this conversation as far away from my research as possible._

"Yeah and he calls peeping _research._ "

"All right, that's enough about me and my research." He stood up and began walking towards the two. "So, who are you young la—"

" _Research_?" Amari repeated the word, her distaste dripping off the word. "Master Jiraiya, while I respect your strength, legend and what you did for Naruto…"

Her words brought him to an abrupt halt. Jiraiya furrowed his brow. _How does she know about that?_ Without looking at the seal on his stomach, this girl somehow _knew_ he had fixed it.

"If you turn Naruto into a huge pervert and he starts doing the Sexy Jutsu more often…"

She turned her head to look at him over her right shoulder. One red eye met his and then the area around him grew dark. _Genjutsu_ , he realized immediately. His worst skill. Jiraiya's body moved on its own, being forced into a seat, strapped in and turned around to face a clone standing utterly still. Above him was a giant Amaririsu Yūhi, blue hair spread out behind her as multiple dragon heads and necks whipping about.

For a brief moment, his memory played a trick on him, turning the blue of her hair red, reminding him of a frightening woman he once knew.

The giant Amari cracked her knuckles, eyes blood red—the very definition of terror. As he sat there, gulping in fear and doing his best not to cry out in horror, the giant Amari proceeded to pummel the other him into the ground until he wasn't even recognizable by his handsome looks or white hair. All that remained of the gallant Jiraiya was a smear on her knuckles.

Everything returned to normal suddenly. Jiraiya felt sweat bead on his forehead as he gulped in fear, the chill shooting up and down his spine like an electrical circuit. Her red eye was solid onyx again, but in it he could see the other him still being crushed over and over again, for all eternity.

"I hope we understand each other," she said tersely.

Jiraiya gulped again and nodded rapidly.

Both kids broke out into a fit of giggles and laughter at his expense, the little brats.

"You should have seen your face, Pervy Sage!" Naruto cackled.

 _Why do I always meet the violent girls?_ The complaint became a rather sad whine. Jiraiya exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. _What I'd give to have a few minutes with a nice, pretty young woman. One without a quick temper or prone to violence._

"Your skill with Genjutsu is impressive, kid. I'll give you that," he said instead.

This time Amaririsu smiled at him. She turned and bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Master Jiraiya." He regarded her carefully. Just like her picture, she wore a purple bandana over her left eye. Was she emulating Kakashi like that kid on Guy's team? Or was there more to it than that?

 _I can sense a power behind it._ He wondered what it could be.

"I'm Amaririsu Yūhi."

"Yūhi, huh? I don't recall Kurenai having a child. You also hold the Sharingan."

She nodded to his unspoken question. "I was adopted by her." Upfront and honest there. Could she tell he knew the answers already? Or did she see no sense hiding information from him? Amaririsu looked over her shoulder to Naruto. "You helped Naruto by undoing what Orochimaru did."

There it was again. Knowledge she shouldn't have without seeing the sealing work. Could her Sharingan see the two chakras so keenly? _It has three tomoes. And her genjutsu_ _ **was**_ _impressive. How strong is her visual prowess, I wonder. Is she anywhere near Itachi's level or Kakashi's yet?_

More questions he would seek the answers to in time.

She turned back to him wearing a serious expression. "You've earned some of my trust. My father was an Uchiha and my mother a Nara. I do not know how I survived the massacre. I woke up in an orphanage outside of the village and then was relocated here after…I screwed up."

Amaririsu's features fell in sorrow. He felt for the girl. Losing a friend was never easy, especially when they died in your arms. _She carries a burden of guilt with her._ Jiraiya understood that, too.

"Either way, I came here, graduated and was put on Team Seven with Naruto. I'm actually here because there is something I need to teach him." Jiraiya raised one of his eyebrows in question. The look left her uncomfortable, eye falling to her toes. So, there was a limit on what she would tell him. "It's…honestly something only I can teach. There is a way for me to teach him without him having to stop training if you'd both be willing to hear me out."

The Uchiha took a step to the side to look them. Both nodded. Jiraiya mostly wanted to see what this girl planned to teach the kid and how she planned to teach him without stopping his training.

"Naruto, have you ever noticed when your Shadow Clones dispel that everything they go through you experience?"

 _So she knows the Shadow Clone Jutsu as well._ She definitely had the chakra for it from what he could tell, although it was nowhere near as much chakra Naruto had within him.

The boy brought his hand to his chin in thought. "I can't really remember. Most of the time I use them we're too busy fighting that I don't really notice anything different."

The kunoichi sighed. "Okay, create a clone." They both created clones simultaneously. She turned to her clone. "Take him far enough away that we won't hear you. Tell him something then dispel yourselves."

They nodded and walked off, the blond of the duo resting his hands behind his head as he strolled along. _Interesting plan_ , Jiraiya thought as he watched the two clones walk away. _By using a Clone, Naruto will be able to continue the training I have him doing all the while learning what she wants to teach him._

 _I'll also be able to find out what she plans to teach him._ He was curious. There was an array of things he did not know about the girl, things he wanted to learn for Naruto's safety. Again he felt the itch on his brain, bothering him as he tried to mentally scratch it to remember why she felt so familiar. _I swear I've seen her face before._ Everything about Amari's facial structure and proud posture prodded the pervert. The only thing missing in this puzzle was that out of reach itch he couldn't quite put his finger on.

Asking her would be useless since she didn't seem to trust him fully. She gave him the short version of her past, and that was fine. Eventually he would find out if she hung around Naruto a lot, and maybe the kid would tell him. All it would take would be a few jokes about _liking_ her to get his loud mouth flapping.

The two clones in the distance dispelled and Amari let her gaze fall onto her teammate. _The exchange of information is instantaneous for her_. Naruto didn't react at first, clearly unused to paying attention to this particular detail of the Shadow Clone Jutsu. Then his eyes bulged. "You're going to teach me Neji's weakness." Excitement filled the boy. "Whoa, that is so cool! Is this how you learn so fast Amari?"

She chuckled and shook her head. "No. I've only started doing this recently, and even then I have to be really careful. The mental and physical fatigue could do serious harm to me if I use too many clones at the same time. I also don't have your reserves. But you have to promise me you won't use this as some sort of way to cheat out of hard work. Even with your amount of chakra, you could seriously hurt yourself. This perk of the Shadow Clone Jutsu can turn into a setback easily if you're not careful."

"I promise, Amari."

"Good," Amari nodded. "Okay, create another clone and I'll take him with me. If it becomes too strenuous, dispel it immediately. Okay?"

"Don't worry, kid. I'll keep a close eye on him," Jiraiya said.

While part of her seemed to want to nod and believe him, the corner of her lip turned up into a smirk. "Somehow I think you're _research_ will get in the way." Jiraiya's head fell in defeat. "I also like to make sure he understands for when he doesn't have someone looking after him."

Her plan was a good one, he begrudgingly admitted, although turning his research into the butt end of another joke wasn't great.

Naruto created a clone then sent it off with Amari to go train in a more private area.

Of course to be inconspicuous about wanting to see what they were doing, Jiraiya returned to his research. Or he tried to. When he pulled out his binocular telescope to find his pretty muses, all he found was another Amari; she sat crossed legged on the surface of the water, alone, her red eye piercing right into his telescope.

Jiraiya wailed in terror and fell back onto his butt, scooting back and away from the bush as if seeing Tsunade charging right for him. The terror vanished for indignant rage. _That little trickster! She distracted me from my research and had a Shadow Clone go scare the ladies off!_

How could she be so inconsiderate?! Didn't she realize the importance of his research to write best-selling novels like _Make-Out Paradise_? No, of course she didn't. She was still too young to understand the true literary depth of his books. And you know what, she was probably too much of a prude too! But she wouldn't be able to stop him. No way! He was Master Jiraiya of the Sannin! He wasn't some little pervert. He was a _big_ one!

After swearing an oath to finish his research no matter what, Jiraiya temporarily departed from the original Naruto on the excuse of ensuring his clone wasn't causing too much noise to disrupt the ladies below. The ladies who Amaririsu Yūhi scared off. _Little twerp_. But Naruto didn't need to know his real goals.

When he finally found them, Jiraiya hid himself in a bush to watch, listen and learn everything he could. In an open clearing among the trees stood a clone of the girl, staring up at the clouds in the sky while Amaririsu and Naruto stood a few feet away from her. Both Amaririsu's had their hair tied back by a hairband in the classic Nara fashion. Her bandana didn't seem to be covering her eye anymore, though he couldn't see for sure from his position.

"Now remember what I taught you. Neji will have trained to keep you out of his blind spot and won't make it as easy as I have so far."

"All it takes is for him to turn his head and body a little to see me, right?" Naruto asked.

"Right. You don't want to foolishly flaunt your knowledge or waste an opportunity knowing this could give by attacking at it too soon. For all his skill, he can't get around the Byakugan blind spot and that infuriates him. Don't let this small advantage give you a big head, though. He's good. There's no denying it."

"But his arrogance blinds him?"

Amari nodded. "Yes. In battle and out of it." She rested her hand on his shoulder. "I know you'll beat him and prove what he says about failures remaining failures wrong. You've done it so far and you'll continue to do it. I'm only sorry I can't be there fighting side by side with you."

 _This kid's loyalty to Naruto is strong._ Jiraiya had harbored considerable doubts at first, but the more he saw of them, the more he could see their bond. Granted, she was still an Uchiha and he would watch her carefully because of what her eye could do to Naruto, but for now he was willing to believe she had no ill intentions for the kid.

"You can count on me, Amari! I'll show that jerk, believe it."

She chuckled and lowered her hand from his shoulder. "I know you will. I believe in you Naruto. Always have and always will." The boy tackle hugged her. Once they detached from one another she dipped her head in the direction of her clone. "Now try again. Your match will be a drag either way, but the least I can do is teach you this."

From where the Sannin was watching, he could only see the right side of her face yet the way her hair was, the earrings, the happy smirk finally triggered the image of who she reminded him of.

Behind her, the image of a Nara he once knew appeared with a similar appearance to the child. Finally he could remember who it was.

 _Miyako Nara. Made Anbu Captain at the age of thirteen and continued from there to become feared for her intelligence, larger chakra reserves than the average Nara and her exceptional skill with Shadow Techniques—some which were as feared as the woman herself._ _When Shikaku rose through the ranks, she and her Anbu squad became his main intelligence team._ Jiraiya's face became serious as he watched the girl instead of Naruto. _She was reassigned when the Fourth Hokage was in power as one of the four in his Guard Platoon alongside Raidō Namiashi, Genma Shiranui, and Iwashi Tatami._

 _Her intellect and her motivation clearly were passed on to her daughter. And Miyako's husband, he was one of the few Uchiha before the massacre I would have trusted with my life._ His intense stare remained on the girl as she continued to coach Naruto—the left side of her face never coming into view. _Hmm. She said her mother was a Nara and her father an Uchiha, but there was something in her eyes. A distant look. Does she remember them?_

The simple fact that she had survived the massacre without anyone knowing how—including herself—was enough to question how much of her own history she knew.

For ten minutes he watched them, remembering scarce details of the parents who defended the Leaf long ago. In all of those ten minutes she never once moved from her spot, leaving him only to see the right side of her face.

"Hey Amari, is Kakashi-sensei or Kurenai-sensei going to be training you?" Naruto asked her during a break between his strikes against the clone.

"Hm? Oh, no. Kakashi-sensei is busy with Sasuke, my Mom has to train Shino and Asuma-sensei is with Shika. Poor guy. I heard from my Mom that Asuma-sensei is going to be really tough on him."

"Wait, so you won't have anyone to help you train?" The boy seemed offended by the notion of his teammate not having someone to help her train.

Amari chuckled. "No, I do. Uncle Shikaku wants to train me another Nara Clan jutsu, and Kakashi-sensei set up another trainer for me. I plan to go see Uncle Shikaku tomorrow, see if I can train a little without agitating my wounds."

"Do you ever wonder if you're really related to him or Shikamaru or even Sasuke?"

"More often than you might think. But even if they aren't, I'll always consider him my uncle, and Shika my cousin and Sasuke my clan-brother." She shrugged. "They and you guys are the only family I have now. Even if I ever do remember my past family, I'll still love you guys as family."

 _So, you haven't told her Shikaku. Or do you not see the similarities between her and your niece?_ It seemed unlikely. Shikaku had never met his true brother; the young man had been born eighteen years before Shikaku, only to die a year after his mother gave birth to Shikaku. His wife was the one to raise Miyako. Together Shikaku and Miyako grew up as brother and sister through bond but uncle and niece through blood. Shikaku must have seen the similarities between his niece and his great niece; the resemblance between Amari and her parents was painstakingly obvious when one knew what to look for.

Everything from her expression filled eye and wild hair to small things like the shape of her eyes, the structure of her face and her long eyelashes. With her hair up in the Nara fashion, the long strands brushing across her upper back, she resembled her mother. With it, the wild untamed mess free of all restraints, she resembled her father.

A kunai suddenly flew out of her hand aimed right at Jiraiya. He wailed wordlessly in panic and fell onto his butt, scrambling back to the best of his ability.

It landed in the grass…right between his legs.

The kids began laughing hysterically at his horror stricken features while the Nara inconspicuously pulled her bandana back over her left eye—something he had not seen once during his entire time watching.

Jiraiya let out a sigh of relief. _She also has her mother's sense of humor, if you can call it that. Sheesh._ There was just no doubt about who her parents were now. _Miyako had renowned Sensory Abilities; I can't say I'm surprised she caught onto my presence._

"Hey Pervy Sage, stop trying to peep on Amari!"

Oh, that was one line too far. To accuse him of peeping on a child, how dare Naruto! Jiraiya fully admitted to being a pervert—he was a proud pervert, after all—but he would _never_ peep on a child! _Never_. In fact, if he ever saw a man or woman performing such a reprehensible and immoral act, he would slay them where they stood.

"I wasn't peeping, you insolent brat!" he roared. "I was doing research!" The word left his mouth before he could _really_ think of the implications of what the word meant to the two. When he saw the vein bulge on Amari's forehead and her face turn red in fury, he tried to amend his statement. "Wait! Not that kind of research! I was- AAAH!"

Kunai, shuriken and even senbon flew at him in remarkable speed he would congratulate if he didn't have to get up, run and dive over a downed tree to hide.

Unfortunately, one hit their mark.

"OWWW!" the Sannin cried out. The point of a senbon pierced into his big rump without remorse. He knew immediately sitting was going to be painful for a few days.

 _She has her father's aim too._

Jiraiya gripped the senbon and pulled it out quickly. "Yeow!" He got into a low crouch then peeked over the downed tree. What he saw barreling right at him made his eyes bulge and his jaw drop as a horrified scream echoed out of him.

A large fire ball was moving right at him, and if he hadn't known better he would have thought he could see the fury filled face of Amari inside of it, snarling at him as she prepared to send him to the afterlife. Hastily he Body Flickered all the way back to where the real Naruto was practicing, landing right on his wounded butt without a care.

Naruto looked to him in confusion. "Uh, hey Pervy Sage. What's going on?"

He sighed heavily and stared up at the blue sky above him. "Do yourself a favor kid: Don't _ever_ get on her bad side. Sheesh."

"Geez, Pervy Sage. You should try learning to talk to women instead of peeping on them all the time. Maybe then you wouldn't get your butt kicked by them."

Jiraiya wanted to argue, really he did, but for once he was beginning to think the kid was onto something.


	37. Chapter 36: Amari's Hidden Fear!

Chapter 36

Eyes to Eye: Amari's Hidden Fear!

Warm light is precious in a world of bitter darkness. 'Twas like being stranded among the barren sand dunes of the Land of Wind for an eternal winter, and then, through the arctic temperatures and shadowy hills of sand, a flicker of light emerges from the chilled void. This kind soul's campfire beckoned lonely travelers to press on through the whipping sandstorms, all for the hope to fill their starving stomachs and feel warmth caress their frostbitten skin once more.

Hikari trekked across the treacherous sands of the Land of Wind, through lonely sandstorms that battered her tired body and down hazardous sand dunes, trusting only her heart to guide her down the right path. It led her to the dense forests of the Land of Fire where _life_ was everywhere. _Such a stark contrast to home_. Dew covered strands of grass always in walking distance; the texture of this new life soft and cool underneath the palms of her hand and feet. So unlike the coarse and hot sands of home.

Just the other day she found a flower shop, full of the most beautiful scents and gentlest petals she ever had the opportunity to inhale and trace her fingertips across. Suna had no such scents. At least none she ever found. Their predominant fauna was cactus, and cactus hurt to touch. Sharp lances of anger protruded from the hateful plant, pricking at the fool girl who couldn't see how it despised its solitude being interrupted.

Konoha's flowers _loved_ gentle caresses. They _craved_ to know the kindness and love of another, a sentiment Hikari shared. She couldn't spend her entire day smelling flowers and caressing them, though, but she tried to get as many as she could while she was there, savoring their scents, memorizing their shapes and imprinting the location of the shop into her memories for the future.

No matter how much life sprouted around her, however, the world remained dark and cold, full of sharp, earsplitting noises and people who were always out of reach. The only light in her life remained but a kindled ember of hope she struggled to keep from extinguishing, returning her to cold isolation.

'Twas all she could do now. Alone in the dark, this tiny ember she desperately protected sustained the Suna native through desolate winters, urging her to keep walking on her path even when her knee throbbed terribly. 'Twas only her who could do this. 'Twas only her who possessed the sense left to stand against chaos.

The Council of Fools wholeheartedly embraced madness. Their mission they set out to complete, the objectives they sent her to destroy, it would bring nothing except dishonor, ruin and destruction upon Suna. Innocent shinobi blindly loyal to their superiors would follow their orders like good shinobi. Hikari never considered herself a good shinobi. Powerful, yes, but never good. Good shinobi obediently obeyed their superiors no matter the order, regardless of how suicidal the mission may be.

To a good shinobi, the Village came before everything and everyone else. 'Tis their duty to protect its secrets, its people, even when it meant performing a horrendous deed to do so. Good shinobi could ignore their feelings. Good shinobi could ignore facts or an alliance on a single order from a superior.

Hikari could not. 'Twas not out of spite for their treatment of her through the years. Unlike the Council of Fools, she did not let personal vendettas cloud her judgement—fortunately for them, for they would be the first to perish by her hands if she lacked self-control.

Hikari's path diverged long ago from that of a loyal Suna shinobi. Lines in the sand had been drawn. Promises of freedom became a cage.

 _I have my purpose. My mission. My duty. 'Tis all I need._

Suna's plan meant nothing to her. 'Twas but a date she aligned her true purpose in Konoha with. Until the day came for her embers final battle with the void, there were preparations to be made to assure the success of her mission. First was learning the layout of Konoha. Learn the civilian population congregation zones—areas where the most damage could be done and where casualties would be highest. Study the streets to maneuver through them effortlessly even in the heat of battle. As she gained further Intel, she formulated a plan to draw the fighting towards a battlefield of her choosing rather than among the chaos of war.

Every passing day increased her familiarity with Konoha. Sooner rather than later she would be fully acclimatized to the new environment. Yet, as she prepared for her mission, Hikari's thoughts often drifted to the kindest flower she ever met—Amaririsu Yūhi. She had not forgotten her kindness or the warm, silky chakra she wished to huddle close to after years of cold nothingness.

'Twas strange, she had to admit, to feel so connected to a stranger. 'Twas but a single act of kindness, a small interaction condensed to a few minutes, hardly a blink of her life really. Yet 'twas not a meaningless moment to be disregarded for time to erode as it eroded all it touched. All of Suna hated, feared or outright ignored her existence. Had her disoriented fall happened back home, no one would care. 'Twas likely they would kick her precious gourd away to spite her, scoffing another insult under their breath.

They were cacti; every single person a sharpened lance of hatred stabbing her heart as it tried to reach out into the darkness in search of kindness. As she laid there in the dirt, reaching out for her gourd, a gentle flower witness to her struggle extended its soft petals to her, returning the precious object and stating so resolutely, _"That doesn't make it right for people to ignore you when you actually need help."_

Hikari rubbed her thumb across the pad of her middle finger, rolling a grain of crushed sand between them, smiling fondly at the memory. _I had forgotten…what happiness felt like._ Kindness from Amaririsu felt like a feather caressing her heart, tickling her senses with its velvety touch, summoning a smile to her lips from a different time. Happiness wasn't a feather, nor did it tickle; happiness embraced her senses, wrapping its warm arms around her shivering frame, and whispered ever so softly, _"You are not alone. I'm here."_

'Twas a new flame, burning brighter than her ember, beckoning her to come sit and warm herself after such a long journey. To stop walking towards inevitability and let the silky warm threads of chakra embrace her so she didn't have to walk alone anymore. Hikari considered the choice daily, yet even when she gave in and tried to approach Amaririsu, she stopped in the shadows.

Misfortune followed her. As a Suna elder once cursed her: Hikari was a bad luck charm. A scourge they were better off leaving to die in the desert than keeping as a weapon.

For Amaririsu's safety and future, 'twas better to linger in the darkness, out of sight but in vicinity of her warmth. Better to hear the velvety voice strum harmonious chords of happiness and life while the Suna native dreamt of days lost to the endless grains of sand, smiling for once not in sorrow, but in happiness for the purity of Amaririsu's light she could feel touch her skin like the first ray of sunlight at dawn.

Perhaps one day, when she didn't bear the burden of her duty and when chaos wasn't at their doorstep, perhaps then they could meet again. Not as shinobi from separate Villages, but as Amaririsu and Hikari the individuals, not the weapons they would become in the coming days.

Hikari hoped, and with the hope a new flame fell into her hands to carry, thawing out her numb heart and limbs.

 _For the mission I set out on, and for the safety of Amaririsu's light, I will keep walking my path without hesitation._ Hikari clicked her tongue, listened to the pop reverberate on the walls around her, then continued on her scouting mission through the Leaf, walking away from the light she found in this foreign Village. _One day, Amaririsu Yūhi, I hope we can meet again._

* * *

The Next Day

* * *

The clock neared eight in the morning as Amari headed for the stairs, keen on filling her hungry belly before heading out for the day. Today, at noon, she would begin training with her uncle, learning a new Shadow Technique and, hopefully, being introduced to the mysterious other trainer meant to teach her the special jutsu Kakashi wanted her to learn.

 _First off, breakfast_ , Amari thought, padding softly down the stairs towards the kitchen. A morning wasn't complete without breakfast. Step by step, the fresh smell of eggs, bacon and toast consumed her nostrils. The aroma was glorious; had she been an unrefined slob the smell would have turned into a drooling zombie instantly.

Closer to the kitchen, the pleasant humming of her mother's humming met her ears. Before being taken in by Kurenai, this home had been relatively silent. Clean and tidy, furnished and comfortable, but her mother liked to say it always felt like it was missing something.

" _I think it was you,"_ she would usually add lovingly.

" _Stop making me blush, troublesome woman,"_ tended to be her response as she hugged or poked the woman.

As she entered the kitchen, Kurenai set two plates of food down on the dining table—the same table that hadn't gotten as much use as her mother intended. Her old, socially awkward self— _because I'm totally getting better at socializing_ —pointed out that conclusion once. Well, she mumbled it, and immediately felt rude and started to apologize. Kurenai laughed it off, told her she was right and decided together they could give it the use it needed.

Family meals, schoolwork, conversations, together they helped the table fulfill its purpose. And, in the end, Kurenai helped Amari find her own.

"Just the smell of your food makes every Feudal Lord of our continent envious," Amari said as she moved towards her usual seat.

Her mother chuckled. "Careful. Keep flattering my cooking and I may become a shinobi chef for those Feudal Lords who are so envious of my food." Amari halted in place, horrified at what could only be described as the most dastardly threat in existence. Her mother's red eyes glinted playfully at her horror. "Then you'll be left with instant ramen for breakfast, lunch and dinner for a few years."

She loved ramen, but not _that_ much! That was Naruto level obsessive love, and she only saved that for ice cream and cookies!

"Yo- You wouldn't!"

"Wouldn't I?" Kurenai retorted. "It could be quite the lucrative investment. It'll only be a few years of instant ramen. You wouldn't die of sodium overdose that quickly."

" _Mom_! That's not funny!"

"Hm," Kurenai hummed amusedly, lips twitching upwards and breaking her neutral mask. She motioned to table with a dip of her head. "Come eat, little one, before I take my trade elsewhere."

Amari dropped the argument and sat down to eat immediately.

After breakfast, the duo worked together to clean everything up, falling into the familiar rhythm. Amari removed her arm from the sling to keep the process efficient.

"How's Hinata been doing?" she asked as they worked. "I never had the chance to go visit her while I was in the hospital." _Though that's because I was restricted to my bed_. She didn't say it. Debating her restrictions at this point would only be troublesome for her.

"Hm." The concerned hum made Amari turn to face her mother, whose features matched her hum. "It'll take time for her to be ready for active duty again. Neji's attack to her heart requires more recovery time than a normal physical injury. If she pushes it too soon, she'll only end up hurting herself, much like you."

Two fingers assaulted her forehead. Amari frowned. "Hey, I've been good so far," she tried to argue

Kurenai cocked an eyebrow up. " _So far_?" The question came in _that_ tone. The warning tone no child ever wanted to risk pushing further.

The Nara deflated. "It wasn't like I was planning anything…"

Another poke, far less scolding than the first. "Hinata is recovering well, and she's showing a positive attitude. That can be the difference maker in a recovery. You should try treating yours less like imprisonment and more like a vacation."

"It _is_ imprisonment…" she muttered, and was rightly poked for it. Amari covered her forehead in a meager defense, opening her stomach up for her mother to assault with two well placed pokes to the middle of her belly then her side. "Hey! That's cheating!" the girl giggled brightly, flinching away from the hand.

"Mm. It's not cheating if you leave yourself open." As her hands moved to cover her stomach from another assault, the fingers prodded the center of her forehead. She placed one hand on her forehead and the other across her belly, but Kurenai outsmarted her by wrapping an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into an embrace. "Got you!" she laughed, pressing a quick kiss to the top of her head before releasing her.

"I'm relieved Hinata's doing well. I was worried she was taking the loss too hard," Amari said as she lowered her arms.

Kurenai nodded. "I was too. Having you and Naruto cheer her on, coaching her on how to stand up for herself and be strong has flicked a switch on in Hinata. She wants to double her training. With Team Eight she wants all of us to stop holding back on her, and when she has the chance, she wants to join yours and Sakura's training."

 _Good_ , Amari thought. Hinata found a spark to become stronger. By training with Hinata, she could help her the same way she helped Sakura, providing their wills with the same strength people like Kurenai and Naruto had given her. The circle binding their class was growing stronger, the fires of their wills strengthening their generation for the day when they had to protect Konoha and guide the future.

" _We all have to get stronger. To protect our dreams. To protect each other and keep injuries like this from happening to one another. We're the next generation; that means the future of the village will one day be in our hands. It'll be our duty to protect it and nurture the next generation of shinobi. To guide the future of the village as a Jōnin Sensei, that's my dream."_

One person at a time. This was what she could do right now. Even if it was only her friends, she could start small and help her generation become what her mother, Kakashi, Asuma, Guy and so many others were to them. Protectors, teachers, guides through the darkness, warmth, comfort. For what they had done for her, she could help jumpstart her generation to become even greater so they could one day take their places and be the same light that had helped a sobbing, lonely little girl who lost everything become strong.

"I think Hinata needed to hear people she admired tell her everything we did," Amari said thoughtfully. "You've done so much for her as her tutor and now as her sensei, but…Well, you know her father better than I do. Whatever he said to her or did is a scar that hasn't healed. It's stunted her in ways I probably don't even know." Her lips pulled into a tight frown. "Because of him, she thinks of herself as a failure. When you think you're a failure, you start seeing every tiny mistake as a reinforcement of your belief. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy I went through too. I felt completely useless after what Kasai said to me. I was never going to be strong enough to be a shinobi. I was just a pathetic waste of Ryu's life."

Her mother shut the water off and looked down at her. "It was because of you I stopped thinking that way. I…I don't think I've ever said this, and I should have sooner, but I admire you so much. Your strength, your skill, your confidence, your compassion, you're…you're everything I hope to be when I grow up, as a teacher, as a shinobi and as a human being."

Kurenai's eyes widened at the sudden confession. "Little one…"

"Back when I saw myself as nothing, you never stopped trying to get me to see my worth. Even when I cried so much and tried to quit, you refused to give up on me. You kept pushing me to stand back up, no matter how much it hurt. You helped me find worth in myself, and because of that I was able to find strength." Amari's face softened. "I…I can never thank you enough for everything you've done for me. I once thought I could repay everything I would ever owe you. I still have a mental record of everything I've ever cost you, but I know now that even given a hundred lives, I can never repay you for the love you've given me. I was just some orphan, not even your child, your responsibility or your problem, and you took me in on a hunch. I owe you everything."

Her mother wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into a warm hug. Lips pressed against the top of her head. "And I would do it all over again for the same hunch. I told you then and I will tell you now: You don't have to repay anything, Amari. Being your guardian and adopting you were the best decisions I've ever made." Amari shut her eyes against her tears. "You will never need to thank me, little one. Never. You _are_ my child and I love you."

Amari embraced Kurenai fully, taking in every ounce of warmth and love this woman provided by such profound words. "I love you too, Mom. Thank you…Thank you so much for everything you've ever done for me and for what you still do."

 _One day I'll find a way to repay you._

When they finished with the dishes, the pair moved to leave for their intended destinations. Her mother was scheduled to train with Shino for the finals while Amari planned to kill time as she waited for noon to roll around. Amari pulled her bandana down over her left eye at the door and placed her arm back in the cloth sling hanging around her neck. It was a drag, but it was better than permanently losing the strength in her entire arm.

"What do you plan on doing?" her mother asked curiously.

"I'm going to check on Hinata and Lee. If they aren't taking visitors, I may check in on Sakura, Shika and Naruto before heading to Uncle Shikaku's."

Kurenai nodded. "Okay." They shared one last hug. "Be safe, little one."

"I will."

With that they went their separate ways. Along the trip to the hospital Amari stopped when a ball, kicked by playing children, got wedged between a restaurant sign and the building itself. Deciding to lend a hand, she hopped up, grabbed it and returned it to the children with a quick reminder to be careful.

By the time she reached the hospital it was a quarter past nine. A kind nurse informed her Lee and Hinata were both accepting visitors, but due to Lee's severe injuries she had to keep her visit short so he could get the rest he needed. After guiding her to Hinata's room and then giving her directions on how to find Lee's room, the nurse left the ninja to visit the Hyūga privately.

 _I don't think I've been on this side of visiting a hospital_. One look at her knee brace and arm sling showed which side she was used to being on. _Though, to be honest, I'd rather none of us be here._ Critical injuries were a real drag.

Amari slid the door open to reveal Hinata sitting up on the bed. Her legs were covered by the light sheet and her eyes were directed at the novel in her hands, fully absorbed in the story it was telling. On the counter next to Hinata's bed, her sweater laid folded up, leaving her in a navy blue shirt.

"Hey Hinata," she greeted pleasantly.

Hinata's eyes snapped up from her book, the solid lavender full of surprise at her presence. As always, Hinata's eyes gave her mixed feelings of affection and sadness. Affection for this shy and kind girl she cared for. Sadness for the kind and caring boy who had cared so much for her, he sacrificed himself in her place.

 _I would do the same for Hinata._

"Am- Amari?" The quiet and shy voice snapped her awake from her brief lapse.

 _She didn't call me Amaririsu._ Enormous disappointment hit her. She…she admittedly liked Hinata calling her by Amaririsu, all for the sake of being able to tease her and coax adorable embarrassment out of the Hyūga.

"Wha- what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be training?" Her eyes took in the sling and brace. The sight of the injuries made her features fall. "Your arm and leg…"

"They'll heal," Amari reassured, waving her concern off. "Doctor's ordered me to keep these on for a week, and Mom is holding me to it. I'll be training with my Uncle Shikaku today. Before I did, though, I wanted to come check on you and Lee. If you don't mind having me for company."

"I don't mind. Please, sit." Amari sat on the side of the bed, her left leg crossed underneath her right, letting her right leg hang off the edge. Hinata's eyes lingered on the two injured limbs. "I- I heard about your fight. It sounded amazing, and frightening. I can't imagine what Kurenai-sensei was feeling when you were poisoned."

"Mm, I can," Amari frowned. The tight hug, the following hard poke to the forehead and reprimanding she received on waking up transmitted every peak and valley her emotions galloped up and down. "And I wouldn't call my overall performance amazing. If that were a real battle, Hisashi and I would both be dead. He may have conceded, and I may be in the finals, but the real war ended as a draw. An enemy isn't going to give me an antidote and there's no guarantee a medic-nin will be nearby to help me. I have to get better so that doesn't happen."

Hinata concealed a giggle behind her hand then turned a fond smile her way. "You never stop, do you?"

Amari tilted her head in confusion. "Never stop what?"

"Looking for ways to improve yourself. Even when you do really well, you focus on the mistakes you made and do everything you can to fix them. You're…" Hinata's cheeks tinted pink as she gave her a closed eyed smile. "You're an inspiration, Amaririsu."

Amari felt her cheeks heat up. Her eye darted away shyly for a moment, but a smirk tugged onto her lips. "How many times, Hinata?" she asked quietly.

The smile on Hinata's face was replaced by the most adorable look of horror ever to exist. "I- I'm sorry, Amari!" As always, Hinata's embarrassed reaction—tomato red face and hasty apology—was as sweet as ice cream.

"You're too adorable, Hinata," Amari giggled. She took a breath, urging her blush to leave—and failing spectacularly—as she smiled at her friend. "You know, you inspire me too. You put everything you had into your fight against Neji. Even when he cut off your chakra, you still fought to make every drop of blood, sweat and tears you once shed worth it, proving to him and to us that you aren't just some weak girl. You're Hinata Hyūga of the Hidden Leaf, a strong and determined kunoichi no one is allowed to underestimate."

"I…" Hinata bowed her head. "Thank you, Amari. For believing in me and your kind words."

Amari reached forward and poked her affectionately in the forehead. Hinata lifted her head to see a closed eyed smile. "Anytime, Hinata."

She blushed and smiled shyly, but then her features shifted to grave seriousness. "I…I know it may be hard, but…but please don't hate Neji for what he did to me." The smile slipped from Amari's lips, steadily turning into a frown. "There's…There's a lot you and the others don't know about what happened between our fathers. Neji hasn't always been this way."

"Hinata…" Amari shut her eyes and took a breath, killing the first heated words she wanted to expel like a Fire Style Jutsu. Don't hate Neji? How could she not hate that bastard for trying to kill one of her precious people? Even if he used to be different, that didn't excuse his actions in the present. Nor did the problems between their respective fathers give him a reason to verbally and physically abuse Hinata.

"Please, don't excuse his actions, Hinata," Amari said slowly. "You…you could have died. He tried to _kill_ you. You are the kindest person I know, and I cherish that about you, but please, don't…don't speak like he had a legitimate reason to kill you. I don't care if he used to be kind. He had no reason to strike your heart with lethal blows."

"You're wrong."

"Hinata—"

"The matches were unsanctioned. Just as Hisashi fought you as he would a real shinobi, going so far as to poison you, Neji fought me the same way." The firmness behind Hinata's voice gave her pause. Hinata wasn't speaking as her shy friend; she was speaking as a kunoichi of the Leaf who didn't want to be coddled. "For the first time, Neji treated me as an equal. Even though his words were unkind, even though he tried to play mind games with me, when our fight truly began and we traded blows, he didn't hesitate or hold back. He may not see me as an equal, but he fought me as he would have fought any of you." Her eyes drifted away. "That's…that's all I can ask from him at this point."

Arguments formed in her mind, legitimate arguments about how he only treated her that way to take his hatred out on her, but Amari kept them inside. She sighed deeply through her nose. "I can't promise I'll ever forgive him. But, for you, I'll leave the door open for him to earn it."

Not that Amari believed he ever would.

"Thank you." After a few beats of silence Hinata began twiddling her fingers. "I- I was wondering…is- is it possible…I mean I- I was hoping I could…"

"Train with Sakura and I when you aren't injured or busy with Mom or your team?" she asked for her friend. Hinata continued to twiddle her fingers silently then nodded quickly. "Of course. I would be happy to help in any way I can."

"Thank you. There's…there's also something I want to tell you." Amari nodded silently for her to continue. Hinata gulped. "As you know, Kurenai-sensei has tutored me since before I graduated from the Academy. During that time I…I learned about a secret of yours without either of you knowing, but I didn't tell anyone, I promise!"

Amari's eye widened. There was only one secret Hinata could have learned for her to be this frantic. "How?" she asked curiously. "Out of everyone we know, only Shika ever assumed I had another eye, but he never could have guessed what it really was. I hid everything from him, Naruto, even my team. Shika didn't even learn about my heritage until the Forest of Death."

Another moment when her secret inadvertently came out.

Hinata glanced away, bashful of the words about to spill from her lips. "I…I used my Byakugan to see under your bandana at the Academy." Amari's visible eyebrow arced high. Slowly her lips tugged into an amused smile, furthering the embarrassment of her fellow kunoichi. Hinata quickly tried to defend herself. "It was only once, and I never told anyone! Not even Kiba or Shino! I wanted…I wanted to know why you hid that side of your face. Kids were…making up mean stories about you, so I thought I could…" Hinata's voice and eyes fell in what appeared to be disappointment or shame.

"Learn the truth then tell them they were wrong because I showed you?" Amari finished her sentence for her.

Hinata perked up. "Ye- yes! I didn't know you had…" _The Byakugan_ went unspoken. "I talked to Kurenai-sensei about what I learned when we were alone. She told me the truth about how you received it and told me I couldn't tell anyone in my Clan. I haven't and I won't because the circumstances you gained it in…I'm- I'm really sorry for what you went through." She started to twiddle her fingers again. "I heard during your fight your bandana fell off in front of everyone and they all saw it. I…I don't know what Neji will do, even with the warning Kurenai-sensei said Kakashi-sensei gave. But I wanted you to know…if my father or the Elders learn, I will support you. I- I don't know if it will do anything. I'm not—"

Hinata stopped when Amari rested her hand on her twiddling fingers. The earnest and humble features on her face kept the Hyūga from speaking further. "Hinata, thank you. Even if the worst happens, knowing you support me is enough."

As long as she had any say, no other Hyūga's would ever learn the truth.

The two girls talked about anything and everything that came to mind after that—Hinata's book, training, the finals, etc.—until eventually Amari stood to leave. Ten-thirty was but a few minutes away and she still wanted to check in on Lee before leaving. "Come by and join us for training when you're fully healed. I'll be glad to help out with what I can, and I'm sure I'll be able to learn a thing or two from you."

"I- I will. Thank you for coming to visit, Amari."

She smiled. "You're welcome. I'll try to visit when I can so your stay here isn't too dull. I know how boring it can get, trust me. The hospital is a total drag." Hinata giggled at her abhorrence for the building she spent so much time in. "Well, see you later Hinata. I hope you get better soon."

"I hope your training goes well, Amari. If…If you see Nar- Naruto, tell him I-…that I-…that he—"

"I'll let him know you are rooting him on and can't wait to see him win. He'll be happy to hear it." Hinata blushed but nodded in thanks. "Take care, Hinata."

The door slid open as Amari reached for it. Her hand hung in the open space for a moment as her eyes scaled the tall man with long black hair in front of her, finally landing on the lavender eyes colder than Neji's. Behind him was a shorter girl with long, dark brown hair and lavender eyes. By height and facial features she was a younger than Amari and Hinata, though the man of the pair was far older than all three of them.

It took a millisecond under his gaze for the gears in the Nara's brain to shift into full sprint. Half of her willpower went into shoving the irritated snarl back down her throat.

 _Him._

Hinata's father. _How nice of you to actually show up_ , she wanted to drawl venomously. _Here I thought she wasn't worthy of the almighty Hyūga Clan Head's time. After all, that's why you shoved your daughter onto my mom as if she had some sort of disease, right? You pathetic excuse of a parent._

Amari didn't speak those words. She wanted to, though. Instead she kept her features passive and her mouth shut while Hinata's father regarded her carefully, an emotionless frown creasing his features.

 _Probably got stuck that way when he was a kid._

He wore very traditional loose robes with a brown long-sleeved haori. His hair reached the middle of his back and his posture was straighter than a pillar. His eyes revealed more of the man. She could see his superior arrogance as well as the overbearing strictness that berated Hinata and caused her to doubt herself time and again.

 _Jerk._

The girl could only be Hinata's sister. She wore a blue V-neck shirt with mesh armor underneath and blue shorts and sandals. Her hair reached the middle of her back with parted bangs in the front. She seemed nice enough. Not nearly as arrogant or cold as her father. Quiet, but not from the shyness that afflicted her sister, more out of respect to not speak out of turn.

The other half of Amari's willpower was spent keeping her calm. This was the man she never wanted to meet. The Clan Head of the influential Hyūga Clan—Hiashi Hyūga. The man she feared learning her secret. The man who would pluck her eye out if he knew she—a half Nara and Uchiha—wielded his Clan's precious dōjutsu.

 _He's going to take your eye_ , her mind whispered, panicked. _He'll use his Byakugan to see underneath your bandana and then no one will be able to save you. No Crows will burst into the hospital to fend him off. Mom isn't even here. You. Are. Alone._

She could feel her panic attack crawling across her skin like Shino's insects. _Not right now. Not right now._ A panic attack would create suspicion. Instigating him by hurling venomous insults was also off limits. This man had more political ties than she could ever hope to hold. One wrong move and he could make her shinobi career a living hell.

Amari bowed respectfully. "Sir." She despised bending her head to him. Even if he was an elder, he lost all of her respect when he pushed Hinata aside.

"You must be Kurenai's adopted daughter. Amaririsu Yūhi, correct?" It sounded so much like a question, yet it was a statement. He knew her already. The question was just a pleasantry.

"I am." The air grew thick with stress concocted between Hinata and Amari. Hinata could tell her father was blocking the exit on purpose. This opportunity to speak to Amari may not happen again for quite some time. The orphan child's sudden emergence in the Leaf was surrounded by enough fog to keep his eyes obscured. No amount of political pull created a clearer picture.

What had a handful of Jōnin and the Hokage so interested in her? What secrets were being kept from him? Hiashi hoped he may wrench even a fragment of information from the source.

Amari could _feel_ Hiashi's overbearing curiosity. He, of course, showed nothing physically; his political games gave him the appearance of a neutral country, but his eyes couldn't lie to her. He wasn't a neutral country. He was an enemy nation lingering outside of her Village. The assault was coming. Anxiety sent her heart haywire. This wouldn't be a physical battle; it would be a battle of words and willpower, and the stakes couldn't be higher.

 _Remember Kakashi-sensei's training. Remember to measure every word and see through his deceptions._

Just like Hiashi, Amari appeared no different than normal. Neither moved. If you listened closely enough, though, you could hear them unsheathing their blades and the boots of their soldiers moving themselves into position. It made her glad Hiashi was a Hyūga and not an Inuzuka. If he had been an Inuzuka, he'd undoubtedly hear the sound of her heart cracking her ribs with thunderous blows.

 _He's going to learn your secret._

"I am Hiashi Hyūga. This is my daughter Hanabi Hyūga," he introduced.

Pieces were in motion.

"Greetings," Hanabi chirped happily.

Amari smiled to her and gave a small wave. "Pleasure to meet you both." _Well…one of you._ The Nara wasn't about to waste an opening to steer this conversation and the battle by taking the first move. Her defenders launched their attack first. "Hinata had an incredible fight against Neji. Although it didn't end in her favor, and left her here, her courage, her ferocity and will was one of the most impressive parts of the prelims."

Compliment the daughter he put down. Give him no choice but to show his true colors and then use it to her advantage.

"You need not try to appease to me," Hiashi stated.

The deflection of her first attack opened him up for her real attack.

"Appease?" The scoff escaped her lips before she could reel it in. It was meant to be innocent confusion; an attack based on finesse, not brute force. The finesse was gone and there was no turning back. "If you believe I mean to appease you then you are mistaken."

Why was her mouth being so troublesome? This was _Hiashi Hyūga_ she was talking back to. A legitimate threat to her eye. Unfortunately, she couldn't stop her stupid mouth.

"Any Leaf Genin and Jōnin who witnessed her fight will tell you the same thing: Hinata was incredible, inspiring too. Neji is a genius, a prodigy, and yet despite that she still stood her ground as a proud Leaf shinobi. She didn't cave or forfeit or beg for mercy. Hinata _fought_ to prove herself to everyone. Even when she was cut off from her chakra and her heart—the muscle itself—was failing her, she stood up to keep fighting."

Hanabi's eyes flitted to her sister in surprise. Hiashi's continued to stare directly at her in their silent duel of wills. Their forces were clashing blades as he tried to pierce through to the keep of her fortress.

"Some might call what you see as bravery, foolish," he said.

Behind her, she could feel Hinata shrink at the disapproval. The insult incensed her fighter spirit, as well as the spirits of the defenders of her fortress. His true enemy colors were displayed proudly. She planned to burn them all down in a single move. "Then I guess I'm a proud fool," she said. "If you ask me, those who call her bravery foolish are the real fools."

The pointed strike took down lieutenants of his assault team and weakened his overall fighting force. Hiashi's eyes narrowed. She was almost certain she could hear Hinata's panicked thoughts begging her to stop. She wouldn't. This man had walked over his daughter without someone having the guts to say anything for too long. Foolishly brave or bravely foolish, Amari would be the one to take a stand.

"Sometimes, even at the risk of forgoing old rules, placing the possibility of scrutiny and shame on ourselves, we must retreat to save the lives of our comrades. There are also times where we must put our own lives at stake to save them, ignoring our own pain to protect them, no matter the physical cost to our own bodies." The personal tone of those words actually drew Hiashi's eyes and Hanabi's to her injuries. "Other times one of us must make a final stand to save as many lives as possible, or simply one precious life we hold dear."

 _Like you did for me, Ryu._

"I learned from Lord Third of Lord Second's final stand. He, the leader of our Village and the person we look to for strength, gave his life so Lord Third and the rest of his squad could escape. It was that day he named Lord Third to be the next Hokage. Despite the insistence of his subordinates to take his place, Lord Second sacrificed himself so they could escape." Amari met his stern eyes with unwavering will. "Should we consider Lord Second a fool then? He no doubt pushed himself past his limits. He must have been beaten and broken at the hands of the enemy, yet he still kept standing up as many times as he could for the sake of others.

"While it's true Hinata didn't have the weight of other's lives on her shoulders, her willingness to keep standing up to fight proves her strength. It earned her the respect of her peers, and if Neji had any sense, he would respect her too. Because I have no doubt Hinata would fight the toughest battle of her life for the sake of a comrade. That's what Leaf shinobi do."

Hiashi regarded her for a quiet moment. "You speak well, child," he said at length.

His assault forces took heavy casualties, but the fight wasn't over yet.

"I speak truth, Sir. Your daughter puts her heart into everything she does, and for that reason she'll become a powerful kunoichi of the Leaf. Once she's better she'll pick up right where she left off, because she never goes back on her word and doesn't back down, no matter what others tell her." Amari glanced over her right shoulder. "Right, Hinata?"

"Ri- right!" she squeaked.

The Nara smiled and nodded. "Get better soon, Hinata. I look forward to training alongside you and learning from you."

She turned back to face Hiashi, her features neutral but guarded and her internal fortress still absent of invaders. "I do not wish to intrude on your visit with your daughter. I'll take my leave." Politeness was her Escape Jutsu. If he tried to press her further, it would force him to bring his true intentions to light, whatever they might be. Hiashi wouldn't risk it. He was too intelligent to let himself fall into such a simple trap, in the end leaving him no choice but to let her escape. Amari bowed. "It was nice to meet you both."

With a curt nod he dismissed her and allowed her passage through the doorway back into the hall. Yet the way his eyes lingered on her, Amari knew this war wasn't over. Even if it took weeks, months or years, he would come back to assault her fortress in search of secrets.

 _Run!_ The order of her heart and mind was incredibly difficult to ignore. She couldn't run off, not yet. His eyes followed her retreating form, lavender eyes resolute to see through the shadows casted around her and penetrate the walls protecting her secrets. The chill of his icy stare refused to stop prodding around for weaknesses. Only when she turned a corner and moved out of sight did it stop.

His gaze no longer on her, Amari's pace quickened. A sheen of sweat began to form under her mesh long sleeve and fuchsia top as the anxiety she held in a containment cell started to thrash around and break its restraints. Her unconscious mind went into autopilot to guide her feet in the direction the nurse told her while her conscious mind began to tremble.

 _He could have walked in or overheard us talking about my Byakugan._ All it would have taken was a decision to visit his daughter earlier and the secret would be out. What would they do to an outsider in possession of their dōjutsu? Would they even care about the circumstances she received it in? Would they demand to take it from her or subjugate her however they did with the Side Branch?

Many disturbing thoughts and images flashed through her mind. Her feet carried her faster through the halls. _Get away. Get away. Get away._ She couldn't breathe. Those cold eyes refused to leave her mind. The thought of him reaching out and plucking the eye from her eye socket, just as Orochimaru planned to do…

" _Your Sharingan eye is so perceptive. Perhaps I should take it as a trophy."_

 _Get away! Get away! Get away!_

When she reached the hall where Lee's room was, she slammed her back against a wall and brought her hand to her chest, clenching the fabric in her fingers as she struggled to breathe. Her heart felt like a group of raging bulls stampeding through her body.

"Hey Ama—"

The friendly voice might as well have been Orochimaru's. Amari's onyx eye snapped up and her trembling body nearly fell over as she tried to back away from the source. The frightened, doe eyed look silenced Mimi and caused her, as well as Tenten, to pause on their approach.

 _Help. Me._

Her eye must have transmitted her thought. Concern swarmed Mimi's features before she rushed over.

"Tenten, grab that chair. She needs to sit."

"Right."

* * *

Mimi grabbed Amari's left arm and slung it around the back of her neck to support the weight of the girl a calm breeze could knock over. _What the hell happened to her?_ She half carried, half dragged Amari towards the chair Tenten was rushing back with.

" _She's having another anxiety attack."_ Aoko sniffed the air. _"I do not smell an enemy presence, but keep your senses open, Mimi. This could be Orochimaru's doing."_

"I sure hope not," she muttered. They had enough problems to fix without the rogue shinobi getting involved. The Inuzuka glanced to her friend. Her breathing was short and uneven, the look in her eye showing she was closer to being in the Land of Lightning than she was in the Land of Fire. Her body was warm at the touch, sweat lightly formed on her fair skin.

"Did you see a ghost or something, Amari?" The light jest didn't do any miracle medical wonders. Mimi helped her to sit then placed her hands on her shoulders, leaning herself into Amari's personal bubble so her face dominated her line of sight. "Hey, Amari, you've got to breathe. Look at me. _Breathe_. In." The command reached through the anxiety just as it had with Kurenai. "Out. In. Out. Nice and easy. In and out. Inhale. Exhale. Deeper breaths. Don't rush it."

It took time, but her breathing began to even out. Her hand returned to her chest and curled into the fabric over her heart. _Physical scars are nothing to psychological ones_ , Mimi thought as she watched the frightened girl. Medical Ninjutsu could heal most wounds, but psychological damage wasn't so cut and dry. It couldn't wipe away someone's PTSD or give them back the limb or the person they lost.

Although they didn't know what brought this recent anxiety attack on, Mimi knew enough about Amari now to know she carried deeper psychological scars than most of their peers. Mimi couldn't heal her. She couldn't take away the pain she experienced or wipe away the scars to leave her heart and skin without imperfections, just as no one could take away the scars she carried. The most she could do was support Amari the same way her family and Team Guy had supported her.

 _I'm not much of a hugger…_ Mimi reached out and took Amari's hand into her own, holding it gently to give her some kind of anchor to reality. _Hopefully this will be enough._

"Take your time. I'm not going anywhere," Mimi said softly.

Amari's hand slowly curled around her own. "…Thank you." The quiet, vulnerable gratitude was all she needed to hear to know she made the right move.

No other words were spoken for minutes. The Inuzuka simply held the Nara's hand, patiently waiting for her to settle down and feel comfortable again.

"Is there an enemy nearby?" she asked when Amari appeared better.

"No," Amari shook her head.

"Well, that's a relief," Tenten said while relaxing visibly.

Mimi agreed. The tension in her body dissipated exponentially at the reassurance. Yet if it wasn't Orochimaru's doing, what then catalyzed her anxiety attack?

"What's got you so spooked? You look like you've been stuck in a room with Lord Hiashi Hyūga," Mimi chuckled.

Amari's eye bulged and her hand shot to cover Mimi's mouth. "Shhh!" At first Mimi suspected the action to be a joke, but then she noticed the Nara frantically searching the area around them.

 _Ah, crap._ Now she felt guilty.

 _"Poor girl."_ Aoko hopped off her companion's head into Amari's lap to snuggle up to her.

Tenten whistled quietly. "Talk about bad timing, Mimi."

Mimi grimaced. "Sorry about that. The odds of that happening normally are really low." _And with the Byakugan she wields, it's no wonder she's having an anxiety attack._

Having Aoko cuddling against her helped calm Amari back down after unintentionally stoking her fear again. Mimi was going to be kicking herself in the ass for that one for a while.

"Are you going to be okay, Amari?" Tenten asked caringly.

She gave a small nod. "I think so…As long as I don't have a repeat incident any time soon."

For her sake, Mimi hoped Hiashi Hyūga had his curiosity sated permanently or found her boring. When it came to persistent people, the Hyūga Head stood as king of the hill when a subject interested him. "You manage to hold it together in front of him?" Mimi asked. If she even showed a slightest hint of this, it wouldn't be good.

"Yeah. As soon as I got out of sight, it all came swarming up. I thought…" she trailed off.

It was clear what she thought. For good reason, too. The Main Branch and Hiashi Hyūga weren't known for their leniency. _If she knew the exact details of what the Main Branch does to the Side Branch…You know what, it's better if she never finds out._ It'd turn her into a skittish deer if she knew the truth, freezing up at the sight of Hyūga members within the Village before bolting off suspiciously.

 _As long as Sir Superiority keeps his damn mouth shut._ Neji hadn't spoken a word to her since, but she could see an incredible growth to his hatred ever since learning the truth. _Kakashi-sensei might have you report directly to the Hokage, but I swear if you tell your Clan, I'll make you regret it, Neji. You're already squarely on the top of my ass kicking list for hurting Hinata. Don't subject an innocent person to the crap the Main Branch did to you. You'll lose all of my sympathy and respect if you do._

"Did you come to visit Lee?" An easy diversion with an obvious answer. It was highly unlikely Amari ended up here by sheer coincidence.

"Lee and Hinata," Amari nodded. "You two can go ahead and visit him. I just…I just need another minute to calm down."

A frown formed on the Inuzuka's lips. Granted, she understood her silent reasons. In her sandals, Mimi would want to handle this without an audience too, but being left alone after a harrowing experience wasn't medically recommended by anyone. At least if Hiashi came looking for her Mimi could field off his interrogation, playing bodyguard against the Hyūga Head. She had a few _specific_ words for how the Main Branch treated the Side Branch.

 _Aunty Tsume will pummel me for causing a political incident, but she'd get over it. She hates their rules as much as I do._

"Are you sure?" Tenten asked.

"You're still looking a little wobbly even in the seat," Mimi agreed.

Amari gave a tired nod neither kunoichi believed.

" _Go visit Lee, Mimi. I will keep her company until she is ready to move."_

As good of a compromise as she could hope for. "Okay. Aoko will stay and keep you company. Come on, Tenten," Mimi said then stood up to her full height.

Before entering the room, she glanced back one last time and saw Amari already slumping down. Aoko shooed her away with her paw.

" _Go, Mimi. I'll bite Lord Hiashi's ankles if he tries to return."_

For the first time in days, Mimi snorted and grinned genuinely. _What a sight that'd be!_

* * *

Amari leaned forward and rested her face into her left hand as soon as Mimi and Tenten slid the door close. She exhaled a deep breath. Then a soft, disbelieving chuckle escaped her lips. "I talked back to Hiashi Hyūga. What the hell was I thinking?" Amari groaned. "Stupid, stupid, stupid. Shika's right, I really am too troublesome for my own good."

Aoko's warm and wet tongue dragged across her cheek, tickling her and making her giggle. The ninken wagged her tail happily, dark eyes glinting humorously at her. "Don't tell Shika I said he was right. He'd never let me forget it." The ninken yipped and nodded. "All right, let's go see Lee."

Inside the room, Mimi and Tenten stood quietly next to Lee's bed, where he slept soundly. A bandage was attached to his cheek while the rest of his body was covered by his sheet.

Amari frowned. "I guess I won't be talking him into rock-paper-scissors." She hoped to keep his spirits up by challenging him to the simple game, fueling their rivalry he wanted to have with her. _I guess I'll have to try again later._

"He's been up recently. Sakura and Ino's scent along with a nurse are mostly fresh. I can smell his scent outside, too." Mimi lifted her chin towards the open window. "He was disobeying doctors' orders, probably trying to do some minor training."

"Can you blame him?" Amari asked.

Mimi shook her head. "No, I can't. I'd be doing the same if I was in his position. I…I just need more time to figure out how to fix this. I hope he can be patient enough to give me it." Her gloved hands curled into fists and her jaw clenched tightly. "That Gaara bastard has no idea what being a shinobi means to Lee. He's stealing Lee's life from him. But I'm gonna make him understand every ounce of pain Lee has experienced if it's the last thing I do. I'll finish what he started!"

"Mimi…" Tenten tried to find words to say, only to come up short.

That was okay. Amari closed the distance between them. "Aoko, make sure she trains hard. I don't want to wipe the floor with her in front of a bunch of people. It'd be really embarrassing for you." Aoko gave a bark of agreement. She set the ninken down on the bed then met Mimi's hardened sapphire eyes. "I won't act like I haven't fallen into my own hatred and preach to you about not being so angry. I get it. I do. Just…Just don't forget who you are or about the people who care about you, all right?

"Hatred blinds all. Even people with enhanced senses like us. We have to fight it. If we don't, if we just let it consume us, we'll become the darkness we harbor and do things we wouldn't otherwise." Like threatening to kill Neji, hitting him with waves of dark killing intent to make him tremble in fear. "I don't know your dream or your nindo, but stay true to them, Mimi. It's what the people who care about you want most."

Mimi looked away sharply, conflicted features pulling onto her face, and kept silent. Amari took it as a sign to drop the subject. "Good luck with your training, Mimi. I'm really looking forward to our fight. If Lee wakes up while you're here, tell him I wish him a speedy recovery and I look forward to our next contest. See you two later."

She couldn't blame Mimi for her silence or the mindset she was in. Amari understood it really well. _I just hope she doesn't lose herself…and that I'm ready for whatever our match entails._

It was time to start training.

* * *

"Hinata, Hanabi."

"Father?"

"Ye- yes, Father?"

"Do not take the words of Amaririsu Yūhi lightly." Hiashi Hyūga crossed his arms over his chest and looked out at the Village from his daughter's hospital room window. "She may be young, but she holds within her the wisdom of a shinobi twice her age." Such was the way with the Nara Clan. They were all old souls in young bodies. More, the child had gained the wisdom only loss and the subsequent pain it brought could give. He didn't need to know her history to see it; that pain lingered in her singular onyx eye as a dark shadow she could not escape.

It was a feeling he empathized with.

"Sh- she's always been that way," Hinata said. Hiashi used the reflection of the window to look at his eldest daughter, noticing the fond smile on her face as she stared down at her lap. "Amari has been an inspiration for our class since becoming the number one rookie. Sh- she's one of the truest friends I've had."

He nodded. He was happy his eldest daughter found a friend as loyal and wise as Kurenai's adopted daughter. "Amaririsu understands what it means to be a Leaf shinobi," Hiashi said out loud. "Heed her lessons, Hinata. You can learn much from her."

"I- I will, Father."

"Mm."

 _"Other times one of us must make a final stand to save as many lives as possible, or simply one precious life we hold dear."_

Hiashi looked back out to the Village. Those words held personal meaning to her, as they did to him as well. He hadn't gleaned nearly enough information about her mysterious appearance from their talk, she had done quite well to dictate the conversation, but Amaririsu Yūhi now had his attention. That eye of hers, it called back a memory of a man he once knew.

Could she really be his daughter, though?

Hiashi planned to find out.


	38. Chapter 37: Shadows of the Past Revealed

Chapter 37

New Trainer, Older Friend: A Shadow from the Past Revealed!

Shikaku sat quietly at his living room table, a glass of warm, jasmine herbal tea Yoshino made for him in hand. The scent of the jasmine flowers mixed together with green tea leaves mellowed out the laid back man. He sipped from the glass, humming in satisfaction; Yoshino truly had no match when it came to tea. Perhaps because she made it with love?

Setting the glass back on the porcelain coaster, Shikaku returned his attention to the old picture sitting on the table in front of him. He picked up the frame, feeling nostalgic happiness and sorrow combine together in perfect synchronicity like a Nara, Yamanaka and Akimichi combination technique as he scratched lightly at the rough hairs of his dark goatee. Man, where had the time gone? Had he really ever been so young?

The elder Nara chuckled quietly and shut his eyes, smiling in amusement at the sudden conclusion he reached. "I've become an old man. How quaint." He opened his eyes again, his gaze softening at the two young kids from a different time smiling back at him. "Though, I suppose compared to you I was always an old man, huh, 'Yako."

Shikaku took another sip from his tea, savoring the taste and the scent. Honestly, as pleasing as the jasmine tea was, staring at this old picture made him wish his current refreshment was a glass of sake instead, that the scent of jasmine flowers was replaced by the more fruity scented alcohol, but it wasn't even noon yet and his great-niece's arrival was inevitable. Being drunk would be troublesome for them both—mostly him, though.

In all likelihood, if he were to be inebriated beyond all sense at such an early hour, especially with 'Risu on her way over, Yoshino's tea of love and the gentleness she shared with him this morning would be replaced by explosive anger, and more than likely end in his death. Actually, that wasn't fair to Yoshino. His wife wouldn't kill him; she would make him experience a fate worse than death for being drunk around 'Risu.

 _Talk about a drag._

Shaking his head, he set the picture frame down, exhaling deeply through his nose for an innumerable time. Five years. Five years he mourned Miyako. Shikaku still hadn't gotten past it, if he were honest. Miyako was more of a sister than a distant niece; from their youth to adulthood they stuck together. Losing her…it was a blow he couldn't have ever been prepared for. Someone may as well have severed him from his shadow.

Her death came out of the blue, like a sudden meteor crashing to the surface of his entire world and setting it back to prehistoric times. Miyako hadn't died in the line of duty while protecting the Leaf from one of the many threats they faced, nor had she died from natural causes, such as an incurable disease. While he and his family slept peacefully, feeling safe behind the walls of their home, Miyako, her husband and innocent Haya were heartlessly murdered by a fellow Leaf shinobi.

The shocking and horrible news ensnared Shikaku in the Shadow Paralysis Jutsu then proceeded to strangle the life from him via the Shadow Strangle Jutsu. Personal loss, the parasitic grief it attached to you, it wasn't easy for anyone to get past—not even shinobi. Whether you were the Hokage or an old, hardened shinobi like Shikaku, who witnessed his fair share of death and loss, losing a person you cherished couldn't be shrugged off nonchalantly.

It followed you everywhere. Even the small things—especially the small things—tore off the scab without remorse. An extra seat at the dining table gathering dust from visits he'd never get again, the smell of her favorite meal bringing forth memories of old gatherings, shared friends sharing in the grief as they reminisced about her…unique sense of humor and other wonderfully painful memories.

What was in the hands of the mourners was finding ways to keep functional, because life paused for no man or woman. The breeze carried the cloud known as life onwards. If you didn't find a way to stay functional, well, it wasn't pretty. Most became old, rotten trees, absent of all life as they stood in solitude, watching the clouds pass them by until eventually they either learned to live again or crumbled into ash.

Shikaku didn't carry many regrets. Fate, he supposed, had been kind to him in that regard; he wasn't without regrets, though. Chief among them, the worst one he would bear to his final breath, was allowing the internal strife between the Uchiha Clan and the higher-ups stop him from visiting her as often as he should have. He just didn't want to cause Miyako and her family more trouble. Most of the hardliners thought her and Haya were spies plotting their downfall.

" _My presence there would only create more tension, 'Yako. From what I've heard, Haya has enough problems without me adding onto it."_

Then the Uchiha Massacre happened. Two emotions dominated his mind in the aftermath: Crippling guilt for being so stupid to let others stop him from spending time with Miyako and her family, and intense hatred for the boy who stole their lives from him.

Itachi had ripped something from Shikaku he never believed could be taken. He ripped Miyako Nara, his niece, his sister and the strongest Nara of their generation from this life far too soon. Not only her, but her little shadow and husband too. Miyako had opened her arms to that kid, let him be close to her family, and he _murdered_ them in cold blood.

Disbelief consumed Shikaku in the wake of the news. The boy had been a prodigy wielding the Sharingan, but Shikaku couldn't believe he stood a chance against Miyako and her husband. Unless he used their trust to get in close, having them lower their guard so he could slip his blade in their backs, Itachi wouldn't have been able to kill them. Prodigious talent and Sharingan only went so far.

None of it had ever made sense. Still didn't. The puzzle picture assembled didn't look right to his eyes. Pieces were missing or backwards, painted to appear as the correct piece to hide its incorrect placement. But everyone was so certain of Itachi's betrayal and ability to kill his entire Clan; hearing it so much from everyone coaxed Shikaku to believe it. Grief was probably clouding his judgement. Maybe he should let others not emotionally invested figure it out.

So he did, but the questions always gnawed at his mind like Chōza gnawing on prime ribs. He never went back to it, though. What sense was there anyways? Miyako was dead. Her family was dead. There was nothing he could do now to change that. No amount of puzzle solving could change their deaths. Revenge wouldn't bring them back. Miyako wouldn't want it anyways.

" _Revenge is a young man's game, Shika_ , _"_ she would have said, her lips curling into a teasing smirk. _"You're too old. You'll end up throwing out your back and embarrassing me if you go hunting."_

Troublesome woman. He wasn't _that_ old yet.

Still, age aside, what Miyako would want most in the aftermath of her death wasn't revenge or to hang onto his grief forever; she'd want him to keep moving forward, _for_ her. To focus all of his attention on being a good father to Shikamaru and being a good husband to Yoshino, as well as keep the Village safe for the next generation to inherit so he could retire and become the old man she always teased him for being.

Shikaku did his best, mourning silently while Inoichi and Chōza stuck by his sides like true friends. Yoshino had been his gentle rock during the hardest parts of the grieving process, but then, she too felt the pain of their deaths; Miyako had been one of her closest friends. Those two went through the wonders of pregnancy together, Haya being born just a month before Shikamaru, and boy had that been _fun_. Sheesh, he thought his wife was scary normally, but no, he hadn't known true fear until Shikamaru was born. It was still the scariest, craziest and greatest day of his life.

Eventually the pain dulled, but it never left. Pain like that never truly did.

Three years went by, then the most painful and magnificent surprise dropped in his lap.

" _Shikaku, I would like to introduce you to Amaririsu. Amaririsu." The single onyx eye rose from her toes to meet his. Shikaku felt his heart skip a beat and his breathing halt. It couldn't…It couldn't be. This child, she was… "This is the Head of the Nara Clan, Shikaku Nara."_

 _ **Haya…you…you're alive.**_

 _The purple bandana covered forehead fell in a nervous bow. "Sir."_

 _There was no mistake. He wanted to be cautious, to doubt the reality before him in case this was some cruel imitation, but that wild mess of blue hair, the obsession with purple, her facial structure and her_ _ **eye**_ _. Kami, it was just like her parents._

" _Amaririsu, huh?" He chuckled shortly, meant to be only amused by the choice of name, but strained pain worked its way into his voice. Good pain, if there was such a thing. This child he mourned, the daughter of his niece was_ _ **alive**_ _. Miyako's little shadow, her pride and joy, was standing on his doorstep, far too skinny and missing an eye from the look of it too, but very much alive. "A fitting name for a shy flower like yourself."_

 _His great-niece had returned._

When the Hokage joined him in his home, he confirmed her identity with a level of conviction that made Yoshino cry and embrace her husband. Shikaku shut his eyes and held his tears in as he embraced his sobbing wife tightly in his arms, too afraid to open his eyes on the chance he might wake up from what he feared was a dream.

It hadn't been a dream.

They learned of her amnesia regarding who she once had been soon after. It hadn't bothered them. Maybe she would remember. Maybe she wouldn't. Whether she was known as Haya or 'Risu didn't change the fact she was their great-niece; three years he believed her dead, to be caught up on a semantic of a name change was illogical.

Miyako's little shadow survived and they would not lose her again.

Her motivation and ability to grow so quickly reminded him of the old days when training with Miyako. His niece trained as hard as her daughter, always asking him to wait so she could have one more try to get it right when he tried to coax her home, tired from the spar she somehow found a way to talk him into, _again_. For one reason or another he never argued when she asked to have another shot when her initial try didn't work. Amari had to get past her doubts first to get there, but she did and continued to do so.

It wasn't until after Amari was stuck within her own mind that he pulled Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma and Guy aside privately to speak on her parents. Her growth and the persistent mystery behind her past life enticed their curiosity like a field of butterflies enticing a child to try to catch at least one. When Kakashi gained a lead to follow it became necessary to address the issue of her mother and father. Searching around for it could draw attention from unwanted sources, shinobi who would prefer Sasuke to be the only Uchiha left standing in the Leaf.

He wanted to tell Amari about her family, about everything the genjutsu hid from her, but he couldn't. She wasn't ready to simultaneously remember and lose her loving family. The genjutsu raised the dangers even higher.

The genjutsu itself continued to prod at his mind, as did the mysterious circumstances of Amari's disappearance from the Leaf. From what he could tell Itachi had…saved her? Spared her? Was it one and the same or different altogether? Regardless, his decision kept her hidden for three years. From an enemy, perhaps? And then he locked away her memories so anyone trying to forcefully or coyly pull the information from her reached a dead end. It seemed like protection. But from who? It was the question left in Shikaku's lap.

In no way did he forgive the boy for killing Miyako, yet Shikaku could not deny that something wasn't adding up correctly about that night. Thoughts he had during his grief about Itachi working with another no longer seemed unlikely. The old puzzle board returned in the same condition he left it in, only now he was certain the pieces did not create the right picture.

Blaming Itachi alone was the easiest conclusion, just as it was easy for the Hokage to declare the decree over the Nine-Tailed Fox. They were told Itachi was the merciless killer who slaughtered his entire Clan while they slept, save for Sasuke, so that was the story they believed. But Haya complicated the narrative; she was a piece of evidence someone had hid for one reason or another. Could be noble reasons. Could be for evil purposes.

Itachi no longer slaughtered an entire Clan. He missed two children, both personally tied to him to varying degrees. The story they had been fed became flawed, leaving behind questions regarding Itachi's intentions, and even his survival, Shikaku wanted answers to. By the Nara's estimations, even if the kid was a prodigy, even if he used stealth and deceit to attack Miyako and her husband, Itachi should be dead. A deceitful stealth attack may have fatally injured one of them, but not both. Miyako knew the secrets of the Sharingan well, learning from spars against her husband—a man who wielded a highly coveted set of Mangekyō Sharingan abilities, as well as visual prowess to outmatch Itachi's own by leagues, among other great abilities.

These two powerful and intelligent shinobi—shinobi who had fought against incredible enemies in the war and earned the fear and respect behind their reputations—were bested by a kid? No, something was wrong here. At a distance the picture seemed unflawed, but the closer he looked, the more he could see the missing pieces.

 _I still don't have the pieces that fit, though._ Shikaku hummed and frowned. For now he would file those thoughts away. With them temporarily set off to the side, his thoughts returned to the surprise visit from Jiraiya late last night.

 _"Oh, Master Jiraiya! You've returned."_

 _"It's been a while, Shikaku. How is Yoshino?"_

" _She's well. What brings you here? Would you like to come in and sit?"_

 _"I'd rather not, sit I mean. It'll be a while before I can without pain." Shikaku arced an eyebrow up at that. The look led to the Toad Sage turning to show him a bloodstain over his rump. "A parting gift from your great-niece over a…misunderstanding of words. It's safe to say she inherited Miyako's sense of humor."_

 _Shikaku sighed heavily and shut his eyes. "'Risu," he chided the air. Then he breathed out a chuckle, amused by the situation despite himself. "Heh, I suppose we all need to start watching our steps if she has 'Yako's sense of humor."_

The two older shinobi's discussed everything about Amari. How much she knew of her past, why no one told her, what Inoichi said of the genjutsu, general questions of her skills and growth.

It was Jiraiya's parting statement that left Shikaku staring at the picture of his younger self and young Miyako. _"From what you say, there isn't much you can tell her yet about her past, but don't you think you should let her know you_ _ **are**_ _her family? It would give her an even greater foundation to stand on as a kunoichi of the Leaf."_

"Troublesome," Shikaku muttered.

Jiraiya was right. Over the years Shikaku considered telling Amari plenty of times that she was his great-niece for the same reasons. He struggled to find the appropriate time. When was she ready to know she had family without forcing it on her? When was he ready to even talk about it? He had hidden this old picture of her mother and him away because of it becoming too painful to look at. But this wasn't about him anymore; this was about 'Risu. She deserved to know that, despite losing her parents and cousin, she still had family left who cared greatly for her.

Shikaku looked to the clock to see it was five minutes to noon. _Knowing 'Risu she will be here right exactly at noon._ He smirked and looked back to the picture. "You definitely passed on your punctuality to your daughter, 'Yako."

In the picture they were Chūnin but not even teenagers yet. He hadn't received his scars either, but other than that his style of clothing hadn't changed much. Miyako wore a sleeveless, midnight blue kimono-styled blouse tied closed by a black sash. The long sash, tied off on her left side, reached down to the bottom of her knee. She wore her headband around her forehead and had her black hair tied up in the usual Nara fashion, though it's longer length caused the strands to brush against the back of her neck. They also had the hoop earrings given to them upon becoming Chūnin.

For bottoms she wore knee-length black shorts with matching midnight blue fishnet leggings and black ninja sandals. Neither wore their flak jackets for the picture. He couldn't recall Miyako ever wearing hers, if he were honest. By age thirteen she was already a Captain in the Anbu Black Ops, and during her time in the Anbu she reached the rank of Jōnin.

Troublesome woman was a damn workaholic.

In the picture she had her arm slung around his shoulder. His hands were sunken into his pockets and his eyes were closed as he smirked and snorted at the joke she made before the picture snapped.

 _Miss you, 'Yako. But don't worry, I'll keep your daughter safe._

Shikaku rose from his seat and brought the picture back to his and Yoshino's room where he sat it on the nightstand next to the bed. It wasn't as painful to look at anymore; 'Risu made it easier.

As he exited the room, a light knock came from the door. When he neared the front door, he found Yoshino already ushering in Amari, sharing a smile with the child as they exchanged pleasantries and a hug. His great-niece still wore her sling and knee brace, thankfully. It'd have been a drag to force her to put them back on.

"Right on time, 'Risu," Shikaku greeted.

She relinquished her one armed grip on Yoshino and gave him a small smirk. "I don't like being late." Despite the upwards twitch of her lips and familiar words, he could see troubled thoughts crashing around in her onyx eye, but he decided to leave them be for now. There would be time later to talk after some light training.

"Are you prepared to train?"

"I'm ready when you are, Uncle Shikaku."

He gestured her to follow him with a nod of his head and sauntered towards the doors leading into the backyard, where the shadows at this hour would be good for training. He opened the door for her and, before he exited, noticed Yoshino give him a look he easily read. It was time for them to talk about her mother and let her know she still had family left.

Shikaku gave his wife a nod before following Amari out the door casually.

They stopped in the middle of the yard. "The technique I am going to teach you is called Ninja Art: Shadow Strangle Jutsu. Before we train, there are two things we have to go over. First is the technique itself. As you have undoubtedly figured out, the Shadow Strangle Jutsu is an offensive technique that can inflict physical damage—unlike the Shadow Possession and Shadow Paralysis Jutsu.

"As the name suggests you can use it to strangle your enemies using your shadow. This is what it is meant to do, but it can also be used for other purposes where killing is an unwanted end. I will go over the specifics of how this works in a moment."

She nodded. "Okay."

"The final thing I wish to speak to you about is the use of your Ninja Art: Shadow Dragons."

"Is it forbidden?" Amari queried.

"No, not forbidden. I want you to show me the technique. From what Kakashi told me it might be possible you have already unknowingly learned the fundamentals of the Shadow Strangle Jutsu." And if what Kakashi had told him was true, it was possible it was the same technique Miyako used.

Amari created a clone adjacent to them then moved her hands into Dragon and then Rat. _The same handseals 'Yako used and the same for Shadow Strangle, without using Tiger after Dragon._ Her shadow formed into two tendrils, shaping itself into two four-horned dragons before shooting forward, wrapping around her clone's legs but not sinking their teeth in them.

"Troublesome," the clone muttered as she tried to move her legs to no avail.

Shikaku gave a nod for her to release the jutsu. "Impressive," he congratulated genuinely. _The Ninja Art: Shadow Dragons is an advanced Shadow technique, created by 'Yako, combining both the ability to restrain an enemy and physical harm them. It's like a rope you can't cut snatching a limb, and then turning into a constrictor snake to crush or bite the caught limb. The down side 'Yako said is how chakra intensive it is to perform. It decreases our Shadow's strength with every failure to a greater extent than a mere Shadow Possession and Shadow Paralysis. Yet its cost is worth its strengths._

 _To have such control over her Shadow Technique at this age…'Yako, she's walking in your footsteps._ It was well-known that most Nara's were lazy geniuses, yet if they were to split the Nara into Branches the same way the Hyūga did, then it could be said there were two distinct branches: Those of Shikaku's branch, the lazy geniuses, and those of who were born with a stronger connection to their spiritual energy, allowing them to innovate new uses of their infamous Shadow Techniques.

It wasn't as cut and dry as that. The Nara Clan didn't separate their people into branches; branches were complicated and troublesome to deal with, more so than the elders of the Clan. Regardless, both Miyako and Amari belonged to the innovative Nara Clan family tree.

"I can get them to come off the ground as well but that takes more of a toll on my chakra right now," Amari explained.

He gave a silent nod then proceeded to explain how to use Shadow Strangle Jutsu. The handseals for this short to mid-range jutsu were Dragon, Tiger then Rat. Like she did with her Shadow Dragons, the user transformed and moved their shadow, endowed with physical power, to attack body parts or strangle their opponent. There was a pro and a con to using the jutsu, as there was with every jutsu. The closer you were to your target, the greater the power of your shadow, but using it for an extended amount of time seriously took its toll on the user.

Shadow Techniques in general were like trying to hold onto the edge of cliff; the longer you held on, the weaker your grip strength became. Shadow Strangle and Shadow Dragons added the problem of someone stepping on your fingers.

In short, one needed to use it wisely for it to be fully effective.

Within the two hours of training Amari managed to perform the technique. Although he expected her to get it down quickly, he still found himself pleasantly surprised by her ability to learn it so fast. Her naturally larger chakra reserves and chakra control allowed her to use it a total of four times without interference. Of course in combat factors such as the shadows on the battlefield or the chakra she expended throughout the fight would play a role in her ability to use the technique, but that wasn't anything 'Risu didn't already realize.

Not wanting to push her any further when she was still recovering from her injuries, Shikaku ushered her back into the house for a late lunch and a game of shogi. This was a comfort area for them both, making it just a slight bit easier to bring up her mother. He waited for the game to really begin before speaking.

"'Risu, there's something I need to talk to you about." Blunt and to the point. Dancing around the subject required too much mental work when he was already focused on this game.

"About my mother?" she asked as she analyzed what her next move would be.

He kept his face neutral despite his shock. "Yes. How did you know?"

"When I was teaching Naruto yesterday, Master Jiraiya tried spying on us. I watched him with my Byakugan, trying to discern his intentions. No offense to him, but my encounter with Orochi-jackass—"

"Language, Amari!" Yoshino scolded from the kitchen.

She flinched. "Sorry, Aunt Yoshino. Um, after my encounter with Orochimaru and his minions, I didn't want to throw caution to the wind," she corrected.

"Wise, but not needed. Master Jiraiya is steadfast in his loyalty to Konoha."

Amari nodded. "As I watched him, he kept staring at me like he knew me or had seen me before." She turned a thoughtful expression to the ceiling. "You had a similar look in your eyes when we first met. I thought it was recognition, but I wasn't sure back then. And during my preliminary fight I…heard a memory from my past, of Cousin, Mama and Papa."

Shikaku let his shock show that time.

"I can't see their faces and I don't know their names, but I could hear them, feel their love and…Anyway, when Master Jiraiya decided to end his training short with Naruto to go talk to someone, I kind of inferred it was you or Kakashi-sensei to learn more about me." After a few moments of silence she finally made her decision and moved a piece forward.

"She was my niece," he stated.

Amari nodded then smiled at him. "I guess I was right to call you my uncle then, although I guess you are technically my great-uncle, but that's a mouthful and too troublesome to say all the time. So you two are still Uncle Shikaku and Aunt Yoshino to me."

"Mm. You'll hear no arguments from me or Yoshino."

There were questions at the tip of her tongue but she did not ask anything. _She understands that learning anything could be dangerous_. Shikaku let out a sigh, moving his own piece and taking one of his great-niece's. He wished it were different.

She furrowed her brow in thought as she began to plan her next move. "How long did you know and who else knows?"

"The day we met, as did Lord Third. I finally told Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma and Guy after your mission to the Land of Waves."

"Lord Third knew her?" she questioned.

He nodded. "Yes. She was a part of his guard and Lord Fourth's before him." When his great-niece's jaw dropped, he couldn't help but smirk humorously. "Your mother was the strongest Nara of our generation. Intelligent and powerful. It was only natural for her to become a Hokage Guard."

"…Wow. I…I never would have guessed that." She paused, letting her gaze fall back on the board before moving a piece. "What was she like? That you can tell me about I mean."

"Hmm. Well, as I said before, your mother was an intelligent and powerful kunoichi, far stronger than me in the same way you're stronger than Shikamaru. Beautiful and outgoing too, but she never grew arrogant or looked down on others." He chuckled. "One thing everyone who had the privilege of knowing her will agree to is her very unique sense of humor. Master Jiraiya informs me you have inherited it." Amari giggled softly. "Like you she worked hard and enjoyed training to overcome her limits."

"Did she ever beat you in shogi?" Amari asked, a hopeful smile on her lips.

Shikaku smirked at her. "Once."

The answer popped her balloon of hope instantly. His great-niece groaned and her shoulders sagged in despair. "Now I know I'm never going to beat you guys. What a drag."

Throughout the rest of their game he would tell her small things about her mother, never mentioning her name or anything revolving around her after she gave birth to Amari. He did not wish to trigger any memories she had locked away. One day they would, just not yet.

"Troublesome," Amari muttered when he won the game. "One day I'm going to win this game against you Uncle Shikaku. Though at this rate it's going to take years."

He shook his head, smirking fondly at her. "You sound just like her." She gave him a smile then looked back down at the board, examining it carefully. "Why did you appear to be troubled when you arrived today?"

The question made her sigh. "I met Lord Hiashi Hyūga today."

"Oh. Troublesome." That certainly explained it. He hoped to prevent the meeting for as long as possible, but it seemed fate had other plans.

"Nothing bad happened. But…I had an anxiety attack afterwards, out of his line of sight at least. Still haven't gotten it out of my head."

"I see. You were worried he would take your eye or both," he stated instead of questioned. After a second, Amari gave a small nod. "Don't worry yourself about that. If he were to try to require you to remove it, he would first have to go through the Hokage, not to mention myself, Yoshino, Kakashi and Kurenai; none of us would let him have an easy fight. To attack you and steal it by force wouldn't end well for him either."

"I know…I just really hope that's the last I ever see him."

As did Shikaku, but he wouldn't let his guard down, not when Hiashi had known her father well. The Hyūga Head was no fool. If his thoughts were clear and concise, he wouldn't miss Amari's strong resemblance to her parents. _I should prepare for an inevitable visit from Lord Hiashi._

A knock at the door broke the elder Nara from his thoughts. Looking to the sound, he saw his wife already there to open it, greeting the senbon chewing shinobi who would begin training 'Risu.

His wife directed him to the two Nara's sitting on the floor then moved to take her seat on the couch. Amari hadn't looked up from the shogi board yet, still too focused on going over every move she made to figure out where she went wrong.

"Sorry I'm late, Shikaku. I got caught up talking to Guy. He hasn't been the same since the end of the preliminary fights," the man greeted.

Shikaku waved him off. He wasn't extremely late and it provided him and his great-niece time to talk over a game of shogi. "It's no problem. Really."

The sound of the new voice lifted Amari's gaze from the board to look back at the source. It took a moment of eye contact, but genuine shock tugged onto the shinobi's face. "You…You're really her. I thought you were just trying to pull my leg, Shikaku, but…it's really you, Haya."

Shikaku couldn't see 'Risu's face, but he could sense the overwhelming confusion. "Um…hi. Do we know each other?"

"Heh." The brown-haired ninja chuckled and shut his eyes, schooling his features back to neutral. "You wouldn't remember even without your amnesia, but yeah, we've met." His lips tugged into a casual smirk as he opened his eyes. "Last time I saw you in person you were just a tiny baby drooling all over yourself. You're still pretty tiny, so I guess that hasn't changed."

 _Uh-oh._ Shikaku grimaced. Height was a bit of a sore subject for 'Risu, as Genma was about to find out.

Whatever look his great-niece gave Genma caused him to laugh nervously and shift his foot back in retreat. "I've seen that look before. You have a few diabolical plans prepared to cause me pain for that comment."

"Maybe. You won't know unless I try anything," she teased.

The man grinned, flicking the senbon to point skyward as he did. "You're her daughter all right. I'll have to keep my guard up around you."

"We all will. Come sit, Genma," Shikaku invited the man to sit.

It was time to introduce Amari to the man to train her for the next month and one of her mother's closest friends.

* * *

Later that Same Day

* * *

Zabuza exited his large, winter tent wrapping a grey wool scarf around the lower half of his face. Over his body, to fight the bone chilling temperatures around him, was an ankle-length heavy black cloak that kept him mostly warm. Mostly, not completely. Winters in the mountainous regions of the Land of Water weren't even this bad.

Beneath his feet compacted white snow crunched with every step. As his eyes scanned over the uninhabited white hills, seeking out any suspicious activity, light snow fell ahead of him, beyond the large cliff overhang his camp was settled under. He chose this place specifically for its tactical advantages. No enemies could attack them from behind, the overhang mostly protected them from the harsh weather—mostly, not completely—and from this position, as well as the top of the cliff, he could see any activity for miles around him.

He and Haku were off the map, hidden away in some forgotten area of the Land of Snow where no civilians or shinobi ever trekked. They were as far from Kiri and the Land of Waves as possible without entering one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, which comforted and disappointed the former Mist shinobi. Out here they were safe, for now anyways. He covered their tracks as best he could, but he knew better than to underestimate the Tracker Unit. It was only a matter of time before they followed them here, and Zabuza planned to be long gone by then.

Still, although they were safe out here, Zabuza wanted to return to the Mist. Despite the turmoil within it, despite what the bloodshed turned him into, Kiri was his home. Always would be. He only had a single regret about leaving: He failed to bring an end to the Fourth Mizukage. He failed to kill the person responsible for so much pointless death and the systematic self-destruction of Mist shinobi.

 _All hail the great and powerful Fourth Mizukage_. Zabuza chuckled sadistically. _Hmph, so great and powerful Kiri became a shadow of its former glory. He's lucky Kiri is even considered a Great Shinobi Nation still._

Blood Mist Village had fractured their military might. No, not just their military might, but their people as well. The internal wars waged, the sudden fights breaking out in the streets, leaving shinobi corpses and blood everywhere, all out of paranoia, grabs for power and rogue shinobi sick of being told to kill their comrades; every single decision made by the Fourth Mizukage and his ilk left them a broken people and nation.

No one under Blood Mist knew what others called normal. Their normal was a cruel and sad life. Attachments to others, you may as well spread your arms out and ask for someone to run their blade through you. And from this cruelty, from the betrayal and bloodshed, a Demon arose.

Zabuza couldn't remember much of his childhood or what made him finally snap. What had made him so angry to kill all those kids training to be a shinobi? Reasons, he supposed, didn't matter. He killed every last one of them in a violent, blinding rage he couldn't control at that age; they weren't men or women, they weren't even shinobi yet, they were just kids like him.

What he did that day, it woke people up from their haze of everyday life. It wasn't for some noble cause, much as he wished it could be. No, Zabuza hadn't had a cause to fight for or a noble desire to end Blood Mist. He was just so _angry_. Ironically, the Fourth Mizukage's test ended because his desire for cold, emotionless shinobi created a merciless Demon who slaughtered his best candidates. What the rest of the Nations didn't know, however, was the effects of Blood Mist didn't end just because the test disappeared.

It lingered like a bad flu no one had an antidote for.

As the Demon grew older, his anger had been fueled in different directions by his superiors. Eventually Zabuza's anger found its true source: He couldn't stand the pointless death, the lies and deceit to their own people or the sick enjoyment others began to have in slaying their comrades. How could Mist ever grow and become anything if they kept putting knives in each other's backs?

Kids like Haku, adults with powerful kekkei genkais _used_ to fight wars, were being scattered from the Village or outright murdered. Those were powers and abilities they should have been nurturing the growth of, not hunting down out of misplaced fear. There were even non-native Clans to the Land of Water who had sought refuge, who could have become powerful allies under better leadership. Instead they killed them, tried to steal their secrets and ran them off as well.

Backstabbing and bloodshed led to nothing except more backstabbing and bloodshed. The blood continued to grease the wheel to keep the cycle spinning indefinitely. They were killing themselves off at a steady pace. The people of his nation, civilian and shinobi alike, had accepted it as normalcy, becoming too mentally and emotionally exhausted to bother fighting against it. What point was there? No one had hope. No one could see an end or a way to bring it about.

In this darkness, the Demon festered and grew, clinging tight to his ambition to be rid of the Fourth Mizukage. He wasn't a righteous freedom fighter. His ambition was far from hopeful speeches and promises of less bloodshed. Zabuza saw himself as a flame to purge the corruption from top to bottom through the only means he knew how: Death and destruction.

What would his success bring about? Looking at it now through new eyes, he could see clearly his ambition would have continued the cycle he despised so much.

Zabuza the Demon was just another tyrant.

Tilting his head up, Zabuza took note of the star covered canvas in the distance—the first stars he had seen since the blizzard passed through. The sky seemed clearer than before, as if the storm had cleaned and polished the sky and stars. He thought of the misty skyline of Kiri, the mountains surrounding their Village; all natural defenses protecting their home from enemy shinobi, yet also trapping them with the traitors who cared nothing for Kiri's future.

 _I would have been just like the Fourth Mizukage._ Cold honesty. Zabuza wouldn't pretend he was some hero. Heroes, villains, the terms were subjective anyway. Every shinobi was the hero of their own story; their reasons for decisions always righteous, as if ordered by some kind of god. Zabuza would have felt the same way had he succeeded. But even when darkness permeated and hung over Kiri, there were still lights among them. Too many were snuffed out, whether by fellow Mist shinobi or those from the Stone. When he left, he only knew of one who still lived.

 _They would have been a good replacement._

He wondered if they still lived.

His failed coup attempt brought the eyes of his home and those of the other Nations to him and his few remaining loyal men. That shinobi would have seen an opportunity to conceal their group's movements and build their forces while the Fourth Mizukage's eyes were looking elsewhere. In the shadows they could grow until fully prepared for the fight of their lives.

Intel out of Kiri was scarce. They were so reclusive; it was almost as if the mist hovering around their Village placed them in another dimension. As far as the world knew the Fourth Mizukage still lived and had plenty of spies at his disposal. Before the Land of Waves, Zabuza planned to gather enough money and support to try to eliminate the Fourth Mizukage; try one last time to burn the plague down to its roots of darkness and hope something could be salvaged from the mess.

 _Salvaged?_ Zabuza snorted. A younger Demon had no intention of salvaging anything. Burn it all down and good riddance. Maybe he had grown soft after running for so long. Or maybe seeing another impoverished land under the thumb of a merciless thug made his human side resurface.

Who could say?

Meeting Kakashi and his brats shifted the world around him completely. At first, all he could think of was his anger at actually being outsmarted by such little brats. They were standing between him and his job; a job which would pay him handsomely upon completion.

Revenge was all his mind was focused on, but then…

 _Different colored eyes—one onyx the other lavender—widened in shock as lightning crackled behind her, tearing through her mesh sleeve and across her skin like knives. Agony replaced shock. The sound of lightning faded, but in its absence, the echo of her cry rang in his ears._

 _Haku stood in front of him, ready to sacrifice his life for him. Instead they all stood under the paralytic astonishment of this blue-haired child's selfless and foolish action. Crimson blood plopped on the cement bridge beneath their feet alongside tears; tears the pain of fighting Haku caused and the pain of this powerful ninjutsu she stood in front of to save her enemies._

 _To save herself from becoming them._

 _What the hell was he even doing anymore? After all the pain and suffering he witnessed in Kiri, he was here taking orders from some short, fat slob of a thug to keep this land in an all too familiar state._

" _Haku lives for you, you heartless bastard!" The single shout causes him to flinch as her words pierce through his armor and embed their sharpened blade into the vacant place his heart was meant to be. "Have you ever even considered his feelings?! Or how much pain you've caused him?! This boy has sacrificed everything for you!_ _ **Everything**_ _! His life, his dreams, they belong to_ _ **you**_ _! Would it kill you to let him know he matters?!" The way her voice becomes a broken sob twists the blade further in. "That his existence is more important than your stupid ambition?! That if he died, someone in this vast world would miss him? Is that so hard to do? To let him know_ _ **someone**_ _cares about his life." Her sniffles and sobs are that of a broken child, and the vacant area hurts more. "It's so wrong, so damn wrong it makes my heart ache."_

 _Zabuza had become what he despised. He had broken an innocent child because of his cruelty, not to her, but to a complete stranger she hardly knew. A stranger who had devoted his life, his dreams and sacrificed his heart time and again for someone who only treated him as a tool? Why? Because, as the little girl pointed out, in this vast shinobi world, to be alone, existing without reason was worse than being a tool. Even as Haku's heart tore apart by fighting this girl who he felt deeply connected to, he still was willing to sacrifice his life in exchange for his master._

" _Haku—"_

" _ **Don't**_ _, Zabuza," Haku's soft and stern voice halts his words from forming. "…Please, do not ask me to hurt her any more than I already have. If that means I am useless to you, I understand. But nothing you do will cut me as deep as her words have."_

" _Haku…"_

 _But even Haku had limits to how much pain his heart could endure. This child—Amaririsu Yūhi—was that limit. Haku never disobeyed an order or questioned Zabuza in all the time they knew each other. This was the first time. That gave him pause. When he noticed the tears falling from his student, Zabuza felt the knife drive all the way through him._

" _She saved your worthless lives." Kakashi's voice pulled the knife out and stabbed it back in._

 _Yeah, she had. Haku would have died for him without her, and that would have been the beginning of the Demon's end._

 _But the girl saved their lives, worthless as they were._

 _The way the blond one carried Amaririsu away, away from the battle, away from the pain he caused Haku and her, tears running down his cheeks, how the pink-haired one clutched onto the dead boy, Haku and Amaririsu's pain; they were all suffering because of him. This, this right here, was everything he had hated in Kiri. The suffering of children who had no choice but to wade in the bloodshed of older men and their deceitful games had been what he wanted to end._

 _Yet, in the end, he only continued the cycle. Starting with Haku, he used him as a tool, forcing him to sacrifice his heart again and again for his ambition, never once showing him a shred of gratitude. And he was grateful. Without Amaririsu's intervention, Haku would have died along with what was left of his human side._

 _Maybe he had a chance to get back on the right path. Maybe…_

Zabuza exhaled a heavy sigh.

Meeting Team Seven changed him. Woke him up. Anger and ambition blinded him to the mistakes he was repeating. Without Amaririsu's foolishness, he may have never changed.

 _Reckless little girl. If she hadn't used a clone, she would have died._

Still, Zabuza was in her debt, and he repaid his debts. By saving their lives, she provided an opportunity to walk a different path, one away from repeating the mistakes of his home. Of course they were still rogue ninjas. That didn't change because she jumped in front of the Lightning Blade.

For now they had to hide until he could figure out a new plan of action.

The cold isolation of the Land of Snow aided their safety, but it was not impossible for an enemy to find them. Eventually, though, he would need to find shinobi work so they wouldn't go hungry. From what information he managed to acquire, some sort of rebellion was going on here; it was guaranteed work for him and Haku.

Long term he would need to think more on. What did he want to do? Was Kiri anywhere in his calculations or did he need to leave it behind? Zabuza closed his eyes for a brief moment. Finding an answer would come in time.

The sound of the tent opening again brought the rogue ninja from his thoughts to face his partner. Haku wore a similar black cloak with a brown scarf covering his mouth and nose from the chilling temperatures. One pale hand hung out of the front of the cloak, holding a bird cage with a medium sized hawk, though neither the boy nor the bird seemed cold. Zabuza attributed his partner's resilience to the cold to his kekkei genkai abilities. Never had he shown any sort of problem with the freezing cold air, whether it was actual weather or caused by his jutsu.

Another tactical advantage to this land was the snow around them; it all but made Haku unstoppable. A body of water greatly aided a Water Style user; here, where all this damn snow and ice stretched on for miles, Haku was in his element.

"Finally ready?" he asked the boy.

"Yes. It appears the storm has finally passed without another anywhere on the horizon."

"A first for everything it seems," he chuckled.

Haku hummed lightly in agreement then used both hands to open the cage. This breed of hawk were specifically bred for shinobi purposes, far superior in intelligence than the average bird with the ability to attune to the chakras of two individuals so it could find them anywhere in the world, no matter how far apart.

Obviously, they were lacking the second person to attune the chakra to, which meant they had to fall back on the hawk's secondary ability: face recognition. Haku pulled out a newspaper clipping they snatched before coming to the Land of Snow. He showed it to the bird, who moved its beak closer to the image of the girl on it.

"Will you be able to find her?" Haku asked softly. The bird made a noise Zabuza considered close to a scoff. "You'll be heading south from here, over the ocean back to the Land of Fire and to the Hidden Leaf Village."

The hawk dipped its head in a nod and hopped out of the cage. Once settled on the snow, the hawk allowed Haku to equip it with a small carrying pack containing a letter for the intended kunoichi. Once finished, the hawk let out a cry and took off for Konoha.

"Do you think he will find her before the finals take place?" Haku asked curiously as they watched it fly away.

Zabuza gave a low chuckle and rested his hand on the young ninja's head, ruffling his hair a little. "I'm sure it will, Haku."

Rumors about the Chūnin Exams whirled about the continent like thrown shuriken, mentions of the three rookie Leaf shinobi teams taking part being one of the main points of gossip. Before leaving the mainland Zabuza caught the sight of a newspaper advertising the final tournament listings revealing the faces of all those taking part. Imagine his surprise to see three out of the four Leaf brats faces.

He bought the newspaper and cut out the picture of Amaririsu's face for this specific purpose. Since leaving the Land of Waves he knew he wanted to create some line of communication between Haku and the little girl; seeing the picture only helped him piece together a way to do so. Haku had never been allowed to have friends or talk to anyone near his age, and Zabuza knew he wasn't very pleasant company for all these years. Giving him a chance to stay in contact with the girl was important, and it also gave the older Mist Ninja something to get a rise out of his partner when they trained.

An irritated Haku was a lethally focused Haku.

They started a fire and used the newspaper as kindling. As they sat on logs, listening to the crackles of fire, the two elite shinobi snapped to attention at a distant and unnatural _poof_. Quickly they moved back to back, Haku holding two senbon in his hands at the ready and Zabuza with a kunai in one hand.

Silence followed but he was no fool. Someone had carelessly used a Clone Jutsu for scouting. He scanned the area, finding nothing except snow as far as his eyes could see. _They caught onto us sooner than I anticipated._ No matter, he was prepared for a quick exit and a fight. If they were lucky it'd only be a single Tracker Unit, which they could eliminate before word was sent back to the Mist.

"Think you can create a thick blizzard, Haku?"

"Yes." Haku brought his hands together and began going through handseals in quick succession. "Brace yourself, Zabuza. The temperature is about to drop rapidly." Zabuza grunted in acknowledgement and kept his arms inside his cloak, yet at the ready for defense. "Secret Jutsu: Bone Cold Blizzard."

 _Rapidly_ was an understatement. The change was near on instantaneous. Wind swirled around them, grabbing every bit of snow on the ground it could as the blizzard picked up from nowhere, expanding from their center to encompass several meters in all directions. An involuntary shiver made its way down Zabuza's spine as the warmth of his cloak dissipated. Cold air cut straight through to his body as if cutting a thin wire.

Visibility dropped and the fire vanished. _It's so damn cold, my hands are shaking!_ This wool wasn't enough to protect from this jutsu. He felt shirtless. _An aptly named jutsu!_ Haku did not appear bothered by the cold.

Regardless of his own complaints, Zabuza and Haku quickly broke down their camp, grabbing all of the essential supplies, on the move within minutes of sensing danger.

 _The blizzard should shield us and cover our tracks. If the cold doesn't kill me first._

For what felt like hours in the below freezing temperatures they trudged through the artificial blizzard with surprising haste. When he began to believe they lost their pursuers, a familiar female voice cut through the winds.

"Darling, could you please stop this incessant blizzard! It is very impressive, I must say, but altogether not needed."

Zabuza felt his eyes bulge in shock. _That voice…it can't be._ Once again the two rogue ninjas were back to back, searching the area for the person the voice belonged to. He saw no one. "Haku, end the blizzard. Now," he ordered.

If they were to make it out of this alive they were going to have to play by her rules. It was the only way. Without a word the blizzard dissipated, and with it the temperatures rose to a warmer chill.

"My my, Zabuza Momochi, you have not aged a day since I last saw you," the smooth and sensual voice called to him.

He could not see her anywhere, yet she could see him clear as day. This wasn't good. "Haku, listen to me closely. If I tell you to run, then you run and don't look back. Follow our escape route, head to Konoha and find Kakashi," Zabuza spoke in a whisper.

"What?" his partner hissed back.

"It's not up for debate. You have a long life ahead of you. I know Kakashi will do everything in his power to keep you safe. If this turns into a fight, I will stay behind to buy you as much time as possible. It's not a fight we can win."

"Zabuza…"

He chuckled darkly. "Don't sound so surprised. You've lived to protect me for years. If I must die to protect you, so be it. I will be content." When Haku didn't speak Zabuza decided that was the closest he would get to agreement. "All right, you can come out now. If you wanted me dead you would have killed me already."

"You humble me, old friend." Out of the shadows of the nearby trees and lightly falling snow, a tall slender woman with ankle-length auburn hair appeared. Her hair hung in a top-knot tied by a dark blue band while two short and two long bangs escaped its restraint. One of the shorter bangs covered her right eye from sight while the two longer bangs crossed over her cloak covered bust.

One singular green eye watched him as she sauntered towards him, unafraid and confident—rightly so. Even if she did not have the other shinobis he could now see hiding amongst the trees, her power outmatched his and Haku's by leagues.

"You haven't aged a day either," he commented.

"Oh, you flatter me." There was a silky smile in her voice and likely on her face, but just like them she had a scarf protecting her face. "It appears you have misplaced Kubikiribōchō."

"Not misplaced. I left it behind."

Her eye was that of genuine curiosity as she stopped within range of her own jutsu's and safely out of theirs. Intelligent, as always.

"Left it behind?"

"It was a truce to the ninjas we faced as well as decoy for the Tracking Unit." His guard was not lowered in the slightest. He gripped his kunai tightly in his hand and kept his leg muscles prepared to dodge at a moments notice. This woman was the definition of dangerous power. Haku remained on guard as well, carefully watching the conversation and the shinobi in the distance for any violent intentions. "There were some unpleasant memories with that sword that I wished to leave behind as well."

"I see. I had heard whispered rumors from the good people in Wave about the rogue ninja who helped them, but I did not know if I should believe them or not."

Whispered rumors were to be expected. Zabuza wasn't sure how those rumors led them here, but so far this was going well. How did he know it was going well? They weren't dead. The kunoichi also didn't carry an aggressive air around her. When a shinobi of her level wanted to fight, an experienced shinobi like himself would have felt it without a single word spared.

What was she after then?

"So Mei, is this a courtesy visit or should I prepare for a fight to the death?"

"I do not wish to fight you, Zabuza. I have merely sought to find you."

Part of his guard began to lower—only part, no shinobi worth their salt ever lowered it fully. Mei had always been a peacemaker when she could be; it was why her group would have been a better replacement for the Fourth Mizukage, and why they weren't as infamous as him.

"For what purpose?"

"I have a proposition for the two of you that I think this new you will find most interesting." She motioned him to follow with a nod of her head. "Come, we will talk somewhere warmer. Fear not, I hold no allegiance to the Fourth Mizukage or his Tracker Unit. The shinobi gathered here are loyal to me. We've been looking for you since I heard of your presence in the Land of Waves." She smiled in her eye. "You haven't lost your touch, old friend. I doubt even the _great_ Fourth Mizukage's Tracker Unit would have picked up your trail."

Her fervent disdain for the Fourth remained unchanged, he could hear it underneath the smooth and sensual cadence she always spoke with. Not that he was surprised. What she lost to Blood Mist couldn't be replaced. Still… "How'd you find us, Mei?"

"Oh, that would be telling, old friend, and a woman never reveals her secrets," she teased. He grunted. She really hadn't changed one bit. Flirtatious as ever, but only fools let it sway their judgement. "Don't be so tense, Zabuza. If I wanted a fight I wouldn't spend all this time luring you into a trap." Her emerald eye hardened; the eye of a survivor of Blood Mist, the eye of a true shinobi who suffered loss. "I'd simply melt you where you stand."

A chill not from the weather shot down the Demon's spine. No, she hadn't changed one bit. That deadly air she carried with her, the air of a shinobi forged by Blood Mist, it permeated all around her like the very mist their home was known for. He could feel Haku tense behind him as he too felt it.

As if carried by a breeze, the killing intent disappeared, but the firmness of Mei's voice remained. "I hope it doesn't have to come to that. As I said, I have a proposition for the two of you I think you'll find it far better than staying on this freezing island."

"If I hear you out and we do not take this proposition, will you let us go unharmed?"

Mei nodded. "Of course. I told you, I do not wish to fight you and I do not wish to kill you." She was also a woman of her word, unlike how he had once been. "Follow me you two."

"Zabuza?" Haku's voice was full of uncertainty.

"We'll be fine. She was always a woman of her word."

"Okay."

They would listen to her proposition then consider their options.

Hopefully Mei Terumī was still a woman of her word.


	39. Chapter 38: A Message Sheathed in Shadow

Chapter 38

Day of Surprises: A Message Sheathed in Shadows

A calm breeze rolled across training ground three, the silence of the field broken only by the sounds of a spar, the occasional explosion and the click of shogi pieces being placed. And then…

"Checkmate," Amari's clone declared.

Genma grunted in shock, grimacing at the sudden and definitive end of their game. He stood no chance of winning. Then again, only Nara's possessed the potential to defeat other Nara's in the game of shogi.

The older shinobi shut his eyes, the grimace departing for a nostalgic grin. "Heh! Well, this is reminiscent of the old days. I don't know why I always let you and your mother talk me into this game. I never win." Genma shrugged. "Oh well. We'll have to play poker sometime. If you share her talent for shogi, you'll probably share her terrible luck at cards," he chuckled.

"Ah, so that's where I get it from," the real Amari noted, curiously glancing up from her work to the Jōnin sitting adjacent to her.

"Heh, yeah. Your mother played poker like it was a battle, using the chips as tactical bluffs to hide her inadequate forces. Subterfuge works well in the shinobi world, but in poker? Raising the stakes and taking risky bets when the cards are down is rarely rewarded." The senbon between his teeth flicked up as he aimed a grin her way. "How about I teach you? Up for a round of poker?"

She smirked. "Isn't it your duty to _prevent_ a young and innocent child from falling into one of the Three Shinobi Prohibitions?"

The Three Shinobi Prohibitions: Alcohol, women and money—money, apparently, led to the abuse of the other two or gambling it away in games like poker.

"I'll leave that to your guardians," he waved her tease off nonchalantly. "Kurenai will warn you about drinking and gambling when you're old enough. On the woman front, well, you'll be one yourself one day. That prohibition is more about…" Genma trailed off.

"More about what, Genma-sensei?"

He cleared his throat awkwardly and flashed a nervous looking smile. "Ah, nothing, forget I said it."

His non-answer actually answered her question, ironically enough. Amari's skin heated up, her cheeks tinting pink at the internalized conclusions made. Conclusions which elicited strange sensations from her adolescent body. _Awkward…_

"Uh, anyway," Genma continued awkwardly, "Shikaku and Asuma are the ones to talk to if you want to learn about wooing women." He really wasn't helping her embarrassment. "Don't talk to Kakashi. His idea of advice is to shove _Make-Out Paradise_ into your hands, pat you on your head and tell you to figure it out." The laugh in Genma's voice broke the awkward air strangling them and coaxed a giggle out of the Nara. Neither was aware of their simultaneous internal sighs of relief. "Otherwise, Kurenai or Yoshino can tell you how to handle men."

"And you?" she asked curiously.

Genma brought his hand to his chin in thought. "Hm. Well, you can consider me like…the babysitting friend of your uncle who allows you to stay up as late as you want and eat sweets for dinner." He shrugged casually. "Just don't expect _too_ much leeway. If you end up corrupted by any of the Three Shinobi Prohibitions, not only will Kurenai and Yoshino make it impossible for me to eat solid food, but your mother will make the afterlife a cycle of never ending, spontaneous torment worse than any hell imaginable for me."

"Hmhmhm," she hummed amusedly.

"So, poker?"

"I'm not gambling my hard earned money against you. We've already established I would lose all ten fingers and my life if we put them on the line in any card game."

"Who said we had to gamble? We'll just have a friendly game."

"Friendly. Right," she drawled, tone dry as the desert. "What you mean is you want to thrash me because of my inherited bad luck."

"Never said I didn't," he retorted, grinning with that senbon still between his teeth.

Amari rolled her eye. "Persistent and troublesome adult. Fine. You and my clone can play a game of poker, but I have to get back to training."

She returned her onyx eye back to the small, rectangular tan paper containing half-finished intricate fūinjutsu markings. It lay beneath a kunai used to pin it in place. Picking up her ink and brush, Amari continued on from where she left off on the work Genma assigned to her. It wasn't intense sparring, but this was important work nonetheless.

As she focused on fūinjutsu, four other clones of Amari used the training field to their advantage. One practiced a jutsu she copied from Hironori—Earth Style: Mud Wall. _Eventually I'll need to work at Wind Style: Gale Palm_ , she thought. Eventually, but not during her three weeks of training before the finals. There just wasn't enough time to gain more than a fifty-fifty shot at the jutsu actually working, and that success didn't guarantee it being even remotely effective.

Earth Style she could do. It wouldn't be easy, as she already learned, but it could provide a defensive jutsu to her arsenal. Ultimate Defense: Dragon Shield wasn't a viable defense or functional jutsu yet. It was imperfect. By chakra requirement alone a single use left her out of commission. Then there was the recoil damage. Even if she wasn't exhausted, blocking powerful moves damaged her. Mimi knew it too. Her opponent would exploit those weaknesses against her if she used it and earn an easier victory.

Earth Style: Mud Wall didn't carry those same imperfections. It wasn't as powerful, or Amari's wasn't anyways, but that had less to do with the jutsu itself and more to do with her ability to perform it. In these weeks before the finals she planned to work hard to harden the walls to withstand more damage. _I need more strategic pieces in my arsenal instead of giant power moves. Gaining at least one defensive jutsu should help my performance and my team._

The second clone sparred with Sakura a safe distance away from the gathered group. It wasn't a substitute for physical training; no amount of Shadow Clone training could keep her in top form. This clone was specifically for Sakura's sake. But she couldn't skirt her own training, which left her doing all physical training early in the morning, when the sun still hadn't peeked above the horizon. The weighted seals went back on for laps and sprints on the training field, as well as her strength training exercises. The seals came off for her stretches and Shadow training. Once those were done she sparred against two clones to simulate battle against Mimi.

So far the fatigue of her extreme training was bearable. The aches and pains reminded her daily of the razor edge she tiptoed on. _I already spent one week wearing a sling and knee brace. I'd rather not spend anymore._

Her third clone meditated in a seated position on the surface of the water. Chakra control training. Nothing more, nothing less. Unlike the Water Walking Technique, which required a shinobi to channel chakra only to the soles of their feet and consistently adjust output to the shifting water beneath them, this training required the clone to channel her chakra to every point that touched the water. The consistent adjustments remained, but it had to be done in more places, requiring the clone to be mindful of each point and the chakra output there. Otherwise the clone sank or plummeted like a heavy rock into the river.

Which she had. Multiple times, embarrassingly enough.

Besides the obvious goal of increasing her proficiency at chakra control, the main objective was to make the act of channeling chakra to any point on her body an unconscious ability. Mimi's Water Nature, by element alone, was superior to her Fire Style. Her use of scrolls containing water placed Amari in a position where she either walked on the surface unconsciously, or ended up diverting too much attention to the act, leaving herself open for an attack—just like she did in their first fight.

Amari learned from their first fight. She wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

The meditation training was working out. However, beyond the main objective lingered a secondary purpose. Amari enjoyed meditation. It helped calm the storm of her mind when it reached tornado levels of whirlwinds, but mediation in of itself was one way to build up spiritual energy. Over time, of course. One or two days of meditation wouldn't do much. This was the long-term game she had to play, in the same way she had to stay physically fit to build up her physical energy.

Together, those two energies created more powerful chakra. More powerful chakra meant more strength to use against her enemies, thus lowering the possibility of ever ending up in the dreaded hospital again. And if her chakra became more powerful, Nature alone wouldn't decide who was stronger between her Fire and Mimi's Water.

While the clone meditated she considered different possibilities to fix her Ultimate Defense, hoping to at least overcome one of its consequences: the toll on her chakra or the recoil. Nothing had come to mind yet. But as long as she didn't give up, one day she could fix it and make it mirror its name. Eventually.

Finally, the last clone kept Genma busy with shogi, and now poker. Glancing up at the pair, Amari frowned. She knew her tells. Whatever her cards were, the game wouldn't end well for her.

Through these games, and through him teaching her, they were able to get to know one another better. She liked him. His laid back presence calmed her, and his casual attitude a battle couldn't steal from him brightened her day. The senbon he chewed on wasn't just for show. He could spit it out as a projectile to pierce an inch into a wooden dummy, whose bark was thicker than the fragile human flesh they all were born with. _I'm not surprised. He's a Hokage Guard, just like Mama was_.

He was also one of her mother's closest friends from what she learned. For him to know her when she was a drooling baby— _it's not like I could help it!_ Anyway, for Genma to see her as a baby meant her mother trusted him enough to be within arms distance of her child. If that didn't make him trustworthy Amari wasn't sure what could.

When they first met eyes at her uncle's home, the same recognition she noticed when she first met Shikaku flickered in his eyes. It was a look that read as, _"How? How are you here, alive? Itachi killed everyone. We mourned you. But here you are. Alive and well. How? How?"_

Either way, Genma was a pretty cool guy. In their short time together Amari earned herself a gold star in his book. It had been an accident; a slip of the tongue she hadn't been able to stop. But could anyone blame her? When she learned his Genin team consisted of himself, Might Guy and Ebisu, her mouth just started moving as if possessed.

" _You were stuck on a team with the Power of Youth and the Closet Pervert? How did you ever manage to stay sane?"_ She hadn't meant to throw the closet pervert under the bus like that. It was an honest mistake. But the ripples from it were instantaneous.

Genma grinned as only a friend could when gaining the upper hand—evilly.

" _Say Amari, why do you call Ebisu a closet pervert? Just out of curiosity."_

Curiosity? Definitely not. She could see through his lies even without dōjutsu, but her mouth acted on its own as the gears in her brain jammed. How could he be sane? And normal? He had Might Guy, _Might Guy_ for a teammate. The man had all the energy and attention span of a squirrel overdosing on sugar, as an _adult_! What had he been like as a teenager?

She was terrified of the answer.

And then there was Ebisu, the Closet Pervert. They were all men, or boys back then. That's where it had to start. He didn't just wake up one morning as an adult, point his finger to the sky as he grinned at a new revelation, deciding at that moment: _"You know what; I'm going to be a secret pervert!"_

How did Genma survive? How did he stay normal? These questions jammed her brain and left her in a place where she wasn't sure if she knew what was real anymore. Was everything she knew about him an illusion? In this jarred state, Amari handed over precious Intel to Genma on her brief encounter with Ebisu. Bloody nose and gawking in horrified pleasure all included. This information was deadly, and Genma snatched it up for a future ambush no shinobi could survive.

Ebisu's reaction must have been godly levels of hilarious. Genma's face nearly split apart as his grin tried to reach his ears. It left her wary. Frightened his façade of sanity would fall and reveal the true Genma behind the laid back illusion.

" _Genma-sensei, why are you grinning like some sort of evil villain whose grand plan worked without a hitch?"_

" _Oh, no reason. Ebisu and I were just…catching up."_

A blatant lie but one she let slide. Genma was still very much sane. The relief that gave her could bring peace to the entire shinobi world forever if the feeling could be transferred to others.

Still, having Genma around and hearing him mention her biological mother kept throwing her off. In a good way, she supposed. Through even the tiniest mentions she learned more about the woman; similarities they had—like their terrible luck at card games and obsessive need to be punctual—came to light, as well as learning more of her strength, abilities and the friends she had. She learned of the people her mother counted on during her life who were now people Amari counted on. The love she held for their home, and how much she cherished her daughter.

How much she cherished _her_.

It hurt to hear those details. It really did. But in the hurt, there was tangible love and comfort she could reach out and grab hold of. Even if Amaririsu was different than Haya, their mother's love hadn't changed because of a simple name discrepancy. Just as her cousin's spirit stood by her side always, her mother's love never left her.

That simple knowledge soothed an old wound on her heart. A wound from the orphanage from when Amaririsu the orphan came to believe her family stopped loving her, or had never loved her to begin with. The salve for the wound embraced her as her mother would have, holding her tightly and warmly, promising in a quiet whisper only she could hear that even though they were apart now, her love was always there with her. All she had to do was look deep inside herself and she would feel it.

She did.

Unlike the tug-of-war in her heart over who Amaririsu and Haya would become when she regained her other half, the love she felt from her biological mother changed nothing between her and Kurenai. It never would. They were forever entwined together by the warm love she bestowed upon the lonely, lost child she owed nothing to. Kurenai didn't have to do anything for her. She didn't have to take her in. She didn't have to treat her kindly. She didn't have to adopt her or love her. Kurenai _chose_ to do all of that.

" _And I would do it all over again for the same hunch. I told you then and I will tell you now: You don't have to repay anything, Amari. Being your guardian and adopting you were the best decisions I've ever made. You will never need to thank me, little one. Never. You_ _ **are**_ _my child and I love you."_

Amari shut her eyes to stave off her tears, breathing in two deep breaths to regain control over her emotions. _I love you too_ , she whispered in the safety of her mind.

No one saw her wipe away the tear that escaped.

Amari's dictionary wasn't vast enough to put into a few words the feelings of her heart when Kurenai adopted her, when she went from just Amaririsu to Amaririsu Yūhi. It…It was like finally coming home after years of forced separation. Amaririsu was just an orphan girl who lost her friends. Amaririsu didn't have anyone left to love. No family to speak of. No one to squish her like the creamy center of a stuffed cookie when she climbed into bed. No one to hold her when all she wanted to do was cry.

Amaririsu didn't belong anywhere.

Amaririsu Yūhi had a home. A family. Someone who loved her and cared if she lived or died. Amaririsu Yūhi didn't have to sleep in her bed alone, wondering what the point of living even was when the only life she ever had, the only people she ever loved, were taken from her. Amaririsu Yūhi had a purpose, a reason to live, and that made the burden she carried just a bit easier, because Kurenai was there to pick her up and hold her close when her legs collapsed. And so was her cousin Shika, her uncle and aunt Shikaku and Yoshino, Team Seven, Iruka and others who supported her.

Even if she were to regain all of her memories she would never see Kurenai as anything less than her mother. She earned the title.

" _Your mother…She never would have wanted you to experience what you have, but I think—no, I know she would be happy you have Kurenai,"_ Shikaku had told her.

 _I'm happy I have her, too._

Shikaku had shown up off and on throughout the last two weeks to check in on her training. The bemused smile on his face when he first saw five Amari's all doing separate tasks sent her into giggles.

" _You are your mother's daughter, 'Risu."_

" _Hey, what's that mean?"_

" _It means you're a troublesome workaholic." He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed deeply. "Be careful with this, 'Risu. Training with Shadow Clones is dangerous."_

" _I'm always careful."_

" _Uh-huh. Is that why you had surgery? Because you were careful?"_

" _Hey! That wasn't completely my fault!" she tried to argue, hoping, praying, he didn't know the intimate details of her injuries._

 _Her prayers went unanswered._

" _Kurenai told me your leg injury was self-inflicted, 'Risu," he chastised._

" _I-…Troublesome adults."_

His concerns, and Kurenai's, were valid. She could still vividly recall her "death" at the hands of Kakashi's Lightning Blade. The excruciating pain, the chill of death closing in, the weighted emotions and final thoughts of that clone… It and her own intense experience left a deep and nasty scar on her psyche she hadn't been able to shake off.

Amari could remain ignorant to her clone's experiences if she tried, or even pick out individual moments of their "life" she needed, like picking different flavors of ice cream while ignoring the flavors she didn't like. But in this situation, where she needed every moment of their experiences, caution was absolutely necessary. If her clones worked themselves to the brink, the backlash on Amari could be irreversible—possibly even fatal.

This intense training wasn't solely based on a need to catch up on lost time, though. To learn the technique Genma would teach her—which she still hadn't been told the name of—she first had to increase her fūinjutsu knowledge. She wouldn't learn it within the month, Kakashi and Genma confirmed that, but she couldn't wait on it. Their technique wasn't for the finals; it was for the safety of her team and their future.

She couldn't ignore it.

 _At least I have Mom and Genma-sensei to help me_. With their guidance she didn't have to stumble around blindly, kicking her shin against coffee tables she couldn't see or walking face first into walls. Real knowledge couldn't be handed over, though. It had to be earned, and they were making her work for it every step of the way.

 _Good_ , Amari thought. _I wouldn't want this to be easy._ Patience and her intelligence were her allies. Now was the chance to use them. _I have to learn to walk before I can run._

Fūinjutsu came with _a lot_ of walking. Then again, if it wasn't so complex then everyone would use it, and that would probably be bad if Orochimaru's Seals were anything to go by. Knowledge was power when it came to fūinjutsu. The more knowledge you possessed, the greater the Seal you could create, the more power you could wield. It was…kind of frightening when she thought about it.

Ninjutsu, genjutsu and taijutsu could be deflected, sensed, dispelled and overcome by sheer might or technique. Fūinjutsu could be anything as simple as a storage scroll and paper bomb to the Curse Mark. Its purposes were as varied as the amount of fauna in the world. Defensive, offensive, supplementary, and there weren't cut and dry answers to overcome or defend against them. If there was, Sasuke's mark could be fully removed instead of merely contained.

First she learned to create her own Storage Seals. Genma called it a _"fundamental_. _"_ Amari hadn't figured out why yet. Storage Seals allowed her to seal away and unseal an unlimited number of items into a scroll—such as the shogi board and deck of cards. With these seals she could carry more without cluttering her ninja tool box, ninja pouch and pack on missions. But how did it play into the eventual technique? How did storing items into a different space-time work as a fundamental?

Amari shrugged. _I'm sure it'll make sense at some point_.

Probably.

She had the Storage Seal and Unsealing Technique down already. Next up was creating paper bombs from scratch. It wasn't enough to buy them and use them on her own; she needed to learn the intricacies behind how they were made, how to make them capable of detonating whenever she pleased and, eventually, be able to create them in the midst of battle on any surface _without_ an ink brush.

" _Try not to blow yourself up,"_ had been one piece of advice Genma offered.

It took more time to figure out paper bombs, specifically remote detonation. Most of the first ones she crafted either ended up blowing nothing up, which was embarrassing, or blowing up without consent—thankfully _after_ she threw them at a target.

Fūinjutsu proved a worthy adversary. Even though she could create two different Seals now, the kunoichi had barely even scratched the surface of fūinjutsu. This was all kid stuff. Baby steps towards the eventual extreme challenge Kakashi warned her of. Sooner rather than later the difficulty curve would spike higher than Hokage Mountain and leave her feeling less bored and far more puzzled and frustrated.

 _I'll be shocked if I'm told the name of the technique by the end of the month. For baby steps, these last two Seals took me two weeks to get down. And they want me to learn something extremely advanced that Kakashi-sensei can't do?_

Oh, this was going to be such a drag.

Amari sighed through her nose and finished off the explosion seal on her paper bomb. She tied it to a kunai then tossed it at the poor burnt target dummy. When everyone was out of the blast radius, she created the Snake handseal and remotely detonated it, breaking the silence of the training field with a loud explosion; none of the shinobi appeared to even notice it.

Even as the shockwave of energy reverberated in their chests, shaking their bones and startling their hearts, nobody halted their activities or glanced over. Sakura and her sparring clone kept trading blows, the meditating clone didn't open her eyes, her Earth Style practicing clone panted heavily and Genma eyed all the current revealed cards on the grass strategically, while the clone he played squinted and tried to gauge her chances.

They were low. She could tell.

Amari felt the wave of heat brush against her skin and nodded to herself. _One hundred percent success every time now. And now I never have to spend money on paper bombs unless I feel lazy._

Efficient and cost effective.

Suddenly the Earth Style clone dispelled. Not a second later the one playing cards followed. As their experiences overcame the original, mild exhaustion tugged at her mind and body, weighing down her limbs and eyelids. To hell with more work. She wanted a nap.

"Heh, I'll assume that means you fold," Genma said cheekily.

She glanced over at the cards he set down and the revealed cards between them. The correct terms for what he had were lost on her, but Amari knew one thing with certainty.

"I'm never gambling in card games," she sighed.

Why did she even agree to play a game she couldn't win even with her life at stake? _Because Mama used to with him, and it's fun for both of us_ , her tired mind informed.

Amari covered her mouth to hide a yawn. Oh boy. Where was a pillow and blanket when she wanted them? Maybe she should store an extra pillow and blanket in a storage scroll. Or a sleeping bag? Anytime people bored her or she felt tired she could unseal it, zip it up around her and fall over for sleep. _Hehe, that would be funny._

"How are you holding up, Amari?" Genma asked.

"Okay," she answered through her yawn. "Once those last two dispel I'll be done for the day."

He nodded, his features set in a serious expression. "I figured. You've done well balancing this Shadow Clone training, but keep in mind your limitations. You don't want to be dead on your feet when the finals come around."

"I know. I just…" Her eye drifted to the empty space where the Earth Style clone had been. The areas of earth she shifted were clear, as were the brittle chunks of collapsed walls. "I really need to get that jutsu to be more solid. As it is now, it won't be much of a defense against Mimi's Water Style. My Fire Style is strong, but her Water Style naturally is stronger. By Nature and her greater experience. At long range I can use my speed to avoid damage normally, but Aoko will complicate that, and I'll have no chance at matching her clone for clone. Water Clones simply don't require as much chakra as Shadow Clones. This one move isn't going to make it any easier, but I'd feel better having it as one of the pieces I can use."

"You've got your head in the right place." Amari yawned again, long and eye watering. "But your body's having trouble keeping up. Tomorrow you'll only use two clones. One for Sakura, the other for whatever you want to focus on. Try to take it easier in the mornings if you can, at least for a day or two, to give your body time to recover."

"I will."

 _Or I'll try to._ She was a troublesome workaholic, after all. _Just like Mama._

"Good. Come seal your shogi board and cards away then show me your progress on the Explosion Seal."

The request annoyed Amari. She could feel a vein bulge in her forehead at the sight of his cocky smirk. "But I jus—" _Argh, troublesome adult planned this!_ He intentionally waited for her to blow up her recent tag to watch her work through the entire process.

She pushed herself onto her feet with a groan and walked over to the brown-haired ninja. Pulling out a small scroll from her ninja pouch, Amari unrolled it and sealed the items away into their marked locations one at a time. It was like sticking them into a storage closet only she could enter and leave. To the naked eye they simply were there one moment then gone the next.

Genma gave her an approving nod. "Good work. Now let's see your work with the Explosion Seal."

Amari rolled her scroll shut and placed it back into pouch, yawning as she returned to her original work area. _Sheesh, I'm tired._

She drew out her Explosion Seal, tied it to a kunai then tossed it back to the poor dummy she used as a target. As soon as they were out of range of the explosion, she detonated it, creating yet another explosive shockwave across the training ground. The warmth felt strangely good against her tired body. She didn't know why.

"Nice work, Amari. You're moving at a good pace."

"What's next?" she asked curiously.

There was no guarantee Genma would still have a lot of time to train her after the finals were over. His other responsibilities might keep him away, and missions for her team would resume. This was the perfect time to learn as much as she could uninterrupted.

"Hmm." Genma scratched his chin in thought. "A Concussion Seal will be best."

"Concussion?" she repeated in confusion. She hadn't ever heard of such a thing.

Genma nodded and rolled the senbon around in his mouth. "Yeah. Explosions are easy to create. Even a faulty paper bomb can blow up, but creating a tag that has a similar area of effect, yet doesn't physically harm an enemy is a lot harder. Concussion Seals are like invisible explosions. None of the fire, but all of the noise, you know?"

"Hmm. The sound could be used to distract enemies away from your position, simulating a trap going off or even a battle to draw their attention away from a location or away from an injured team."

"Exactly, but a Concussion Seal has an offensive capability as well. Anyone who is caught in the radius has their five senses disrupted. Sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing are all rendered temporarily useless." Genma's features turned serious. "And just like a paper bomb, if you're not careful, you _will_ receive the same effects if you're caught in the radius. These Seals cannot distinguish between allies and enemies. It's up to you to use them wisely."

"Okay."

Genma's gaze shot to the distance, suspicion narrowing his eyes at whatever caught his sight. Curious, Amari turned to follow the direction of his stare. At first she saw nothing. Tree leaves sprouting from the sturdy and aged tree branches covered the horizon, a few scattered thin clouds lined the blue sky with streaks of white, birds traveled to or from their nests, chirping noisily but not annoyingly. Nature at its finest.

Then she saw it. A medium sized hawk flying in circular patterns far closer to the tree line than any trained messenger bird would. Flying that low risked an enemy stealing valuable Intel. It wouldn't have been inherently suspicious if it were only a bird; this bird, however, had a small carrying pack on it.

Suddenly the hawk changed its trajectory straight for her. Genma rested his hand on her shoulder, shifting her to move back a step as he moved in front of her. His eyes narrowed dangerously and the senbon in his mouth shifted into place for an offensive strike.

"Sakura! Stop for a moment. We may have trouble," he told her, voice serious but calm as the river flowing nearby. The clone and Sakura stopped, partially confused but panting lightly from their intense spar. "Amari, quick, use your Byakugan to check the pack."

 _Byakugan!_ Her left eyes vision went from darkness to inverted black and white. The dōjutsu, like the eyes of a hawk, honed in on the distant target, penetrating through the leather pack to see the object contained within. "It's carrying a message. I can't make out the details as it moves, but I don't see any fūinjutsu or sense any chakra coming from it."

The hawk beat its wings as it closed in on the ground, slowing its speed and hopping across the grass to a full stop. For a brief second they simply stared at each other. Its dark-brown eyes looking directly into her onyx, the thin membrane she considered a third eyelid blinking as it tilted its head at her. Eventually it appeared to sigh in exasperation at what Amari dared to guess was her ignorance. It then let out a piercing cry and turned its back to her, twisting its head to essentially point its beak as well as it could to the pack.

"I think…it's for me?" How strange. She deactivated her Byakugan and took cautious steps towards the bird. When it did not attempt to fly away, and again pecked at its back impatiently, Amari crouched down, opened the pack and pulled the folded up paper from it. Still feeling extremely cautious, she unfolded the letter slowly, expecting an anvil to drop onto her head or for the paper to blow up in her face.

Nothing happened. Only neat and pretty handwriting greeted her.

 _Amari,_

 _Hello, it's Haku. I hope this letter finds you in good health._

"Haku?" she gasped, bewildered. The hawk hopped closer and started nudging her leg repeatedly, impatiently even.

 _Before I continue I must first tell you about this hawk. He is a special messenger bird trained to attune to your chakra. If he hasn't done so already, all you have to do is channel a little chakra into your hand and let him rest his head into your palm. He will handle the rest._

Ah, so that's why he was nudging her impatiently. Amari reached the palm of her hand out with some of her chakra channeled to it, not enough for the naked eye to see. A green chakra shroud enveloped the hawk for a moment, and then the shroud turned an icy blue before vanishing. _Must be the color of Haku's chakra._

The hawk belted out another cry and hopped from the ground to her right shoulder, claiming his perch without even bothering to ask. _First crows, now a hawk. I'm going to look like some crazy old bird whispering hermit at this rate._ "You poop on me and we're going to have a serious issue," she warned the bird.

She swore he scoffed at her, affronted by the warning.

 _I have not thought of a name for him yet. Maybe you will be able to. Because of his training he will stay within range of you until you give him another message to return to me. Don't feel rushed. He and I can wait if you are busy._

She smiled fondly. _Polite as always_.

"Who is it from?" Genma queried.

"Haku," she answered without blinking.

"Right, Haku. How could I forget," he replied sarcastically. "Is he your boyfriend or something?"

"Bo- boyfriend?!" Amari sputtered, blushing at the insinuation as she spun to face the man. "Wha- No! I mean, it's not like he isn't nice or anything. He'd probably make someone a really good boyfriend. He's kind and compassionate and gentle. Sweet too." _And cute_. And she was rambling, much to her horror. _Damn! Stop it mouth! Stop it! Stop before you say something mortifying! Again!_

Genma smirked at her. "Take a breath, Amari. If you like him, you like him. If you don't, you don't. Not my business to pry."

Then why did it sound like he was going to gossip about it to her uncle or Kakashi or her mother?

"So, who is he? Where'd you meet?"

"…Er, sorry, forgot you don't know the name." She turned to look back at the letter. Also to hide her blush. _Stupid mouth. Stupid brain._ "He's a friend from the Land of Waves. This hawk is some kind of special messenger bird capable of attuning to our chakra. I suppose it's sort of like a personal messenger bird that only travels between two people, finding them regardless of where they are in the world because of our chakra. How'd you find me, then?" she asked to the bird. The hawk cried into her ear. Amari flinched. "Sheesh. Why did I ask it to answer a question when it can't speak?"

"Huh, I've heard of the species before," Genma said. "They're said to be extremely intelligent, capable of understanding their master's commands and never betraying them. I doubt it'll go anywhere until you send it off."

"Yeah, the letter mentioned that. I guess that means I'm done training for the day so I can buy a suitable shelter for him." Feathers smacked against her face. Genma, Sakura and her clone didn't even bother to hide their laughter. "It's not like I knew you were coming!" she tried to argue. Feathers assaulted her face again. "You have an attitude problem!" Another smack. "All right, all right! I'm sorry, sheesh! Troublesome bird."

Great. Where were the Crows of the Leaf when she needed them? At least they didn't assault her for no reason or have his attitude problem. Amari dispelled her last two clones and took in their experiences. A new wave of exhaustion slammed against her at Body Flicker speeds, bringing out yet another long and tired yawn as her body slouched slightly. "Sorry, Sakura. I'm wiped."

"Don't worry about it, Amari. Your clone worked me pretty har—"

"Hey Forehead!"

As if the nickname flipped a switch, a vein bulged on Sakura's forehead at the sound of Ino's arrival. Amari tried not to grimace. It wasn't that she didn't want to help Ino. She was just _way_ too tired to deal with her ego right now.

"Well would you look at that. Ino-pig came to train!" she shot back.

Their bickering started in record time. In her exhausted state, it was even more annoying than usual. Genma and the hawk sweatdropped simultaneously.

"Uh, hey Amari, are these two friends or enemies?" Genma asked.

Amari sighed deeply. Defeated already by the simple question. "You know, Genma-sensei, I've been asking myself that same question since the day we met." She shook her head. "I don't think I'll ever understand them."

"Think you have enough left in the tank to handle this? Whatever _this_ is?"

Another yawn, even longer than the last and tear worthy. "Just enough." Amari moved her hand from covering her mouth to rubbing the back of her head. "It's going to be a drag, though."

Genma ruffled her hair affectionately. "Good work today, Amari. Make sure you get some rest, and don't work so hard in the morning tomorrow. Your body needs time to recover."

She could feel it. "See you tomorrow, Genma-sensei." With a quiet sigh, Amari trudged forward on tired legs towards her two fellow kunoichi. Genma disappeared on the breeze, unseen and without sound. Laser beams shot from Ino and Sakura's eyes, or that's what it looked like to her tired mind.

Despite being steadily restrained by ropes of exhaustion, Amari couldn't stop the excited feeling in her heart over hearing from Haku. The letter was certified proof he and Zabuza were still alive out there somewhere. And with this hawk they now had a way to keep in contact with one another no matter how far apart they might be.

Of course, this also did mean she was communicating with rogue ninjas, who were technically criminals on the run. Which meant keeping this secret. Honestly, though, could any shinobi call themselves a saint in this world? They were all trained killers. Trained to fulfill their missions and defend their Villages from enemies no matter what.

The cold truth: Amari, Team Seven, her peers, they were all child soldiers. Raised by a military power for the future protection of their home. In an essence, all Sensei's and students were pairs of Zabuza's and Haku's. A teacher who had seen the horrors of the shinobi world, who had lost and killed plenty, teaching young, innocent children to follow the way of the shinobi.

As Zabuza pointed out, the Leaf was nowhere near as rough and full of bloodshed as his childhood had been, but all it would take to change that was war or a mission where she would have to become a shinobi and take a life.

 _We've grown up in peace. Because of that we retain most of the innocence of children, unlike Kakashi-sensei and Zabuza. It could change at any moment, though._ Amari sighed tiredly. _But that's why I have my nindo, right Cousin? To stop myself from becoming an emotionless tool._

Haku may have been able to become a shinobi if necessary, but he retained his kindness, his compassion. Their hearts were alike in their aversion to killing. It was one of the threads that helped them to connect on that mist covered bridge, where pieces of their hearts were sacrificed for something more. A bond they refused to give up.

 _Unfortunately, Haku's a rogue ninja and I possess two eyes people desire to steal as much as I desire ice cream._ Oh, ice cream sounded _so_ good right now. _For now we'll have to keep fighting. But maybe someday in the future we'll find our own peace. Maybe…_

"Forehead!"

"Pig!"

"Forehead!"

"Pig!"

Amari and the hawk's head moved back and forth at the childish argument. This was going beyond sheer annoyance to high levels of irritation.

"Billboard brow!

"Ugly!"

"Why you!"

"ENOUGH!" Amari shouted forcefully. Scraps of her dwindling energy went behind that shout to put the argument to bed. It did not alleviate the headache she had coming on. "Do you two realize how childish you sound? Calling names like a bunch of spoiled brats? Seriously?" The exasperation she felt went into every aspect of her being, from voice to body language.

Her onyx eye shifted its annoyed glare to her teammate. "Sakura, you told her you were done with the bickering. Unless you two want to do it as some sort of fun, teasing banter, where neither of you are actually arguing, be done with it. Permanently. As I said, I have no issue if you two just do it for fun." _As long as I'm not around to hear it._ "But _this_ ," she motioned between the two, "isn't for fun. It's the same routine from the Academy. Don't backtrack," Amari stated firmly.

 _Because you're finally coming into your own._

Sakura lowered her eyes in regret. Point made, her annoyed onyx eye flitted to Ino, who looked as willful and arrogant as ever. "Number one rule of training with me: Leave your ego at home. If you just want to bicker with Sakura or me instead of actually training, find a different trainer. I have zero tolerance for this."

Ino huffed in indignation and crossed her arms over her chest. "Don't start acting high and mighty because I came for your help. You've always tried to be like an overbearing adult, even back in the Academy. So don't talk to me about an ego."

 _Ughhhh. She's arguing and I just want to sleep_ , Amari groaned internally. Tempting her brain with the reward of a large bowl of ice cream, she steeled herself to finish this resolutely in one move.

"Listen Ino, I'm not acting high and mighty." _Even though I know I can crush you._ "I'm glad you came to improve yourself, and I will do my best to help you because I want you to be stronger. For the sake of your life and the sake of your team." Amari's tired features shifted for severe seriousness. "However, I'm within my rights to tell you that you weren't focused on being a strong kunoichi, not fully."

"See? There you go again—"

"Ino, enough," Sakura cut off her friend, stern in voice but soft in her eyes. "Don't argue. Just hear her out. Nothing she says is to be callous or cut you down or make you feel inferior. Amari's right. She is within her rights to tell us both we weren't focused on being strong kunoichi. We weren't, Ino. And that's okay because we're here now, prepared to change for the sake of our teams and for ourselves."

Ino grit her teeth and tried to find an argument against the blue-haired kunoichi who had surpassed them. The kunoichi who had worked hard to become someone the boys and the girls of their class looked up to. The kunoichi all four Leaf Sensei's watched so intensely in her preliminary fight, not because of their personal involvement in her life, but because she and Hisashi fought as true shinobi instead of kids. The kunoichi who could be called a kunoichi while Ino could not. Not after what she had seen. And it left her envious and feeling terrible about herself.

Sakura resting her hand on the blonde's shoulder halted it all. The argument at her tongue. The flaring ego. The intense jealousy flickering in her light blue eyes that festered the unwarranted anger for the Nara girl. "Please. I don't want us to fight anymore." Those words softened up her old friend. "And I don't want you to fight with Amari either. You saw Amari's fight with Hisashi. You saw how incredible she is; the skill, the speed, the strength, the intelligence. Give yourself a chance to listen and learn."

Amari watched the exchange between former friends silently. She hoped they could one day fully mend that bridge. But that wasn't in her hands; it was in theirs.

"Okay. Fine. I'll hear her out. That's why I came here," Ino agreed.

Amari didn't wait a beat. She was tired. "Mind Transfer Jutsu alone isn't enough to survive on." Ino didn't argue. She took the criticism with an agreeing nod. "Neither is relying on Shika and Chōji to pull the weight of the team." This time a flinch at the pinpointed strike. "You're beautiful, Ino, even with shorter hair. And I'm sure you'll be even prettier as an adult. Truly. I mean that. But beauty won't save you in the field. Beauty alone doesn't win a person's heart, either.

"You want to surpass Sakura? You want to surpass your father? To stand as a proud kunoichi of the Leaf? Apply yourself to becoming stronger in every aspect of your life. Work on your ninjutsu with your team and taijutsu when you can. _Ask_ Mr. Yamanaka for guidance on new ninjutsu, _ask_ Shika about tactics he hasn't tried yet and see if you can help him make them reality, even if it means nagging him. Because that's what it's going to take. You have to work at this. I can give you guidance and advice, I can train you into the ground, but if you don't apply yourself, if you don't actively try to get stronger, you won't see any results."

Ino remained silent for a long moment. Then…

"All right, fine. If that's what it takes then I'll do it!"

Amari nodded. _She has the spirit and the motivation. That's a good step._ "Good. I'm done training for today. Come around tomorrow with Sakura and we'll get started."

 _If I can even get out of bed tomorrow_ , she thought.

Ino turned a prideful grin towards Sakura. "Be ready to be surpassed by me, Sakura!"

Sakura snorted and raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "On your diet? You'll be lucky to last ten minutes of training with Amari tomorrow."

The point of a metal nail screeched across glass somewhere far away in the world, yet Amari still heard it. There was that word again. _Diet_. How she loathed it and everything it stood for. She slapped her hand to her forehead, groaning in exhausted exasperation. "I totally forgot you did that too. Tomorrow is going to be a _long_ day."

"Hey! Sakura is on a diet too!" Ino argued. Her light blue eyes flitted back over to her old friend, examining the beginnings of muscle development on the kunoichi. Her eyes widened in shock. "Wait a minute. You're not—"

"Remember when I mentioned my lack of conditioning in our fight? It wasn't just a reference to my lack of stamina. My diet contributed heavily to my lack of energy. I was still new to it at that point, and the Forest of Death wasn't exactly kind to my team." Sakura jabbed her thumb at Amari. "Amari has never dieted. To keep up with her I had to start eating right."

The Yamanaka's hands slapped her own cheeks as she looked between the pair as if really seeing them for the first time. "How are you two in such good shape without dieting?!"

Amari's face buried further into her palm. Even the hawk buried his head into its wing. Finally they agreed on something. "Ohhh, tomorrow is going to be such a dragggg," she groaned. How could these girls voluntarily starve themselves? If diets are what people found attractive, she would end up a proud, bird whispering hermit. "My mother doesn't diet either."

The comment came out as a test.

"Whaaattt?! But Kurenai-sensei is so beautiful!" she shrieked.

Ino passed it spectacularly. Which was bad.

"Ino…I…" Where did she even begin? "…I'll write you up a meal plan like I did for Sakura. Even if it is a big, stupid drag." Amari sighed. "Listen, dieting can work for some people and give them results, like losing weight. But dieting isn't a long-term commitment. It's a temporary solution, and few are really healthy for you, especially for shinobi. You probably cut out important foods out of your diet because of it, which explains why you're so skinny."

The Yamanaka glared. "You say that like an insult."

"Ino, you're _starving_ yourself to try to remain attractive because of some ideal form of beauty you've been told by others to uphold. It's ridiculous," Amari stated with finality. "Do you think Lady Tsunade dieted or do you think she fed her body with the proper nutrition while working out to keep in shape as a shinobi?"

"Err…Well…"

Amari put her hand up. "Stop. Just…stop. I'll get you a basic meal plan and exercise routine to help you increase your physical conditioning. We'll discuss it in detail later." Her hand returned to her side as she looked between the two kunoichi. "What I'm about to say goes for both of you: If the person you're attracted to doesn't love you for _who_ you are, and they only care for _how_ you look, they don't love you. If your superficial image is more important to them because they care how others will perceive them, they don't love you. If you have to starve yourself or gorge on more food than necessary all to get them to see you as attractive, they don't love you. Stop wasting your time trying to look how they want you to and be the best version of yourself, because the kind of love you're currently chasing is hollow and a waste of time."

And she was too tired to deal with this any further. She looked pleadingly to her teammate. "Sakura, can you start talking to Ino about this? Birdy here probably needs food and I doubt he wants to stay on my shoulder all day."

The bird let out a cry of agreement.

"You bet, Amari." She grabbed Ino by the arm and dragged her away. "Come on, Ino. The first step of getting you off that diet is having a bowl of ramen."

"Ramen?!" she shrieked.

Amari didn't have the energy to debate the magnificent delicacy that was Ichiraku Ramen. On heavy legs she headed back into the main portion of Konoha in search of a pet store that sold a bird cage to house the hawk. Should she ever not have the time to immediately send a message back to Haku, she wanted the hawk to have a place he could call home to sleep in outside of the elements.

 _I should try to come up with a name for him. I don't want to call him Mr. Bird or birdy any longer than I have to._ She eyed the bird suspiciously. _He'll probably smack me with his wing again._

Did Haku have these problems?

As Amari made her way through the shopping district of Konoha she pondered on different names, asking the bird for approval now and then, receiving a shake of the head or a wing slap depending on its disapproval level. There were many wing slaps.

"How about Kaito?" she asked on her walk.

Silence followed.

A wing did not hit her in the face either. Overall a good sign, but still too soon to celebrate.

The bird appeared contemplative over the offered name. Eventually it cried out in what Amari believed was agreement, frightening some of the civilians around them. "Well Kaito, I'm happy to have you here." Another sharp cry that pierced her ear.

They were going to have to work on volume control.

During her unsuccessful search Amari came upon her mother. By chance or fate, who could say? She wore her shinobi attire and stood outside of a dango shop, her back turned towards her daughter. "Hey Mom!" Amari greeted cheerfully as she approached.

Kurenai turned around, a warm smile on her lips. "Amari, how was…" Her mother paused and tilted her head at the bird on her shoulder. Her red eyes examined him thoroughly, but what conclusion she reached, Amari wasn't sure. "Why is there a hawk on your shoulder?"

"Oh, Kaito kind of just came into my life. He's a messenger bird sent from Haku."

Kurenai, unlike Genma, recognized the name and nodded. "I see. How did he find you?"

Kaito let out another cry and pecked lightly at her forehead. "Hey! Don't be mean! It's an honest question!" she tried to debate, never once suspecting he was attempting to answer. "And that's the answer I got when I asked. He'll stick around until I send a letter with him back."

"Are you heading home to do that now?"

"No," Amari shook her head. "First I have to find a store that sells a bird cage so he has a shelter out of the elements." The Nara rubbed the back of her head. "Problem is I have no idea where to find one, and I'm really tired from training. I'm not even sure how long we've been walking around for. It's a bit troublesome."

Kaito nodded in agreement.

"Allow me to give you some direction then." Kurenai lifted her chin in the direction Amari had been walking in before finding her. "Continue that way to the second intersection then turn left. The pet store will be on your right after a short walk."

The young girl beamed. "Thank you, Mom. Saved us the trouble of stumbling around." She turned to leave but stopped when she realized she hadn't figured out what her mother was doing. "By the way, are you meeting Asuma-sensei here for a date or stopping by for a snack?"

Kurenai blushed and glanced away. Two fingers then prodded Amari's forehead. "I'm meeting Anko here, little one." Her blush darkened and her eyes scurried away again. "But Asuma will be stopping by for dinner tonight."

 _Aha!_ If she possessed the energy, she might have declared it out loud. However, fortunately for Kurenai, Amari only poked her in the forehead and giggled. "You don't have to act so bashful. I, for one, approve of your relationship."

"Little one," Kurenai chastised weakly, still blushing.

The sight provided a single burst of energy. An ember she ignited for the sake of glorious teasing. "Don't worry. I'll give you two _alone time_ after dinner." This caused her mother to blush further and her jaw to fall as she tried to argue. "Bye Mom! Love you!" Amari took off giggling.

That one had been worth the wait.

* * *

Kurenai's mouth hung open, cheeks tinting as red as her eyes, as she watched her daughter's giggling form retreating away. The sentiment Amari alluded to was quite nice of her, but it was also too mature and forward thinking for a twelve year old, especially in the context of the innuendo she was making.

When had her daughter even started making innuendos of _that_ kind? The only one Kurenai could recall was during the preliminary rounds over "reforming" the Uchiha Clan.

 _She's growing up right before my eyes_ , she realized.

Every passing year, every new mission, every new battle matured her little one just a bit more. Sooner rather than later she wouldn't be so little anymore. Her body would grow and mature from that of a girl to a teenager, and then eventually a woman in her own right. The tiny frame of the little girl who used to curl up against her and fall asleep, who she carried on her shoulders or piggybacked when she trained too hard, who had to physically look up to her, whose little arms always hugged around her belly because of her short stature inevitably would become a troublesome adult.

Kurenai's eyes softened as she watched the little girl with the hawk on her shoulder, snapshotting the moment into her memory while she could. Eventually it would be the back of a taller woman, more mature and shaped by the years ahead of her as a shinobi. Amari would always be her little one, but Kurenai swore then and there to savor every last day, week, month and year she had left of the child who still had to physically look up to her. Whose little arms always hugged around her belly because of her short stature, who still curled up against her on the couch when she read a book in her downtime.

Because one day…one day she wouldn't be so little anymore. One day she would be a woman, an elite kunoichi who didn't need protection from a dangerous world anymore, because she acted as a guardian for the next generation. One day…

"Hey Kurenai!" The Genjutsu Master turned to face her approaching friend, who already had an empty stick of dango clutched between her teeth and a boisterous grin on her face. "Sorry I'm late. There was a little dango stall I ran into on the way and, well, I couldn't resist stopping by," she laughed sheepishly. Anko noticed the softened expression on her face and tilted her head in confusion and concern. "Huh? What's up? You look kinda emotional. Everything all right?"

Kurenai smiled faintly and nodded, looking back towards the head of wild blue hair and purple tank top. "I'll be okay. I was…thinking of the future, I suppose." A future she found equally exciting and sad.

Anko's eyes tracked to the same target of her attention. She cocked an eyebrow up. "Shortcake? Why would you be…" Her eyes suddenly widened. "Oh right, her name is Amaririsu Yūhi. You never mentioned the kid you adopted was Shikaku's niece."

"It must have slipped my mind. Why Shortcake?" Kurenai asked, chuckling at the nickname.

"Because it fits her." Anko shrugged as if it were obvious. Kurenai chuckled and let it be. Her friend, however, fell into a contemplative silence, her light brown eyes falling from Kurenai to the ground between them. "…We met the night before the preliminary rounds. Kakashi got a message from her about Orochimaru. Since her team experienced his attack firsthand, we wanted to get as much information from her as possible, hopefully to get an idea of what he was after."

"Mm. I heard about that from Shikaku when he informed me of the Crows of the Leaf. It can't have been easy for you to take her information at face value. The Crows of the Leaf were a legend to me until recently as well."

" _Soon, Lady Kurenai, you will both see much more of me and come to know me by name."_

A legend she waited patiently to meet again.

Anko nodded absently. "Yeah. You've got an interesting kid, Kurenai. She volunteered to cross the continent on an A-rank mission to help her team."

Kurenai grimaced. "That's definitely my little one," she sighed.

"When I questioned if she might have any loyalties to Itachi, she said something that really stuck with me. Said she owed Lord Third and the woman who gave her a home, family and love more than she could ever repay given a hundred lives. Then told me I could question her information but not her loyalty to Konoha."

" _I once thought I could repay everything I would ever owe you. I still have a mental record of everything I've ever cost you, but I know now that even given a hundred lives, I can never repay you for the love you've given me. I was just some orphan, not even your child, your responsibility or your problem, and you took me in on a hunch. I owe you everything."_

Those familiar words tugged at her heartstrings.

"The conviction she had behind those words," Anko grinned nostalgically, "I could tell right then and there whoever that woman was, Shortcake cherished her enough to tell a superior as politely as she could to go to hell, damn the consequences. Means you're special to her, and as far as I care, that's enough to make her a good kid." The boisterous kunoichi laughed sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Can't say I made a good impression on your daughter, but I suppose she made a good one on me. Impressive fight, too."

Kurenai smiled, grateful for her friend's kind words. "Don't be too hard on yourself. If Amari learned about the mark, I have no doubt she understands your reasons for doubting her. After all, holding a grudge against you over a misunderstanding would just be too troublesome."

Anko gave a hearty laugh. "In that case I guess I'll have to give Shortcake a second chance at a better impression!" The kunoichi pumped a fist into the air. "Now let's get some dango!"

 _She never lacks energy._

* * *

Amari collapsed into her desk chair when she finally finished her shower, depleted of the last of her energy. But her hair was clean, as was the rest of her. That was a win worthy of her current sluggish state. Replacing her sweaty clothes was her fuchsia V-neck and clean black shorts that were slightly shorter than knee-length. Her bandana no longer covered her eye or her forehead, now tied loosely around her left wrist, and her ninja headband laid folded up elsewhere in her room.

She stared absently out the open window above her desk, seeing the blue sky without really seeing it. Her mind was stuck in a struggle to gather up the motivation to stop slouching further and further into her chair. Bad posture helped no one, and it wouldn't get her last duty of the day done. Usually she wouldn't need an internal pep talk, but she was tired, and tired Nara's didn't like doing anything. Tired Nara's liked to nap.

 _I'm not going to let Haku's letter wait. Or force Kaito to linger any longer than he wants to._ She glanced to the right side of her desk, now occupied by a large bird cage with its tall metal door wide open. It wouldn't be a prison for Kaito; he could stay and go freely, and also could handle his business outside, as was the agreement they made. The hawk rested within, sleeping from what she could tell.

 _Okay, since Kaito is a bird of prey he'll hunt his own food. Quite frankly, I can't bring myself to feed him live animals_. The mere thought of feeding any small animal to him made her feel nauseous. Circle of life was one thing, but to take innocent animals and purposefully feed them to anything… Amari shuddered.

Eyes tiredly roaming across her desk, she observed Haku's letter in front of her, a blank sheet of paper and pencil next to it, ready to be used by the crashing kunoichi. On her left side were Team Seven's official photo and the picture of her mother and herself.

Amari smiled warmly at their team photo. It hadn't even been that long ago, not really, but it was beginning to feel like years had passed since the photo was taken. Since they all fought Kakashi for bells and failed to work as a team to retrieve them. Back then she didn't have the scars on her arm. She hadn't known the flaws of her purpose or seen her own hypocrisies for what they were.

Shinobi life moved quickly. Perhaps too quickly. Any deeper philosophical examination on the subject, however, would have to wait for a rainy day. She didn't have the energy for it.

In the picture Kakashi bent down to their height and eye smiled at the camera; his hands pressed on the top of Sasuke's and Naruto's heads since the pair were on the ends. They didn't look all too pleased, mostly because they had been arguing with one another prior to and Kakashi's action forced them into frame together. Yet another change since then. Next to Naruto was Amari, her right hand snuck around her back to clutch her left arm as she smiled happily. Sakura was between her and Sasuke smiling gleefully.

Team Seven in its entirety. Hopefully fate would be kind enough to never sever their team.

Between the photos shimmered Haku's crystalized flower, the crystalline blue sparkled in the sunlight, appearing as magnificent and flawless as the day he gave it to her. She brushed her finger across the cool petals and thought of the connection this flower symbolized; the same connection Kaito provided a way to strengthen over the coming years.

Kaito was proof Haku hadn't forgotten her. He still felt bound by the same connection she held in her heart. The connection forged from shared pain in battle, and then shared happiness as friends.

 _All right, enough stalling. Time to finish his letter._ She picked up Haku's letter to continue reading from where she had left off.

 _I am grateful for Zabuza providing this chance to write to you, although I must admit I'm not quite sure where to begin or what to write. This is another new experience for me, but I hope over time I will get better and the words I want to say will come easier. For now I would like to thank you once more for saving my life. In time I hope I will be able to repay your kindness._

Amari crossed her legs under her, shoulders still slouched.

 _Zabuza and I have traveled a long way from the Land of Waves, though I dare not say where for your safety and our own. Should anyone ever take these messages from you, I would not want to place you in a position where you are withholding valuable information on the location of two rogue ninjas. However, I want you to know we are safe to alleviate any concerns you may hold._

It did. Relief flooded her as she audibly sighed. Even if their safety was only temporary, at least they were alive and well.

 _On our travels we have heard rumors about the Chūnin Exams. Congratulations on reaching the final rounds. I wish you, Naruto and Sasuke the best of luck in your fights. I'm sure you three will give your opponents the fights of their lives._

 _Anyway, forgive me for not asking immediately, but how are you? Are you in good health? How have your injuries recovered? I sincerely hope you've not experienced any complications. Have you remained true to your nindo? How are Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi? I imagine the five of you have grown stronger since our battle as a team and individually._

There was a break in his writing. Marks that showed he tried to start writing again but decided against the chosen word or question. Then it started again.

 _There is much I would like to ask you and say, but I fear I'm having trouble putting these words to paper. Forgive me._

 _Please take care, Amari. For yourself, your team, and for me. For those who care about you, the world would be a lot dimmer without you in it. Of that I am certain._

 _Haku_

A bright and warm blush colored her cheeks at the resoluteness behind his statement. The familiar warm fuzziness came back, but she quickly pushed it from her mind and picked up her own pencil, sliding her empty paper in front of her with Haku's in reading distance.

 _Haku,_

 _I'm really happy to hear from you. I've thought a lot about the Land of Waves, wondering about you two and if you guys were still safe. Knowing you are is a huge relief. Give the old man my thanks for granting us the ability to keep in contact with one another. He really is a big softy on the inside._

She hoped Haku read that to him. She could already hear his irritated growl.

 _After some deliberation and approval from the bird I've started to call him Kaito. He seems to like it, although he also acts a bit cocky. Did he ever slap you with his wings? He's done it to me when I ask him a question he doesn't find intelligent. Otherwise he's been nice. As I write he's sleeping peacefully next to me._

 _Don't worry so much. This is a new experience for me too. We can stumble through our awkwardness together! And this time without a troublesome old man eavesdropping. I'm looking forward to the day when we all meet up again. Who knows, maybe one day you guys won't have to be rogue shinobi anymore. You'll be able to go home to the Land of Water and not fear death. I think you two deserve that chance._

She looked to Haku's letter and read over it again, looking for the questions she missed or statements she could bounce off of. When she read over his wish to repay her she put her pencil back to paper.

 _You do not need to repay me Haku, and neither does Zabuza. I mean that. You two are absolved of any debt you believe you owe. If that isn't good enough then consider your crystalized flower and kindness all the repayment needed. Both I hold dear to me, so please don't believe you are indebted to me. Zabuza giving us a way to remain in contact works as repayment as well._

 _Anyways, the Exams have been a huge drag. Some…bad stuff happened during the second part. Because of it I ended up needing surgery, which I'll tell you now to avoid at all costs. It's really troublesome. Sakura was unfortunately knocked out in the preliminary rounds in a double knockout, but ever since our battle in the Land of Waves she's worked hard to become stronger. I've been training her, and I'll be training one of her friends starting tomorrow. I'm very impressed by her growth. She's faster, stronger and more confident. She even defended me and the boys when we were all wounded._

 _Thank you for the wish of luck and congratulations. I'll pass the message onto the others._

 _Besides a few rough spots, everything has been well here. I recovered with no complications from all of my injuries, those in the Land of Waves and those from my surgery. It'd have been a drag if I hadn't, but I would have made it work. I'm stubborn like that._

 _Kakashi-sensei is training Sasuke for the finals. Naruto has a special trainer I don't think I'm supposed to talk about. He's in good hands. Mostly. As long as he doesn't pick up some of his new teacher's undesirable qualities._

Maybe she should check in on them again and ensure Master Jiraiya remembered her warning. _Eh, if he doesn't heed my first warning, I'll just make them both pay for it over time._

Unbeknownst to Amari, Master Jiraiya and Naruto shuddered in terror for a reason they weren't quite sure of.

Amari returned her pencil to paper.

 _As a group and individually we've grown a lot. Sasuke isn't so broody anymore. Surprising, I know, but it is true. He's starting to open up a little bit, which is more than I ever thought, but the second phase of the Exams really brought us all together. Going through hell kind of does that, I guess._

 _As I said before, Sakura is taking her training very seriously. Before our battles, she was too focused on what I suppose all girls of my generation were obsessed by: being skinny and trying to be pretty for someone else's sake. She was intelligent, but unable to bring forth that intelligence in the heat of combat. And she kept shutting her damn eyes in the middle of a fight. Now, though, she's really becoming more like the kunoichi she wants to be._

 _It'll take a little more time for her to catch up, but she will. I believe in her._

 _Naruto is still the ball of energy with knuckleheaded tendencies, but he's our knucklehead. He keeps getting stronger and stronger and really impressed everyone in the preliminaries. Kakashi-sensei is still awesome and doing his best to help us become great shinobi._

 _As for me, I'm still working hard to reach my dream. Sticking to my nindo and doing my best to overcome my flaws and internal struggles. Somedays are better than others, but I'll keep fighting. That's my ninja way, after all._

Amari frowned when she noticed she was at the end of the paper. _Damn._

 _I'm really happy to have heard from you. Good luck with everything, stay safe and please take care of yourselves. Finding out from Kaito you got hurt or killed would be a real drag._

 _So don't be troublesome, Haku._

 _Amari_

After proof reading her letter a few times Amari folded it up, helped Kaito get his messenger pack back on and tucked it away safely into it. "Are you sure you want to go now? You can rest longer if you'd like," she offered. Kaito shook his head. Amari pet him gently. "Okay. Have a good flight, Kaito. And be safe." He let out a cry and took off out her window. She watched him fly until he was out of sight. "Safe travels, Kaito."

Amari cleaned up her desk, closed her window then headed out and up onto the roof to watch clouds. Also to nap.

A few hours later her mother returned home and nudged her awake. "Let's get you inside, little one. You can nap on the couch," she said, voice gentle and slightly amused. Amari didn't argue. She piggybacked on her mother's back into the house and settled onto the couch after she set her down. A pillow and blanket were gifted to her as she laid there. "Sleep," her mother's soothing voice coaxed, pressing a light kiss on her temple.

Amari's heavy eyelids slid shut again and her breathing evened out. Sleep claimed her almost immediately. This was the cost of her extreme training. Hours of the evening remained, yet she lacked a single drop of energy to expend. She slept with a sore body. A body that reached its physical limitations.

She didn't hear Asuma arrive or hear the two adults speaking in hushed whispers in the kitchen on any and all subjects that came to mind. She missed out on prime teasing ammunition as the couple shared in affectionate gestures and intimate kisses. A fact which the couple remained grateful for.

Amari's teasing left them both blushing on a consistent basis.

What finally stirred the sleeping child from her slumber was the scent of glorious food caressing her sense of smell. She groggily got up, covering her mouth as she yawned and tried not to stumble over on the flat, unobstructed stretch of floor between her and the kitchen.

"Hey, Asuma-sensei," she yawned.

The man greeted her with a nod and a smile. "Hey, Amari. Training hard, I see."

"Mmhm," she hummed as she sat at the table.

"Don't expect too much conversation from her, Asuma," Kurenai said, an affectionate smile on her face as she set Amari's plate in front of her. Her mother patted her head. "She's on autopilot. Aware, but only capable of handling one task at a time."

She wasn't wrong. Amari ate her food at a sluggish pace, eyes shutting fully for stretches of seconds as she ate before opening again. When her plate was finally cleaned off, the child stood up and nearly fell over as she ran into her mother. Kurenai stopped her from falling then picked up the barely functioning child. "Let's get you to bed." Amari didn't argue. She hugged her arms around her mother and shut her eyes again. "Promise me you'll take it easy tomorrow. You've pushed the Shadow Clone training too far, little one."

"Promise," she whispered.

Her bed and pillows greeted her for the final time that night. "Sleep well, little one. I love you."

"Mm. Love you."

Amari fell into her slumber quickly. She couldn't recall any dreams she may have had for those first hours of the night, but she could remember with full frightening clarity the sound of a familiar voice speaking to her from the recesses of her mind.

" _Haya. It's time."_

The genjutsu sucked her into her mindscape before she could jolt awake. It revealed to her a journey she had to undertake into her past life to regain the inheritance left for her. And with the fading of the genjutsu, she once again found herself on that mist covered bridge where cries of agony and crackles of lightning haunted her.

She did not wake on her own.

* * *

Kurenai's eyes slowly opened, looking across her bed, past the nightstand and alarm clock to the wall beyond it at the shadows. Something wasn't right. The air felt tense. Ripe with chakra.

"Asuma?" she whispered.

"I feel it too."

Kurenai worked the grogginess from her mind, hand slowly moving towards the nightstand where a kunai waited for her. The fog of sleep clouded her Sensory Abilities as much as it clouded her eyes. She couldn't pinpoint the source, not yet.

Then she felt it. Chakra surged from her daughter, and with it an agony filled scream. It jolted her entire body awake, pumping it full of adrenaline.

In an instant Kurenai was on her feet, rushing through her home in her nightdress, a kunai in hand and Asuma not far behind. She charged into her daughter's open room, flicking on the light to ensure nothing could hide from her. There were no other presences she could sense, but it paid to be extra cautious.

When her eyes landed on her daughter, she realized it wasn't an enemy she could kill. Her daughter's breathing was haggard, her eyes squinted shut as she curled up on her right side, back turned to the arriving adults, clenching her tensed left arm in her right hand. Green chakra covered her body in a barely visible and unstable shroud.

"Amari!" Kurenai rushed to her bedside, placing the kunai out of the way as she moved to pull her daughter from the darkness of her nightmares. As her hand touched her daughter's shoulder, covered by a sweat soaked shirt, Amari bolted upright with a startled cry. Both of her dōjutsu's activated; one red and lavender eye actively searched the room for hostiles.

 _She wasn't awake_ , Kurenai examined. _She was still asleep._

How intense had the nightmare been?

Gently, she placed her hand back on her daughter's shoulder, concern and comfort taking over her features. "Little one, you're okay. You're home. Safe." Amari's breathing didn't settle, but her chakra shroud dispersed and her dōjutsu's deactivated. Tears welled in her eyes. She lifted her left hand in front of her eyes; it trembled viciously.

Kurenai did the only thing she could do. She slowly guided the hand away and pulled her daughter into a warm embrace, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head and rubbing circles across her back. "You're safe now. I promise. You're home. With me and Asuma. Nothing is going to hurt you now, okay?"

"My- my arm," she whimpered.

"I know. But the pain will pass and you will be okay, Amari. Look at me. You are safe. I'm here. You're not in the Land of Waves and your arm is healed. There is no blood. There are no open wounds. You are okay."

Amari nodded and buried her tear streaked face into Kurenai's chest.

"I'll go get her some water and some tissues," Asuma said.

"Thank you." She appreciated the gesture and the moment of privacy he was giving them.

Kurenai held her daughter, letting her nuzzle in close and cry all the tears she needed to. Although one day her little one wouldn't be so little, and she would become an elite shinobi who no longer needed her protection, that day wasn't today. Today her little one was still a child, _her_ child who still needed the comfort and protection of her parent when these horrible nightmares became too much to bear.

"Mom?"

"I'm here, little one."

"I love you," she whispered hoarsely, vulnerably.

Tears pricked at Kurenai's eyes. She held her daughter tighter and shut her eyes, two glistening tears streaming down her cheeks. "I love you too," she whispered back.

Asuma returned but didn't intrude or speak up. He leaned against the doorframe, waiting for the appropriate moment to speak up.

"…I saw Itachi in my dreams," her daughter informed quietly, sniffling. "He showed me places in the Uchiha District. I think one was my old family home; the other was a hill overlooking a river. I'm supposed to go there to find my inheritance, he said. Then it faded away and…the nightmare took its place."

Kurenai hummed. Asuma cleared his throat. "I've got the water and tissues, if you want some."

Amari nodded into her chest and Kurenai waved him over silently. _The genjutsu invaded her dreams then_ , she thought. She didn't like it, especially if it vindictively pushed her into this recurring nightmare. For it to show her what could be her old family home and a place where her inheritance waited…What did it mean? What was Itachi's genjutsu guiding her towards? What could her inheritance be?

Kurenai and Asuma remained in Amari's room, the mother of the pair comforting her daughter while Asuma did his best to be supportive for both. Kurenai appreciated it. Seeing her daughter like this, knowing there was nothing she could do to take it away, it broke her heart.

Eventually Amari's left arm no longer appeared stiff and she calmed down significantly. "I…I think I'll be okay," Amari said after blowing her nose for a final time.

"You sure? There's no rush, Amari," Asuma reassured.

Her daughter gave a small nod. "I think so. I don't…I don't appear any different, do I?"

 _The genjutsu hasn't changed me, has it?_ It was the question that went unspoken.

"I don't sense anything wrong with you…except." Kurenai pursed her lips in mock thought.

Amari took the bait. "Except wha—"

Kurenai poked her in the forehead, earning a soft giggle from her little shadow. "Nope. You're still you," Kurenai smiled.

Amari lowered her eyes. "Sorry for interrupting your sleep."

The red eyed Jōnin shook her head and pulled the young girl back into a hug. "Don't apologize, little one. You have nothing to apologize for." She pressed another kiss to her head. "If you need anything, don't be afraid to come get me."

"I know. I'm…I'm going to try to get to sleep again." She squeezed Kurenai tightly. "Love you, Mom. Thank you for always coming. You too, Asuma-sensei."

"I love you too."

"Hang tough, Amari. You'll get through this."

Kurenai squeezed her daughter one last time then left her bed, grabbing her kunai, the tissues and ushering herself and Asuma out. Before she shut the light off, she said, "If you need anything, little one, anything at all, don't hesitate to come get me."

"I won't. Love you."

"I love you."

She exited the room and, after throwing away the used tissues, followed Asuma back to her bedroom. She put her kunai knife back and sat down on the edge of her bed, too troubled to lie back down just yet. Were her nightmares naturally getting worse? Or was this a rare occasion? Kurenai was worried.

"You know she's going to want to go find what the genjutsu showed her," her boyfriend said quietly.

She nodded. Another thought on her mind. "I…have much to think about."

Asuma wrapped an arm around her and pulled her back towards him. "It can wait until morning. Right now you need to sleep just like she does."

Deciding he was right, Kurenai cuddled back up against him.

She would figure something out.


	40. Chapter 39: Inheritance

Chapter 39

Inheritance: Past and Present Collide!

 _She laid in her lonely bed on her side, gazing blankly at the shadow covered wall while her arms hugged a pillow tightly to her body. She wished it was another person. That the warmth of the pillow wasn't her body heat, but the body heat of one of the boys who used to squish her. Who never minded if she cuddled close when she felt lonely or scared. She wished the pillow could hug her back, but only after sighing at her in mock exasperation. Or for an arm to suddenly smash her in the head, even if it was troublesome, just so she knew someone was behind her._

 _But it was only a pillow. Those two boys, the cookie ends of her metaphorical ice cream cookie, weren't here. She was alone. And she missed them. Even though her mother was across the hall, ready to be there for her in her time of need, she couldn't bring herself to interrupt her sleep. She couldn't bring herself to leave this lonely bed and disturb them again._

 _This was her fight, wasn't it? Her nightmares. Her fears. Her pain. It was no one else's job to carry her burdens, and she knew her suffering brought immense heartache to her mother._

 _Her pain caused people she loved to hurt. To feel helpless. To cry tears for her. It was wrong. So wrong. She couldn't keep hurting her mother like this. After everything she had done for her, asking her to grit her teeth and suffer alongside her was one line too far._

 _No. This was her fight. This was her struggle to overcome. She had to be strong. She was strong. Strong enough to overcome any obstacle in her way if she tried hard enough._

 _Heavy weighted exhaustion tugged down on her eyelids. Every repetition of opening her eyes after they inevitably fell shut made the next attempt to open them again that much harder. But there were demons lurking in the isolated darkness. They sought to find her in the mist, chuckling sadistically as their evil intent irradiated off them. They scratched and clawed at her scars, scorching the limb with their red-hot blades, covering the limb in blood that wasn't there._

 _Even if she were to seek out a peaceful sleep, she wouldn't find it no matter how many sheep she counted. Her body and mind refused to cooperate. Tossing and turning. Tossing and turning. Her body flipped back and forth as her mind churned in an anxious storm she couldn't find shelter from._

 _The pillow never left her tight embrace. In this storm it was safety. It was security. It kept her grounded in reality and away from the past. Because it was just a pillow, not one of the boys. She was in her new home. The home her mother welcomed her into with open arms. The bedroom with so much space she didn't know what to do with it all. The bed with real pillows and tangible softness she never had before._

 _She was safe. This pillow was proof of that now. There was no mist, no blood, no lightning crackling sharply in her ear. No cries of agony, no tears, no pain._

 _Only…there had been a cry of agony. And tears. And plenty of pain still reverberating like thunder in an empty canyon through her heart. These weren't illusions. That day was still real. That day wasn't a nightmare; it was real. That pain, those tears, all real._

 _The tears she shed into her mother's night dress, the pain in her arm, the cry when she jolted awake, all real. As real as the day she sacrificed a part of her heart on that bridge._

 _Why couldn't she stop hurting? Wasn't time meant to mend these wounds? What if it didn't heal? What if she couldn't overcome this? What if the nightmares worsened over time? Was she…was she permanently broken?_

 _Her breathing sharpened, fingers curling tightly into the pillow case as another bout of anxiety surfaced from the darkness._

 _Deep breaths. Deep breaths. Control it. In and out. In and out._

" _ **The pain will pass and you will be okay, Amari. Look at me. You are safe. I'm here."**_

 _She shut her eyes and imagined those supportive red eyes again. Imagined the arms hugged around her body and the safety they promised._

" _ **Nope. You're still you."**_

 _She imagined her heartening, motherly smile that never ceased to give her hope in her darkest hours._

 _No. She wasn't permanently broken. Her mother saw the shattered heart and mended it together. As long as her mother still believed in her, as long as her mother didn't give up hope, then she couldn't give up. No matter how long and arduous this fight was, she wouldn't give up. For her she would keep fighting. For her she would seek out the light hiding behind the cumulonimbus thunder clouds._

 _The anxiety disappeared back into the shadows, out of sight and out of mind. It was only temporary. This was one little step on a long journey, but eventually these little steps would add up. Eventually she would be okay._

 _She held no memory of sleeping again. Perhaps maybe a few winks snuck their way in when her eyes shut on their own. All she could remember was every shift of her body as she tossed and turned. Sleep wouldn't come. Lying in bed in this futile battle served no purpose._

 _So, against the groans of her body, she sat up to face the day at an earlier hour than usual, hugging her pillow tightly one last time before relinquishing her hold on it._

 _The shower and the light breakfast she shared with her mother and Asuma did not rekindle her doused fire. She worked on auto-pilot, poking at the food that smelled and looked exceptional, but not gobbling it down with the fervor such a glorious meal deserved._

 _She didn't feel all that hungry._

 _After breakfast she headed out with no destination in mind. She just needed to stretch her legs. Get out into the fresh air to clear her anxious and clouded mind of the nightmare; feel the cool morning air brush against her skin and see the big, wide open sky above her. The sun was only barely peeking out from the horizon, still working up the courage to climb out from the shadows to embrace the Land of Fire._

 _Kami, the hour was ungodly even by her standards._

 _Ultimately she ended up standing before Ryu's grave, her face downcast and mood overwhelmingly somber. Another piece of her heart she lost; this time it wasn't sacrificed, it was stolen from her without remorse._

 _Pain scratched at her heart, tore its bear claws across the fragile muscle. Damn it, it hurt. It hurt so much._

 _The child sat down in front of her old friend and hugged her knees to her chest, staring quietly at his mark on the world. This lonely gravestone. This little reminder he existed was all that was left of him. A gravestone only she visited. No one else. He didn't have anyone else. He never had the chance to gain a new family like she did._

 _ **"I'm sorry…I'm sorry I wasn't able to stop Kasai. Sorry I've made you the target of power seekers…But I believe my eye will be in good hands, and now you can see a better future for both of us. One where we aren't bound to the life we've lived."**_

 _This wasn't the mark he wanted, or the one she wanted for him. Their dreams for the future didn't involve a gravestone she struggled to visit. It didn't involve these nightmares or scars. There hadn't been any of this pain she carried._

 _"Ryu…"_

 _But through the eye he gifted her they could see the future together, right? She had to strive to make it a good future. A future where they were free. Free of the binds of loneliness and abandonment the orphanage bound them with. Free of a duty they never wanted to bear. Free to live life and find peace. For him, she had to do it. She had to keep walking until she found that future._

 _"I miss you."_

 _The meek voice didn't disturb the quiet and lonely graveyard. It carried on the wind, a silent whisper only the spirits could hear._

 _Footsteps padded softly across the grass to approach her. She didn't need to look back to know who it was. She had sensed the silent and concerned presence shadowing her since she left her home. Her mother sat down next to her, wrapping a warm arm around her shoulders and pulling her in so she could rest her head on her chest. She shut her eyes and struggled to find more meaningful words to say. To Ryu for sacrificing himself to give her a chance at a new life. To her mother for always being supportive, even when she tried to shoulder it alone._

 _This wasn't anyone's battle but her own, but she needed help. She needed this embrace as much as she needed oxygen to live. Needed the warmth, the comfort, the strength and promise of protection within it, just to know_ _ **someone**_ _was here. That she wasn't alone anymore. Because a pillow couldn't hug her back. A pillow couldn't hold her close and tell her with conviction she could overcome this._

 _A pillow couldn't sense her inner turmoil and become the supportive pillar of strength she needed most._

 _"I love you," she whispered for both of them to hear. Quiet, but carrying the words from the very core of her soul to them both. Those three little words, so simple, so overused, but when spoken from the soul they meant something. They meant the world to a mother who only wanted the best for her daughter. They transcended life and death to reach the boy who gave his life so his friend could see a new future for them and kept them bound together._

 _Lips pressed against her head as her mother's hand rubbed her arm to comfort her. "And I love you, little one. Always. Never forget that."_

 _"I won't."_

 _The ghostly hand of a friend rested supportively on her shoulder._ _ **"I'll be at your side to the end, I promise,"**_ _the wind whispered only for her to hear._

 _Thank you._

 _No other words were spared between the mother and daughter. They sat together in silence, the warm embrace speaking every word of love and comfort they could ever share, unaware of the Sharingan wielding crow observing them from the shadows._

* * *

Amari performed a back handspring, narrowly dodging out of range of one her clone's attacks, coming out of it with a kunai in hand to block a second clone's slash. Sharp metal clangs echoed rapidly across the training field, the two blue-haired girls dueling fiercely at full combat intensity.

She kicked her clone away, red eye flicking back over to the other clone as she appeared out of a Body Flicker on her side, hands speeding through Fire Style handseals. _Damn._ Amari twisted her body and hopped back, hands moving through a different set of handseals.

 _Tiger, Hare, Boar, Dog._ _Earth Style: Mud Wall!_

Her feet touched the ground and she slammed her hands into the earth. As flames barreled towards her, a wide and tall wall of sturdy earth shot out of the ground in front of her, barricading her from the intense torrents of fire. Or that was her hope, but the wall started to deteriorate on impact. Burning heat seeped through the melting earth; it felt as if she was standing next to a giant forest fire. Her body temperature rose significantly in the milliseconds there. If she waited any longer she would feel the full brunt of her Fire Style and all its fiery fury.

 _It's not strong enough_ , she growled in frustration. Body Flickering away, she appeared meters to the side of her crumbling wall, sliding on the balls of her feet with labored breaths. A thin sheen of sweat layered her skin.

Three shuriken whirled towards Amari from her second clone, the aggressive double team effort not relenting for a single second. She blocked the three shuriken with her kunai then felt the point of a blade press against the back of her neck.

The fight was over.

"Damn it," she cursed.

The two clones dispelled themselves. Amari fell down onto her butt to contemplate the entire battle from all three perspectives, and to rest her tired body. _My Fire Style has gotten a lot stronger, but even then that wall is still too weak. I have to keep training to make it sturdy enough to withstand more damage_. Amari laid all the way back and rested her right forearm over her forehead. _At least I still have some time left. Not much, but I'll just have to make it work._

"Interesting. You copied Hironori's Earth Style: Mud Wall with your Sharingan during his fight with Mimi." Amari lazily rolled her head back to see Kakashi seated on the log Naruto had been tied to during the bell test, nose deep in one of his books. A position he hadn't been in a moment before. "Hmm. At this rate you're going to start making me fight for my title as the Copy Ninja."

The tired kunoichi snorted humorously and returned her gaze to the blue sky above. "The sentiment is nice but I'm pretty sure you have several more years of peace before you need to worry about me, Kakashi-sensei." To put it mildly. He was the man who copied over a thousand jutsu. She had a handful.

Amari sat up and rubbed the back of her sweaty neck. "I've been working on that jutsu since I was allowed to start training, and I still don't feel any closer to getting it sturdier."

Her lack of sleep didn't help much today, nor did the general exhaustion from yesterday's extreme training. Maybe it'd be better to call it a day early and try to rest. She did promise Genma and her mother to take it easy yesterday. _And after my night…_ A nap or cloud watching might be better for today than more training.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. Few kids your age have two Natures under their belts already. Mastering a new Nature takes time, even with Sharingan and hard work combined," he reminded. "You're doing well, Amari. Just keep working at it and you'll see the improvements you want."

"Yeah, I know," she sighed and stood up, stretching her arms high above her head as she stood up on her tippy toes. He was right, of course. Impatience was simply getting the better of her today, and impatience was a shinobi's worst enemy. She lowered her arms to her sides and heels back to the earth then turned to approach Kakashi. "I didn't expect to see you at all until the finals, Kakashi-sensei. Is there something going on?"

Her sensei nodded and snapped his book shut. "In fact there is. I've got a mission for you and the rest of Team Seven."

Amari stopped and tilted her head in confusion. "A mission? I thought our teams were off-duty for training?"

"True. The teams involved with the final rounds of the Exams were taken off active duty for training, but this is a special case. Don't worry, it won't be anything strenuous."

"A special case?" She didn't like the foreboding undertones behind his choice of words.

Kakashi hopped off the log and stuffed his book away into his ninja pouch. "As you have undoubtedly realized, Sasuke and I aren't training within the Village walls; a decision I made for the specific training I had in mind as well as his safety. Our whereabouts are kept on a strictly need to know basis. And yet, a peculiar visitor managed to find us."

She _really_ didn't like the foreboding undertones behind his choice of words.

"Who?" she asked cautiously, afraid it could be Orochimaru.

"Gaara of the Sand Village." The easy-going nature of his voice dispelled its Transformation Jutsu to reveal the stern reality of the situation.

Amari's visible eyebrow rose as her eye widened. "Oh. That's…troubling. Did he try to do anything?"

"No, but killing intent rolls off that boy naturally. His eyes are cold, colder than some of the most seasoned shinobi I have encountered. He doesn't feel remorse. Remorse is an empty word to him, without meaning, without purpose in this world to his vacant heart." His eye hardened. "He made his intentions clear: You and Sasuke are his targets. He plans to fight and kill you both to prove his existence, in his words. When and where won't matter to him. Nothing except fighting and killing you two matters to him."

Today was becoming a real drag.

"Troublesome." Amari wrapped her arms around her belly in discomfort and lowered her eye to the ground. _So, this feeling I have isn't wrong. Whether in the finals or elsewhere, our purposes will clash and only one of us will walk away._ When she looked into his emotionless eyes, she felt it; the thread binding their fates together. She wasn't sure how it happened or why. Their only real encounter hadn't been long enough or important enough for her to feel this way.

Yet…here they were. Even Gaara felt it, and she wasn't sure he could feel anything anymore. Something bound them together. A single moment, a single light that was invisible to the naked eye tied the thread so tight around them. Somewhere soon their purposes would collide in a battle to the death, but there would be no mercy. No shared feelings between them that kept them from wanting to hurt one another.

Gaara was not Haku, and they were not two sides of the same coin.

"You're not worried about our fights when shinobi of your skill will be there to prevent unnecessary death, but these final days before the Exams end and the aftermath of the Exams as a whole," Amari noted. "Regardless of who wins and loses, the Sand shinobis will be within Konoha's walls for at least a day or two, especially if any of them need medical treatment. Unlike me, though, Sasuke doesn't live with an elite shinobi. He lives alone, away from all of us."

"Exactly," Kakashi nodded. "Gaara doesn't strike me as the kind of kid who will listen to his superior's orders. He probably hunted us down without his Sensei knowing. If he loses, or if he wins and I have to intervene to save Sasuke, I don't see him simply walking away.

"He'll target you or Sasuke when you're alone, which is why I want you to be extra cautious until we are certain the Sand Village shinobi have departed back to Suna. Keep your senses open for him when you're alone. He may have chosen not to attack Sasuke solely because I was there."

She didn't doubt it. He may be powerful, but power alone against the experience of a seasoned shinobi like Kakashi wasn't enough. He had more tricks up his sleeve than a traveling magician, and intelligence on Nara levels.

"I'll be informing Kurenai, Genma and Shikaku about the situation, as well as the Hokage. We can't risk him acting out on his own to kill our people, and I'm not one hundred percent convinced Suna hasn't sent this unstable kid to cause collateral damage."

To be fair, she hadn't thought about that, but the mention of it opened up new avenues of thought. New pieces to a puzzle she had been trying to solve since Orochimaru and his Sound shinobi attacked.

"You don't need to worry about that part, though," Kakashi reassured, breaking off her sudden line of thought. "Leave it to your superiors, all right? You focus on training and staying safe. And don't be surprised or suspicious if you feel shinobi like Genma shadowing you more than usual, or if you sense an increase of allied shinobi hiding within the shadows all across the Leaf. They're only looking out for you and the Village."

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei," Amari bowed her head in gratitude. "But what about Sasuke? He's safe with you for now, but what about those few days after the Exam? And what about Orochimaru?" She didn't even want to say his name, worried it might just summon him back into existence, but they couldn't avoid it. He was still a legitimate threat, and she… "I'm still nowhere near close enough to learning whatever you and Genma-sensei have planned for me, and you said that was our way of avoiding him."

Without it, they were screwed.

He chuckled warmly at her concern. "Don't worry so much. I have it all set up. You see, it's not just Sasuke we need to worry about, or you, but Naruto and Sakura as well. We can't risk Orochimaru going after any of you, whether to draw one of you into his hands or to fracture our team permanently. You have Kurenai to keep you safe, and I already have Sakura taken care of. Naruto and Sasuke didn't have anyone, at least not until recently. It took a lot of convincing, but we're going to move those two to a safe location inside the Village where the Anbu Black Ops can protect them."

Amari brought her hand to her chin. It was a sound idea. The Anbu Black Ops were elite shinobi of unique talents. Only the best of the best could be accepted into their shadowy ranks, which made a squad of them a nightmare to handle. At least, that was her assumption. Zabuza had been a nightmare on his own, and he was once the leader of the Mist Anbu Black Ops. A squad had to be Lightning Blade nightmare worthy.

There was only one problem she could see. "Can we spare two squads of the Anbu Black Ops to two separate locations, Sensei? I doubt they'll be keen on babysitting Genin when we need them protecting the Village from the shadows. Definitely if we're suspecting another attack from Orochimaru."

"Who said two separate locations? They'll be moving in together."

She could only stare at him in silence. Did she hear that right? Did he say they would move in together? Her silence broke with a snort of laughter. "You're joking," she accused with a smile. He almost had her, she had to admit. But she wouldn't fall so easily for such an absurd joke.

"I'm not," Kakashi stated. "I would never joke about the safety of my students."

Oh. He…He was serious. His plan to move Sasuke and Naruto under the same roof wasn't a joke. Amari tried not to laugh; this was a serious matter after all. A matter of life and death for her entire team. But the mere thought of Sasuke and Naruto under the same roof brought forth a tsunami of mad giggles her poor Earth Style: Mud Walls couldn't stop.

This was as rich in sweetness as cheesecake.

"You're forc- hehehe! You're forcing them to—"

The giggles made coherent sentences impossible. They relentlessly assaulted her sides without remorse. No, they wouldn't stop. She was afflicted by a terminal disease of giggles, stitching her sides and opening the wellspring of joyful tears.

She hunched forward as if punched in the gut and clutched at her stomach, still giggling as if someone was tickling her feet. Kami, she couldn't breathe! This. Was. Amazing! Her two boy teammates, whose personalities were the physical embodiment of the North and South poles, were going to have to live under the same roof for a few days after the Exams!

"Wha- What did Sasuke say? What did he look like?!" she demanded. She had to know how her clan-brother reacted to the news. Did the incredulity render him speechless? Did he try to raise his voice and argue in a losing effort? What were the juicy details of his reaction?

"He was…less than pleased at first," Kakashi admitted. An understatement by the delivery, which only gave her images of his indignant, broody features that created another tsunami wave of giggles. "For some reason he thinks this is some sort of punishment for nearly destroying my book on accident."

 _And_ his precious book had almost been destroyed?!

"Is it?" she laughed.

"No! This is about their safety," he argued, sounding as if he had said that at least a hundred times already.

More giggles. They just kept coming; an unending barrage of mad giggles. Kakashi hadn't intended to send her into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, or to cause her any laughter at all; she could tell by the confused look on his face this wasn't the reaction he expected from her. But boy did she need this. After the night she had, this laughter was _sooo_ sweet.

It took time for her to recover fully. Amari wiped the tears from her eyes and tried to stand up straight against her pain filled sides. "Oh Kami, my sides," she winced, a smile plastered on her face. _Totally worth it._ "Please, tell me you've told Naruto." Her best friend's reaction had to be just as good.

"He was practically glowing when I told him he would have a new roommate."

"And when you told him it was Sasuke?"

"Hmm. Disgruntled might be the best word to describe his reaction."

Another understatement. Naruto didn't do disgruntled quietly. He didn't do anything quietly.

"Have you at least forbidden them from hurting each other?" she asked, trying not to go into another laughing fit. It was an immense struggle.

"Of course. They may not see it now, but they'll come to realize this is for the best." Kakashi shrugged. "Probably."

Probably. But only when the oceans weren't wet and the sky turned green. So pretty much never.

Amari wiped at her eyes again, a giggle breaking free that she silenced by clearing her throat. "How do you plan to watch after Sakura?" she asked to stay on subject.

"I have my Ninja Hounds watching after her. They'll shadow her and keep her safe should anyone try to attack her."

Considering the damage they did to Zabuza, she was confident in their abilities to keep Sakura safe. Anyone fool enough to attack her would find out just how sharp their teeth were, right before they were torn apart like a cheap dog toy.

"So, when does the mission start?"

"You're to meet up with Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto at our usual meeting spot in thirty minutes. Sasuke and Naruto are only packing the essentials, so it shouldn't take them too long to move them into the new location."

Amari nodded. "Okay. Then I suppose I should head off to meet the others. See you later, Kakashi-sensei."

"Have fun." Amari chuckled lightly and turned to leave. "Oh, and Amari." She stopped and looked at him with a curious expression. "I told Naruto and Sasuke that you and Sakura were handling the paperwork. So if, while you two are handling that, you… _stumble_ upon your inheritance." He gave her an eye smile at her stunned expression. "Don't be afraid to grab it. Good luck."

The clone of Kakashi dispersed. Amari stared at the spot he had been in previously in utter shock. News traveled fast between her mother and Kakashi apparently. The shock dissipated gradually like a rainstorm, replaced by the sunlight of understanding of his unspoken order.

 _There isn't any paperwork for us to do. He's sending me and Sakura to find my inheritance while Naruto and Sasuke are busy._ This mission started off as a way to protect Naruto and Sasuke until the looming threat passed, but the genjutsu vision added a new objective to the overall mission. Her mother and sensei were giving her permission to seek out whatever remained of her past; no doubt Kakashi wouldn't be too far behind to observe and save the day if it turned out to be a trap.

 _I hope it isn't._

With a sigh, Amari headed to their usual meeting point, arriving first as always. She took her seat on the railing and unsealed her notes on fūinjutsu to pass the time. Sakura showed up second, taking a seat next to her to ask about the notes and share her amusement about the situation. Sasuke and Naruto arrived shortly after.

Amari sealed away her notes and hopped off the railing, sparing the pair a smirk. "So boys, I hear there are new room arrangements."

Her fellow Uchiha grumbled inaudibly underneath his breath. Naruto, apparently no longer disgruntled, beamed. "You better get excited Sasuke, because we're going to be roommates! No brooding allowed!"

Sasuke dropped his head in defeat. "I'm going to lose the remnants of my sanity," he groaned.

"Oh cheer up, Sasuke. It'll only be a few days you'll be together. Hardly enough time for him to drive you _completely_ insane," Amari teased.

"Yeah, it could be a permanent move," Sakura added.

The thought of it caused the Uchiha to scowl. "Fine. You made your points. Maybe I'll even acquire an obsession with ramen and wearing bright orange while I'm there," he drawled sarcastically.

All three of his teammates shared the same mental image: Sasuke dressed in Naruto's outfit downing bowls of ramen by the dozens, a grin breaking his usual stony features. It left the three in stitches of laughter, Naruto falling over as Amari braced herself on her knees and Sakura braced on the railing.

Her sides screamed in pleasant agony.

"Naruto…" She inhaled a desperate breath of oxygen before smiling at her friend. "If you corrupt him into becoming obsessed with ramen and orange clothing I will love you forever," Amari said.

He feigned a hurt look. "Wai- wait you mean you don't love me now? Bu- but what about Amaruto?" He was even making his bottom lip quiver and tears build in his eyes, the troublesome boy.

She poked him in the forehead. "You keep this up and you're going to make me cry. Need I tell you that I love you to ease your pain?" He gave a nod without breaking from his feigned hurt. She rolled her eye. "I love you, Naruto."

"Woohoo!" He grabbed her in a bear hug and twirled her around, causing her to giggle. "Ha-ha, I knew it! Believe it!"

"Naruto! Put me down!" she chastised through giggles.

"Nope!"

"Naruto!"

"Come on! It's been forever since I saw you!"

"Troublesome boy, you're making me dizzy!"

Sasuke and Sakura watched on with smirks. Finally he set her down. They both stumbled slightly but neither could hide their grins. Did Naruto realize how much she needed that? Or was it just normal, spontaneous affection he gifted her with? Either way, she was grateful.

Naruto pumped his fist into the air. "Team Seven is back for the day!" he cheered.

Amari missed this, but they had a mission to complete. A mission that would drag her through her past. The sooner it was over, the sooner she could embrace this warmth again.

"We should get started," Amari said. She dipped her head to her fellow kunoichi. "Sakura and I will go handle the paperwork and join you when we're done."

"All right. Later."

"See you two later!"

Splitting up into their teams of two, Team Seven went their separate ways towards their specific objectives. Amari guided Sakura towards the Uchiha District, anxious about what they might find there and how much it might hurt.

"Kakashi-sensei told me the genjutsu showed you something in the Uchiha District. Do you know what it is?" Sakura asked as they walked.

"Only that it could be a final gift from my family. 'My inheritance' is what the genjutsu called it." Vague and worrisome in her opinion.

"Mm. Are you sure we shouldn't bring Sasuke? It kind of feels like we're going behind his back with this," Sakura pointed out.

 _Because we are._ Amari nodded regardless. "Yes. I don't know what we're going to find, and I don't know what seeing the Uchiha District again will do for his attitude. If we brought him it might make him turn cold and distant again."

They were slowly making progress away from his cold attitude. She didn't want to risk resetting it by bringing him to a place that only held pain for him.

"I guess you're right," Sakura agreed.

They stopped outside of the empty compound once thriving with life, hesitant to enter at the sight of its emptiness. _This is a mass grave._ A mass grave she and Sakura were about to trespass on to find her inheritance.

"Stay close," Amari said as she started forward.

"Do you know where to go?" Sakura asked as they entered.

When she passed through the entrance, a cold chill ran down the base of her skull to the bottom of her spine; her eye shut and her body shivered, but as her eye opened again she had to suppress a gasp. Ahead of them by several meters was a ghostly visage of a child walking into the district.

A child with wild blue hair and a purple tank top.

"This way," she said with more confidence than she felt.

Walking in her own footsteps…This wasn't creepy at all. But if it led to answers or a gift from her family, she'd stomach chasing after her own ghost in a compound once thriving with life, now as silent and empty of life as a graveyard at night. Even if it was a drag.

Nothing about this place seemed familiar to her. It was like waking up in the Leaf again and learning it had once been her home. She knew she should recognize landmarks or buildings, but nothing awoke a sense of familiarity. Everything was all new and strange and discomforting.

Unbeknownst to Sakura, they followed the child ghost on their journey away from the main part of the Uchiha District towards the outskirts. The mirage wasn't consistently active. It guided them to take turns and then disappeared for long stretches of empty and silent roads. Neither kunoichi spoke. Emerald eyes drifted in sorrow, scanning the surrounding area in search of life she wouldn't find. The single onyx eye stayed on the mirage.

She…she didn't like seeing her past self all alone. She looked sad. Lonely. It made her quicken her pace several times to try to catch up and just stop the mirage to hug her, to let her know everything was going to be okay, but she could never catch her.

Her past remained out of reach.

As they turned at another intersection, the silent streets were disturbed by a cheerful shout only she could hear.

" _Cousin!"_

" _Hey there, little cousin!"_

Amari froze. Ahead of her the little child was joined by a young teenager, whose back remained to her as he scooped up the little girl in a warm embrace. Her feet unconsciously stepped forward as her hand started to reach out towards the two. _Cousin…_ He was here. Right in front of her. If she just called out to him he would…

The two ghosts disappeared.

She could hear the cracking of her glass heart as her hand fell limp back to her side. _Please…don't leave me again. I beg you. Please…come back to me._

"Amari?" Sakura's voice snapped her back to reality.

She squeezed her eyes shut and grit her teeth against the wounds being ripped open on her heart. He wasn't here. It was just a memory; a piece of her past she couldn't go back to. "…Let's just hurry up and get out of here. This place is only full of pain," she said, her voice low and hurt.

Sakura noticed but didn't address it. "Okay," came her simple reply.

They followed the ghostly mirages to her home, where her cousin carried her on his shoulders as they entered it. The house wasn't anything extravagant in size or design, but it wasn't small either. Bigger than Kurenai's home, plus the backyard she once pretended to be a dragon in with her cousin.

This…This was her home. She thought…She thought she would feel warmth or something good from seeing it again. But she felt no warmth at finally coming home after all this time. She felt no smile form or happiness sprout in her heart. No nostalgia either.

Only…emptiness, and sharp pain. This was all that remained of her old life, an empty building absent of the people she loved.

 _I don't want to go in._ But the genjutsu led her here, which meant something important waited inside. Something she wasn't sure she wanted anymore. What was her inheritance really? Was it a tangible item? Or was it simply more pain to help her grow and mature from child to shinobi?

 _I've come this far._ No turning back. No running away. She had to face this head-on without fear. It was the only way forward.

"If you want to wait out here…" To be honest, Amari didn't want to go in alone. The ghostly mirages were hammering her emotional barriers, weakening them strike by strike. But she wouldn't force Sakura to follow her into her past unwilling. This entire trip had been uncomfortable for both of them.

"I'll be right behind you," Sakura assured.

Amari appreciated that more than she could say right now. Returning to her old home had never been something she thought she'd have to do. It wasn't something she wanted.

A deep exhale of air through her nose gave her the motivation to step forward and into the past. It wouldn't be the same. Nothing would. Even knowing that, opening the door, stepping in, she felt her heart tighten in her chest at the empty, unattended and uncared for house. Dust settled over everything, empty nails protruded from walls where pictures used to hang, no furniture remained and no one greeted her.

Nothing remained of her past. Just an empty shell without memories for her to remember.

" _There is a Seal only you can activate. Let your eyes guide you to it. Channel your chakra to your fingertips and release it into the Seal when you locate it,"_ the genjutsu of Itachi directed.

 _Sharingan!_ Amari searched the house high and low for the Seal, hoping to get in and out as quickly as possible. Every second in here was like drowning; every inhale filled her lungs with more water, suffocating her in a past she couldn't reclaim. The Seal he mentioned was invisible to the naked eye and located on the ceiling in the center of her home.

Without a word, she hopped up onto the ceiling, channeled the chakra into her fingertips and released it. The Seal appeared with the activation of her chakra and caused an object to fall from it. Amari reacted on instinct, hopping off the ceiling and catching whatever precious heirloom was left behind before it could hit the floor.

"Nice catch, Amari!" Sakura complimented.

She nodded mutely, not trusting her voice. The object wasn't particularly heavy. It was hidden beneath a purple fabric, rectangular like a book but at least half the length of her hand in height. Carefully she untied it, revealing the stack of books hidden within. She moved the books to the side and lifted the purple fabric off the dusty floor. "Oh, it's a shirt," she realized quietly. A high-collared tank top, to be exact. She turned it around to look at the back and immediately felt her face fall in sorrow.

Staring back at her was half the Uchiha crest and half the Nara crest joined together to create one symbol—the symbol of her mother and father's relationship and the child that came from it. The symbol for Haya Uchiha and Amaririsu Yūhi.

A notecard fell to the floor from the shirt, startling Amari. Gently, she laid the tank top down next to the books it held together and picked up the card to read the words left for her.

 _This is part of your inheritance. The rest is waiting for you. You know where to go._

Yes, she did. The hill overlooking the river. It wasn't far from here if the vague memories awakened by this walk were true. She examined the books—or journals, really. There were four in number, each held closed by a lock and what appeared to be sealing work. She saw no key anywhere. _Maybe it's with the rest of my inheritance._ They were obviously locked to keep the contents secret. Keeping the key separate made it that much harder to break into it.

Again she picked up the shirt, taking note of its length. _It'd be a dress on me if I wore it now. I'll have to wait for a growth spurt before I can actually wear this._

Amari tied the shirt back around the books then pulled out her storage scroll, creating a new seal for the new items and sealing them away. After rolling up the scroll and putting it away, she glanced around the empty home for…she wasn't sure what. More mirages? A false hope of one of her family members walking down the nearby stairs, older and scarred maybe, but still alive?

She couldn't see anything. But if she listened close enough, she could hear the whispers of her old life and feel the spirits of her family. The laughter, the joy, the loving words and their warmth, they still were here in this empty home. If she closed her eyes and reached out she could feel their presence brush against her senses, feel their arms wrapping around her as they whispered their loving declarations for only her to hear.

"Amari, do you want to stay a while. This was your home." Sakura's voice broke her from the spell.

Amari opened her eyes again and shook her head, standing up. "No, but thank you, Sakura. There's nothing left for me here." Home wasn't a physical location; it was wherever your precious people were. For her family, they weren't bound to this place; their home was in her heart. "This was only half, anyways, so let's go grab the other half and help the boys out."

The sooner she could put the Uchiha District behind her, the better.

They didn't walk there. Amari led by ninja jumping to the nearby river she vaguely recalled as Nakano River. At the top of the hill rested a scroll about the size of her leg from the knee down. Next to it, a short sword sheathed within a scabbard stuck out of the dirt with a necklace tied around its hilt. On top of the hilt sat a crow facing out towards the horizon, appearing oblivious to the two arriving kunoichi. The moment Amari spotted the weapon she felt her feet begin to quicken underneath her.

She knew that weapon.

"Cousin…" Amari breathed out.

The sound of her voice caused the crow to take off flying without a word. Before Amari could reach the weapon, her body froze up again. More ghostly mirages appeared, this time three figures standing near the edge of the cliff in a horizontal row. The first one on the right was Itachi, the one on the left was a woman wearing the Uchiha fan on her back, her hair long, reaching the middle of her back and dark in color. The outfit she wore was an indigo mantle.

" _Cousin!"_

A cool breeze rushed past Amari as a little child sprinted past her towards the individual in the center. The shout caused Itachi and the woman to turn, both smiling softly at the young Haya running towards her cousin. Amari's feet moved on their own, again walking her into a jog as she tried to catch the ghost. _Please. Just…Just stay a little longer this time. Just let me…_

Her cousin began to turn as she neared him, and then, as little Haya would have crashed into him with Amari, he disappeared, leaving her to hug only herself. Aches of pain erupted from Amari's heart as she collapsed to her knees before the scroll and tantō, tears welled in her eyes.

 _I…I just want one last hug._

Her arms fell limp as she struggled to keep her tears from falling. Sakura knelt next to her and took one of Amari's hands into her own, holding it in support of the friend who carried more pain in her heart than she ever realized.

"This…this was my cousin's tantō," she said after a lengthy silence, sniffling. "I remember him carrying it everywhere. He promised to teach me how to use it one day."

"He must have left it behind to keep that promise," Sakura tried to soothe.

"Yeah…"

 _But he can't teach me. He's…gone._

Carefully she untied the necklace around the hilt and examined the pendent. Again her two Clan symbols fused together stared back at her, though the end of the fan on this one was a bit longer than usual.

It was curious, but Amari left it be for now, placing it around her neck and under the ninja headband hanging around her neck. With a trembling hand she grabbed the tantō by the scabbard, pulling it from the ground like a beautiful flower.

She laid it across her hands and stared at the item. It was double-edged without a tip, meant to be used for cutting or defense, not stabbing. Respectfully she laid it on the ground, pulling out her storage scroll to create another new seal so she could transport it easier. _I'll have to buy a harness for this. That and find out if Kakashi-sensei, Mom or Genma-sensei know anyone who can teach me how to use it._

Once it was sealed away, Amari moved to the medium sized scroll lying it down in front of her. "What is it?" Sakura asked.

She undid the tie around the scroll and rolled it out to answer her question. "Hmm…different Uchiha's have all signed this." The Nara glided her finger along the edge to the last name. "Itachi being the last of the group. This must be the contract for the Crows of the Leaf." She hummed curiously at the two empty spaces before his name. "Wonder why there are two skipped spots."

"Amari. There aren't any skipped spots." She pointed to the empty spaces. "There are names here."

The Nara grunted in annoyance at the genjutsu. "Whatever the names are, don't say them. To me or anyone else until I'm able to read it. There has to be a reason for all this secrecy, and I'm going to find that answer eventually."

Quickly she sealed away the summoning contract into her storage scroll, placing it back within her pouch before standing up with an exhausted sigh. Her eyes were drawn to the horizon as her cousin before her. "Amari. There's something I need to ask you." Amari nodded silently. "You were seeing something here and back in the district, weren't you?"

"…I saw my younger self and…my cousin walking in the street. I followed them to my home. Here I saw Itachi, my cousin and a woman as the young me ran to meet them. I don't know if it was the genjutsu or just memories of mine resurfacing…but it felt real. I could see him, hear them. He was right there in front of me." Amari lifted her hand to reach out to the empty space in front of her, only to stop and lower her hand in defeat. "But that's just my past and present colliding," she whispered. "I can't actually see him again. I can't shout his name in excitement and crash full force into his arms…I can't ever hug him or tell him I—"

The choked words died in her throat as a gasp when arms wrapped around her. A single tear escaped the cooled onyx eye.

"There isn't anything I can say to make this easier," Sakura said, her voice soft and gentle. "I can't tell you I understand what you're going through or how it feels to lose people I love. It would only be empty condolences. But we're here for you, Amari, all of us. And like you say, even in death, your family's spirits still support you."

Amari hugged her back, grateful for her words. Although she couldn't have her family back for that last hug, she still had family here, alive and very much huggable. Shika, her uncle and aunt, her mother and Team Seven were her family. They were where she belonged. They were home for her.

They left the abandoned Uchiha District behind them, splitting up to go meet up with Naruto and Sasuke at their respective apartments to help them finish packing. Amari went to Naruto and entered his cramped and messy apartment. Her fingers twitched at the messes needing to be cleaned. Before Naruto realized it, three Amari clones were rushing around his apartment to clean up after him while the original scolded the bashful boy for it.

Once he was packed, and his apartment clean, they moved him to the new apartment he would stay at until the Sand shinobi were gone. Sasuke and Sakura were waiting for them there. It was a nice place. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a small kitchen area and enough living space that they wouldn't be in each other's way at every moment.

As soon as they were done, Naruto all but dragged them to Ichiraku's for ramen as a celebration, possibly for a mission success, possibly just to spend more time as a team. Either way, with his and her tickets combined the meals wouldn't cost them anything.

By the time they made it there and finished eating, evening was upon them and the team were still sharing in conversations ranging from Haku's letter, jokes about it being a 'love letter', the kunoichis teasing Sasuke and Naruto about living together and plenty of other discussions. It revitalized Amari's drained spirit. Even Sasuke cracked a smile and chuckled a few times. Nothing as big as Naruto's boisterous laughter, but it was Sasuke.

He hadn't become a worshiper of ramen and the color orange yet.

"Hey, you guys started without me." Kakashi's voice entered the fray. The subtle whine in his voice caused Amari to laugh softly.

 _Late as always_. She and the others turned around to see him ducking his head into the stand. "Free food only for those who helped move," Amari teased, poking him in the stomach. Kakashi visibly pouted under his mask. "Not that you'd eat in front of us anyways."

"Hey, that's right." Naruto jabbed his finger at their Sensei. "Last time we were at Amari's house for a team dinner, you hid in the kitchen after we finished eating!"

Sakura swatted Naruto's hand. "Quiet down, knucklehead, and don't point. It's rude you know." Kakashi sighed in relief, thinking the line of questioning was over. Then Sakura's emerald eyes pinned back on him. "But they're right, Kakashi-sensei. You never show your face. How would you be able to eat in such a public place?"

His eye closed as he smiled. "I have my ways."

"Answering without answering. That's Kakashi-sensei," Sasuke commented dryly.

" _I…I used my Byakugan to see under your bandana at the Academy."_

An idea popped into Amari's mind at the memory.

An entertainingly evil idea.

A malicious smirk tugged onto her face. Kakashi saw it and a hint of fear flashed in his eye. "I say we find out what he's hiding," she declared.

His eye bulged a little.

"Aw…but I'm full, Amari," Naruto whined as he grabbed his bloated belly.

Her smirk grew bigger. "As am I, but I do happen to have a Shadow and a special sensory ability that could help make it all the more easy."

"Well, good work today guys. I just remembered I left my stove on so I should probably head home." Kakashi waved. "Bye."

He disappeared with impressive haste. "You're going to go after him, aren't you?" Sasuke asked, noticing her smile.

"Yup." Sasuke snorted as Amari got out of her seat. "Night guys. See you two at the exam and you tomorrow, Sakura."

"Night Amari!" Naruto bid his farewell.

Sasuke nodded mutely to her and Sakura gave her a smile. "See you tomorrow, Amari."

For all Kakashi's haste, he hadn't actually gotten very far. In fact he was walking quite slowly. Amari chased after him despite her full belly. "Ah, Amari. I was wondering if you were going to follow after me," Kakashi greeted.

"I'm not trying to find out what's under your mask."

"I know." He gave her his signature smile. "You wouldn't have made it so obvious if you wanted to." He was right. Acting it out was merely so she could talk to him alone in the privacy of her home. "Found something interesting?" His voice changed from its usual cheery tone to serious.

"Yes. Can we talk back at home? I don't want to bring it out in front of all these people."

The streets were littered with civilians and off-duty ninja alike, all having an enjoyable night in their own ways. Finding her inheritance under the ruse of a mission meant showing the items freely was not a wise decision.

Her Sensei nodded again and they set off for her home. Amari used her key to open the door and called out, "I'm home! Mom, are you here?"

Her mother appeared from the kitchen in a red scoop-neck shirt and black pants, towel in hand as she dried off a plate. She took note of Kakashi hovering behind her daughter as they both took their sandals off. "Did you have dinner, little one?" she asked, giving silent nod to Kakashi in greetings.

"Just got done eating with my team at Ichiraku's. I asked Kakashi-sensei to come because I found something in the Uchiha District." Amari lifted her bandana up to uncover her eye as she always did in the safety of her home.

"I'll be right in then. Please make yourself comfortable, Kakashi."

"Thank you, Kurenai."

Amari sat on the floor in the living room to unroll her scroll while Kakashi took a seat on the couch. One by one she unsealed the tank top and books, the tantō then the summoning contract. She removed the necklace as well to lay it among the items she gathered.

"Hmm." Kakashi examined each item cautiously but it was the contract that piqued his curiosity. Kurenai joined Kakashi on the couch, her crimson red eyes carefully regarding the presented items but, as with Kakashi, zoning in on the contract.

Amari wasn't surprised. This contract was for the Crows of the Leaf, by her estimations anyways, who were previously just a legend to nearly everyone. The contract made them a tangible reality; their legend, their enigmatic mystery was at her fingertips.

"Recognize any of this, Amari?" Kakashi asked at length.

"Only the tantō. It belonged to my cousin, and I suppose now it belongs to me. I have no idea how to use it properly, though," she admitted.

"I think I may be able to help with that," Kakashi said.

"Okay." She looked to the other items. "I can't say I've ever seen the rest of this. Tied inside that shirt are books—journals, I think, because they don't appear to be novels. But I don't have the faintest idea of what could be in them. For one reason or another they're locked and have a sort of fūinjutsu underneath that. I haven't found a key yet. As for the scroll, I saw Itachi's name signed inside in blood, as well as two names I can't see. You said the last one to wield the Crows of the Leaf was Itachi, which means this must be their contract."

Her sensei stood up from the couch to sit down in front of her. "May I?" he asked, motioning to the scroll. She nodded. If anything inside it interested him, Kakashi didn't show it. He scanned through all the Uchiha names within, his single eye never revealing the slightest hint of anything. Even her mother, who hovered over him, kept her features schooled to not betray any of the internalized conclusions she reached.

"You're right. This is the Summoning Contract for the Crows of the Leaf," Kakashi confirmed. "All the evidence we have points towards the Crows choosing you to wield their power next. They have a personal investment in your growth and safety; the answer for _why_ they are is impossible for any of us to answer. It's a question you'll have to ask them, should you choose to sign the contract."

"Do you two think I should?"

"Yes," the adults answered in unison.

Amari recoiled back at the quick answer. "…Okay. I mean, if you two are sure about it." They nodded without hesitation. _Looks like I'm not the only one curious about them._

Kakashi explained how to properly sign the contract; by signing her name in blood—which they decided should be Haya Uchiha for this—and stamping the fingerprints of her chosen hand underneath it, the contract became binding and allowed her to then summon crows. He taught her the handseals for the Summoning Jutsu and bid his farewell when Amari chose against summoning a crow this late. It felt rude. What if they were sleeping?

Amari retired to her room a little later, gathering her new items and bringing them up into her room where she could put them away; all except the necklace, tantō and journals, which she wanted to examine or investigate further.

She picked up the tantō first and pulled it out of its scabbard. The moonlight gleamed off the blade. _Still as sharp as Cousin kept it._

Unconsciously she tilted her left hand, which held the scabbard, and was startled when a folded sheet of paper slid out.

 _Why was that in there?_ She sheathed the blade then grabbed the paper, unfolding it while silently praying it wouldn't be dangerous to read.

 _Haya,_

 _It's with a lifetime of regret and a heavy heart that I write this letter, knowing these could be the final words I ever can say to you while having no choice but to restrain myself out of fear I might trigger my genjutsu. I'm sorry. For the pain you have endured alone. For the pain you must still endure on the path you have to walk. But most of all, I'm deeply sorry for being unable to keep my promise to always come home safely._

Amari's throat tightened and hot tears pricked at her eyes as it became obvious who wrote this to her. It hurt even more to see the aged tear drops stained into the paper after all these years. _Cousin…it was your genjutsu? But then…how did Itachi use it? Why did he use it? Why weren't you able to keep your promise?_

She read on.

 _You're asleep in my lap right now. Your still so small and innocent and pure, untouched by the events set in motion. But that's now. As you're reading this, I have no doubt you've grown, that you've become a Leaf kunoichi. I wish I could see you. I wish I could still be at your side, protecting you, but know that my spirit is always with you._

 _My tantō and the Crows will serve you well in the years to come. Read the final ten pages of your journal; the necklace and your chakra is the key to it, but not the others. You'll gain the keys to those in time. They will help you to understand what happened in detail._

 _I'm sorry for leaving you, little cousin. There are so many things I wish I could say and do, but I can't. Not now anyway._

 _Please take care of yourself and don't be afraid. Let your heart and eyes guide you through the darkness back to the light so you can use the shadows to defend those you love._

 _I love you, Haya. With all my heart and all my being, I love you. I'm sorry I couldn't keep my promise, that I couldn't be there to see you grow and help guide you. You are and always will be the person most precious to me. Please, never forget that. Be the wise dragon you dreamed of. Find your nindo, stay true to it and keep moving forward as a Leaf shinobi. I know you can do it. I believe in you._

 _Stay strong. I'll always be with you. I love you._

"I love you too, Cousin," she wept, adding fresh tears to join the aged ones.

Grabbing the journals, she set them down in a stiff stack and grabbed her new necklace. The top journal she tried didn't work; neither did the two after it. The final one clicked open, the sealing work beneath the lock removing itself after channeling her chakra into it. She opened the cover and flipped to the final ten pages to read.

* * *

Before retiring for the night Kurenai checked in on Amari, who's last twenty-four hours had been nothing short of emotional. She smiled fondly when she found her sleeping at her desk instead of her bed, arms and journal being used as a pillow.

Kurenai untied her forehead protector and bandana quietly and gently to not disturb her. Once done she picked her daughter up and laid her down under the covers of her bed, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead as she slept soundly.

Returning to the desk, she noticed one of the new journals opened to the final two pages, the necklace lying nearby and a letter. Kurenai moved to shut the journal and lock it first but stopped when she noticed the writing as her daughters. Peering down, she began to read.

 _Strange things are going on lately. Cousin, Itachi, Aimi, Mama and Papa are being more secretive around me. They have these quiet conversations sometimes, and when I've walk in on them they completely stop. I haven't asked. I think it's grown-up stuff or something else troublesome like that._

 _They've also given me these sad smiles when I ask if they are okay. They don't think I notice their sad eyes, but I do. I want to help them but I have no idea if I can do anything. They would tell me if I could help, right? No, they would probably be troublesome and try to handle it themselves._

It did not take a Nara to figure out when this last entry had been written. _This must have been around the time of the Uchiha Massacre. Amari had keen eyes even then to take note of her surroundings more than her family realized_. The Jōnin pursed her lips in thought. _But who is this Aimi, I wonder. She must have been an Uchiha if she was keeping secrets from Amari._

She closed and locked the journal, putting it away in the drawer containing her other journals. She grabbed the note next and moved to place it with the journals, but even in the darkness she could make out the tear stains on the page. Her eyes softened and her heart ached as she read the final words of her cousin, feeling the pain within those final words and that of her daughter's in every fresh tear drop stain.

Kurenai didn't leave immediately. She sat on the edge of her daughter's bed, gently holding her scarred hand in her own so she wouldn't be alone in her dreams, hoping beyond all hope this little gesture she could give would stave off the nightmares tonight. That this little gesture could protect her and relieve her of the burdens she carried, at least for tonight.

Finally, after squeezing her hand softly, she rose to leave.

 _Pleasant dreams, little one._

She flicked the light off and retired for the night.

* * *

Elsewhere

* * *

The Sharingan wielding crow returned to its master days later, relaying the gathered information of Haya's current training and skills as well as the bonds she had created in the absence of her real family. He smiled, satisfied with her progress as a kunoichi and growth since _that_ day. She carried within her great suffering, suffering he understood well, but she was still moving forward, as planned.

Haya was on the right path. Now she possessed her inheritance, furthering the strength and wisdom required of her to walk the path laid ahead of her.

There was much he had planned for her.


	41. Chapter 40: An Old Promise to Keep

Chapter 40

An Old Promise to Keep: The Hospital Besieged!

The Finals were four days away.

All around Konoha people buzzed. Their excitement for the highly anticipated event already had them on the edge of their seats, talking enthusiastically with friends and family over who they wanted to see win the tournament, and who had the greatest chances.

The names of the participants were thrown around by everyone, from the average civilian and shinobi all the way up to the Lords and Ladies of neighboring Lands who had come to see the final rounds.

Naruto Uzumaki, Neji Hyūga, Sasuke Uchiha, Gaara of the Sand, Shino Aburame, Kankurō, Shikamaru Nara, Dosu Kinuta of the Sound, Amaririsu Yūhi, Mimi Inuzuka and Aoko, and Temari; these names, previously unknown to anyone outside of peers or their own Village now came off the tongues of influential individuals.

Some names were spoken more frequently than others. Not every single participant was seen as equal. Their matches in the preliminaries or the prestige of their Clan swayed popularity, bets and opinions.

Of all the matches in the tournament, the two most anticipated were the battle between the last Uchiha and the undefeated, merciless Sand shinobi and the two Leaf top kunoichis. Destined show-stealers, in the words of many.

Yet the four days did not only countdown to the Exams, it counted down to the clashes of wills, of purposes and towards the fundamental truth of the world: time always pressed on, and as the arms of the clock ticked towards the future, changes became inevitable. Nothing could remain the same forever.

As the seasons pass, leaves change color and fall from the trees, and after a bitter winter is survived, new life sprouted and grew once more—brighter and stronger than before. Life renewed in the glorious spring before becoming an unending summer. However, this inevitability was still four days away.

The Finals had not yet come.

The sun lingered acutely above the horizon, the rays of light bursting through the canopies of trees, forming new shadows that danced on the breeze along the blades of green grass below. Much of the population of Konoha—now on the verge of burgeoning beyond its limits via foreigners—began to shake sleep from their minds, bodies operating in routine as they dealt with their first customers of the day, or hammered their first nail on some new house or business, or made their first delivery or took on their second mission of the day.

Some, without a doubt a throng of Nara's, hadn't bothered to wake up yet. Too much of a drag.

All in all, Konoha was waking up for the day, the lasting peace it had enjoyed since the end of the last war savored by those who survived it. Few children roamed the streets, but soon they would emerge, bringing their unburdened joy and laughter, ranging from giggles to rowdy laughter, to the peaceful Village.

One particular child, and Nara at that, neither waited in bed for noon to roll around nor roamed the streets playing ninja. Amaririsu Yūhi, ever the workaholic, was already nearing the end of her early morning training. The training field sat undisturbed, save for the sound of a blade whistling through the air, slashing cuts into an invisible enemy that surrounded her.

Wielding her cousin's tantō, Amari mentally visualized the techniques Kakashi taught her the morning after her trip into the Uchiha District—into her past. The red eye of her Sharingan glowed earlier in the darkness, now it gazed intensely in concentration at her invisible enemy, a fire behind it as her body mimicked the movements.

"Ha!"

A bead of warm sweat slid down the bridge of her nose, trickling off and down her cheek to her lips. The salty taste barely registered in her mind. Her nostrils flared as her chest heaved in and out after what would have been a finishing blow, her normally pale cheeks flushed. She gripped the hilt of the short sword tightly, holding it in place despite the protests of her weighted down limbs. Sweat rained off her from every pore, through her mesh sleeve and tank top, soaking her blue hair to almost dry noodle straightness and slickness of a freshly cooked noodle. Her body was too warm to feel the cool breeze caressing her skin.

Amari took two measured steps back, returning her blade to a ready position and shifting her feet back into place. Then she restarted again, her body and eidetic memory working in synchronization to perfect the movements, to memorize the weight of the new blade, how it felt in her hand and make it an extension of her arm. This was her precious cousin's blade. Her inheritance from him. He left it for her so it could protect her, just as he would have. To fight by her side even when he wasn't here.

She wouldn't wait to learn. She would make him proud and wield his tantō as masterfully as Hisashi had wielded his sword against her.

" _To me, this bandana is the physical symbolism for our bond. As long as I have it, you're always at my side, protecting me and giving me strength when I need you most."_

Those words went double for his tantō. When the day came for her to wield this blade in real combat, her enemies would forever be fighting a two on one battle against two Uchiha's: Amaririsu Yūhi and the spirit of her precious cousin.

In the aftermath of her fatigue from Shadow Clone training and the genjutsu, Amari heeded her mother's and Genma's advice to use only two clones instead of four. Her aching body appreciated the break. There were only a handful of days where she went extreme again, but the closer to the Finals they got, the more she slowed down. As Genma said, she didn't want to be dead on her feet the day of the exam. That'd be a drag.

Alongside her new tantō training, Amari signed the Summoning Contract and tried summoning one of the Crows of the Leaf. _Try_ being the operative word. She did everything as she was supposed to. She even tried to increase her chakra output. But no crow appeared.

Bird eggs. She summoned bird eggs. Amari thanked Kami she only tried to summon them when alone. Had Sakura, Ino or Genma seen it they would have laughed the blue right out of her hair.

It was _so_ embarrassing!

Weren't the Crows watching her? Couldn't they sense her attempts to summon or even notice her trying? They could save her the embarrassment if they just came out of the shadows. Or maybe they didn't know yet. Maybe they hadn't seen her mortifying failures. That would be better! They wouldn't think her a terrible master then.

 _I'm going to summon them without help! I'll prove I'm worthy of them choosing me!_ Amari's feet danced across the grass, blade slicing quick, definitive strikes to her invisible opponent.

Today she was on her own for training. Genma was called away for something to do with the Exams. Amari didn't prod; it wasn't her business. Training had to remain her main priority. She still hadn't learned the name of the technique Kakashi wanted him to teach her, as expected. A lot of foundational and fundamental work laid ahead of her, but for the safety of her team she would keep working hard until she could perform it.

As for Sakura and Ino, the last few days of tough training called for a break. Ino showed improvement, and it seemed she did speak to her dad and Shikamaru, though what she gleaned from those talks would take more than a few weeks to show the results of. So far she stuck to the meal plan Amari gave her, albeit not without questions or complaints. It could be a real drag, but Amari strove to be as patient as an old monk and twice as calm.

It didn't stop her from wanting to beat her head against the trunk of a tree, though.

Due to these being the final four days before the finals, this current stint of training was the last physical exercise Amari chose to partake in. These next four days were to be about rest and recovery before her fated match against Mimi, that way she could give it her all and go in this time without the burden of an injury.

"Ha!"

The final strike for today cut horizontally through the air. Amari panted heavily; the addition of weights worked her better than she expected. Lowering her blade, the Nara deactivated her dōjutsus, squatted down then collapsed onto her butt in a heap of sweat and sore muscles. For a while she just sat there breathing in precious oxygen, head tilted back to face the sky. Eventually she set her blade down next to her and disengaged the weighted seals one at a time, folding them up and placing them into her ninja pouch.

Two clones popped nearby. She absorbed their individual experiences of training with their cloned tantō's like a dry sponge absorbing water then exhaled a tired breath.

 _I'm still not ready to wield this blade in my fight against Mimi, but I'm getting there._ A real opponent wouldn't let her work meticulously through the technique Kakashi taught her; an opponent of Mimi's caliber wouldn't let the openings in her defense pass her by.

She pulled out her storage scroll and unsealed the scabbard, sheathing the blade back within it before resealing the weapon away. _Soon we'll be able to fight together, Cousin. Just not yet._

Now she could perform her final act of training today: the Summoning Jutsu. She put her scroll away, pulled out a kunai and pricked her thumb with the point of it. A tiny bead of crimson blood glided warmly down her thumb and to her wrist. She wiped the blood across the palm of her right hand, weaved the necessary handseals and prepared her chakra.

"Summoning Jutsu!" she yelled and slammed her palm into the ground.

The summoning seal appeared on the grass followed by a poof of smoke. _Did it work this time?_ Amari contained her need to reactivate her dōjutsu to see through the smoke cloud. _Please don't be another egg. Please don't be another egg. It's_ _ **super**_ _embarrassing. And a drag._

The smoke cleared to reveal an itty bitty black crow. A fledgling. Amari's head fell in massive depression. "Well…at least that's some progress. Better than an egg I suppose," she mumbled.

A not so great victory for Amaririsu Yūhi…

"Hmhmhm!" The Crow's soothing and feminine laughter snapped her head up. "Forgive me, Young Haya, for I could not resist sending you eggs. But had you witnessed your father's, your cousin's and now your reactions to my little joke, you too would know the great joy I feel in performing it. Ah, let me return to my natural form and then we shall speak."

Smoke enveloped the tiny crow as the transformation dispelled. Upon clearing she saw the Crow in her regal glory. Her black as night feathers were streaked by greyish-silver; age, no doubt, but the greyish-silver did not diminish her regality. Truly, it only added to it. Friendly dark eyes looked upon her with affection and comfort; the look of an old friend who had spent many long years away and rejoiced in their reunion. She stood as tall as Amari's knee and wore a blue Leaf Village headband wrapped around her neck.

This was the legend. One of the Crows of the Leaf. She appeared as majestic and enigmatic as Amari expected a legendary bird to be. Maybe even more. Her very presence commanded respect and reverence, the aura around her befitting the gravitas of a monarch whose kingdom survived the greatest of wars and strongest of enemies—from beyond her borders and from within them.

She was a legend; a legend who pranked her, her father and her cousin. Amari wasn't sure if she should feel honored or severely perturbed by her prank—because seriously? Eggs? Did she not realize how utterly embarrassing that was? Of course she did, that's why this troublesome bird found it so amusing.

Regardless, Amari couldn't deny her heart skipping curiosity. This crow knew her father, her cousin and called her by Haya. Young Haya, to be exact, just like the clouded memory when the Crows saved her from Orochimaru. And her voice, she remembered it coming from the trees after taking down Zaku.

" _Very wise, Sound shinobi. Should you attack again, you will feel the wrath of the crows. And I assure you none have survived it."_

"It was you. You were the one from the Forest of Death," she stated.

The Crow nodded. "I am, but let's not stand on ceremony. You have correctly concluded I am a shadow of your past, so allow me to reintroduce myself properly: I am Atsuko, the current Head of the Crows, an ally to the Leaf and friend of your family. We Crows have protected the borders of the Leaf since its founding, guiding Uchiha Clan members we deemed worthy and pure of heart to become exceptional shinobi and wise guardians of the Leaf—such as your father and cousin.

"We are not bound to your family solely, however. For instance, your grandfather and his grandfather were not chosen; far too much darkness festered in their hearts. Our wisdom and strength are not given freely—it is a privilege. A privilege you earned."

"Oh, um, thank you," she replied clumsily.

Atsuko hummed a laugh. "You do not need to thank me, Young Haya. You earned it." The Crow stared at her inquisitively for a few beats of silence before speaking again. "These last five years have been long and arduous for us both, but it pleases me to see the spirit of your family thriving within you after all this time. You've grown so much in five years. But the scar on your eye, and those on your arm, I fear I am to blame. I apologize for failing to protect you at the orphanage and in the Land of Waves," Atsuko bowed her head.

Amari's eye widened. "Wait, you've been watching me since the Uchiha Massacre happened? Why didn't you ever reveal yourself?" Why was she left alone? Why had she only watched when… "Why weren't you there to stop Kasai when he killed Ryu and left me for dead?"

"Your cousin left behind a plan I have endeavored to follow to the letter," Atsuko spoke softly, anguish knitting into her smooth cadence. "However, there are enemies who have sought to disrupt it and influence you towards darkness since his passing. I have spent these last five years seeking out any Intel I could to protect you while you are weak and prepare you to face it when you become strong.

"I strictly forbade my agents from interfering with your life, hoping that you would not come to know the pain of loss or be swept into the whirlwind of shinobi life before you were ready to embark on the path your family left behind for us. It was one of their last wishes."

Any argument Amari had died in her throat. How could she argue if this Crow only sought to follow her family's last wish for her?

"My agents were only to intervene if your life was threatened," Atsuko continued. "Had it been, they were to Reverse Summon you to our home for your safety. I would have then returned you to Konoha after having you sign our contract. But…"

Atsuko lowered her eyes. "The day you lost your eye and experienced the loss of your dear friend Ryu, my agents were killed in a fierce battle. When I learned of their demise, I rushed across the Land of Fire to your aid, only to find you already safely in the walls of the Leaf and an entire platoon of my agents monitoring you."

"Your agents…were killed?" Amari asked in shock.

Atsuko nodded gravely. "Yes. They did not die without a fight, nor without honor. It is their last moments that allowed the Leaf shinobi to retrieve you first."

 _"You must take my eye now before someone with bad intentions gets here. I'll use what remaining chakra I have left to perform the procedure."_

Amari's head was spinning. Had Ryu sensed the person who fought Atsuko's agents? A battle they fought without her ever knowing? And their last moments, it's because of their sacrifice her mother, Kakashi, Asuma and Guy were able to retrieve her _first_.

"That means…"

One conclusion. One single possibility she never considered.

"Kasai was working together with someone, wasn't he?" she asked despite already realizing the answer.

Another nod. "Yes, he was."

Amari grit her teeth together and curled her fingers into tight fists. Someone killed Atsuko's agents; agents who could have saved Ryu from death. More than that, the person responsible turned Kasai against her and Ryu; they filled his head with nonsense about becoming greater than Hashirama Senju, and that a stupid eye could help him achieve that goal.

A person intent on kidnapping her to sway her towards darkness.

"Who? Who the hell is he working with or for? Who killed your agents and tried to kidnap me?" Amari demanded.

Who convinced Kasai to kill Ryu for his eye? Who was responsible for destroying the only family she knew at that time? Who else did she have to turn into ash?

"That is the question I have sought the answer to for the last two years. I fear I have no answer as of yet," Atsuko answered, regret laced in her smooth voice. "I'm sorry, Young Haya. Truly. We—your family and I—never meant for you to go through such pain. Then, or in the Land of Waves. Unfortunately, despite our legend, we Crows are not all seeing. I believed your mission to the Land of Waves to be a C-rank mission, as did my agents. With your skill, as well as Kakashi to protect your team, I trusted no harm would come to you, so we began an investigation of the Sound Village instead.

"After you returned critically injured, I decided then and there to watch over you myself and trust in my agents to act accordingly elsewhere. However this does not excuse my failure to protect you when I swore to your family to keep you safe. It is my failure and mine alone."

Amari shook her head firmly, as if the action alone could shake off the clear guilt Atsuko carried. "No, it's not. You didn't fail me. It's true that I lost Ryu and Kasai, and that I gained new scars and experienced a lot of pain, but it's because of your agents I was able to return to the Leaf. Because of the sacrifices you all made for me I had the opportunity to meet my mom, to become stronger, to learn from the pain and now reunite with you.

"These scars from the Land of Waves, they're all me. No one else. I jumped in front of Kakashi-sensei's attack to save Haku, and I would do it again regardless of how many of your agents tried to stop me or interfere."

Amari lifted her left hand up and looked at the edges of scars peeking out from her mesh sleeve. "Kakashi-sensei told me that same day that I may have made a mistake or two, but what mattered most was learning from them to better myself as a shinobi and as a person. I learned a lot from these scars; without them I never would have reevaluated my path in life, or found a strong nindo to hold to. These scars taught me so much about myself, and the pain has helped me grow more. That's what I believe, at least."

Amari lowered her hand and looked back at Atsuko, who watched her with pride. "Kasai already had a lot to answer for. What his master or cohort did only adds to the list. We'll make it right, Atsuko. Together. Right?" she asked, the confidence in her voice faltering.

"Yes," Atsuko nodded, praise and pride shining in her black eyes. "You are right, Young Haya. We will make it right. Together. Those who have crossed us will know the full wrath of the Crows and that of an Uchiha."

The Crow sighed contentedly. "I have waited patiently to emerge from the shadows and, as you humans say, take you under my wing." The Crow lifted out a wing for emphasis, black eyes full of mirth.

Amari giggled. They were going to get along great.

"I must admit, even though I may not look the part, I am overwhelmed by joy to be speaking to you. I'm almost shivering with excitement," Atsuko said. "For this day to finally arrive, it means the future I worked towards is now the present. There is much work to be done, of course, but I wish to savor this moment longer and indulge in my weakness for human speech with you."

"Okay," Amari giggled lightly. "What would you like to talk about?"

"I'm unsure. Perhaps you would like to ask me some questions?" Atsuko offered. "I must warn you, there are some questions I cannot answer for you yet. You are not yet ready to fully embark on the path left behind by your family, and with the genjutsu on your mind I must be sparing with any information regarding your family. We do not want to trigger it too soon, as you learned."

"Yeah, that wasn't fun," Amari agreed.

She leaned back onto her hands and spread her legs out in a V shape, pursing her lips in thought over what to ask. There were so many questions she had, but it left her mind in a state of chaos as she tried to pick them out of the roaring shouts of her brain. Finally, she picked one.

"You said my family left behind a path for us to walk, and that I'm not ready yet for it. Does it have anything to do with the massacre?"

"Ah, yes," Atsuko answered, albeit hesitantly. She paused, beak lowered in a thoughtful expression to consider the next words carefully.

"The Uchiha Clan lost their way many years ago, though not without reason," she began. "Reasons, however, do not excuse the darkness many of them embraced wholeheartedly. We can all paint ourselves as gallant knights of our own stories, and how easy it is to paint outsiders as atrocious villains who mean to sabotage you, but it takes greater courage to accept your failings and admit to the wrongs you have committed. Remember that, Young Haya."

"I will," she said.

"By the time of the massacre, few Uchiha's were equally loyal to the Village as they were to the Clan. Among those who cherished Konoha and the Uchiha were your family, Itachi and Aimi Uchiha—to name only those you know. There were others, but we were the minority by the end. You remember the quiet conversations now, do you not? Your journal, you read the final pages as asked?"

"Yes."

"The purpose of those quiet conversations was to seek out a peaceful solution to prevent the Uchiha Clan from self-destruction. I believe they would have succeeded, however the interference of enemies we did not predict has left the Uchiha down to you final children."

"Plus Itachi," Amari added.

"You final children, as I said."

 _Ouch._ Itachi probably had a massive burn to apply ointment to now. Then again, compared to Atsuko, anyone younger than her uncle were easy to consider children.

"…Itachi," Amari started slowly, onyx eye falling to the grass in hesitancy. Should she even bother asking? Was the confirmation worth it? Amari sighed then asked, "Is he someone I should trust?"

"You are worried you are being influenced by him," Atsuko stated instead of questioned.

She nodded. Even with Inoichi's reassurance, the genjutsu on her mind remained a valid concern to the kunoichi, especially after her experience in the Uchiha District. The experience of seeing those ghostly memories, it hadn't left her. She doubted it ever would.

"Don't be," Atsuko reassured confidently. "The Itachi who you saw that night sought your safety and protection. However, be warned, I cannot say the same for the Itachi of the present. The crows under his command no longer answer to me or return to our home—they have gone rogue. I personally have not spoken or seen him since the massacre."

Atsuko's eyes stared earnestly into her onyx eye. "Should you ever run into him, do not lower your guard, but endeavor to avoid him at all costs. Neither you nor Sasuke are ready to face him in combat."

Amari nodded, pursing her lips in disappointment. She hadn't gotten her hopes high enough to believe he wasn't an enemy anymore, but Atsuko's confirmation cemented how different their paths had become.

"…I wish things were different," she admitted quietly. "He helped me see past the degrading insults the rest of the Clan hurled my way. I believed in him, because he believed in me."

That was the Leaf shinobi way.

"I too believed in him, as a friend and a comrade," Atsuko nodded in agreement. "But now it is you I believe in, Haya Uchiha. The qualities of the true hearted Uchiha are carried within you, even if you yourself do not see them yet, as are the wills of your father, your cousin and your mother. It will be your will that will reshape and renew the Uchiha Clan to greatness, of that I am certain."

"No pressure," Amari mumbled.

Atsuko hummed humorously. "Do not worry, Young Haya. That is far into the future yet. You will be ready when the time comes, I promise."

The reassurance eased her nerves.

"Now allow me to ask you a question in return. With all the work you've put into training this month, do you feel prepared for your fight against Mimi Inuzuka?"

Amari sighed deeply and crossed her legs under her. "It's hard to say. I've worked myself to exhaustion this past month, but my fight against Mimi will be really tough. There's no way around that. She has more experience than me by a year; she's already physically stronger and has superior chakra control to mine. Plus her ninjutsu affinity is Water; my affinity's weakness. No matter how I look at it, I'm going in as the underdog."

Mimi hadn't shown her true power in the prelims; it was highly possible she wouldn't even show it against Amari herself. Her blue eyes weren't focused on the Nara. They zeroed in on Temari, who hung over their fight like a piece of meat in a gator pit at feeding time.

" _I'll finish what he started!"_

That promise only made her fight even harder.

"The other problem I have is what the Sand shinobis did to her teammates. There's no guarantee Mimi will fight me kunoichi to kunoichi. She may do everything she can to knock me out while expending the least amount of energy possible." Amari shrugged, running her hands along the blades of grass, twirling them between her fingers. "It's going to be a huge drag, but I'll give her my all and force her to see the opponent in front of her instead of the ones on the horizon. It's the only way I'll be satisfied."

"Hm. It seems to me your goal isn't to win the tournament, but to fight Mimi at full power."

Amari chuckled bashfully and rubbed the back of her sweaty neck. "Yeah," she admitted out loud for the first time. Everyone else wanted to showcase their talents many times to the spectators, and the only way to do that was to reach the very final round. Amari's sole goal was to fight Mimi, nothing more, nothing less.

"Me and Mimi," she continued, "ever since our first battle I've felt a strange connection to her; I've never wanted to fight anyone like I want to fight her. Every second of training I've done this month has been for my fight against her. I honestly haven't even thought about Temari or the others I could fight. My goal is for us to fight at our highest level possible, to test my full power and will against hers when we hold nothing back and see who the number one kunoichi is."

She lifted her right hand up and clenched it into a fist. "And as we trade blows and jutsu we'll finally be able to define our connection and understand one another even better. Or, that's my hope anyways. Win or lose, I want to leave that battle without a single drop of energy left in my body, knowing we gave one another everything we have, and then we pushed even further beyond."

Not that she didn't want to win. She did. Amari wanted to make it to the final rounds and face whoever else made it there, because whoever made it to the finals could be considered the strongest of the entire group, but her primary focus was an all-out fight with Mimi—her friend, her rival and her equal. This was her chance to finally face her one on one; she couldn't let it go to waste.

"I have no doubt you will show Mimi and those watching how capable you truly are," Atsuko encouraged. "You've shown incredible work ethic this last month, and though you may harbor doubts, I believe in your ability to defeat her. And I am proud of you, Young Haya. For your hard work, your dedication to your comrades and the great strength you have shown in the years since the massacre."

"Thank you, Atsuko," Amari thanked.

"You are most welcome. Shall we return to your home? I would like to reintroduce myself to Lady Kurenai, for I believe she has been waiting quite patiently to meet me after our last encounter."

Amari tilted her head in confusion. "Reintroduce? You've met my mom?"

"We had an encounter, yes. Fear not, I approve of her."

"Oh. I'm glad. She's been amazing to me since I came back." Amari's head tilted to the opposite side, still confused. "How did you encounter her? Or what was the encounter like?"

"Hmhm!" An ominous laugh worthy of chills for any enemy who heard it. "Let's just say we dispatched a threat together."

Even more ominous than before, but obviously not her business.

Amari reached out her left forearm as a perch for Atsuko to claim. "All right, let's head home. It's still early so she shouldn't be out training Shino yet, and I _really_ need a shower."

Atsuko hopped onto her forearm and then up to her left shoulder without delay. Amari stood up and started back towards her home. As she walked through the Village, noticing the slight increase of people awake and active as morning officially kicked in, a familiar voice called out to her. "Ah, Amari, and do my old eyes deceive me? Have you reunited with Atsuko at last?"

Amari turned to face the Hokage. He stood in full Hokage garb, pipe in hand and a kind smile on his weathered features. The Nara bowed respectfully. "Greetings, Lord Third."

"A pleasure to see you, Lord Hokage," Atsuko bowed her head.

"It is good to see you both, and together at that. I cannot say I expected to see such a rare sight on my walk today, but what a treat this is to see you two reunited after many long years. Ah, it warms my heart to see the bond between the Crows and their chosen companion rekindled. May this bond never be severed." His smile grew as he looked at Amari. "Heed her lessons well, Amari. Atsuko carries with her many long years of wisdom, perhaps even more than I," he chuckled.

"Perhaps not. I dare say you have more crow's feet and grey hair than I, Lord Hokage," Atsuko hummed humorously.

"At- Atsuko!" Amari sputtered, flushing in embarrassment. "Yo- you can't just insinuate the Hokage is _old_!"

Why were all the birds she knew troublesome?!

The Hokage laughed heartily at the pair and waved off the child. "It's quite all right, Amari. I know I am old, and I am content with it. I have lived a long and good life."

"You still have many years left, Lord Third," Amari reassured, mostly for her own comfort.

"Indeed. There's still plenty of life in these old bones of mine," he agreed. He inhaled from his pipe and exhaled the smoke away from her, smiling. "But it heartens me to see the new generation blossoming. All of you are so spirited and young, unlike me, and you carry the Will of Fire close to your hearts. It is your fires that will one day illuminate the Village. Who knows, perhaps it will be you who will become Hokage one day, Amari."

"I, uh, I don't think I'd be qualified to be Hokage," Amari admitted nervously. "That's a huge responsibility, and it's Naruto's dream to become Hokage. My dream is to guide the next generation and teach them of the Will of Fire as a Jōnin Sensei. I could help nurture their growth like you, Mom, Kakashi-sensei and the others helped nurture mine. Maybe I'll even follow in the footsteps of Genma-sensei and Mama by becoming a Hokage Guard for Naruto. Troublesome boy will probably need me, at least for a little while. And then…" she trailed off, realizing she started to ramble.

"And then?" Lord Third pressed, intrigued.

Amari blushed and averted her gaze to the road. "I'd…like to settle down. Retire. Maybe. I'm still not sure I'd like retired life. But I'd like to…to fall in love, start a family, have at least two kids. Maybe more. I want…to find my peace." She grabbed her left arm and stared at her toes, cheeks pink. "It probably sounds stupid, but that's what my dreams are."

"On the contrary, I think that is a wonderful dream you have," Lord Third said.

"I concur. I will do what is within my power to make this dream of yours a reality," Atsuko said.

The Hokage rested his hand on her shoulder, lifting her gaze from her toes to meet his warm eyes. "Hold your dream close, Amari. It is dreams such as yours that keep the Will of Fire enduring through even the toughest of times. I have no doubt you will one day become a wonderful guardian of the Leaf, lighting the way for a future even one as old as I cannot predict."

"I- I'll do my best, Lord Third!" Amari bowed.

He chuckled and patted her on the head. "I know you will. Good luck in your fight against Mimi Inuzuka. I'm looking forward to seeing how much you two have grown."

"Thank you, Lord Third."

"Fair winds guide you, Lord Hokage."

"And you as well, Atsuko."

The Hokage departed, leaving the pair to continue on their original journey.

 _I'll do my best to make you proud, Lord Third._

* * *

Days Later

* * *

Mimi shuffled mutely towards her parents' gravestones; Aoko nestled into her mess of long, untamed brown hair. The Inuzuka carried with her an assortment of white chrysanthemums and yellow daffodils alongside a downtrodden bouquet of dull grief and old hurt.

Daffodils had been her mother's favorite flower, and by extension her father's; she liked to say it was the sign of new beginnings. New life blossomed into the world, bright and cheerful, innocent and pure, encouraging the jaded who survived the harsh winter before to freshen up and smile once more.

In the Land of Fire you could find fields of daffodils; soothing green blades of grass and joyful yellow flowers sprouting for what could seem like miles at times. Mimi hated daffodils for the longest time. Everyone else felt joy and saw new life in them; they cheered for spring and wanted to run through the fields like some sort of fairytale story. All she felt when seeing them was pain and the severing of a bond. The bright life of the flowers incensed her and left her feeling colder than the harshest winters and far more jaded than any child her age.

She got over it. Daffodils became the embodiment of her mother's spirit and positive outlook on life to her; a gentle reminder of the people she cherished in everyday life as she kept moving forward on her path.

Tomorrow was the Finals. The day she finally had the chance to fight Amari in one on one battle, and then destroy the Sand shinobi for the pain they caused her team. Mimi didn't carry any of her usual exuberance, and she certainly didn't have it in her to fake a grin. Her sullen look and downcast eyes couldn't be hidden behind a mask of indifference. Her heart yearned to have her parents at the Finals to see her fight. She wanted them to see how far she had come as a medic-nin and a kunoichi, but they couldn't.

They were dead, had been for eight years after they took on some critical mission they never returned from. She never learned what the purpose of their mission was or how they died; she didn't want to know. Mimi didn't want to hear a courageous story recalling how they fought to the bitter end, or that they were ambushed and died without a fight. No story could soothe her heartache. A story didn't change the outcome of the present: They were dead and she was not.

She missed them. Every day. Her mother's infectious and hearty laugh, her father's training and proud smile, their presence. Mimi had toughened up a lot after her parents died—there hadn't been a choice. Death stole the innocence of youth in the blink of an eye. It forced her to grow up, to mature and handle something even adults struggled with. Mimi didn't want anyone's pity either, not that the Academy had been full of it.

Happiness and warmth eluded her for a long time; it was a mythical unicorn everyone ran around chasing while she trudged forward, eyes glaring into the dirt as a rainstorm poured on her. Her family and Team Guy helped her to raise her eyes again and stop viewing the world from a dark pit of isolation. Because of them she learned how to smile and laugh genuinely again, and the rainstorm that had once darkened her vision dissipated to reveal joyous sunlight, bright daffodils and a damn unicorn with a superiority complex that kept stabbing her with its horn.

That's why she couldn't let the Sand shinobi walk out unscathed. That's why they had to be destroyed. Those heartless bastards stole Lee's bright light and made Tenten cry. They _hurt_ the people she cared for, and in doing so stabbed their blades into her heart.

None of them were walking away as long as she had any say.

" _Just don't forget who you are or about the people who care about you, all right? Hatred blinds all. Even people with enhanced senses like us. We have to fight it. If we don't, if we just let it consume us, we'll become the darkness we harbor and do things we wouldn't otherwise. I don't know your dream or your nindo, but stay true to them, Mimi. It's what the people who care about you want most."_

Those words created a conflict worthy of a Great Shinobi War within her. Within them was the encouragement to be better. To follow the right path, to keep her eyes from falling back to the dirt again and see the lights around her, reaching out to pull her from brooding darkness. Her words gave Mimi warmth and reminded her of the vow she took to never let down her parents, Hana or friends again by returning to that person full of hatred—the old her that thrived off the darkness.

She had to be better. Better than she was yesterday.

But that festering hatred, that fiery rage didn't want to be quelled. This would be the last time, it promised. This would be the last time it took control then she could move on. For what they stole from Lee and for Tenten's tears she could make this little sacrifice and extract righteous vengeance.

Only it wasn't that simple, was it? She remembered that dark place well. She remembered it every time she looked herself in the mirror. The vehement anger. The exploding hatred that made her hurt others because she was hurting. It took her years to get to this point, to get away and move forward.

This little sacrifice, what if it turned her into that person she hated and she couldn't find her way back? What if she disappointed her parents or the people close to her?

 _I…I don't know what I should do._

Upon arriving to the cemetery, blue hair and a fuchsia shirt caught her eye. The onyx eye of the individual stared up at the clouds, possibly up into the heavens in hope of seeing the person she lost looking back, as she walked towards the exit—towards Mimi.

Either by sensing her or noticing a new person, Amari's head came down from the clouds and offered a tiny, understanding smile. No happiness or brightness, just the silent understanding and support of someone who knew what loss was like.

Mimi appreciated it, even if she didn't react.

"Hey Mimi, Aoko," Amari greeted.

"Hey," she greeted quietly. She did not see an ounce of pity in Amari's eye. She searched for it, dared it even to show itself, but only found compassion and empathy. It made her feel like crap for thinking the worst. "Who brought you here?"

"Ryu, my friend from the orphanage, was buried here." She looked over her right shoulder in what was likely the direction of his grave. "Last time I visited I didn't bring a flower. I had to make it up to him."

Mimi nodded. "Ino try to give you tips too?"

The Yamanaka knew flowers for certain, but Mimi really didn't need to know not to bring a giant shrub. She wasn't a complete lost cause when it came to flowers.

"No," Amari shook her head. "I knew where to find the amaryllis flowers from my last visit. She insisted it was for a date or something stupid like that, claimed that she learned from her father I've come by before to buy those flowers before so they must be for someone special. I didn't help my case by saying it was for someone special, but apparently that makes us even bigger rivals because she has to get her first kiss before I get mine." She shrugged. "Girls my age are weird."

Mimi couldn't stop the small, breathy chuckle from escaping her lips. "Heh. At least she didn't demand to get you ready for the date."

"Get me ready?" Amari asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion. "What would I need to get ready?"

Mimi managed the smallest of smirks. "You know, do your hair in a special way, get dressed up in nice clothes, knowing Ino probably some make-up too. That sort of stuff."

The scrunched up face Amari made caused Mimi to choke on her laughter. She looked like she just heard the most crude and disgusting phrases in all of existence while at the same time tasting the most repulsive foods and drinks. "That's too troublesome. Why would anyone waste their time dressing up if they don't do it normally anyways?"

" _I never understood it either,"_ Aoko mumbled.

"It's to…I don't know, make a good impression or something. To look your very best and all that kind of stuff," Mimi explained awkwardly, cringing as she heard her own words and how stupid the entire concept sounded.

Why _did_ people do it?

"But shouldn't the person you date enjoy who you are on a normal day? No make-up, no fancy dresses, no masks to pretend you're someone else?" Amari asked seriously. "If we're all pretending to be other people, and subsequently falling in love with an idea of a person, then the love isn't real, right? It's like we're using Transformation Jutsus to hide our flaws and idiosyncrasies, which are parts of the whole of who we are as individuals. It'd be like me hiding all of my scars and you hiding Aoko."

"Err…"

" _Valid point,"_ Aoko agreed.

Completely. Too bad it wasn't a common belief. Mimi shrugged it off. "Won't hear a counter-argument from me. Sounds better your way than what you always hear from the other girls; sounds more real."

The conversation reached its natural end and left them standing silently for a few beats. Amari was the one to break it. "Do you want company?" she asked.

The gesture was nice, but…

"Thank you, but no." Mimi forced a chuckle. "I'm too proud to let someone see me cry. Plus I have Aoko for support."

Her future opponent gave a quiet nod. "All right. I'm going to go check on my knucklehead. He somehow landed himself in the hospital unconscious for the last three days. Troublesome boy."

"Wish him luck for me in his match against Neji in case I don't see him until the finals."

"I will." Amari exhaled a long, troubled sigh. "I hope everything he's done will be enough." She gave the duo a small smile before taking her leave, her hands shoved in her pockets and her head aimed up at the clouds again.

" _I hope the boy will be okay. We both know what Neji is capable of,"_ Aoko said.

"Yeah." _But that goofball knows having a strong will can beat any strength, no matter how tough the challenge is. It's how he's gotten this far and how he inspired her to do the same._

 _Still, tomorrow will not be easy for any of us._

Mimi made her way to her parents' gravestones, placing the fresh flowers on them before staying with them in utter silence. She thought of old memories; play wrestling with them, training, simple conversations that she hadn't realized the importance of until they were gone, small gestures of affection she missed dearly.

Eventually she whispered a few words of love before departing the solemn area, hoping to leave her dampened mood behind and brighten up with the day. It was a longshot at this point, especially since she planned to visit Lee.

His sparkling attitude would usually cheer her up, but without having a concrete way to help him it would remind her of why she was going to win against Amari.

There were three Sand Ninjas who needed to pay…and she would make them pay.

* * *

Shikamaru had always found Gaara's presence creepy. Unnerving. It was in the way he stared at people; he didn't really see anyone, his cold eyes pierced through them as if they weren't even there. As if they weren't even alive, or worthy of living. His feeling about the kid didn't improve after seeing him try to kill Lee. Shikamaru decided at that point to avoid confrontation with him at all costs.

Yet somehow, despite his best intentions, he ended up holding the kid in place with his Shadow Possession Jutsu, strengthened by his cousin's shadow also latching onto the Sand shinobi. Naruto stood with them in Lee's room, increasing their numbers advantage if this situation spun even further out of control.

This was all so troublesome.

 _All I planned to do today was visit Chōji and share the fruit basket with him. If I had known he wasn't even allowed to eat I wouldn't have wasted my time buying the fruit._

Still, the food hadn't gone to waste. Not really. It led him into 'Risu, who came to visit her knuckleheaded teammate after he knocked himself out for the last three days. Honestly Shikamaru thought the loud kid croaked. Of course he could see signs of life—breathing, for instance—but he didn't make a sound or move or anything. Naruto always had energy to kill. And he was damn loud too.

His unconsciousness gave Shikamaru and his cousin time to play a game of shogi, and for him to beat her. Again. If he didn't witness her stubborn streak firsthand he'd think she was a glutton for punishment.

Out of nowhere the kid sprang up and started raving about a _Pervy Sage_ , whatever the hell that was. Either way his return to silence shattering brashness grated on Shikamaru's nerves. They were in a hospital, not a playground. Was it too much to ask him to show respect for the obviously more severely injured or sick patients here?

When he finally calmed down the fruit went to him. Or it would have—again with the _would'ves_ and _could'ves_ —but the blond idiot got the grand idea to eat it front of Chōji to drive him crazy. Chōji was and always would be Shikamaru's best friend, and the lazy Nara preferred his company to Naruto's any day of the year. But that idea, cruel as it could be considered, was too good to pass up.

They ran into Ino on the way, and when 'Risu suddenly stopped and dismissed herself to rush through the halls at a Body Flicker, skidding across the tile floor and flying around corners, Shikamaru and Naruto naturally followed after her in concern. Looking at the situation at hand, that stupid fruit basket he wasted his money on became a real life saver—literally.

 _Had she not sensed this kid, had we not left Naruto's room to go to Chōji's, Lee would be dead._ Gaara had his sand wrapped around Lee when they came in, prepared to kill him. His cousin already had him paralyzed by her Shadow Possession, and Shikamaru quickly increased the strength of her hold by adding his own into the mix.

Who knew a fruit basket could lead to this chain of events. Sheesh, why did this crazy stuff always happen when Team Seven were around? Not that he was complaining. Well, not fully anyways. This was all a drag. Killing intent, this kid, this stupid situation, all of it was a real pain in the neck, but he was glad they were here for Lee's sake.

Without 'Risu here, though, he wasn't sure he and Naruto could take Gaara on if push came to shove. Shikamaru spared a glance to his cousin, who stood on his left. _'Risu's as calm as always. Not even bothered by the killing intent coming off this kid or his cold stare._

That was his 'Risu, though. Tough enemies, combat, it didn't frighten her or make her lose focus. If anything the heat of battle was where she had nerves of steel and incredible focus; it was where she thrived, in a weird way. But she didn't see Lee's fight, she hadn't seen what this freak of nature survived; Gaara should either be dead or handicapped permanently from what Lee unleashed on him. He wasn't though. He walked off that arena floor on his own two feet, unlike Lee and 'Risu.

Now he was here to finish the job Guy interrupted in the preliminaries.

Bluffing wasn't going to work. Shikamaru's attempt failed spectacularly. Gaara was too cold and dangerous to be swayed by the threat of a fight or even the numbers game. Naruto, in all his idiocy, kept daring the Sand shinobi to try to fight them, mentioning something about having a real demon inside of him.

Shikamaru didn't really pay much mind to it. He didn't care about anything except making this survivable.

Apparently Gaara had a demon in him too called Shukaku, sealed inside him by his father, thus killing his mother with his birth.

 _"I was born a monster,"_ were his words.

The sealing of this demon or whatever it was turned him, the pampered offspring of the Kazekage, into the savior of his village. But others saw him as a relic of the past, an unwanted relic they'd rather get rid of than keep around. When his power became too great his father started dispatching assassins to kill him.

Six years later, here they were; him a clear psychopath who believed without a purpose there was no reason to live, and decided for himself that his purpose was to kill others. Loving only himself and not caring for his family—the other two Sand shinobis in the Exams—and believing as long as there were people in the world, he would never fade.

 _This guy is a whole different level of crazy._

Amari hadn't spoken a word since they let Gaara explain himself. His cousin and Gaara simply stared at one another. Uneasy tension built between them, as if just by the act of looking one another in the eye they were able to read each other's minds.

"Your eye… It reminds me of hers," Gaara spoke finally, his gravelly voice echoing in the otherwise silent room.

"Who?" Amari asked.

"A girl from my Village who was born with destructive abilities. The other villagers hated her for what she symbolized—a mistake they wanted wiped away. Yet when they learned they could twist her into their own weapon, they didn't hesitate to do it, all the while disdaining her very existence. No matter what they said or did…and what I did, she never lost it."

Shikamaru didn't like Gaara singling out his cousin. At this point it was like they weren't even in the room with them right now.

To them, they were the only ones here.

"Lost what?" his cousin questioned.

"Her foolish dream to love and protect anyone she deemed worthy." Amari snarled at her dream being called foolish. "Even after I destroyed her knee and her dreams of being a shinobi, she never stopped. Her will to live, to never let go of the ridiculous purpose she latched onto was…admirable. I'd bet you would risk your life for these _pathetic_ people too." Gaara's eyes left hers to stare straight through Naruto and Shikamaru then back to her.

Amari didn't answer. She didn't have to for Shikamaru to understand her feelings; he could feel through their conjoined Shadow Possession her hands clenching into fists.

"Why would you live for anyone besides yourself? It will only cause you pain. You know I'm right; you have been betrayed before."

 _What? How would he know that?_ Shikamaru glanced at his cousin to see her eye widen.

"You don't need to admit it. I can see the pain in your eye; I can see it's what has driven you to become as powerful as you are. You intend to destroy the person who turned their backs on the love and trust you gave them."

"Is that what you did to her? Turn your back on her even though she offered friendship? Even though she reached her hand out to you to save you from your loneliness?" Amari hissed.

Gaara glared at her but his cousin didn't flinch. "She is of no concern now."

"You heartless wretch, you killed her, didn't you?" Gaara did not answer. Shikamaru could feel her limbs beginning to tremble; rage, no doubt about it. "You were unworthy of knowing her," she spat.

Killing intent swarmed the room, though Shikamaru couldn't pinpoint who it was coming from anymore. A chill lingered in the air that hadn't been there before; the air felt thicker, weighted by some invisible force.

"And what of your strength? Of your impressive talents? Do you think you can continue to become stronger without consequences?" Gaara questioned, eyes looking straight through her. "What will you do when the people closest to you deem _you_ a threat? When you become a danger to the very village you were meant to protect, do you believe these people won't conspire behind your back? That they won't try to end your life before you become too much for them to handle?"

Gaara closed his eyes, his tone remaining completely flat yet sounding as if he knew the truth. "Don't be foolish. Following this path will leave you with _nothing_. Emptiness. The same isolation you've tried to escape will be all that's left. People are fickle. Your Leaf elders are no different than the Sand. They may actually smile to your face, but it's a façade to lower your guard as they make preparations to eliminate you. And when that day comes you will be alone.

"Your dream, your purpose to live for others instead of yourself…" He opened his eyes and glared right at her. "It's ridiculous."

Shikamaru growled. "You were already on my nerves, but now you're really starting to piss me off."

"Let it go, Shika."

The Nara hummed in confusion as he turned his head to face his cousin. She wasn't trembling anymore. Her body and eye were calm again. Something was up; his cousin found an opening.

"Part of me understands where you're coming from, Gaara," she said. "When my friend betrayed me and left me for dead, I didn't want to get attached to anyone again. I was frightened it would only leave me heartbroken again, that I'd only open the door for more people to betray me for…the gift he left in my care. But then…I met this really nice old man who gave me a chance to live in this Village. And he introduced me to an incredible woman, a woman I owe my life to."

Her lips curled into a small smile, an unconscious reaction to the love she had for Kurenai. "She gave me a home, a family. Her light shone through to me, guiding me away from the cold, isolating darkness I believed myself condemned to."

The smile fell, replaced by a hardened stare full of resolve and strength the little, malnourished girl he met years ago lacked. "It's because it was so dark I was able to see her light, because I kept my eyes open for any sign of hope _someone_ might care about my existence to reach a hand out to me. If you had opened your eyes, maybe you too could have seen that girl's hand.

"Whoever she was, she tried her hardest to reach you, I'm sure of it. You don't have to say you did, you can even deny it if you want, but I know the truth. I can see it in your eyes that I'm right. That's why you can't stand the sight of me, isn't it?" she questioned rhetorically.

Gaara growled threateningly, eyes sharpening into blades.

"It's not just my strength that intrigues you or this bloodthirsty purpose you've latched onto that's made me your target. It's because I have her eyes. Eyes that have burned themselves into your soul and haunt you to this day."

Gaara began to growl like a feral dog. Anger, hatred and bloodlust consumed him, and that's when his sand came alive on its own.

 _What? He shouldn't be able to do that! Not while we have him in our Shadow Possession Jutsu!_

This was bad. This was really bad.

"You regret it. You regret turning your back on her. You regret shattering her dream and her knee. And most of all, you regret stealing her life, because despite so many people hating your existence for a decision made without your consent, she never did. She never saw you as a monster or as anything less than a friend. You were her precious person, and she was yours," Amari stated.

"Shut up! I'm going to kill you!" Gaara shouted, furious.

Amari's shadow receded back to her. Her hand immediately grabbed Shikamaru by his collar and dragged him backwards out of her way. "Shika, Naruto, get behind me!"

"Oh man, what a drag!" he groaned, letting his Shadow recede as well.

If Shadow Possession wasn't going to work, he couldn't do much else to help here. And Naruto wasn't going to be of any help either, paralyzed by fear of the cold shinobi irradiating with death.

It was in 'Risu's hands to save their skin because she struck the nail right on the head: This kid regretted what he did to that girl.

She shoved her hands out in front of her, Sharingan activating as green chakra enveloped her body. "Ultimate Defense—"

"All right, that's enough!" a voice boomed. The attacks halted as everyone turned their attention to the source. Might Guy stood in the doorway, not a single ounce of his usual hot-blooded attitude in him. This was the shinobi, not the man.

Behind him was Mimi, snarling with Aoko at Gaara's clear purpose for being here. "You bastard, I'll kill you here and now!"

She tried to shove her way in, but Guy blocked her and sent a severe stare at all of them. "Save it for tomorrow! That's when the final competition begins. You're just wasting it right now. Is that what you want?"

Something shifted with Gaara. His killing intent disappeared as he grabbed at his head, eyes wide as if he was in agony from some invisible attack. His sand retracted quickly into his gourd until it was all gone, and then the average levels of killing intent he exerted naturally returned. Steel reinforced his eyes and he began shuffling towards the door, one hand resting on his head. His breaths were heavy, labored with every shuffled step.

He stopped only once to shoot a glare at them over his shoulder. "All the same, I will kill you. Just you wait. I'll kill you all."

And then he shuffled his way out of the room and out of the hospital.

The green shroud around Amari disappeared as she let out another sigh of relief, which Shikamaru followed suit with. _That was too close. If Guy hadn't showed up…I don't know if Amari's Dragon Shield would be enough against that kid._

He glanced to her, seeing his cousin looking at her hands with a troubled frown.

 _Or what kind of damage it would have done to her._

"That bastard was trying to kill Lee," Mimi seethed. "He better hope Sasuke kicks his ass tomorrow, because if I get him in the tournament I'll make him wish he was never born!"

"I think he already wishes that," Amari mumbled under her breath, quietly enough Shikamaru almost didn't catch it. "I know it is not my place to say, but until Lee is up and moving and these Sand shinobi are out of the Village, I'd place guards to watch Lee at all times," Amari said analytically, lowering her hands and looking to Guy.

"Yes, that would be a wise course of action," Guy agreed before turning to his female student. "I'll watch after Lee. I don't know if I will be able to see yours or Neji's fight, but do your best. Don't let your anger cloud your judgment."

Mimi looked like she was about to argue but sighed and nodded in defeat. "Yes Sensei."

Shikamaru turned his gaze to Naruto and Amari and dipped his head towards the door. They both nodded and began to leave after giving a farewell to the duo. As they were exiting the door, Guy spoke up again. "And thank you all for stopping him from hurting Lee more. I appreciate it."

"He's a comrade and would have done the same for any of us," Shikamaru stated.

"He's my rival. Of course I came to help," Amari said with a smile.

Guy nodded to them in thanks and they departed.

The trio returned to Naruto's room to let him get fully dressed. All he had on was a dark green shirt, boxers and socks; there hadn't really been enough time for him to change before everything happened. As he got dressed, Shikamaru and Amari waited outside of his room, the boy of the pair thinking deeply about the quick change of attitude his cousin went through.

First she had been losing her temper about Gaara's words. Then suddenly she was fine? 'Risu didn't switch moods so quickly for no reason. She wasn't like the other women in his life. _And she figured out his regret._

How? Shikamaru tried to think of an answer but struggled to come to an accurate conclusion. How did she know? What did he miss?

Shikamaru closed his eyes and brought his hands into his usual thinking seal, creating a circle with his hands, the tip of his thumbs touching at the top and the rest of his fingertips touching to form the bottom.

What signs had she seen? His cold eyes were blank, his stance and body firmer than any statue. 'Risu had seen something, but what?

"Want me to save you the trouble of thinking?" she asked.

He gave a negative grunt. No, he wanted to figure this out on his own. She found a weak point in his armor, a weak point he missed because of how creeped out he had been. Prodding at it caused him to lash out, possibly hinting at an advantage they could exploit if he ever tried to attack them one on one or as a group.

In terms of raw strength, Gaara's sand was one of the strongest and strangest things Shikamaru had ever witnessed. It would be a drag to fight him, maybe even impossible for someone like the Nara boy since he could still use his sand despite being caught in Shadow Possession.

 _That's it._ Shikamaru opened his eyes and looked to 'Risu, who wore a small smirk. "You felt him wanting to clench his hands into fists and his muscles trying to tense as he spoke to you about her. I was too focused on feeling your movements and my own colliding in the Shadow Possession to feel it."

She gave a nod. Now it was all falling into place. Because of their Shadow Possession being conjoined he could feel her movements trying to move his body. _While I was worrying about her, she never stopped paying attention to any kind of movement he was trying to do within it._

"That's why you stopped getting angry at him, because you had found a weakness in his cold attitude." Another nod. "Leaving you to deduce she had been of importance to him when he called her admirable." A nod. "Giving you the opening you needed to turn his mind games against him."

A final nod and full smirk. "You would have noticed it too had you not been so focused on me."

"Maybe," he shrugged lazily. "You look further into people's eyes than I can."

She rolled her eye. "You see a lot more than you let people believe, Shika. Even I know that," his cousin dismissed his nonchalance.

 _Maybe._

Naruto exited his room fully dressed in his usual orange jacket and pants. At his request they went to visit Chōji, finally finding his friend alongside Ino. His teammate had a bad case of indigestion but was otherwise fine, save for being a bit overwhelmed by the amount of unexpected company.

It had been since their Academy days that he and Naruto had been together with the Akimichi, let alone Amari who had come in during the last two years. Having separate teams and missions was mostly the cause of that, plus the last month of training Asuma had Chōji helping him with.

Amari had never been one to skip out with them in the Academy, always more focused on learning and training as much as she could. Shikamaru was surprised she hadn't worked herself to death yet. But despite that she had become Naruto's and his own shadow during lunch breaks or after school activities when she wasn't busy training.

Back then she had been a lot shyer than she was now. She still had some of the same old quiet tendencies and quirks, like letting everyone converse as she watched silently or traveled in her own thoughts. His cousin had changed though, gaining confidence in her abilities and in herself.

It suited her.

After a while the group left to go their separate ways. Later that same day, as evening rolled around, Konoha came alive for a festival meant to celebrate the final rounds. The whole thing was a real drag without much "festivities" for kids their age. In Shikamaru's eyes it was an excuse for adults to go out and drink with their adult friends, like his father was doing with Chōji's and Ino's dads.

 _Probably also an escape from mom's eyes so he can drink in peace. Now I have to babysit him, what a drag._

He failed at getting his dad to head home even after reminding him that both he and Amari were in the final rounds. It was clear his father was inebriated to a troublesome degree when he asked if he was serious about them being in the tournament. Shikamaru started to remind him about training Amari, but let it fall for a defeated sigh and groan.

This was all too troublesome and he needed to be ready for tomorrow. The night was young, though, so he roamed in the direction of his cousin's house. He found her on the roof stargazing. Apparently Asuma and her mother went out for the night of festivities as well.

The boy of the two laid down next to her with his hands behind his head, mirroring her position. The sky was more or less clear, allowing the stars to twinkle brightly all across the dark canvas.

"Tomorrow, huh?" he wondered aloud.

"Yeah. It's going to be troublesome."

Shikamaru grunted in agreement. _And I have Dosu in the first round_. Someone who knew how his jutsus worked. Someone who had a grudge against his cousin.

"You ready for it?" she asked.

"As ready as I can be. You?"

"I think so. We all have our work cut out for us."

On that they could agree, but that was tomorrow. For now the Nara didn't mind forgetting about it all to enjoy the comfortable company a little longer before calling it a night. Amari sat up then turned her body ninety degrees, lying back down so her head was on his chest. He let out a small sigh, getting a giggle out of his cousin before she resumed watching the stars while using his chest as a pillow.

With her in such close proximity Shikamaru finally took note that her bandana was not covering her eye. A frown formed on his lips due to the scar he hadn't ever seen so close. It and the lavender eye was a reminder that she had witnessed more of the realness of the ninja world than he had. That beyond her smile and usual calm exterior was a girl who had been betrayed and would not let the person get away with it.

It's why he silently vowed to be with her when she went to find that person. Someone had hurt his cousin and left a permanent mark on her emotionally and physically.

Shikamaru wasn't the retribution kind of guy. That was a line of thinking that needed a lot of energy to be pushed towards it, energy he didn't have any desire to expend for something that was too troublesome to deal with. But there was a saying about revenge, where if you tried you should dig two graves—one for who you're seeking and the other for yourself.

If there was any truth to that statement then he planned to ensure only one grave was filled—the one meant for the person who hurt his 'Risu.

Troublesome or not, there was no way the boy who betrayed her would ever take her from him.

"'Risu?"

"Hmm?"

"…Forget it," he sighed. Saying words she already knew were true was such a drag.

His blue-haired cousin gave a small giggle before reaching her hand up and planting two fingers against his forehead. Shikamaru rolled his eyes and snorted humorously at the action.

"I love you too, Shika."

Shikamaru almost forgot she knew him.


	42. Chapter 41: Fighting for Respect

Chapter 41

Fighting for Respect: The Final Rounds Begin!

Naruto and Sasuke were late.

Amari exhaled a long, impatient sigh, frowning in mild irritation at the entrance of the arena. _Of course they're late. Why wouldn't they be late? It's not like today was really important or anything_. She groaned internally. _Why are my teammates so troublesome?_

Every seat of the circular stadium had been filled by enthusiastic spectators, all eagerly awaiting the spectacle of battle to come. Below the spectators, past the tall concrete walls enclosing the stadium on the untouched battlefield stood the participants of the Chūnin Exams. The final competitors who arrived on time stood in a row before the audience, silent and ready for what came next.

Everyone except Naruto, Sasuke and Dosu.

Dosu's arrival didn't matter to Amari. He could have returned to the Sound Village or abandoned shinobi life altogether for all she cared. _Good riddance._

The whereabouts of her teammates concerned her. They should have arrived already. Even if she wasn't obsessed with punctuality, their distinct absence to the finals unsettled her immensely.

Those two boys, their desire to win this whole tournament was greater than hers. Both spent the last month preparing to go all the way to the end to be the indisputable winners. To test their strength against stiff competition, opponents who possessed great skill or enormous power, or both.

Naruto wouldn't miss the chance to show his growth and gain the acknowledgement of those in attendance. This was his chance to prove he wasn't just the prankster desperately trying to get people to acknowledge his existence; he was a shinobi of the Leaf too, and a hard worker prepared to take himself to his limits to defeat a prodigy.

Waiting for him in the second round could be Gaara, the boy who promised to kill them all, or Sasuke—his friend and rival. Either battle would force him to fight at his best, but he wanted Sasuke to win. Not just because he was his teammate, but to earn his teammate's respect and prove he wasn't a loser anymore. Should he pass through to the finals, there were two opponents he hoped to face: Mimi or Amari.

Although Amari was his best friend and someone he secretly considered a rival to overcome, Naruto wanted to fight Mimi first. She had beaten him so easily before, made a fool of him really. Beating her was a chance at redemption and one more step towards being strong enough to defeat Amari in his eyes.

Sasuke intensely wanted to test his strength, skill and eyes against his first opponent. Gaara of the Sand, the boy who handicapped Rock Lee and made it through the Forest of Death without a single scratch on him, was the perfect opponent to push him to overcome his limits. Lee thoroughly thrashed him when they first met, and from what everyone witnessed or learned of his fight against Gaara, the Sand shinobi shouldn't even be standing here.

That made him a dangerous opponent worthy of caution and excitement. And, though he hadn't admitted it out loud, as a Leaf shinobi he felt a responsibility to pay Gaara back for what he had done to Lee. The bushy-browed shinobi fought tooth and nail to protect him, Naruto, Sakura and Amari in the Forest of Death, risking his own life in a test where they were enemies.

It fell to the Uchiha to avenge a comrade; it suited Sasuke perfectly.

And then, beyond Gaara, waited the opportunity to fight Naruto—his nuisance turning friend and rival—or Neji Hyūga. After learning from Naruto what the Hyūga called his clan-sister during the move, it was in Neji's best interests to lose to Naruto.

And beyond them were two kunoichi he wanted to meet in the final round: Mimi Inuzuka or Amaririsu Yūhi, the two kunoichi who surpassed their boy counterparts in the Academy and continued to hold the titles of being the strongest of their class and teams.

Mimi would prove to be an impressive foe, but Sasuke wanted to fight Amari most.

Who better to test an Uchiha than another powerful Uchiha?

No. Neither of them would risk missing out on this grand opportunity to fight the toughest shinobi of the Exams. So where were they?

Amari supposed Sasuke's lateness came down to one factor—Kakashi. Her sensei, as much as she admired him as a mentor and a father figure, rarely showed up on time to anything. Everyone knew it, everyone expected it. However, if he did not arrive soon with Sasuke, the Uchiha boy would be disqualified.

 _Why does Kakashi-sensei always have to be late?_

Then there was Naruto. Sasuke, due to his secret location and Kakashi, possessed a legitimate reason to not arrive on time. Her knuckleheaded teammate, however, did not possess such an excuse. Either he forgot when the finals would start, or…

The half Nara casted a sidelong glance to the back of Gaara, his parting words in the hospital ringing in her mind.

 _"All the same, I will kill you. Just you wait. I'll kill you all."_

Amari growled silently. _If you laid a hand on Naruto, I swear I'll kill you._

From her turned around position, Amari had Mimi and Shino on her left while on her right it went Shikamaru, Neji, Gaara, Kankurō and finally Temari. Genma stood in front of them looking up at the populated arena, rolling the senbon in his mouth thoughtfully as he waited patiently for permission to begin.

Amari exhaled another sigh and hugged her arms around her belly, anxious on behalf of her teammates. _Nothing could have happened_ , she tried easing her fears. _Naruto was under Anbu guard since we moved him and Sasuke's stuff into their new home. And Sasuke had Kakashi-sensei._

Then why weren't they here?

"Think they skipped out?" Shikamaru asked her quietly, watching her anxious form from the corner of his eye.

Amari shook her head, still frowning, still hugging herself to keep her greatest fears at bay. "No. They wouldn't miss this even if they were ordered to."

She thought about saying "Only death could stop them" but the thought was executed for treason.

"Relax, 'Risu. Watching you get all wound up is making _me_ nervous, and I'm not even their teammate," Shikamaru mocked a complaint to lighten her mood.

A weak smile formed but didn't fully reach her eye.

Another minute of no arrival passed.

Amari chewed on her bottom lip and felt her fingers dig into her sides. Where were they? Why hadn't there been any sight of them yet?

Glancing up towards the private booth of the stadium where the Hokage sat, she noticed the seat next to him was still empty. Even the Kazekage was late. It worked in Naruto's and Sasuke's favor; the final rounds wouldn't officially begin until the leader of the Sand Village arrived.

Amari returned her onyx eye back to the entrance, immediately squinting in uncertainty at what she was seeing. There appeared to be a cloud of dust kicked up into the air chasing after a sea of orange beyond the entryway.

"Is that…Naruto?" Her confused voice acquired the attention of Mimi, Shikamaru and Shino, who all turned to face the entrance.

"Has he finally arrived?" Shino asked.

"What's with that dust cloud? Looks like bad news," Shikamaru said.

The naked eye wouldn't be enough to discern the situation. Amari channeled chakra into her left eye and activated her Byakugan, extending her vision towards whatever was approaching. At the same time the Inuzuka sniffed the air.

Amari recoiled in disbelief. "What the…" It had to be an illusion, or a prank. Naruto couldn't actually be…

"The hell?" Mimi's eyebrows rose in shock.

Nope, it was real. Mimi could smell what she was seeing. Amari deactivated her eye, sighing in exasperation as she did.

"What is the matter?" Shino asked.

"Bulls," Amari answered in a flat voice. Naruto was late _and_ currently in a frantic sprint to outrun a herd of furious bulls.

Her best friend was such a drag.

"And lots of them," Mimi followed. "I think that Goofball pissed off an entire herd of them."

"What? Seriously?" Shikamaru was dumbfounded by the answer. Both kunoichi nodded. "How does that idiot always outdo himself? Sheesh. And now if those bulls get in here _we'll_ have to deal with them. This is all such a drag," he sighed.

The horde of clones, and undoubtedly Naruto as well, tried to storm through the entrance together instead of dispelling; the sheer idiocy of their plan couldn't be overstated. They pinned themselves against the walls, pushing and clawing one another in frantic desperation to escape the raging bulls hell-bent on goring the idiots for their sins. In the process the clones trampled one another in a mess of panic, shouts and horrified screams.

Screams didn't save them, nor did their inability to think clearly. The horde of bulls charged into the horde of clones, dispelling the majority in a flurry of stamping hooves and pointed horns. Unfortunately for the real Naruto, he didn't have the luxury of dispelling after taking damage. The lead bull struck him and sent her teammate hurtling through the entryway, into the arena and sliding across the dirt and grass to be within a few feet of Amari and Shikamaru.

 _Safe!_ A part of her mind shouted, thoroughly entertained at his ridiculous entrance.

The impressive blow dazed him. Naruto didn't appear to be on the same continent anymore, let alone the same planet; nonsensical groans left him as he laid chest first in the dirt.

Both Nara's heaved heavy sighs and approached his sides to lift him up onto his feet.

"What a drag," Shikamaru mumbled, throwing one arm over his shoulder to support the knucklehead's weight.

"How do you manage to get yourself into ridiculous situations like this?" Amari asked rhetorically. She didn't expect an answer, nor did she believe he actually had one.

Naruto suddenly awoke from his daze and broke free of their support, accidently shoving the two Nara's away. "Guys! You won't believe this, but there is a huge herd of stampeding bulls coming right for us!" he exclaimed.

The hit clearly didn't teach him about volume control.

"Actually they were run off by a group of ninjas after they sent you flying. Nice entry nonetheless, Goofball. Ten points," Mimi grinned, getting a bark of agreement from Aoko.

The boy went to argue but then took note of his location, their fellow Genin and proctor. Amazement and relief were followed by concern and confusion. Cerulean eyes darted around in search of the missing Uchiha, who still hadn't arrived yet.

"Hey wait, where's Sasuke?"

"Late, of course," Amari grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. Naruto's arrival and mostly unharmed appearance rid her of most her anxiety; it meant Sasuke's absence came down to Kakashi's penchant for tardiness, nothing more. "We both know Sensei is probably waiting to make some giant entrance. Troublesome adult."

"Hey! Knock it off!" Genma interrupted their little talk. He didn't raise his voice particularly loud; it still came out in his normal laid back way, but the command beneath it silenced and straightened the group of Leaf shinobi instantly. "Quit your fidgeting. Stand up straight and present yourself proudly to the spectators."

Amari, Naruto and Shikamaru rejoined the row and did as they were asked. The fun and games were over. It was time for the tournament to begin.

"You guys are the heroes of this final competition," their proctor stated.

Above them, and above the spectators in the private booth, the Kazekage finally arrived to join Lord Third. After a short greeting, the Hokage approached the railing of the balcony of their booth.

"Welcome all," he projected his voice across the arena, "and our deepest thanks for coming here to Konoha for this year's Chūnin Selection Exam! We have come to the final competition between the ten candidates who made it through the preliminary rounds! We ask that no one leaves until all the matches have been completed! Now everyone enjoy!"

 _Ten candidates? There should be eleven with Dosu. Unless…_

Genma pulled out a new tournament schedule from his flak jacket. Everything remained the same, with the exception of Shikamaru's and Temari's position on the board. Dosu's name and position on the chart no longer existed, wiped clean like an eraser clearing off a chalkboard.

"Temari, huh," Shikamaru muttered under his breath. "Great. I have to fight a girl again. How troublesome."

Shikamaru vs Temari replaced the original fight between Leaf and Sound, and whoever won that match would fight whoever came out on top between Mimi and Amari.

 _So he did take his leave…_ She furrowed her brow. _That makes no sense. Why would he forfeit when he was triumphant in his match? He had plenty of reasons to stay._

"There has been a slight change in the matchups, but this is the official line-up. Everyone take one last look at who you'll be facing," Genma ordered.

 _I don't like this…Something isn't right._

"Question." Naruto raised his hand.

"What is it?" Genma asked, placing the tournament sheet away in his flak jacket.

"I was just wondering what will happen to Sasuke if he doesn't show up."

"If a candidate is not in the arena at the time his name is called…" The proctor flicked his senbon to point up with a small bite. "He forfeits the match."

Naruto lowered his hand and said nothing else. Amari could see the same uneasiness she felt piercing its fangs into him too.

There was nothing they could do about it now.

 _I guess we'll just have to put faith in Kakashi-sensei doing what he does best._

 _Making a dramatic late entry._

Genma put his hands behind his back, straightening his posture and hardening his eyes to befit the role of a commander. "All right, listen up. The terrain is different but the rules for the matches are the same, which is to say there are no rules. The match continues until one of the opponents acknowledges their defeat or dies." His eyes shifted across the line of Genin. "That being said, if I determine a match is over, I can step in and stop it at any time." The brown-haired ninja's eyes locked onto Amari's. "And no arguments are permitted."

Amari furrowed her brow and pursed her lips in a pout. _I'm stubborn, but not that stubborn. Sheesh._

His eyes left her to encompass the group. "Understood?"

There were no arguments from the Genin. They knew the rules and were prepared to finally put their month of training to the test. The terrain wasn't the cold and unforgiving concrete floor and walls of the preliminaries. The stadium encircled rather than boxed in the combatants; the main field consisted of trimmed grass, patches of compacted and flat earth and trees lining the wall beneath the majority of the spectators.

"These are the opponents for the first match: Naruto Uzumaki and Neji Hyūga. Those two stay, the rest of you will go to the waiting area until your match is called," Genma said.

The waiting area was an open alcove a little higher than halfway up the tall walls, adjacent to the spectator seats.

Everyone moved to depart as ordered.

"Good luck, Naruto," Amari whispered to him before following after Mimi, Shikamaru, and Shino.

 _Please remember your training, Naruto. You know frontal assault against Neji is a bad plan with his Byakugan and ability to shut off your chakra points. You're going to have to use all of your strength and intelligence in this one if you plan to win._

Amari sat down on the floor in the waiting area, dangling her legs over the edge of the balcony and kicking her heels against the wall in no particular rhythm. Shino stood on her left, Shikamaru on her right and Mimi after him. The Sand siblings stood away from the Leaf shinobi, watching on with disinterest to the entire affair.

"You think he has a chance?" Mimi broke the silence.

"Who, Neji? No, not really," Amari answered without blinking.

Below, Neji took up his Gentle Fist stance.

Mimi chuckled at her. "Heh, very funny. Seriously Amari, Neji may be a prick, but we both know he isn't a pushover. You fought him yourself, and you saw what he did to Hinata. You're not worried he'll do the same to Naruto after the little spat you two had, just to spite you for sticking up for Hinata and threatening his life? He knows how close you two are."

Amari's heels halted their nonchalant kicking. "Of course I'm worried. I'm a worrier by nature," she answered, no longer jesting. "And you're right about Neji not being some average punk anyone here could just walk over. His keen sight with the Byakugan is incredible, and his ability to pinpoint and strike chakra points in the heat of battle isn't something to roll your eyes at.

"It's true he may take out his aggression towards me on Naruto to spite me for what I said and did. That's on me, and I'll own that and apologize to Naruto for the rest of my life if that happens." She shook her head. "But don't count Naruto out so easily. He may be a goofball, but he's a fighter too. I believe in him. I know he can overcome the odds against him here, because this battle isn't just about a promotion to him. Naruto has more to lose here than Neji does."

Mimi sent a quizzical look her way. "More to lose? What makes you say that?"

"Why does Naruto have more to lose? Because: He vowed on the blood of Hinata to win," Shino's analytical voice answered instead. The trio of Leaf shinobi turned to face the Aburame, who appreciated their attentiveness. "There is also his dream to become Hokage to consider. Should he win, he will earn the acknowledgement of his peers and be one small step closer to achieving his dream."

Shino didn't break his sunglass covered gaze from the field below them. "Then there are Neji's statements about failures remaining failures. Naruto will wish to prove those wrong. Why? Because: He has been called a failure by his peers since his days in the Academy, yet he is now here in the finals of the Chūnin Exams while many of them are not. He even beat Kiba—my own teammate and your cousin.

"To have achieved this feat should not be ignored, no matter how insignificant it may appear in the grand scheme of our shinobi careers. Now he has a chance to face a true genius. Defeating Neji will give those who still doubt him no choice but to acknowledge how far his hard work has taken him. We should all watch him carefully and cheer him on." Shino turned his head to look at the trio, light shining off his black sunglasses. "He is our comrade, after all."

"Exactly, Shino," Amari agreed, nodding. "Exactly."

The match began with Naruto making the first move. He grabbed three kunai and threw them at Neji. The Hyūga reacted without blinking, grabbing the first kunai to reach him by its hilt, blocking the second to impale into the ground nearby with the newly equipped kunai and then using the hoop end to catch the third blade in front of his face.

Mimi snorted and leaned her forearms onto the railing. "Show off."

Naruto charged ahead, turning his body as he ran to dodge the kunai tossed at him and dashing in to punch Neji. The blow didn't land; it was blocked and pushed aside by his opponent. Now he was vulnerable to counterattack, open completely for Neji to strike down. Thinking on his feet, Naruto found his footing and jumped away to recover before Neji could capitalize.

His opponent waited in his previous position for the next move. _Just like I told you, Naruto. Gentle Fist can be used aggressively, but Neji doesn't usually allow his emotions to guide him to attack first. He lets his opponents close in, placing themselves into close-quarters where he has the advantage._

Naruto didn't have long-range options besides his ninja tools, and he wouldn't use them wastefully; he couldn't if he planned to win. Those first three blades proved the simple act of throwing them at his opponent wouldn't be enough.

He was still testing his opponent out, she could tell. The focus in his cerulean eyes wasn't that of the Naruto who got chased by bulls into the arena; this was Naruto finally using his brain to his advantage.

Without a Nature Transformation jutsu under his belt to hit hard or use as a distraction, Naruto was all but required to fight fist against Gentle fist; a taijutsu battle against someone far more proficient and elegant in the art.

 _I should really approach Kakashi-sensei about figuring out Naruto's affinity to get him started on Nature Transformation_ , Amari thought. Shadow Clones couldn't be Naruto's only trick forever. They needed to start getting more strategic pieces in his command. Sakura, too.

But if he went in throwing punches and kicks at random, he'd only exhaust his own stamina as Neji wasted none of his own, or he would leave himself open at the worst time. One opening was all Neji needed, if he wanted to end this quickly.

Naruto stood up and carefully stalked a half-circle around Neji, cerulean eyes sharpened like blades as he stared into the emotionless lavender eyes of Neji's Byakugan.

"Holy crap. I think the Goofball is strategizing, Aoko," Mimi said in surprise.

Aoko barked.

"Yeah, you said it. He's adapting as he grows. I didn't even have to get my hands dirty when he charged me like an idiot, but now he's actually thinking through his plan of attack. Heh," Mimi grinned, "he's not as blockheaded as I thought."

"I think you're giving him too much credit too soon. He's still the idiot that got chased by a herd of bulls, remember?" Shikamaru drawled lazily.

Mimi snickered. "Hehe! Good point, Slacker."

Naruto stopped walking and brought up the clone seal. Four clones appeared around him and pulled out kunais.

 _Good start_ , Amari thought. _Without that other seal on your stomach, your ability to create Shadow Clones is no longer as restricted, and your chakra control training makes you five indistinguishable from one another to his Byakugan, and mine. If you attack fiercely enough he'll lose sight of you, keeping you relatively safe._

Not fully, though. Numbers alone didn't guarantee Neji losing sight of him or not landing one blow with his Gentle Fist on the real Naruto.

The clones charged in ahead of the real Naruto. Neji, patient as ever, waited for them to get within arms distance then jumped up, pressing his hands on the backs of the first two clones to reach him to flip forward. The moment his feet touched the ground again the other two clones tried to attack from his sides. Using their momentum against them, he blocked their attacks and guided their attacks further away from him.

Naruto darted in among the controlled chaos and tried to land a high kick right underneath Neij's jaw. Neji appeared to be hit by the strike, his jaw lifting and his feet lifting off the ground, but it was all a ruse. He pretended to be hit and jumped into a backflip out of range of the real Naruto.

He landed back on his feet between the clones, who hadn't waited to attack again. Neji, essentially working with his eyes closed in a deep meditation, jumped into the air again, spinning his body as he did. Two hard kicks landed beneath the jaws of the clones, dispelling one and knocking the other away.

The other two clones dashed in from behind. Tactically sound against normal enemies, but with Neji's Byakugan he had seen them act before they reached striking range. Again he used their momentum against them, guiding the blade wielding hands in front of him effortlessly and nailing them both with strikes of his palm, dispelling them.

The Hyūga stalked over to the one clone that had not been dispelled, picked him up and jabbed him lightly with his palm, eliminating the final clone. Neji turned his body to face the real Naruto, his back turning to the kunai impaled into the ground.

That same kunai dispelled, revealing a clone wielding a kunai it tossed right at Neji's blind spot.

 _Nice one, Naruto!_

Neji, sensing the clone, spun around in surprise and saw the kunai within a foot of his face. Reflexes kicked in, his body twisting just enough to move his face and neck out of the way of a finishing blow, but not unscathed. The blade sliced right across his shoulder, opening the first real wound of the battle and taking a few strands of his long hair with it.

"Damn," Amari muttered. He reacted as quickly as she expected, but she hoped it could land itself in his shoulder. It would have made his taijutsu harder to perform, increasing Naruto's odds of victory by a small percent.

Still, she was proud of Naruto. Every action he took furthered his overall plan. The first kunais had all been clones, but two had been discarded by Neji and disappeared off the battlefield when no one had been paying attention. His stalking to a new position had been intentional, forcing Neji to turn his back to the one kunai and forget about it by attacking him fiercely with his clones.

His clones were a distraction. Naruto's attempted strike, while worthwhile if it would land, fueled the distraction further, making Neji and everyone else believe he intended to win by brute force and numbers alone. After his strike failed he returned to his original position and waited for Neji to face him again, springing his real trap.

A good first move by Naruto. Hopefully he kept at it.

The single blow left Neji growling and seething with rage. He grabbed at the wound on his shoulder and flicked his eyes briefly to Amari, snarling even fiercer at the sight of her before returning his attention to Naruto.

"I should have known that half-breed would teach you about the Byakugan. How dare she. The secrets of these eyes do not belong to her," he growled under his breath. "No doubt she taught a fool like you how to use the Shadow Clones for more than just punching bags. You're too inept to figure it out on your own," Neji spat louder.

Naruto dispelled his clone. "Hmph, actually she didn't teach me that last trick. I figured it out on my own, through my own hard work. Not that you'd ever understand what that's like."

A verbal lance that struck hard.

"You're a genius, right? You have a natural gift so you think that's an excuse not to work hard, and then you sneer down on others who do and put them down because you think you're so much better than them."

The Hyūga's stare hardened, a tight scowl on his lips, but he did not speak.

Naruto shoved his fist out in front of him. "That's why I'm going to beat you today! I'm not fighting alone." He pressed his thumb over his heart. "I've got back-up from Hinata's and Bushy Brows wills, because like me they've had to work harder than everyone else to get this far. I won't let them down!

"No Hokage fights alone, that's what the Old Man taught me. Even when it's one-on-one, a Hokage carries the wills of their comrades and precious people with them; that's where we get our strength from. That's why when I beat you today it won't just be my fist that delivers the final blow. It'll be Hinata's, Bushy Brows, Amari's, Mimi's and everyone else you ever hurt all knocking you down for the count!"

Mimi and Amari smiled to themselves, and somewhere in the stands the Hokage and Hinata did too.

Neji sneered at Naruto and let his hand fall from his shoulder. "No Hokage fights alone? Do you honestly think _you_ have a chance of becoming Hokage? The idea would be laughable if it wasn't so absurd. It will never happen. These eyes of mine show me many things. One thing they have shown me is that people's limitations are set—unchangeable. Only a fool tries to become something they can never be. Fools like you and everyone else you named in that little speech of yours."

"Fools, huh? Here we go again with the same broken record. Who are you to judge what anyone can or can't be, huh?!" Naruto demanded.

"Do you think anyone can be Hokage? That all it takes is a little hard work? Open your eyes, you fool. Out of all the shinobi who live in this world, how many of them have become Hokage? How many others have shared your ridiculous dream but never reached it? Those who become Hokage are destined for the position; it isn't a place you can reach by merely trying to become one. Every Hokage was chosen by destiny."

Neji lifted his searing, lavender gaze to Amari. "Just as you are not destined to be Hokage, those half-breeds cannot change their fates. They will forever be regarded by society as the stains of their Clans; born to be weaker than those of full-blood, and seen as fools for their persistent struggling to prove their half-breed blood isn't a weakness."

Amari and Mimi both glared back at him.

"Heh, shows what you know," Naruto retorted, a light, disdainful chuckle in his voice. "Amari and Mimi already proved being born into two separate Clans doesn't make them any weaker, and they're sure as hell stronger than you."

Neji's eyes shot back to Naruto's in an instant and clashed their bladed hatred against her teammate's righteous armor. "Man, and they call you a genius? You don't even understand their reasons for getting stronger. You're too blinded by your own arrogance and this garbage about destiny to really see why those two fight so hard to be the strongest they can be."

Naruto jabbed his finger at Neji. When he spoke next, the chuckle was gone, replaced by a low and deadly serious voice Amari hadn't heard since he threatened to kill Mizuki. "You're the one who needs to open his eyes and stop being an idiot. Mimi's your comrade, your teammate. Yet you don't know the slightest thing about her, do you? You just see her as a half-breed, as if that really defines who she is and what she stands for.

"You don't know her struggles. You don't know her pain. You don't know what drives her. Those special eyes of yours don't see anything at all except your own skewed idea of the world, looking down on her as some kind of _other_ , as your so-called society sees her. The same thing goes for Amari."

"You just don't get it," Neji spat, lifting his nose in superiority. "Each person is set on a path by destiny, and they must follow it obediently! Spit your drivel about their reasons all you like, but it doesn't change the single fact they will never find acceptance. They are tainted by half-breed blood. That is their destiny."

"Grr! Just shut up already!" Naruto yelled, stepping forward aggressively and clenching his hands into fists. "So what they weren't born full-blooded to any Clan! That doesn't give you or anyone else the right to treat them as less than human!" He shook his head and loosened his fists. "It's you and anyone who thinks like you that doesn't get it. You say they won't be accepted when they will always be accepted. Not by unimportant people like you, but by us—their family and friends. So leave them the hell out of this!" He swiped his arm through the air.

"Kick his ass, Goofball."

 _Naruto…Thank you._

Neji shook his head in obvious disbelief at what he perceived as a ridiculous argument. "There is but one destiny we all share equally: Death."

"This kid is a real downer," Shikamaru sighed. "First he pisses me off then he drags me down with this melodramatic talk about destiny and death. It's so troublesome."

"Try being on the same team as him," Mimi smirked. "As crazy as Lee and Guy-sensei appear, their energy really keeps his depressing speeches at bay. Most of the time, anyways."

"Eh, their too energetic for me. Their idea of training is _way_ too much work, and they don't know how to kick back, relax and think about nothing."

Amari sent a teasing look at her cousin. "Doing any sort of training is too much work for you."

"This tournament has been too much work for him. Why? Because: Shikamaru prefers not to exert himself so long as he can help it," Shino commented.

"He's right," both Nara's agreed in unison. Amari had a laugh in her voice while Shikamaru spoke plainly about his laziness.

Her Shika was a lazy cloud watcher at his core. Just an average guy trying to have an average career. Anything more was too troublesome.

 _No doubt his goal in this tournament is to work just hard enough not to get scolded, but not enough to get promoted._ Amari wished him the best of luck, although she did wish he'd take it a bit more seriously. _I guess I just have to be the motivation for us both, even if this is all a bit of a drag._

"Well you can think like that if you want, but people always tell me I don't know when to quit!" Naruto brought his hands up into the clone seal again. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A large amount of clones appeared around him, around thirty or so, prepared to pummel the condescending attitude out of his opponent. Together they charged in, every single clone doing their best to land a blow by overwhelming the Hyūga with sheer numbers.

It was to no avail. Neji moved in a dance, calculating every dodge and every blow he landed with unmatched precision while keeping his blind spot covered. He relied on his technique drilled into him and his dōjutsu to overcome the numbers game.

After knocking away three clones one after another, he sprang forward too fast for the clones to stop him. He glided through the Naruto army like a guided kunai straight for his chosen target—a Naruto sticking on the outer ends of the clone army.

 _Does he know which one the real Naruto is?_ Amari clenched the vertical railing tightly in concern.

Neji stabbed his fingers at and landed a blow to Naruto's heart.

"Neji, if you do to him what you did to Hinata…" Mimi's gloved hands clenched the railing too.

The clones began dispersing rapidly as Neji dropped his hand and took a step back. The Naruto he stabbed coughed up blood and bent at his waist, arms dangling like dead weight.

"I told you it was pointless," he chastised.

"Oh yeah?" Naruto raised his head, blood streaking down from the corners of his mouth. "And I thought I told you not to count me out."

The Naruto in front of Neji suddenly dispersed. From behind Neji, the real Naruto and the final clone he didn't dispel jumped at him with their fists cocked back.

"You thought I was too much of a chicken to attack you myself, huh?! Well think again!"

"Ha-ha! Nice one, Goofball!" Mimi cheered.

"Go Naruto!" Amari joined her.

"Interesting," Shino commented. "So, he used his first attack with his clones to create the perception of a cautious approach to not engage Neji in his range of attacks. In this second attack the clone was used to perpetuate this same idea, luring Neji into a trap and away from the real Naruto, opening him up for a counterattack. Very well thought out for Naruto."

"Yeah," Shikamaru agreed.

Naruto's fist closed in on his opponent, about to lay him flat with wills of his comrades. As the window for a counterattack closed, Neji spun his body away from Naruto.

Amari sensed before she saw the huge release of chakra from him.

A rapidly spinning dome of blue chakra encompassed Neji, catching the clone and Naruto, repelling them away from him with tremendous force. The clone popped when it slammed into the ground. Naruto tumbled across the battlefield; he pushed himself up into a seated position, a bewildered look on his face.

 _It…It can't be._ Amari's eye was wide, her heart beginning to slam against her chest rapidly in anxiety.

Neji stopped spinning. His chakra faded but he appeared uninjured and as calm as before, not a single hint that the technique affected his reserves in anyways. Around him was a dome shaped crater, dirt and earth shredded by the rotating chakra he used to repel Naruto.

"How the hell did he do that?" Mimi sounded as astonished as Amari felt. "That was just like your Ultimate Defense."

Yes, it was, at least on the surface level. But there was a vast difference between her technique and his; Neji's actually worked perfectly.

"He…he figured out a way to reach deflection speed without simply rotating his chakra, and without the heavy cost on his chakra." _And without relying on Sharingan._ Her fingers curled tighter around the railing as she activated her Sharingan.

 _This is bad. This is really bad. That move… It's a real Ultimate Defense. It's flawless. It doesn't exhaust his chakra in one move; it won't damage him when he repels attacks._

Everything she had been trying to do with hers. How many days had she spent thinking about it, and still it was imperfect. But Neji…Neji figured it out. He pieced together a way to use his chakra as a defensive shield and weapon without chakra exhaustion or recoil damage.

Naruto hopped back on his feet and created more clones to circle his enemy with him. Again the clones charged in. Again Neji rotated his body rapidly to create a spinning dome of blue chakra to repel them away. The clones dispelled and the real Naruto slammed to the dirt again.

Not a single flaw. Not a single place to attack from where the chakra couldn't repel him from.

"Amari, have you analyzed how his attack works?" Shino asked, noticing her Sharingan.

"Yes," she nodded, red eye fading for cool onyx. "When I use my Ultimate Defense, I have to release a large amount of chakra through all of my chakra points. From there I rotate it around my body as fast as I possibly can. My eye is what solidified it and gave it its shape, and as we said before, it's imperfect. It harms me when I use it and drains me of my chakra.

"What Neji is doing is similar in practice with the slightest of tweaks. It's so simple, yet I never even thought about it. As he rotates his chakra, he rotates his body the same direction to gain enough momentum to block and repel attacks. By gaining that momentum he essentially turns his chakra into a giant, impenetrable shield that bashes away enemies."

An impenetrable shield no ninja tools, ninjutsu or taijutsu could penetrate. She could feel her heart plummeting off a cliff alongside Naruto's chances to win.

"It's not chakra exhaustive in one or two uses either because he's controlling the size of his sphere to the tiniest amount of chakra, where I expelled every drop I had to make it strong enough to defend us and solidify it."

"A true Ultimate Defense," Mimi murmured.

Neji took up a new pose, spreading his arms out to their full length and extended his left arm towards the ground in front of him while his right extended towards the air behind him. He squatted down slightly and pinned his eyes on Naruto.

"Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms," Neji said.

He darted in, spinning on the dirt and landing two strikes to the stunned Naruto's chakra points. "Eight Trigrams: Two palms!" He didn't waste time going back in, his hands moving at almost untraceable speeds to anyone watching without a dōjutsu. "Four palms!"

The strikes continued at such speed and ferocity that it didn't take a genius or Byakugan to know he was shutting down every chakra point he touched.

"Eight palms! Sixteen palms! Thirty-two palms! Sixty-four palms!"

The final strike sent her teammate flying back and sliding across the dirt. Crimson blood ran down his chin from his mouth as he laid there motionless, face down on the ground, the fight in his body appearing to be gone. Slowly, steadily, Naruto's body trembled against his attempts to stand back up, arms and legs struggling to hold his weight.

Genma approached the two and inspected the downed boy carefully, gauging his ability to continue fighting.

"I have now struck sixty-four of your chakra points. You're lucky to still be breathing." Amari growled at Neji's patronizing voice. "Well, must be frustrating to learn how hopeless this little dream of yours was. You thought you could succeed through hard work alone. That's only an illusion."

"Shut up…" Amari grit her teeth.

She tried to bite her tongue.

It didn't work.

* * *

Naruto's trembling body fought against his desire to stand again. Man, his entire body felt weak, as if the muscles in his body had become freshly cooked ramen noodles from Ichiraku. Beyond the weakness was pain; he could feel every single chakra point in his body at once, all feeling as if someone pressed a hot poker to them.

Was it really pointless to continue? How could he even get past that defense of his to land blows? It covered him on all sides and made it impossible for him to land a blow, and it didn't appear to exhaust him like Amari's Ultimate Defense had. And his chakra, he couldn't even feel it.

How was he supposed to keep fighting if he not only couldn't stand, but couldn't play the long game and exhaust Neji of his chakra by forcing him to use his Rotation over and over again with clones?

 _Damn it._ Naruto curled his fingers into the dirt.

He promised Amari he'd win. He swore on Hinata's blood and meant every word of his vow to win.

 _Damn it!_ His teeth ground together as a drop of warm crimson blood dripped off his chin into the dirt.

This couldn't be how this ended. It couldn't.

"Forfeit. Hard work isn't enough to change your destiny. It's pointless to struggle against the inevit—"

"Shut up!" Amari's voice cut through the air, making Naruto's eyes bulge in a bit of shock. "Don't listen to him, Naruto! Look at how far Lee and Hinata have gone on hard work alone!"

He lifted his head barely enough to see Neji's legs in fuzzy vision. His appearance changed to Lee's, his left arm and leg bloody from Gaara's sand, face holding no emotion as his will alone stood him up on unconscious feet. _Bushy Brow._

Next to appear in his mind was Hinata holding her side, her breathing labored after Neji's strike to her heart. Yet she still stood up and continued to press on to the very end, all to gain some self-respect and respect from Neji. _Hinata._

Those two, they were just like him. They struggled, fought and clawed to get better, to be worthy of the title of shinobi despite their faults. They didn't give up even when their bodies gave out. To give up now would be a disgrace.

"Look how far you've come, Naruto! Look around you! This is everything you've strived for since the Academy!" Naruto grunted. She was right. Everything he had gone through, all the pain, the suffering, the loneliness before meeting Amari, Iruka-sensei and Team Seven; all of it fueled his dream to get here, to take this next step on his journey towards becoming Hokage.

 _I can't give up. I won't give up._

"You may be feeling at your weakest right now, but remember your own words: You carry the wills of your comrades and precious people with you; mine, Mimi's, Hinata's, Lee's and everyone he ever hurt are still with you! You still have strength left! I know you do! Now get back on your damned feet!"

"She's right, Goofball! You swore on Hinata's blood to win, right? Time to make that vow mean something! Pick yourself up, find the embers in your heart and reignite them! You're carrying our wills behind your fist, so get on your feet, make a fist and punch that arrogant jerk into next week!" Mimi cheered him.

Renewed strength and resolve filled Naruto. He clenched his hands into fists and commanded his body to stand again.

"I expected another foolish cheering fest from that annoying brat, but I didn't expect Mimi to lower herself even further," Neji growled.

"Shut up!" Naruto made it to his hands and knees and then onto his feet. "There…There is no way I'm giving up here."

He wouldn't go back on his vow, and he wouldn't let Amari or Mimi down. They were placing their faith in him to defeat Neji on their behalf; they believed in him. Even now, when defeat seemed certain, they went out of their way to rekindle his strength with their own.

 _"I believe in you Naruto. Always have and always will."_

 _I won't let you down, Amari. I said it then and I meant it._

Neji watched him rise, baffled. "It's not possible. How are you even standing?"

Naruto exhaled an exhausted laugh. "I told you already, I just don't know when to quit," he said tiredly. All right, he was on his feet. Now what? His body still wasn't cooperating fully with him, and he didn't have any chakra accessible. _How am I going to turn this around? Think like Amari. Think like Amari._

"Stop this madness," Neji coerced. "You'll only get more of the same if you keep fighting. I have nothing against you personally."

Naruto barked a sarcastic laugh. "That's touching. You're going to make me cry." Neji scowled. "I don't care if you've got nothing against me personally. _I_ have plenty against you."

"I don't know what you mean."

"You don't? And here I thought you were Mr. Know-it-all. The so-called genius. You don't remember what you called my friend? How you called her a bottom-feeder parasite? Or how you mocked her to my face, calling her half-breed over and over again to cut her down until she isn't even human anymore? Or how you did the same to Mimi?"

Dormant rage provided a hint of energy and strength to his noodle limbs.

"You don't remember what you did to Hinata, huh? How you worked on her with your mind games, tearing her down when she worked so hard to get here!"

Neji's face remained blank, as if those points meant nothing to him. They probably didn't. He didn't care what he said to Amari, or how he insulted his own teammate or how he hurt Hinata. It infuriated Naruto he could be so cold.

He was thankful he had run into Hinata before the finals, even if it led to him being a little late and to the madness Konohamaru dragged him into.

In their little talk she told him it was his and Amari's cheering that pushed her to keep fighting, and how she was able to be happy with herself because of their encouragement. If he hadn't known that, he probably would have lost his cool completely at Neji's apathetic attitude.

"Never mind that. It doesn't concern you," Neji dismissed.

Naruto growled. "That's where you're wrong. It does concern me because they're my friends. You mocked Hinata. You called her a failure. You even tried to kill her! All that stuff about the 'great' Hyūga Clan I had to hear; Main Branch, Side Branches, who cares?! It doesn't give you the right to decide who is a failure. It doesn't give you the right to insult Mimi and Amari because of their heritage or to try to kill Hinata!"

Neji's scowl deepened on his face. "Very well, if you're so interested I'll tell you about the Hyūga Clans heritage of hatred!"

Neji went into detail explaining the source of his hatred. For generations the Hyūga Clan practiced a secret ninjutsu called the Curse Mark Jutsu, placing it on all of the Branch Family members. It is a seal to show a bird locked in its cage, a mark to show people who are bound to a destiny they can't escape, according to Neji.

Naruto would have been more skeptical if his opponent hadn't taken off his forehead protector to reveal a green X in the center of his forehead with two green lines going from the edge of his forehead towards the X, creating a hook at the opposite end without touching the X in the center.

"I was four years old when the leaders of my Clan branded this symbol onto my forehead with their Curse Mark Jutsu," he explained, voice hollow of all emotion. "On that same day a great celebration took place in the Leaf Village. After many years of war, a peace agreement had been reached with the Land of Lightning, who sent head Cloud shinobi to sign a peace treaty."

Apparently everyone had been there for the peace treaty, all except the Hyūga Clan. They remained in their compound to celebrate Hinata's third birthday. On that same day his uncle, Lord Hiashi Hyūga, had branded the mark on him since Neji's father—Hiashi's twin brother, Hizashi Hyūga— was born seconds after Hiashi, designating him to be a member of the Branch Family.

Their family bond was nothing like what Naruto imagined how a family should be. He had never known his parents or what having a family was like, not until he met Amari, Iruka and Team Seven. Sure he and Sasuke argued a lot, but he imagined these bonds were what having siblings, a father and an uncle who showed up late all the time were like.

The Curse Mark wasn't for decorations. As Amari had told him about her own eyes, people sought the power of the kekkei genkai of the Hyūga Clan—the Byakugan. The Branch Family was meant to protect the secrets of the Byakugan and the Main Branch. The marks were to keep them in line, to fulfill their "destiny" as demanded by those of the Main Branch.

" _And those rules, they're messed up,"_ he recalled Mimi's words. _"It's subjugation of innocent people. Kids who never had a choice. All for the 'greater good' and 'the safety of the Byakugan' as they justify it. Families are torn apart. Divided down a line old men created years ago."_

"We live with the fear that they will use this Curse Mark to turn our brains to jelly at any time they wish," Neji continued. His dispassionate eyes left the ground to meet Naruto's again. "Fear. That is what we live with every day. Only in death are we free from it. This is how the power of the Byakugan is kept sealed away. Only the Hyūga hold the form of this unique kekkei genkai, and of course there are many who would steal it from us." His lavender eyes shot briefly to Amari, glaring at her. "Like your friend did."

Naruto grit his teeth as his temper flared. Unfortunately Neji kept talking, and the daze Naruto found himself in made it hard to correct his mistaken belief about his friend.

The Branch Family served to protect those who hold the secrets and the keepers of the secrets—the Main Branch—obediently for the rest of time. That was their destiny, until the day they had murdered his father.

One night someone had entered the compound and abducted Hinata but was stopped by Hiashi, who killed him instantly. Who was this person who tried to kidnap Hinata? The lead Cloud ninja who had just signed a peace treaty.

It was another painful reminder of why Amari's secret had to remain that way. They were trying to get the Byakugan for themselves, and when that didn't work they tried a new method. The threat of war was on the rise as the Cloud leaders fervently denied they had anything to do with it and accused the Leaf of going against the treaty.

The Leaf wanted to preserve peace. Knowing this, probably even planning it, the Cloud demanded that they were to be given the life of the one who killed their shinobi to prevent the war.

A life for a life.

Of course this would then land the Byakugan in their hands regardless, so instead of Hiashi being sent, Hizashi was slain instead, preventing the Byakugan from falling into their hands.

Neji stared down solemnly at his forehead protector still firmly in his left hand. Where before he appeared hollowed and cold, he now showed more emotion than Naruto had ever seen from him. The loss of his father, it still hurt.

"They were so much alike. But their destinies had been determined long ago when one was born a few seconds after another." He looked back up at Naruto, eyes hardening again. "And this match is the same. Your destiny was set the moment I was chosen as your opponent."

 _"Funny thing is, I get why Neji is so angry. I get where he's coming from."_

Naruto did too. Damn it, he understood why Neji was so callous and cold. He felt for him, where moments ago he had only felt contempt. His own father was killed to protect the Byakugan and preserve peace. There was no justice in that, especially when the Cloud were lying to get their way. And his belief in destiny, he only believed that because the crap had been fed to him as a child to keep him in line.

"It's your destiny to lose to me here."

Naruto took a few deep breaths to keep himself from passing out before speaking. "Oh yeah, we won't know that until you beat me." He took another breath. _Stay awake. Stay awake. Come on._ "Okay, so your father was killed a long time ago. I know it wasn't fair and you're upset about that. I understand. I really do. But that has nothing to do with destiny. If you think I'm buying that then you're wrong."

"You will never understand," Neji told him resolutely. He activated his Byakugan again and charged in quickly, striking his chest with another hard palm. Naruto cried out in pain and fell hard to the ground.

Darkness crept into his vision, trying to seal him into unconsciousness. _Not yet. Come on. Stay awake. I'm…_

"Proctor, call the match." He heard the boy scoff. "You're a failure."

 _I'm not done yet._ He shoved the darkness away and once more commanded his body to stand again. No, he refused to lose here. To lose meant confirming Neji's belief in the world. The only way forward…the only way to open his eyes was _through_ him.

Naruto grabbed at his left side, legs trembling beneath him and mouth sucking in air to fight against unconsciousness.

"Wait, don't you dare walk away from me. I don't quit and I don't go back on my word, that's my nindo, my ninja way," Naruto said.

Neji just leveled him with a flat stare until finally he breathed out a condescending chuckle, sneering at him. "Heh, I've heard those words before. It ended the same way this will."

 _Now_ he remembered Hinata's stand against him.

"You and your stupid destiny!" Naruto growled.

This battle…It wasn't just about a promotion or his need to win to prove himself. This was a battle of their different ideals. Hard work against prodigious talent. Guts and willpower to change against unshakeable destiny.

No. He didn't just want to win; he outright refused to give up. No matter what it took he would win their personal war.

"Well if you really believe in this destiny crap, why aren't you the one walking away?! Cave into your destiny already if that's what you believe!"

Because he wasn't caving to it. Deep down, even if Neji didn't realize it, he was trying to rebel against his so-called destiny. That's why he was here. To prove a point to the Main Branch.

"You impudent little brat. Why waste my breath explaining it to you? We are all given a destiny at birth and it's pointless to fight against it." The boy's voice began to shake with volatile anger. "You don't know what it's like to be branded with a mark that sets you apart. A mark that can never be wiped away!"

A mark that branded him? A mark that could never be wiped away? No, he did understand that. He understood that better than anyone else here. He had been branded long ago and set apart from everyone ever since. People had stared at him like he was the monster he contained; they scorned him, bullied and shouted at him for something he never asked for. For a reason he hadn't understood.

All the tears he had shed, all the lonely nights wishing someone would just give him a chance or be nice to him, to treat him as a person instead of a monster. He still carried that pain with him today.

 _But I…_

"Oh yeah. I know what that's like," he spoke lowly. He met the gaze of the Byakugan wielder, then his lip quirked up in a smirk. "Well, who cares?"

 _But I still found someone._

Rage took over Neji's eyes. "You worthless little—"

"Man, you think you've got troubles? I've got news for you, Neji: You're not the only one branded around here." He breathed in a few quick breaths then hissed out a breath. "Tch, listen to you talk like you're the only one who knows suffering. Like you're the only one who has ever felt the pain of loss. Did you ever consider how much Mimi has suffered? She lost her parents too, you know. And stupid people treated her worse than you ever could because of where her father was from.

"And Hinata, did you ever think for a moment that she was suffering just as much as you are? She's your cousin, your own family, but you treat her as if she's the one responsible for your father's death. It's not her fault her father was born ahead of yours. But you still resent her for it. You disrespect her even when she is trying so hard to improve herself."

Naruto spat stringy blood onto the ground. "All she wanted was your respect, that's what she was fighting for even though it almost killed her. And what was that all about anyway? I thought it was your destiny to serve the Main Branch, not beat it to a bloody pulp! After all you said about how you can't fight your destiny, you don't really believe in it either, do you?!"

Much to his dismay, everything else he planned to say was disrupted by a few pained and bloody coughs.

The Hyūga simply smiled at his pain. "I have blocked all sixty-four of your chakra points. How are you planning to keep fighting if you can't use your chakra against me? It's fitting you sympathize with Hinata because you're about to share her same fate."

"Oh really? You think that Byakugan allows you to see everything, you know everyone's weakness, right?"

Neji activated his Byakugan, a predatory smile on his face. "That's right. But if you think you are the one who is going to prove me wrong, then come on."

"You got it. I already know your arrogance blinds you, and I've got my friend's wills backing me up. We're going to prove that you're wrong about a lot of things!" Naruto steadied his stance. _Yeah, easier said than done. Doesn't feel like I have any chakra at all. I haven't felt this wasted on energy since that time training with Pervy Sage._

A light bulb went off in his mind.

 _"You have two types of chakra, but to use it you have to use up all of one to access the other, thus increasing the total amount of chakra you can use,"_ the Pervy Sage's voice played through his mind.

 _That's it. I can use the Nine-Tailed Foxes chakra._ Naruto closed his eyes and began to focus in on the chakra. _All right you stinkin' fox. If you're there then lend me your strength!_

"Proctor, this has gone on long enough. I suggest you stop the match. If he is foolish enough to continue I will not be held responsible for what happens to him," Neji said.

The proctor blew air out his nose, unimpressed by the Hyūga's demanding attitude. "Fine."

Naruto chuckled as he felt his strength returning. _I'm not done yet!_ He brought his hands into Tiger as a focusing point to get the Nine-Tails chakra to rejuvenate his entire body.

"I told you it's pointless," Neji scoffed at his actions.

Neji obviously couldn't see it yet, but Naruto could feel it; the power of the second chakra he wielded surging through his chakra network. He let out a wordless yell of effort. _I can do it. I won't lose!_

" _I vow to win,"_ he had vowed on Hinata's blood.

"Why bother? You have no chakra to use."

 _I can do it!_

" _I…I've always quit when others told me I couldn't do something. But when you and Amaririsu cheered me on, I…I finally found the courage to stand up for myself. You two inspired me to do my very best, and because of that I've gotten a little stronger. Thank you."_

For Hinata…

 _"The loser beating the gifted genius through sheer will power; now would not that make for a more exciting match? Of course if you fight him, that is fine too."_

For Lee…

" _Pick yourself up, find the embers in your heart and reignite them! You're carrying our wills behind your fist, so get on your feet, make a fist and punch that arrogant jerk into next week!"_

For Mimi…

" _I believe in you Naruto. Always have and always will."_

And most of all, for Amari, he refused to lose here.

"Why fight a hopeless battle trying to defy your destiny?" Neji asked pointedly.

The chakra entered his system fully and rejuvenated strength to his entire body. Naruto snapped his eyes onto Neji. "Because people called me a failure. I'll prove them wrong."

* * *

Genma had been about to ask Naruto if he could continue, though he considered stalling to irritate the Hyūga kid for being demanding. And for spending more time trying to dissuade Naruto from fighting than actually engaging him in combat.

This was the Chūnin Exams, not a coffee break.

Anyway, as he was about to ask Naruto over his status, the air around the kid began to shift. The very air became warmer. His veteran senses picked up the shift of wind on the air; it slowly circled around the kid. Chakra. Powerful chakra began to irradiate off of him, and even Neji squinted as his eyes picked up what Genma already felt.

The chakra then gained form. Reddish-orange chakra exploded around him. The warm, sting of the angry chakra brushed against his face, causing him to squint as he watched it lash around wildly.

Genma grunted in shock. _That chakra…_ He examined the kid carefully and watched open wounds begin to heal on their own, faster than any wound could naturally. _No doubt about it. He's channeling the chakra of the Nine-Tailed Fox, but when did this kid learn to even harness that power?_

He was glad to not be a Sensory Type like Kurenai or Miyako, or even like Amari. At this close distance, the volatile chakra his limited senses picked up on would be extremely intense. Immobilizing for a rookie. Genma, worried, glanced up towards the waiting area to check on Amari. The only sign she could feel what he felt was the white-knuckled grip on the railing, but nothing more.

 _Stay strong, Amari. It's mandatory for you to keep from locking up when or if he ever uses this chakra in battle around you._

A sudden pulse of energy from the kid snapped Genma's eyes back to the combatants. His hand instinctively came up to protect his face from the dust kicked up by the massive output of chakra.

 _Heh_ , Genma smirked despite the vile chakra. _Looks like this kid isn't out of this yet._ The twisting and lashing chakra calmed steadily and formed a smaller chakra shroud around the kid. _Talk about turning things around at the last second. Neji didn't see this one coming._

Naruto's foot shifted imperceptibly to anyone who didn't possess years of battlefield experience or dōjutsu, and then he was gone.

The kid gloves were officially off.

He suddenly reappeared high in the air adjacent to Neji, the momentum of his speed and jump they never saw carrying him towards a nearby wall. The Hyūga turned to face him once his Byakugan vision caught him.

Shurikens hurtled through the air at Neji. The Hyūga boy used his Rotation again, the shield of chakra bouncing the handful of shurikens up into the air. As he slowed down, four of the seven shurikens dispelled into clones, each wielding two handfuls of shurikens.

"Take this!" they cheered.

The opportunity couldn't be more perfect. Neji's momentum worked against him here; as he slowed, he couldn't easily pick up speed again to unleash another Rotation. It left him vulnerable, unable to use his impenetrable shield in time to deflect the many shuriken spinning through the air towards him at different speeds.

Although it wasn't anything like Amari's Ultimate Defense in chakra toll, this incredible technique still required a demanding amount of chakra control and chakra to perform. No doubt Neji didn't want to overuse it, especially now that Naruto found his second wind.

Gracefully, Neji hopped away from his previous position, weaving in and out of the shurikens towards the falling clones to eliminate them with Gentle Fist. The Clones popped as he reached them, leaving Neji to skid to a stop and snap his attention back to the real Naruto, who had landed on the wall and launched right at Neji.

Neji equipped shuriken of his own and threw them at the boy. Mid-flight Naruto vanished in sheer speed, and as he did the three other shuriken—which surrounded Neji—dispelled to reveal more clones.

 _He's going all out._

The trio dashed in, their fists cocked back to pummel their opponent. Neji dispatched them with a Rotation, but as his momentum slowed down again the real Naruto reappeared next to him.

The punch that surely would have ended the match then and there narrowly passed by Neji as his reflexes dodged his face out of the way. Neji's eyes were wide; the sudden gust of air from the power of the technique, he felt it in every bone of his body. Naruto didn't disappear again; he equipped a kunai and spun back around to continue his aggressive assault.

Neji barely dodged the first swipe, unable to react fast enough to grab a blade and block in time. His opponent didn't give him any breathing room whatsoever, following after and slashing with the intent to win a war.

With this new ferocity, Naruto disabled Neji's Rotation completely—an intelligent and purposeful plan. Even though his slashes didn't find flesh, his renewed assault didn't give Neji the footing to performing a repelling Rotation to grant him space.

Neji planted his back foot and dodged the blade, and as it sailed wide he shot his palm forward to end the battle with a single strike. This time it wouldn't be so easy, though. He wasted his opportunity by talking to a stubborn kid who wouldn't give up even if it meant death.

Naruto's new speed came with increased reaction time. As the hand neared his heart, he slid back across the dirt, pushed back from his front foot to escape. Sliding on his heels, Naruto threw his kunai at his opponent. Neji mimicked the attack with his own kunai.

The blades met and disengaged one another, sending them spinning into the air back towards their original wielders. Naruto halted his slide and jumped into the air with zeal, snatching the blade as Neji did the same. Passing each other through the air, the distinct clang of two blades meeting echoed across the arena.

Now _this_ was a bit more entertaining than the previous speeches, in Genma's spectating opinion. The job wasn't going to be as dull as he thought.

The pair slid back on their heels away from one another, eyes never leaving their opponent. "Okay _you_ ," Naruto spoke up, a dangerous tone to his voice. "So I hear you like close combat, huh? Let's put that to the test!"

Naruto bolted in after Neji. His chakra surged again and tore the ground up as he ran, one particular step bursting a hole into the ground.

 _I should probably move._

Genma jumped back and out of the way onto the branch of a tree and braced his hand against the trunk. Whatever Naruto had in mind, it was going to be big.

"It may be the Hyūga way to cave into destiny, but it's not mine! If you think it's futile to fight, then don't! Just stand there and take it!" Blue chakra began to swirl around Neji as he started his motions for his Rotation. "I'll change the way of the Hyūga Clan!" Their blades met in the midst of the Rotation, combining the force of their chakras into a large, blinding shockwave. "After I become Hokage!"

The resulting explosion of their powerful chakra sent dust flying everywhere. Even in his tree Genma had to cover his face. The ground rumbled beneath him like a sudden earthquake had unleashed its havoc on the Leaf.

 _Yeah, definitely something big._

The dust settled and revealed two craters with no sign of either Genin anywhere. Genma jumped back down and observed the areas in astonishment. _Man, that's some chakra that kid's got to cause this. There's no way Neji could have…_

A hand shot out of the opposite crater he hadn't been looking at. Neji struggled to claw his way out of it, coughing up dust the entire time.

 _Or not…_

Despite pulling himself onto his feet, the way Neji staggered forward and heaved pained breaths revealed how severely injured the attack left him.

His appearance from there could only mean the crater full of smoke opposite of Neji contained Naruto. _No way he'll be able to fight much longer if Naruto is okay. Then again neither may be able to fight if Naruto received just as bad as Neji did._

The smoke surrounding the crater dissipated. Within it laid Naruto, unconscious. Genma kept his face neutral against a frown. _Damn. Looks like Neji's Rotation also takes the energy of his opponents chakra and turns it against them. Gotta hand it to you, kid, you did put up one hell of a fight regardless. Even if you didn't win, you have your head in the right place when it comes to your loyalty to your friends and comrades. You've got nothing to be ashamed of._

"Sorry," Neji panted, "but this is reality. You're a failure."

Genma rolled his eyes. _No wonder Kakashi has it out for this kid. Skilled as he is, he's not ready to be a_ _Chūnin with an attitude like that._

"This match is ove—"

The ground beneath Neji exploded up at him, and from within it an orange blur came.

To Neji, it wasn't just Naruto he saw burst forth from the ground like a demon out of hell. First he saw his opponent, his determined cerulean eyes and snarl of effort, but as his fist closed in on its target he faded. One by one, one after another as clear as the blue sky above him, Neji saw Hinata, Lee, Mimi and Amari take his place, their fists coming right for his jaw, and in the final moment Naruto returned.

Then Naruto's left fist slammed right under Neji's jaw, backed up by his own strength of will and the wills of his friends—as promised.

Neji spat up blood as he flew and slammed to the ground. Naruto didn't appear in any better shape when he landed on his two feet. One knee about buckled, blood dripped from open wounds on his hands and forehead, dripping down over his left eye. He breathed heavily, but he still stood on two feet in front of his opponent, who laid spread eagle on the ground.

"I-…can't move," Neji grounded out.

"That was…from me…and my friends to you, with interest," Naruto panted.

The Naruto clone in the crater popped. Beneath him was the same hole his foot created moments before. Genma smirked, amazed by the final gambit. _He used his clone as bait, and in the mess of everything he dug his way through that hole he created earlier to get beneath Neji_.

 _Even when he was getting pummeled he never stopped planning his next move. He never lost his faith in his ability to win, and Amari's and Mimi's pep talk rekindled any of the fire lost in him. Naruto knows instinctively that believing in yourself can give you the power to change your destiny, and how the wills of your closest friends provide strength in times of need. On top of that he's got one hell of a left hook._

Naruto staggered closer to his opponent, cerulean eyes unbreakable and unflinching in that burning determination he showed, but not unfriendly.

"I should have known you would use a Shadow Clone. It's your specialty, after all. I was careless," Neji tried to dismiss his loss.

Another reason he wouldn't be promoted.

"For the record, I failed the Graduation Exam three times, 'cause there was this one jutsu on the exam I could never get down no matter how many times I tried or how much Amari tried to help me. It was the one jutsu I just couldn't get a grasp on. My clones were pathetic. That's right, I flunked the Shadow Clone Jutsu every time.

"So don't come whining to me with this destiny stuff. And stop trying to tell me you can't change who you are. You can do it too, because unlike me you're not a failure. And finally there is one last thing you're wrong about."

Naruto took in a large inhale, his breath still escaping him. "I wanted to argue this earlier but you kept talking. Amari's secret we're meant to keep, she didn't steal it like it was some kind of trophy. There's a reason she has that scar on her face, and it isn't a happy story. She and her only friend Ryu were betrayed by someone they trusted and Ryu…He was fatally wounded and had one of his eyes stolen from him in that battle."

Naruto's voice lowered in solemnity. "That person left Amari for dead after cutting her left eye. But in those final moments of life Ryu had, he transplanted his final eye to her. It was a gift, you see. A gift to help her fulfill his dying wish."

"What wish?"

"To stop the person who stole his other eye and to see a better future for them. So don't go thinking she stole it for power or secrets or anything like that. If it was up to her, she'd give it back in a heartbeat and remain half blind if it meant she could hold Ryu in her arms one last time. But since she can't she's fighting hard to make him proud, to let him see through his own eye the future he didn't get to see in person, you know?"

Neji didn't answer.

"Amari's lost a whole lot. She lost her friends, she lost her real family. She…she carries a lot of pain within her heart. Mimi too. They may not act like it, they may smile and laugh still, but that's because they fought really hard to be able to smile and laugh again."

Naruto's blue eyes became like fire. "So stop calling them half-breeds. They're Mimi Inuzuka and Amaririsu Yūhi of the Leaf; they're our comrades and deserve your respect."

Genma smiled at the boy and raised his hand. _Well said, kid._ "The winner is: Naruto Uzumaki!"

The crowd came unglued for the kid no one believed had a fighting chance, unaware of the deeply personal matter just discussed.

Genma turned his gaze to Amari, who was beaming down at her friend.

 _Its bonds like yours that keep your allies strong and the Will of Fire alive in Konoha._

 _Reminds me of the old days, when Miyako was alive._

Naruto had been stunned by the adoration of the crowd at first, but the cheers and clapping led to him running around, cheering and laughing as he hopped up and down with the excitement of a child on a sugar rush. Genma shook his head, smirk in amusement. _Incredible. Even after that fight he still has the energy to run around. That kid has amazing stamina._

Seeing that Neji was still unable to move and brooding in defeat, Genma decided it was best to offer some words of advice. He closed his eyes and rolled his senbon around a little, seeking the correct words to get the kid back on the track of success as the medics arrived.

"Even a caged bird is smart enough and will be able to open its cage with its beak." He opened his eyes again to see the boy already on the cloth stretcher. "The dream of flying and breaking free, it's too great to resist. But this time you lost."

The medics took him away.

 _And next time you'll learn how to break free._

* * *

 _Review Response to Guest reviewer: Thank you for the review! I'm glad you're loving this story and hope you like the new update!_

 _Review response to Guest reviewer Mikan26: Thank you! I'm glad you're loving this story, and don't worry, there will be Sasuke POVs coming in the future._


	43. Chapter 42: Shikamaru's Tough Decision

Chapter 42

Shikamaru's Toughest Decision Yet: A Lazy Cloud Watcher or a Genius Tactician?

Naruto's match against Neji ended in an upset victory. Throughout the match the spectators watched from the edges of their seats, certain in their bets or assumptions on Neji's inevitable victory for the majority of the contest. When Naruto unleashed his second chakra the certainty vanished into thin air.

There were no guarantees anymore.

Those to bet on the Hyūga could only watch in mixed awe and horror as their chosen contender fell, the air leaving their lungs as if Naruto's solid punch landed square in their sternums. It came from a blindspot and deflated the fools to underestimate the Leaf's hyperactive knucklehead.

Although money may have been lost on bets, the fanfare behind Naruto's upset victory spread to practically everyone. In the end, an underdog victory and a dramatic finish was far more entertaining to the spectators than the assumed outcome.

Naruto rejoined the spectating booth, a grin stretching from ear to ear for his victory and his hard work paying off. He put a lot of extra work in along with Master Jiraiya's training to be fully prepared to take on Neji. Chakra control and the Summoning Jutsu weren't going to be enough to defeat him; he needed a few new tricks up his sleeve to go with his knowledge of the blindspot.

The congratulations he received from his fellow Leaf shinobi for his hard fought victory did catch him mildly off guard. The positive reaction from the crowd and now his peers couldn't be more abnormal to his life experiences over the years; it'd take time to get used to, if it kept happening anyways.

The nod of earned respect from Mimi turned grin when Amari hopped on his back for a sneak hug were the reactions that meant the most. They had been there in spirit with him to deliver that final blow, he really believed that. No, he didn't just believe it, he felt their presence behind his fist—they and Hinata and Lee were there with him to win that personal war of ideals.

Maybe together their wills were able to open Neji's eyes.

Naruto snickered and laughed as Amari refused to relinquish her grip, the giggles and warmth of his best friend keeping him from really fighting to remove her. Words weren't really ever shared between them in that moment, but this gesture, small as it might seem, said everything that needed to be said.

" _Thank you. I'm proud of you."_

None of the Leaf shinobi saw Gaara's intense glare searing into the pair.

Regardless, Naruto's victory could not be denied or scoffed at as just some fluke. No one could pretend he hadn't won against a genius and prodigy talent like Neji. He showed more cunning than he ever had; he used the Transformation Jutsu and Shadow Clone Jutsu in great coordination to combat Neji, and showed once again how powerful his willpower was by standing up again and again when his body wanted to quit.

The once dead last moved on to the next round. Not Neji, the prodigy. Not Kiba, who had been faster and physically stronger than him. Naruto was proceeding to the next round of the Exams after a great showing of his growth.

Who he would face next, however, was still yet to be decided. Would it be Gaara of the Sand? The crazed boy who claimed to carry a demon named Shukaku within him; the boy who threatened to kill them all. Or would it be Sasuke Uchiha? Known as the last Uchiha and yet another super talented Genin; the boy Naruto wanted to fight the most.

The answer hung in the air beneath a dense fog of uncertainty. Not because Sasuke and Gaara had yet to fight, but for one simple fact: Sasuke was nowhere to be found.

All the fanfare of Naruto's match died down to a light murmur of impatience and discontent. This was one of the matches everyone had been waiting for; the true test of dominance between the Sand and the Leaf. More bets were placed on this match than any other, with Mimi's and Amari's in a close second.

This match was paraded as a main attraction, the reason many of these shinobi and civilians traveled to see the Finals in the first place. Yet one participant had yet to show up. People were growing antsy. Perturbed that the Finals screeched to a complete halt. Concerned this match may be canceled.

Amari watched Genma carefully from the waiting area. He was joined by another man, a Leaf Shinobi she didn't recognize at all. From this distance it was impossible to hear what they were saying or judge their body language to discern any information. She was worried, though the match as a whole didn't play any part in it. Sure she wanted Sasuke to have his chance to shine, but that want didn't even ping on her radar at the moment.

 _Did Gaara target them again?_

A distinct possibility, but then why was he still alive? Kakashi wasn't some pushover. Even if Gaara was immensely powerful, she believed wholeheartedly that he didn't stand a chance against a seasoned veteran like her sensei.

Kakashi wouldn't let Sasuke miss this opportunity either. He should have made his late arrival already, giving a flippant excuse about traffic or black cats crossing their paths as he did.

So, where were they? Why weren't they here already? Didn't he remember how much of a worrier she was and how terrible she was at handling it? It made her ramble and overthink everything, and it could be really embarrassing when it became verbal. Safely in the confines of her mind it was like chasing her own tail in circles in a never ending cycle of questions she couldn't answer.

Was the place he took Sasuke to train really far away? Or had Orochimaru appeared again?

Amari's hand tightened around the railing. _Sensei, Sasuke…where are you two?_

The shinobi who joined Genma disappeared via the Body Flicker. Was the match being forfeited on Sasuke's behalf? Did they gain Intel on Kakashi's whereabouts or situation?

Could she do anything to help?

"Listen, everyone!" Genma raised his voice to be heard by the entire arena. "One of the competitors for the next match has not arrived yet. For this reason we're going to postpone the next match briefly and merely move onto the match that would have followed it."

Amari started moving an instant later. "I'll be right back guys. Don't worry, I'll be back to cheer Shino on in his match."

She left the alcove viewing area through the only entrance and exit it had, walking at a quickened pace across the dull grey concrete floor towards the nearby stairwell. Her right eye was set in determination on the plan she concocted. _I can't go searching for them myself, unfortunately_ , she hurried down the stairs towards guaranteed privacy. _But I can send out a search party to find them._

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she scanned the corridor for shinobis or civilians with her Byakugan activated. No one. Not a single soul anywhere in sight, and no one had followed after her.

The Uchiha bit her thumb hard enough to draw blood, wiped it across her right palm and moved through her handseals. "Summoning Jutsu," she whispered, pressing her right hand on the floor.

A small smoke cloud formed upon summoning. She pressed her thumb into her black shorts to staunch the bleeding and crouched down onto a knee. When the smoke dissipated it revealed Atsuko in her feathered glory.

Her beak opened to speak, but Amari was quicker. "Atsuko," she whispered sharply and brought her left index finger to her lips to indicate silence. She didn't want to tip off the Sand shinobis to her ability to summon the legendary Crows of the Leaf. It'd be like revealing a secret passageway into the Village to an enemy.

Her companion nodded. "What is it you need my friend?" she whispered.

"Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei haven't arrived yet. They've postponed his match, but there's no telling how long they have left to get here. Dosu and Shika's match isn't on the card anymore; Dosu didn't show up, so now Shika's facing Temari after Shino's fight."

The Sound shinobi's lack of arrival still pricked her thoughts with suspicion. There was something there, something she couldn't quite see through the dense fog obstructing her eyes. But she couldn't worry about that right now. First off was learning about Sasuke and Kakashi's situation, then Amari would consider Dosu's decision in detail.

"Hmm. So it was him then," Atsuko hummed, a troubled look taking over her feathered features.

Amari quirked her visible eyebrow up. "It was who then?"

"This Dosu of the Sound. He has not arrived because he met his end early in your month of training."

The news shocked the Nara like being struck by lightning. "He was…killed?" Amari's concern shot through the concrete ceiling and into the sky. "How? Who?"

What the hell was going on?

"My agents weren't able to identify the body as Dosu at the time of discovery, but I had assumptions it was one of the Sound shinobi. We found scraps of their grey snake pattern clothing among the carnage, stained by dried blood. The Leaf shinobi joining the investigation found a few pieces of metal, bent and broken beyond all recognition—the same condition his corpse was in," Atsuko explained.

"Kami…" Amari had to sit down. Her gut twisted into knots, her chest felt tight. She hadn't cared for Dosu in any way. Quite frankly, her aversion to killing was the only reason she let him live. But now…she pitied Dosu. Truly. More than she had Zaku. He may have tried to kill her, planned to let his comrade's torture her and Sasuke in front of Sakura, but to be mutilated beyond recognition?

No one deserved that.

However poor his fate was, it provided all the evidence she needed to point a finger at the correct suspect. There was only one person she knew with destructive power to make a corpse unrecognizable.

"Gaara. He killed Dosu?"

More questions surfaced. Why? What purpose did it serve? Just pure bloodlust to prove his existence or had he been antagonized?

Atsuko nodded gravely, her black eyes sharpening to reveal the dangerous foe beneath the friendly nature she exuded around Amari. "I fear yours and Kakashi's concerns regarding this Gaara's bloodlust and Suna sending an unstable shinobi into our home for malicious reasons are gaining foundation in reality."

Amari swallowed hard and tried not to show how truly nervous those words made her. Her fingers curled tightly into her shorts to keep her hands from shaking.

"If they did…This could be the beginning of a war."

"Indeed." Atsuko's honesty was appreciated and unnerving. "Your confirmation of Dosu's disappearance, as well as other information my agents have gathered, paints a terrible picture. I must ask you to stay alert at all times, Young Haya, given your proximity to this Gaara child."

"I will. Could you…could you send some crows to search for Kakashi-sensei and Sasuke? Unless you already know where they are, then can you tell Kakashi-sensei to get his butt moving for me? I'm…I'm not good with worrying."

The sooner these Exams were over, the sooner Gaara and Suna could leave.

…If they would leave.

"I will send agents to retrieve them," Atsuko said, nodding once. "There are other matters I must see to, preparations to be made and information to send my agents to locate, but when your match begins I will be present. You need but call my name and I will aid you." Atsuko smiled. "Otherwise I will be content to watch your performance, for I am sure it will be incredible."

"Thank you, Atsuko."

Atsuko disappeared in a poof of smoke.

Amari sat alone for a minute or two, inhaling deep, calming breaths.

 _This could be the beginning of a war._

She reached up to the pendent of her Clan symbols hiding beneath her shirt and held onto it.

 _What comes will come. No matter what, though, I won't be alone. I'll have my comrades to rely on and the wills of my family to back me up._

She hoped she was just worrying too much, but…

Amari stood up and returned to the waiting room, her pendent safely hidden beneath her tank top. To her surprise both Shikamaru and Temari were missing, gone without a trace of their presence ever being there in the first place. Mimi was muffling cackles behind her hand, on the verge of losing control from the look of it. Next to her, Naruto peered over the railing at…something. Shino stood rigid in the same spot as before, showing no sign of any outward emotion as always, yet she could sense the enormous waves of frustration irradiating off him.

"What did I miss?" Amari asked, moving to stand where she had sat before. She peered down over the railing. Below, lying flat on his back was Shikamaru, the top of his head facing the center of the battlefield and an incredibly irritated look on his face. Amari tilted her head at him and furrowed her brow. "Shika, what are you doing?"

"Thinking about how to kill Naruto without anyone knowing it was me," he grumbled barely loud enough for her to hear.

"Do your best, Shikamaru! Show her whose boss!" Naruto cheered.

"Argh, you idiot. I was—" Shikamaru cut himself off with a groan. "Why am I even bothering? I'd have a better conversation with this wall. Man, this is all such a drag."

Amari looked between her cousin and teammate a few times, even more confused than she had been before. "…I still don't get what happened."

"Shikamaru was conflicted over if he should go down and fight his opponent. Naruto, in his enthusiasm, pushed your cousin over the railing, thus making the choice for him," Shino answered his usual deep, almost monotone voice.

The tones may have been the same, but she could hear the frustration in the Aburame's words.

Amari turned to face Shino. "That explains Shika's irritation and Mimi's laughter, but I thought your match was next Shino? I was looking forward to cheering you on."

"It was, and I appreciate your desire to witness my match. I too had been looking forward to it, but Kankurō forfeited before it even began." His reply again was in his usual flat tone, yet the more she listened intently, the more she could hear the disappointment of losing a chance to show off his talents.

She decided to leave him be to brood. Meanwhile her onyx eye flicked over toward Kankurō in suspicion. _First Gaara kills Dosu, and now Kankurō forfeits his match?_

Kankurō never struck her as the type to forfeit any match. He carried himself with the same arrogance Temari did; the air of someone who believed he outclassed any and all who he encountered. When he was faced with Sasuke and Amari, he challenged them both to take him on without a shred of doubt in his abilities.

No, he hadn't shown up just to forfeit his match. If he didn't want to fight, he wouldn't have even come in the first place.

" _I fear yours and Kakashi's concerns regarding this Gaara's bloodlust and Suna sending an unstable shinobi into our home for malicious reasons are gaining foundation in reality."_

 _Something isn't right_ , she thought. _I'm getting a really bad feeling about all of this._

Amari returned her eye to Shikamaru. "Do your best, Shika."

He didn't acknowledge it either way. He didn't even bother to move a single muscle. Shikamaru removed his glare from Naruto to stare blankly at the sky above him, ignoring the crowd booing his lack of motivation as well as the paper balls, empty cans and banana peels they threw at him.

Amari leaned forward on the railing and waited. It's what her cousin was doing. The sudden advancement to his match hurt his chances of victory significantly. The greatest part of the placement of their matches had been the time it would take to get to them; the longer it took, the better the shadows would be.

Unfortunately for Shikamaru, Sasuke didn't show up and Kankurō forfeited his match. Now he was fighting on a battlefield he planned to have in his advantage, suddenly less advantageous than he planned it to be. Rather than rushing to get it over with, he was stalling. Letting time tick on second by second, minute by minute to increase his advantage on this battlefield.

Of course, this was all _if_ Shikamaru was strategizing. There was a high possibility he was simply deciding not to give the jerks throwing stuff at him the show they wanted. In his sandals, she couldn't really blame him.

On the chance Shikamaru did exert any energy for this fight he would have the opportunity to show off his genius intellect. Like her uncle, Shikamaru could one day become one of the higher-ups of the Village; a well-respected leader who helped shape the future of the Leaf. The problem Shikamaru had was he just wanted to settle for an average career and an average life.

Amari, however, couldn't bring herself to let him just coast all the time. This was a special opportunity. She wasn't about to let him waste it.

"Come on, lazy bones! Don't tell me you're going to let yourself lose to a _girl_!" Amari teased. She couldn't hear it, but she saw his lips twist into a scowl as he grunted in annoyance.

Not only did he have a match, but it was with a girl…again.

His pride wouldn't let him lose to a girl, because he knew he would never hear the end of it from his team or his cousin. Getting eliminated without trying would also get him in hot water with his mother, who would not stand for her son giving up without putting forth any effort.

Needless to say, Shikamaru was weighing his options. Was he going to be a lazy cloud watcher and deal with Asuma's and Ino's harping along with the wrath of his mother? Or would he apply himself just enough to avoid both, revealing some of that genius intellect he didn't allow anyone to see?

These thoughts, her tease and the fact his opponent was charging him despite the match not officially being started made it easy to figure out what he was going to do.

Temari leapt into the air with her fan hefted above her, ready to slam it into her lazy cousin. He grabbed two kunais without moving from his spot.

The Sand Ninja slammed her fan into the ground on landing, causing a huge plume of dust to form from the earth she shattered. When it cleared it revealed Shikamaru's new position. Her cousin had impaled his kunais into the wall shoulder distance apart from one another. He stood on them without a care in the world, hands in his pockets and the casual slouch to his posture.

"It really doesn't make a whole lot of difference to me if I become a Chūnin or not, but I guess maybe I shouldn't let myself be beaten by a girl," her cousin spoke confidently. "So, let's do it."

* * *

Despite Suna's meticulous planning and downright methodical setup, their plan hit the greatest roadblock of all: Sasuke Uchiha did not arrive on time.

His match against a fellow Sand shinobi was to be the catalyst to their foolishness; 'twas when the signal to launch into action was meant to be given. The entire operation hinged on the match happening, so it did not astonish Hikari when the match was merely delayed and not outright canceled.

The master puppeteer behind this plan wouldn't let the match be forfeited. His deceptive charade reached its crescendo. The climax of deceiving an entire Village into this madness was mere moments away. He could wait a little longer. A few more inconsequential matches could take place to keep them all entertained long enough for his plan to come to fruition.

Patience was his greatest virtue; 'twas all Hikari could say positively of the mastermind. Unfortunately for him, 'twas also hers. She had waited patiently for years to finally have this chance. A few more minutes mattered not to her.

It grieved her heart to allow this madness to create chaos, but what more could she do? She was a Suna native. Were she to approach any Leaf shinobi with her information, they were far more likely to arrest her and invade her mind—her last refuge of freedom—to extract information from her. Or perhaps they would ignore her as the fools of her own Village ignored her.

Who could say?

And if she acted too quickly, assaulting Sand shinobi to prevent the entire event from occurring, she would fight a battle of one against an army, wasting energy inanely on minor threats while the greatest threat unleashed a demon on Konoha.

Her preemptive strike could even launch the entire operation earlier than planned and attract Leaf shinobi to her battle, at which point she would be caught between two separate armies. Suna would attack her as a traitor; Konoha would attack her as a Sand shinobi.

Her kekkei genkais grated her immense power, Hikari could never deny that; how could she when Suna made it so abundantly clear she was _their_ weapon?

 _Tch, I refuse to be their weapon._

But she had limits. Battling one army would end in her death. Battling two would be a slaughter.

The deaths of innocent lives were inevitable for both Suna and Konoha. She could not save everyone. She did not possess the power of a god to decide who lived and who died, or the power to stop this lunacy from beginning.

It had already begun.

'Twas only in her power to stop the unleashing of Suna's trump card. To prevent it could and would end Suna's operation in catastrophic failure, thus sparing the most lives possible on both sides.

By preventing the trump card she could protect the fading ember she clutched close to her heart, and the warm light of Konoha she met. Those were the lights she wanted to protect most, the precious lights she would sacrifice herself for if it proved necessary.

So, she waited. Alone, Hikari sat within range of the stadium but not within; far too much noise. Too much blinding chaos to hinder her mobility and sense of direction.

Soon the time would come to counteract Suna's plan.

Soon chaos would sprout from the seeds of madness and tangle all of the Leaf Village within it.

* * *

"I'm impressed Shikamaru is trying so hard," Kurenai said. "I don't think I've ever seen him exert this much energy before."

Asuma hummed in acknowledgement, but not agreement.

Not to say Shikamaru wasn't trying. He was. His student was actually putting forth a damn good effort against his long-range attack style opponent. Even when he was waiting safely within the shadows of the trees, hiding from Temari's massive Wind Style jutsus, Shikamaru was still planning every move he needed to win.

The best example of that came when he extended his shadow as far and as thin as it could, stopping right at Temari's feet, only after launching a parachute of his jacket and headband tied to a kunai. He measured the distance perfectly and got Temari right where he wanted her to believe she was safe, and then the shadow created by his parachute appeared on the edge of his Shadow Possession. The new shadow allowed Shikamaru the ability to extend his shadow even further past its original limits.

The only brick wall his student was hitting was Temari's intelligence. Just like him, she was a tactician too. Every move they made was thought out to the tiniest detail. The winner here would be decided by who could think that one extra step ahead.

"Before the preliminary's I'd have agreed with you. If there is one thing Shikamaru has been since I've known him, it's lazy. He'd rather spend all day watching clouds than do any real work, or that's how he was before…" Asuma trailed off.

 _Before that fight. Before he saw how far ahead she had gotten._

He noticed Kurenai's head turn to look at him in the corner of his eye. He didn't meet her red eyes this time, far more focused on the methodical battle taking place below. "What do you mean? What's changed?"

"Shikamaru is still lazy, and he still likes to complain about how much of a drag everything is. He's got some serious growing up to do in the coming years."

All the kids did, each in their own ways. But then, so had he when he was still their age, and even older. It took leaving the Village to become one of the Guardian Shinobi Twelve to teach him a lot of hard lessons his old man tried to get him to understand.

"But this last month of training, he put in more effort than I've ever seen from him. He even asked for me and Chōji to be as hard on him as possible," Asuma said.

"Shikamaru asked for that?" Kurenai asked, astonished.

"Heh, yeah, and he complained about it every day," Asuma smiled. "But that kid kept coming back for more. Even when he complained, he never stopped thinking of what went wrong or how to improve himself."

And he was proud of his student's dedication.

"It was Amari's fight, wasn't it?"

Asuma nodded. He wasn't surprised she figured it out so quick. Kurenai wasn't a dense fool who needed to be spoon fed answers. She was smart. Plus she had been around Shikamaru ever since Amari came into her life, allowing her time to learn more about the boy, what drove him and how much of an influence his blue-haired cousin could have on him.

"When they all graduated," he began, "the gap between Amari and her classmates wasn't too much. Sasuke was pretty close. Shino and Kiba weren't too far behind either in specific areas. But in the short time since graduating, Amari has taken leaps while Shikamaru dragged his feet."

" _I remember how she was when I first met her. How you found her,"_ he recalled Shikamaru's words. _"She was so small and meek. A passing breeze could have knocked her over, and she shrank away from confrontation at every turn. But now… She's on an entirely different level. Stronger, fiercer, confident and unafraid of anything._

" _She hasn't stopped growing. She isn't content with being good enough. Good enough isn't her best, and even her best doesn't always cut it for that troublesome girl."_

" _That's never really bugged you before, Shikamaru."_

" _Because I hadn't ever seen what she has to face firsthand, not really. We've been on missions, sure, but me, Chōji and Ino have played support roles. And to be honest, you do most of the heavy lifting for us. Ino hasn't gotten her head in the right place yet, and Chōji struggles to see how powerful he really is and could be. And I'm lazy."_

 _Asuma wasn't able to counter his precise argument._

" _We've been taking it easy, nurturing our growth at a steady pace because we've had the privilege. 'Risu hasn't. Not since the day you guys found her. Those eyes, losing her friends, it's forced her onto a path where she has had to grow up a lot faster than all of us._

" _I never even realized why you all always shadowed her so closely. I didn't see you guys were protecting her and teaching her to be able to protect herself. And it hasn't gotten any easier for her since joining Team Seven. None of them have had the privilege to grow at an average pace. Their first real mission pitted them against that Zabuza guy and Haku kid."_

 _Shikamaru shut his eyes briefly and shook his head. "And it's only getting more intense as time goes on. Now they've got Orochimaru targeting them. Before the Forest of Death and the preliminary's I thought one day she'd get to slow down, but after what they went through in there and the secrets we all learned, I don't think they'll ever get to slow down."_

" _Shikamaru…Amari's going to have to fight for a long time," he said at length. "As time goes on, the more battles she encounters, it's going to eventually get out that she's an Uchiha and in possession of at least the Sharingan. Maybe even the Byakugan too. She's preparing for that day so she won't need us to defend her."_

" _I know. Or I know now, I didn't before. I thought she was just being a troublesome workaholic."_

" _Well, she is that," Asuma chuckled._

" _The thing is Team Seven is following her on that path. Sakura found herself in the Forest of Death and knows what she has to do now. Sasuke has been right behind 'Risu since she came into her own, and Naruto has been chasing them both. He's starting to catch up too. I can already tell they're going to have a big influence on the Leaf in the future."_

 _Asuma didn't say anything. Too surprised by his student's statement of a feeling he too felt._

 _Shikamaru sighed. "It's a real pain, but if we all keep taking it easy, none of us will ever be of any help to them. That's why I need you to train me harder than usual. My main purpose may be support and tactics in the future, but I can't keep dragging my feet all the time. I need to be ready to face enemies on 'Risu's level and above, and I need to be able to think and move faster. Being too slow will get good people killed."_

" _All right. If that's what you've decided then I'll push you to your limits."_

" _It's going to be such a drag, but thanks Asuma-sensei."_

" _Heh, you won't be thanking me after I'm through with you. Come on, let's go get Chōji then we can begin."_

It had been a hard month for Shikamaru, but he, Chōji and Ino were starting to find their footing. It was a good sign that the new generation were finally starting to bloom.

"Shikamaru still has some ways to go when it comes to being motivated, but he's starting to understand the importance of sharpening his skills as finely as he can. A blunt blade doesn't help anyone except your enemy."

Asuma watched as Shikamaru's multiple shadow tendrils chased after his opponent. Just a month ago to stretch his shadow so thin and into several tendrils more than twice left him flat on his back, sucking in oxygen the same way Chōji inhaled barbecue pork. Now he was using it with minimal issue, though the strain on his chakra was still an ever present problem.

A month of training wasn't enough to make him a master of his Shadow Techniques.

"Gotta say, though, even if he doesn't win this, I'm proud of how far he's come in a month," he beamed.

"Not betting against your student, are you?" Kurenai teased.

He chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest. "No, but I also know him too well. The fact he may have to face Amari or Mimi is a pretty big deterrent _not_ to win here."

Kurenai hummed, amused and pleased by his fear of her daughter. "No offense, but he wouldn't stand a chance against my little one."

"None taken."

Shikamaru needed more training before standing a chance against those two kunoichi.

* * *

Shikamaru's battle against Temari was similar to her match against Tenten; no one really made any headroom the entire match. It was a clinic displaying their strategic abilities and, in Temari's case, their quickness to get out of traps.

Shikamaru used every tactic he could, from a parachute made of his jacket and forehead protector to the simple act of stalling to lengthen his shadow as the sun shifted in the sky. Temari, on the other hand, measured the distance his shadow could reach and endeavored to stay beyond it at all times.

What started with the crowd booing and throwing trash at Shikamaru ended in a tense, edge of their seat battle full of anticipation. Who could outthink their opponent first? Who planned more moves ahead and used their specific techniques to their greatest potential?

Amari knew who would win the war. Temari showed intelligence, but she was also blinded by arrogance. It left her blind to the simplest rule all shinobi had to remember: Never lose sight of the physical layout of a battlefield and your position on it.

Temari already proved she could move quick on her toes, even when his shadow extended past the limits she thought it could go. But never once did she suspect the shadow attempting to latch onto her was a diversion. A way to herd her to the exact position Shikamaru needed her to be in to successfully ensnare her in his Shadow Possession.

She thought she was the one in control, the one plotting and planning further ahead than the Nara boy she faced. That was her first and final mistake.

Never underestimate a Nara.

"It took a while, but my Shadow Possession finally worked," Shikamaru declared, a triumphant smirk on his face.

Across from him Temari was crouched behind her fully extended fan, meant to shield her actions from his vision as she prepared to make her final move. Her body was frozen, paralyzed in place by the shadow connected to her heels. Against her will the hands she had been using to prepare a jutsu returned to her side as Shikamaru did the same.

The war had been won. No matter what the outcome of the battle was from here, Shikamaru's victory was absolute. In battle, or war, Shikamaru wouldn't be alone. He would be backed up by a team. Could be Chōji and Ino, could be a different squad put together. Didn't matter.

As soon as he captured Temari in his Shadow Possession, at a point where she had no backup plan or way to get out of it as Hisashi had done preemptively in Amari's preliminary fight, the others would finish the job.

That's what made the Shadow Possession such a dangerous technique in team scenarios. In one on one, it rooted the user in a single position; on the move it was harder to concentrate and extend in anything except a straight line. But when on a team, the moment you captured an enemy within the jutsu, it tended to be game over for the person caught.

It took Shikamaru time to set her up, but in the end his jutsu and his patience won over her aggressive arrogance.

"How the hell did he do that?!" Kankurō asked in surprised anger.

Amari hummed smugly. It felt good to knock them down several pegs. "Take note of where those holes on the battlefield are, Sand shinobi."

He growled at her smugness but didn't speak.

"Those are the holes Naruto used to take out Neji," Mimi examined. "They're connected all the way from the entrance to the hole he popped out of." She grinned. "Damn, I didn't even consider the shadows underground as weapons. The whole time that Slacker was making her dance to his tune. He distracted her with frontal attacks while sneaking in behind her for the finishing blow."

Mimi shot a vicious grin to the puppet user. "Heh, your sister thought she was _so_ clever. But look who's the piece of trash now, losing to the laziest person in the entire Leaf Village. How humiliating."

"Why you!" Kankurō stepped aggressively towards them.

The grin on Mimi's lips and the look in her eyes turned feral. "Oho, you wanna fight? Step closer, little boy, I'll tear you to shreds here and now," Mimi dared. Aoko barked and growled aggressively at the Sand shinobi.

Shino stepped beside her, hands in his pockets. "If it's a fight he wants, I'll take him. After all, he was meant to be _my_ opponent."

Amari and Naruto both turned away from the fight to stand behind Shino as backup he didn't necessarily need from Kankurō, but in case Gaara joined his older brother.

Gaara didn't even appear to notice the confrontation going on.

"Funny, you were so quick to forfeit when your match came up," Amari said. "Finally found your spark to fight? Maybe I should ask the proctor to reinstate your match."

Kankurō eyed the group dangerously but didn't step closer. "Tch, whatever. You Leaf shinobi aren't worth my time." He turned away and returned to his previous position.

"You're an embarrassment to your headband and Suna," Mimi taunted, getting the last word.

Tensions didn't simmer down one bit. Everyone may have moved to watch the fight again, but the dividing line between Leaf shinobi and Sand shinobi was becoming finer. Their shinobi villages were aligned by a treaty, meant to be allies, yet Amari could feel the change in the air.

For allies, there was distinct hatred between them.

Something was coming. A conclusion her analytical mind reached after her talk with Atsuko that battled against the optimism of her heart.

Shikamaru walked Temari into the center of the arena. They were face to face, and Temari had the intelligence to know how utterly caught she was. She didn't have the strength to break free of his jutsu. She was at his mercy; mercy, she believed, wouldn't be found, because shinobi showed no mercy. No emotions.

Shinobi were merely tools in her eyes. No different than a hammer to be used and discarded when time wore it down. Hammers didn't think for themselves. They didn't question what they were used to hammer. They didn't question the morality of what they were doing or why.

It was a belief Amari couldn't follow—a path she refused to follow. She wasn't a tool to be used and discarded. She wouldn't follow an order blindly if it meant abandoning her morals and her precious people. Even if it meant dishonor, she would always stay true to her nindo to keep from turning into the tool she could have become.

The entire stadium sat in stunned anticipation. It may not have been a slugfest or an explosive ninjutsu battle, but it didn't need to be. This was about two very intelligent shinobi, one of which had captured his enemy.

 _So Shika, are you no longer looking to be the average shinobi? Or have you finally reached the exertion level where you don't get harped at by Asuma-sensei and your mother?_

The blond bundle of energy pumped his fist into the air and let out a cheer. "Nice work, Shikamaru! You pulled off an upset!"

Shikamaru raised his hand into the air, eyes closing as he contemplated his next move.

 _Uh-huh. Pulled off an upset. Right._

"Lazy bones,"Amari muttered, rolling her eye.

"Ah to hell with it, I give up!" he announced.

The anticipated silence shifted into pure shock. Finally one spectator put the thoughts of the entire arena into two angry words. "He _what_?!"

People booed and shouted in anger while Shikamaru explained his reasoning to the proctor and his opponent. Reasons Amari knew without having to hear them.

"Wha- why- Amari!" Naruto spun to her in aggravation. "Why did he give up?!"

Reasons Naruto didn't quite grasp.

Amari just shook her head and rolled her eye, a smirk playing at her lips. "Besides being lazy and not wanting to get promoted?" She shrugged lazily. "Shika doesn't have my chakra reserves. He's improved a lot in a month, more than I thought he had. Those extra tendrils he used would have really caught me off guard.

"However, to get Temari into position required him to use up the majority of his chakra. He doesn't have enough to finish the match, or to face another opponent without extended rest. Plus, due to how the Shadow Possession works, if he were to fight again, his use of it will be slightly weaker if his fight is too soon. He's choosing the tactically wise decision, even if it is extremely lazy. Still, Temari lost. She may move onto the next round, but her defeat is absolute, and she's smart enough to know that."

The disappointment in her slouched posture made it obvious.

"Shikamaru won the war," Shino said. "His capture of Temari would mean her defeat in a real war or battle, because Shikamaru doesn't fight alone. Why? Because: He is meant to fight as support, not on the frontlines. Although the spectators do not appreciate the intelligence he showed or the wisdom of his decision, the shinobi among them as well as the Hokage will see it clearly."

"Gotta give the Slacker credit. He put up a damn good fight against a long range fighter, and he found a way to capture her for a team to then eliminate with only Shadow Possession, a few tricks and kunai. And he kept his title as the laziest person of the Leaf," Mimi chuckled.

As the boos died down, Shikamaru lifted his hands in a helpless shrug. "And if I did win here, I'd have to face Mimi or 'Risu in the next round, which would just be a total drag."

Genma didn't bother to hide his amused smirk. "The winner is, Temari!" he announced.

"Figured he'd give up. Still, I am proud of him for putting in as much energy as he did." Amari jumped up onto the railing. "But he's not escaping me, that lazy bones."

Amari Body Flickered from the railing down to her cousin, who was rolling his shoulder around to stretch it out. Temari stood nearby, stunned in silence by her victory and then the sudden appearance of Amari. The sight of her woke her up and brought a hard frown to her lips before she turned to leave briskly.

"At this rate you may actually work yourself to death, Shika," Amari teased.

He turned his head to see her crossing her arms over her chest and smiling at him. "I know. It was such a drag," he whined.

"Lazy." He smirked at her retort and began stretching out his back while she let her arms drop. "You overused your Shadow Possession to get her where you needed to. You could have tried more kunais and shurikens."

"Eh, didn't see much point if she was going to deflect them using her fan or send them back at me with a Wind Style jutsu. Still, if I had your chakra reserves I would have had her." He shrugged. "Oh well. Guess that means you'll have to beat her after you're done fighting Mimi."

She poked her cousin in the forehead and shook her head. "You are so lazy, Shika."

"And you work too hard, 'Risu," Shikamaru retorted.

Their peaceful conversation was interrupted by the shout of none other than Naruto. "Hey, I want to talk to you, you idiot!" he declared as he slowed down from a sprint.

"Who you calling an idiot, idiot," Shikamaru asked in return without breaking from his stretches.

"Why did you give up?! Are you really that lazy or are you just a big chicken?!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and sighed. "How does she deal with him?" he mumbled under his breath and stopped stretching his back. Amari giggled. "Hey it's over, so let's forget it. Okay?" he asked.

"No it's not okay! You had that match won—"

"Ah skip it, or are you forgetting that there is another match," Shikamaru interrupted the yelling blond.

Realization flickered on in his cerulean eyes. He turned to look at Amari, smiling widely. "Oh yeah, that's right!"

"Glad you remember I had a match, Naruto," Amari teased.

In response to her jest the boy gave a sheepish grin and laugh, hand reaching up to rub the back of his head. "Hehe, I guess I got super pumped by Shikamaru's match." He lowered his hand and clenched it into a triumphant fist, paired with a boisterous grin. "I can't wait to see what you and Mimi do, though! This is the match I've been wanting to see the most!"

"No pressure," she drawled, the smirk on her lips indicating the tease in her desert dry tone.

"All right you two," Genma approached the gathered trio, hands in pocket and senbon pointing towards the ground. "You're not the only ones excited to see the next match. Shikamaru." Her cousin perked up. Genma nodded once to the Nara. "You did good. Keep taking your training seriously, all right? It's the only way you're ever going to have the stamina for a longer battle."

Shikamaru hummed lowly in his chest and rubbed the back of his head. "I don't know about that. Sounds like a drag."

Genma chuckled. "You'll do what you know is best. Or Yoshino will make you."

"Yeah…" Shikamaru sighed in defeat. "Anyway, Naruto we should head out. No need to keep holding up this troublesome exam." He rested his hand on Amari's shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. "Good luck, 'Risu. I'd say do your best, but you always do."

"Thanks, Shika."

"Kick Mimi's butt, Amari, that way we can face each other in the finals!" Naruto exclaimed.

Amari gave a confident nod and smile.

Mimi hopped down at the beckoning from Genma and stood across from Amari. Her normally cheerful features were subdued, sober. Her blue eyes stared at Amari, not unkindly or without recognition of the comrade before her, but still unfocused. Amari knew why.

Temari was now guaranteed in the next round, just as she had been before the change in the tournament. The Inuzuka hadn't forgiven her for what she had done to Tenten; Amari doubted she ever would. Mimi wasn't the forgiving type when it came to her precious people.

Now Amari was standing between her and her chance at vengeance. But in that same desire was a great conflict, a conflict hidden within her eyes the Uchiha could see without dōjutsu.

It was a raging conflict of emotions; on one side was the dark need to extract vengeance, a bold claim of righteousness backed up behind it because the Sand shinobi's _hurt_ her friends. On the other side was the light in her endeavoring to rise above it, to not embark on this dark quest she wouldn't be able to turn back from so she could remain true to herself.

Amari wouldn't let her fight this battle alone.

"Don't look so serious, Mimi. I would hate for our match to be less than entertaining," Amari quipped lightly.

The faintest hint of a smirk tugged onto Mimi's face. "Any other circumstance I would be happy to hear that." Her lips shifted downwards. "But that Sand shinobi and I have unfinished business. I wish I could have fought you last, after I finished settling that debt, but I can't waste too much time or chakra on you now. Maybe next time."

Amari took in the response and shifted from light defense to offense. "Can't waste too much time or chakra on me, huh? Heh, you're underestimating me again. That ended so well for you and your entire team last time, wouldn't you say?" Mimi growled but Amari was quicker on the draw. "Focus on the enemy in front of you," she stated firmly, the jest gone from her voice. "You're fighting me now, not her. I'm your opponent, and if you don't take me seriously then you and Aoko are going to get hurt."

"Is that a threat?" Mimi dared.

"No," Amari shook her head, features and voice deadly, "it's a promise." Her friend grit her teeth, snarling deeply, and glared. "You think you're just going to walk right through me? Go ahead, try it. I dare you. I'll make you regret underestimating me for the rest of your life."

The Uchiha curled her right hand into a fist and shoved it out in front of her, mirroring her teammates own action against Neji. "Every minute of hard work, every drop of sweat, blood and every tear I've ever shed, the wills of my precious people, Ryu, my precious cousin and my parents are behind these fists of mine. You can punch me as hard as you like, you can hit a pressure point with chakra, you can even poison me, but you'll never defeat me with a weak purpose like vengeance guiding you."

"Is that so?"

Aoko hopped off Mimi's shoulder then leapt up and bit her hand. "Gah! Aoko, what the hell?!" Her ninken let go and started to growl and bark at her partner.

Amari saw an opening. "Even Aoko knows I'm right. Right now, your will, your purpose to defeat me, it's too weak. It's too thickheaded and unfocused. It's not who Mimi Inuzuka is at her core. It's not the you I wanted to fight most."

The conflict in Mimi's eyes grew as Aoko continued to growl and bark at her. The Inuzuka's body began to tremble in pent up anger. "Damn it, stop! Both of you! I have to- Those bastards. They—"

"Forget them!" Amari shouted, swiping her arm through the air. "They're stealing away everything you've worked so hard for! All those people who scorned you, all those days you suffered because so-called society couldn't see beyond your heritage, it's not them who became the strongest Genin I know! It's not them who fought day in and day out to move forward out of the darkness to find happiness again! _You_ did!"

Mimi made a startled sound at the passion behind Amari's voice.

"Those Sand shinobi, they may have hurt Lee and Tenten, but you're letting them kill the real you! And it's so damn frustrating!" Both hands tightened into fists, her nails digging into her palms. She couldn't help but feel so strongly about this. Mimi understood better than anyone what being a half-breed was like. She knew what it was like to lose the people she loved most.

Most of all, she knew what it was like to fight to get her happiness back.

Amari wouldn't let the Sand shinobi take that away from her.

"All the wills behind my fist, the blood, the tears, the sweat; you have that same strength behind yours! The loneliness you suffered, the pain you endured, the tears you shed in solitude; they helped you get stronger!" _They're what made me stronger._ "Your parents, your cousins, your aunt, your team, Aoko, all of their spirits are with you, but you've let those Sand shinobi blind you to their presence! You've let them become more important than your precious people!"

Mimi froze up, eyes wide as she tried to find _something_ to say.

"I'm not letting them take your happiness, Mimi. I refuse. You've fought too hard for it. So if I have to pummel you into the ground over and over again to get you to see the hands reaching out to you, I will."

Amari reached into her ninja pouch, pulled free a hairband and tied her hair back in the classic Nara fashion. She undid her forehead protector around her neck next and tied it around her forehead, pulling it down over her bandana covered left eye.

Mimi clearly understood the gravitas of Amari's action.

The acknowledgment of them being equals.

"Don't let them change who you are. They don't deserve that power over you." A kunoichi and friend she admired. "I'm going to go all-out, Mimi. So get ready, because I won't hold anything back!"

Aoko barked again at her partner then fell silent. Mimi shut her eyes and lowered her head, fingers curling into gloved fists. Finally she exhaled a deep breath, fingers relaxing as she did. She raised her head and snapped her eyes open. A grin formed on her lips. "You hear that, Aoko? Sounds like we've got a fight on our hands." Her ninken gave a happy bark. "All right! Let's make this battle historic!"

That's exactly what Amari wanted to hear, even if it was troublesome.

Amari brought up the Seal of Confrontation. Mimi mirrored her and both shut their eyes.

 _This is it. Time to see who is the strongest between us._

"The next match is Amaririsu Yūhi and Mimi Inuzuka," Genma announced as they kept their eyes closed. "Since there are no questions, you two may begin when I say so." Amari took in a small inhale, feeling the breeze caress her face and dance through her ponytailed hair.

 _This is it._

"Begin!"

Both kunoichi's opened their eyes, one red one meeting two blue.

"Here I come, Mimi!" Amari shouted as she charged in, pulling out a single kunai.

"Let's do this, Amari!" the Inuzuka responded as she too charged, a kunai in hand.

The clang of metal was followed by a swirl of pure power and energy at the point of impact. Both kunoichi's and Aoko grinned in uncontained excitement.

The battle between the number one rookies had begun.


	44. Chapter 43: No Holding Back

Chapter 43

No Holding Back: Rivals in Battle, Friends for Life!

The swirl of energy formed at the collision of the two kunais recoiled and propelled the two kunoichis away from one another. Both bent down low to the ground, fingertips of their empty hands lightly caressing the soft blades of grass and rough earth beneath them, eyes intensely pinned on their opponent against the grins splitting their lips.

Mimi of the pair found traction first and darted back in like a bright comet zipping through the night sky. Amari skipped back gracefully instead of charging ahead, free hand reaching into her pouch and throwing three shuriken on precise paths. As the shurikens whirled through the air she planted her feet and Body Flickered, zigging and zagging at nearly untraceable speeds back to her opponent.

The Inuzuka blocked two of the shuriken then jumped and spun over the third. A quick flick of her wrist before her feet touched solid ground again sent her kunai on target for the Uchiha. Cold steel sought warm flesh; the fine point cut through the threads of air on its hunt—a hunt that ended in disappointment.

Amari turned her upper body to dodge the blade without stopping her forward movement. Mimi landed—a new blade already equipped—and pounced at the Nara.

Their blades clanged together, the sharp sound of metal on metal nearly piercing their ears. Orange, hot sparks flew from the point of impact while the recoil of their strength colliding rolled up their arms.

 _She's gotten stronger_ , Mimi noted, grinning.

They pushed each other away briefly then darted back in again. Once, twice, three and then for a fourth time they clashed, passing by one another at extreme speeds, skidding on grass and dirt as if it were ice before jolting back in for another blow.

All the spectators could see were the sparks of their blades upon every meeting, and then the two wild manes of untamed blue and dark-brown hair flowing in the wind in the brief moments before they zipped back in to attack. It enticed all to try not to blink too often, otherwise they risked missing a decisive blow.

Mimi rushed in after the Nara, blade slashing through the air in preparation of a solid block to the incoming blade. But as the strikes closed in, her sapphire eyes widened as they perceived Amari's sudden switch of attacks. Her opponent's blade spun deftly in her hand, the point of the blade no longer seeking to stab her, but pointing towards the ground as it came in an upward slash she couldn't counter.

 _And faster…_

Their kunais made contact with a sharp _clang!_ The improper block Mimi used and the strength behind Amari's strike sent her kunai sailing out of her hand and spinning through the air behind her. The hand previously wielding her kunai was pushed back to the limits of her shoulder mobility. Her guard had been utterly shattered, her center of balance thrown off into a stumble backwards with her body sitting wide open for a strike.

A bad situation that would have been even worse if she fought alone.

"Aoko!" she called out, arms already moving back towards her center to block any taijutsu attack as the muscles in her legs instinctively prepared to dodge.

Amari spun and pivoted on her toes like a dancer, and Mimi's eyes caught the glint of sunlight off a second kunai in her left hand. As she came out of the spin, her foot slammed against Mimi's forearms and sent her flying back. If Mimi hadn't seen Amari in front of her, she would have believed a horse, or at the least a pony, had kicked her.

Simultaneously, Aoko in her natural form flew down from the air wielding the kunai blade Mimi lost in her sharpened teeth.

In fluid motion Amari replanted the foot she used to kick, blocked the strike with her newly equipped blade and tossed the original straight up into the air behind her back. Aoko's momentum and gravity carried her through the strike past Amari towards the ground, but the Nara was quicker, snatching the ninken by the scruff of her neck, spinning low across the ground and tossing her directly at Mimi.

" _Mimi, catch the blade!"_ Aoko released the kunai into the air while twisting her body to prepare to land on her paws.

Mimi snatched the blade out of air as they passed by and continued ahead. As she neared, Amari caught her original blade and began to block and parry her strikes. Her features no longer bore a grin, though not out of lack of excitement. Amari's red eye, as with the rest of her features, were set in stone faced determination while also carrying a serene sense of calm despite the battle going on.

Perhaps it was _because_ she was in battle she hit this meditation level of calm. Or perhaps it was simply because this type of battle was her forte in comparison to Mimi's—a fact made obvious by how easily she turned defense into offense.

With every new exchange, with every narrow dodge of pinpointed stabs and flesh seeking slashes, Mimi realized she couldn't and wouldn't win this battle in a duel of blades. Amari practically danced across the battlefield, blades spinning in her hands to swiftly change direction of attack, block or type of attack without appearing to even have to think about it.

Aoko couldn't engage Amari to back her partner up. In her natural form her defensive abilities were extremely limited against these blades and Amari's quick reflexes. The Sharingan, and no doubt Byakugan too, made it impossible for her ninken to get the drop on her. Amari's footwork shifted in preparation of an attack from the sides or her back when she sensed Aoko change positions.

Her partner could see it too. It became clear she couldn't rightfully attack without endangering Mimi or herself, so she lingered back, whimpering for both her inability to attack and desire to join the thrill of the fight.

A thrill Mimi found herself steeped in.

 _This_ had been what she wanted ever since they first fought. This fierce battle where no one else could distract them from their fight. But that didn't mean she was going to fight to her opponents tune just for the fun of it. This was still a competition, and she planned to win.

"Hey Aoko, it's time we turn this up a notch, don't ya think?" the Inuzuka asked gleefully, a wild glint in her eyes.

 _"Far past time!"_ she responded with the same excitement.

Mimi focused in on Amari's footwork instead of the dangerous red eye. There were patterns. She had noticed it in in their first fight, her fight against Hisashi and here, but Amari concealed them incredibly well. Better than she had in their first fight.

 _Now!_

Hopping back, Mimi threw her kunai and started to weave handseals. _Tiger, Ox, Tiger, Rat._ Amari made short work of blocking her kunai, but she wasn't a fool. She saw the handseals, recognized what jutsu they were for and prepared. Nara's always watched and prepared instead of attacking without any thought.

Mimi's chest expanded as she molded her chakra to be like a fine blade.

 _Water Style: Water Bomb Jutsu!_

The stream of water she expelled wasn't a large waterfall spilling forth from her lips; it was slim and sharp and cut a horizontal line through the earth. Amari planted her front foot and jumped back, avoiding the cutting stream by a needles width. Mimi landed from her hop and listened intently for Aoko's paws padding hastily towards her.

She needed more time, which meant keeping Amari away. Mimi cut her continuous stream of water up the dirt to chase after her opponent in hopes of landing a blow, but mostly to keep her distracted. Amari hopped on her toes, dashed arcing paths and handspringed out of range of the attack.

 _We won't have much time, but…_

She disengaged the jutsu and moved onto all-fours, hands in Tiger. Aoko hopped onto her back, a wolfish grin on her face.

 _"I have not been so excited about a fight in a long time. Let's make this fun!"_

"Right! Man Beast Clone!" Her partner transformed into a carbon copy of the Inuzuka. "Now, Ninja Art of Beast Mimicry: All-Fours Jutsu!"

Red chakra enveloped her body and finished off the transformation to turn her features feral, elongate her nails and sharpen her teeth. Amari smiled victoriously at her, returning her kunai to her pouch and ninja tool box. She had been waiting for this, proving her dominance in their dance of blades to make the Inuzuka realize she couldn't keep holding back if she wanted to win.

"Let's see how fast ya really are. Let's go Aoko!"

"Don't think your transformation will make this easy. I've only been warming up!"

Mimi grinned wildly, her slit pupils and sapphire eyes teeming with exhilaration. "Then let the real battle begin!"

In an instant all three disappeared in sheer speed.

* * *

Genma felt his eyes bulge when Amari and Mimi vanished. _Where did they— there!_

He turned to face the trails of the three but found only the dust they kicked up. Gone. They were already gone. His eyes darted around in search of the trio. _Things heated up faster than I expected._

All around him he could hear their sandals scampering across the ground, he could hear the sound of rapid fire punches being blocked, air whistling as kicks were dodged, but every time he turned he only found the dust of their recent encounter.

 _These two…_ Genma's teeth tightened around his senbon. _They're really going all out._

He had known Amari and Mimi were speedsters, but he hadn't imagined they were _this_ fast. _All that morning training with the weighted seals has really paid off for Amari._

Another flurry of attacks echoed on his opposite side; this time the Jōnin was able to get a glimpse of the three.

Amari was back handspringing away from her two opponents, her feet nearly cracking them both under their jaws. The Inuzuka duo leaned back just enough to save their jaws then pounced, their clawing strikes and solid, straightforward taijutsu attacks coming one after another in perfect synchronization, putting Amari on defensive offense.

She blocked a combination of five strikes—two punches, a kick then two more quick punches—from Mimi, but Aoko darted in immediately after, her claws seeking to tear away any skin it could touch. The attack opened up the opportunity for Mimi to recover without a counterattack while Amari herself had to shift her original attack back to a defensive maneuver.

The sharpened nails neared her face, mere inches from cutting through her fragile flesh to draw first blood of this fight, but they found only air. Amari appeared to teleport, reappearing behind the Inuzuka duo in a low crouch. The very edge of the shadow casted by the walls of the arena rested beneath her feet and her hands firmly formed the Rat handseal.

Two Shadow tendrils shot forward and moved to ensnare her opponents.

Mimi spun around, blue eyes darting to the ground to read the movements of the shadows as she hopped away with her partner. The shadows didn't relent in their pursuit. They thinned, separated into multi-tendrils at their ends, appearing like an intricate set of roots for a plant that had enough of humans tearing them out of the ground.

Genma watched earnestly, prepared to see this battle reach a conclusion faster than he expected as the Inuzuka duo struggled to avoid the shadows. Mimi grabbed a kunai from her pouch mid-jump and threw it at her opponent, missing the direct hit as it sailed over her shoulder and pierced into the ground behind her.

Amari and Genma noticed the paper bomb attached to it before it landed.

The explosion went off an instant after it landed, drawing shocked gasps out of almost the entire crowd of spectators when the smoke obscured Amari's fate. All anyone saw was the explosion and sudden disappearance of her Shadows. Genma, as well as the more seasoned shinobi among the stadium, sensed the situation far better.

The explosions smoke and hot dirt rained onto the ground, lasting but a moment, and when the wind carried it clear everyone was able to see the charred and splintered log replacing Amari.

 _Substitution Jutsu. It's often a basic tactic even seasoned shinobi underestimate the usefulness of_ , Genma thought.

Amari appeared on Mimi's and Aoko's side, darting low along the ground with fierce features. The enhanced senses of the Inuzuka duo weren't fooled by the Substitution Jutsu; they followed her the entire way and were prepared for her next attack.

Aoko was set upon first by her fierce barrage of punches, but the transformed ninken found an opening and snatched the Nara's mesh covered arm beneath her claws. The initial instinctive reaction of Amari's was to pull her arm back and get away, but Aoko did not relinquish her tightening grip. She yanked her back in towards a hard fist from the front and an elbow Mimi planned to plant into her stomach.

Using her flexibility of mind and body, Amari used the new forward momentum and chakra released from her feet to propel herself up and over Aoko, above the powerful elbow that would have knocked more air out of her lungs than a jump scare ever could.

Amari corkscrewed over Aoko, landed then moved in, arm still held by the transformed ninken. She stepped up onto her thigh with one foot and used the other to kick Aoko beneath her jaw, causing the ninken's grip to loosen as she back flipped back onto her feet—free.

Free but not out of trouble. Mimi was already springing her next attack, spinning ferociously through the air over her stumbling partner and directly at the kunoichi. Amari dodged back, the drilling attack missing her by a strand of hair. Dust and dirt exploded outward from the attack as Amari hopped back and reached into her ninja pouch.

 _Mimi's and Aoko's synchronized assault, strength and speed are preventing Amari from landing any serious blows._ His eyes glanced to the shredded mesh and the trails of blood gliding down her left hand. _She may have landed that kick, but Mimi and Aoko drew first blood._

Genma changed positions to ensure his own safety and to stay out of the way of these two battling kunoichi.

Mimi and Aoko charged out of the dust on all-fours, weaving in and out in a double helix fashion. Amari tossed a kunai at the pair, the paper bomb tied on the end flickering in the wind. Genma furrowed his brow in recognition of the fūinjutsu.

Mimi bolted faster across the ground, jumping up, snatching the blade by the hilt and throwing it right back at her opponent, who continued to retreat towards the concrete wall bathed in sunlight. Everyone expected the paper bomb to catch fire and explode, but it continued to fly unbothered through the air.

Amari hopped up and back onto the wall then released the chakra from her feet, shooting through the air, snatching the kunai and zipping past Mimi and Aoko like a bullet. As she hurtled through the air, she corkscrewed and threw the kunai back at the pair, landing and gliding effortlessly along the grass, hands in Snake.

 _Remote detonation paper bombs._

The blade was almost upon Mimi and Aoko, the former clearly recognizing her opponent's intention. Her hands quickly weaved handseals before her chest expanded. She expelled a large stream of water at the ground, which shot upwards to form her Water Style: Water Wall at denseness Genma dipped his head in appreciation of.

 _Not easy to make that much water without a source, especially for a Genin._

The kunai ended up trapped within the upwards stream, but even then the explosion rocked the entire stadium. Mimi and Aoko, however, managed to retreat out of the blast range, yet both had to raise their hands in front of their faces as the heat of the explosion rushed past them.

Two Shadow Clones popped into existence.

 _These two, they're fighting on a different level than the others._ Every attack moved seamlessly, both kunoichi adapting to the changing circumstances at moments notices. Genma's features became serious. _I've got to keep an eye on these three. If they're going to fight at full battle intensity, I have to be prepared to stop this match at a moment's notice to prevent a permanent injury._

He glanced between the two. _Mimi and Amari aren't fighting for Chūnin, even if they're battling at that level. They're fighting to prove who the strongest between them is._

 _They're not fighting like kids. They're fighting as shinobi._

That was an important difference. A dangerous one. Neither would hold back, neither would lower their intensity until the battle finished. Neither would stop pushing themselves and their opponent to their limits until one couldn't stand up anymore.

This crowd didn't exist right now to these kids. They didn't even acknowledge the existence of the crowd who watched them from the edge of their seats. Those three probably didn't even remember he was here. Right now it was just Mimi, Aoko and Amari.

Exactly how they wanted it.

* * *

Mimi's enhanced senses were living up to Amari's expectations. Even at her top speed her opponent was not only able to track her, but keep up without the slightest problem. _This was never going to be easy, but these two are even tougher than I thought they'd be_.

 _Perfect._

Amari wanted them to be tough; it meant she had to work even harder to win here. An easy victory would be hollow, empty of all meaning. No different than being underestimated in their first fight. _She's definitely taking me seriously this time._

Her best chance to deal significant damage was getting Aoko and Mimi away from one another. Together they worked like clockwork, hardly communicating as they overwhelmed her through aggressive offense and numbers. They wouldn't be easy alone either, but she could at the least neutralize their number advantage against her long enough to deal a real blow to Mimi.

Light rain fell on a small portion of the battlefield from the remnants of the Water Wall. Amari's clones didn't waste time charging back in, and neither did her opponents. The two clones Body Flickered in half circles to form a pincer attack, appearing momentarily on the Inuzuka duo's sides before darting in again for a high kick and sliding kick.

The attacks were blocked relatively easily, but Amari knew they would be. They were just the distraction for her to weave her handseals.

 _Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!_

The Uchiha unleashed a barrage of fireballs centered on the duo. Her clones kicked themselves free and dodged away, as she expected Mimi and Aoko to do in separate directions.

They did not dodge.

"Aoko, get ready to move!"

Mimi reached into her pouch and pulled out a scroll, unrolling it in one move so it floated in the air facing the fireballs. Amari's eyes widened at the fūinjutsu staring back at her. It wasn't just one seal, or two. Ten seals were inked on the long scroll, all marked by the kanji for Water.

 _You've got to be kidding!_

Water exploded out of the seals in a dense tidal wave. A giant wall of water that swallowed her Phoenix Flower Jutsu whole and blasted across the battlefield with no end in sight. Amari fell into a retreat, stepping up onto the newly formed water with chakra, sandals and ankles already wet as an entire river apparently opened up from the scrolls.

Beyond the wall of water, she could sense Mimi's grin as she spoke again. "You should get to higher ground." Another scroll opened up, longer than the first that still spilled forth water, and carrying more seals on it. "Things are about to get wet!"

An even larger tidal wave of water poured from the scroll. If the first had been a river of water, this one was a continuous waterfall that continued to pour and pour and pour raging waves that had been contained for far too long over the entire battlefield.

Her clones hadn't been prepared for the next wave, consumed by the torrents of water and disappearing beneath the sudden lake beginning to fill the enclosed bowl stadium they were in.

Amari jumped up onto the closest wall and handspringed her way to a height out of reach of the water. Her Byakugan caught sight of the Inuzuka duo appearing behind her. _Damn!_ This had _not_ gone according to plan. She spun around quickly to block a solid punch followed by two kicks she dodged while retreating back down the wall towards the water.

Towards where Mimi wanted her to be.

"Where did you get all this water?!" Amari demanded, a punch passing over her shoulder.

The water was half way up the trees and still rising.

"Different parts of the village!"

"You better put it back after this!"

"Yeah yeah! Come on, show me the true extent of your strength!"

 _What a drag!_

Amari blocked a hard kick and let it send her flying off the wall back towards the water. She flipped out of it to land on the surface of the water, where she once more had to dodge backwards to avoid a pouncing strike from Aoko. She then ducked under a swiping strike from Mimi. Bracing the weight of her body onto her hands, she kicked both feet into her opponent's gut, simultaneously pushing her away while using the force to flip her back onto her hands and toes to scramble across the surface out of the way of another strike from Aoko.

 _Grr, I'm not going to get anywhere if I have to keep retreating!_ Amari slid back on the surface of the water then planted her back foot. _Not one more step back_ , she declared, crimson eye hardening. _From here on out, I'm the one who's going to push_ _ **you**_ _!_

Mimi and Aoko reached her at the same time, and though neither looked her in the eye, they could sense the new determination. Of the pair, Aoko jumped into the air to strike from above while Mimi sped in on all-fours to go low.

One of Amari's clones burst out of the water in front of her, propelled off the back of the second clone through chakra. "Now you're mine!" she cried as she tackled Aoko out of the air, shocking Mimi for a brief moment. That fraction of a second was all Amari needed to react faster.

"Don't lose focus on the opponent in front of you!"

Amari dipped half of her back foot into the water, kicking it through the cool lake to splash up into Mimi's face, temporarily blinding her. She didn't waste the opportunity to finally push offense while her clone began to fight Aoko, staying between her and her partner.

A solid punch struck Mimi in the face, stunning her and making her stumble back and away from her opponent. Amari stayed on her, punching and kicking fast and hard blows at her gut and face; some landed, others were blocked as her opponent regained her senses and started to counterattack.

She jumped over a sweep kick, skipping back two steps to the line she marked on the water and stopping again. No more retreating. No more running. She could take being hit, and for every hit Mimi landed she would land one twice as hard!

A flurry of punches came from Mimi, but Amari blocked them all and kicked when an opening presented itself. The Inuzuka blocked the kick and slid back on the water. Amari dashed after her, jumping and spinning through the air to kick her opponent. Her opponent ducked under the kick, but as her foot touched the surfaced of the water she continued to spin, bringing her leg around again to connect against Mimi's forearms.

Again she slid back. A wild look in her slit pupils took over as she grinned.

Amari followed again, but this time Mimi wouldn't be able to block her attack; that wasn't a prediction, it was a guarantee.

The second clone resurfaced, snatching the Inuzuka's leg and tugging the foot beneath the surface. "Hehe, I've got your foot!" she taunted in a sing-song voice.

Mimi grunted in shock, eyes snapping down to the clone pulling her into the water.

A mirror of their first encounter, only this time it wouldn't be Amari's hair to get wet or her to be caught in a Water Prison.

Instead of continuing to charge in to punch or kick her opponent, Amari hit her skids and weaved her handseals, inhaling a large breath on her disabled opponent.

 _Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!_

There wasn't time for a Water Wall or a Water Bomb Jutsu this time. This attack was coming at close range, at a fast speed too. Mimi did the only thing she could—she braced for impact.

The Fire Ball connected, exploding on the Inuzuka and dispelling her clone. Mimi's body skipped across the water surface like a thrown rock, flames lingering on her dark blue sweater. Amari Body Flickered after her. Mimi spun out of her helpless body surfing and fluidly unzipped her jacket, stripped it off, skating on her chakra to spin one-eighty and throw the burning sweater into Amari's field of view.

The Nara slid under the sweater, rising up with her right fist clenched and ready to strike. As her fist connected in an uppercut to Mimi's jaw, Mimi's fist connected in her stomach just as hard. Amari's eye bulged as she gasped in pain and in search of the oxygen knocked out of her lungs.

The pair started to stumble away, but Amari's hand latched onto Mimi's wrist, tugging her back in while winding up for another strike. Mimi, physically stronger than the Nara, halted her forward momentum completely and dodged her face down and out of the way of the punch.

Right into a knee that caught her beneath her chin.

She recoiled back, wrist released by her opponent, and stumbled on her heels to dodge the fierce strikes incoming on her. Their intense battled continued to rage on, hard blow after hard blow hitting them with the earth rattling force of thunder. Aoko brawled in the distance against the clone of Amari, struggling to find an opening to get rid of the clone and return to her partner to continue their two on one assault.

Mimi stepped back out of range of a punch, gloved hand snatching it by the wrist as the other gripped her shoulder, leg sweeping Amari's legs out from under her to dunk her face first into the water. While the cool water on her warm face did feel quite nice, Amari felt two intense feelings. First off, being drowned wasn't fun; it was quite frightening to realize her need to breathe in oxygen couldn't be ignored forever, and one single inhale would promptly fill her lungs with water.

Secondly, her hair was wet. No, it wasn't just wet; it was absolutely soaked from scalp to ends. The wild life of her hair was being murdered remorselessly, and now she was going to have to deal with dreaded knots when she got home.

This was personal.

Shutting her eyes and calming her heart against its beginnings of panic as the need to breathe became more and more essential to survival, the Nara focused in on the points of contact on her arm. She envisioned them in her mind's eye and honed in on the entire area, from finger tips to palms.

Blue chakra began to emanate from the points of contact, absorbing the fiery red chakra shrouded around her opponent into those exact points and replenishing the chakra she expended at a rapid rate. She felt Mimi's body tensed as she too realized exactly what was happening to her chakra. The Inuzuka released the arm as if it was made of fire and skated back out of range when her eyes caught the sight of the shadow about to snatch her.

Amari didn't wait to pull her head free from submergence, strands of her soaked ponytailed blue hair whipping back over her head to slap wetly against her dry tank top. One red eye honed in on her opponent's blue eyes—the first time their eyes had met since the beginning of the battle.

 _Sharingan!_

 _Demonic Dragon: Shadowed Death Jutsu!_

Mimi became stiff as a metal rod, sapphire eyes going wide. Her body nearly fell fully slack into the water, but she braced herself on a knee and hand as her breathing sharpened. Amari Body Flickered over to her. As she reappeared behind Mimi to kick her as hard as she could, she sensed her clone pop.

Her leg neared her target. Aoko sped towards her, but she wouldn't make it in time.

That's when Mimi ducked right under her attack. Amari felt her right eye bulge in shock. _How did she—_

A solid kick landed in her gut, hunching her forward directly into an uppercut and then…

"Leaf Hurricane!"

It hurt.

Amari skipped across the water momentarily then regained her footing, using the momentum gained to keep skipping back. Her right eye zeroed in on the Inuzuka, who crouched with her left hand glowing green over her right forearm. Bloody claw marks through her mesh sleeve marked her forearm while a trail of blood streaked down off her bottom lip.

 _She used pain to break the genjutsu._

Impressive. For Mimi to need to heal her arm in the middle of battle meant her claws did extensive damage to her arm in order to wake up when biting her lip hadn't been enough.

"Yeah, I know," Mimi said to her partner. "Heh, one moment and she capitalized on it. Just like she did against Lee." She dropped her hand from her arm and moved back onto all-fours. "Let's go, Aoko!"

The two took off to run half circles on both sides of Amari.

"Fang over Fang!"

The Inuzuka duo spun into ferocious tornadoes of claws and pain. Amari watched them carefully, noticing they were attacking from low and high to ensure she couldn't just jump over them. They wanted her to move forward or backward, likely into position for another attack.

 _I'll just have to deprive them of that plan!_

Amari judged the distance, the speed and the trajectory of their attacks with her dōjutsus until the very last moment, standing steadfast in her position. They reached her, and as they were about to shred her into pieces she jumped into the air, spinning and arcing her body into the tiny opening left between them.

Air brushed over her body as her eyes perceived their rotation in slow motion, claws narrowly missing their targets as she floated between the two drilling attacks. The moment passed like an hour. Her hand reached into her ninja pouch in the midst of the acrobatic dodge, and as soon as they were clear she finished her twirl, landing feet first and throwing both kunai where she knew they would land.

Mimi and Aoko came out of their Fang over Fang, landing on all-fours gracefully and gliding on the water surface. They both moved to dodge the blades with ease, but then they dispelled, revealing two clones of the Nara.

"Double Dynamic Entry!"

Their feet collided perfectly with her opponent's shocked faces.

Out of nowhere there was angered shout.

"Kaaaak **aaasshiiiiiii**!"

* * *

Somewhere else

* * *

Kakashi lifted his head in honest confusion. He felt strangely victorious about…something, and his nose itched in need of a sneeze. But he could have sworn he had just heard Guy shouting. At this distance, though? It couldn't have been his eternal rival…right?

He turned to Sasuke. "Did you hear that?"

The boy looked at him in genuine confusion. "Hear what?"

 _Why do I feel like I just won a round against Guy?_

Kakashi shook his head. "Never mind. Come on, we're almost there."

Sasuke just gave him an odd look but said nothing.

 _Probably just my imagination._

* * *

Back in the Arena

* * *

If the three fighters down below were at all baffled, amused or a combination of the two by Guy's shout, they didn't show it. The battle continued to rage on without the slightest hint of slowing down. Mimi and Aoko recovered and popped the clones through Guy's brand of taijutsu and darted back in at the original, spinning once more into Fang over Fang.

Kurenai watched from the edge of her seat, equally captivated by the performance of these two excellent kunoichi and mildly concerned. She didn't doubt Amari's abilities; her performance against Hisashi and here proved how far her daughter had come since first entering the Village. Yet…Kurenai was still her mother, and every blow Mimi landed made her wince as her heart tightened in her chest.

It had been the same against Hisashi, especially when the poison entered her system and those horrible cries of agony tore through her daughter's throat. Every close call, every time his blade neared her daughter in some way, her maternal instincts fought tooth and nail against her shinobi instincts.

Kurenai's muscles stiffened when a Fang over Fang grazed her daughter's back, tearing through the fabric of her tank top to the flesh beneath to open up a new wound. Amari, she could tell, winced from the blow, but she kept moving, kept dodging to avoid the aggressive assault while she waited patiently for a good opening.

No move could be repeated in this battle. Both kunoichi had to keep thinking ahead, looking for new openings they hadn't yet used or new techniques as their opponent adapted to their moves.

"What do you suppose Amari's thinking right now?" Asuma asked.

Kurenai hummed and smiled, glad for the distraction the question provided even if her red eyes refused to budge from the battle. "Honestly? I'd wager she's thinking about how much of a drag this fight is turning out to be."

Asuma chuckled deep in his chest. "Probably true." He leaned his elbows onto his knees, a more serious expression on his face as Amari got nicked again. Another minor injury, but one she didn't let stop her from firing back with a Fire Ball Barrage, blasting Aoko out of the air to plunge into the water and Mimi to lose her footing in an attempt to dodge.

Amari capitalized instantly, blasting small fireball after small fireball to keep her opponent off balance as she closed the distance between them. Mimi jumped up onto a nearby tree and then up and out of the way of another fireball onto the cement wall. Amari met her there, two kunais in her hands, no doubt a fierce look on her face.

Mimi pulled out a blade at the last moment to block one strike, but the second blade made it past her guard just as she tried to dodge back. The blade missed her stomach but cut through her mesh long sleeve across her right arm. Strike, strike, parry, dodge; the pair's strikes were still coming as fast as ever, their footwork carrying them up, down, in zig-zags and half circles along the cement wall.

"Look at those two go," one of the other Leaf shinobi awed from somewhere among the sea of people.

"Are these two really Genin?"

"This is what the Chūnin Exams is about!" another cheered.

Asuma chuckled again. "Despite knowing the match-ups, everyone here is still surprised by how tough and intelligent these two are. There's a reason they're known as the number one rookies of their years, not just of the kunoichis, but of all the shinobi in their class. This fierceness they've shown is exactly the kind of fierceness a shinobi needs to survive in battle."

"You sound impressed," Kurenai teased.

"I am," he agreed, nodding once. "Unlike Naruto's and Neji's battle, this fight isn't muddled by the personal vendetta Neji has against the Main Branch or Naruto's vendetta against Neji for what he said to Amari and what he did to Hinata in the preliminary rounds. And unlike Shikamaru and Temari's fight, this battle isn't one tactician against another in a methodical battle.

"This battle is like a war, a war to prove who the superior shinobi is in physical strength, intelligence and willpower. And it's far from over." Asuma sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. "No, they're nowhere near the final push yet. They may have wounds, but they're only hitting their stride. Out of all the rookie teams and Guy's, these two are different."

Kurenai watched as Mimi dodged two swipes then hopped back a step, throwing her kunai in what appeared to be an opening. Amari blocked the kunai with one of her blades, spun on her toes and tossed the other directly at her opponent. The blade passed her by, but then Mimi moved down onto all-fours as low as she could get. Aoko sped over her, spinning through the air, snatching the kunai then speeding up her ferocious spin up the vertical wall.

Amari slid down the wall on her back with chakra, the blade incorporated into the Fang over Fang cutting mere inches over her. Kurenai tensed again then sighed in relief when her daughter came out unscathed. Aoko halted her spin abruptly as Mimi charged in; the ninken threw the kunai at the blue-haired kunoichi.

Her daughter came out of the slide, pivoted one hundred and eight degrees on her right foot, snatched the kunai out of air then pushed off the wall, corkscrewing over her opponent. The blades again were thrown, impaling into the cement wall after missing Mimi by a narrow margin her enhanced sense of hearing and quick reflexes allowed her to dodge. Amari barely attached herself back to the wall, the toe of her sandal being all that stood between her and the water again.

 _This is where Amari wants her_ , Kurenai realized. _She's keeping her off the water, off what appears to be an unlimited supply of her Nature affinity._

"Different? How so?" Kurenai asked to Asuma without looking away from the battle.

"While I'll never discredit the hard work our students are putting into their training, the fact is Amari and Mimi have something their peers don't. It's not natural born talent or naturally acute enhanced senses. Those do help them significantly in battle, but they aren't what makes them different; those aren't the reason they stand out from their peers.

"What makes these two so unique is something far deeper. It's something entwined with their very spirits."

Amari blocked and evaded blows in a two on one assault, getting hit hard more than once but firing right back at the person who hit her with hard blows of her own. She sidestepped a claw from Aoko then jumped and twirled through the air to evade a strike from Mimi, kicking both her opponents in the midst of the acrobatic dodge before landing again.

Mimi responded by speeding in again, breaking her block with a hard kick of her own and then following it with an even harder kick to the face to send her daughter careening horizontally across the wall. Amari pressed a chakra covered hand to the wall, reattaching herself and flipping back onto her feet and then into a series of handsprings on the momentum given to her.

On the final handspring she kept her hands attached to the concrete, splitting her legs to block one strike from her front and kick Mimi, who attacked from behind. Amari danced on her hands, hopping over a sweep kick and reattaching herself immediately as she used her legs to block strikes and her hands to keep moving.

Mimi caught a leg, pulled her off the wall, over her head and slammed her back first into the wall again. Amari gasped in pain, but she didn't shut her eyes or stop thinking. Her hands moved into the Clone Seal and a single clone sprang forward out of a plume of smoke, leg swinging to take Mimi's head off.

The Inuzuka dodged under, lowering herself to the wall with Amari's leg still in her possession; Aoko acted fast, leapfrogging her partner to slash the clone into dispersion, but the clone had always been a distraction. Chakra emanated from Amari's hands and pressed against the wall. Then, using no small amount of core strength, Amari lifted her free leg up to kick Mimi into loosening her grip before throwing herself into another handspring, carrying Mimi along with her, feet crushing against the Inuzuka's ribs as she landed it.

Amari hopped free as her opponent gasped, Aoko hot on her trail and ready to continue the assault. Mimi snatched the wall with chakra and quickly returned to her feet to join the attack.

Kurenai swore she saw her grinning.

"What Amari and Mimi have, what sets them apart from their peers, is a crystal clear vision of who they were and who they want to become," Asuma continued. "Although Amari is as docile as a deer outside of combat, the moment you throw her into battle it becomes a war she has to win. And Mimi loves a good fight, especially when it challenges her to be better.

"No pain is too much for them to handle. No injury is as incapacitating as it would be to the others. Hit any of our students, Kakashi's or Guy's with that poison Amari endured and they'd have all given up or been forced to forfeit. The only two I believe could withstand it and still win are Amari and Mimi. Their passionate drive to succeed makes them outright refuse defeat—to refuse even death itself."

" _I refuse to lose!"_ Kurenai recalled Amari's determined shout to Hisashi.

"That's what makes them unique," Kurenai agreed, voice soft.

Asuma's hand found hers and held it gently. "Don't be so worried."

"Am I that obvious?" she asked, smiling weakly.

He grinned charmingly back. "If you know what to look for."

Kurenai squeezed his hand in gratitude and continued to watch the fight.

 _You can win this, little one. I believe in you._

* * *

 _And if I won I would have had to fight one of them?_ Shikamaru leaned over the railing to spy the match happening on the wall adjacent to him with his fellow Leaf shinobi. _Talk about a drag. I've never been so glad to forfeit before._

He had thought 'Risu's fight against Hisashi had been impressive, but it was like these two made a silent agreement to make this entire fight even more intense than that duel had been. This time no one was injured or low on chakra; they were both at full strength and going full blast without any signs of slowing down.

Not only had Mimi changed the entire battlefield to her favor by learning where they would fight and calculating how much water she'd need to do so, but 'Risu was using every skill she had, even Sharingan genjutsu. He didn't need to see it to know; no one in the stadium would be able to see her red eye at the speed these two moved at. He sure couldn't, but he recognized the signs from Zaku.

It was hard to forget.

 _And Mimi broke herself out of it._

These two weren't holding anything back. This fight was too important to them, and he could tell these troublesome girls were enjoying it. He saw Mimi's grin, seen his cousin smirk and grin at different moments along with that determined look she always wore when a fight tested her.

And he would have had to fight one of them? Sheesh, he almost felt bad for Temari. Whoever won here was going to give her hell. Sure she was smart, and her Wind Style was pretty damn strong, but she fought at a distance. Her taijutsu skills hadn't been displayed, but most long range fighters—him included—weren't nearly as proficient in it as close-ranged combatants. Then there was the fact these two—or three, he supposed—were untraceable to anyone who wasn't a veteran, a Sensor or had enhanced senses like the Inuzuka or Hyūga.

Her odds of winning were slim to non-existent. Not that he really cared. He expended his energy to give a damn.

"It would be a privilege to fight one of them at full power," Shino said without prompting.

"More like a real drag," Shikamaru whined. "Mimi and Aoko are even faster than Kiba; I'd even say they're faster than 'Risu by a slim margin. And their coordination and strength are incredible. Then there's her plan to change the entire stadium to suit her affinity, which was premeditated probably at the beginning of the month of training we had. She learned the battlefield she would fight on and used her time to prepare accordingly for the day of the fight.

"And then there's 'Risu. Troublesome girl is as agile as ever, mentally and physically. She's even faster than she was against Hisashi, and not only is her skill with kunai still superior to all of ours, she's gotten stronger too. I can feel every blow they land in my bones.

"They're both in top form today. Mimi's Water Style is damn powerful, even more than it was against Hironori. And 'Risu isn't being shy about setting people on fire or trying to blow them up. Troublesome girl, what if that had been me? I don't have that kind of agility to get out of my jacket. I don't even have a jacket on anymore. And I don't have ninjutsu to block paper bombs."

"As I said: It would be a privilege to fight one of them at full power," Shino restated.

This entire Exam was such a drag.

And he was feeling it again. The same feeling he felt when she fought Hisashi; the awe, the amazement, the acknowledgment he didn't stand a chance against shinobi of their skill. The realization he would need to train even harder if he wanted to be more than a burden to her when she found that Kasai kid.

 _Troublesome girl. Why do you have this effect on me? I hate working hard._

He wasn't the only one, he supposed. Shino's acknowledgement of their talents came from a similar place, though the Aburame definitely stood more of a chance than he did. His bugs were no joke.

And Naruto, the poor kid, he'd been almost completely silent since the battle really began. It was like he wanted to cheer them both on, but he couldn't because of how amazed he was by the difference of power between these two and himself.

Shikamaru felt for him, but he wasn't sure what to say to help. So he didn't say anything. Hollow words were worse than silence. Knowing the loudmouthed idiot, though, he'd use this battle as a reason to train even harder and get stronger when it finally finished. It wasn't like he wasn't strong, and he did show some intelligence for once in his fight against Neji, but they all had a ways to go to catch up to these two kunoichi.

Amari created space between her and the Inuzuka duo through a well-timed dodge and immediately crouched down on the wall, hands weaving two distinct handseals: Dragon and Rat. Her shadow, angled by the way the sun hit her, separated into two separate tendrils, both shaped as her unique Shadow Dragon technique.

One tendril arced around her back to speed after Mimi while the other shot ahead directly at Aoko. The duo hastily moved into a retreat down the wall, but closer together. Incidentally, that also moved them closer to the opposite tendrils. Much like the multi-tendril shadows she used earlier, a single new Shadow Dragon formed off of the tendril chasing Aoko and arced right for Mimi as the tendril chasing her retreated.

Shikamaru didn't need to see her face to see the shock. He could feel it on his own face as he watched the Shadow Dragon inch closer and closer. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. Both of Mimi's feet were off the wall, granted her right foot was about to touch again, but it was also the foot the tendril was shooting for.

Why, as Shino might ask? Because the shadow formed by her foot was going to aid in her capture.

Mimi disengaged the chakra to her feet in a last desperate attempt, but the way her hands darted in front of her to weave first her Water Clone Jutsu and then Water Bomb Jutsu handseals proved she knew it was futile. 'Risu worked her right into the position she wanted her in, distracting her with the frontal assault to open her up for the real attack.

Gravity took hold of Mimi, pulling her down as her foot missed the wall completely. Three Water Clones formed on the wall and darted up it at the Nara. They attacked from behind and her sides, but they did not hit his cousin. Three new Shadow Dragons shot from his cousin's shadow, wrapping around a leg, an arm and a neck and crushing them. The trio of Water Clones became nothing more than drops of rain on the Inuzuka.

But the distraction did not let her escape. The Shadow Dragon lifted off the wall, lurched forward and wrapped around her ankle.

Water sprayed from Mimi's lips in a sharpened stream, but Shikamaru saw the sudden contortion of pain on her face. His 'Risu dodged her attack by a fraction of a second and retracted her shadows. It may not have been clear to anyone else yet, but one thing was certain about that exchange.

' _Risu got her._

* * *

 _I'm positive she broke my ankle_ , Mimi quickly concluded as she landed back on the surface of the water with her good foot and began to hop back on it, face contorted in agony. Pain. Throbbing, pulsating pain reverberated through her ankle. To put any pressure on it guaranteed nausea and dizziness to overcome her. _But I don't think it's as bad as it could have been._

The pressure of those sharp teeth had been on her ankle for the briefest of seconds. Any longer and it might have shattered the bone into tiny fragments, so at least that hadn't happened. Still, that brief second had been incredibly painful. Still was.

 _"Mimi, I'll cover you so you can use Medical Ninjutsu on your ankle. It's fixable, but it's going to take time and chakra."_

Much as she trusted her ninken to handle herself, against Amari on her own after already taking damage, Aoko would need backup. Mimi stopped her retreat, placing no pressure on her right foot and weaved her handseal.

"Water Clone Jutsu!"

Water Clones weren't as strong as Shadow Clones, about a tenth of the strength of the original user, but with all this water she could keep creating them at little cost to her chakra. The mini-platoon she could create would keep her opponent busy and buy her the time needed to make an in the field repair.

Twenty formed from her makeshift lake and charged in after the Nara, leaving Mimi to crouch down and use a Diagnostic Jutsu on her ankle. _The fracture isn't too bad. It's not good either, to be honest, but it could have been a lot worse. She tore the tendons too._

No wonder it hurt so much. Those Shadow Dragons were damn dangerous to go against; she had known that after Amari broke Zaku, but feeling it personally almost made her pity the punk. Almost. Bastard had it coming.

Without Medical Ninjutsu, to heal an injury like this naturally would have left her unable to continue the fight and on a road of recovery for at the minimum of six months before she could walk normally again. Probably a year before she could have gone back on active duty without repercussions later in life.

Luckily for her she was her own personal medic.

Mimi changed gears from diagnosing the problem to healing it. Aoko joined her, standing steadfastly in front of her as her Water Clones hampered Amari's every attempt to stop the Inuzuka. They took on kunais and paper bombs head-on for their original, buying her precious seconds to dull the pain and heal the more major portions of the injury.

When she felt her clones numbers drop from twenty to ten she stopped healing to create fifteen more.

"Grr, get out of my way!" Amari roared at the clones, kunais spinning into her hands as she kicked into an entire new gear.

Mimi couldn't help but grin as she watched Amari cut down her clones in a fierce and graceful dance of blades. _This girl…_ No one outside of Guy had ever pushed her to this point.

She created twenty more clones when the numbers lowered again, but she knew they wouldn't last long. All she could do against an opponent like Amari was heal it enough to stand on it. If another opening presented itself to heal more, she'd take it, but she wasn't going to be able to fix it all here and now.

 _"I can buy you more time, Mimi,"_ Aoko told her when she noticed the turning of the tides. Five clones were taken down within a second, ten more replaced them. But no matter the numbers difference Amari wasn't ever overwhelmed; she kept fighting from a place of dominance, stabbing and slashing through her clones like a hot blade through butter.

"Nah, forget it. There's no way you or my clones will be able to hold her off long enough for me to heal it fully."

Aoko looked back to her with a pleading expression. _"But Mimi…"_

Mimi grinned at her partner. "Don't worry so much, Aoko. If she can win her preliminary match injured and poisoned, I can win this fight with an injured ankle. Think of it like one of Guy-sensei's challenges."

Her transformed ninken watched her silently for a moment then nodded. She moved to speak again, but both of their eyes darted over to the clones at the surge of chakra they sensed.

Amari stood in the center of the clone army, red eye dangerously flicking around at the enemies surrounding her. More notable was her hands in the Tiger Seal. The Uchiha inhaled a large, chest expanding breath of air. On exhale she expelled a huge continuous torrent of fire, but it did not simply stream forward. Amari spun herself three hundred and sixty degrees on her chakra covered foot, creating a giant fire tornado to engulf every single clone surrounding her.

" _Here she comes!"_ Aoko warned, body preparing for combat once more.

 _Just a little more_ , Mimi thought, hand glowing green on her ankle as she sniffed the air and listened intently for her opponent's presence.

Out of the flames, like a demon escaping hell, Amari appeared for the tiniest instant, her active fire tornado the backdrop of her intensified features. Then she was all but impossible to trace to the normal human eye. Mimi followed her quickened footsteps clapping on the surface of the water through sound alone.

Mimi reached up and shoved Aoko forward before jumping back herself, the sharpened blade of a shuriken cutting the back of the hand she used to heal her ankle. She heard the Body Flicker user appear behind her, followed by the sound of her leg whistling through the air from above towards the water. The Inuzuka turned around and raised her forearms up to block.

The blow landed hard, the collision of flesh, muscle and bone on flesh, muscle and bone resounding through the arena. Mimi could already feel the contusions from it. Then the feeling of Amari's leg on her arms vanished, and the head of wet blue hair appeared below her guard, her fist cocked back.

The same fist carrying the wills of her precious people and her blood, sweat and tears.

Had her ankle been fully healed, Mimi knew she could have successfully dodged the attack. But the injury slowed her down when the step back meant to get her out of range made her leg lock up and her entire body wince from a shooting pain.

 _Gah! Damn Shadow Dragons!_

The fist landed in her open belly, making her eyes bulge and the air take a vacation out of her lungs. She hunched forward into another punch and stumbled back on one good foot and one throbbing one.

Her opponent jumped up into the air like a cat, the shoulder barge from Aoko passing right under her. Mimi saw her moment. She planted her bad foot, channeled her strength into her fist, growled in a mixture of pain and effort and delivered one of her hardest haymakers to Amari. The force of the blow sent her floating opponent careening on the water, but as always she recovered before taking a full swim and slid to a stop in a crouch.

For the first time in the fight, neither opponent moved back in to keep fighting. They panted lightly, both experiencing the toll of their battle and use of chakra. The red shroud around Mimi notably faded away. _Healing my ankle, even partially, took a lot of my chakra, and Amari stealing my chakra sure didn't help me at all. I guess that means I don't have a choice._

"Aoko." Her ninken looked over to her to see her reaching into her ninja pouch. The Inuzuka pulled out two food pills, one for her and one for her partner.

Amari smirked at the sight. "I've been waiting for you to use those."

"I wouldn't be so excited," Mimi retorted, grinning dangerously. "Don't forget, these pills help our military fight for three days and three nights straight. Think ya got enough in the tank to handle that?"

Amari smiled back just as dangerously. "You'll only be able to fight for three days and three nights straight if you're awake."

Mimi flicked the second pill into Aoko's mouth then swallowed her own. Furious red chakra surged to life around her once more, far more intense than it had been. "Let's see if you can back your tough talk up!" She sped through her twenty-two handseals and grinned.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

* * *

 _Not good._ Amari kept her features neutral against the frown wanting to form on her lips. She could see the intense chakra irradiating off of Mimi without dōjutsu, but with it she could see the massive amount going into this jutsu. _I've pushed her into a corner._ Her successful use of the Shadow Dragon on her ankle turned the tides of the battle in her favor. It guaranteed, even with her Medical Ninjutsu, that Mimi wouldn't be able to keep moving at the same pace in taijutsu.

Now Mimi would rely on her superior ninjutsu and its advantage over her own affinity to make up for her lack of movement. She was adapting, changing tactics to accommodate for her injury. Amari expected as much, and hoped to push her into using food pills to ensure she brought the very best out of Mimi, but that meant she too had to adapt.

Up to this point the use of her ninjutsu hadn't taken too much of a toll on her overall chakra supply, and stealing Mimi's chakra helped a lot. But the Shadow Dragons again plunged a blade into it to make her reserve leak more than she hoped prior to her sealing the leak off. She wasn't exhausted of chakra, or close to being done just yet; the Uchiha still had a lot of fight left in her.

An Uchiha always had a lot of fight left in them.

Yet denying the fact Mimi and Aoko landed several decent blows on her would be foolish. Mimi punched _really_ hard. And the open wounds from their claws stung. The way they had been fighting, the intensity level and damage they managed, it all added up the fatigue on her body. But this was why she trained so hard for the last month. To be prepared for this kind of fatigue and push beyond it.

 _From here on out I need to work smarter, not harder. First step to keeping this battle in my hands is getting rid of all this water_ , Amari strategized, eye flicking down to the water below her. _It'd be nice if I had the ability to make it all evaporate with a Fire Ball Jutsu, but that's incredibly unrealistic at this point. It'd take all of my chakra, and there'd still be a ton left over._

No, she couldn't rely on stupid plans like that and hope for the best. The only way forward was to think less like a hotheaded Uchiha and more like a lazy Nara. The longer Mimi had access to this infinite supply, the longer she could defend against anything Amari threw at her—literally and figuratively.

 _As soon as I get rid of this water, she'll be forced to rely on her chakra supply only. Food pills do increase and intensify chakra, but it can't be limitless. Everything has limitations. In this case, I'd bet the pills really increase the speed at which we recover our chakra. If, let's say, it took thirty minutes for Mimi to recover her full reserves normally, the pills likely shortens that time frame to five to ten minutes._

 _The initial swallowing of the pill is like an instantaneous resupply, but from then on out it's like having a feeder tube of nutrients trickling into your chakra reserves._

All theory and not fact, but hopefully it was close enough to truth. Otherwise this would be even more of a drag.

 _And when we're back on solid ground she won't have nearly as much defense through Water Ninjutsu. Taking her down in hand to hand combat won't be easy even with her ankle the way it is. I'm sure Hisashi thought I'd be easy to take down once he poisoned me, so thinking Mimi will be any easier than me when my back was against the wall would be a fatal error on my part._

 _I'll need to keep my eye open for a chance to hit her with another genjutsu_ , she thought. _That could be how I finish this, because I don't think Shadow Dragons or Shadow Possession will be able to hold her in this state. The chakra coming off her is too intense. She'll have too much strength unless I'm able to snatch her within a few inches of one another._

Not impossible, but Mimi wasn't planning to fight close range anymore. Only Aoko and probably water clones would take her on in close-quarters.

A stream of water shot from the makeshift lake, small and thin, but shaped like a dragon and aimed right at the Nara. Amari dodged out of the way at the last possible moment and let it smash its face into the water.

A larger dragon formed on Mimi's right side, taking more time to take form than the first. At the same time another slim, dragon shaped stream shot from in front of the Inuzuka. As Amari dodged it, Aoko met her in hand to hand combat.

A second large water dragon formed on Mimi's left. Meanwhile another small Water Dragon arced after her. Amari blocked a series of fast punches and claws and kicked Aoko in her center, simultaneously reaching into her back pouch for an exploding kunai.

Her hand found shuriken, normal kunai and unfinished Seals.

 _Ah, crap!_ Releasing the chakra at her feet, she avoided the Water Dragon by a slim enough margin to feel droplets of water hit her.

A final water dragon formed directly under Mimi, the Inuzuka once more standing on top of its head in another mirror to their original battle.

"You show off!" she shouted for old times' sake.

"I hope you don't think you'll get me again by jumping headfirst into these ones! The current in them is even rougher than last time, I've made sure of that!" Mimi taunted.

Another adjustment specifically made for Amari.

They wasted no time in charging her simultaneously, coming from three different angles at three different speeds. Amari's eye and head moved quickly, judging the angles of their attacks, their speed and how she would need to dodge them to keep from getting caught by the hungry dragons.

 _These are_ _ **not**_ _my wise dragons!_

Aoko sped in again to attack. Amari's mind moved a mile a second, eyes working together to watch Aoko and the dragons. She cartwheeled to the side on one hand, spinning out of it to land a swift sweep kick to the transformed ninken.

Despite the pill, Aoko was still wounded from the attacks she landed on her throughout the match. She wasn't moving nearly as nimbly as she had been before, which made it easy to catch her with the attack. While she attempted to recover in air, Aoko was met by a hard elbow to her stomach, knocking her down into the water and out of the way.

 _Just in time too_ , Amari thought as the dragons were upon her.

One came slamming down face first at her, but she managed to backflip out of the way. The second dragon came next, while the original began to rise back out of the water and reconstruct.

Amari's eyes widened. _This is not good…This is really not good!_ The limitless supply of water, the boost of chakra from the food pill, it was allowing Mimi to use these massive Water Dragons that would crush the fight out of her with relative ease.

The Nara was forced to jump into the air to avoid getting hit again, leaving her in the exact position she didn't want to be in: floating helplessly as the three Water Dragons locked onto her. Mimi was notably absent from the heads of them.

The Byakugan caught sight of her flying in directly from above.

"Take this! Fang over Fang!"

The dragons were attacking at the same time. Every avenue of escape was cut off; hard attacks were coming from all sides.

 _What am I going to do?!_ Amari hated panicking, but this situation felt appropriate.

Her thoughts moved at lightspeed as the attacks moved at her in slow motion. _Think Amari, think! If you don't, this is going to hurt really bad! Using Ultimate Defense: Dragon Shield would work, but it would take too much chakra to perform. But if I don't…I'll be done for anyways._

Amari somehow found it in her to close her eye and take a deep breath. _Calm down…think…there has to be a way out of this._

…

She snapped her eye open. _That's it! I have to try it!_

* * *

Genma monitored the battle from within the safe shadows of a tree. Going into this fight, having witnessed Amari's training firsthand, he had known right from the start this battle would surpass all others in intensity and ferocity. And it had not disappointed.

However this battle ended, these two kunoichi had nothing to be ashamed of. To battle at such a high level, through injuries and still think strategically; spectators judged Sasuke Uchiha vs Gaara to be the more thrilling and explosive fight due to the underlying connotations of Leaf strength against Sand, and they were dead wrong.

 _This_ was the battle people would remember. Shikamaru would slide under the radar, just as the lazy boy wanted, and Naruto's victory wouldn't be forgotten, but when people talked about the Exams, _this_ was what they'd remember. This duel between two extraordinary kunoichi, both destined to become prominent shinobi of the Leaf in the future.

That was the future, however. The present was weighted by calamity for Amari, possibly even a disastrous end. Genma wanted to jump in, grab her before the attacks landed and crushed her; Miyako would kill him for letting her daughter get extremely hurt. But it was his duty as the proctor to call this match without bias and only interfere if lives were on the line.

Amari wouldn't die from this. It'd feel like a building fell on top of her, but she wouldn't die. Granted that was _if_ the technique hit, and so far the two had pulled out all the stops when it came to reversing defeat rendering attacks.

His eyes caught the flicker of green chakra form around Amari a second before the attacks landed, her body twisting as it did. Genma furrowed his brow. _Is she going for her Ultimate Defense? It will drain her chakra to near zero if she does, rendering her unable to battle._

He supposed it beat being slammed by three Water Dragons and a Fang over Fang.

The Water Dragons and her opponent smashed their target in synchronicity. Gasps sounded off from those in the stadium, their eyes no doubt widening as they believed they witnessed this battle reach its final conclusion.

 _Amari…_

Well, Miyako was going to make his afterlife a living hell.

Everyone expected to see a purple blur shoot down out of the dragons into water filling the stadium. What came next, though, did not meet those expectations.

From within the blue currents of water at the center of impact, an imperfect shaped green orb began to take form, spinning faster and faster, enlarging as it did. The body of Mimi was sent careening out of the collision of techniques, skipping across the water hard with enough momentum to carry her to the far wall of the stadium. The only thing to stand between her and colliding with it was Aoko appearing behind her partner to catch her.

Aoko's dripping wet form was nearly knocked over by the catch, slamming her back against the wall in place of Mimi. It looked painful, but Genma's eyes were drawn back to the orb, his teeth clenching tighter on his senbon to flick it skyward alongside his eyebrows.

 _Amari, you…_

The green orb continued to spin and spin and spin, hammering the Water Dragons attempting to keep form in a dizzying assault of chakra. Finally they disintegrated back into the water. In their place, the imperfect orb floated in the air, gravity finally carrying it down as it began to slow down.

When the chakra dispersed, Amari could finally be seen spinning like an ice skater. She spun on the surface of the water and slowed to a complete halt; Genma took immediate note of the fresh cuts on her arms, legs, through her shirt and on her face, she breathed heavily, labored by the chakra she expended to keep her in the fight.

 _You copied Neji's Rotation_ , Genma finished his original thought, his features shifting into thoughtfulness. _But it wasn't perfect. I saw the gaps in your defenses, which allowed the force of her attacks and the rapid rotation of the Fang over Fang to penetrate through to you._

He turned his head to Aoko and Mimi. The transformed ninken was steadying Mimi's body, rumbling lowly to her partner, probably to inform her of the injuries dealt to them both. Mimi didn't look much better, to be honest. New cuts hadn't been opened, but Genma had seen what the recoil of Neji's Rotation had done to Naruto; the same recoiling force of her own attacks was in all likelihood reflected back on her.

A light smirk took form on his face. _Now the real battle of wills begins._

* * *

Hiashi Hyūga sat fully rigid in his seat, hand clenching his knee in a vice grip in a war of emotions consisting of bewilderment and outrage. This girl, this child of Nara and Uchiha blood, succeeded in performing Rotation without any proper training. She _copied_ the Main Branch technique after witnessing it in a singular match, used it in an imperfect form to protect her from an imminent devastating attack.

 _The gall_ , Hiashi thought, frustration a prominent feeling he couldn't quite shake. For someone outside of the Hyūga Clan to use this technique, especially an Uchiha at that, it felt like a personal affront to him and his Clan. An insult on the level of being spat at on the street.

No one in the Uchiha Clan or the Leaf Village ever possessed the ability or the gall to replicate the Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation in the history of Konoha. The required precise chakra control was out of the realm of skills for the average shinobi, the teachings of the Gentle Fist being the prominent reason only Hyūga's could use it.

Yet down below them, panting heavily and hunched forward slightly, stood a girl who possessed both the ability and the gall to perform it. A girl who seemed to be following in her sensei's footsteps in copying useful jutsu. A daughter of prestigious Uchiha blood and incredibly intelligent Nara blood.

A kunoichi with astonishing potential.

"But…how?" Hanabi asked quietly, absolutely stunned by Amaririsu's and Mimi's performance as a whole, but even more by the copying of the Main Branch technique. He could not blame his youngest daughter, for he too felt the same about their impressive performance and the copying of their technique.

"From what I learned from Shikaku Nara, Amaririsu is a rare talent. A prodigy with a great array of abilities," Hiashi spoke firmly. It took time to arrange the meeting between them, both had many responsibilities due to their respective positions within the Leaf, but Hiashi went straight to the source for information.

What he learned, while shocking, made it clear why this child's history was being protected. It was a secret he too would maintain for the safety of a fellow Leaf shinobi and out of respect for Shikaku Nara, Kurenai Yūhi and her parents. Yet watching her now, one thing Shikaku had said that he had taken as an offhand comment now had far more impact on the Head of the Hyūga Clan.

"' _Risu has inherited the best parts of her parents."_

Hiashi was intrigued to see what she did with this inheritance in the future.

"If Neji was able to learn Main Branch techniques through mere observation, then Amaririsu must have been able to learn Rotation through observing Neji's fight. Had she not used it, Mimi would have surely won."

Her Sharingan played a huge role in this, but Hiashi was not foolish enough to speak of it in the company of so many strangers. Endangering an asset to the Leaf Village would not be a wise course of action. But, even as his frustration subsided, he made mental note to speak to Amaririsu Yūhi in person once more at a later date.

"Just through watching one fight?" Hanabi turned her head back to the match, her eyes wide in shock. "These two are very skilled."

"Indeed. Pay close attention, Hanabi. You could learn much from these two young kunoichi."

 _Yes, the skill and intelligence of these two kunoichi are far above my expectations. With even more experience they will become valuable assets to our village._

* * *

Mimi struggled to stand. Her ankle throbbed and practically every inch of her body hurt in some way. She sucked in oxygen greedily. _Kami_ , she panted, wincing as sharp stings of pains awoke. _Even with that food pill, that attack and using so many Water Dragons did a number on me._

At times of battle like this, when she didn't have backup, Medical Ninjutsu through normal application wasn't going to work. She needed to figure out a way to heal herself more efficiently, but that was later. Right now there was a more pressing matter to attend to.

 _She copied Neji's rotation._ The Inuzuka grinned tiredly at the girl standing across from her. "A true Copy Ninja in the making, eh Amari?"

Amari smiled weakly back. "I can't help it that my Sensei is the original." She exhaled and inhaled a few heavy breaths. "Wasn't good enough, though. I underestimated how hard the technique was to pull off."

 _Heh, considering my attacks only managed to scratch her instead of pummel her into the ground, I'd call it a success. And the way my body feels_ , she grunted, a stitch of pain shooting through her back. _It definitely repelled the energy of my attacks onto me._

 _"Mimi."_ The Inuzuka glanced to her transformed partner. _"I don't know how much longer I can keep this form. It's not a lack of chakra to blame, but the fatigue and pain this battle has caused me."_

"Guess we'll just have to finish this fast then," Mimi said, smiling confidently.

 _"You will both be fighting to end this quickly."_

"I know."

What worried the blue eyed kunoichi the most was if Amari had enough chakra left to still use her Body Flicker Technique multiple times. The Uchiha could very well overwhelm her in this state as she had Hisashi in her preliminary fight.

 _Why hasn't she moved in yet? Is the pain too much for her to move, or is she planning something?_

Mimi flicked her eyes to scan the area as she sniffed the air. _No clones hiding…but…_

"Have you noticed it yet?" Amari asked tiredly.

Her eyes landed on the wall behind Amari. It was easy to see where the water had been resting this entire battle…and how far it had fallen in the last several minutes.

The Inuzuka's eyes widened. "You activated my seals."

Uh-oh. That was the exact _opposite_ thing she could ever want, especially in this state.

"When I unleashed that fire tornado, I used the flames to shield my creation of clones from your line of sight and your nose. I sent them into the water to reactivate your seals. Your fūinjutsu is really good; it's not just a basic Storage Seal, but specifically designed to absorb water."

Amari brought her hands up and began weaving handseals. "Unfortunately I wasn't able to get them to absorb fast enough to stop your Water Dragons, but better late than never."

Her hands ended on Tiger and she began to take a large inhale.

 _Smart girl, she's been biding her time to take away my advantage of a surplus of water. Probably was trying to tire me out without having to use jutsu's that cost her too much chakra. My Water Dragons ruined that though._

A small smile made it onto her face as she brought her hands up in front of her. _Guess I got a bit cocky in thinking she wouldn't be able to undo my water once I did it._

 _Tiger, Snake, Rat, Snake, Tiger_.

"Water Style: Water Wall!"

A wall of water shot up in front of the Inuzuka duo, shielding them from the torrent of flames that Amari unleashed. Steam formed on impact, but the water wasn't enough to snuff out the flame.

These flames were hotter than before.

 _The power of Amari's flames…it's incredible. I wonder…_

Using her chakra to maintain the wall, the Inuzuka began making new handseals, _Tiger, Ox, Tiger, Rat._ She began kneading her chakra to her stomach. _One last test of strength. After this, we're going to finish this. Once and for all!_

 _Water Style: Water Bomb Jutsu!_

Mimi let her wall fall and expelled a large stream of water from her mouth, hitting the flames head on and forcing them back towards their originator. _That's not all you've got._ A challenging look formed in her eyes. _Show me your true power!_

Her challenge was answered. She saw the flicker of green around Amari before a shockwave of energy blasted off her, creating a gust of wind even Mimi felt brush against her body. The flames pushed her water back, evaporating it as quick as she could expel it until the heat stung her eyes.

Within the action, Mimi sensed Amari's response.

Bring. It. On.

Mimi unleashed her chakra, furious red spiking around her followed by a shockwave of energy. The water she expelled pushed the flames back towards the center.

Oppressive steam began to coat the battlefield, all but suffocating the four individuals within with its heat. And as the steam rose it reached the spectators, cooler than at the center of the colliding jutsu, but uncomfortably warm.

When Mimi looked back on this clash of ninjutsu in the following days, she would understand what exactly occurred between her and Amari better than she did in the moment. She would vaguely remember the old stories from older shinobi about how two powerful shinobi could communicate through an exchange of fists, never once sharing a single word yet sharing an entire array of thoughts and feelings.

For Mimi, in that moment, it was like having an out of body experience. Or, at least, what she assumed one should feel like; she hadn't ever had one before, and wasn't really sure if they were real until that moment.

One moment she had felt the oppressive heat on her body, the perspiration beneath her clothes and on her face, the strength of Amari's powerful flames pushing her to push even harder. Then she blinked and the heat was gone, replaced by a cool sensation on her body, like walking into her home after a morning run or stepping into a cool river. The perspiration was gone, the pain in her ankle vanished, and she stood beside her frozen, battling form as all of time seemed to stand still.

Mimi's initial reaction was to release a genjutsu. Several times. But the frozen world around her did not return to life, nor could she feel the distortion of a genjutsu on herself or the world around her.

"What the hell is going on," she muttered under her breath in uncharacteristic nervousness, head turning to take in her environment.

Again she blinked, again the world changed right before her eyes.

Mimi's sapphire eyes bulged and her foot hesitantly stepped back. She winced in preparation of pain that did not come.

She saw…She saw Amari, but she was tiny—or, tinier she supposed. Her friend was pretty short, but this version of her couldn't be more than five years old. The environment wasn't the stadium anymore; they were on a street within the Leaf Mimi had never seen before, the Nara piggybacked on a man—teenager, boy—she didn't recognize, but on the back of his black high-collared shirt was an Uchiha crest.

They both looked happy. Unburdened by pain. Untouched innocence and pure love that hadn't yet been severed by death

Mimi's eyes fell briefly, a hurt she couldn't describe tightening around her heart harder than a Shadow Dragon ever could. This…This was the precious cousin she spoke of. The one who left behind that bandana she always wore. This was the happiness they once had, the love they shared, the joy being together brought them…happiness, love and joy Amari couldn't replace.

Again she blinked and the scene—memory?—before her changed. She stood within a house now—a house she didn't know—hidden in the shadows of a corner wall as the young Amari sat at a dinner table with the same teenager and two adults Mimi immediately recognized as her parents.

Her father had wild, untamed black hair, a bit wilder than his daughter's, but he had kind eyes. A fatherly softness that made even Mimi feel safe and comfortable in a memory she had no place in. Her mother's loving smile, and the genuine fondness in her eyes as she watched her daughter talk animatedly about something the Inuzuka couldn't hear provided yet another terrible squeeze of pain in her heart.

When Amari put her hair up, the resemblance between mother and daughter was uncanny even with the difference of hair color. And when it was down, she could see her father in the Uchiha girl.

But it was in those expressive eyes of her that she could see them both, their spirits still lingering on in the heart and soul of their daughter.

Her cousin watched on, goading his little cousin about whatever was being spoken about if the blush tinting Amari's cheeks was anything to go by.

Mimi blinked away the untouched family and found herself surrounded by darkness. Not alone, though. Amari—older by a handful of years—knelt within the darkness, tears streaming down her cheeks as she stared into oblivion. Both onyx eyes still intact, but devoid of hope. Devoid of the happiness and innocence she once knew.

Cold, isolated loneliness, Mimi remembered it too well. This…this right here was the reason she wanted so badly to become a great medic-nin. She wanted to save as many lives as she possibly could so kids like them didn't have to exist. Kids who were steeped in darkness because they had those they loved severed from them. Kids who were drowning in sorrow even though no one else could see it.

Orphans who couldn't ever get back what they lost.

But then the darkness began to fade, revealing a stream of sunlight as two boys—one with green eyes, the other with lavender Byakugan eyes—ran past her, a grin on the green eyed boys lips as he yelled something back at Amari, and a soft smile on the Hyūga's lips as he slowed down and took her by the hand to lift her up.

Amari stood up once more and chased after them, hope restored and life in her eyes and behind her smile again.

Another blink and she found herself in a cramped room of children. Among them, cramped together on worn down cushions used as a bed, was Amari and the two boys. She was squished between them, and an arm from the green eyed boy flopped onto her forehead, but Amari still smiled.

Mimi knew why. Even in this cramped room, overfilled with children of varying ages, without memories of her old family or who she was, Amari still had these two. She wasn't alone anymore.

She blinked and again the happiness was stolen from her, replaced by a sharp blade twisting in her heart as it cut through Amari's eye. The cry she let out, Mimi didn't hear it, but she felt it in her bones. The pain, the feelings of betrayal, helplessness, anger, hurt, sorrow, grief, guilt; everything she felt, Mimi felt too.

Battle instincts kicked in, the protective nature of Mimi pushing her to take action against this bastard who betrayed her, but her blade merely cut through the boy as if he was intangible. Because she hadn't been here for this. This moment, she couldn't stop it from happening any more than she could stop a waterfall with her bare hands.

She blinked and the boy was gone. Amari's body was prone on the grassy floor, blood coating the left side of her face as she kicked and crawled towards the Hyūga boy, who also was missing an eye.

Her medic instincts kicked in, rushing over to try to help the pair, but her hand just passed right through Amari again. _Damn it_ , Mimi grit her teeth and clenched her gloved hands into fists, watching on helplessly as Amari made it to her friend and hugged her arms around him. _Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!_

She saw their final moments together, felt the anguish, the loneliness, the guilt and grief and rage as she could do nothing except watch a younger Amari sob until no more tears could be shed. Standing behind her, sorrow etched into her face and fingers curled into rage filled fists.

 _I'll kill that bastard if I ever see him._

When she blinked again she returned to darkness, only this time she was alone. Sapphire eyes stared somberly into the void, seeing nothing except what her friend had lost and feeling how much it burdened her heart. It was a burden she too carried, heavy on her shoulders and constricting around her heart.

Then she heard a familiar voice all around her.

" _Amari's lost a whole lot. She lost her friends, she lost her real family. She…she carries a lot of pain within her heart. Mimi too. They may not act like it, they may smile and laugh still, but that's because they fought really hard to be able to smile and laugh again."_

In the darkness, a small flicker of light emerged. Tiny as can be, but when submerged in darkness, even the smallest light looked like the sun.

Mimi walked towards it, feet picking up pace under her until she was all but running after it. The light continued to grow more and more, it's warmth enticing her to keep running away from the isolated darkness.

The memories she began to witness came faster and faster, emerging on her sides in warm light that beat away the darkness.

Amari, cheeks streaked with tears, bowing before Kurenai. The older woman resting a hand on her shoulder as wonder filled the Nara's eyes and being. _"Don't worry yourself one bit about repaying anything. This was my choice, and I have a good feeling about it."_ Mimi could feel the warmth of her smile and how much these words and that smile meant to that sorrow filled child. _"Call it a hunch, but I think a lot of good is going to come out of this."_

Amari all but launched herself into Kurenai's arms.

Another memory emerged in warm light, this one of Amari sitting in the grass with Shikamaru lying down next to her. _"I'm Shikamaru. Just found out I'm going to be teaching you about our Clan Jutsu."_

Mimi began to understand. These people, these moments, they were…

Naruto was crouched next to her by a tree at the Academy, thumb pressed proudly to his chest. _"Not as cool as me, though! All I have to do is get stronger and then I'll be the next Hokage! Naruto Uzumaki, that's my name and don't you forget it!"_

They were what saved her from the darkness.

The memories came faster the closer she got to the light. Memories of successes and failures. Of tear stained pillows and the joy of an orphaned girl being adopted by the woman she looked to as a mother. Of Shikamaru piggybacking her just like her precious cousin used to do. The formation of her team. Of Kakashi sitting with her on the edge of a dock, resting a hand on her shoulder and offering warm words that had an effect on Mimi too.

" _I won't lie and tell you that it'll be easy if you do remember your past. Remembering_ _ **will**_ _hurt. But no matter how much it hurts, know that you will not have to shoulder the burden alone. This team, Kurenai, even lazy Shikamaru will be here to support you when or if that day ever comes. Never forget that."_

She saw a bridge where wills and dreams collided. A boy behind a mask who formed a connection with her stood in a mirror while she stood with Naruto and Sasuke to do battle. It was a mirror that, when looking at the other side, swapped their positions to place Amari behind the mask and the boy with her team.

She felt the pain every second of battle against one another caused them. Witnessed the tears of pain, of empathy, of sorrow as Amari reached out to stop the fighting. Felt the piece of her heart she sacrificed as her purpose shattered.

Mimi nearly tripped over her feet when she saw the bloody arm and Amari's collapsed form on the bridge, her tears flowing as she cried out to a cousin who couldn't be there to protect her anymore. But these painful moments, the pain she endured, out of it bloomed something more. Something Mimi could feel as a new memory appeared of Amari and that same boy, now without a mask, ice skating together at peace.

And the crystallized flower that he gave her was absolutely beautiful.

Next she saw their meeting and their battle. The connection they formed, she could feel it in these memories. Sense the importance Amari placed on that exact moment and on her personally.

She saw the Forest of Death, felt the fear, the resolve to die fighting to protect her comrades, the pain she endured when Orochimaru hurt her. She witnessed the Sound shinobi battle, her rage, her pain, her lack of mercy and desire to protect.

Her battle against Hisashi. The feelings of the memory awoken upon being poisoned. The spirit of the green dragon forming behind her visible to Mimi's eyes for the first time.

What she was seeing, Mimi realized at that moment, was the path leading to their most recent encounter, and what she was feeling was everything her friend had felt and endured through to get there. Through this she felt the connection between them grow. She could almost define it, the words almost natural on her tongue but still unformed.

She made it to the light, once more entering the stadium. Standing opposite of Genma, she looked over to see Amari frozen, fist shoved out at the other Mimi and Aoko.

" _Every minute of hard work, every drop of sweat, blood and every tear I've ever shed, the wills of my precious people, Ryu, my precious cousin and my parents are behind these fists of mine. You can punch me as hard as you like, you can hit a pressure point with chakra, you can even poison me, but you'll never defeat me with a weak purpose like vengeance guiding you."_

Her fists carried more weight behind them than Mimi had known. How could she have known? Those intimate memories she witnessed weren't common knowledge to anyone except those who experienced them with her. She wondered if Amari even remembered those moments with her family.

"You traveled a long, painful road," Mimi muttered.

"So did you."

The Inuzuka wasn't startled by Amari's presence. She sensed it somehow without her nose or ears or eyes. But she didn't dare turn around to face her. She couldn't bring herself to. Whatever this was, it forced her to intrude on Amari's most intimate memories, which means her friend had witnessed her highest of highs and lowest of lows too.

The only difference between them was Mimi hadn't always sought out the light. She submerged herself in the mire of darkness surrounding her and let it inside of herself. To look back meant to face whatever Amari's reaction to her darkest moments was.

Pity? Disgust? She didn't know what it could be, but it couldn't be good.

Still, ignoring her outright wasn't going to work. They were still stuck in this strange place and that meant working together to figure out how the hell to get out. When she turned to face Amari she expected a frown, a scowl or distance between them. What she saw instead was a tear leaking from her eye. Not from pity, not from disgust or disappoint, but genuine sorrow, sympathy and empathy for what she experienced.

Seeing Amari cry for her made it incredibly hard _not_ to cry for what she had witnessed. For what Amari had endured to get here. For the things she felt at witnessing her friend's most intimate memories of pain and love, of sorrow and joy, and how much it hurt that she couldn't do anything to fix it.

Amari stepped closer without saying a word and hugged her arms around Mimi in an embrace. She held her tightly, the warmth and light within this girl transmitting through their connection straight into Mimi's heart. Two tears spilled from her eyes, arms slowly, hesitantly, wrapping around her friend's smaller frame.

The Nara relinquished her hold first and smiled up at the Inuzuka. "I'm glad I was able to meet you."

Mimi smiled softly back. "Me too."

The stadium scene returned to their battle of water and fire.

Amari glanced over at it then back at Mimi. She reached a fist out and smiled. "Your fists carry a lot of weight behind them too, so you better not hold back. Because whoever lands their punch first with the full strength of their wills behind it, they'll be the winner."

Mimi felt that premonition too. She wiped away her tears, grinned back and lifted her fist up. "I won't hold back as long as you don't."

"Good. Now let's finish this!" Amari exclaimed

They bumped fists and the sensations of the battle began to slowly return. The pain in her ankle, the heat of the steam, the force of their jutsu's colliding.

In unison they cancelled their jutsus. Amari bolted in, with Aoko mirroring her movements to cut her off. With the pain back in her ankle Mimi concluded she couldn't rush in and hope she could land the punch with all her strength behind it. She needed to get Amari into a situation where she could hit that blow without risking getting hit in return.

If Amari hit her with all of her wills at this point, it'd be game over.

But she still had chakra to expend thanks to the food pill; Amari didn't have nearly as much anymore. She'd focus in on close-quarters, which meant keeping her as far away as possible until she found that opening.

Mimi molded her chakra in her belly, using her precise chakra control to sharpen the stream of water she was going to form. Amari, no doubt thanks to her dōjutsu, sensed the building of chakra and overwhelmed Aoko with fast and fierce strikes, knocking the transformed ninken down and out of the way.

The water once flooding the stadium was ankle deep.

Amari quickly weaved her own handseals, handseals that were vaguely familiar but not from seeing her use them.

The stream shot from her lips and Amari crouched down, slamming her hands through the water into the ground. "Earth Style: Mud Wall!"

A solid wall shot from the water in front of Amari. Mimi's cutting stream still managed to saw it in half, and as it fell to the muddy dirt beneath it, the Inuzuka had a startling realization: Amari's scent vanished.

Quickly jumping off the ground, she turned her head to yell to Aoko to move. It was too late, however. A hand shot out of the soft dirt and tugged her partner neck deep into the mud. Amari appeared out of the ground, a few splotches of mud on her clothing, in her open wounds and on her face, but unscathed.

 _"Well, this is embarrassing,"_ Aoko whined. She dispelled her transformation, but the smaller size wasn't enough to escape. _"Don't worry about me, Mimi. I'll dig my way out."_

Mimi landed on her good foot and blocked a fast series of punches. Despite the speed and strength behind the blows, Mimi could tell Amari was on her last wind. The same last wind that defeated Hisashi in a stunning upset.

Several hard punches pierced through her guard, the Uchiha moving with more agility than her injured opponent to attack from all sides. A kick smashed her side, a punch cracked the cheek opposite of that side, an uppercut barely missed her jaw. But Mimi landed blows of her own, and one solid kick with her bad foot—which was also a bad idea—gave her breathing room from the ferocious assault.

The throbbing of her ankle intensified with that kick, but it was all Mimi could do to avoid an imminent defeat. She was desperate, even with the food pill.

That made Amari special.

"This next punch," Amari said, panting, "is going to end this match. I hope you've backed your fist up with all of your power, because that's the only way you're going to knock me down for the count, Mimi."

Mimi grinned broadly through her heavy breathing and planted her feet. "Let's see what you've got!"

Amari Body Flickered in, her fist cocked back the same as Mimi's with the wills of their precious people and every ounce of blood, sweat and tears behind them.

Whoever hit the decisive blow here would win.

Mimi knew her punch wouldn't land first. Amari had moved faster than she had, going in low below her guard for a gut punch. With the kind of weight was behind that fist, when it landed—if it didn't knock her out cold instantly—it was going to hurt.

As the fist neared her stomach, black fur jumped through the air, sinking sharp teeth into Amari's right arm.

 _"Finish this fight, Mimi! For Tenten, Lee, your parents, Hana, Kiba and Tsume! Make them proud!"_

 _Aoko…_

Tears welled in her eyes as the punch Amari threw was delayed by a critical second. This was her moment to go all the way to the end of this Exam. Not to defeat the Sand shinobi, but to make the people who had made her life worth living proud. To make all the hard work she put into being a shinobi mean something.

" _All the wills behind my fist, the blood, the tears, the sweat; you have that same strength behind yours! The loneliness you suffered, the pain you endured, the tears you shed in solitude; they helped you get stronger!"_

 _Amari…_

" _I'm not letting them take your happiness, Mimi. I refuse. You've fought too hard for it. So if I have to pummel you into the ground over and over again to get you to see the hands reaching out to you, I will."_

 _Even when I tried to push you aside and follow that darkness in me, you kept reaching out to me. You refused to leave me there._

" _I'm glad I was able to meet you."_

A single tear escaped Mimi.

… _Thank you._

Mimi tightened her core in preparation of the blow still going to land and growled in effort, putting the wills of her precious people behind her fist fully for this final blow.

 _I won't let my precious people down!_

Her punch connected first right in the center of Amari's forehead, and then Amari's crushed her insides with the wills of her precious people.

Mimi swore the ground shook underneath them from the force of their punches landing. Even if it didn't, the recoil sent the pair flying away from one another. The Inuzuka tumbled across the wet grass and slid chest first to a stop. She wasn't sure what happened to Amari and Aoko, but she knew she couldn't breathe and was positive Amari just pulled her intestines out of her.

 _Come on, get up. Get up. Get up._

Shuddered exhales left her as her limbs trembled against the beginnings of her attempt to stand once more. Her vision blurred, muddling the wet grass laced between her fingers into a giant green blob. She pushed up onto her hands and knees, then onto her good foot and her opposite knee, greedily trying to breathe in intoxicating oxygen.

This was as far as she could get. She knew it. If Amari could stand again, this fight was over. That punch, even Guy-sensei never punched her that hard and his fists felt like tons of bricks being slammed into her.

Her vision didn't clear, but she could faintly see the silhouettes of Genma and Amari—the latter lying motionless on her side. The proctor crouched next to her, checking her pulse and possible checking to see if she was still conscious. He glanced over at Mimi's trembling body, assessing the damage and what she was planning.

 _Stay awake. Stay awake. Don't pass out._

Genma shook his head, possibly in disbelief of them, possibly to tell her to stay back, before standing up. "Since she is no longer able to continue, I declare the winner of this match is Mimi Inuzuka!"

The amount of relief that flooded Mimi's body couldn't be measured.

As far as fights went, that was the toughest battle of her life so far. And with those final punches the pair was able to define their connection.

Friends and rivals, of course, but there was a true definition of their bond that meant far more.

They were sisters of tragedy. Sisters who would do anything on any given day to help the other.

Because they were family.

* * *

The crowd roared to life in a rare, full standing ovation for the two kunoichi who just battled to their absolute limits. Waves of claps and cheers resounded all around them. Genma ignored the crowd, his thoughtful eyes drawn to the two kunoichi. Mimi fully collapsed onto her butt as she struggled to breathe, extending her neck to open up the already cleared air pathways.

 _When it comes down to it_ , he thought, _the final blow wasn't fully what decided this match. That's not to say Mimi's mean punch isn't responsible for Amari being knocked out—it is. But what really decided this match was Mimi's stronger desire to win the entire tournament. Had Amari not rallied her at the start, and had her punch landed first, she would have been the winner of this battle. But she wanted to fight Mimi at full power more than she wanted to win this tournament._

 _And that contributed heavily to her loss here._

Murmurs from the Nara brought the proctor down back into a crouch. "You all right, Amari?" he asked softly to the wounded girl.

"…Can you tell them to keep it down? My head is pounding," she groaned.

Genma exhaled a chuckle. "It's only pounding because you encouraged your opponent to pummel you."

"…I couldn't just let her walk down that path," she murmured.

He hummed. "I get it." He ruffled her hair. "You did good today. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you. Can you…help me up? My body is _really_ sore."

"Sure thing." He lifted his head up. Mimi seemed to have caught her breath, hands glowing green as she applied Medical Ninjutsu to her broken ankle. Aoko was returning to her partner's side, Mimi's slightly burned blue sweater between her teeth. "Hey, Mimi! Think you can heal both of your wounds?"

She nodded. "Yeah, but can you bring her to me? My body isn't ready to move yet."

 _I thought as much. Must have been one hell of a punch she took_. Genma moved to cradle Amari's small body in his arms and carried her over to the medic-nin, setting her down and helping her sit up next to the Inuzuka. Immediately Amari reached out her pointer and middle finger to Mimi. Mimi grinned and did the same, curling their fingers together to create the Seal of Reconciliation.

Genma smiled and stood up. _Simply outstanding you two._

"Here." The Inuzuka dug into her ninja pouch and pulled out a pill jar, popping two out to give one to Amari. "Take a food pill. It'll help you feel better."

Mimi swallowed the other one, an intense surge of red chakra momentarily flowing around her before dissipating. "Careful with those, Mimi," Genma warned.

"I know, but I need more chakra to heal all three of us and still participate in my next match."

With the Inuzuka proceeding to heal herself, her ninken and Amari, Genma turned his gaze to where the Hokage sat above them, giving a small nod to the man.

These two were definitely candidates for Chūnin the same as Shikamaru.

* * *

Lord Third noticed Genma's nod. "Remarkable," he stated to himself. _To think Amari and Mimi have grown this much in such a short time. Their battle prowess, their intelligence and the leadership abilities they have shown through this entire Exam are nothing short of remarkable. The companionship towards one another and those close to them shows their Will of Fires have finally taken full form._

 _They have grown much since they first started on their road to become ninjas, and I have no doubt their bonds and abilities will continue to grow as time presses forward._ He smiled and inclined his head back to Genma. _Yes. These two are ready to move forward._

 _You will both be fine shinobi, just like your parents before you._ He could spy Amari and Mimi speaking and laughing with one another as the Inuzuka healed her, both wearing smiles from what he could see. _Can you see them? I wonder, are you watching your daughters right now? Can you see the Will of Fire burning in them?_

The Hokage imagined the parents, as well as Amari's cousin, standing behind the pair. _They carry your wills and the wills of the others they care for within them. Please, do not curse yourselves for leaving too soon, as they do not curse you for it. You remain in their hearts and are with them even now. I can see that and I am sure they feel it._

 _I am very proud of you both, Mimi and Amari. Continue walking down your paths with confidence and you will achieve your dreams._

* * *

"Would you listen to this crowd?" Asuma asked as he looked around. "I don't think there's ever been such an ovation for participants of the Exams."

Kurenai hummed in agreement, a small smile on her lips. Although she had hoped for Amari to win the match, the pride she felt in her daughter's performance couldn't have gotten any higher. Victory or not, her little one gave this match everything she had, as had Mimi.

"Can you blame them? Those two put on quite the spectacle," Kurenai responded.

"True. Those two pushed themselves to their absolute limits. They make great opponents." Asuma brought his hand to his chin, a thoughtful expression taking over his bearded features. "But there is one thing that has me wondering how they would do as teammates."

The Genjutsu Master turned to look at him, one brow arched in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"That last show of power they had between water and fire. Their strengths were matched."

She nodded. "Right. But why does that have you wondering about them being teammates. I get that they'd make quite the powerful duo, but that's not what is on your mind."

Asuma shook his head. "No, it isn't. That steam they created when they unleashed their full power, it wasn't ordinary steam. It was thicker and carried an uncomfortable level of heat all the way up here. I'll have to talk to Genma later, but I'd bet down there it was ungodly. Probably suffocating."

Kurenai couldn't stop her eyes from bulging in shock. "You're thinking of combining their affinities."

"Exactly. I'd bet, given more time and training, a combination attack from them will be like a Combined Nature Kekkei Genkai."

"Vapor Style." Kurenai was flabbergasted by the possibility.

"Maybe not an exact version of it, but yeah something like Vapor Style."

 _If that is possible…then those two could become a formidable team when they are together._

The thoughtful expression left his face, replaced by a carefree smirk. "For now, though, I'd say they have done a great thing for each other. Pushing each other like they did has probably opened their eyes to any weaknesses they might have while showing them their strengths. Now they will both work harder to become the strongest."

Kurenai smiled and nodded in agreement then looked back down at her daughter.

 _I'm proud of you, little one. You've really come a long way._

* * *

Amari giggled to herself. "I know. I still can't believe Guy-sensei shouted so loud when I did that. If we weren't in the middle of a fight, I would have lost control of my laughter."

"I was this close," Mimi brought up her thumb and index finger with little space between them, "to dying of laughter. Guy-sensei nearly killed me."

"Amari!" A shout cut off the two and brought their attention to Naruto, who was dragging a helpless Shikamaru behind him. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Your match was _so_ awesome! Why haven't you ever fought me and Sasuke like that?"

"Hey, slow down, kid! And stop dragging me. There isn't any rush," Shikamaru tried to chastise.

Naruto spun to face him. "I can't calm down! I'm fired up!" Naruto exclaimed.

Shikamaru took a cautionary step back and raised his arms in front of him. "'Risu, he's you're teammate. Can't you do something?"

Amari shrugged. "Not in this state. The ego of boys is just so troublesome to deal with."

"Truer words have never been spoken," Mimi quipped, grinning lightly.

"Aw man, why couldn't I have such a good fight! I swear, if Sasuke somehow shows me up I'm goin—"

Her teammate began ranting and pacing. Amari allowed Mimi to finish healing her more major injuries before standing up on wobbly legs. Shikamaru was quick to brace her when her legs nearly caved.

"Hey, easy there, 'Risu. There's no rush for you to stand up yet. These people can wait a little longer for you two to recover."

"I'm okay, Shika," she reassured, bracing her legs to be stronger. "Sore, tired, ready for a nap, but I'll be okay."

The food pill was certainly working, as had the healing making it less painful to move, but the fatigue her body experienced in that battle had taken a toll.

"You don't always have to push yourself so far, troublesome girl," he reprimanded lightly, hands still bracing her body. "Mimi can't heal all the damage she and Aoko did. You've still got a few open wounds on you." He eyed the cuts through her clothing and stains of blood.

She smiled at him and poked his forehead. "Don't worry so much, Shika."

"Too late." Amari hugged her cousin close. One lazy arm wrapped around her back and held her there for a moment before releasing her. Amari smiled again at her cousin then turned back to Mimi, who finished healing up Aoko and seemed content to just sit back to savor the moment.

"Hey." She reached her hand out to her friend. "Thank you for fighting me seriously." It had been everything she wanted, and more.

Mimi smiled and nodded, taking her hand to get on her feet. The Nara braced her as she tried to keep the pressure off the ankle she had broken. She worked the soaking sweater back on, zipped it up and placed Aoko back in her hood.

"I guess that makes us one to one now," Amari said.

"I suppose it does."

The Nara gave her a challenging smile. "But next time I'm going to win." Next time she would be stronger and faster and better prepared for the two on one battle fighting Mimi entailed.

Her friend returned her smile with her own. "It's a challenge, Amari." Mimi reached out a gloved fist for a fist bump. "Thanks for…well, thanks for everything. The fight, what you said, all of it. I appreciate it, truly."

Amari bumped her fist against Mimi's, smiling. "Anytime."

The sound of wings flapping caught Amari's attention immediately and made her turn to the source. Atsuko flew in, apparently unbothered by revealing her presence to those within this stadium. Amari raised her left forearm out in front of her to give the bird a landing zone, which she took.

"Well done, Young Amari, and to you as well Mimi. That was quite the match," Atsuko greeted.

"Thank you, Atsuko," Amari thanked.

"Hey, I recognize your scent. You're the Crow from the Forest of Death," Mimi pointed out, eyes widening slightly in surprise.

Atsuko's eyes glinted with amusement. "I am." Shikamaru and Naruto, as well as Genma, looked to the Crow with intrigue. "Allow me to reintroduce myself: I am Atsuko, Head of the Crows of the Leaf. When last we met, my agents and myself aided Young Amari in frightening off the Sound shinobi after Sakura, as well as your teammate Rock Lee, defended the rest of Team Seven from their cruelty.

"I recall you, Neji and Tenten were quite frightened by your inability to sense my presence at that time and our legend, but fear not, I mean no harm to any of you. So long as you remain true to the Leaf and do not seek to harm those under my protection, you will not have to face the wrath of the Crows."

"Hehe, this doesn't count, right?" Mimi asked nervously.

"Should you see a Crow outside your window tonight, you will know if you have done wrong by me…Before you die." Mimi shuddered visibly at the threat, causing Atsuko to hum a laugh. "I only tease, Mimi Inuzuka. Young Amari holds no ill will towards you, nor do I. You two have created a bond through your intense battle, I can sense it, and I look forward to seeing where this takes you both."

"Glad to see you're still frightening those you encounter, Atsuko," Genma quipped.

"Hmhmhm!" Atsuko hummed menacingly. "It is a part of my charm, as you humans like to say."

"How do you two know one another?" Amari asked curiously.

"When we are not within a stadium of strangers I shall explain, but suffice to say Genma and I worked together," Atsuko explained.

 _Probably by proxy of Mama_ , Amari pieced together on her own.

Atsuko turned her head to Shikamaru and Naruto. "And finally, greetings to you both, Shikamaru Nara and Naruto Uzumaki. I am pleased to see the next generation is blossoming quite well. Quite well indeed. Alas, my weakness for human speech has gotten in the way of the news I wish to share.

"Kakashi and Sasuke should be here momentarily." Atsuko hopped up Amari's arm to her shoulder, taking it as her perch. "I have been told Kakashi lost track of time."

This caused the two Team Seven members and Genma to deadpan in response. _Of course he did…troublesome adult._

"And I thought Shikamaru was a slacker. I almost forgot how bad Kakashi-sense—"

A group of leaves started to fall from out of nowhere in front of all the Genin and proctor, causing all of them to look at them in wonder.

 _That can only mean…_

A tornado of wind suddenly appeared right next to the group, forcing them to raise their hands in front of their face as the leaves whipped around them. As soon as it started, it died down, leaving the leaves to gently flow with the breeze around the source of the Body Flicker Technique.

In the center of it all was Kakashi and Sasuke.

 _They made it._


	45. Chapter 44: War at Home

Chapter 44

War at Home: The Destruction of Konoha Begins!

"Sorry we're late, but you wouldn't believe the traffic."

Kakashi's cool voice unknotted the stresses and concerns tying Amari's intestines in a bow better than any Medical Ninjutsu could.

 _Finally_. Amari exhaled a soft, relieved breath that had been detained by the stress police since she first entered the stadium. Finally she could breathe that desperately needed sigh of relief and be rid of the constricting concerns that left her thoughts darting around in apprehensive uncertainty.

Gaara hadn't hurt or killed her mentor and clan-brother before the Exams began. They finally arrived. Safe, uninjured and with an excuse about being late to boot.

She exhaled another soft puff of air through her nose, the relief washing over her sore and fatigued body like a cool wave of Mimi's Water Style jutsu.

The corner of her lips lifted into a smirk. "Late as always, Kakashi-sensei. I sincerely hope you're not rubbing it off on Sasuke," Amari teased the pair.

"We made it back exactly when I meant to," Kakashi played it off cooly.

Sasuke snorted, eyes shutting briefly as he shook his head. "Don't count on this becoming normal from me."

Her fellow Uchiha wore a new outfit; in style it remained relatively the same, appearing as the same high collared shirt and shorts, but his new outfit was one-pieced and colored black. His left arm was covered in white bandages, as were his legs; small belts adorned his arm for one reason or another. Otherwise he appeared the same, the only slight difference being a bit more length to the front strands of his hair.

"I suppose I owe you and the Crows another one," Sasuke continued, glancing to her and Atsuko. "Without them coming to find us we would have missed your whole match."

Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck and laughed sheepishly. "I should probably apologize. I didn't mean to worry you so much. I honestly lost track of time."

"I wasn't too worried. I knew you'd probably pull something like this off," Amari deflected.

Her sensei paused in rubbing his neck to feign an offended expression. "Are you saying I'm predictable, Amari?"

She smiled. "Only when it comes to showing up on time. Otherwise you keep me on my toes."

Kakashi lowered his hand and eye smiled at her. "Well, I'm sorry I missed the first half of your match, and for missing yours completely Naruto. Still," he looked up to the crowd, who had stood up and cheered for their arrival, "despite missing half of it, I am still very proud of your performance, Amari. And though you are not my student, Mimi, I am proud of yours as well.

"All of these people—shinobi, civilians and Lords alike—stood on their feet to give you both a well-deserved standing ovation. You proved to them why your generation looks to the two of you for inspiration by battling on a level no one here expected to witness with your Will of Fires displayed for everyone to see."

Both kunoichi blushed at the praise of one of the Leaf's elite shinobi. Amari clutched her mesh arm and beamed at her toes, feeling an overwhelming sense of pride from her sensei's words. Mimi flicked her sapphire eyes away and rubbed the back of her head in a rare moment of shyness.

Kakashi looked back at the blushing duo and chuckled. "Don't be so bashful. Be proud of what you two accomplished together. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing you two light the way for your generation."

"Hey!" Naruto whined, a pout on his lips as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Why do they get all the praise? I won my match too, you know."

The sudden interruption was all Mimi and Amari needed to recompose themselves.

"Sorry, Naruto. I'm sure your match was great too."

"It was!" Naruto exclaimed, throwing punches at the air in an enthusiastic reenactment of his fight. "You should have heard how loud the crowd reacted to my victory when I took down Neji! They were on their feet praising the future Hokage!"

Sasuke cocked a skeptical eyebrow up. Kakashi looked from Naruto to Amari and Mimi, silently asking for more information to gauge the honesty of his knuckleheaded student's proud declaration.

"Goofball isn't kidding," Mimi backed him up first. "He really took it to Neji. Backed his fist up with our wills," she motioned to herself and Amari, "and Hinata's and Lee's to knock Neji's destiny crap right out of him. Gave him a great speech defending all of us too."

"No Hokage fights alone, right, Naruto?" Amari repeated, smiling fondly at her teammate. "Even in one-on-one combat, a Hokage carries the wills of their comrades and precious people with them, because that's where we get our strength from."

Naruto grinned through a light blush. "Hehe! That's right!"

Kakashi took in the information with a small nod. He eye smiled at Naruto. "Well, what can I say? I'm impressed, Naruto. It sounds like you've really matured over this last month. Be proud over your victory here and use it as the next step towards your dream."

Naruto beamed at the praise. "I will, Kakashi-sensei!"

Amari reached up and gently ran her fingers into her wet ponytailed hair. Knots caught on her fingers, tugging a frown onto her lips. Knots were such a pain. She noticed Sasuke smirking at her misfortune and puckered her lips in an even more dissatisfied frown sent his way.

"Laugh it up, troublesome boy," she muttered.

He snorted and didn't remove that stupid smirk from his face. "We'll have to fight for real sometime, Amari," Sasuke said. "I was hoping to face you in the final rounds, but I guess I'll have my hands full with Mimi and Aoko this time. Maybe our next training session we can spar."

Amari opened her mouth to accept, but Naruto's loud voice struck faster. "Hey! I'm the one that's going to face Mimi in the final rounds!" he declared confidently. "You're not going to get through me, Sasuke. I'm going all the way to the end, and then I'm going to beat Mimi too! And then after that, I get first dibs on sparring with Amari."

"Don't I get a say in who I fight first?" she mumbled quietly.

"Ha! Don't get too cocky, Naruto. You may have beaten Neji, but you haven't beaten me."

The answer to her question seemed to be _no_. Amari sighed, resigned to her fate to deal with her two boy teammates egos at a later date when she had the energy and mental capacity to handle it. She really wanted a nap. Also a shower and an ice cream cookie—maybe two. Oh, maybe there were vendors here! Maybe they had cookies, or snow cones!

 _Snow cones…_ Amari felt her tummy rumble in delight at the thought of the ice cold treat.

"You guys are such a drag with all this energy," Shikamaru drawled to the debating boys. Boys she had tuned out as she dreamed of sweets and the most delightfully earned brain freezes. "I still can't figure out how you stand it 'Risu. 'Risu? Hey, you okay?"

Amari snapped out of her daydream of ice cream heaven, where all of her favorite flavors of ice cream were an infinite source of sweetness, and crushed chocolate chip cookies sat on mounds of vanilla ice cream; every bite magically full of healthy nutrients without compromise of flavor.

"Huh?" was her intelligent response.

It was a jolting wake up back to reality where no ice cream cookies were in sight.

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow at her, concern beneath the nonchalant action. "You okay?"

"I…" Her cheeks flushed and her eye fell to her toes. "I really want a snow cone," she mumbled in embarrassment.

Everyone, even Atsuko, took joy out of her response. Mimi at least had the courtesy to hide her snickers behind her gloved hand; everyone else openly laughed, chuckled or smirked at her expense.

Finally, Kakashi turned to Genma to get back on subject. "Sorry if we kept you waiting. Um…how late are we? I mean, it's not like Sasuke is…disqualified…right?"

Genma lowered his head and closed his eyes, a sly smile playing at his lips. "Like master like pupil, all the way down to your lousy sense of time."

"Well, what about it?"

"You were so late that we extended the deadline for you. It's lucky for you Amari and Mimi had such a long, back and forth fight because you just made it. No, he's not disqualified."

Kakashi let out a relieved laugh. "Oh. That's a relief, heh. You had me worried there for a minute." He looked down to Sasuke. "I told you we'd be okay."

With his eye back on the Genin, Kakashi finally saw all of their attention drawn to Gaara, whose intense gaze refused to leave the two Uchiha. Each Leaf Genin—including lazy Shikamaru—and Atsuko wore serious expressions, meeting his gaze head on without flinching.

The battle between Amari and Mimi had been without a doubt intense; the pair gave it their all to win, in the process finally defining the connection that continued to pull them towards one another. Amari had been thrilled by the fight, heartbroken by the painful memories her friend endured, joyous to finally define their connection.

When she stared at Gaara, however, she was reminded of their mysterious connection, of the warnings she received from Atsuko and Kakashi, of their encounter in the hospital. She hoped to never define their connection, to never face him in combat or for her worst fears to ever come true…but somewhere in her heart, where this unseen thread attached itself to her, she knew it was unavoidable.

This bloodthirsty boy, this child who had been shunned in a way all too similar to Naruto, this boy who killed the girl who considered him precious was somehow, someway, inextricably bound to her, as she was to him.

Inevitability was going to come calling, and then their wills would have no choice but to battle for supremacy. This feeling didn't come from her gut or her brain. She felt it in every bone, every muscle, in every expansion of her lungs and every beat of her heart. How could her fate be so entwined with his? What had bound them down this path towards inevitability?

Amari couldn't figure it out, nor did she want to. She wanted this tight feeling in her chest to go away, for this cold gaze of his to no longer linger on her. She just wanted him to leave her home and her precious people alone.

 _But you won't, will you? You're going to make this personal between us, more personal than you already did when you tried to kill Lee._

Another feeling she knew to be true in her being.

"Hey, Sasuke," Naruto spoke up in a low, serious voice. "Don't let your guard down around that guy. He tried to make a move on Bushy Brows a few days ago, and he's dead set on trying to kill you and Amari too."

"He tried to kill Lee again?" Sasuke questioned. All his peers nodded. Amari noticed his jaw tighten. "Don't worry about me. I'll take care of him."

"I can sense you've gotten stronger, and I'm not doubting Kakashi-sensei's training, but don't take that bastard lightly," Mimi stated firmly. "What Lee did to him, he should be permanently hospitalized or dead, but that freak of nature survived the Eight Inner Gates and walked off cleanly." She flicked her sapphire eyes to him. "I'd consider it a personal favor if you make him regret hurting Lee."

Sasuke didn't hesitate to nod. "Count on it."

"Be careful, Sasuke, and good luck. I'll be cheering you on," Amari said.

"As will I," Atsuko joined. "I'm intrigued to see the reactions of your peers when they learn what the famed Kakashi Hatake has taught you this month."

Sasuke nodded to the pair. "Thanks. And thank you for defending Amari in the Forest of Death from that other freak of nature."

"You are most welcome."

"All right, enough chit chat," Genma cut in. "We can't keep holding up the Exams. Sasuke, your match is next so you can stay. The rest of you head back up to the waiting area." Genma turned his head to look at Gaara. "Gaara! Head on down so we can start your match!"

The boy didn't say anything. He silently left his spot in the waiting area, disappearing into the shadows of the hall to head down the stairs.

"Come on Naruto, they don't need us here anymore," Shikamaru said, turning to leave. "And this time I'm taking the stairs."

Naruto frowned and chased after him. "Are you still mad about that?"

"Lazy bones. You could just jump up there," Amari muttered. Mimi and Amari followed after them, Aoko resting within Mimi's wet and burned hoodie and Atsuko riding on Amari's shoulder. When they neared the wall they both jumped up while the boys took the long way.

Mimi immediately set about healing her ankle again when they reached the waiting area, sitting down on the concrete floor to keep all pressure off it. Shino, who remained steadfast in his original spot, turned his head to look at the pair of kunoichi. "Congratulations on your victory, Mimi. I hope you will extend me the same courtesy as you did Amari and fight me at one hundred percent, should you and I meet in battle that is."

The Inuzuka grinned up at the boy. "You got it, Shino."

"I appreciate it. And Amari, one day I too would like to face you in combat. You have proven once more why you were the number one rookie of our year."

"Whenever we do fight, I'll give you my best, Shino."

"Of course you will. Why? Because: You never give less than one hundred percent."

"No, she does not," Atsuko agreed, a pleasant tone to her voice. "But that's what makes her special."

Amari blushed. " _Atsuko_!" she whined, failing to notice how rigid Mimi went from a sound she couldn't hear.

Gaara appeared from the entrance below and stalked towards the center of the arena. Mimi disengaged her Medical Ninjutsu, stood up and grabbed Amari by the bicep. The tight grip betrayed what she originally thought was her friend bracing herself.

"Hey Shino, keep an eye on the match for us," Mimi suddenly spoke up.

The Aburame merely watched them silently. The Inuzuka's features appeared casual, the upwards turn of her lips carrying the usual levity Mimi was known for. Amari and Shino saw right through the mask.

"I just remembered I was going to help Amari take her hair down and fix it up." Her gloved hand glided down her arm to snatch her wrist in a vice grip and began tugging her towards the exit. "Come on, Amari. Let's go have some girl time."

Shino gave a small silent nod and turned to watch the match as the Nara was "pulled" away. "Girl time? _Mimiiii_ , I hate that stuff," she whined childishly to play her part.

 _This is strange. What the hell has gotten into her?_ Atsuko kept her balance on the Uchiha's shoulder, watching humorously at the look of horror Amari had put on. Yet there was a level of alertness in her black eyes that proved she too recognized the ruse played to keep the Sand shinobi unaware.

"It's not so bad once in a while. Stop fighting and come on." They made their way into the hall, down the first flight of stairs out of earshot of the waiting area. Mimi's mask fell to reveal a grave expression, her hand releasing the Nara's wrist as she hastened her steps down the next flight of stairs. "Follow me. I heard screams."

Without argument Amari nodded and followed Mimi at a run down the stairs. "Could you tell if it was Shikamaru and Naruto?" she asked as they moved.

Mimi shook her head. "The octaves weren't within their range, and Aoko can smell them in the same condition we left them in." She glanced over to Amari. "But she also smells blood…lots of blood belonging to two others."

Amari's eye widened. "You mean…"

"Yeah." She nodded, features still made of stone. "Gaara just murdered two people."

"Hmm. This bodes ill," Atsuko murmured. "While he may be a testament to the Sand's strength, this unstable child cannot continue to murder anyone he desires within our walls. The Kazekage has much to answer for. Gaara is his child, yes, but he is a legitimate threat to every single individual he encounters regardless of origin."

" _Continue_ to murder?" Mimi inquired.

"I'll…I'll tell you later. Let's just get to Naruto and Shika first. I need to see they're unharmed."

 _"All the same, I will kill you. Just you wait. I'll kill you all."_

The promise he made, the feeling that he would make this more personal…Had he already struck? Even with Aoko's reassurance she feared the worst. Her feet quickened under her unconsciously.

"You think Shino got the message?" Mimi asked.

"Definitely. Shino's smart, and he knows neither of us are into 'girl time' as you called it. We're fighters at our core," Amari said. "And because of how quiet he can be, I wouldn't doubt it if those two Sand shinobi forget he's there. He'll be listening very closely to anything they have to say. May even plant a beetle on them just to be safe."

Shino was pragmatic. He would have sensed the change in Mimi's attitude and the warning beneath the mask, and from it prepared for danger or to gather information to learn all he could. Shino wasn't just pragmatic, he was a fine shinobi. One Amari knew she could count on to be safe if her worst fears came true.

"Good, 'cause I've got a bad feeling about all this. Had one ever since we learned Orochimaru attacked you guys."

Amari remained silent. _You're not the only one._

They made it down the stairs to pitch black hall smelling of death. Mimi crinkled her nose and brought her sweater covered arm up to cover it. "Naruto and Shikamaru are at the opposite end of this hall. Kami, it's going to take weeks to get this smell out of my nose."

The stench was intense even without enhances senses. Amari didn't want to imagine how bad it was with them.

"Atsuko, can you go find Naruto and Shika to make sure they are okay while we make our way down this hall?"

"At once, Young Haya."

Atsuko hopped off her shoulder and disappeared into the darkness. "Amari, think you can guide us using your Byakugan? I won't be able to see my hand in front of my face once we get in there."

"All right. Just grab onto my shoulder." Mimi followed her order. _Byakugan!_ Her left eye's vision extended down the hall to the inverted black and white, allowing her to see the area ahead of them completely…along with the two dead bodies. "You were right, they're dead. I see no signs of life in them. I can't even tell who they used to be."

It was a grisly scene in her eye. A scene she wasn't sure she could ever forget. What was left of them…Someone was going to have to piece them back together like a puzzle if they were to ever learn who these two unfortunate souls were.

In silence the kunoichi moved forward hoping to reach the end of the hall.

 _Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Crunch._

"Do you feel that?" Mimi's voice was muffled behind her sleeve.

"Yeah…feels like glass. He probably destroyed the lights before killing those two." There were a few murmurs from Aoko breaking off the silence that followed. "What did she say?"

"Whoever those poor saps were, they were crushed to death. None of their bones are intact. And…well, you can see it." She could, though she stopped looking. It wouldn't get out of her head. "Whoever they were, they did not go peacefully."

Amari gave a silent nod in the darkness and pressed forward. She guided them around the two corpses as quickly as their feet allowed them to the exit. This hall of horrors was better off left forgotten and abandoned, but it wouldn't be. Not for them. The reek of death, the scene itself, neither kunoichi would forget this for a long time.

Artificial light broke off the endless darkness at the exit to the hall, light the two kunoichi were extremely happy to step into. Atsuko stood perched on the guardrail of the staircase. She turned her head to peer back at the arriving pair. "They are here and unharmed, but they are in a state of shock. I do not believe they even know I'm here despite my attempts to speak to them."

Both nodded and rushed to the stairs. Further away from the darkness. Further away from the stench and sight of death.

Both Shikamaru and Naruto sat in silence together staring into nothingness. Mimi moved to Shikamaru's side as Amari moved to Naruto's, both hoping to break them out of their shock and back to reality. Away from whatever horrors they witnessed. Away from the fear still evident on their faces.

"Hey, Slacker, wake up. You hear me in there?" the Inuzuka questioned the Nara as she snapped her fingers in front of him.

"Naruto, come on snap out of it. You're both okay," Amari tried with Naruto.

Shikamaru was the first to shake the cobwebs from his head. He looked at them, bewildered by what must have seemed to be a sudden appearance. "Mimi, 'Risu? How did you two know?"

"I heard screams and Aoko smelled blood," Mimi answered. "What exactly happened?"

"Those two guys, they tried to talk to Gaara about…I'm not really sure. It looked shady. But then Gaara killed them without batting an eyelash…and then he just walked right past us like we weren't even here."

"But…why?" Amari asked in astonishment. It wasn't that she wanted Gaara to hurt them, but his promise to kill them all was running through her head on repeat. If he wanted to kill Shikamaru and Naruto, that would have been the perfect time. No one would have been able to stop him or interrupt; no elite shinobi could have saved them…yet he just walked by them without acknowledging their existence.

"I don't know," her cousin responded, sounding just as perplexed as she did. "It would have been the perfect time to fulfill that promise he made back in the hospital…but he let us live. I don't know," he said again, shaking his head, resting his forearms on his knees as he slouched forward. "Maybe we weren't good enough to kill."

"Or you didn't get between him and his match with Sasuke like those two did," the Inuzuka deducted.

"Maybe."

 _At this point Shika is happy to be alive. Making sense of this isn't something he is going to do right now, not to his full capacity at least._ Amari looked back to Naruto, who was still staring through her as if she wasn't there. _And Naruto doesn't even seem to be on this planet right now._

"Amari, Atsuko, what other information do you have that we don't know about?" Mimi probed.

"Gaara killed Dosu," Amari informed plainly.

"Aw man," Shikamaru muttered, shutting his eyes.

"It is highly possible Suna purposefully sent an unstable child such as Gaara to kill innocent lives," Atsuko followed. The Crow glanced back at the darkened hallway then back to the Nara boy. "Shikamaru, do you know which Village these shinobi were from?"

"The Grass."

"Hmm. Young Haya, are there any details you may have picked from your meeting in the hospital about this Gaara child? Perhaps his motives for murdering without thought? Or why he permeates darkness wherever he goes?"

There was one thing. One detail she hadn't told anyone.

"I…I wasn't sure if it meant anything. Or, I was scared, I guess," her chuckle and voice trembled. "Scared he was telling the truth and what it could mean for everyone here. When Gaara was born, he said they placed a demon inside him—a sand spirit—that killed his mother with his birth."

High levels of alertness shone in Atsuko's eyes. "Young Haya, did he know its name? Did it have a name?" she demanded.

Her questioning only tightened the fears around her heart. It meant the threat was real, no matter how much she wished it wasn't.

"He called it the Shukaku. Claimed he was meant to be his Village's savior, but people saw him as an old relic they didn't want around anymore. A danger. His father even sent assassins to kill him."

Atsuko exhaled a deep breath, but not one of relaxation. "I see. Then it is worse than I feared. Young Haya, from now on I want you to spare no detail when we speak, even if it frightens you. Even if it seems far-fetched. It could very well be a truth and a grave danger to the Leaf or our allies."

"I'm sorry," she apologized sincerely, eye lowering to the floor. She knew she should have told someone, but it scared her. The idea that Gaara could have something…something that sounded so much like the Nine-Tails locked inside him, it gave her chills; it made the possibility of him killing everyone she loved more than an empty threat. So she hid from it, tried to pretend it was bravado to focus on her fight for the Exams.

And in doing so may have doomed every single person she loved.

"Do not lower your head in shame, Young Haya. Even if this information has come late, it is still good Intel we can act upon accordingly. It is information we _must_ act upon immediately, for I fear I have been hit by a sudden revelation on what the Sand plans to do."

"Gaara has something like the Nine-Tails in him, doesn't he?" Naruto finally spoke up.

Mimi and Shikamaru snapped their heads to face him, horrified, as if the Nine-Tails itself appeared in the hallway. Amari looked to the Crow with her teammate, the bow-tie knots in her intestines returning.

Atsuko nodded gravely. "You are correct, Naruto. It is imperative you four listen closely, for I must depart momentarily to investigate what the scouting parties I sent out have learned. It has been too long since I heard from them, and with this new news I sense a foul plot on the winds.

"There have been whispers of suspicions among the highest councils of the Leaf of Orochimaru's schemes aligning with the Sand. All of your guardians and teachers know what I speak of. And I fear we have all walked right into their trap." She shook her head. "We have allowed their greatest weapon to be placed in the center of the Leaf, where the most damage could occur."

"They're planning to unleash this sand spirit right in the center of the Leaf," Amari whispered hauntingly.

And she didn't say a damn thing about it to anyone.

"No way," Mimi gasped, stricken by horror. "If he unleashes something on the level of the Nine-Tails right in the center of the Village…The civilians, the _kids_! We can't let that happen!"

"Calm yourself, Mimi," Atsuko ordered sternly. "We will _not_ let our enemies harm innocent children, I assure you, but we cannot act on sheer emotion. Even when we stop this Gaara child from unleashing the Shukaku, it will not be the end of what is coming. It will be only the beginning, and you four must be ready to face the horrors of war, because the horrors of war have found you."

Spoken like a true veteran commander. Yet another glimpse at the many years of experience Atsuko had over all of them.

"Atsuko, you really think this is war?" Shikamaru asked. He didn't sound like he wanted to believe it, but Amari knew he was hanging onto a mixture of hope and denial.

"Tell me, Shikamaru, when Kankurō forfeited his match, what was your first thought? Spare me the 'what a drag' regarding your match beginning."

Shikamaru hummed. "Thought it was suspicious. He looked nervous when his match was about to be called, like it was never meant to happen. Even Temari looked hesitant to do our match."

"And why might a puppet user avoid battle if a greater war was on the horizon?"

Shikamaru frowned, the last threads of denial being severed from him. He could see exactly where Atsuko had led him; it was a thought pattern Amari herself hadn't considered until now either. "To hide new tricks, new tools or something else altogether. His puppets are his best weapon; to show what they can do before a war is like giving his enemies a cheat sheet to his techniques."

"Exactly. I want you four to go to Kakashi and Guy, inform them of these two dead shinobi. Tell them of what Gaara contains within him. Warn them of Suna's plan to unleash this demon within the center of our Village."

"No offense, but who the hell is going to believe us? We're Genin. And it'll sound more like paranoid theories than fact," Mimi stated.

"They will believe when you tell them the Crows of the Leaf vow it is the truth." Atsuko swept her wing out. "Now go! This is of the utmost importance for the safety of our home. I will return as soon as I am able."

Atsuko vanished in a plume of smoke.

War. It hadn't even started yet, but Amari felt the nerves, the fear of the battles to come, the lives it could take. Jitters and trembles attacked her hands and body. But she was a shinobi with a duty to protect her friends and her home. She hadn't said anything before, that meant she had to do better now while there was still time to prevent as much loss of life and destruction.

Moping about how stupid she had been and letting the fear keep her firmly rooted here like a century old tree wouldn't help anyone. Right now she had to sheathe her fears behind a blade of courage; it was the only way to protect what she held precious.

Amari clenched her hands into fists, took a deep breath and stood up. She offered a hand to Naruto and Shikamaru while Mimi stood up. The fears she felt, all three of her friends felt it too. But they too hid their anxiety and concerns behind determined expressions.

"Let's go," she said, sounding more confident than she felt.

They took off back up the stairs, Amari at the head of the group on a new concoction of fear based adrenaline to shut out the fatigue and general soreness of her body.

When they made it to the spectator booths of the arena, most didn't pay mind to the four Genin sprinting by. Everyone was too invested in the fight going on below them; the fight between Sand and Leaf. A fight about to break out everywhere if they weren't able to counteract it. Amari glanced down to the arena, noticing an orb of solid sand in the middle of the battlefield. Sasuke jumped back away from it.

 _Sasuke…Be careful._

"They're right up here! Three rows over, on the stairs!" Mimi announced to the group.

Amari knew that head of silver hair and a black bowl cut anywhere.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted as they arrived.

The group of four stopped at the top of the stairs; Shikamaru collapsed to one knee and Mimi followed his action to get pressure of her ankle, immediately applying more Medical Ninjutsu to the injury. Amari really hated herself for injuring her friend.

She braced herself on her knees while Naruto braced his weight on the guardrail. Further down the stairs was Kakashi, standing a few stairs higher than Guy and Lee, the latter standing with the help of a crutch. Nearby them in the seats were Sakura, Ino and Chōji—and every one of them turned to look up at the group.

"Naruto? Amari?" His eye took in the group, the worry in their eyes, the fear hidden behind courage.

"Mimi! Great work in your battle against Amari!" Guy congratulated. "I am so proud of—"

"What happened? What's going on?" Kakashi interrupted his rival, cutting straight to the issue he could see.

"Ka- Kakashi-sensei, please, you have to listen to us. Something very bad is going on," Amari said through heavy breaths.

"Sensei please! You've got to stop this match right away. It's for Sasuke's safety!" Naruto pleaded.

"What do you mean? What's going on?" Kakashi asked again.

"Naruto isn't kidding around." Shikamaru was the next to speak up. "As we were coming up the stairs after you arrived, two ninjas tried to speak to Gaara…and he killed them without blinking."

"Their bodies are still in the hall, and every bone in their bodies has been crushed." Mimi took it from the Nara. "I know…I know I've had personal problems with this kid, but this isn't some vendetta against him. He murdered those two shinobi."

"Who were the ninja?" Guy queried seriously.

"Two adult Grass ninjas who I've never seen until just a few minutes ago," Shikamaru answered. "I don't know if you'll even be able to get an I.D. off those two anymore."

They wouldn't. Not without a lot of work.

"Slow down you four," Ino tried to soothe them.

They couldn't slow down. This was about the safety of Sasuke and the Leaf. If they slowed down, if they didn't get all the information to the people who needed it, every single person in this stadium could die.

"Gaara, he has a demon within him, Kakashi-sensei. Like the Nine-Tails," Amari explained breathlessly.

That snapped everyone to attention. Kakashi and Guy both shifted from their normal personalities to that of the veteran shinobi. They had witnessed the destruction and death the Nine-Tails created. They knew what that kind of power could do.

"Explain, Amari. How do you know?"

"When Naruto, Shika and I encountered him, he told us how he was born, of the kind of life he lived. It's called the Shukaku. Claimed that the people of his Village saw him as a relic of the past they wanted to get rid of, and that his power became such a threat that his own father tried to kill him.

"Atsuko told me he killed Dosu. That's why he isn't here today. She said…" Amari shut her eyes and took a breath meant to calm her nerves. It didn't. These next words, to say them meant to make this real. It would cease to be her greatest fear and become reality. But she already made the mistake of letting her fear turn away from important information. For Sasuke's safety and the safety of all those she loved, she had to say it.

"She said this is a preamble to war."

"Who is this Atsuko you speak of?" The question did not come from either Kakashi or Guy or even their peers. It came from behind her, from a voice she didn't recognize and a presence she did not sense appear.

Amari let out a choked and startled "Eep!" as she tried to snap around. Her feet tripped and she felt gravity begin to carry her down the stairs.

The hand of the individual snatched her hand and caught her, pulling her gently back onto both feet and away from a painful and embarrassing fall. Shikamaru, Mimi and Naruto all tensed and pulled out blades at the sudden appearance of the individual, but they didn't move beyond that.

"I…can't move," Mimi growled.

"It's a Paralysis Jutsu," Shikamaru explained, his brow furrowed as he too tried to move.

"Easy there. I'm a friend," the individual informed in a calm voice, both to sooth Amari's fearful look and the three Genin.

He wore a beige cloak and an Anbu mask with a cat motif, flanked by two more Anbu who wore black cloaks.

"Lord Third's personal Anbu," Kakashi noted out loud.

Amari settled back onto her feet and sighed in relief. Allies, not enemies. That was good. But did they really have to move so quietly? Her heart nearly smashed its way out of her chest at his appearance. The three Genin were released of the Paralysis Jutsu and returned their blades to their tool boxes, though not without casting awe filled glances at the three shinobi.

"I assume you've already checked the bodies?" Kakashi asked.

"We have," he nodded to the Copy Ninja. "These children speak the truth of their fate as well as the fate of Dosu." His head tilted back down to gaze at Amari, his full attention being given to her. "Now, again, who is this Atsuko? Who has claimed this boy is to be the preamble to a war?"

"Th- The Head of the Crows of the Leaf," Amari stuttered out, heart still skipping around in her chest.

She sensed his surprise even behind the mask. "The Legendary Head of the Crows? You are her summoner?" Amari nodded hesitantly. "And you are certain you did not mishear her?"

"We all heard her," Mimi inserted on behalf of the startled Nara. "She says their plan is to unleash this Shukaku right in the center of our Village. That it was a demon like the Nine-Tails."

The Anbu nodded. "I see. And while the Shukaku is unleashed, the Kazekage and his guards must plan to prevent Lord Hokage from defending the Leaf. This is grave news indeed."

"That's why they delayed Sasuke's match," Kakashi realized, spinning around to look back at his student. "Unleashing the Shukaku must be the signal for a larger attack."

The screeching of what sounded like a thousand birds echoed in the arena. Amari turned to see what the source was, finding Sasuke's hand covered in Lightning. Her eye widened. "You…You taught him the Lightning Blade. Except his isn't as focused as yours."

Her left hands fingers began to twitch, the scars warming at the sight of the jutsu. _You're okay. You're okay. You're okay_ , she reassured herself, clenching her left hand into a tight fist.

"It's called the Chidori," Guy explained. "A step down in focus from the Lightning Blade, as you noted Amaririsu, but still an incredibly powerful ninjutsu. That's why you were building his speed up, right, Kakashi?"

Kakashi didn't answer, eye drawn to the battle as he seemed to calculate every single detail about the battle, the Sand's plans and the situation at hand in an instant.

"We have to stop this match, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto pleaded.

"The match is already over, Naruto. What Sasuke's about to do is make the first decisive strike of a war," Kakashi replied sternly. "The Chidori will pierce through that impenetrable sand orb and disable this major threat to our Village, that's when we'll make our move."

Sasuke plunged the Chidori into the sand orb, through what seemed to be impenetrable armor and to the person inside. What followed was an unsettling silence, and then…

"BLOOOOD! IT'S MY BLOOOD!" Gaara's blood curdling scream reverberated around the entire stadium.

Sasuke appeared to try to pull his arm free, but when it did not work he surged his Chidori again, eliciting more horrifying screams from Gaara until he was finally able to pull his arm free…but not without pulling out a giant sand arm. The arm slammed against the ground and slithered back into the hole Sasuke had punctured. A feral roar of a beast Amari had never heard before replaced the cries of Gaara, the thunderous baritone of its roar rattling her bones.

This wasn't good.

This was really not good.

A pop sounded off in her ear as the sand orb crumbled. "Young Amari, I bring grave news!" Every adult shinobi listened intently to the next words the Crow spoke, even if they did not look at her directly. Atsuko pointed her wing out towards the east. "My scouting parties are reporting platoons of Sand and Sound shinobi outside the Village walls. We have engaged the enemy shinobi and are passing this information onto the field commanders, but I fear they plan to summon giant creatures of an unknown kind as of yet."

"Man, today just keeps getting worse," Shikamaru muttered.

"They planned a full-scale assault on the Leaf," Amari whispered. "They used the Exams as a distraction to move our attention away from their gathering forces around our walls, waiting for Gaara to unleash this sand spirit."

"And amid the chaos of a giant monster like the Nine-Tails attacking, they would spring their attack and catch us between giant summoning creatures and the sand spirit, crushing our forces while the Kazekage battled against the Hokage," Shikamaru finished her thought pattern. "They played us right into their hands. Only they didn't expect Gaara to be unable to unleash the sand spirit, and they didn't expect the Crows to catch on. No doubt thinking they were some ghost story."

But it wasn't enough to prevent the war or loss of life. This war had only just begun.

Exhaustion began to take over Amari; her eyelids, weighted down by Kakashi's weighted seals, started to fall shut on their own, against her wishes. "Genjutsu," she realized tiredly. Someone was casting a powerful genjutsu, one meant to put her to sleep. Her hands moved quickly into a handseal. "Release!"

"Naruto, Shikamaru, it's genjutsu. Ah, crap. Release!" Amari, now fully awake and back under the pressures of anxiety, released the genjutsu on Atsuko as the civilians and shinobi alike all sitting in the stands fell asleep. This wasn't just a targeted attack on her or Mimi or even the older shinobi, she realized, eye darting first to the two boys—who collapsed and slept—then to the rest of the people around her. This attack was an area of effect genjutsu, meant to take down a vast number of people as quickly as possible while they were still unaware.

And it worked perfectly. The execution couldn't have come at a better time. Everyone's focus had been drawn to the fight like awe filled children chasing colorful butterflies in a field. Even shinobi with more experience than her hadn't sensed the attack; the entire stadium booth she was in, save around ten veteran Leaf shinobi she could see, all slept pleasantly as the second move of the war struck.

"Damn it," Amari hissed under her breath, pulling out a kunai and flicking her onyx eye around in search of enemies. She found them easily. Their enemies no longer saw the sense in concealing their presence, all too happy to finally engage the awake Leaf shinobi in the stadium. "And with all the foot traffic coming in and out of the Village, these Sound and Sand shinobi infiltrated the Leaf under disguise to strike from behind our lines."

Their execution of this plan had been almost one hundred percent perfect.

 _My chakra may be replenished, but my body is still fatigued from my battle against Mimi_ , Amari thought. _And her ankle is broken because of me. Damn it_. She ground her teeth together in frustration.

Amari noticed Sakura's pink head duck down low in the bleachers, moving the sleeping form of Ino and Chōji out of the way of the battle with her, and then gently moving Lee out of the walkway behind the bleachers.

"What a troublesome pest you and those Crows turned out to be," a familiar voice reprimanded from the bottom of the stairs. The person was hidden behind an Anbu mask and cloak, but Amari would never forget that voice. "But you were too late to solve the mystery. The destruction of Konoha has already begun," they taunted.

"Kabuto," she growled.

"Mm. We meet again, Amaririsu."

"How pleasant of you to reveal your presence, Kabuto Yakushi," Atsuko spoke with a deadly blade behind every word. "It will bring me no small amount of joy in eliminating one of Orochimaru's most loyal puppets."

"Hmph. Don't think it will be that easy. I'm not fighting alone this time," he said, raising his arms out to motion to the Sound shinobi flanking him. "What hope does one Crow have against several elite shinobi, I wonder. Will you alone kill us all when you still have to protect your precious little brat?"

"Your numbers do not frighten me, ignorant child, and your threat against Young Amari's life will only hasten your end, I assure you. One Crow is worth more than these toy soldiers you bring to war," Atsuko scoffed. "We Crows will descend upon you in legion, eclipsing the sun until all light around you has turned to darkness, and all you feel is the cold chill of impending death clutching your corpse."

Amari wasn't sure if Atsuko's killing intent scared Kabuto, but it certainly scared her.

A large explosion from the Hokage's booth snapped the gazes of the few Leaf shinobi not engaged in battle to it.

"Do you think Lord Third is okay?" she asked to anyone willing to reassure her.

"Don't worry! We're on it!" The group of Anbu to speak to her, joined by a few more members, jumped through the stadium hastily towards the Hokage. They were out of sight within seconds.

Two Sound shinobi jumped to attack the two kunoichi at the top of the stairs; their blades didn't get to touch Amari's or Mimi's kunais. A murder of Crows encompassed the two kunoichi, black feathers blotting out Amari's vision into darkness, and when it faded the two shinobi laid dead on the concrete floor, eyes still wide in fear.

"Holy hell…" Mimi muttered, nervously glancing to the single Crow returning to Amari's shoulder. Amari heard a soft murmur from Aoko. "Yeah, you said it, Aoko. Glad we didn't piss the Crows off."

Amari stood stiff, onyx eye wide and her blade still out in front of her for the block she intended. This…This was the power of the legendary Crows of the Leaf.

 _Incredible…_

"I warned you, did I not?" Atsuko somehow found a way to sound dangerous even when her voice sounded smooth as silk. "You will all die for attacking the Leaf, I promise you this, but targeting these children will only hasten your demise. And it will not be a pleasant end." Even without seeing Atsuko's eyes, Amari could _feel_ the look of death she pinned on their enemies. "You will know fear unlike any other before you perish. Fear the wrath of the Crows; fear it in every cell of your body, for our wrath will be the last thing you witness in this life."

Then, with all the casualness of someone discussing dinner plans, Atsuko turned her head to Amari and smiled warmly. "Young Amari, fear not, your lives are safely under the care of the Crows. If you will excuse me for but a moment, there are enemies who need to learn the error of their decision to attack our home."

"Uh- okay," she responded awkwardly.

"I will return in but a moment."

Atsuko hopped off her shoulder to join the battle.

Shaking off the moment, Amari hardened her heart and returned her minds commanders to battle stations. She trusted in Atsuko, but only a fool lowered their guard in the middle of a war. And she needed to think, to strategize on how to keep Gaara from unleashing a sand spirit with similar power to the Nine-Tails.

"Hey Amari, remind me to _never_ piss off Atsuko," Mimi quipped seriously.

"Mimi, don't _ever_ piss off Atsuko," Amari replied easily, a small smile twitching onto her lips despite the circumstances.

"I meant later, you little smartass." She could feel Mimi's grin as they stood back to back.

Naruto had amazing regenerative abilities, beyond that of any normal human. And Naruto wasn't secretly a Medical Ninjutsu master. _During his fight with Neji, Naruto unleashed that second chakra belonging to the Nine-Tails. It increased his strength, yet his minor injuries also started to heal. Back after he defeated Kiba, when he used Hinata's ointment, his injuries healed faster than they should have too._

Once was a coincidence, twice was evidence. It wasn't the power of love, as entertaining as that might be, so it could only be the Nine-Tails. Which meant…

"Kakashi-sensei, if Gaara's demon gives him regenerative abilities of any kind, that single Chidori isn't going to be enough to stop him," Amari stated, voice firmer than she felt about the possibility. If Gaara had regenerative abilities like Naruto then he'd be able to withstand even more damage than the normal person, and that wasn't even counting what she learned about his sand defense.

Regardless of how fast or slow his wounds could heal—if they healed on their own—they couldn't leave him here in the center of the Village. If it was only inevitable for him to heal himself, he'd eventually be able to unleash his sand spirit regardless of their efforts. There was only one viable option then.

"We have to restrain him and get him out of the Leaf, away from where he could create the most damage should he still be able to unleash it," she said. "It may only be inevitability that he is able to release that sand spirit on our forces. No matter what, we can't afford to have that happen here in the center of the Village. The damage would be too catastrophic."

Amari spotted the two Sand Genin jump down to Gaara. She squinted a glare at them. _They're going to move him._ It's what she would do. Move your big weapon out of sight and out of mind during the heat of a battle that way it can be unleashed without anyone ever knowing where it went. No one could stop it then.

"His siblings, they'll probably try to move him to a safe location in the Leaf or on the outskirts, but with all this fighting going on no one will be able to stop them." Not unless they sent a team after them…a team comprising of Genin who weren't necessary to the main defense here in the stadium.

She hated herself for silently volunteering to go, because that's what laid beneath her calm analytical breakdown of the situation. She was volunteering to go after the Sand Genin to stop them from unleashing the sand spirit; despite her fears, despite how her hands and body fought to tremble against her calm outer shell, she was volunteering to be a soldier in this war.

Because it was necessary, because it was her duty, because it was the only way she could think of to defend those precious to her.

"My thoughts exactly, Amari." Kakashi fought off two enemy shinobi, one Sand and one Sound. The third attempting to attack from his blind spot met Guy's hard fist before he even realized the bowl cut shinobi had appeared.

"Send me," she said without even thinking.

"You're not going after those three without me," Mimi interceded. "I can track those three wherever they decide to go, and my Water Style theoretically should be able to make his sand too wet to be of any use."

A murder of Crows swept through the stadium, attacking and killing a group of Sound shinobi about to overwhelm one of Leaf shinobi fighting closer to the bottom of the stairs, five rows over from their group. So far none of the enemy shinobi had gotten near Amari and Mimi, but it was only a matter of time before they became a liability to the older shinobi.

For all the Crows powers and the skill of their Sensei's, they couldn't fight a war and protect the kids at the same time. Remove the kids from the equation, however, and they could fight without having to monitor them.

"Mimi, Amari, listen up. I'm authorizing an A-ranked mission for you two: Join Sasuke and stop those Sand Genin from getting away. Whatever happens, watch each other's back and don't be afraid to retreat if the fight looks hopeless. You're each forbidden from dying, do you understand me?" Kakashi ordered.

"Yes sir!" the duo sounded off.

"Even if you don't have a choice, are you really going to strategize in front of an enemy?" Kabuto taunted. "Do you think I'll let them just go?"

"You're not going to have a choice, you arrogant brat," Kakashi shot back. "Sakura, take cover. I have a mission in mind for you as well, but right now I want you to stay safe."

"Right!"

"Now go you two. Guy and I will cover you!"

Amari activated both of her dōjutsu and grabbed Mimi's arm, running up and around the main battle. Kabuto cut off their escape straight to the battlefield below by positioning himself at the bottom of the stairs—an intentional plan, obviously.

"Stop those two Genin! Kill them both!"

Amari's Byakugan eye caught sight of a group of five enemy shinobi dashing to attack them. _Do I have enough strength to stop them all with a Shadow Possession?_ She hadn't had nearly enough time to rest between her fight with Mimi and this one. The technique would be significantly weaker, and it might not hold back these five long enough for Mimi to take them out.

"Mimi, duck!" Guy shouted. Mimi halted, grabbed Amari and forced them down to the ground. The medic positioned her body to protect the smaller girl. "Dynamic Entry!" Guy flew into the battle faster than she had ever seen him move, foot crashing into the face of one of the enemy shinobi. Amari swore she heard his jaw break.

The kick sent the enemy shinobi slamming into the concrete wall at the back of the stadium, actually cracking the concrete with the force he hit it with. Guy, still floating in air in front of the two kunoichi, was surrounded on all sides by the remaining four enemies. The hot-blooded shinobi spun his body and shouted, "Leaf Hurricane!"

The attack happened so fast, Amari's eyes were the only ones capable of witnessing it. The second, third and fourth enemy all flew away from the two kunoichi, the blows dealt putting them down for the count temporarily. "All right! You two are clear!" Guy landed and gave the pair a thumbs up. He shot a grin over his shoulder, but the hardened look in his eye betrayed his usual exuberance. "Now get moving and keep each other safe!"

"Allow me to help." Atsuko landed on Amari's shoulder. "Young Amari, do not let go of Mimi. I warn you, this may feel disorienting."

To everyone awake in the arena it appeared as if Amari, Mimi and Aoko burst into a murder of crows. The crows swept out of the stadium, down to the field below where they reformed the two kunoichi and ninken next to Sasuke. For the trio, the entire experience did feel disorienting, dizzying even, but the entire transportation passed in a few seconds.

Unbeknownst to them, Kabuto clicked his tongue in annoyance at the Crows interference.

Amari and Mimi got off the ground, shaking the disorientation from their heads and taking in their new surroundings. "Good move, Atsuko," Amari complimented. She honestly couldn't wait to be taught by her.

Her eye traveled up to the Hokage's booth, where a giant purple barrier had been erected on the roof. Using her Byakugan eye, she searched for the Anbu, finding them on the outside of the barrier, while within Lord Third stood in the grasps of…

"Orochimaru," she gasped.

"Where? Where is he, Young Amari?" Atsuko questioned.

"Within the barrier with Lord Third. He was posing as the Kazekage this whole time!"

"How the hell did none of us sense him?" Mimi growled.

"Orochimaru is one of the Legendary Sannin. If he did not wish to be sensed, you will not sense his presence," Atsuko said calmly. "I know you two must be worried, but Lord Hokage will handle his former student. We must stay focused on the task at hand. Sasuke, are you injured?"

He shook his head but looked troubled nonetheless. Surprised by their appearance, worried about the Legendary Sannin who planted his mark on him being within the barrier with Lord Third, unsure of why chaos was everywhere around them.

"Nothing serious. What the hell is going on?"

"The short version: War just broke out between us and the Sand and Sound." His eyes bulged at Mimi's short explanation. "Long version: War just broke out between us and the Sand and Sound, we have a mission to stop those three and these Sound and Sand shinobi have officially pissed me off."

"Kakashi-sensei gave us an A-ranked mission to join you. We have to stop those three from escaping and get Gaara as far out of the Village as we can," Amari explained. Gaara was no longer transformed into whatever that giant sand arm had been. His left shoulder had a splotch of blood staining his clothes where the Chidori hit, he sat on his knees, breathing heavily with eyes wide in astonishment at the sensations of pain.

None of the Leaf shinobi knew, but it had been the first time Gaara had ever been hurt.

"He has a demon like the Nine-Tails in him. We can't let him unleash it here in the Village."

Sasuke didn't speak at first; the shock of the situation fell over him. War had broken out in their home, people were fighting and dying to defend their home, and this enemy of theirs had a demon like the Nine-Tails in him, waiting to break loose and destroy everything they had left to care for.

Finally, he exhaled a breath through his nose. "An A-ranked mission, eh? This was not how I planned my day to turn out."

"You're not the only one, Broody," Mimi quipped.

"Heh."

Gaara tried to push forward to continue fighting with Sasuke, only to be stopped by their Jōnin Sensei. "What are you three doing? Can't you see that the operation has already begun?" he reprimanded.

Genma appeared protectively in front of the three Leaf Genin. Gaara collapsed to his knees, grabbing his head in apparent agony.

"Gaara is the trump card for Suna. He has to play his part no matter what. For now you two take Gaara and tend to his wounds. As soon as his chakra has replenished, the operation will continue."

War had finally found them.

"What about you, Sensei?" Temari asked their sensei.

"I'm going to take care of them," he replied, looking back at the group of Leaf shinobi.

"You think your plan will succeed?" Genma spat.

"I'll make sure of it."

Silence filled the air the two groups just staring at one another, waiting for who might make the first move. Amari could feel her heart hammering in her chest.

This was real.

"Go!" the Sand Jōnin yelled.

The trio took off up and over the stadium walls.

"Sasuke, I'm sorry, but this is the end of the Exams. You now have a mission with Amari and Mimi." Genma kept his voice calm and to the point. "All three of you have achieved Chūnin level; you're now Konoha shinobi. Put your training to good use. I want you three to follow whatever Kakashi's orders were, but be careful. This is no longer a match. It's the real thing."

"Right," they said in unison.

"Also, Amari, I need you to send clones or Crows to Ibiki. He needs to know the situation here, so give him all the information you have. He's on the main wall, quadrant three."

"Okay."

"Good. Now go!"

The trio took off at his command, following the Sand shinobi's escape route up the wall and into the Village. Mimi caught their scent and got them on the right track, following the fast moving trio towards wherever they planned to take Gaara to ground.

"Amari, what were Kakashi-sensei's orders?" her teammate queried.

"Simply put: we have to stop these three by any means necessary, restrain Gaara and get him as far as we can from the Leaf to stop them from unleashing their trump card. Our main objective, however, is to stay alive. If the mission becomes hopeless and our lives are in danger, we have to retreat and wait for further orders."

He gave a nod. "Got it."

Amari brought her hands up into the clone seal, creating four clones among their group. "I want you four to go find Ibiki and give him all the information you can. From there, do what you can to protect the village."

"Not without my clones you don't." Mimi brought up her hands into the clone seal created four Shadow Clones herself. "They're going to need backup in case they get into a fight on the way."

"You learned Shadow Clone Jutsu?" the Shadow user questioned curiously.

"Four is my limit. I prefer to use Water Clones; I can use them more effectively than Shadow Clones with less of a toll on my chakra, but Water Clones can't travel far away from me. We're not going to be able to stay within range if we want Gaara out of the Leaf."

The eight clones dispersed, heading in the direction of the first exam proctor.

 _I just hope…we all survive this._

"Atsuko, you said they planned to summon large creatures of some kind. Since Orochimaru is here, it'll probably be those giant summoning snakes he used on my team. Could you lead your Crows in defending the Leaf? If Gaara unleashes the Shukaku, I'll summon you so you can get us the hell out of there, but right now me, Sasuke and Mimi can handle his siblings. And you can do more good aiding the escape of civilians and unleashing the wrath of the Crows on our enemies."

"A sound strategy. I will also send agents to the Academy for evacuation. Please be safe you three. War is not to be taken lightly, nor is this Gaara child. Should he unleash the Shukaku, I want you to summon me immediately, Young Haya. It is not a battle you three have any chance of winning."

Amari nodded once. "I will. But don't worry, we won't let it come to that."

"Of course. I will join you three once the tide of battle changes."

With that the crow hopped off her shoulder and dove into the main war being waged. The three Genin continued to follow after the Sand Genin, jumping across buildings on the trail left behind of their enemies, unaware of the silent shinobi following them on a mission of her own.

Even though all three Leaf Genin focused their minds on the battle ahead and hardened their hearts to face it without fear, a cold, clawed hand clutched their hearts. This was not a training exercise or a spar. This was war. They witnessed on their chase some of the major destruction already wrought; heard the battles taking place and cries of terror from innocent people caught in the cross-hairs.

They wore their brave faces for each other. Fear was a poison; if they let it spread through their veins, it would afflict the rest of their team and set them up for failure. They _could not_ risk failure. To fail here, when the Sand clearly meant to play Gaara as their trump card could lead to many lives perishing.

Even if they did not fail, people they cared about were fighting in this war, defending the Leaf and its people with their lives. No one had a guarantee of coming out of this alive, not them and not their precious people.

No one spoke of this shared concern. The burden behind it was too great when the mission at hand required their very best.

Failure and backing out wasn't an option.

"From here on out, we're all we've got you two," Amari tried her best to rally her team. "We can't depend on one of our sensei's to save the day for us; this battle is in our hands, and it'll be ours to finish. As long as we stick together and watch each other's backs we will stop this trump card of theirs from being played. And in doing so we will ensure their inevitable failure."

"Hmph. They'll regret crossing the Leaf," Sasuke stated confidently.

"Damn right they will. We'll teach these bastards a lesson they'll never forget," Mimi followed.

"Agreed. Let's show them the power we Leaf shinobi wield."

"Right!" her current teammates sounded off.

War at home was not something she was prepared for, in her heart or her mind. But now there was no choice.

 _It's kill or be killed_ , she steeled herself, _and I have no intention of dying._

* * *

Kakashi took down two of the Sound Ninjas with his kunai blades, spun and blocked another strike from a Sand shinobi. Kakashi glared hard into the eyes of his enemy, then kicked him away, sending him right into Guy's fists of fury.

"I wonder," Kabuto mused from the bottom of the stairs. Still hiding. Still letting all these other shinobi do all the dirty work. "Is it your foolish belief that your students can overcome any obstacle that made you send them to their deaths, or is it just out of habit?"

Kakashi hissed out a breath but said nothing.

"I'm just curious is all. If you really listened to your student's words, then you understand _exactly_ what Gaara is. You know _exactly_ what kind of weapon he is, and what he will do to them when they inevitably fail to restrain him. But you sent them anyways. I wonder how you plan to explain poor Amaririsu's death to Kurenai. How you will justify it as necessary, as she sobs and curses your name for sending her _precious_ daughter to her death."

The Copy Ninja had been thinking over his decision ever since he made it, and this arrogant brat's accurate strikes to where his thoughts traveled didn't soothe him at all.

Had he made the right call? Or was this another faulty decision that would lead to those three kids dying? All because there hadn't seemed to be any other choice. Kabuto was right; he knew what Gaara potentially was. How it could make him more powerful than those three together. What kind of death and destruction the monstrosity he contained could bring about.

And still he sent them.

"Don't let him get in your head, Kakashi," Guy retorted. "Amaririsu, Mimi, Aoko and Sasuke can handle themselves. We've trained them to be excellent shinobi. They won't die; no, they will overcome the obstacle placed before them or they will follow your order to retreat to safety. Trust in their abilities!"

" _Trust_ in their abilities?" Kabuto mocked, laughing. "What nonsense! You Leaf shinobi are so ready to believe the impossible on false hope as if this life is some kind of fairytale! It'd be funny if it wasn't so tremendously sad. Is that how you'll tell Kurenai? That you trusted—"

The three men beside Kabuto collapsed in cries of terror, but the masked brat jumped up onto the concrete column, narrowly dodging a blade about to slice his throat. "So the Mother Bear herself appears," he taunted. He sounded confident, but Kakashi heard the concern in the intonation of his voice.

Kurenai's red eyes seared into the masked enemy. "I've heard enough out of you, kid," she warned lowly. "This battle will be your last."

A shinobi tried to attack her from behind, but she turned into a haze. Kakashi couldn't see it, but he knew the enemy had fallen right into her genjutsu when he started to panic then stood as if restrained in the middle of the battle.

The Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death, one of Kurenai's most powerful genjutsu's. Kurenai appeared behind the shinobi and ended his life without blinking. She glanced over her shoulder to Kakashi, who had finished fending off another Sound shinobi. "Kakashi, trust in Amari, Sasuke and Mimi. They'll be fine. I believe in them, as should you."

"How touching—" Kabuto barely escaped unscathed from Kakashi's thrown kunai.

"You're beginning to annoy me, but you won't get in my head," Kakashi stated firmly, equipping a new blade. "I trust in the abilities and judgement of those three. Unlike you of the Sound and Sand, we Leaf shinobi have strength that doesn't just come from physical prowess or jutsu. We have the strength of our comrades and those precious to us always at our sides; that's why I know those three will succeed, and why your plan to destroy the Leaf will end in utter failure."

Kurenai smiled and nodded at him before reengaging the battle. The Leaf shinobi among this section of the stadium, bolstered by his words, brought the fight to their endless enemies even harder than before.

The silver-haired ninja jumped up and kicked two Sound ninjas in the head, knocking them away. He landed on the set of bleachers in front of Sakura, who remained the only Genin awake in the area. "Sakura, it was worth teaching you genjutsu. You've improved so much since Amari took you under her wing. I wish I could say it was I who helped you get to this level, but I can't. You are truly talented. I'm sorry I have not taken the time to help you as much as the others."

All of his students had grown so much during these Exams. They realized their mistakes, trained harder to become better shinobi and matured more than he ever imagined they would in such a short time. It was time for him to follow their example. To admit to his own mistakes and, when this battle ended, work harder to become a better teacher.

"Kakashi-sensei…it's no big deal. You set me on the right path and taught us the most important lesson of all: teamwork."

He smirked sadly behind his mask, remaining silent. _I wish I could believe you, Sakura. But I know deep down I've failed to help you. When this is all over, I'll do my best to become a better teacher for you and Naruto. After all, you each filled a hole in my life and have become precious to me._

"In any event, I want you to release the genjutsu and wake Naruto and Shikamaru up." The Copy Ninja forced a chuckle. "Naruto will be ecstatic to be going on a real mission after such a long time."

"A mission? What kind of mission?" his student asked.

"You'll have to be careful on this one," Kakashi continued. "It's the first A-ranked mission since the Land of Waves."

His eye scanned the area, monitoring Kabuto's position and that of his allies, picking apart the greater threats among them as his fellow Leaf shinobi clashed against them. He spotted Genma down below in an intense battle against another Sand shinobi; one of their elite from the look of it. Unfortunately for that Sand shinobi, Genma was one of their elite.

 _There isn't any end to these guys no matter how many we kill_.

How many shinobi had the Sand and Sound put towards this effort?

An enemy ninja appeared right in front of him, intending to go for the kill. Kakashi had seen him coming long before he appeared. Using his kunai he cut him down, Kakashi sent him over his shoulder and past Sakura into a higher bleacher with a hard kick.

"But Sensei, with this battle going on…why send us on a mission too?"

Telling her that she was his backup plan probably wouldn't help. The facts were he needed Sakura, Naruto and Shikamaru to chase after Mimi, Amari and Sasuke to ensure they had enough strength to take down that Gaara kid.

He trusted in the abilities of the first three he sent, but he wasn't going to risk letting those three die or the three with him now.

 _With this battle going on, Guy, Kurenai and I will be limited to taijutsu and genjutsu. Otherwise we'll end up hitting civilians with deadly jutsu. On the same note, Sakura has been targeted more than once by these ninjas because she's awake. Staying here isn't safe for her, not against these ninjas and not if I get drawn away from her._

 _Ino, Lee and Chōji won't be targeted unless we are killed because they are out of the way. On the other hand Sasuke, Amari and Mimi may need all the help they can get considering they aren't in the best of condition._

Kakashi hissed out a breath. _Either way I'm sending my students and other Genin into great danger without a Jōnin to back them up…_ He closed his eye and shook his head before opening it again. _I have to believe in their abilities and hope the numbers will help them._

"Amari, Mimi and Sasuke are going to need help. You're also going to ensure that if things go bad they listen to my orders and retreat. Staying alive are your top priorities." He brought his kunai to his finger, pricking it for a small stream of blood. "Sakura, release the genjutsu, wake Naruto and Shikamaru then follow your comrades."

 _If that creature is like the Nine-Tails, the Village is in great danger while Lord Hokage is stuck in that barrier. Without having the Fourth Hokage here…_ The silver-haired Jōnin closed his eye again. _Minato-sensei...am I doing the right thing?_

"What about Ino and Chōji?"

 _I have no idea what would happen if Ino tried to use her Mind Transfer Jutsu on Gaara. It might be futile with that sand spirit inside him, and that'd put her in more danger than normal. If she were to get one of the others…_

He bit back a sigh as the calculations of the Genin moved through his head. _But she needs Shikamaru or someone else to back her up. I don't know if they'll be able to do that, not with Gaara and that sand of his. On the other hand, if Chōji was caught in Gaara's sand his Human Boulder technique wouldn't be able to save him._

 _The team I send needs to be fast. Normally I wouldn't consider Shikamaru to be quick, but with Amari in danger he'll be motivated._

"No. I know they've trained hard, but your team needs to move fast in and out of battle. With Gaara's sand, their jutsu's could leave them open for attack. Besides, according to Atsuko, many Sound and Sand ninjas have already infiltrated the Village. Any time wasted can be deadly."

"Guy-sensei!" a voice cut through the arena. Kakashi looked up to the top of the stairs to see none other than Tenten standing there. She had on a similar outfit to what she usually wore only her top was a dark emerald and her pants were wine red. On her hips she had two medium sized scrolls inside holsters and in her hands was a wooden staff.

A set of kunai were aimed at her but she easily deflected them all using her staff. _Tenten? Well…Sakura and Naruto are used to there being four Genin as is Tenten, and she's definitely skilled with ninja tools. She trains with Lee, Mimi, Guy and Neji so she'll definitely be quick._

The Sound ninja who tossed the ninja tools at Tenten appeared in front of her, thinking her an easy target. He received a hard swing from the staff right along his head for his actions, sending him flying away.

"Good one, Tenten! Now, stay on guard near Shikamaru and Naruto! Sakura's coming up to you! Hiyah!"

"Okay, Guy-sensei. But what about Mimi?"

"You're going on a mission to help her!"

The ninja tool user didn't argue, instead choosing to continue guarding Naruto and Shikamaru with her pole staff at the ready.

"So, you'll be coming with us?" Sakura questioned to Kakashi.

Kami knew he wanted to. The spirits knew he didn't want to send these Genin alone without a Jōnin to guide them…but that choice was no longer in his hands. "No, I dare not leave this place so long as there are so many enemy ninjas here." This was the frontlines, and they'd need shinobi like him, Guy and Kurenai to keep that frontline in a deadlock.

The older ninja put his kunai away and moved through the Summoning Jutsu hand seals pressing his hands against the back of an unconscious civilian. "Summoning Jutsu!"

Out of the smoke appeared his faithful companion Pakkun. The small ninken wearing his forehead protector and jacket looked rather tired but ready to go nonetheless. "Pakkun here will track Sasuke, Mimi and Amari by scent."

"Wait…seriously? You're making our fifth member a puppy?"

His companion hopped across the bodies to Sakura; in the meantime Kakashi took care of a female shinobi with a slash of his kunai and a hard kick to send her body to the bottom of the stairwell. Kabuto remained perched on the cement pillar he connected himself to. Still waiting for an opportune moment to strike while these forces did his dirty work.

"Okay, its time Sakura. Go release the genjutsu." Sakura and Pakkun moved up the stairs while Kakashi jumped back into the fight to protect the Genin and lower the number of enemy shinobi.

After killing a few more shinobi, backing up Kurenai against a large team, he made his way back to Sakura and the others. Guy plowed a Sound ninja through a wall with a hard and fast punch, smashing a giant hole straight through the thick cement.

 _That's their escape route._

Landing at the edge of the stairs between his students, Shikamaru and Tenten with his two kunais in hand, it was time to brief the group on their mission. "Now, I'll explain your mission. As soon as I do, go through that hole and complete it. First, track down Amari, Mimi and Sasuke and join them on their mission." His eye flicked in all directions, tracking all the movements going on in front of him.

"If that mission is no longer viable, then you are to stop them and find some place to hide until you receive further orders. On top of that, you four are forbidden from dying. Understood?"

"Did something happen to those three?" Naruto asked.

"I'll tell you on the way. Now let's go Naruto." Sakura grabbed Naruto and jumped out the hole in the wall with Shikamaru, Pakkun and Tenten right behind them.

"Do you think they will be okay?" Guy queried.

"Yes, they'll be fine. They're all skilled and they have Pakkun to protect them."

 _I hope it's enough…_ He looked back only once. _Be careful you guys._

He had always hoped nothing like a war would ever break out in their lifetime. He had seen the horrors war wrought firsthand; he had seen the death and pain it brought with it. People he cared for torn from him as he was completely helpless to stop it. He had hoped this generation wouldn't ever experience it, but in the end this war had come.

 _Please…don't let them be torn from this life too._

* * *

"What did you find Sasuke?" Mimi asked as the two kunoichi came sliding to a stop next to the Uchiha. He stood up and showed the two the sand he had just found in the grass. "Looks like they aren't attempting to hide their trail then."

"We're catching up," Amari stated. "We may be able to stop them before Gaara has enough chakra to defend himself."

Sasuke let the sand fall out of his hand and the trio nodded to each other in agreement to continue pursuit.

They were closing in on their target. They just had to hope they could really put a stop to the Sand's master plan before it was let loose.

* * *

 _Review Response to MewLover9000: Thank you for the best wishes, and best wishes to you as well in the goals you hold! I'm happy the bonds between these characters and the plot have you and others so invested. Thank you for reading! :)_


	46. Chapter 45: Genin Called to Duty!

Chapter 45

Defenders of Konoha: Genin Called to Duty!

Ibiki had a bad feeling about today. Ever since they learned of Orochimaru's infiltration into Konoha he harbored major concerns over the rogue Leaf shinobi's endgame and its execution, as had the Hokage. When encountering suspicion, all shinobi prepared quickly. Hesitation always, _always_ , led to disaster; these wise words were taught to all shinobi at a young age, and they had never once failed to prove true in Ibiki's life.

So they prepared for the worst, and in the end the worst reared its ugly, serpent shaped head.

 _To think Orochimaru's snake tongue could convince Suna into disregarding our alliance completely for this massive offensive on Konoha, on the day of the Exams no less._

Staring pensively at three of the giant summoning boas hellbent on destroying everything they touched—from the walls of the Leaf to the buildings and lives beyond it—Ibiki's features were creased by an intense frown. This strike against the Leaf, he could sense the intentions behind it: Destroy major targets and eliminate leadership to throw the entire Village into disarray, ending this war on the day it began.

Yes, their first attack had taken them by surprise and would inflict considerable damage to the Village; it may even take the lives of many allied shinobi, but Ibiki sensed the desperation behind the assault. This one big move, it was all they had.

The Sound was barely a fledgling Village, hardly worthy of being considered on par with the likes of the Grass or Waterfall in size of their forces. And the Sand, their numbers had been diminishing for some time due to the growth of the Leaf, causing their own Feudal Lord to send missions to Konoha's desk instead of Suna's.

Ibiki did not possess nearly enough Intel on the Sound Village to make a judgement on the power of their forces, so he wouldn't. Backhanded estimations and hopes weren't solid Intel; they were shaped by bias that could very well make a shinobi underestimate a dangerous enemy. That wasn't Ibiki's way. However, he was aware of Suna's forces—one of the benefits of their alliance and the information gathered by the Crows of the Leaf in recent years.

What Suna lacked in numbers they made up for by shaping their shinobi into weapons of war—sharpened and dangerous weapons of war. Every single shinobi had great power or great talent, sometimes both. Suna, for all intents and purposes, was now training their shinobi in a similar fashion as Mist Village used to. It meant every single Sand shinobi here today could very well be an elite shinobi.

Today was looking to be a bad day.

Despite suspecting an event such as this happening, Ibiki foolishly had hoped the alliance between Suna and Konoha wouldn't dissolve. He hoped Suna wouldn't be entranced by the honeyed words and false promises of a rogue Leaf shinobi.

 _But that's why this is called war_ , he thought grimly. War crushed foolish hopes with the reality of shinobi life: Peace was fragile. The flourishing of one nation could, more often than not, come at the cost of another nation's livelihood. And rather than confronting them as men under a banner of peace, sheathing the double-edge sword of pride to negotiate a better deal, these prideful shinobi chose the path less traveled.

The path to war.

Ibiki looked away from the boas to the smoke billowing from the stadium. His eyes narrowed. _Those Sand Genin played an incredible role in all of this. By advancing all the way to the finals, they made it far easier for the Sand and the Sound to infiltrate our Village while their forces gathered beyond our sight for the main assault._

He grunted, feeling especially troubled by the current situation.

 _So this was your plan all along, Orochimaru. Convincing the Sand to join your plan to destroy the Leaf and assassinate the Hokage; I wonder what half-truths and lies you spilled from your lips to persuade them to follow you. How far was the Kazekage willing to follow you, or was it you this whole time masquerading as him._

Ibiki could not waste another moment considering the motives of his enemies. Motives no longer matter; the war had begun, and it was his duty to defend the Leaf from these giant boas for as long as the evacuation teams needed. He'd give them every precious second required to get the civilian men, women, children and elders to safety.

No Leaf shinobi tasked with this duty would stand by and do nothing. These Sound and Sand shinobi were holding no quarter on their comrades or the people under their protection.

There would be no surrendering for them, the soldiers on the frontline. No retreating until the innocent lives were safely hidden away.

Ibiki's frown upturned into a sadistic smirk he turned towards his enemies.

 _Let the games begin._

"Ibiki, sir!" a shout sounded off, the voice belonging to a young girl. The Jōnin along with his men turned to the source. Six ninjas landed on the outer-wall guard post in two separate triangular groups of three. Three had blue hair while the other three had dark-brown.

 _The two Exam participants_. His eyes flicked to the blue-haired group who, despite injuries he wagered were gained in her fight, looked no worse for wear. _Amaririsu Yūhi._ He flicked his eyes to the brown-haired group, the trio kneeling to heal their ankle. _And Mimi Inuzuka._

Immediately, at the sight of the Medical Ninjutsu, the seasoned shinobi began calculating how this very useful skill could be used in the coming battle. The Medic Corps wouldn't be in this first wave of battle, and too few of the shinobi in his quadrant wielded this ability. From what he researched into this child, the niece of Tsume Inuzuka, she was quite proficient already in Medical Ninjutsu.

That could be helpful. Lives could be spared and injuries healed to keep older shinobi in battle. They would need protection, of course, but that's what the three blue-haired shinobi could provide. She was a great talent; he even dared to say they were both natural leaders after what he witnessed of them in the first two parts of the Exams, but the horrors of war were not for unprepared children, especially the horrors a medic had to face.

Could he trust them to be prepared? To experience loss hardened them, yes, but war was a different animal altogether. It was not gentle.

First things first…

"You six, did Genma send you with a report from the stadium?" he queried. It was the only reason he could think of for them to come directly here, and to carry themselves as if on a serious mission.

"Yes sir," the lead Amaririsu answered.

A good move, however not one he was prepared to take without caution. Were these six the real Mimi Inuzuka and Amaririsu Yūhi? He couldn't simply trust that they were, that the enemy had not killed the real versions after learning their plan to then feed him misinformation.

Misinformation that could cost many of the soldiers under his command their lives.

He could solve this simply.

"Before you give your report, where were you on the night before the preliminary rounds?" he asked to the blue-haired girl.

"I messaged Kakashi-sensei and he brought me to meet with you, Miss Anko, my Uncle Shikaku and Lord Third. We spoke of my teams encounter with Orochimaru, the Crows of the Leaf, who everyone except Miss Anko appeared aware of."

Ibiki nodded. No one could have known those details except her and those who were there that night. "Good. Now what is the report? What is the situation in the stadium?"

"Better than it could have been," Mimi answered.

He sensed the relief behind those words; questions for later.

"The majority of the spectators, and even some of the younger shinobi, were placed under a massive genjutsu by the enemy. Sand and Sound shinobis, who had infiltrated the stadium, were in the middle of a heated battle with veterans like our sensei's and even Anbu agents when we left, but the civilians and the shinobi under the genjutsu were not being targeted."

Ibiki hummed. Shinobi like Kakashi and Guy, as well as the Anbu, would do well in battling the shinobi already further inside their Village. But he bet it wasn't their original intention to battle in the stadium. Something must have gone wrong.

"What of the Hokage and the Kazekage?" he asked.

"Lord Third was trapped inside a large Barrier Jutsu with Orochimaru, who has been masquerading as the Kazekage since he arrived," Amaririsu answered this time, onyx eye gravitating in the direction of the stadium, a thoughtful and concerned look within.

 _Barrier Jutsu, huh._ Even had he not learned it was Orochimaru instead of the Kazekage, he would have assumed it on such information. Barrier Ninjutsu was more up the former Leaf shinobi's alley than it was the leader of the Sand. _If Genma can regroup with his team, they may be able to join him in battle, or get Lord Third out of the Barrier Jutsu to help our other forces._

He would have to wait to see if any of that played out. For now, the stadium wasn't where his thoughts needed to be. There was a battle to be fought here on the frontlines, and if he failed than any successes made behind the line would be rendered pointless.

That left two final matters to figure out.

"You claimed it could have been worse. Is this worst case scenario still possible?"

Both groups nodded in unison. "Yes. That Gaara kid, the real versions of us and my teammate Sasuke Uchiha are chasing him and his siblings out of the Village to restrain them and keep them out of commission. Kakashi-sensei and Guy-sensei sent us after them, and the Crows of the Leaf believe wholeheartedly that, if Gaara unleashes his real power, he could devastate our Village."

"I see." So, the Crows of the Leaf had finally pieced together their plan. Even if it was in the last moments, that alone might change this battle for the better. Ibiki's eyes looked out to the horizon of the Leaf, noticing crows gathering in every direction, some heading off enemy shinobi inside the Village, others joining allies to pass on information and several more attacking the boas.

 _They have emerged from the shadows once more to defend the Leaf, just as they did during the Nine-Tails attack._

"He contains something like the Nine-Tails within him," Amaririsu provided information he assumed already.

There had always been something unnatural about the shortest Sand Genin. An ominous feeling Ibiki felt when around the Sand child unlike any he ever felt before, and when he survived the Eight Inner Gates Release that feeling hadn't settled one bit.

"Something like the Nine-Tails? Sir, shouldn't we send the Genin aid if that's the case? We can't risk this child unleashing something of such power!" one of his subordinates exclaimed passionately.

There were murmurs of agreement from the others. Ibiki understood it. Even if these kids made it to the finals of the Exam, they were still Genin on what could be considered nothing less than an A-ranked mission. And should the child contain a beast like the Nine-Tailed Fox within him, those Genin alone wouldn't be enough to stop him. But even though he understood that, he wasn't in agreement with it.

Sparing any forces he had to chase after this child meant risking the boas and enemy forces doing even more damage to the Leaf. They had to stay focused on the objective given to them: Buy the evacuation team the time they needed so the main force could eliminate the threat. The children sent after the enemy Genin were following their mission, and should they fail it and have to retreat, they needed a place to retreat back to.

When or if that monster was unleashed, these other invaders needed to be already dealt with; they couldn't fight a battle against these boas and enemy forces plus a monstrosity of the Nine-Tails proportions.

 _If Kakashi and Guy have put faith in them, then I will have to as well._

Before he was able to make his order known, the blue-haired Genin beat him to it. "No, we'll handle it. To reach us you would have to cross the majority of the Village, and then track us through the forestry we're chasing them in. It'd take too much time; time the rest of the Village doesn't have right now."

"He was severely wounded and fading in and out of consciousness when we started chasing him," Mimi picked up where she left off. "As long as our originals move quickly, he won't have the chance to unleash it. And should he be able to, it won't be anywhere near the Leaf when he does. That's a promise."

Ibiki could see the Will of Fire burning in their eyes.

"Be sure to fulfill that promise, because I am holding you to it," Ibiki said gruffly before turning to his men.

He would trust these Genin just as their teachers, their family and the Hokage did. Ibiki had high hopes for them. Call it a seasoned shinobi's hunch.

"Kakashi and Guy would not have sent Genin if they did not believe they would succeed. For now our priority is defending the village from the immediate threat while we wait for our time to counter-attack. Understood?" he asked rhetorically.

"Yes sir!" they answered in unison.

"Good. Now." He turned back to the six clones. "If there is nothing else, I have a mission for you six—if your originals can maintain you that is."

"We'll be fine," the kunoichi's said in unison.

"Very well. I would like for two of you to go find Anko and help her finish her mission. If you are familiar with our protocols then you will know what mission she is tasked with, if you don't then she will fill you in. I trust you'll be able to find her on your own?"

The lead Amari and Mimi gave nods then turned to one another. "It should be one of each of us. I can provide both attack and support at all ranges if the situation arises. Plus having two ninjas with different skills will throw off any enemy who cannot pick apart our single techniques."

Mimi inclined her head in agreement. "I was thinking the same thing. Any smart shinobi will be able to adapt against two opponents who are using the same techniques. With two separate opponents they'll have more trouble adapting."

They both turned to look at the first clone behind them, who in turn nodded to them. "Stick together and be smart," the Nara told the pair.

"Don't be afraid to share ideas either. Now go," the Inuzuka ordered.

The two clones took off. The leaders of the clone group turned back to Ibiki.

"You want our help with the boas, right?" Amaririsu questioned.

"And healing our shinobi," Mimi stated.

 _Insightful girls._ "Right," he nodded. "We need to delay them from destroying the Village for as long as we can until we can outright defeat them, or until our counter-attack launches. I want you four to split up into similar teams as the last two and provide what support you can to the ninjas attacking the creatures."

"We'll move immediately. Let's go!"

The teams took off after the boas. Ibiki and his men would soon follow, but first he had a few more orders to dole out.

He hoped this would all be enough in the end.

* * *

Atsuko separated her plentiful agents into three separate teams. First there were the intelligence gatherers; they flew out of attacking range gathering pertinent Intel on enemy movements and numbers to pass on to allied shinobi. This would thwart ambushes and allow her allies to better defend against the assault commencing on the Leaf. They were assigned to help the evacuation teams and allies further behind the front-lines.

The second team played more hands-on support roles. Joining allied forces to replenish chakra, reequip them with ninja tools or outright help them escape death by transporting them out of danger was their mission. So far the second team wasn't nearly as active as the first and third teams; the battles had only just begun.

The final team was the assault team—her team. Wielding varying sets of skills—ninjutsu, genjutsu, blades— the team, headed by her trusted field commanders, assaulted the enemy forces where they were most needed. Handfuls joined evacuation teams to ensure their safety, others moved seamlessly from one battle to another to provide a necessary opening or outright destroy an enemy force. Atsuko, however, attacked the boas with an entire platoon of Crows.

"Now!" a Leaf shinobi ordered his team. The group of Leaf shinobi unleashed a combined Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu at the serpents. Atsuko swept down, part of the plan, and inhaled a breath of her own, ballooning her feathered body significantly.

 _Wind Style: Air Bullet!_

The Head of the Crows unleashed a massive torrent of wind that wrapped around the Fire Jutsu and intensified the flames to burn the serpents. The giant snakes hissed and recoiled as the flames consumed their scaly bodies.

"All right! Now get that family out of there!" the same shinobi ordered the evacuation team.

The snakes survived the attack, their thick scales providing great defense against ninjutsu and physical blows, but found themselves attacked on all sides by her platoon of crows. Atsuko personally opened up several large gashes on the thick skinned serpents, weaving in and out as their vile mouths snapped at her.

Sensing danger, the veteran Crow glanced to the evacuation team, noticing a group of Sound shinobi preparing to ambush the team and the family they rescued. Atsuko diverted and dove for the enemies, streamlining herself with steely black eyes locked on her targets.

 _Feel the wrath of the Crows!_

The large bird appeared to multiply into twenty more birds, who drilled straight through the Sound shinobi's fleshy centers and out the other side before they could even scream.

The twenty birds swept up through the buildings, spreading out through the alleyways and clearing the area of all enemy shinobi; their frightened screams the last this world would ever hear from them.

Those who dared to bring darkness to her home, who dared to kill her allies and threaten the lives of children would find no mercy from her.

But the old Crow knew she and her platoons could not spare every life or kill every shinobi. Even now she sensed that many good men, women and innocent children had lost their lives to the evil that had slithered within their walls. For that reason she and her platoons would work as they had during the Nine-Tails assault to spare as many lives as possible. It was all she could do, all any of them could do, and when the battle was well in hand here she would rejoin Young Haya.

Atsuko reformed into a single Crow, stopping momentarily on the balcony of a home above the evacuation team. "Leaf shinobis, take your evacuees Northwest," she pointed her wing down the empty street. "I have cleared the path of all enemy shinobi to another sector of my agents. They will guide you to the next sector," she informed.

The Leaf shinobis nodded, though a bit of awe lingered in their eyes and in the eyes of the civilians. "You have our thanks, Lady Crow," the lead shinobi said before departing.

"Fair winds and farewell!"

Atsuko took off to rejoin the battle with the serpents. As she took to the sky, she noticed four of the eight clones Amari and Mimi sent joining the battle on the outskirts, providing support where they could to their senior shinobi.

 _We just need a little more time_ , Atsuko thought. _Once the villagers and children are safe, the final phase can begin and we can extinguish our enemies._

Her eyes looked in the direction Young Haya, Sasuke and Mimi had chased the enemy Genin, a yearning in her heart to join them to ensure their safety. But she couldn't follow that yearning yet. First she and her agents had to turn the tide of the battle here, then she would rejoin them.

 _When I am finished here I promise I will come for you all._

 _Just stay safe until then._

* * *

One Mimi clone and one Amari clone had departed from the team sent to the front-lines, though not without reason. It wasn't cowardice or a sudden decision to be more independent; the Inuzuka's had all caught the scent of two very specific individuals. Individuals who, while allies, were doing the exact _opposite_ of what protocols dictated, leaving the duo to head them off to give them both an earful.

"Neji! Kiba! What the hell are you two doing out here!" Mimi demanded, joining the two boys alongside Amari in a mad dash to wherever these two were going. It wasn't to the main battlefield, thankfully, but she couldn't comprehend what her cousin and teammate were doing.

This wasn't the time for games or playing hero. The only reason her original, Amari's original and Sasuke ended up actively apart of this war came down to necessity; protocol didn't cover possible Nine-Tails like enemies unconscious and on the run. Under protocol Genin of their age joined the evacuation teams with more experienced shinobi to get the civilians and themselves to safety.

Would Mimi have volunteered to join the front-lines without the problem of Gaara? Probably, but she'd have been shot down by every superior around her. She put on a brave face—they all did—but this entire scenario left her a mixed bag of emotions. Pissed off was the one she anchored herself to, yet she knew there was a vast difference between being angry enough to fight and being mentally and physically prepared for war.

She could still hear cries of terror and horrified pleas of mercy. Cries she and Amari hadn't been able to prevent from happening; if they tried, they'd only be dispelled or lead their enemies straight to Neji and Kiba as they retreated.

The reality of war made her stomach churn violently. So she latched onto her feral anger, silently promising to make every enemy shinobi she encountered pay for the crimes of their comrades.

The Sand and Sound now owed her a debt of blood, and she would collect every last drop.

"Mimi? Amari? Hey, what are you two doing out here?" Kiba questioned in surprise.

"Orders from Kakashi-sensei, Guy-sensei and Genma-sensei," Amari answered. "We're just clones anyways. The real us are chasing after the three Sand Genin. What are you two doing? Why are you running this way? You should be joining the evacuation teams to help get the civilians to shelter."

"We know, but this is important." Neji's answer came calm and collected.

Mimi expected him to scoff and tell them to buzz off, probably sprinkle in a half-breed insult. But he didn't. He kept his Byakugan eyes pinned ahead, zeroed in on the mission he and her cousin seemed to be on. Had one of their superiors given these two orders as well?

"All right, what's the deal? What's got you two teaming up?" Mimi asked.

Kiba didn't hold a high opinion of Neji, hadn't since she joined Team Guy. Neji's attempt to kill Hinata hadn't improved it either. Something serious was up here, beyond the obvious war going on. Even if he was under orders, Kiba definitely wouldn't be quiet about his serious dislike for the Hyūga boy, and Neji wouldn't hold his tongue from insulting him for every remark her cousin made.

Yet neither cut each other with insults. Neither sneered or glared or launched vicious barbs at the other. That alone kept Mimi from snapping at them for coming out here on their own.

"One of the Hyūga elders in the stadium saw two Cloud shinobi kidnap Hinata," her teammate answered.

"Two Cloud shinobi kidnapped Hinata?" Amari sounded and looked absolutely horrified. Orochimaru may as well have dropped into their formation to say hello.

Mimi couldn't blame her; she too felt a strange concoction of horror and rage at the news. She hadn't known Hinata all that long, but she knew what fate that awaited her fellow kunoichi should the Cloud succeed; they'd kill her, possibly before plucking her eyes out, possibly after in some gruesome attempt at extracting vengeance for the Cloud shinobi killed by Hiashi years ago.

Either way, if they didn't catch up in time and save her, Hinata Hyūga—the sweet girl who had proven her strength ten times over in Mimi's eyes in her preliminary fight; the pure soul Amari had a soft spot for—would die.

 _No wonder Kiba is here. And Neji…_ Had he come as a sense of duty to the Leaf? To his Clan? Or was something else behind his drive to save his cousin? Mimi watched him carefully as they hopped from tree branch to tree branch, their pace at pursuit speed, but no amount of watching made his intentions or purpose clearer.

"That's who we're chasing after," Kiba said. "I'm not going to sit back and let them hurt Hinata. And I'm still not sure if Neji is really dedicated to saving her." Her cousin cast a suspicious side glance to Neji. "We all know he tried to kill her in the preliminary rounds."

 _Yeah. We do._ But Neji said nothing. Didn't scowl or insult them. He just kept his eyes on the mission. Determined to rescue Hinata. Something about her teammate…she could feel a change in him. Something big.

"Well, consider us your backup then. Those damn Cloud shinobi," Mimi snarled, sharpened teeth grit. Her pupils became slits. "Using this war to steal the Byakugan and kill Hinata, tch! They'll regret it, the opportunistic bastards!"

"Stay calm, Mimi," Amari ordered, voice sharp as a kunai and coated by its steel. "You're right. We will make them regret it. But we can't lose our heads and act irrationally. There's still a war going on, which means all of us have to be careful and watch each other's backs. For all we know, the Cloud could be working together with the Sand or Sound, leading us straight to an ambush."

"She's right," Neji agreed. "We have no idea if these Cloud shinobi were innocent spectators who took this as an opportunity to steal the Byakugan, or if there was a deal struck with the Sand and Sound. We must be alert to our surroundings at all times."

 _Did Neji…just agree with Amari?_

What strange genjutsu world did she walk into?

"Which means we need your nose and Kiba's on point, Mimi," Amari continued. "So Kiba, and you too Akamaru, you both may not trust in Neji's dedication, but you have to trust him as a comrade of the Leaf. I understand why you have ill feelings towards him, I do; I'd be lying if I said I didn't have my own issues with him.

"But my issues with Neji aren't important. None of our personal issues are. People are dying back in the Leaf. Good people; _our_ people. Today there are no grudges between Leaf shinobi, no petty issues or deeply rooted personal vendettas. Today we're all Leaf shinobi, bound together by our Will of Fires and desire to protect those precious to us. Infighting and lack of trust will only end with all of us dying, and then Hinata will have no hope of rescue.

"So please, for her sake, we have to work together. We're all here to save Hinata."

"…All right, I hear ya, Amari. I hear ya," Kiba said at length.

Mimi glanced to her fellow kunoichi, heartened by her words yet utterly perplexed by her calm attitude when she cared so much for Hinata. The glance revealed to Mimi the furious red eye, previously cool onyx, alongside tense body language and nails digging deeply into the sensitive flesh of her palms.

 _You're feeling this more than any of us_. Mimi straightened her eyes back on the mission, put her emotions in check and honed in on the scent they were chasing. "Amari, don't worry. They won't harm a single hair on Hinata's head," she stated confidently.

"They won't because we won't let them," Amari replied steadily. "And should I find a single bruise on Hinata, I'll make them regret ever being born."

The promise came in a quieter voice, but far deadlier. Far closer to the kunoichi who threatened Neji's life.

"Damn right we will," Kiba said. "Come on, let's pick up the pace! We've got to end this chase before they reach our border with the Land of Rice Paddies."

Mimi noticed Neji glance back at Amari, the look in his eyes somewhere between inquisitive and respect. None of the disgust from before, no disdain for the eye he knew she wielded beneath her bandana.

 _You're different than you were before, Neji. Why?_

It was a question she intended to find the answer to.

* * *

Shikamaru knew today was going to be a drag, although he hadn't expected it to be _this_ much of one. It all started with the exam itself and his no-win situation of having to exert himself or give up.

With Asuma and Ino both watching him like hawks, and the duo probably being under orders of his mother to report back to her on his performance, the Nara was left with a troublesome decision. If he had just given up he wouldn't have had to expend any energy, but his sensei, his teammate and his mother would have made him regret it.

 _I would be forced to train more, I would have to deal with Ino harping at me for days and Mom would probably do something even worse than all of those._ A shiver ran down his spine at the thought of his mother's silent rage aimed at him for not trying. He loved his family, but his mother was one of the scariest women he knew. _Not to mention she's a damn slave driver._

So he was forced to exert himself, which was such a pain. Working Temari into the position he needed her in to win had taken up almost all of his chakra, yet the energy he exerted also made him safe from the punishments awaiting him.

At first, when he had given up after using his tactics and Shadow Possession to win the war, he had been somewhat satisfied. Firstly he wasn't going to get harped at except from Ino, who he could easily ignore. His mother would be pleased that he tried but would probably demand him to start working harder, which he planned to do anyway. No harm there.

Shikamaru was also moderately satisfied by taking the smug look right off Temari's face and then shocking her further by quitting.

That was not troublesome at all. In fact he found it quite enjoyable.

Unfortunately all that satisfaction left him the moment the Sand and Sound began attacking the village. _I just had to go and exert myself to my limit, didn't I?_ The Nara frowned with his eyes closed. _And then we're sent on a mission to backup 'Risu, Mimi and Sasuke on their mission, only now we're being tailed by ninjas who are undoubtedly Jōnin. Great help I'll end up being._

Their group of four, or five including the puppy, had already gone over the possibilities of trying to ambush the group following them. That option was no longer viable though, which was extremely troublesome.

To ambush the group they would have had to meet two conditions, the first being a two part condition. An ambush was a key battle tactic and could definitely be beneficial, but the ambushing team would have needed to be exceptionally quiet and to find the enemy ninja's first.

That first condition was already impossible as the Leaf ninjas had tried to lose the ninjas chasing them by stopping and walking backwards back over their tracks to make it appear as if they disappeared. It had failed completely and now the ninjas were back on their trail.

The second condition was to catch the chasing group off guard at an area where they could do a lot of damage very quickly and then hide just as fast. On one hand it seemed those conditions were easy to meet right now despite the first shortcoming. With the ninja hounds nose and knowing the geography of their home like he knew a shogi board, the odds appeared to be in their favor.

This was a false sentiment though.

Orochimaru was a former Leaf ninja. This meant he knew the layout of the land and would have taught it to these ninjas. Not only that, but it was safe to assume he had run simulated practices for this specific mission.

These guys were also possibly masters of the pursuit jutsu, which meant that it was unlikely that they didn't know all the cards the Leaf shinobi had. All of the options keeping his cousin's mission alive, along with all of them, were now squashed flat.

It was time that they fell back on the secondary mission and primary objective: Regroup with the first squad to then find a safe place to hide until they received further orders.

There was one problem, though. The ninjas chasing them were gaining ground quickly and sooner rather than later they would finally catch them. To succeed they only had one plan left in their hands: a diversion that looked like an ambush.

One of them were going to have to play decoy while the others continued forward, hoping the one who stayed behind delayed the enemy long enough to fulfill the mission.

That also meant the person staying behind was going to have to sacrifice themselves.

That incredibly morbid fact was where the four Genin were at now. Each had stopped upon his revealing of their final option, all to think over who it was going to be who stayed behind. Despite this Shikamaru knew there was really only one who could do it. Only one of them had a real chance of pulling this off.

"I'm the only one who can do it," Shikamaru broke their silence, his voice stuck in solemn resignation.

Man, today was turning out to be a real drag.

"Shikamaru!" Sakura pleaded.

"Why does it have to be you?" Naruto demanded. "I can use Shadow Clones to hold them off, maybe even overwhelm them!"

"Can you say definitively that you can hold them off and overwhelm them?" Shikamaru asked in return. Silence was his answer. "I've already calculated all of our chances at pulling this decoy act off based on each of our individual skillsets. The fact is these guys are likely elite shinobi; your Shadow Clones won't be able to overwhelm guys like that. None of us have the physical strength to beat these guys in hand to hand combat, and if I fail then Tenten will be your next best shot."

Shikamaru jumped back to a tree branch facing the direction they had come. _This is what 'Risu would do. Self-sacrifice to keep the most people alive._ He forced a smirk. _Heh, I guess some of your attitude has rubbed off on me, 'Risu._ "Me doing this is a whole lot better than all of us getting wiped out. Besides, I'm the only one who has a chance at pulling off this decoy act."

"What about Amari?" Tenten questioned, the shock over his decision clear in her voice. "She's your family Shikamaru. You can't just leave her. Let me be the decoy."

True, they were family. Had been ever since the troublesome girl entered his life and made him act all motivated. His 'Risu just had that effect on him. Her spirit, her energy, it rubbed off on those she was close to, made them want to do better or be better because of how hard she was trying to do the same.

That's what made her special, though. That's what the Will of Fire and the bonds between Leaf shinobi were meant to do. His 'Risu, troublesome as she was, defined to their generation what being a Leaf shinobi meant. Her courage, her dedication, her grit to overcome all pain for the sake of protecting her friends, they were an inspiration to all of them.

For her, to ensure their generation continued to have a bright light like her to follow, to give his precious cousin a chance to keep on living to one day see the future she wanted, he would put away his slacking tendencies and step up to the plate to take a swing at this responsibility.

If he didn't survive this she'd be pissed at him for the rest of time, but that was okay. She may not even ever forgive him, but she would understand. His 'Risu would one day realize this was the only viable option to save their comrades.

He loved her as a sister and always would.

"Yeah. She is," he agreed aloud. "But all of you are her family too. Ties of blood isn't how she defines her family; it's the bonds she has formed with all of us."

The bond he was so grateful to have experienced.

"Stay with Naruto and Sakura, Tenten. I'm the only one who has a chance of surviving this attack, and if I screw it up I'm just buying you time to put as many traps as you possibly can between you guys and these shinobi." Shikamaru looked over his shoulder at the group. "Make 'em big, all right?"

Naruto was clenching his hands into fists, helpless and frustrated because he couldn't argue. Sakura's teeth bit hard on her lip, nearly drawing blood from the look of it. They may not have all gotten along or even really spoken to one another, but they had been classmates for years and comrades. He'd have felt the same way if it had been one of them to stay behind.

Tenten did her best to be the strongest of the group, but he could see how his choice was affecting her, how real this entire war had just become for them. It was one thing to see people battling in the distance; it was another to see a comrade decide to stay behind to sacrifice themselves as a decoy.

"I…I will," Tenten agreed softly.

The Nara didn't want to burden them with the thoughts of his death. That'd just be too troublesome. He also had no intention of lying down and dying for their enemies.

Would he be able to survive though?

Shikamaru couldn't say with certainty. All he knew was that he had the best chance at pulling it off.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu was invented as a delay tactic, so this is our best shot. Anyway, I'll catch up with you later. Go on, get going," he shooed them off.

"We're counting on you, Shikamaru!" Naruto told him, his voice steeled with certainty in the Nara's survival. He simply raised his hand up in goodbye, not bothering to look back again or keep them any longer with some kind of speech. Any seconds wasted would cause this whole plan to go straight to hell. "Sakura, Tenten, we have to go."

There were solemn grunts of agreement and the group took off leaving him behind.

 _If this all goes downhill for me, take good care of 'Risu for me, Naruto._

Not wasting any time, Shikamaru moved into action, finding a stick and fashioning it to appear as close as possible to Kakashi's hound's paws. Carefully and strategically he began creating a new set of tracks to be followed, leading away from where Naruto and the others had gone.

Keeping a calm mind was key for him. His pursuers weren't going to pause or slow down any time soon. Any subtle breakage of the tracks or suspicious looking prints would steer them away from this decoy act and back onto the others. Shikamaru couldn't let that happen. This was his duty and his choice to be here; he wouldn't fail the others who placed their faith in him.

 _"It's a real pain, but if we all keep taking it easy, none of us will ever be of any help to them. That's why I need you to train me harder than usual. My main purpose may be support and tactics in the future, but I can't keep dragging my feet all the time. I need to be ready to face enemies on 'Risu's level and above, and I need to be able to think and move faster. Being too slow will get good people killed."_

Those words rang even truer now than they had back then.

Seconds passed like hours. The nerves and stress of the situation left him sweating. To know you were being hunted and any second delay could end in your death was one of the most emotionally draining things the Nara had ever experience. Still, he kept his breathing steady and his mind focused on the task at hand.

Failing wasn't an option.

 _Man, when did I become so motivated? This is all such a drag._

The sound of the enemy shinobis feet catching up made Shikamaru finish up his final footprints quickly before hiding behind a tree. He leaned his back against the bark and moved down into a crouch with his head staring up at the clouds. _I guess it's time._

 _What a drag._

"His footprints are irregular. Anxiety is probably increasing his fatigue," a voice sounded from beyond the tree.

The boy smirked to himself. _That's your miscalculation and my opening._

It was time for him to face whatever fate awaited him for choosing to be a decoy.

Stepping out from the tree he stretched his Shadow all the way to the enemy shinobi, catching the large group unaware easily enough. They hadn't been prepared for this, which made trapping them all the easier. "Oops. Sorry," he drawled lazily. "I was supposed to be the guy that didn't want to get involved, but I guess I'm not quite what you expected, am I?" He allowed his lips to quirk up in a cocky smirk. "You're right about one thing, I'm tired. But on everything else you couldn't be more wrong. Like our footprints."

The Shadow user showed off the stick he carved. "This is what I used to make the paw prints. Too bad for you for not seeing through it."

Even as he stood there, performing as any good decoy should with all the arrogance of a posturing peacock, Shikamaru didn't stop calculating his next move. Holding the group there was going to be hard. Already the boy could feel his Shadow straining to hold onto all of them.

"So this is the Leaf's Shadow Paralysis Jutsu that we've heard about?" one of the ninjas asked.

Based on their garb—the grey, snake patterned scarfs specifically—these were all Sound shinobi. _Orochimaru's henchmen without a doubt._ He scanned them for mechanisms like the Sound Genin. _I don't see any gadgets or anything like what Dosu or Zaku had on them, so maybe they don't have anything like that. So that leaves regular ninjutsu, genjutsu and taijutsu._

 _Still, that doesn't raise my chances much at all._

"Heh, yeah. If you want to call it by that old name I suppose you can, but I've got news for you: You're behind the times. Now it's called the Shadow Possession Jutsu, old man."

His heart rate began to rise as the strain of holding so many people with low chakra began to affect him, causing the Nara to breathe more heavily. _I used too much chakra in my match. I don't know how much longer I can hold on._

He needed to finish this quickly. Shikamaru grabbed shuriken from his holster; luckily none of the enemy shinobi had a toolbox on the same leg. He counted his enemies. _One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight…wait a minute._

 _"No, there's one more. There are nine ninja following us,"_ the puppy's voice played through his mind.

 _Of course. The ninth ninja's role is to protect against an ambush._ Slowly he reached into his back pouch with his other hand, grabbing a set of kunai and placing them between his fingers. _They stay behind the team; a reserve to protect against an enemy attack._

Bringing his hands in an X formation in front of him forced the Sound ninjas to do the same, only their hands were empty. _But I know what to do. With this attack I'll be able to draw out the ninth ninja, find his location and then capture him in my Shadow Possession._

"Take this!" The Nara boy threw his ninja tools at the group. None of them touched his enemies, deflected by thrown ninja tools from the ninth Sound shinobi. _There he is, up in that tree_ , he noted as he flicked his eyes in the direction of the tree.

It was time to capture the last guy and finish them all off, or at the least wound them. Shikamaru extended another tendril of his Shadow towards the tree. It slithered across the ground, up the bark of the tree…then stopped before it could even reach halfway.

This was not good.

 _Oh man, my Shadow can't reach_ , Shikamaru realized, eyes wide in horror. _Even with all that training with Asuma-sensei, I still don't have enough stamina to use my chakra to extend it that far._

"It's futile, kid. I see through your technique," the lead Sound ninja spoke confidently.

The boy growled in frustration. _Damn it. So…this is it._

"It looks like you're at your limit. Your Shadow Possession Jutsu is going to fail any second now, so prepare yourself."

For death went without saying. Shikamaru gave a half-hearted chuckle then let out a steady breath of acceptance before staring up at the floating clouds in the area. _At least I bought the others a lot of time to set those traps._

He sighed again. _Ugh. All I wanted was to be an average shinobi making an average living. I'd marry a regular girl who isn't super pretty or super ugly. Have two kids, a girl and then a boy. Retire when my daughter got married and my son became a successful ninja, then I'd spend the rest of my days playing Shogi or Go with 'Risu, Asuma and my father._

 _That's all I wanted, a carefree, leisurely retirement. I'd see 'Risu become a Jōnin Sensei and watch clouds with her when she actually took the time to relax. She'd meet some boy who wasn't a jerk or lazy; someone who loved her and wouldn't mind her motivation for training. A ninja, probably._

 _Eventually she'd finally retire and have a kid or two. I'd spoil them with love and teach them how to beat 'Risu in Shogi, and she'd spoil mine with love and teach them to be more motivated than me. Then I'd die of old age before my wife and 'Risu._

 _Yep. That's the life I wanted. And yet I ended up exerting myself. It's so unlike me. Even though I wanted to finish as just a regular guy, I had to go and get myself into this sticky situation._

 _I'm sorry, 'Risu. I didn't mean for it to end like this, but you're a tough girl. You'll get through it and become stronger. That's what you do, troublesome girl. I suppose Shikamari will live on through you._

Shikamaru chuckled humorously to himself despite the situation at hand. He couldn't believe the line of thoughts that went through his cousin's mind sometimes. Then again, that single question, that strange combination of their names, it made him love her all the more. Because despite her experiences, somehow she still had those innocent moments not at all afflicted by the trauma she experienced.

He hoped those moments never left her.

 _Make sure you get yourself a snow cone, troublesome girl._

Another laugh escaped him before he straightened himself out. "Well, as you said, it appears I'm at my limit," he stated as his shadow receded back to him.

"Hey, come on out," the lead Sound ninja called to their partner. The hammering of his heart was thundering in his ears as he prepared for death to meet him. "And when you do, cut off his head."

A large force landing behind him sounded off, consuming him in the smoke caused by whoever had appeared. Part of him had resigned to death, but no one really was ready for it one could say. Paralyzing shock took over his body as he stood still, body rigid, waiting for his head to be lopped off.

Seconds moved like years and his head remained attached to his shoulders. The only thing different now was the smell of cigarette smoke reaching his nostrils.

"Well, I finally caught up to you guys," a familiar voice entered the fray.

Had he been able to, Shikamaru's head would have turned all the way around, snapping his neck in the process. There, in all his bearded glory with a cigarette between his lips, was Asuma, carrying a dead or unconscious Sound ninja under his right arm.

"Asuma, how did you—"

His sensei merely grinned at him before turning serious. He tossed the Sound ninja he was carrying away from him and proceeded to decimate the enemy forces on his own. Shikamaru didn't think Asuma even broke a sweat, his superior skill outmatching the other eight shinobi like they were pushover Genin.

By the time he was finished, Shikamaru found himself still standing in the same spot, his mouth hung wide open as if expecting to catch flies, while staring at the back of his sensei in amazement.

 _Kami…_

If Asuma was this good...

He _really_ needed to work harder.

"You did well, Shikamaru. I'm proud of you," Asuma told him.

Finally feeling his senses come back to him, the boy let himself fall onto his butt in exhaustion. "Yeah, but it was all way too much work."

Letting out a tired groan, he finally laid all the way down.

 _Guess it's all up to you guys now. Good luck, and follow the primary mission of staying alive._

* * *

Amari, Sasuke, and Mimi jumped along the trees. With every passing branch, with every renewed jump they neared their enemies. So far the Sand Siblings proved to be elusive, but they couldn't shake the three Leaf Genin. With Mimi's nose they had yet to lose track of them regardless of how fast they moved or how many times they tried to throw them off the trail.

The Inuzuka was confident they were nearly on them. Soon they would catch up and put an end to the plans to play their ace in the hole.

Amari used a branch to swing herself forward as the others jumped ahead. As Sasuke passed over a branch right below her, a bright light caught her eye.

 _What the?_

An explosion rocked the quiet forest. The concussion of the explosion separated the trio; Amari slammed back first against the trunk of a tree. Her eyes widened when she noticed a serious amount of tripwire traps, layered with paper bombs, surrounding her. _Oh man, what a drag!_ She vanished via the Body Flicker; heat brushed against her skin, her heart thundered in her chest as the explosions followed her, reverberating through her bones.

Amari swung herself further up into the canopy of trees, eyes catching sight of even more tripwire traps. She could hear other explosions going off by her teammates as they too worked to escape. The blue-haired kunoichi landed upside down on the branch off a tree, pony-tailed hair falling with gravity as she crouched.

The silence of the forest settled once more.

Using her Byakugan, she searched for her teammates. Hanging upside down like her in a distant tree was Sasuke, while Mimi was further up in the canopy, channeling chakra to her hands to keep hold on the bottom of a branch.

Collectively they sighed in relief.

"Sound off. Who's not dead?" Sasuke's voice made its way to her.

"You know, I thought I hated these bastards before, but somehow they've found a way to make me hate them even more," Mimi sounded off.

"Not dead, but I'm with Mimi."

"Agreed. That was a little too close for comfort. Regroup on me you two." Without hesitation the two kunoichi regrouped on the Uchiha boy, landing on the branch next to him, which he was now standing upright on.

Neither looked like they had been hit by the explosions, which was a relief amongst their other stresses. Mimi crouched down to heal her ankle.

"I'm really sorry about that," Amari apologized sincerely.

Mimi waved her off, offering a reassuring grin. "Don't be. I should've been faster."

"You all right, Mimi?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. I've healed the tendons as best as I can given the circumstances and numbed the pain. I'm making more field repairs so I won't have any issues when we finally catch them."

Sasuke nodded then looked to Amari. "Amari, do you think your Byakugan could pick out any future traps?"

"I'll check." She scanned the area ahead, closing in on every tree branch and surrounding areas to them in hopes to see if there were any traps ahead. When she finally finished she deactivated her Byakugan and turned to the two. "I don't see anything, but we should still be careful."

Both nodded in agreement. "I doubt there will be more." Mimi sniffed the area as she spoke. "They haven't stopped since last time and they didn't have enough time to set this entire forest full of traps." Aoko made a few whining sounds from the blue eyed kunoichi's hood. "What? Seriously?" Another whine was her response.

"What's wrong?" the Uchiha's queried in unison.

"Aoko caught the scent of Tenten, Naruto and Sakura, plus an unfamiliar scent. They're still far away though."

The Nara of the group brought her hand to her chin. _Kakashi-sensei must have sent them to help or stop us. We could stop and wait for them…_ She looked in the direction of the Sand ninjas. _But that will give them an advantage of distance and time for Gaara to rejuvenate chakra. If we can at least stop the three it will give the others a chance at catching up quicker._

"How fast are they moving?" Amari asked.

"Fast, but as I said they are still far away." Mimi removed her hands from her ankle and stood up. "You think we should wait or continue on with our mission?" The Inuzuka didn't seem opposed to either idea nor did Sasuke, yet they were both undecided on the matter.

The decision was in her hands then. _Should we wait or continue the chase?_ There were benefits to both, the former meant more backup right away while the latter guaranteed they'd catch up and stop the ninjas from running, allowing the others to catch up.

 _Either way they catch up and we catch the Sand ninjas…but…_

"We'll keep going," the Shadow user decided. "They'll catch up regardless and this way we have a chance to stop Gaara before he can recover. That's our priority."

"Right," the two agreed with nods.

"All right. Let's go."

The trio took off once more and continued the chase.

* * *

"Is that all you got? Ha!" Anko sunk one kunai fatally into a Sand shinobi, spun low to sweep the legs out from under a Sound ninja as his blade cut through the air above her head; she impaled that blade into the enemy shinobi and handspringed up into the air, dodging a hail of ninja tools intent on turning her into a screwed up porcupine.

As she flew she weaved handseals; her busty chest expanded from a large inhale before she expelled a stream of fire, the continuous inferno forcing her enemies to retreat out of range; all except one unfortunate bastard who hadn't moved fast enough.

Evacuation overall was going pretty damn well, all things considered. Sneak attack by overwhelming force, all-out war, destruction of the Leaf, you know, all the party games the new generation had been spared from before today. Anko didn't have time to feel sorry for them; war was on their doorstep, they couldn't coddle the Genin any longer if they wanted to survive this day and propel the enemy forces from their home.

Crows swept all around the Leaf, sector by sector, passing on information to her more often than not on enemy movements. _Guess it wasn't just all talk_ , she thought, a grin on her lips. Their aid had helped her prepare for this ambush, hiding the civilians safely in a nearby shop while she dueled these heartless punks without fear of collateral damage.

The summoning snakes couldn't reach this sector. From the last look she had gotten, the Crows and her fellow Leafs had the main group of three pinned down between quadrants three and four, holding them there for the time being. But their enemies brought more than three summoning snakes, and those two others were dealing more than enough damage to make up for the other three.

 _Can't worry about that yet_ , Anko chastised herself, landing with her blades at the ready. She had another eight shinobi to get through so she could get back to getting this last big group of civvies to safety. Once this group was safe, and the other evacuation teams reported in, the real counter-attack could begin.

But that was later. The boisterous kunoichi had other problems to deal with. These shinobi weren't that problem; for a Special Jōnin and a self-declared badass these punks were an appetizer to a main course, hardly filling her up.

No, her biggest issue was the mark on her neck thrumming to life, burning more and more as the clock ticked on. It had started off manageable; a dull warmth she could put mind over matter to ignore. But now it felt like someone dribbled hot wax on her shoulder at regular intervals, only this wasn't pleasurable or the appropriate time for it.

 _He's here in the Village somewhere. He has to be._ Her mark confirmed it. Most days she didn't even feel it; other days she had nightmares of when it had been placed on her, yet the memories always remained hidden beneath shadows she couldn't see through. Those days, specifically upon waking up, the mark felt like a hot brand placed against her skin, the whispers of power it once enticed her with brushing against her ears with warm, vile morning breath.

From there it would became an ache, similar to sore muscle, until finally fading away.

For her mark to be acting up _now_ of all times meant Orochimaru was here. The bastard who placed this damn Curse Mark she couldn't remove was somewhere in her home coordinating the attack or doing some other terrible deed elsewhere.

Anko fought to keep her features neutral, or set in a hungry grin if the moment called for it, but the snake mistress couldn't stop the beads of sweat accumulating on her forehead or beneath her mesh top and jacket, slicking her fair skin and soaking her purple hair. She couldn't stop the slight tremble attacking her back muscles, the spasms uncontrollable as it built towards searing agony.

 _I have to take these guys down fast. It's the only way I can keep the civilians safe._

"Well, come on! Don't tell me all you so-called men are scared of me!" She licked her lips and grinned sadistically. Three more charged in, one Sound and two Sand.

The Sound shinobi reached her first, swiping his sword twice at the purple-haired shinobi. Anko dodged back then parried the second strike with her kunai. Twisting her blade, she controlled the Sound shinobi's sword, guiding it wide. His footwork drove him directly into her second blade, his eyes widening as the deathblow landed.

Anko kept moving, hopping back as one of the Sand shinobi tried to slash a blade made solely of wind through her body. A small cut opened up on her right cheek and left arm, opening a tear through her trench coat. But it wasn't fatal or debilitating; nothing more than a scratch. The second Sand shinobi tried to advance, to catch her while he suspected her off-guard.

The snake mistress thrusted her right arm out, a wicked gleam in her brown eyes. "Striking Shadow Snake! Four snakes launched from the sleeve of her trench coat, capturing the Sand shinobi. As his partner tried to attack, she thrusted her other arm out and caught him as well with four snakes.

Her precious little summoning partners wrapped around the first enemy's arms and legs, sinking their poisoned fangs deep into his flesh. Even if they did escape, it was only a matter of time before the poison killed them. The second enemy was even unluckier, her pet serpents wrapping around his neck, arms and chest to keep him from using his wind sword.

"Have a nice flight," the purple-haired kunoichi grinned.

Her snakes lifted the two up and with a swing of her arms they were sent flying hard into a nearby building. Their bodies made sickening cracks against the concrete before she released their paralyzed bodies, the eight snakes disappearing beneath her sleeves again.

That left five.

Anko spun around and threw her kunais. The blades pierced into warm flesh, death rendered instantaneously to the Sand kunoichi who tried to sneak attack her.

Correction: That left four.

As she turned around to face the final four, a shooting arc of white-hot pain shot from her mark all the way down her spine. Anko lurched forward, belting out a scream of agony as she collapsed to one knee, right hand flying to her shoulder.

 _Damn it, not now._ She couldn't let these bastards harm the civilians. She couldn't just sit back and let them mercilessly kill more innocent men, women and children.

Sure, some people had always eyed her with sideways glances due to the rumors surrounding her former sensei. And yeah, it hurt. For people to doubt her allegiance, for people to cast their suspicious glances her way because of _his_ actions, very few of them ever considering the torment he caused her too, it left her feeling incredibly lonely at first. And it made her angry at them. Couldn't they see she was suffering because of Orochimaru too? She had only been a young girl at the time; it wasn't like she could control his actions.

But she grew up, made some good friends and earned trust and respect through her actions. These people, regardless of her past, were residents of her home, under her protection. That meant she was going to defend them so long as she had breath in her body.

Unfortunately her body wasn't cooperating and she could barely breathe as it was. Her vision turned hazy, the silhouettes of her enemies harder to track through the searing pain pulsing from her shoulder over the rest of her body with every heartbeat. And her heart was beating stupidly fast. Muscles quaked, rendering her body more useless than a lazy Nara in a marathon run.

 _I…have to move_. "Ggh!" she choked as she tried to move. _Come on body. Move. Move. Move!_

"Finish her!" a shout made it to her ears.

Two hands pressed against her back briefly, followed by a murder of Crows blasting past her.

"Double Dynamic Entry!"

She heard the collision of the attacks. Anko shut her eyes and bit her lip hard, drawing blood, in an effort to put mind over matter. When she opened her eyes again, the haze lifted, revealing a head of long, wild blue hair and a head of spiky, untamed long dark-brown hair.

"Looks like we arrived just in time," one of the voices spoke.

"Yep. Miss Anko, just leave the rest to us and then we'll give you a hand."

"…Kurenai's kid? And Tsume's niece?" she muttered to herself in surprise.

"Mimi, you ready?" Amari asked.

"Let's go for that combo we talked about and teach these bastards a lesson!"

Anko moved to stand up, planning to join them in battle, but another sting tore through her back, stopping her dead in her tracks. _Damn it, my body isn't ready to move yet._

"You two kids should have stayed out of it. Now you both die!"

"Fool," Amari snorted as two of the enemy shinobi charged. "Mimi, let's go!"

"Right!"

In tandem they disappeared in sheer speed. The two enemy shinobi paused their charge, eyes wide as they looked all around in search of the two kunoichi. Neither saw them until their feet planted themselves in their guts, kicking again and again and again until they were all airborne. Amari continued her taijutsu assault, slamming fist and foot over and over again as they plummeted towards the ground. Simultaneously Mimi spun into a ferocious spiral, drilling her chosen adversary all the way into the dirt with a Fang over Fang.

Those two ninjas weren't getting up again. Their bodies crashed so hard into the ground, even Anko winced.

As the two kunoichi recovered, kunai pierced their chests and backs, poofing them into smoke. But from the smoke two logs appeared.

"Substitution?!" one of the enemies gaped.

"O-ver here!" Amari's voice teased.

One of the enemy shinobi spun around, ready to attack, while his partner stood frozen in place with Amari standing right behind him. Mimi revealed herself, appearing behind the opposite opponent to jab her fingers directly into his neck, causing him to fall to the ground like an unwanted sack of potatoes.

"Nighty night, prick."

"Tsk tsk, you shouldn't let your opponent get behind you all the time," Amari taunted.

The man reached his arm forward into the air, mimicking Amari's movements as she placed her hand on his shoulder. Her hand started to glow blue and the Sand shinobi's face became one of fear. "You're- you're stealing my chakra!" he realized.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to take _all_ of your chakra. Just most of it." Seconds passed and the blue-haired kunoichi's hand eventually stopped glowing. She must have released her Shadow Possession as well because the man fell face first into the dirt.

"I- I can't move," the ninja groaned.

Mimi approached the downed shinobi and stabbed a blade into his hand, eliciting a cry of agony and pinning his already drained body for someone else to clean up. "That's the point, bastard. Next time, don't attack our village and my friend here won't sap you of ninety-nine percent your chakra." The two kunoichi regrouped away from the enemy shinobi, slapping their hands together in a high five for a job well done. "Nice work, Amari."

"Not bad yourself, Mimi. Come on, we've got a mission to finish."

They moved back to Anko, who had a small smirk on her face. _Saved by Genin. I doubt I'll ever live it down if Genma hears about it._

Mimi crouched down next to her and placed her hand on her shoulder, a green hue surrounding it as she performed a Diagnostic Jutsu. Amari stood behind her and placed a hand on the Inuzuka's shoulder to transfer over some of the chakra she stole.

"Ah, don't bother. It's not an injury you can heal." Anko brushed off the Inuzuka's hand and forced herself to stand. Her legs still felt weak; the debilitating pain in her back muscles lowered to a warm ache. But it was controllable and at a threshold she could handle.

She grinned at the pair. "Nice save, little squirts."

Their eyes noticeably twitched at the nickname. Amari of the pair sighed first and smiled. "Glad we could help."

Mimi reluctantly nodded. "Looks like Ibiki sending us was good for more than just helping you with your mission."

 _Ah, so that's who sent them_ , Anko thought. _Guess I owe you one Ibiki. If you hadn't sent them I would have been toast._

"I take it you two are under my command then?"

They gave short nods in response.

 _Okay, we're back in business then. Searching for the remaining civilians should be easier now that I have these two._ She smirked mentally. _No doubt the reason you sent them to help out, huh Ibiki._

"All right. I want you two to search the surrounding area for any stragglers from here using your enhanced senses. Get a good layout of this section of the village. Those Crows can only see so much."

"Amari, this one is all you." Mimi scrunched her nose. "My nose is too clogged from all the smoke and fire."

The girl nodded in understanding before she activated her Sharingan and undoubtedly her Byakugan as well. Anko watched as she scanned the area before inevitably she turned to the boisterous kunoichi.

"I don't see anyone, but we should get moving. Enemy ninja are searching the areas for people. Facing more ninjas with the civilians will be too troublesome."

The Snake Mistress gave a nod and motioned them to follow her. "Then let's go you two. Follow me!" They made their way into the shop, assuring the civilians it was safe before getting them moving again.

Anko watched the two younger kunoichi interact with the civilians; Mimi healed the few who were injured, her bedside manner proving to be gentle and soothing. She noticed a slight limp to her gait, but left it be when the Inuzuka moved to heal herself. Amari reassured the people, her soft nature and comforting smile doing wonders for those frightened.

 _Hard to believe they're taking this so well_ , Anko thought. _War on their front steps and they're treating it like any ordinary mission._ She appreciated their ability to stay levelheaded against the chaos surrounding them. Even if they were anxious or scared, they put those feelings aside to protect each other and the people in their care.

It was a good quality for a shinobi.

"Miss Anko." She hummed in question while ushering the last of the civilians out of the shop, brown eyes active in search of enemy troops. "Here. Mom said you like these." She turned to face the girl. In her hand was a stick of dango. An embarrassing growl from her stomach reminded the kunoichi of the lunch she totally missed. "We helped out another evacuation team on the way here and one of the old lady's gave us a stick each. Wanted us to replenish our strength, but…Well, I'm not that hungry, so you can have it."

"Heh, thanks Shortcake." Anko snatched the stick from her hand and chowed down on them immediately, continuing to speak even though her mouth was full. "You know, you're not so bad. Although I suppose that's 'cause you're Kurenai's kid."

The wild blue-haired ninja smiled at the mention of her mother. "She's been amazing to me. I…I owe her everything." Her visible eye flicked back towards the direction of the stadium even without turning around to face it.

Anko hummed, eyes looking out to the stadium. So, that's where her friend was battling then. Right in the thick of the mess. _Kick their asses, Kurenai._

"Yeah, well, Kurenai thinks the world of you, Shortcake. Trust me. She brags about you any time someone asks."

Amari tilted her head in question. "Really?"

"Yeah," Anko nodded to the kid. "If she were anything like Guy she'd be shouting about your successes from the rooftops by now."

Amari paled visibly at the thought it. "…That would be such a drag. Please make sure she doesn't ever do that."

The snake mistress grinned mischievously. "Heh, no promises, Shortcake. Don't worry about her, all right? She's a lot tougher than any of these punks."

"True," Amari agreed, smiling.

With that they kept moving. They couldn't risk resting for any longer. Every second wasted could lead to another ambush, and possibly further destruction and death to their side.

"Lady Amari!" a male crow called, flying down and landing on Amari's already outreached arm. "We have cleared many of these streets, but this sector has yet to be regained by our forces." He swept his wing down the street they were moving down. "Continue on this path with haste. Controlled sectors are within a few blocks."

"Thank you, Osamu," Amari thanked, nodding her head in gratitude. "Any new news regarding our other forces?"

"Allied forces have destroyed all enemy invaders within the sectors closest to the shelter. These people, and your team, will soon be safely in allied territory." Anko felt the relief overcome the civilians. "My reports from other agents paint an image of confusion among our enemy invaders, when they do not meet the wrath of the Crows, that is."

Anko chuckled. "I imagine their confusion changes pretty quickly to fear."

"Indeed. I believe your team is the final group of evacuees in uncontrolled territories; the efforts of the evacuation team have spared many innocents their lives. With our people safe, our forces abandon the sector to aid elsewhere, leaving many of our enemies to run around like headless chickens, I believe is the human saying. For all Orochimaru's involvement, he failed to inform our enemies of our very basic protocols."

"Means he thought everything at the stadium would go off without a hitch," Mimi said thoughtfully.

"I concur," Osamu agreed, inclining his head once. "Your copies still live and continue to support our allied shinobi in the battle against the serpents. But this war is far from over. Please, make haste to the shelter. Only then can we launch our counter-attack. Until then, we Crows will continue to send our enemies into the abyss."

"Okay. Thank you again for the backup, Osamu," Amari thanked.

"It is our duty and our pleasure to aid you, Lady Amari," he inclined his head respectfully and took off.

" _Only those considered worthy and pure of heart are chosen by the Crows to be granted their guidance, power and wisdom. 'Risu has been destined to inherit their power since the day the Uchiha were massacred."_

Shikaku's words had seemed so far-fetched back then, even with the Hokage's assurance of the Crows existence. But after seeing the Crows in action today, and seeing the respect bordering on royalty Osamu gave to Amari made Anko wonder: _Where is your path gonna take you, Shortcake?_

Anko brushed the thoughts off and nodded to herself. "All right, sooner we get to the shelter, sooner our counter-attack can begin. Everyone stick close and keep moving quickly. We'll get to safety in no time."

Anko's face remained serious as they picked up the pace. _Just keep those guys at bay a little longer, Ibiki._

* * *

"There's no end to these things!" Kiba growled, slashing his kunai blade through yet another Earth Style shaped wolf. Mimi, Amari, Neji and Kiba stood back to back in a diamond formation, surrounded by an Earth Style trap that appeared like wolves made of mud.

 _Every time we cut them down, they simply reform_ , Mimi analyzed, blue eyes darting around at the wolves in front of her, reforming after her most recent hard attacks. _It's not a trap meant to kill, merely delay. And it's working_ , she grit her teeth in frustration. _The longer we continue to sit here, battling it out against these things, the further away those Cloud shinobi are going to get._

There was only one option then.

"Everyone duck," she ordered, weaving her handseals. _Water Style: Water Bomb Jutsu!_ Mimi unleashed a high pressured torrent of water that cut through the entire surrounding group of mud wolves, turning them into goop that had to reform.

"Neji, Kiba, Amari, I'll hold the trap off here," Mimi spoke quickly.

"What? No way, Mimi! We're not leaving you behind!"

"Kiba, don't argue," she growled. "I'm just a clone, remember? You and Neji are the real thing. Hinata is the real thing. Every second we waste here is one more second those Cloud shinobi have to get Hinata outside the Leaf, out of our reach where a horrible fate awaits her. And the fact is my ankle is just going to make me slow you guys down."

Damn did it hurt. She hadn't had time to numb the pain since being created; the work her original had done to heal it was incomplete, at no fault to her or Amari. Neither of them had known a war was about to erupt on their doorstep, and there hadn't been enough time to heal the wound fully.

"Akamaru's nose hasn't ever lied before," she continued. "Those two are going to be tough, which means you're going to need all the muscle you can get, and they'll need your noses to keep track of them. Amari's eye can cast powerful genjutsu, where I'm just going to be able to use ninjutsu. Based on this trap, at least one of them is an Earth Style user, which is my Water Style's weakness. This is the strategically right decision; even if I'm overwhelmed, no one dies. It's the best option."

"I'll come back for you so we can rejoin the others as soon as we save Hinata," Amari said.

"Heh, not if I catch up to you guys first," she shot back, grinning mirthfully. Amari smirked at her. Mimi let her grin fall for a serious expression. "Now get out of here. I'll hold them off."

"Good luck, Mimi," Neji said before jumping off with the others.

 _Fighting Goofball really changed you, huh Neji. Or is it something more?_

Mimi didn't know, but now wasn't the time to find out. The wolves reformed, and she grinned wildly. "All right, let's see what ya got!"

* * *

Amari, Mimi and Sasuke came to a stop on a branch, each with a kunai in hand save for the Nara of the group. Hers was already impaled in the trunk of the tree across from them, which had served its purpose.

"We finally caught you," Sasuke broke the tense silence between the three Leaf ninjas and three Sand ninjas. "Did you really think we'd let you get away after your village attacked our home?"

Across a gap of space on the opposite branch stood Temari, Kankurō and Gaara, who was being held up by his brother. "This is the end of the line for you three," Mimi's serious voice penetrated the quiet forest.

Now it was time to put an end to their plans.

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: Thank you, I'm glad to see you're enjoying it so much! Oh, where to even begin with some of the points you touched on? So much I want to say regarding what's coming, but can't. Itachi and Kisame were the beginning of the next main arc, so yep, they're hovering there just beyond the invasion. I honestly can't wait for it. Ichiraku Ramen vs Ninja chefs is definitely something I see Amari diving into. Ramen is only second to ice cream, snow cones, cookies and anything sweet in her books._

 _When will her Uchiha side manifest? Will the Curse of Hatred take full control? We will have to wait and see!_

 _I'd say duality is definitely one of the themes of the story. You've pretty much hit all the points of where it takes place; her heritage, the Clan jutsus, the two names she possesses. The only one I would add is kind of apart of her Uchiha and Nara blood, but more about the Will of Fire and Curse of Hatred. Because of her blood she's caught between them, the evidence of which has been shown when she falls into rage or darkness the few times its happened and her moments when she shows her Will of Fire. Sometimes this tug-of-war is symbolized by her demonic black scaled dragon and green scaled dragon when her enemies or opponents witness them. And...well, more to come on that later._

 _I imagine Amari, Pain and Konan's debates over philosophy will be quite heated when they finally meet. Though I look forward to Shippuden as well, definitely with the stuff I have planned for it._

 _Thank you for the review!_


	47. Chapter 46: A New Face Emerges!

Chapter 46

Chasing Sand: A New Face Emerges!

Amari's first move upon stopping the three Sand shinobi was to analyze Gaara's condition. Was he still fading in and out of consciousness? Had his injury healed at all? Could she generate a timetable for his full recovery based on appearance alone? Between the three Sand Genin, Gaara's immense threat to Amari and her team—as well as the whole of the Leaf—casted a massive, frightening shadow over her thoughts.

Kankurō and Temari were established threats to the Leaf as well, the puppet user of the pair likely the greater threat between them, but compared to Gaara they were a mild rut in the road. A tiny scenic diversion that stalled their travel plans by a few minutes, nothing more. Those two, for all their skill, weren't capable of unleashing something akin to the Nine-Tailed Fox like Gaara could.

Of course to get to Gaara meant removing those two from the equation first, so they were not nixed out of Amari's calculations whatsoever. They would be the first pieces to fall in this battle, and then the trio of Leaf shinobi would focus their attention fully on Gaara.

Much to her relief, Gaara's condition hadn't changed since Sasuke connected with his Chidori. Kankurō supported his weight. His head hung limply, eyes shut and body weight slackened by unconsciousness or something close to it. Overall, it was the best they could hope for at this point.

The sight of the three Leaf shinobi put well-placed anxiety within Kankurō's and Temari's eyes. No doubt they hoped their trap injured them or threw them off their trail completely.

Today wasn't their lucky day.

"Oh geez," Kankurō grumbled. "It's _them_."

"If it isn't Sasuke Uchiha, Amaririsu Yūhi and Mimi Inuzuka." Temari clenched one of her hands into a frustrated fist.

"You three are finished. Your mission ends here," Amari spoke firmly.

"So, what are you going to do?" the puppet user questioned.

He was stalling for time, but it was a poor attempt at it. "What are we going to do?' she parroted his words back at him. "Simple: We're going to pummel you so hard, even your ancestors will feel how absolutely furious you have made us."

Temari suddenly jumped into the air, both hands equipping three kunai each.

"Go Kankurō! Get Gaara away from here!"

Amari suspected her to be the first to make a move. Temari was the smart one here; she knew pointless verbal stalling wasn't going to buy them the time they needed for Gaara to recover.

 _So she'll be the first to fall._

Sasuke and Mimi dodged their heads to the side as Amari ducked down into a crouch. Their simple dodges caused the six kunai to pierce into the tree trunk behind them, harmless and yet another pointless diversion. They made their first move, now it was her turn to stop them.

The Nara watched as the kunoichi of the siblings swung herself up onto a branch above them. She took the high ground between them and her brothers, a strategically dominant position.

Because of the Exams, Temari had witnessed all three of their abilities in extensive detail. Her awareness of their ninjutsu affinity, their taijutsu, genjutsu and injuries might have placed them at a disadvantage under normal circumstances. However, the preliminary rounds and Temari's fight against Shikamaru provided them with similar Intel on her abilities and her weaknesses.

Amari remained in her crouch, cool onyx eye locked with the teal orbs of her enemy. _She'll want to keep us at range, buying Kankurō and Gaara time by using her Wind ninjutsu to keep us at bay while never allowing us in range of our own attacks._

Unlike Shikamaru, who didn't battle in close-ranged combat unless he absolutely had no choice, the three Leaf shinobi could battle at long, mid and short range should the need arise. And Temari had a similar battle style to Shikamaru, preferring to keep a fight at a distance to avoid a close-ranged battle at all costs, likely because she knew it was one of her greatest weaknesses.

 _I have a weak point to exploit. That should make our fight easier._

"Don't be a fool, Temari. These three are too much for you to handle on your own," her brother argued.

"Don't argue!" Temari gave her brother a scathing glare. "Our mission is to ensure that Gaara is safe. He is our first and only priority." She turned her gaze back to the Leaf ninjas, the corner of her lip tugging up in a smug smirk. "Don't worry about me. I've been waiting for this."

"You're not the only one," Mimi snarled, a dangerous look in her sapphire eyes. "I've been waiting to tear you to shreds."

Amari grabbed the Inuzuka's good shin when she took a step forward. "Wait, Mimi." She couldn't let her friend lead this fight. Part of Mimi still harbored the feral desire to destroy Temari and Gaara for what they did to Lee and Tenten. Given the opportunity, Mimi would waste precious time and chakra they no longer had the luxury to expend against Temari, all in the name of vengeance.

This wasn't the time for it. Two of their three man team had to keep Kankurō and Gaara from escaping while the third member fought this battle intelligently, conserving as much chakra as possible while avoiding injuries so they could all be prepared for the greatest threat here—Gaara.

The Nara opened her mouth to explain these very particular reasons why she would be the third member of who stayed behind, but Temari acted first.

"Go!" she ordered her brother, who nodded and took off through the trees.

"Get back here!" the Inuzuka yelled. Mimi and Sasuke both jumped into action to chase after the two boys, their hope to cut off their escape and fight the full battle here and now, but Temari had been prepared.

Her strategic positioning allowed her to use her Wind Style, amplified by her fan, without concern of striking her brothers. The torrent of wind she unleashed slammed the duo like a racket, throwing them back through the air into nearby trees. Both spun to recover, landing feet first against the trunk of the trees before hopping back onto the branch. The Inuzuka of the pair crouched to heal her ankle or numb the pain, Amari wasn't sure which anymore.

 _There isn't time to waste in this war explaining full detailed plans when both sides have objectives to complete_ , Amari thought pensively. _We have to act and dish out orders simultaneously. If we don't the other side will have time to complete their objective first._

Every move, every plan of attack had to advance them towards the completion of their mission. If they grew stagnant for even a moment in tactical movements or aggressive attacks, the enemy could gain the upper hand and turn the tides of battle.

"Sasuke, Mimi, I'll handle Temari. You two chase after the other two." She looked up to her friends, never losing sight of the piece she had moving on the battlefield. "Mimi, I know you want to fight her, but you're our team medic and the better tracker between the three of us. Strategically we can't leave you behind, and I know you too well to think you wouldn't draw out the fight to make her suffer.

"I understand your reasons." _I saw Tenten's tears, and felt how much it hurt you._ She truly did empathize with Mimi, more so now after witnessing those intimate memories through that wonderfully strange moment they shared, but… "But this is a war. We don't have time to waste when there is a very real threat to the Leaf to stop."

Mimi looked ready to argue, but Temari spoke first. "And how do you plan on getting past me, Leaf shinobi?" Her condescending tone was irritating. Yet it also made Amari smirk cockily back at her, the sight of which caused her enemy to scowl. "I'll wipe that smirk off your face."

"No, you won't," Amari stated resolutely. She glanced to her teammates. "You two get going. I'll take care of her."

"Are you sure, Amari?" Sasuke asked.

She gave a nod and finally stood up from her crouch. "Yep. I'll catch up as soon as I'm done here. Besides, I'm the only one who can neutralize her long enough for two of us to go." Temari's eyes bulged when she felt the Shadow Possession snatch her; the shadow had extended through the shadows of the tree branches to her position as the Nara stalled for time.

The look on her face caused the Nara's victorious smirk to grow into a small grin. "It took some time, but my Shadow Possession succeeded. Didn't my lazy Shika teach you to pay attention to your position on a battlefield," Amari jeered.

"…Just keep your promise," Mimi said quietly.

 _"Make her regret ever touching Tenten."_

Amari nodded once, coincidentally making Temari agree to her own beating as well. "I will. Now go. The sooner you're a safe distance away, the sooner I'll catch up."

She had to get them moving quickly. The fact of the matter was her Shadow Possession lacked its usual strength. At this distance, plus the previous uses, she could only hold Temari for another minute at most.

The duo nodded and took off in the direction Kankurō had gone. Within the Shadow Possession Jutsu Amari could feel Temari attempting to break free, and for better or worse it was working. She could move her fingers in tiny motions, from what Amari could see, but she wasn't going to be breaking free just yet.

It was her duty to hold the Sand kunoichi here long enough for her teammates to be out of range of her long distance attacks. She wouldn't fail them.

"You know, if I hadn't taken this fight, Mimi would have beaten you within an inch of your life, if she didn't outright kill you," Amari said. Her onyx eye flicked dangerously to Temari's position. "And if there wasn't a war on, I'd do the same thing. What you and your brother did to her closest friends, the kind of pain it's caused Mimi…" _My sister._ "Count yourself lucky I have a more important mission to take care of."

"I had almost forgotten how softhearted you were," Temari shot back venomously. "Shinobi don't have bonds for a reason. We're tools. Weapons and soldiers meant to fight and defend our homes, no matter the cost. You let silly things like emotions get in the way of your duty."

Amari glared through her. "You are such a fool. Tools? Weapons? Tch," the Leaf kunoichi hissed out a breath, "you think our emotions make us weak? That bonds are what make us Leaf shinobi inferior to you Sand shinobi? That ignorant belief is why you're forces will fail today."

"We'll see about that," Temari retorted.

Amari released her Shadow Possession and jumped up and back into the air, grabbing a set of shuriken from her pouch and tossing them at the Sand kunoichi. With her body back in control, Temari blasted the ninja tools away with a large gust of Wind from her fan, encompassing most of the area in front of her with the attack.

Landing on a branch, Amari moved behind the trunk of the tree and Body Flickered away, hiding amongst the foliage and shadows of the forest to conceal her presence from Temari momentarily.

 _I can't waste too much chakra on her_ , she strategized. _Even though I have that food pill in my system, Gaara remains our greatest threat. I need to save my strength for him by taking Temari down quickly and efficiently, expending as little chakra as possible for our battle against Kankurō and restraining Gaara._

Further Shadow Possession uses were off the table then. She had to rest from using that jutsu if it was needed later.

 _At the same time, Temari will want to either make me waste chakra if she can't beat me, or kill me quickly so she can fight Sasuke and Mimi. She'll be looking for the slightest opening to take advantage of. I can't give her a single opening then._

So they would both be moving to end this in a few moves. Amari reached into her pouch, counting shuriken, kunais and the unfinished Seals.

 _I need to finish some of these Seals if I'm to end this fight without genjutsu or ninjutsu._

She pulled three papers from her pouch and three kunai, pricking her finger with one to finish off her work with blood. In the meantime she monitored Temari's movements with her Byakugan.

"Let me guess, you're waiting for me to make the first move like that other slacker did, right?" Temari taunted, trying to draw her out of hiding.

Amari ignored her in favor of finishing her tags. Once done she wrapped them around the hilts of her kunais and stuffed them back into her pouch, the hilts poking out for easier access.

"Whether I make the first move or the second doesn't really matter. You lost this battle before it even began," she finally retorted confidently.

She heard the snarl, and as expected her opponent picked out her position among the canopy by using her voice. Immediately she launched her attack.

"Wind Scythe Jutsu!"

The jutsu hit the canopy of tree branches and leaves with blades of wind, chopping it all up like firewood without the slightest issue. The Uchiha child had already changed positions. She lurked among the shadows, hidden from the naked eye. She set her trap up and Body Flickered to a new tree.

Unlike Temari, whose Village was surrounded by sand, cacti and more sand, Amari's home was the Land of Fire. These trees were her domain, her home field advantage to use to outmaneuver her enemy.

"You Sand shinobi are trained to be tools, huh?" her voice echoed from the shadows. "Trained to be emotionless weapons who possess no bonds for anyone. Trained to only follow their orders, regardless of the sacrifice."

Temari launched another Wind Scythe Jutsu, and again she only killed a tree, not the kunoichi who wielded her words as well as she wielded kunai blades.

"We're soldiers," Temari stated firmly. "We follow orders, trusting in our commanders that any sacrifice made will preserve our Villages future."

"Even if it means killing innocent men, women and children? What do you think your soldiers are doing right now inside my home? Killing only shinobi?"

Branches were slaughtered. As the chopped wood fell to the forest floor, large rays of light pierced into the shadow war, the warmth touching neither soul even when it touched their skin.

"Lives are lost in war. It's unavoidable."

Amari Body Flickered to a branch high above Temari, bent low upside down on a tree branch with one of her paper bomb blades in hand and chakra emanating from her feet. She threw the blade down at her opponent, the dull _thunk_ as it pierced into the wood next to Temari's feet, as planned.

The Sand kunoichi bolted from her position, hopping across the gap that once separated them, further away from the direction of her brothers and one move closer to Amari's trap. The explosion followed her, nearly capturing her within its deadly, hot grasps as the shockwave pressed against their hearts and made them skip a beat.

When Temari turned around to counter-attack, Amari appeared behind her, swinging her leg to kick her opponent in the head. Sensing the impending attack, Temari folded up her fan and used it to block the kick. The cold metal of her fan met the back of Amari's leg, but the Sand kunoichi's reaction time wasn't enough when the Uchiha used her fan as a means of support to flash away again and land a solid kick to her gut to send her further up and back away from her brothers into the canopy.

Temari flipped out of it, opening her fan in one fluid motion while still in air to blast a large Wind Style Jutsu directly at Amari's position. She was gone before it hit.

"You disgust me," Amari seethed from the shadows. "Those people, those _kids_ had nothing to do with this! If the Sand had a problem with Leaf shinobi, fine, but that's between shinobi! Not civilians! Not children!"

"This is war, kid. You think the Leaf would be all so innocent if they attacked us?"

"We _didn't_ attack you! We had an alliance! Peace!"

"An alliance that benefited you and your people while ours began to suffer!" Temari shot back. "We had no choice."

Again Amari attacked in close-quarters, her furious assault of punches and kicks putting Temari on the back foot as she retreated from the attacks.

Closer and closer to Amari's real goal.

She moved to sweep her legs out from under her, but Temari backflipped up to a higher tree and threw three kunai down at the blue-haired kunoichi. Amari deflected the blades with a normal kunai then threw it at her opponent. Temari's fan was already wound up for her next attack, but when it launched the Leaf shinobi wasn't there to be hit by it. She reappeared above her upside down on a tree branch and released the chakra from her feet to torpedo after her enemy.

Both feet slammed into her back, sending Temari off the tree branch with a cry of pain.

"There's always a choice!" Amari declared, swiping her arm through the air. "Your Kazekage could have negotiated with Lord Third! There could have been meetings of peace to even out whatever problems there were!"

Temari recovered and looked through the shadows in search of where Amari had gone. "And do what? Beg your Hokage for a better deal? Don't be ridiculous. That would be a sign of weakness."

Amari clenched her hands into fists, heart angry but mind focused on her objective. "Foolish pride like that helps no one. It creates wars. Breeds hatred and resentment out of bloodshed. You and your peoples childish need to prove your dominance is the reason there are orphans in this world full of pain and sorrow. Kids who lost everything because people like you refused to take a stand for what is morally right."

Amari dodged another Wind Jutsu. As she appeared on a safe tree, she created a clone and kept moving, but a few steps from the final move of this fight.

"Stop lecturing me and fight!" Temari demanded.

She was fighting, but she wasn't fighting her opponent's battle or to her strengths. Temari's long-range fighting style couldn't touch her when there were so many obstacles between her attacks and her opponents. These trees were her loyal shields, and her speed her greatest ally. Hit-and-run tactics, while using the advantage of her home terrain to conceal her presence from an enemy unused to it, left her all but untouchable.

As Amari settled into her final move, Atsuko's wise words followed her.

" _We can all paint ourselves as gallant knights of our own stories, and how easy it is to paint outsiders as atrocious villains who mean to sabotage you, but it takes greater courage to accept your failings and admit to the wrongs you have committed."_

Because the Leaf was her home, and because of how much she owed to the people who took her in when she lost everything, she preferred to see them through a scope of pure innocence…But as her thoughts lingered on it, she remembered Mizuki's betrayal, of how he was so willing to kill her, Naruto and Iruka for power.

Mizuki had been a fellow Leaf shinobi, someone who had been put in a position to teach the next generation. No one, not even Iruka, had seen his betrayal coming. And yet it happened. Someone from her home had been so prepared to betray them and kill comrades to gain more power.

But it wasn't just Mizuki. The wars of the past soaked the lands they battled on with the blood of shinobi, and because of those wars and those deaths, members of the Five Great Nations were possessed by their hatred for the other Nations. Through these wars, how many atrocities had her own fellow shinobi committed?

Amari wanted to believe many of her own people were good-hearted, that they would never target innocent people on purpose, but she couldn't discount the possibility. How could she when so many of her own people had been cruel to Mimi over something so trivial, and to Naruto for something he wasn't in control of. How could she say the Leaf were a moral authority when faced by their hatred filled actions towards two people who didn't deserve it?

No, the Leaf wasn't innocent, but it hadn't started this war. It hadn't maliciously attacked a Village it was in an alliance with and destroyed the businesses, homes and lives of innocent people. The Sand and Sound had. And should this war take them to the Sand and Sound, she would not mimic their actions to make an eye for an eye. She would not paint herself as a gallant knight on a righteous mission of vengeance no matter what happened.

"The difference between you and me, Sand shinobi, is that I'm not just a tool who will do what I'm told," she said from her crouched position behind the trunk of a tree. "I've seen what awaits me in that path. I know the cold darkness I would be embraced by and what it would turn me into. I know the pain that path brings, and I refuse to walk it. I'll follow my own path, my own ninja way.

"You have your mission and I have mine. But to protect what I hold dear, you and all your allies have to be stopped. And we of the Leaf will stop you. No matter how many of us you kill, no matter what destruction you do to our home, we will lift one another up to stand once more, stronger and closer together than ever before. The Will of Fire burns in all of us, and even those who fall will continue to stand with us, putting their strength behind our fists and into our hearts. That's what it means to be a Leaf shinobi."

Temari dashed into sight, fan wound up with an arrogant grin on her face. "Now you die! Wind Scythe Jutsu!"

The jutsu cut right through Amari and the tree.

The clone popped.

A kunai whizzed through the air from the canopy of the trees, a paper bomb wrapped around its hilt. Amari appeared on the tree branch across from Temari, hands in Snake, as the blade pierced into the bark. The kunoichi, recognizing the handseal, landed and jumped up and away from the blade.

The blade did not explode, it couldn't. Amari intentionally left it unfinished.

The corner of Amari's lip quirked up into a smirk. "Checkmate."

Temari's eyes widened, head snapping up to the branch above her where a kunai pierced into a branch with a finished Explosion Seal waited for her.

A flash of orange followed by a thundering explosion rocked the forest. Temari's body plummeted towards the ground, covered in smoke and limp, but not dead. Amari jolted into action, appearing above her to axe kick her back and send her slamming into the hard ground below. Her fan clunked against the ground next to her.

Amari landed on the ground beside her opponent and cast a short look to the still conscious kunoichi. She was struggling to move, body trembling in pain, but no longer a threat.

"We may be soldiers, but we are still people," Amari said. "We're not tools; we're not machines without consciousness. We're human beings. No matter how hard we shinobi try, we cannot escape that simple fact. That's the lesson Zabuza Momochi taught me."

Amari turned her head away and prepared to leave. "Painting yourself as a gallant knight and us as villains is the easy path to take. It justifies your actions, doesn't it? Well, when all is said and done, you have to live with the path you've chosen. You have to shoulder the burden of the innocent lives you steal in this life and the next. But I refuse to walk that path."

"Weak-minded fool. Showing mercy to an enemy is—"

"My choice, not yours." Amari glanced back. "You think because you're older that you know more about what it takes to be a shinobi, that you've learned what it means to be one. But you only know how to be a tool. You exude arrogance and act superior to all those around you, but that's just to hide your insecurities, isn't it?"

Temari grunted and looked away. "You don't know me."

"And you don't know me," Amari countered. "Call me soft-hearted all you want, but you don't know the path I've walked to get here. You don't know the suffering I've endured. You don't know the people I loved and will never be able to have back!"

The Uchiha shut her eye, took a small breath to calm the swell of emotions then blew aggressive air out her nostrils. "Tch, who are you to judge my heart when you've let others mold you into a tool? Who are you to tell me what it means to be a shinobi when you've chosen the path someone else told you to walk?"

She looked away. This war of ideals wouldn't move beyond a stalemate. Temari was set in her beliefs, and Amari was stubbornly set in hers.

"I'm sparing your life this time. Do with that what you will, but don't mistake my mercy as weakness. If you try to kill my friends, I'll kill you."

Temari shuddered as a wave of killing intent hit her, and then Amari was gone, flashing away in a Body Flicker up into the trees.

 _Hope you guys managed to stop them already, but if not I'll be there shortly to lend a hand._

* * *

Scattered plumes of smoke billowed from Konoha like industrial smokestacks. The destruction the Sand and Sound had managed to do, even with the Crows of the Leaf and Leaf shinobi defending their home, was nothing short of disheartening.

But it could easily be worse. Far worse. Mimi consistently reminded herself of that simple fact, especially as she ran from rooftop to rooftop with Amari in a desperate battle to aid allied Leaf shinobi. There could be no Crows to go toe to toe with the serpents and deal real damage. There could be disarray and discoordination on the Leaf's side, leading to more death and destruction. A power like the Nine-Tailed Fox could have been unleashed right in the center of the Village.

Things were bad, absolutely, but they could be worse and get worse if everyone didn't work together towards the defense of the Leaf. Losing hope or faltering from their duty wasn't an option; the evacuation teams needed them to hold off the enemy forces as long as possible, then the counter-attack could begin and these bastards would get a taste of Leaf strength.

Mimi glanced up as a murder of Crows swept by, speeding past the two kunoichi towards the boas. At this point, only the Crows and the veteran shinobi were able to deal visible damage against the serpents. She and Amari tried, but their attacks were bug bites that seemed to irritate them more than hurt the creatures.

It was humbling, to say the least.

The clone teams objectives changed from assaulting the boas to defending those who could harm the serpents from ambushes while healing any injured they encountered. If it weren't for the Amari on both teams, Mimi knew she'd have run out of gas already, but her friend's ability to steal chakra and give it aided her tremendously.

As two kids, the Sand and Sound shinobi saw them as lesser threats most of the time. They passed by under the radar with the help of their enhanced senses, ambushed the ambushers and provided the smallest of openings to their veteran allies to turn the tide of a fight. But even so, more than a handful of times they faced overwhelming odds.

The first time happened when one of the enemy shinobi teams recognized her as a medic, witnessing her heal Leaf shinobi in a previous battle. The enemy shinobi and her team cornered them on a rooftop, surrounded them with experienced shinobi dead set on mercilessly killing them. The only reason they escaped that time had been through the grace—or terror from the enemy perspective—of the Crows.

The second time had been less severe, but no less dangerous. Being clones meant they couldn't risk taking the slightest damage, otherwise they risked popping. One of the battle commanders team—a team they stopped to heal what felt like centuries ago—made short work of the enemy shinobi. He ordered them to one of the more desperate teams and returned to battle, noting that it was imperative they stay alive because of Mimi's medical abilities.

Those skills were invaluable in this war, especially on the frontlines…but Mimi knew she wasn't the best choice. Her skills were great for a kid her age, but compared to more seasoned medics she was…well, she was just a kid at the grownups table. And the kind of damage these enemies were doing to their allies struck at her heart every time she realized she couldn't do anything more than numb the pain a little so they could get the wounded to a more experienced medic—someone who might save their lives.

Mimi counted how many lives she saved versus those she couldn't; so far it was fifteen saved and twenty-nine either beyond her abilities or already dead when they arrived. It angered her while also consuming her with sorrow, but one of the field commanders had shared words she needed to get through this.

 _"No one medic-nin can save everyone, so turn your grief and anger into action. Make it the fire that saves those who can still be saved."_

It was all Mimi could do, all any of them could do. With the boas destroying everything and the enemy shinobi taking advantage of the situation, many Konoha shinobi she hadn't even encountered were getting wounded or dying at the hands of their enemies. She couldn't save everyone, no matter how much she wished she could. But for those lives lost, she would work even harder towards saving more lives and healing as many non-lethal injuries she could.

That was what she could do now.

"There's a team up ahead, four buildings over on the south-western flank that need a hand," Amari stated. "A team of four surrounded by large force of enemy shinobi. Two are injured already."

Her Byakugan was a real life saver—literally.

Mimi nodded. "All right, let's go kick some ass."

They changed directions and hopped to another building, sprinting as fast they could with fatigued bodies back into the fray, back into the fires of war.

"What was our last score?"

Another trick to keep them focused on the task in front of them over the death and destruction surrounding them; a trick she picked up from watching Guy. The pair of kunoichi kept track of the squads they took down through sneak attacks, counting immobilized shinobi in every battle, tallying the numbers to decide the winner.

They needed it. Needed the distraction of a meaningless game to keep from falling into despair over how terrible these battles were, how lives all around them were being lost and there wasn't a damn thing they could do to change it. Sure they knew what loss was like, and Amari had held that boy in her arms as he died, but this was different. This war, the screams of death, the wounds on allied and enemy shinobi they witnessed, it took a toll.

"I won the last one. We're tied four to four."

"Tied? I thought I had five?"

Mimi shook her head. "Nope. That one didn't count because we had to be saved."

The enemy shinobi were beginning to notice their little group more often, which meant doing their best to stay out of sight so they wouldn't have to be saved. Having allied shinobi divert resources to them didn't help anyone except the enemy.

Her partner let out a frustrated groan. "Stupid rules." She sighed. "Time to get back into the action, Mimi. You ready?" She gave a nod and moved onto all-fours, her features already changed into that of Beast Mimicry. "Same plan as last time?"

The Nara received another nod. "Let's take these bastards down!"

They jumped up high into the air towards the next fight, where a mixture of Sand and Sound ninjas squared off with Leaf ninjas. Mimi grabbed Amari by the arm and started spinning rapidly, becoming a small blue tornado with a purple ring around it.

"Now, Mimi!" She released the arm she had been holding onto and launched the purple blur like a cannonball right at one of the Sand shinobi. "Dynamic Fang over Fang!"

The Inuzuka surged forward, moving seamlessly from her launching of Amari to Fang over Fang. It was a technique they had come up with to take the enemy by complete surprise.

Amari's eyes could effectively predict when she needed to be released despite high speeds they were spinning at. Once she was released she would land her kick with such force that it would send her and the person she hit flying across whatever roof they were on, or straight through it.

Then with the sudden entrance distracting the enemy towards the direction of the cannonball, Mimi launched in, pin-balling through the enemies hitting them hard and fast with fierce and sharp attacks. This opened up a window of opportunity for their allies to recover and get the upper hand once more.

Sure enough the purple blur hit her target hard, going straight through the roof of the building. Mimi entered the fight next, sideswiping her first target, pushing off of them to hit a Sound shinobi next, then a Sand before finally drilling directly into another Sand shinobi. She tore through his armor and ripped his skin to shreds before the force of her momentum sent him flying back, off the roof and into the wall of a different building to the street below.

Mimi came out of her spiral, landed on all-fours and turned quickly on the rooftop, spinning herself to slide backwards and face the enemy. "Surprise, chumps," she snarled.

Out of the hole in the roof, Amari popped up, latching herself onto the back of a Sand ninja with her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. "Your chakra is mine!" They both fell back into the dense smoke covered hole with the horrified scream of the poor Sand ninja she had grabbed following her declaration.

Mimi charged back in. The Sound shinobi at the lead of the pack moved through familiar handseals before launching a fireball right at the blue eyed kunoichi. Before it collided, she disappeared off the ground in sheer speed, reappearing in the air with her hands already done and set on Rat.

 _Water Style: Water Bomb Jutsu!_

Rather than expelling a continuous stream, the Inuzuka fired off rapid sharpened bursts like bullets, cutting both his shoulders and knees with her blade of water. As the enemy shinobi began to crumble, she landed on the roof and jolted forward, smashing her knee into his chin to knock him back up into the air. She followed him up and spun into a ferocious spiral, drilling him into the rooftop and out of commission.

By the time she finished with the shinobi, the allied Konoha shinobi took the opportunity given to them to launch a counterstrike. Kunai pierced into enemy shinobi as others dashed in to engage the more experienced enemies in close quarters duels to keep them from aiding their allies.

Again Amari appeared out of the hole, but this time she landed on the roof with three senbon between the fingers of both hands. Mimi moved back onto all-fours and ran into battle, dodging left and right to avoid ninja tools aimed at her while her teammate and friend embedded her two hands full of senbon into the shoulder, chest and leg of two separate ninjas, disabling them both.

 _Damn she's already ahead by two. I have to pick up the pace._ Using her enhanced speed, she made it behind one of the enemy shinobi and jabbed her fingers right into his neck, knocking him unconscious immediately.

Two pairs of feet running straight at her echoed in the ears of the Inuzuka.

"Mimi, duck!"

She followed the order and swiftly ducked down onto all-fours. Enemy ninja tools whizzed over her head. The two enemies neared Mimi, her blue eyes locked onto the Sound shinobi as her mind plotted her next attack, but their legs tripped up under them and a mysterious force dragged them away.

"Ninja Art: Shadow Dragons!"

Mimi looked up, ignoring the screams of agony from the two enemies as the tibia and fibula of their captured legs were crushed beneath the jaws of dragons. Amari released the jutsu and pulled out two kunai, blocking two separate strikes from new enemies. The Inuzuka dashed in as she barely pushed their blades away, dodging back a step and blocking another two on one assault.

The Nara smirked at her enemies. "Checkmate."

Mimi appeared in air between them. The last thing they saw was her foot slamming into their faces.

When the battle reached its successful conclusion, the Nara rejoined Mimi and began transferring the allotted chakra she had stolen over to her.

"I had six. What about you?" Amari asked her.

"Seven thanks to that last one you gave me," Mimi grinned.

Her partner shook her head and sighed. "What a drag. Now I'm down four to five. I hope the other me is faring better."

Chakra transferred, Mimi moved to heal the wounded and provide treatments to the minor injuries. When she finished up, she turned to Amari to figure out if she had spotted more shinobi in need of aid, and as she did a loud voice echoed over the battlefield.

"Ninja Art: Summoning: Bring Down the House Jutsu!"

A huge tremor rocked the earth beneath them. All snapped to attention in anticipation of further danger, yet they found the opposite. Squatting on top of three of the boas was a giant pale-green toad with two large swords on its back.

"No way," Amari whispered as she stared in the direction of the toad.

There was a person standing on the toad, and by the looks of it the person had long white hair. Much else Mimi couldn't tell from this distance.

"Not that I'm unappreciative of someone killing the snakes with a giant toad, but who the hell is that and where have they been?" Mimi asked.

"It's Master Jiraiya, although I have no idea where he was all this time."

"Master Jiraiya of the Sannin?" Many of the Leaf ninjas echoed the same question.

"Yeah. Come on, Mimi," Amari slapped her shoulder with the back of her hand. "We have to report back to Mr. Ibiki and he's with Master Jiraiya. The other you and me are on the way there as well."

 _With Master Jiraiya here, he could turn the tide of this battle by taking out those last two boas._

"All right." Mimi looked to the shinobi they helped and nodded to them. "Good luck to the rest of you."

They each gave nods of gratitude and the duo left the rooftop behind to join the Sannin and Head of T&I.

* * *

Jiraiya stared at the three flattened boas, a deep frown on his face. _So that pain in the neck Orochimaru has finally started._ He cast his eyes back to the Village, his home. Buildings destroyed, smoke and fire in many different sectors, allied shinobi doing battle against enemy forces in nearly every direction he looked.

 _What a mess._

The Sannin sensed Ibiki land behind him and turned his head to look at the veteran shinobi. "Where's the Hokage?"

"The battle arena," the scarred man informed. "Trapped within a Barrier Jutsu in a fight against Orochimaru."

"I see." Jiraiya turned back to face the remaining two boas. So Orochimaru was finally trying to kill their sensei and destroy the village. How far his former friend had fallen into darkness. To think he once believed he could convince Orochimaru to turn back to the light, the naïve fool he was.

 _Don't die on us, old man._

Four surges of chakra suddenly appeared on his toad, but the Toad Sage had seen who they belonged to long before they appeared. "Well well well, if it isn't Shikaku's niece and Tsume's niece."

He turned to look over his shoulder at one of the pairs. They were full of different minor cuts and bruises but he saw nothing lethal on them.

Jiraiya couldn't help but wonder whose orders they were under, if any at all. Young shinobi like them weren't meant to be on the frontlines of a war; their protocols put them on evacuation duty, in controlled sectors most of the time to keep them safe.

He leveled them with a hard stare. "What in the blazes are you two doing out here on the frontlines?"

"They're just clones, sent by their senseis and Genma to inform me of the situation within the stadium. I've put them to work as a support team to defend and heal our allied forces while another pair went to help the evacuation unit," Ibiki answered.

The Sannin hummed to himself in acknowledgement to the decision. He could see the unfortunate need for them to be out here then, even if he didn't fully agree with it. Even if they wouldn't lose their lives, what they witnessed would be transferred to their originals. For their sake, he hoped the real Mimi and Amaririsu could handle it.

"I see. Tell me, what are the originals doing?" he asked.

"We were sent by Kakashi-sensei and Guy-sensei to stop the three Sand Genin with my teammate Sasuke. One of them is a key part to their plan to destroy our village," the Amari of the group he was staring at answered.

"A key part? What do you mean?" he questioned.

"We learned he contained a sand spirit within him called the Shukaku. We're hoping to restrain him before he can unleash it," Mimi answered.

"You mean something like the Nine-Tailed Fox?"

They nodded.

This was not good. Summoning Snakes was one thing, but a tailed-beast too? No wonder these invaders seemed so assured in their victory. They planned to unleash a tailed-beast right in the center of the Leaf, and then assault with their main forces.

"Ibiki, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to ask these four to dispel themselves."

"I understand."

"But why? We can still help," the other Mimi argued. "Our forces need a medic on the battlefield, and right now I'm one of the few they can count on."

 _Save me from the stubbornness of Genin._

"You four have spared many of these shinobi their lives and have bought our forces enough time. Once I'm done with the boas it'll be about time for a counter-attack, and when that happens our main forces will eliminate these enemies."

He turned to face two of the Genin. "But if that Sand Genin truly possesses a monster like the Nine-Tailed Fox, then your originals will need every ounce of strength they have to keep it from being unleashed. If they fail, more lives could be lost."

Neither looked happy about the decision but after a few seconds of pause they gave in with nods before poofing into smoke. The other two followed, leaving the two older ninja alone.

 _Let us hope those Genin alone will be enough to stop them._

* * *

The Cloud shinobi fell for Neji's decoy act better than anyone anticipated. Mainly because the Hyūga boy hadn't bothered to tell Amari or Kiba his grand scheme to pull them further away from Hinata by transforming into Kiba and pretending to carry Hinata away.

Although his actions did assure the safety of Hinata and Kiba, the latter of which had unintentionally aided Neji's plan by laying down smoke bombs, the troublesome boy's plan left him inevitably in battle against two Cloud shinobi by himself. Both enemy shinobi were at full strength, and one was a proficient user of Earth Style if their trap was anything to go by.

Amari, left alone by the two boys despite her attempts to work as a team, followed after Neji. And he would be grateful she did.

 _Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!_

An epic torrent of fire blasted to life near the border of the Leaf and Land of Rice Paddies. The Cloud shinobi, far too distracted by his overconfident verbal barbs fired at the disabled and conscious Neji, didn't see it coming, not until the heat of her flames licked against his fair skin.

She heard his startled intake of breath even at a distance, but it was too late. The fireball collided against his Earth Style jutsu—a jutsu of solid earth stacked like a wave, capable of transforming its shape—and exploded against their enemy.

Smoke consumed the enemy shinobi, his jutsu collapsing as he fell away from it, but he flipped onto his feet to avoid a hard landing on the earth he could manipulate. His eyes darted to her position in shock, concerned the attack had come from an arriving veteran who could slay him.

Who he found instead was the small form of a furious Amaririsu Yūhi. She stood on the branch of a nearby tree, above the fallen Cloud shinobi Neji immobilized before she arrived. Every chakra point in his body had been shut down, the result of Neji's Eight Trigrams: Sixty Four Palms no doubt.

Shadows of tree leaves danced over the Nara's face, tiny rays of light slipping through the canopy of green life above her as a light breeze brushed over the battlefield.

And from the shadows a red eye of fury burned.

Neji turned his head to look her way, Byakugan activated eyes wide in shock at the sight of her surprise appearance. "Amaririsu…"

His left arm appeared immobilized fully by some thick mud standing his height, and his right leg had been pulled into the earth by another Earth Style jutsu.

 _This must be the one who set the trap_ , Amari analyzed, flicking her eye away from her comrade to her enemy. _Earth Style is his affinity, and that jutsu he was standing on, I don't think I've ever seen such high leveled Earth Style before._ Another new experience gained because of this terrible war. _I'll have to stay off the ground, otherwise I'll only end up in the same position Neji is in._

"You've got a lot of nerve, Cloud shinobi," she hissed. "Kidnapping my friend, intending to kill her and steal her eyes like they're some kind of _trophy_!" The visible anger Amari caged in her heart unshackled itself. The vile darkness coated itself in venomous killing intent that swallowed her enemy whole in a sea of searing rage, revealing the deathly shadow of the black scaled, red eyed demonic dragon lurking behind her in search for blood.

A nervous bead of sweat rolled down the Cloud shinobi's cheek. Perhaps she wasn't a veteran, but this shinobi had enough common sense to notice the threat an angry Sharingan user posed to him.

The red eye slowly shifted back to Neji. "While your plan to pull them away from Hinata with a decoy was a good one, next time let us know so we can help. You don't have to defend her on your own. We care about her too."

"Are you really going to defend him?" the Cloud shinobi jeered. "You're the one that blond kid was defending, right? The one this Side Branch kid called a bottom-feeder parasite? After everything he said about half-breeds, you're going to risk your life for him?"

The red eye flicked dangerously back to the enemy. "Absolutely." Her steadfast response earned her looks of surprise from Neji and her enemy. "I don't expect you Cloud shinobi to understand what the words loyalty and honor mean. From what I've learned about you and your ilk's obsession with stealing power, you don't have the mental capacity to think beyond the shiny objects of the world, like cavemen impressed by the discovery of fire."

That struck a chord within her enemy. His face contorted into anger. "You little brat!"

"Neji and I aren't what anyone could consider friends. He's insulted me and I've threatened him, but despite all that he is still my comrade. My fellow Leaf shinobi. That bond, as simple as it might seem to an ignorant brute like you, is what binds all of us of the Leaf together. Even if he despises my existence, even if he insults me, I'll still rise above it and fight to protect him, because that's what Leaf shinobi do.

"And the girl you kidnapped and planned to kill, Hinata, she is one of my precious friends." She glared into his soul and found it unworthy of mercy. "You will _die_ before you're able to lay another finger on them. I promise you that."

A promise she would keep if it came to it, but the Uchiha's current game plan consisted of stalling for time. Being a clone and fighting this enemy, who she assumed to be on Chūnin or Jōnin level, wouldn't be a game of shogi against a novice. Especially since his affinity was Earth Style. One hard hit, or one misstep on the ground below and Neji's life would be forfeit.

She refused to let that happen.

But she also sensed a powerful ally incoming. If she could just distract this shinobi by acting as another shiny object, he'd meet his end faster than Shikamaru could say "What a drag."

The Cloud shinobi glanced to Neji then to her, lips pulling into an arrogant and nasty smirk. "Is that so? Good luck trying, brat. I don't need any of you alive. I'll kill that Side Branch scum, and take your precious friend's head with me back to the Cloud. But not before I pluck that Sharingan from your eye socket!"

Amari barely heard his threat to her life. All she heard, and imagined, was his threat to Neji's and Hinata's in gruesome detail.

 _Take…her head…_

An icy dagger cut through the synapses in Amari's brain. The light meant to keep the darkness she harbored at bay shut off. The air around her thickened with her killing intent, rogue waves swelling and swallowing the mercy in her heart until no more remained. In the dark, her heartrate rose in tempo, slamming faster and faster against her ribcage.

In fear?

In thrill?

Who could say? When darkness shrouded her vision, Amari wasn't sure what feelings were real and which were foisted upon her by this malicious hatred.

"You want the Sharingan so bad?" the darkness seethed. "Allow me to show you its power then."

The piercing red eye glared into his power hungry orbs, the tomoe within beginning to spin.

 _Demonic Dragon: Shadow Checkmate!_

Her internal darkness flooded the area around them. Neji, the green grass, the dirt and the forest did not exist in this realm. Here it was only this scum and her. The Cloud shinobi's eyes widened in fear, but he had yet to feel true terror.

From the sea of darkness, earth rattling steps of a large beast made the ground tremble around the Cloud shinobi. Hot air brushed heavily against the back of his neck from flared nostrils; guttural growls vibrated in his ears. Before he could move or scream or plea for mercy, sharp black claws clutched around his fragile flesh, digging its large talons until warm blood coated the scales of the dragon he infuriated.

Trembling in fear, the Cloud shinobi turned his head around to see his assailant, and when he did the evil red eyes beamed to life within the darkness, setting his soul aflame until all that remained of it was barely enough ash to fill a dustpan.

A flash of lightning cracked behind the dragon, briefly revealing its malicious scales, its enormous wings and imposing size. It leaned its head in closer to the Cloud shinobi, nostrils flaring with every heavy breath and large teeth mere inches from his face. The dragon's mouth opened, and from the molten pit deep in the mountain of its diaphragm came a deep roar of pure hatred, fury and darkness.

Then and only then did the Cloud shinobi know true terror.

Within the genjutsu he screamed and begged for mercy as the dragon tore him apart, but he found none. Amari watched silently, never once feeling a shred of remorse as she continued to torture and torment him.

Over and over and over again her demonic dragon tore him limb from limb.

Over and over and over again she destroyed the man who dared threaten to chop Hinata's head off.

When it finally ended, the Cloud shinobi fell onto his hands and knees, the contents of his stomach emptying themselves onto the ground in front of him. His entire body was attacked by an unending assault of trembles. The red eye of the demonic dragon remained on him; he could feel it watching him, bearing down on his entire body with invisible talons.

The entire genjutsu passed in a few seconds in reality, leaving Neji to stare wide eyed at their enemy from his immobilized position. The only question on his mind: _What did she do to him?_

Amari disappeared from the tree and landed behind the enemy shinobi, planting her foot against his back and pressing him face down into the dirt and his armored chest into his puke. His fearful and watery eye gazed up in fear at the demonic dragon staring right at him. "Threaten their lives again," it whispered menacingly close to his ear. "I dare you."

Whether from outright fear or from the horrors he faced in the genjutsu, the Cloud shinobi passed out.

Amari hovered over him for a few moments, fighting between finishing the job and leaving the darkness behind her. Eventually she scoffed and stepped over him.

He wasn't worth killing.

She deactivated her dōjutsu and moved towards Neji, who had been set free from the Earth Style jutsu with the defeat of their enemy.

"You all right?" she asked.

He nodded. "I am." His Byakugan deactivated. "We should restrain these two so our superiors can deal with them later. The Cloud has to answer for their attempted kidnapping of Lady Hinata."

"I agree," the Nara glanced to the shinobi he had taken down. "First the Sand and Sound, then these guys." She sighed. "At least there were only two. Our forces were having enough problems fighting off the summoning snakes and the ground forces. Adding another entire Village onto this war would have only made it worse."

"Let us hope the defeat of the Sand and Sound does not come at a great cost to our forces. We may be fighting another war with the Cloud soon enough. The Hyūga Elders will not stand for this."

"Mm."

She hoped it wouldn't come to that, but she knew Neji was right. When they defeated the Sand and Sound, even if it was resolute victory, they could easily be going to war again with the Cloud. Kidnapping the Head of the Hyūga Clans daughter, _again_ , would fly about as well with the elders of the Clan as finding out an Uchiha possessed their dōjutsu.

"Earth…Style…Mud Needle."

The earth rumbled beneath them, and it was then Amari realized she made a mistake in not finishing the job. She snapped around to face their enemy, hoping to have enough time to correct her mistake, but saw it was too late. A giant needle of Earth, sharper than any samurai sword, shot for them in an effort to stab straight through the pair in one blow. Behind it, the Cloud shinobi laid flat on his stomach, hands in his seal as he barely creaked an eye open at the pair.

 _We won't have time to move out of the way_ , Amari realized, features calm as she analyzed the situation. _Not without fear of him changing its trajectory to match our new position. He thinks I'm the real thing, which means if one of us stays here…_

Amari's foot started to move into action, prepared to kick Neji out of the way to get him out of range of the attack. It was all she could do; at the end of the day, Neji was the real thing. She wasn't. She could sacrifice herself here and buy him time to take the enemy down or retreat out of range of his attacks.

"Rotation!"

Before her foot could connect, a missile of rapidly spinning blue chakra shot in front of the pair, encompassing them within the safety of a blue orb that destroyed the Earth Style ninjutsu until none of it remained. As the orb faded, Hiashi Hyūga appeared standing in front of them, his posture straight and proud.

"Lord Hiashi, sir?" Neji questioned, shocked.

"I'm sorry I'm late," he apologized.

"Better late than never," Amari mumbled, lowering her foot back to the floor.

The Cloud shinobi struggled to get back onto his hands and knees, panting laboriously as he tried to stand again. He moved to run away, to abandon his comrade and spare his own life, but his body collapsed under him, reintroducing his face to the dirt.

"Hmph. Pathetic," the Hyūga Head scoffed.

"Seems I have more work to do," Amari hummed, dissatisfied by the enemy's ability to regain consciousness and nearly kill them. After everything she did to him he had regained consciousness in under a minute. Although his body and mind hadn't been fully recovered, his ability to use even a single jutsu could have been fatal to Neji, or her in a different circumstance.

Either he had great mental fortitude, which she doubted, or the flaws were on her end.

 _I'll have to work on it._

Hiashi turned to the pair, so she bowed her head in gratitude and respect. "Thank you, Lord Hiashi. I was certain he had been unconscious, but it seems my genjutsu still needs refining."

"Your prowess will only grow in the years to come," he said.

Was that a compliment? It sounded like a compliment.

"Lord Hiashi, why are you here? What about Lady Hinata?" Neji asked, perplexed by his appearance and surprisingly concerned for Hinata's safety.

"I learned all the details of her capture from my father. She is fine. Kō is on his way to retrieve her now; he also has a friend of yours he picked up on the way."

"Hm," Amari smirked. "I knew she'd get through it."

Some stupid mud wolves weren't going to take Mimi down.

"Yes, that's good news. But why did you leave the Village? Why leave that battle to come out here?" Neji asked.

The look in Hiashi's eyes, while still steely, was not unkind. In fact, he showed the most compassion Amari had ever seen in him. _Maybe he finally found the place where his heart is meant to be._

"Hinata's my daughter, she's precious to me. And you are as well. You are a priceless reminder of my late brother Hizashi."

Neji was stunned speechless, and only found it in him to bow his head respectfully at the kind words of his uncle. Amari spared the pair a happy smile, slowly beginning to dismiss herself from a moment she had no part in. Before she could, Hiashi turned his lavender gaze onto her, halting her movements completely as if casting a Paralysis Jutsu on her.

 _Uh-oh…_

"Amaririsu, Hinata holds you in the highest esteem, second only to Kurenai. I ask only that you continue to be a positive inspiration to her as you light the way for your generation and follow in your family's footsteps."

"I- uh, I'll do my best, sir."

He knew her parents. He knew who she was. He knew some of her secrets.

 _Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm. Stay calm._

"Mm. And regarding your use of the Hyūga Clan Rotation…"

 _Crap!_

"We will discuss it at a later date. I must return to the war after I take care of these two."

With that, Hiashi left after fully restraining the two Cloud shinobi to carry them with him to a guarded location. Neji and Amari returned to the group in silence where Mimi, Kiba, Hinata and the Hyūga member Kō waited for them.

Mimi sat on the ground, a little worse for wear but still grinning at the sight of the unharmed pair. Amari checked on her first while Kiba apologized to Neji for how he acted towards him earlier. As soon as she was sure Mimi was fine, Amari rushed over to Hinata, all but crushing the air out of her in a tight embrace.

She was safe. Alive and unharmed.

Amari released the girl, who was blushing and smiling, and shared a smile of her own. "I'm glad you're okay, Hinata."

"Tha- Thank you all for coming after me," Hinata thanked.

"I'd die before I let someone kidnap or kill you, Hinata," Amari stated firmly.

"Amar- Amaririsu! Don't say such things!" her friend scolded.

Amari smirked. "How many times, Hinata?" Her friend blushed even more, making the Nara laugh warmly before hugging her again. "Can't take it back because I meant it," she whispered. "You're a precious friend of mine, Hinata. Losing you would be worse than dying."

Humbled into silence, Hinata just hugged her back, burying the few tears that welled in her eyes into her friend's chest. Amari smiled, content to keep her close after nearly losing her in the middle of a war.

The pair released one another and Amari moved to help Mimi onto her feet. "We should honestly dispel," the Inuzuka said, allowing her comrade to shoulder her weight. "I'm not sure what help I'll be in this condition, and our originals don't need to hold back because of us."

"Yeah. You're right, but let's make sure these guys will be okay before we do."

"Um…Neji. I'm sorry. This was all my fault," Hinata apologized, eyes welled with tears and pinned on the ground.

"Please look at me, Lady Hinata." Hinata raised her eyes to meet his, dragging Mimi's and Amari's to look his way as well. "There's really no need for you to apologize to me. You know, it's funny. I thought I had such a clear understanding of everything. I bore an unwavering grudge against the Main Branch of the family, and never questioned it. I didn't know the truth. I blamed fate, and held onto my grudge until all I could see was my own skewed view on the world.

"But during our battle, Naruto told me that you, all of you," he cast his look to Mimi and Amari, "we're suffering as well. Perhaps even more than I was. He told me I should have understood Mimi's suffering, because she too knew what it was like to lose her parents. He explained how Amari too carried a heavy burden of loss and pain, from her original family, to her time in the orphanage and even now. And he told me that you were trying incredibly hard to change, fighting to prove yourself and earn respect.

"I…I never even considered what the three of you must have went through. Even as I insulted you two, calling you half-breeds, I never stopped to consider that you both were suffering behind the smiles and laughter. He helped me to see how selfish and narrow-minded I was being, consumed by my own pain that I became blinded to others."

"Heh, it took that Goofball punching your lights out to finally open your eyes, huh?" Mimi chuckled. "Why didn't I ever think about that?"

Neji snorted then looked up at the sky. "Naruto Uzumaki. There's something about him…"

"That there is," Amari agreed.

* * *

"Hey slowpokes!" Amari landed on the branch of a tree between Sasuke and Mimi, who stood opposite of Kankurō. It hadn't been hard to find them. She followed a trail of ninja tools and broken branches from what could have been a Fang over Fang from Mimi or another taijutsu attack.

Shuriken and kunai marked trees around Kankurō, and she noticed a few open wounds cut through the black outfit he wore. Lying flat next to him was Gaara, his body shifting only from the short breaths he took, but nothing more.

 _There's still time then._

From the look on Kankurō's face, he feared the worst for his sister.

"Miss me?" the Nara asked her teammates.

"That took longer than I thought it would. You take a vacation on the way here?" Sasuke wisecracked.

"Oh yes, I went all the way to the Land of Waves to visit Inari and the others and made it back in record time," she shot back. Sasuke snorted but said nothing more. She looked back to their enemies. "Looks like I made it just in time. Seems like things are about to heat up."

"I heard explosions and the gusts of wind, but it doesn't look like she landed a blow on you," Mimi noted. "She put up much of a fight?"

"She tried, I'll give her that much, but nothing as entertaining as our fight." Kankurō growled at her but Amari ignored him. She flicked her eye over to Mimi. "I only have one clone left out there, but I'm keeping her active. Are you?"

Mimi nodded. "Yeah. I figure they'll be ordered to dispel when they're done with the evacuation unit."

"My thoughts too." She compartmentalized their experiences to deal with later, but the general fatigue on her body was far harder to ignore. Looking at Mimi, it was clear she was experiencing the same fatigue, maybe even more than she was because of her use of Medical Ninjutsu.

Personally, Amari felt older, like the entire war aged her twenty years in an hour, and despite the food pill in her system she felt drained. But she would keep pushing on, as would Mimi, because this was their duty and their fight to finish.

 _I'll sleep when this war is over._

"At least Hinata's safe," she said, mostly to re-energize them both with positive aspects of their experiences. "And Master Jiraiya is going to kick some snake butt now. Plus we were able to help save a lot of people."

"Yeah…Wish I could've saved more, though," Mimi muttered, sapphire eyes falling.

"We did everything we could, Mimi," Amari tried to soothe.

She understood her friend's feelings; she too wished there was more she could have done. That they could have spared every ally their lives by somehow preventing this war from breaking out in the first place. But they couldn't. They had to focus on what they could control otherwise they'd only fall into a deep and dark pit of depression.

"Come on, this war isn't over yet. We've got one last fight to finish."

"Yeah," Mimi nodded, "I'm with you."

The Nara bumped Sasuke in the side with her elbow and said, "We'll fill you in later, but if all goes well we may be pushing back the enemy forces out of our village soon."

Sasuke gave a nod of understanding before focusing back on the task at hand. He caught what went unspoken: This fight and their mission was the final victory needed to win the war. As long as they succeeded, the war would end in their favor.

"I so beat you by one though."

Mimi's comment made Amari sigh in defeat. She did in fact beat her by one with both teams scores combined, the troublesome girl.

"You guys ready to finish this?" she asked her teammates.

"Yeah."

"I'm itching to kick some ass."

Kankurō's lips quirked up in a tired smirk. "I'll take you three on, no problem!"

"Wait!"

Rustling in the leaves above Kankurō caught the attention of the group. Amari couldn't hide the surprise she felt when Temari, in all her battered glory, landed on the branch next to her brother, panting heavily, a slight tremble to her body with every breath.

"Huh, Temari!" Kankurō sounded relieved to see his sister. "When she showed up and you didn't, I thought…she must have finished you."

"She could have and why she didn't…I don't know." The kunoichi grunted and winced, grabbing at her shoulder.

"I'm amazed she's walking," Mimi said under her breath. "The damage you did to her clearly came from an explosion at close range. She's in a massive amount of pain despite her tough appearance."

"She's a non-issue," Sasuke said. "Our main obstacle now is Kankurō. Once he's dealt with we finish our mission."

Temari turned her head to face her brother. "Go Kankurō, I've got this! Get Gaara out of here! Go on!" she ordered.

The puppet user jumped to a branch closer to the trio of Leaf shinobi and unstrapped his puppet from his back to stand the wrapped up object next to him. "Temari, go on ahead. You're all worn out, look at yourself." He smirked cockily. "Go on, you'll only get in my way."

"Wait a minu—"

"Get moving!" Temari looked between her two brothers in silent contemplation of what she was going to do. "Hurry up!"

"All right," she conceded, moving over to grab the downed redhead before slinging his arm over her shoulder.

"Okay you three, time you picked on someone your own size!"

The trio of leaf ninjas either smirked or snorted in response to his declaration. "Our size? Please, you really think you can take on all three of us at once?" Sasuke argued. "Haven't you Sand shinobi learned your lesson yet? Don't underestimate Leaf shinobi."

"Sasuke, Mimi, I'll fight him." Temari jumped away, disappearing into the trees. "We can't be delayed. Our village is depending on us to stop these guys. She can't move fast now, but if we all stay here and fight Kankurō she'll get away with Gaara. We can't risk losing them."

"Hold on!" a familiar but new voice entered the forest. Amari's eyes bulged at the sight of the individual and comrade it belonged to. Standing adjacent to them, hands stuffed in the pockets of his shirt, was Shino Aburame. "I've got dibs on him first, Amari."

"What do you want?" Kankurō asked, stunned and irritated by his appearance.

 _Shino…how fast are you? You managed to catch all the way up with us all the while Naruto, Tenten and Sakura haven't._

"I thought I caught your scent," Mimi said.

"I figured you would. Your nose is too sharp to not notice a comrade."

"Shino? How'd you find us?" Sasuke asked.

Shino pointed at the group with one of his hands. "I planted a beetle on you and Mimi before you left the arena. Two female beetles." Looking up to Sasuke and Mimi at the location the Aburame was pointing at revealed there in fact _was_ a beetle crawling on both of them near their shoulders.

"When you were fighting, Mimi hinted at the possibility of something going wrong. Secretly, of course. We couldn't risk the Sand shinobi sniffing out our suspicion. On the chance something happened, I wanted to be able to track her down. Why? Because: She's a comrade who may have needed my aid. Her ankle was broken, after all. I don't like to leave things to chance, you see, and if she used Fang over Fang I didn't want to risk losing you, so when I saw you three gather together to go on a mission, I planted one on you as well.

"She gives off a very faint scent; nothing even an Inuzuka can detect, but the male of the species can." Amari noticed a few beetles crawl onto his cheek. "He has a very strong sense of smell, and he'd follow her anywhere."

"Heh, good plan, Shino," Mimi congratulated, a light grin on her face.

"You three were ordered to prevent whatever it is they are planning, correct?" They nodded in agreement, even though it was a rhetorical question, "Then every second of delay could lead to the destruction of our home. As a Leaf Shinobi I will not allow that to come to pass, but my mission is to support your mission. So all three of you go. I will handle Kankurō."

"As long as you're sure, Shino," Amari half-stated half-questioned. "If you want, I can stay behind to make it a two on one battle."

"Don't worry about me, Amari. You must fulfill the mission given to you three. Besides, give me ten minutes and I'll come and make sure you three are okay."

The trio chuckled softly to themselves. That was some cold confidence that would be backed up by skill. Of that the Nara was certain.

"Don't waste your time. By then our work will be already done," Sasuke declared. He turned to his teammates. "Let's go you two."

Together the trio took off through the forest. "Oh no you don't!" Kankurō unleashed his puppet and sent it after them, but Shino intercepted the attack by charging after the puppet user, forcing him into a retreat.

"You're fight is with me now," Amari heard him say.

 _I know you probably don't need it, Shino…but good luck and please be safe._

Everything had spiraled out of control since the attack started. War was chaos, a fact she learned the hard way with Mimi, and its unpredictability made it impossible to know what could happen next. Would Shino be fine? She wanted to go back and help him, but she had to trust in his abilities so they could fulfill their mission. If they failed…could their forces even stop a Nine-Tailed Fox like creature?

 _At least we have Master Jiraiya back in the Village._

Only now, with Jiraiya back in the Leaf and them almost finally in range of capturing Gaara, did she finally feel they were close to turning this all around. But at any moment that could change. At any moment Gaara could wake up and unleash the sand spirit he contained, causing them to have no choice but to retreat from battle.

Amari took a deep breath and released it in an attempt to calm her mind.

 _We'll be fine. I won't let anything happen to us and we will stop these ninjas._

"Hey- hey prepare yourselves! Someone is coming up on us fast!" Mimi announced.

"Friend or foe?" Sasuke asked.

"I don't recognize the scent…" Mimi sniffed the air again. "Yeah, I have no idea who they are. Could be an enemy, could be one of our superiors sent by Ibiki or Master Jiraiya for all we know. Amari, try your Byakugan."

"Got it." _Byakugan!_ The dōjutsu wielder turned her head to look over her left shoulder and zoomed her vision in, seeking out the source of whoever was following them. "I see the person, she's…" her words slowly died in her throat.

In her vision she could see the ninja hot on their tail; a girl about their age, a little taller than Amari but shorter than her teammates by small margin. She traveled on a floating rock, the mechanics of which Amari found mind boggling. With her vision in inverted black and white it was hard to figure what the exact colors of her hair and outfit were, but there were two things she could see clearly.

Over the eyes of the person chasing them was a Suna forehead protector, and on her hip was a familiar gourd. _You…you were a Sand shinobi?_

Amari shook the thought from her mind. They would be speaking, and possibly fighting, soon enough. "She's a Sand ninja, no doubt about it. She'll be on us in a minute or less."

" _Great._ Any good news?" Sasuke questioned.

Aoko rumbled before Mimi spoke. "Shino wasn't harmed by this new ninja. He's still battling Kankurō. Aoko can also smell Tenten, Naruto, Sakura and that unfamiliar scent. They're still chasing after us and are making some head room."

"At this rate they'll catch up before we actually get Gaara captured."

Amari remained in silent agreement as she followed the Suna ninja chasing them. The first sign of the kunoichi the trio heard was the clicking of her tongue.

"She's moving to get between us and Temari. If it comes down to a fight we'll need to work together on this one," Amari stated.

"Why's that?" Mimi asked as she and Sasuke looked to her.

"Whoever she is, her chakra is very strong."

Something she hadn't even noticed in their first meeting.

It didn't take much longer for her to reveal herself to them. The trio stopped and prepared to face the next calamity in front of them.

Amari hoped it would be the last.

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: Well, we're almost to the fight against Gaara. Building up to the grand finale of this arc. As for your predictions and theories, I personally cannot confirm or deny any of them, but my personal favorite was Ninja Art: Romance, which gave me a great laugh. I'm not really sure Ino would try to teach her, only because she'd want to win at romance before her. I do agree, however, on how disappointing Konan's death was. It never sat well with me, but then again, most of the female characters in Naruto unfortunately ended up either fading into the background from lack of development or dead. Anyway, thank you for the review!_

 _Review Response to Fogot my pasword/ -just-: Thank you for the review! I'll do my best to keep up the good content. I'm glad you're enjoying Amari's character and the story, and hope you enjoy the new chapter!_


	48. Chapter 47: Turning Back the Clock

Chapter 47

Turning Back the Clock: A History Written in Sand

To be orphaned would be a grim and arduous experience for any child, Hikari believed. Children were not meant to learn to survive alone. 'Twas the duty of the parents to raise and teach their child how to survive. Their duty was that of steadfast guardians who cared for and bestowed love upon their child or children until they could take care of themselves.

Without such an influence, the responsibility of survival in a cruel and unforgiving world fell to the orphan child. 'Twas not an easy fate. 'Twas one many orphans of war lived, and died when they failed.

Hikari, too, fought this never-ending war of survival, exacerbated drastically by blindness and a Village who despised her existence. She could not escape it. 'Twas the cards she had been dealt by fate. All she could do was play her hand and hope the katana blade leveled with her throat did not sever her head from her shoulders at any given moment.

No one within Suna bothered to acknowledge her plight or her existence. The other children feared her. She could hear their footsteps scampering away when she approached, their whispered hisses calling her a monster as they retreated for the protective guardians she wasn't fortunate to have. The same protective guardians who pulled them away towards safety or struck Hikari to protect their children from the threat they believed existed.

Her tears of sorrow became tears of hatred over time. Why did they treat her so poorly? Even blindness did not prevent her from seeing how wrong their actions were. Could they not see her agony? Her loneliness? No, they simply did not care. A feeling she found mutual later in life.

When her powers finally manifested, they stopped striking her. Even the parents cowered and scampered away then, but she felt not gratification. No happiness. How could she when their whispered hisses became unrestrained curses to shatter her heart?

How could she know the warmth of happiness when she was still all alone?

What made a monster? 'Twas a question Hikari often asked herself. She did not feel as she suspected a monster might feel. Did she appear different than others? Did they not possess the same soft, tender flesh a sharp point could open up? The liquid that came out of cuts, was it not the same for others? Did they not possess the follicles of hair sprouting from their heads?

Was she really so grossly different? So monstrous in appearance they could not bear to be near her?

Or perhaps 'twas not her appearance to make her a monster. Perhaps 'twas the defective eyes she was born with that frightened them. Did they misunderstand it? Did they believe blindness to be contagious and feared to lose the world of colors for isolated darkness?

Maybe, just maybe, 'twas not her who should be called a monster, but them who deserved the title they foisted upon her. She wronged them not. She harmed not a single soul within Suna, and yet they treated her as one might treat a broken trash bag full of rotten food.

In this land of hot, coarse sand and prickly cacti that stabbed those who tried to touch them, the people resembled their land all too well.

Regardless of their reasons for their inane reactions, her situation did not change. Her cards had been dealt, 'twas only in her hands to make the most of it.

Day by day, month by month, she learned to survive by making mistakes. Some worse than others. Over years she taught herself to see the world only as she could, and then how to control the powers she was born with by practicing with her kekkei genkais outside of Suna's walls. In blistering heat she trained, soaked in sweat by day and shivering at night.

To be a shinobi, 'twas the only path she knew of to gain freedom. Shinobi were paid for the missions they completed; money freed her from poverty, from cold nights without shelter and days of no food. If she could hone her craft, become strong enough she could not be ignored, then she could finally be free.

Unfortunately this could not happen overnight, or at four years old. So her ambitious plan remained a work-in-progress, and until she became old and strong enough to be a shinobi her main objective continued to be survival.

Survive by any means necessary to one day be free, 'twas the only purpose she had.

Days passed painfully slow. Some days of her war to survive tested her will to live. The stabbing knives digging their hungry points into her stomach made it hard to think, to focus. It made her weary. Weary of Suna and its people. Weary of the fight to survive. But by a gift of fate or by seizing an opportunity of her any means necessary ideal, Hikari found ways to make those painful knives go away.

On one particular night, Hikari sat on a swing in the playground of her village, pushing herself back and forth with her legs. Awake and alone while the rest of Suna slept. Hungry, but not to the point of pain yet. All was quiet save the steady creaking of the swing.

Well, perhaps she was not completely alone. She heard people speak of an orb in the sky when the desert cooled off and the warmth stopped beating against her skin. They called it a moon, and apparently it moved along the sky, trading places with the warm orb they called the sun. People claimed it glowed, but the word rang hollow for Hikari.

What did it mean for something to glow? Or to be bright? These words, much like words describing color, meant absolutely nothing to her. But she comprehended the shape, the two celestial orbs like kickballs in the sky. 'Twas a source of comfort to the lonely girl to have these two different orbs. One stayed up with her through the nights, the other kept her warm during the day.

Tonight Hikari's thoughts trailed over everything and nothing; where to find shelter, what about her next meal, what did stars look like when they twinkled. 'Twas as her thoughts danced along that she heard soft footsteps approach her. Hikari stopped swinging, turned her head in the general direction of the sound and waited.

Someone…approached her? On their own volition? The footsteps stopped a few meters away, but there were no whispers, no sound except their calm and curious breathing. _This could be your one chance to make a friend_ , her mind whispered.

"…Hi," she greeted nervously.

"Hi," came the response of a shy voice. A boy, young by the intonation of his voice. "Do you mind if I sit on the swing next to you?"

Hikari shook her head. "No. 'Tis yours to sit on if you wish to join me…unless you do not wish me to be here."

"Oh, um, no. I don't mind if you stay."

The boy, whoever he was, padded forward and sat on the swing next to her. In relative silence the two sat, although 'twas not uncomfortable. In fact 'twas quite comforting to have the presence of another who did not spurn or strike her.

The Suna native wasn't sure how long they sat together, pushing their swings back and forth with their legs in silence. Minutes? Longer? It did not matter, she supposed. 'Twas the first time anyone sat with her, and so she appreciated every moment of it.

He was…brave, maybe? Or maybe—

"Do you ever feel…lonely?" the shy voice asked.

…Or maybe he was just as deprived of kindness and friends as she was. Maybe he too was an outcast.

"…yes," she admitted quietly. "I do. Every day. People...they are afraid of me, for what reason I do not know, and so they avoid me at all costs."

"Me too. You're the first to stay around me." The heartbreak in his voice was all too familiar.

"You are the first to do so for me as well," she said.

Another silence fell over them. Longer than the first, but no less comfortable.

"Can I ask why you approached me?" Hikari asked after some time. "I do not wish to sound ungrateful, for I have enjoyed the silent company, but I cannot deny how confused I am. No one ever approaches me, and yet here you are. Unafraid and kind, unlike so many others."

"Well I…I was coming to swing when I saw you here already. People usually run when they see me…but you didn't." He sounded happy and confused. "And you looked lonely, so I thought…maybe we could swing together."

Someone had…someone had noticed her loneliness, and instead of cursing her to it, they decided to step forward to cure it for her.

Hikari smiled in his direction. "I appreciate your kindness, and I am happy you came to swing. 'Tis a nice experience to share with you."

"I agree. My name is Gaara."

"I am Hikari."

They fell back into silence again. For what might have been the first time in her life, Hikari felt the warmth of happiness. But she was not alone. Gaara too felt it, and both were grateful to the other for it.

Eventually Gaara left when his uncle Yashamaru found them together. Gaara greeted him with all the excitement of a child and introduced her as his new friend. Hikari tried to not show her fear by smiling genuinely, but the task proved difficult.

How would his uncle react? Would he strike her? Would he tug her…her new friend away and order him to never approach her again?

If hiding her fear was difficult, hiding her surprise when his uncle did not treat her as some kind of animal was impossible. He greeted her kindly, expressed his happiness for Gaara making a new friend. Beneath it all she could hear tones of puzzlement, but no disgust or disdain.

Gaara's parting words were, "I'll see you tomorrow, Hikari!"

 _I hope you will_ , was her silent thought.

She remained at the swing for a while longer before leaving in search of shelter for the night.

Gaara was true to his word. He did come to see her the next day at the swing set, and continued to do so over the next week. It became their little ritual where they learned more about one another.

He was the son of the Kazekage, to her shock, but that information did not change how she acted with him. Hikari explained her blindness and kekkei genkais, her Magnet Style similar to Gaara's own abilities. He said the sand she manipulated was darker than his—black as the void of blindness.

Why she was so skinny came up, apparently 'twas noticeable how little she ate. Why there was a bruise on her face came up too, which she only knew existed by the stinging pain of the injury. Gaara hadn't liked the truth of either of those questions; he sounded physically hurt by it.

"I'll be okay, Gaara. I've been worse," she tried to soothe him.

"Bu- but that doesn't make it okay, Hikari," he argued.

"Better me than someone of weaker willpower, no? I will survive. 'Tis the cards I am dealt, and I shall continue to play them."

He brought her medicines, bandages and food the next day, and the kindness he shared and gifts moved her to tears.

Yashamaru too became a part of her life soon after Gaara explained much of her struggles to him. The kind man spent time teaching her about ninjutsu and chakra. She learned to manipulate her sand as an extension of her own limbs because of him. He would send Gaara with freshly cooked meals to share with her; he even bought her fresh clothes and rented an apartment for her so she did not have to sleep outside in the cold.

'Twas overwhelming. She couldn't rightly accept all of their gifts, but Gaara and Yashamaru left her no room to argue.

In those first two years Hikari found happiness in a world that had been devoid of it. She cherished Gaara, her very first friend and her most precious person.

As her studies progressed with Yashamaru, the Suna native became sure she could become a shinobi. Soon she could become a shinobi and begin missions for Suna. The money she gained would grant her the ability to repay Yashamaru back for every gift he had given her, and also finally provide the freedom she sought.

But 'twas not to be. Her grand plans, her dreams, her hopes for the future, all were laughed at by fate as it struck them all down in a blink of an eye. For two years she learned of happiness, of friendship and affection. But when she turned six years old everything returned to darkness.

One night Gaara did not show up to the swing set. No matter how long she waited, his presence never arrived. Obviously something came up, 'twas not unusual. So she went home. As she laid in bed preparing for sleep, she sensed a massive spike of chakra within the Suna. On unnatural, monstrous levels she had never felt before. And so cold.

As she made for her door, her home began to fall apart around her. Loud and chaotic, she stumbled and tried to escape when something heavy hit her head, knocking her unconscious. She awoke to screeching agony. Her left leg, it hurt. It hurt so much. A slab of solid roofing crushed and pinned it to the floor.

Without her gourd of sand, Hikari doubted she would have survived, for no one would come looking for her. Only Gaara or Yashamaru, but she worried something may have happened to them. The massive chakra from before, it could have harmed them too.

She wouldn't find out until much later that Gaara, her precious friend, lost control of the Shukaku that night. The sand spirit had gone on a massive rampage of destruction, one she was fortunate to survive.

Fortunate, they called her. She did not feel so fortunate when a medical-ninja informed her of the severity of her injury. Her knee was beyond repair. Several surgeries may one day removed all the crushed bone fragments, but her mobility, her strength in that leg and any chance of it returning to normalcy were dust in the wind.

"If your dream is to become a shinobi, find a different path. With an injury like that you'll be a liability in the field."

She never forgot those words forever engraved into her soul.

Of course that was not acceptable to Hikari. She cared not for their opinions or their beliefs. She continued to train, strengthening her left leg so she could stand and walk on it with a brace. It rarely stopped hurting, and a blow to the limb was exceptionally painful, but she would not give up on her dream.

Still, all of the physical pain she felt held no candle to the emotional anguish she went through the night after the attack, which followed her into the years to come.

That night her leg was covered by bandages and a knee brace meant to help support the injured limb. However, the only reason she was able to get to the playground where she and Gaara usually met was her brainstorm. By using a slab of her collapsed roof, she could use it as a means of transport by using her sand to carry it, almost as if levitating.

Again she waited for her friend, and when he finally did show up, Hikari sensed a change in him. His steps were heavier, his chakra felt…cold. Uninviting. Dangerous. When she moved to hug him in greeting, his sand stopped her.

"Gaara? What's wrong?"

'Twas the only thing she could think of to ask. Hugs had become a norm for them, and yet…

"Hikari." His voice was different. No longer was it the happy shy tone she had grown accustomed to. His voice sounded more gravelly, full of detectable pain and anguish. "What happened to your leg?"

"Something destroyed my home last night and a piece of the roof landed on my leg. I will be fine, Gaara. What about you?"

"I…I did that?"

Hikari tilted her head to the side in confusion. "No. How could you even think that? 'Tis not as if you destroyed my home."

Her friend went silent. Anxiety built in her chest. What was going on? Why did he feel…why did he feel like a complete stranger?

"You need to stay away from me, Hikari," he finally spoke again. "The path I am going to walk will only cause you more pain."

Hikari's jaw dropped. "What do you mean I need to stay away from you?" She couldn't just leave him; he was the only person who ever meant anything to her. That wasn't a bond so easily severed or one she wanted to sever. "Gaara, I—"

She took a step forward only to meet sand again. It hadn't hurt physically, but the simple action struck her heart harder than any punch ever could.

"Stay away, Hikari. Our friendship…it means nothing to me now. You will become nothing more than a nuisance."

 _I…mean nothing to him? But…why?_ Tears welled in her eyes as her feet remained glued to the sand becoming more akin to quicksand swallowing her whole. Her entire chest hurt like all the pain in her leg had jumped up into her heart.

Gaara couldn't really mean that, could he?

"You don't mean that." Her voice came out as nothing more than a pain filled whisper with a sob stuck in her throat. She was treated with deafening silence and then the sound of his feet walking away from her.

Had her leg not been crushed and her dreams with it earlier that day, Hikari liked to believe she would have done more than fall into a seated position with tears streaming down her face. She liked to believe she wouldn't have simply said the words: "I do not believe that our friendship means nothing to you. I won't give up on you or the boy I care for."

She liked to believe she'd have done more, and that she wouldn't have only heard his footsteps echoing further and further away.

But she didn't. All she had been able to do was listen to him walk away and cry as the bright flame of happiness she embraced became nothing more than an ember. An ember she grabbed hold of and held close to her heart as cold isolation encompassed her world once more.

For the next six years she worked hard to become a ninja, hearing only scarce rumors about Gaara and his bloodlust from people far more frightened of him than of her. Not friends, not acquaintances, not even comrades. Merely people she had no connection with.

Every night she returned to the swings. Every night she was left disappointed by the fleeting hope he would come back. 'Twas a continuous wound she inflicted upon herself. Perhaps as punishment. Perhaps because she couldn't let go of the unlikely hope of his return, even when deep in her heart she knew he wouldn't.

The blind girl tried through the years to talk to him, but he'd only ignore her and continue walking away, never saying a word.

It always hurt. But if she didn't try, who would?

A Jōnin named Baki finally took interest in her training because of the clear power she wielded. Two kekkei genkais, both powerful and destructive to those she faced. Baki did not fear her. He held no ill opinion of her as a person; he called those who did utter fools for wasting her potential by ignoring her all these years.

But they were not friends. He may have helped her become a shinobi, but he was a superior officer and she was a subordinate. 'Twas all their relationship was, and that was fine. She didn't need him to be a parental figure or to care for her existence beyond seeing her as a valuable asset to Suna.

Against the odds she finally managed to succeed in that old goal of hers…but it hadn't been the freedom she hoped for. The dream she sought became a nightmare, and the freedom 'twas meant to give turned into a cage. Baki did not speak for all of Suna. The opinions of the masses did not change because of him, nor would they, she realized.

Others would always see her as some sort of monster. As a threat. Her honed abilities, her convictions and her visible distaste for the Council of Fools made her dangerous. The only true reason they permitted Baki to make her a shinobi was to use it as a leash.

She was their tool to use. Their weapon, just like Gaara.

They could not fathom how wrong they were to believe they could control her or her destiny.

 _I will walk my own path. I have my own purpose to follow, my own duty to uphold._

Hikari picked her cards this time and she would follow them to whatever end they brought about. If she failed to save Gaara from himself, then she truly had nothing left in this world worth living for.

And if she failed, he would kill her. Perhaps in death she could find peace.

Perhaps in death she could be free of this cruel world.

* * *

Present Day

* * *

"You Sand ninjas really don't know when to quit, do you?" Sasuke asked, his frustration evident in his voice and on his face.

"'Tis the same with you Leaf ninja's, is it not? You three could stop or lie down and die, yet you persist in fighting. Do not expect from others what neither you nor them are trained for," the Suna kunoichi returned without malice.

"I _expect_ the people who we share an alliance with to honor their words," Mimi fired back.

Amari remained silent, examining the girl standing before them on a floating rock, trying to discern the nature of her technique _and_ her true nature as a person. This girl she had once helped, she had seemed so kind and sincere at the time. Not a hint of dishonesty laced into her words or enemy cunning hidden behind a mask as Kabuto once fooled her.

But…she was an enemy. A Sand kunoichi hiding amongst the civilian population in Konoha, learning the layout of the Leaf without anyone ever suspecting her as anything more than a helpless blind traveler, lost in a sea of sound. She had even hidden the strength of her chakra.

 _Who are you?_

"I agree, but 'tis not the cards we were given," the girl responded. She clicked her tongue, waited a beat in silence then hopped forward onto a branch in front of her. The rock she once stood on plummeted to the ground and thudded dully on the ground below them.

The Sand kunoichi's attire and appearance hadn't change since she last saw her. The only real difference today compared to their first meeting was the forehead protector over her eyes displaying her Suna origins. Her sun-kissed skin revealed how often the sun shone in Suna, accented by cloud white hair tied in a top knot; the long tresses flowed down her back like a streamlined cloud to her waist.

And beneath her black clothed forehead protector were a set of amber colored eyes Amari couldn't deny the beauty of.

She wore a sleeveless light tan, bordering on white, shirt and a crimson and black shemagh tied around her neck, likely meant for the sandstorms Suna's desert was famous for. She covered her lower half with a midnight blue mid-thigh length skirt and slightly shorter than knee-length black bike pants to compliment her black sandals.

On her back left hip hung the small gourd she had almost lost when they met. The cork was missing however, and Amari noticed what appeared to be black grains of sand returning into the gourd.

 _What is that stuff? It moves like Gaara's sand, but it's different in color._

She shook her head mentally. There would be time for those questions later. What she knew for certain was this girl lacked eyesight entirely, yet could see the world through the clicks of her tongue. A sort of echolocation similar to dolphins and bats by Amari's estimations; the loud pop of her tongue clicks bent sound around her environment, the reflections of which created a sort of map of an area or battlefield around her.

 _She's probably a Sensory Type as well_ , Amari theorized. _Her lack of vision obviously enhances her other senses, and I don't imagine she'd be able to follow us all the way out here only by the clicks of her tongue._

One final note, as Amari had made in their first interaction, was the knee brace on her left knee, now accented by bandages tied tightly beneath it. An injury. A source of weakness they could exploit against this girl who was likely a ranged combatant.

"I remember you," Amari said quietly. She couldn't deny how stupid she felt, or the smallest feeling of betrayal of her kindness. Maybe it was childish to feel that way; this girl didn't owe her any explanation or owe her loyalty. But…well, secretly she hoped to meet her again so she could learn her name and maybe even be friends.

She looked…lonely. Sad. Then and now. Like she was weighed down by some invisible burden weighing as much as the pack of bulls that chased Naruto into the stadium what felt like a lifetime ago.

"You know her?" Mimi asked in disbelief.

The girl, however, perked up at those three simple words to spill from Amari's lips. "You…You still remember me? After all this time?"

She sounded overjoyed. There was even the smallest hint of a smile, and that only made Amari sadder. It all but confirmed her previous feeling.

 _You…you've been alone for a long time, haven't you?_ She swallowed a large lump in her throat. _In all this vast world…who do you have? Do you have anyone precious to you who care if you come home? Anyone at all?_

Somewhere deep down in her heart she already possessed the answer.

 _Even with your eyes hidden behind that forehead protector, I_ _ **know**_ _our eyes are the same. Just like when Haku's eyes were hidden behind his mask, even before I saw them for the first time, I just knew. You have eyes full of pain…Eyes full of loneliness…Eyes that show those who can see beyond themselves what suffering you have endured._

The Suna native's smile faded for an immensely apologetic look. "This situation, 'tis not how I hoped we would meet again." Her voice was full of regret. "I have not forgotten your kindness, Amaririsu Yūhi, nor will I. But these are the cards we are dealt, so we must play them. Forgive me."

Amari shut her eyes as a wave of familiarity washed over her.

" _You are right, though. I believe you and I share the same interests. I apologize for what I must do."_

" _Don't,"_ she remembered pleading. _"I have to do the same, so you don't need to apologize. This is our life and what we must do to protect what we consider precious."_

Amari sighed through her nose and opened her eye, the cool onyx staring glumly at the forest floor below. "And what cards are we dealt?" she asked reluctantly.

"Suna has declared war on the Leaf."

Amari's two teammates shifted into defensive positions while she kept staring—glaring—at the forest floor for an affront it did not commit. Why did it have to be this way again? Why did someone she didn't want to fight have to be her enemy?

"'Tis their intention to destroy your home and your military might with the help of Oto shinobi and the Shukaku, thus compelling the Feudal Lords to send more missions to Suna over the Leaf. Our Village will flourish. Suna will once more be seen as a powerful force, and all will be right again."

Venomous disgust poured from every word like a torrential downpour. It sparked hope in Amari's heart. Perhaps they weren't enemies. Perhaps she wouldn't have to fight her as she fought Haku.

"They even sent me, the weapon they despise the most, to destroy key targets with my kekkei genkais, like your hospital and all those inside. Your supply storehouses were another."

Mimi visibly tensed up and snarled. "That would kill both shinobi and innocent people, along with any supplies that could save our injured." Her sapphire eyes flicked over to Amari. "But the hospital was still untouched when our clones dispelled, and according to Osamu that sector was back in our control."

"Which means she didn't touch them," Amari stated. Suspicion latched its claws into the Nara. This girl was an enigma; there was no telling what she was really planning here. "And based on what you're saying, the Sand leaders don't really care for you at all," she directed towards the possible enemy kunoichi.

"The feeling is mutual, I assure you."

"So where does that leave us?" Sasuke questioned, hand slowly reaching for his ninja tool box.

The Sand shinobi clicked her tongue again, her covered eyes never leaving the position the trio were standing at. "Where we stand will depend on you three. Allow me to warn you: Should you continue to reach for that kunai, our paths shall diverge and you will become my enemies."

Sasuke's hand halted, a slightly nervous smirk tugging at his lips.

"I possess no desire to kill you three, especially you, Amaririsu. I can only give you my word that I have harmed no Leaf shinobi during this madness Suna has initiated. But if you three plan to destroy Gaara, I fear you will leave me with no choice but to incapacitate you all."

The three Konoha shinobi remained tense at her words. She conveyed an air of confidence and a chakra strength that could back up simple words with real actions.

"However, there is another path. Should you merely wish to stop him from unleashing the sand spirit he contains, thus preventing Suna and Oto from successfully destroying your home, then I offer an alliance. Together we can stop Gaara and Suna without any more needless bloodshed."

 _…not what I was expecting at all._ She expected to be thrown feet first into another battle mirroring her fight with Haku. But for there to be an opportunity to avoid unnecessary fighting and death…

"You really think we're going to buy that?" Mimi wasn't ready to take the Suna native at her word. "If you're willing to betray your own Village, what the hell makes you think we could trust you to aid us?"

Their newest delay shook her head. "I betray no one. My superiors have either forsaken all honor, willingly devoting themselves to this chaotic madness, or were tricked by the one impersonating our Kazekage. I attempted to stop this all by informing those with the power to call it off of the false Kazekage. However the fools would not listen.

"They despise my existence. I am but a tool for them to use. A weapon they believe they can wield and use against whatever and whomever they desire. What was my reward for my final attempt to show loyalty to my home? Assassins were sent to eliminate me."

" _People are fickle. Your Leaf elders are no different than the Sand. They may actually smile to your face, but it's a façade to lower your guard as they make preparations to eliminate you,"_ Gaara's words rang in Amari's mind.

The Suna kunoichi shook her head again, lips curled down in a severe frown. "I do not owe Suna anything anymore. I do not owe them my loyalty. I do not owe them my strength or my life. I refuse to take part in their insane grab for power. Today I fight for my own cause. My own duty. Today I fight for the only purpose I have left to live for."

 _The only purpose you have left to live for?_

The single sentence revealed more than enough to Amari about this mysterious girl. She was driven by this purpose of hers, driven to go to whatever lengths necessary to fulfill it. Because in this vast world she had nothing else left. No precious people. No dreams. No future without fulfilling this purpose.

Amari bit the inside of her lip and chewed on it. There were things she wanted to say, things she hoped to say after all the fighting was over, but those stirrings of her heart and nindo had to wait. She needed to get more information on this girl. Learn more about her motives or her spirit so she could discern her true intentions.

Amari released her lip. "Why Gaara? Why is he a part of this purpose you've chosen?" she asked.

Before the girl could answer, Mimi spun on the blue-haired ninja with disbelief written on her face. "You can't honestly tell me you trust her."

"Trust her?" Amari shook her head once. "No, I don't trust her. Our home is under attack by Sand ninjas. We saw them attacking anybody who ended up in their crosshairs without remorse, and a lot of good people died because of them."

No, no matter what her heart tried to say, she couldn't just lower her guard and accept this girl's words at face value. She had done that with Kabuto all because he wore a Leaf headband and that could have easily turned into a fatal mistake. This time she would be careful.

She crossed one arm over her ribs and brought the other to her chin in thought. "But think about it, Mimi. She hid her presence up until a few moments before appearing in front of us. If she can get so close to us without your nose picking her up, why didn't she just attack us from behind? She could have caught us by surprise completely.

"Then there are the different things she's been saying. She said if we attacked she'd incapacitate us, not kill us. She said she was sent to destroy key positions, yet we know for a fact she didn't ever touch them." Amari glanced to her fellow Leaf kunoichi. "And even if you don't trust her, you can tell how she speaks of Suna and her chosen path isn't a lie. There's too much conviction and tangible disdain in her voice."

Her eye settled on a random spot of the tree branch, lips pursed. _You can't fake that level of conviction or disdain. It'd be like faking a cough or a yawn._ Faking conviction to a purpose was ineffective. It could be detected easily by anyone, especially someone who held _real_ conviction in their purpose.

She let her hand drop and turned to face the Suna kunoichi again. "Finally, why didn't she attack Shino and help Kankurō? If she wanted to help unleash Gaara's sand spirit, she'd have eliminated Shino and brought Kankurō to stop us. Even if we consider the possibility she's strong enough to defeat us all on her own, logically she would want to help an ally so he couldn't attack later."

No matter how she sliced it, the Suna kunoichi actions backed up her words in every way. Nothing appeared on the surface or underneath as a façade to trick them.

"I'll follow your lead Amari, but I'm not letting my guard down for a second," Mimi told her.

The Nara gave a nod. _I doubt Sasuke will either._ But that was fine. If her decision ended up wrong, they'd be ready to pull her out of the fire.

"So why do you want to stop Gaara with us? Why is his survival a part of the purpose you've chosen."

"He is...was my friend."

Another note Amari hadn't expected.

"Excuse me if I'm not actually buying that with his complete disregard for human life," Mimi retorted dismissively.

"You must understand, 'tis not his fault that he turned into the boy you three know. Before he turned six he was different. Kinder, gentler." A ghost of smile formed on the girl's lips. "That boy…he is the one I fight for. The one I am here to save from himself."

Pieces were beginning to click into place, the puzzle placed before her slowly becoming a picture she could see fully. Only a few pieces were missing, pieces she had in her possession but couldn't quite grab hold of yet.

"He's precious to you," Amari stated the fact she did have in her hands.

"You understand what 'tis like to have someone like that, no?"

"I do. All three of us do."

 _We're more alike than we realize._ Amari exhaled deeply through her nose. _You're here for Gaara because you deemed him worthy of your care. He's the one person you had in this world. The one precious person that made life worth living._

The Nara was hit by a sudden thought.

 _Wait a minute. Deemed worthy of her care…_

It was as the words rang in her head that the pieces to the puzzle clicked into place to form a finished mosaic.

 _"Her foolish dream to love and protect anyone she deemed worthy. Even after I destroyed her knee and her dreams of being a shinobi, she never stopped. Her will to live, to never let go of the ridiculous purpose she latched onto was…admirable. I'd bet you would risk your life for these_ _ **pathetic**_ _people too."_

Amari's eye trailed back to the bandaged and braced left knee of the girl, then it widened in startled realization. "You're her." The girl perked up at the sound of Amari's voice. "The girl he destroyed the knee of, the one who was ridiculed for her destructive powers, the one who had the dream to love and protect the people she deemed worthy. The one he said I reminded him of."

* * *

"What the hell are you talking about Amari?" the boy of the group asked.

Hikari could not believe her ears. Gaara, he…he remembered her. After all these years of being outright ignored and avoided by him, her only friend still remembered her existence. He remembered how people mistreated her and the time they shared as friends. He even remembered her dream she gained because of him, and the foolish boy was still taking responsibility for her knee.

More than that, Gaara had seen her in Amaririsu.

Her mouth opened to form words, but she could not properly express the swell of emotions Amaririsu's statement imparted onto her. Happiness for being remembered by her one true friend, sadness that he could not see beyond her knee, hope that his eyes could truly see the light from the darkness he submerged himself in.

Maybe there truly was still a chance to save him. Maybe it wasn't all a false hope. Maybe she could truly save him and reignite the warm ember she had protected for so long.

"Shika, Naruto and I had a run in with him in the hospital where he tried to kill Lee. He told us about his past and how he was raised, but then he told me my eye reminded him of her."

Her…her eye was what reminded Gaara of Hikari? Of all the things to remind him of her, 'twas an eye? A small, humorless and bitter tasting laugh escaped the blind kunoichi.

"What's so funny?"

"I do not laugh out of happiness, I assure you. 'Tis a cruel fate for him to remember me by looking into the eyes of someone else. 'Tis an experience I will never have."

Within her swell of emotions, and this latest addition to it, a memory of their friendship illuminated itself from the darkness of the past.

" _What are the color of your eyes, Gaara?"_

 _"Um…they're kind of a pale blue-green," the boy answered thoughtfully._

 _'Twas an…unfulfilling answer, she had to admit. Pale blue-green, what did that even mean? What did that truly describe? Deciding to probe further, Hikari rephrased her question in search of a better answer._

" _What does pale blue-green feel like?"_

 _"Feel like?"_

 _She nodded her head, running her hand along the cold floor until she found his hand. Her fingers traced up the soft flesh gently, as if petting a butterfly. "Yes. Your words that describe color, they are empty to me. But touch I understand. Are the colors soft, smooth, or silky? Are they rugged or sharp? When you see the colors do they feel like a solid surface or a plushy pillow?"_

 _"I…never really thought about them like that. I guess they're kind of…umm." He remained in silent thought for several seconds as she moved her hand away from his. "I guess blue and green are kind of…soft, but depending on the shade it could be piercing, I think. Pale is kind of like a dull tool. Or a blunt knife."_

" _Mm. So your eye color is closer to a plushy pillow than a sharp knife. They are not jagged and do not pierce." She smiled. "It suits you."_

" _Oh…um…thank you." She marveled at the expressiveness of his voice; she could hear his bashful blush and smile. "Why did you ask, Hikari?"_

 _"There are more ways to see something than through your eyes, Gaara. 'Tis something I have learned ever since I was born."_

As the memory faded from Hikari's mind, she felt a great yearning for those days. 'Twas a time when, despite the rest of Suna ostracizing her, she had been truly happy, all because she had Gaara in her life.

She missed him dearly. His friendship had once been a great and bright flame that kept her warm during even the bitterest of winters; now all that remained was the small ember she clutched close to her heart, hoping it could one day reignite into that fire once more.

That's why she was here. 'Twas the reason she trekked all the way from Suna to this foreign land burgeoning with life, unlike the dry and barren deserts of home. She needed to stop him from being the tool Suna turned him into, and to do whatever it took to no longer be invisible to the one person she had in this world.

"If we're going to prevent this whole thing from happening, then we should go now," Amaririsu said. "We'll work together, but if I even get the slightest feeling you're setting us up, all bets are off."

Hikari nodded. "Of course. I would not expect anything less."

Amaririsu's light was still warm and silky. Even if she distrusted her, even if they could not one day meet as friends, at least Hikari could protect her light.

Hikari moved her hand out in front of her and guided the sand in her gourd towards the rock she had arrived on. Once she had the cone shaped rock in her possession, she lifted it back up in front of her and jumped onto it. "I will lead so you have no fear of being struck from behind."

She clicked her tongue and listened to the reflected sounds, mapping out the area around her once more before turning around on the rock and charging forward. She could hear the sounds of the Leaf trio jumping through the trees; they were staying both close enough not to lose her but far enough back in case she betrayed them.

Hikari could not blame them for their distrust. But she could tell 'twas only by Amaririsu's presence and order the other two went through with her plan. Had she not been here, a battle would have ensued, leaving no other option but to incapacitate them.

"May I ask your name?" Amaririsu asked.

"My name is Hikari. And your Exam fight was with the other kunoichi here, Mimi Inuzuka and her pup Aoko?"

"She's not just a puppy but otherwise you're right on both accounts," the Inuzuka responded, a continent of distance in her voice.

By the roaring applause and cheers she heard, their battle had been most impressive.

"Which leaves your male compatriot, the one who faced Gaara. Sasuke Uchiha, correct?"

"Yeah."

"I apologize for what Suna has done, and I do not blame you for your distrust. 'Tis a circumstance I wish did not have to happen… Had I been able to stop Gaara from losing himself years ago, we may not be here."

"You can't blame yourself, Hikari," Amaririsu said, her voice a soothing caress on her burdened soul.

But 'twas her at fault. Her inability to stop Gaara from losing himself led to this. "If I do not, then who will?" she asked in return. "I bear the blame for my part in Gaara's current state of being. The Council of Fools and his father may have turned him into a weapon, but 'twas our bond that could have stopped it. Had I been stronger in spirit, I could have stopped him from turning his back on our bond."

A tight frown tugged onto her lips. "Instead I only cried and listened to him walk away, vowing not to give up, but not persisting in chasing him. If I had continued to persist—"

"Hikari…please, stop," Amaririsu pleaded. She obeyed, quieted by the soft pain in her voice. "You are not responsible for Gaara turning his back on your bond. Gaara…shut his eyes and turned away from the hand you reached out to him. He consciously made that decision when his most precious person was right there in front of him. The Sand elders, his father, even Gaara himself are to blame for this situation, but not you."

"I appreciate what you are trying to do, Amaririsu. Truly, you are a kind and warm soul I am grateful to have met, but 'tis my burden to bear. You do not need to take it from my shoulders."

"But it's a burden you shouldn't have to bear. No one should," she heard her mumble softly.

Spoken as a soul who carried a similar burden.

"So, do you have a plan?" Amaririsu asked at length.

Hikari did have a plan. They'd probably think her crazy, and perhaps she was, but she had to try it. She needed to find the boy within Gaara who she once called friend, the one who she'd have given everything for.

"I do. I plan to talk to him."

"You really think that's going to work?" The boy of the group sounded like he thought the entire idea was ludicrous. If the Suna kunoichi was honest, she too was under the same impression to her plan.

 _All Gaara has done is ignore me like I don't even exist for the last six years. Will now be any different?_ He had told her the path he had to walk would only cause her more pain, yet to be fully ignored by the only precious person she ever had was a far greater pain than he could imagine.

His harsh words, calling her a nuisance and saying their friendship meant nothing…'twas a wound that followed her around like a Konoha storm cloud. She couldn't escape the downpour of anguish no matter where she went; no matter what she did, 'twas always there raining down on her soul without remorse.

 _Whether or not he cares anymore does not matter to me. I care…and I always will._ 'Twas a fault of her own, she supposed. Hikari tried to forget, to move on. But she couldn't. The boy Gaara used to be, the one who had approached her and sat on the swings with her, the one who had sounded delighted to meet her…he had become a part of her heart.

 _Without him I feel…empty. Hollow. Dead._ Hikari clenched her left hand into a fist, causing her grains of sand to tighten around her rock. _No one truly cares for my existence. My dream of becoming a shinobi has become the Council's leash._

What more did she have left?

Why keep on going?

"I have to try. He is…was the only person in this vast life to have acknowledged my existence without the fear or contempt everyone else shows me." She could feel his chakra getting closer as they pressed forward. "The boy I knew, I have to believe he is in there somewhere. Saving him…'tis the only purpose I have left."

"I understand." Amaririsu words did not ring hollow. They rang with the pleasant but painful chimes of empathy.

'Twas…strange.

"Do you?" she asked curiously.

"It's a long story. I get it, though. I do. These two do too, even if they are too troublesome to admit it out loud. I know they are just words, but I'm sorry for the things you've gone through."

"Do not apologize for something you took no part in. 'Tis the cards I was dealt. I have adapted as best as I can."

"Doesn't make it right."

Hikari remained silent but a small, affectionate smile made it onto her face.

Amaririsu was special.

"In case talking doesn't work, what's your backup plan?"

Hikari hoped with all her heart mere words could reach Gaara. However she was no fool. Odds were this would end in a battle, especially if the Shukaku possessed any control over him.

"Then we will have to fight him until he can no longer fight back. Prove him 'tis a fool who fights only for themselves."

"Simple backup plan. I like it," the Inuzuka stated.

 _If only it could be as simple as it sounds._

"They aren't running anymore. We're almost on them," Mimi informed the group.

Finally. 'Twas the moment Hikari had been waiting for. She was determined to save Gaara from himself, no matter what. By any means necessary, she would save him from his darkness just as he had saved her from hers all those years ago.

She slowed her rock to a stop with the others halting behind her. _I can feel him._ _His chakra, 'tis in front of me on that branch._ Her heart yearned to have the ability to see his face in a way that was so fierce it felt physically painful.

"Gaara," she whispered his name.

Nearby was Temari's chakra, adjacent to Gaara's position on a tree. It seemed she either moved away on her own or had been hit away; Hikari didn't doubt the latter was closer to the truth.

"Hikari?" His gravelly voice was full of surprise.

He hadn't known she was here in the Leaf, and she hadn't approached him in almost a full year now. Her heart hadn't been ready for another dagger to pierce it.

"What are you doing here?"

 _I wonder what his face looks like right now. Is it flat, devoid of emotion? Or does it show the surprise I can hear in his voice?_ Her heart began to hurt as her next thoughts came through her mind. _Is there any glint of happiness or any reminiscent reminder of the boy I am here to save?_

Before she could respond, her friend spoke up again, this time with anger and deep reservation in his voice. "I told you to stay away from me. You're just a nuisance."

Hikari frowned as she guided her rock forward. "I do not believe you. The bond we shared is not so easily severed." She shook her head slightly. "I tried to forget but I could not, and I know you cannot either. You remembered me when you looked at Amaririsu. You remembered our bond."

"Stay away!" Gaara shrieked. The sound pierced her ears and reverberated off of everything around her. She stopped, though. Within his voice, she could hear his pain, fear and regret. She could hear her old friend.

"Gaara…"

She went to move forward again only to stop at the sound of his agony filled voice. "Hikari, please stay away," he pleaded. "Don't waste your dream on me. I'm not worthy of your kindness."

The Suna kunoichi clenched both of her hands into fists. Her sand tightened around the rock under her. "'Tis not your choice who I deem worthy of my kindness," she ground out. _'Tis the only thing I can actually choose for myself now. Why can you not see that?_ "You still care, just as I do. The boy I knew is somewhere still within you."

"No I don't!" His chakra spiked rapidly, warning the kunoichi of the transformation beginning to take hold. "Friendship, it's meaningless! To care about others well-being more than your own, it is the belief of the feeble minded!"

Again his words stung her like a cactus, or a bee. It reopened the wounds on her poorly bandaged heart.

"Your friendship never made me strong, it's my purpose that does! For by only killing those Uchiha's can I prove that I exist! Only by killing them can I know what life is!"

Killing intent irradiated off of her friend. An unnatural chill rushed down her spine faster than a spider scampering to safety. _Is this…is this the new Gaara? Is the last of the boy I knew truly gone?_

"You…you were my only friend, Gaara. The only person who gave my life meaning. Please. Do not continue down this path," she pleaded in a soft voice.

 _For you will only cause me more pain if you do._

Her friend screamed in some sort of agony as his chakra grew by leaps and bounds.

" _They_ are my prey! And if you stand in my way, I'll kill you as well!"

His screaming continued as Hikari stood frozen in place, although that had little to do with the monstrous chakra he exuded. She could almost hear the sounds of cracking glass echoing in her chest as her heart shattered into tiny pieces.

 _He's gone…he's really gone._ 'Twas a moment no amount of emotional and mental strengthening could have prepared her for. _Gaara…you…you really will kill me if I stand in your way, won't you?_

Behind her forehead protector her eyes stung with acidic tears. _For years I have waited to talk to you again, to hear your voice…I waited so long, hoping you'd allow me to see you again. Wishing…Dreaming…Hoping for you to come back._

Two tears slid down her cheeks.

 _But you didn't and I see now that words alone will never reach you. You are in a darkness no light can penetrate…you are blinder than I am, Gaara_.

She could feel his chakra charging right for her.

"Move, Hikari!" Amari shouted at her.

Hikari clicked her tongue and listened intently to the way the sounds reverberated across the forest. The echo bounced off her former friend and the giant sand arm coming right for her.

 _So, this is how it must be. You have finally severed your bond to me._ She smiled sadly. _Only if I could as well. 'Tis not in the cards for me to do so, Gaara. I am afraid even now as you move to kill me, I still…_

"Die, Hikari!"

 _I still care._

Gaara's giant sand arm nearly hit her, but Hikari was faster. She jumped up into the air and lowered her rock simultaneously. He flew between the two, missing her and the others completely. Hikari guided the rock back up to her quickly, stopping her from falling and moving into a defensive position in front of the Leaf shinobi and across from her former friend.

"Gaara, I am sorry I could not stop you from falling prey to this darkness you are consumed by," the kunoichi spoke firmly, the tears once in her eyes no longer there. Words would no longer reach him, 'twas time to stop him by force.

Across from her she could hear his beast like breathing and growls. _He is no longer the boy I knew…this is the new Gaara. The one who fell into the spiral of hate and despair because he was alone._ It hurt to know her presence wasn't enough to heal the wounds in his heart as his was for her.

But she couldn't be distracted by her own pain. Right now she had to focus away from the mountain of pain and sadness in her heart and focus on putting a stop to her former friend.

"The path you have chosen will bring nothing but unforgivable pain and despair to this world, I see that now. 'Tis clear to me what my fate is. I know what I am meant to do now."

"Have you found a purpose stronger than your pathetic idea of friendship!" the beast growled at her.

"You will find 'tis because of our friendship that I am stronger in purpose." Hikari began moving through handseals. "Our meeting eight years ago and everything since, all of it happened so I would be here standing between you and the people you call prey. 'Tis my fate to bring you from the darkness, even if that means I must destroy you in purifying light."

Gaara roared with maniacal laughter. "Do you really think you have the will to kill me?! You are too weak!" His laughter continued and 'twas as he was laughing the Suna kunoichi decided this person was the one who had stolen her Gaara away.

 _Whoever he has become, my Gaara is no longer in there. This person, they contorted and twisted the person I cared for. For that reason,_ determination set in her being as her hands ended in Bird. _I will use the full extent of my power to destroy him._

 _Lava Style: Lava Bullets!_

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: Hehe, yeah. I was thinking the same thing about Amari and Temari when I've written all of their contentious interactions up to their battle. And poor Shikamaru is going to be stuck between the colliding ideals of his troublesome 'Risu and the woman he's into. Poor guy._

 _Another interesting theory in regards to her evolution of the Sharingan. We will have to see how it all turns out in the future. As for will she become a teenage god, I honestly haven't decided on what will happen in those final few arcs of Shippuden yet. I have some ideas, I just haven't made a concrete decision quite yet._

 _Ino definitely doesn't want an unworthy rival in love. Kurenai too will have lessons of her own to teach Amari about love. And Anko, oh, Anko can have **way** too much fun with teaching a teenager about romance. Poor Amari will be tomato red. Sakura's another good pick, and there will definitely be others to influence her that have yet to be introduced or she has yet to meet. Some funny, others more heartwarming. Though it may also be Amari unintentionally teaching her generation about true love instead of her peers teaching her. :)_

 _I'm looking forward to posting the Itachi arc and I'm interested to see the reactions it gets. One of my favorites personally._

 _Thank you for the review! Hope you enjoyed the new update!_


	49. Chapter 48: Fading Light

Chapter 48

Fading Light: An Unforgivable Action!

An uncontrollable and unwanted shiver shot down Amari's spine in response to Gaara's killing intent. _Such bloodlust…and the chakra coming off him, what power._ She had felt this twinge of fear twisting her heart in knots twice before—the demonic chakra from Zabuza and Orochimaru's pure disregard for all life.

When Zabuza revealed his demonic chakra, his eyes had been purged of all light, replaced by everlasting darkness; eyes that cleaved the souls it gazed into before dragging the mutilated body straight down to the hellish pits it spawned from.

The eyes of a true demon.

And Orochimaru, his vile killing intent showed Amari and her team their own deaths. Orochimaru wasn't a demon. No, he was pure darkness. He did not see people around him. No, he saw playthings, tools and experiments to be toyed with at his whim and thrown away when they no longer amused him.

Both shinobi made her feel heart stopped fear. Terror she could scarcely believe was possible. Looking at Gaara under the influence of a partial transformation, taking in the thick sand armor covering the upper right half of his body, the dark blue vein-like markings along the tan surface and the black sclera that blotted out his normal eye color and replaced it with a gold, star-shaped pupil, Amari felt the fear again.

This…This was the power of darkness. For every bit of strength it gave, it turned those it influenced into bloodthirsty demons, fiendish monsters or darkness personified.

 _This is only a partial transformation_ , Amari analyzed to keep her nerves at bay. Her eye skimmed back over the large sand arm and its sharp talons. _That's the arm we saw back in the arena. Yet back then I hadn't been close enough to fully sense the amount of killing intent leaking off of him. It's…it's unreal._ A shudder danced quickly down her spine and through all of her sensory neurons. _It's just like Orochimaru's and Zabuza's._

The chakra was so…dark. She'd call it a void, absent of all light and emotion, but the absence of light did not mean an absence of emotion. Malice, hatred and a downright desperate bloodlust stretched off him like claw-shaped shadow tendrils, cold claws scratching at her senses and coiling around her.

Amari witnessed the transformation happen, could see the remnants of Gaara that remained, and yet…was this even the same person?

"His chakra is off the charts," Amari muttered to no one in particular. "It's oppressive. I can feel it pressing down on my senses even at a distance. And all I can feel is darkness, hatred, bloodlust."

 _It's similar to Naruto's second chakra_ , she internalized. _But Naruto's red chakra is like a frying pan just taken off a stove; warm if your hand is near it, scorching if you touch it. Gaara's chakra is closer to being forced to stick your hand into a frozen lake for an extended period of time._

It unsettled her immensely. How could such darkness and evil bloodlust exist?

 _I can't lose focus_ , Amari thought, steeling herself for the coming battle. Gaara hadn't yet fully unleashed his sand spirit yet, which meant the mission was still on. So long as they worked together, they could incapacitate him and put a stop to the Sand's trump card.

"Gaara, I am sorry I could not to stop you from falling prey to this darkness you are consumed by," Hikari spoke firmly.

Amari's heart went out to her. Gaara was her precious person. The one person on this world that had made her existence worthwhile, but then he pushed her away. He severed their bond and left her all alone, and in that loneliness she latched onto a singular purpose: Save the one friend she had from himself.

 _Had Kasai not gone so far, had he not killed Ryu…I would have wanted to do the same thing._ At that time, submerged in the darkness of loneliness, discovering some way to reunite the one family she had would have become her sole purpose. Even now her heart yearned for her Kasai to return. The cheerful boy had been a bright and vibrant light through their darkest hours.

So Amari understood why Hikari was going so far for Gaara. Their circumstances weren't the same, the lives they led were as different as a fresh bowl of ramen and a cold bowl of ice cream, but she empathized with how precious this one bond was to the Sand kunoichi, and how much pain Gaara's actions caused her heart.

 _I…I feel it again._ She curled a hand into a tight fist. _That feeling when I fought against Haku, when we stared at one another and I could see our situations reversed so easily by one moment…_

Amari stared between the two but didn't really see them. She saw herself on the rock…and Kasai in Gaara's position. When the day came for them to battle, what would she feel? What would she say or do? Would the part of her heart that wanted him to come back try to reach out to him? Or would she see a stranger? An enemy responsible for the deaths of Ryu and her Kasai?

Would Kasai feel anything? Anything except disinterest or hatred? Would any part of her friend see her and reveal the same hesitation and longing that briefly crossed Gaara's features? If he did, what would she feel?

How far would she go to save him from himself?

 _If he hadn't killed Ryu…I would have trekked the entire shinobi world a hundred times over to save him_. Amari exhaled a deep breath through her nose. _But he killed Ryu. He stole his eye and his life for no good reason. He betrayed our little family…and I can't forgive that._

Amari's eye refocused on the present battle. Gaara wasn't Kasai. They didn't share a bond of friendship as he had with Hikari. That left his life and fate in Hikari's hands to decide.

 _Hikari, your heart has been torn apart in a way I know too well. For that reason…_

Amari's hand relaxed, the spool of tension created by the killing intent unwinding itself as her mind stepped into the soothing waters of a bathhouse. Her features settled into determination.

 _For that reason, I will do everything I can to help you._

"The path you have chosen will bring nothing but unforgivable pain and despair to this world, I see that now. 'Tis clear to me what my fate is. I know what I am meant to do now."

"Have you found a purpose stronger than your pathetic idea of friendship!" the beast growled at her.

"You will find 'tis because of our friendship that I am stronger in purpose." Hikari's hands moved through handseals Amari could not see. "Our meeting eight years ago and everything since, all of it happened so I would be here standing between you and the people you call prey. 'Tis my fate to bring you from the darkness, even if that means I must destroy you in purifying light."

Gaara roared with maniacal laughter. "Do you really think you have the will to kill me?! You are too weak!"

His assumption was nothing short of foolish. While Hikari likely wouldn't try to kill him immediately, to assume his actions couldn't push her that far would prove to be a fatal error.

Hikari's chest expanded before she expelled a medium sized ball of lava. The viscous liquid flew through the air, droplets of it falling to the grassy floor and splotching on trees to sear the bark on impact. As the molten lava flew towards its target, Gaara grinned in mad psychosis. In the last moment available, he dodged up onto another tree branch, but a second ball of lava followed him there.

He dodged through the trees, chased by molten lava bullets from position to position, closer to Hikari with every renewed dodge. He swung on a branch with his giant sand arm and darted right for the white-haired kunoichi.

"Scatter!" Hikari ordered, throwing her arm out to signal the Leaf shinobi behind her.

Amari, Sasuke and Mimi evaded higher up into the canopy of the tree. _For someone who is growing larger in size_ , she thought as she settled onto a new branch, _he's moving incredibly fast._

But the transformation was changing his battle style. From what she learned, Gaara's main fighting style relied on the special sand from his gourd. It would protect him, acting as an impenetrable shield from any and all attacks while simultaneously having the capability to attack and crush those it touched. He didn't engage in taijutsu. In fact, Amari's past assumption was he didn't really possess any skill in taijutsu because of his heavy reliance on the sand.

Gaara, by all accounts, was a mid- to long-range fighter. Slow in movements, but this weakness couldn't be exploited in his normal encounters due to his sand. His special sand served as his impenetrable shield and his crushing mace. However, the transformation seemed to change his fighting style completely.

Now he attacked at close-range. His physical strength and speed appeared to be enhanced significantly, and his protective sand didn't flow around him to shield him.

Amari mentally organized the new Intel she gathered and set about searching for Hikari. When she found them, she gasped in horror. "Hikari!"

Gaara's large sand arm covered almost the entirety of her body. The kunoichi's body squirmed in pain, her back pinned to the trunk of a tree.

"Is that it?! Is that all the strength your purpose gives you?! You're pathetic!"

Suddenly Hikari's entire body began to change colors. Her white hair, her clothing, even her skin shifted into molten lave, melting into a puddle as the lava touching Gaara attached to his sand arm.

"A lava clone?" Amari whispered, her Sharingan activated as she studied the jutsu.

 _Impressive. Unlike a Shadow Clone, when this clone dispels it can deal damage to the attacker. Not only that, but it leaves an environmental hazard on the field of battle_. She smirked in relief. _Good thing we didn't fight her. That would have been such a drag._

Gaara screamed in agony as the lava seared through his sand and destroyed the extended sand limb. Every bit of sand the lava touched melted off his arm like ice cream on a hot summer day. When the majority of the sand arm had been neutralized and his normal flesh could be seen again, the lava instantly solidified into a dark-colored rock.

The solidification of the lava fused Gaara's arm to the tree. Judging on the furious noises he made as he tried to pull free, he wouldn't be going anywhere soon.

Amari glanced down to the solidified puddle at Gaara's feet. She nodded to herself, impressed as she started to grasp this power Hikari wielded. _She has complete control over the lava puddle left behind. It's a destructive power, dangerous to enemy and allies alike. And in urban combat, it could destroy allied structures or targets she means to capture._

She touched the back of her thumb to her lips in thought. _However, I'd bet Hikari realized that early on. Might have been an accident, or she may have been really attuned to her power. Either way, she learned to circumvent the collateral damage her kekkei genkai can cause by gaining this control over it. I wonder, though, does it exhaust her chakra to do that?_

The Nara hoped to ask later. Instead she readjusted her focus once more back on their mission, lowering her hand from her face to rest on her knee as she crouched. _Hikari's kekkei genkai is powerful, there's no doubt about that. No wonder her assassins failed to kill her._

"'Tis over, Gaara." Hikari emerged behind Gaara at long-range—her comfort zone. She held her left hand out in front of her, closed into a fist as she hovered there. "My Lava Style can destroy anything it touches, even the power the Shukaku grants you."

"Then stop holding back," he growled. "The only way to prove to me that your purpose is stronger than my own is by killing me. If you don't have the guts to do it now, you'll never defeat me!"

He belted out a feral scream and started to tug his arm back in an attempt to free himself. Amari's eye widened when she saw the rock begin to crack. _You've got to be kidding._ One final huge pull and the rock shattered completely, freeing Gaara.

"Amari." Mimi and Sasuke landed on either side of her. Their eyes lingered on the two preparing to reengage below them. "What are we going to do?" the Inuzuka questioned.

 _I'm not sure_. It was the most honest answer she possessed right now, but it wouldn't encourage confidence in their mission if she said it out loud.

 _As strong as we are, even in this partial transformation, the power Gaara wields and his durability are greater than our own. Most of our rank of jutsu won't be able to do major damage to him. Plus_ , she mentally glanced to Mimi, _Mimi's ankle will slow her down._

 _She'll have to stay at long-range or we'll risk her getting caught by Gaara's new speed. And I don't want us to sit here and hope Hikari can handle him before the transformation gets out of control._

She considered summoning Atsuko, but the situation wasn't fully out of control yet, and she didn't want to risk summoning her when the Crows were still needed in the Leaf Village. What could they do to help in the meantime, though? What techniques could they use to defeat Gaara and not get in Hikari's way?

 _How do we stop him before his transformation takes full control?_

Hikari swiped her hand in front of herself as Gaara launched himself at his former friend. Lava from the remnants of a puddle splashed to life, launching through the air in front of the kunoichi. It solidified instantly and created a solid wall to shield her from Gaara's cannonball-like attack.

On impact, the wall shattered into pieces. The Sand shinobi continued to surge forward, but he did not hit Hikari. He slammed into another wall, hard, but it did not break, nor was it made of stone. This wall was strictly made of that black dust substance from Hikari's gourd. All formed together, it created a black sand shield, but it looked as firm as a steel wall and gave off an imposing vibe she related to having Zabuza towering over her.

"This is the—" Gaara sounded utterly floored.

"Iron Sand: Death Shield," Hikari said, devoid of emotion.

Spears of black sand spiked out of the shield directly into Gaara's sand armor. His cry of pain and the splash of blood Amari's eye caught revealed the sharpness and the depth her Iron Sand pierced. Gaara was thrown back as the spears jutted further and further away from Hikari, until he managed to push off and retreat.

He grabbed at his giant sand arm, eyes wide at the injury dealt to him.

"Hm. Impressive move," Sasuke said. "It wasn't just a defensive move or an attack; it pushed Gaara out of close-range and back to long-distance."

"She got him out of range of his own attacks and back into range of hers," Mimi agreed. "Smart girl. And dangerous as hell. Lava Style and that strange Iron Sand? No wonder she was so certain in her ability to take us all down."

 _Yeah, but there was another reason for that kind of attack_ , Amari thought, eyes locking on her braced knee and the sand particles keeping close to it. _Your means of travel is meant to limit how much you walk on it, and I can tell by how you stand that you place the most weight on your right knee. That's your Achilles heel. If Gaara or anyone hits it, you may not be able to fight anymore._

More reason to come up with a plan to help.

"Have you truly forgotten the kekkei genkais I wield, Gaara? My Magnet Style grants me the ability to use the famed weapon of Suna: The Iron Sand, wielded by our Third Kazekage long before I could," Hikari spoke confidently. "I use the grains of my Iron Sand to manipulate the hard stone my Lava Style can create; 'tis how I travel upon this rock. Although, I must thank you, Gaara. You acted just as I hoped."

"What are you talking about?" he snarled.

"Do you not see it?" she asked in return.

Gaara squinted in anger then looked up. A grunt of shock escaped him when he finally noticed the sharp shards of stone surrounding him from every side. "What? Where did you—"

"I did not create that wall of lava because I believed it could hold up against your immense power. I knew you would shatter it; I _wanted_ you to shatter it." She moved her hand up, palm facing towards the ground, and the shards aligned themselves with Gaara. "I used most of my Iron Sand to shield myself. However, before you broke my wall, I fed a portion of my Iron Sand into it."

 _She was already a few moves ahead of him_ , Amari realized.

"My Iron Sand is an extension of my own hands. These sharpened stones are now mine to control, and many are long enough to pierce through your armor."

Gaara moved to jump away, but his legs refused to budge. His wide eyes looked down to his feet, finally seeing the Iron Sand Hikari steadily moved to capture him. "Surrender, Gaara. Do not force me to erase you."

"Go ahead and try!" he yelled. "You can't kill me. I will not cease to exist!"

"You stupid boy, I do not want you to cease to exist," Hikari growled, face contorting in anger and hand curling into a fist as she lost her calm composure briefly. "I want to purify you of this darkness you've embraced, and if that means I must destroy this monster you've become, I will!"

Hikari slammed her hand downwards. The simple action commanded her shards of sharp stone to fall from the sky like an executioner's blade. With no choice left, Gaara lifted his sand arm in front of him and created a sand dome around his body. As if expecting the action, Iron Sand surged out of Hikari's gourd in a violent stream of black sand.

"Iron Sand: Iron Legion!"

The stream of sand split into over a dozen long sand spears. Her stone shards landed first, piercing into the sand but only a few burrowed through to the sand shinobi. The Iron Sand spears had no such issue. They impaled through the impenetrable sand to the enemy hidden within.

Gaara's bloodcurdling scream of agony made a shadow of regret and pain pass over Hikari's features. The spears and the sand she used to restrain his feet pulled back and returned as a steady stream into her gourd. Tan sand peeled away from Gaara; armor covered his body still, but streaks of blood colored his visible skin and outfit. He panted and grunted from the pain, grabbing at a wound in his side as he gazed with wide and wild eyes at Hikari.

Aoko rumbled from Mimi's hood. "Damn," the Inuzuka cursed. "Those injuries should have ended this fight. Any other shinobi would be lucky to be alive, but his wounds are healing as we speak. And look," Mimi pointed, "more of that sand armor is forming on his body to cover his open wounds."

"He's becoming more like a monster every second," Sasuke said.

The power of darkness.

 _What can we do? Hikari's kekkei genkais are extremely powerful, where I'm not sure our attacks will even scratch him. Except maybe Chidori…_

"Sasuke, how many times can you perform the Chidori?" she asked, looking up to him.

"Kakashi-sensei said I'm good for two bursts. A third would either not work, activate the mark or kill me," he explained.

"Hm," she looked back to the fight. "Then we'll have to be wise about when we use it. Unleashing the mark or getting killed would be way too troublesome."

Sasuke snorted humorously. "Yeah."

Mimi breathed out a chuckle and shook her head. "Heh, that's one way of putting it."

 _So what's our next move, Amari?_ The Nara reached to her back pouch and felt the few unfinished seals she had left. _I don't have many left, so I'll have to make them count. And at least half of Gaara isn't yet protected by the transformation, which should theoretically mean we can damage that half. There's also Mimi's Water Style. Water and Sand naturally don't mix together well; water turns it into mud. If the same can happen here, we could weaken his armor and remove it piece by piece._

Yes, that could work. Take away the armor and every single attack they landed would be effective. The regeneration ability had to have a limit. If they could press the assault, wear him down attack after attack and break apart his armor, then there was a real tangible chance to win this fight. But they'd have to be smart. They couldn't risk getting in Hikari's way when she was their powerhouse in this battle, or risk getting to bold against Gaara when he was still a threat.

Amari pieced together a plan move by move before speaking up.

"All right you two, listen closely. I think I have a plan."

* * *

 _The Shukaku is more powerful than I imagined possible in a partial transformation_ , Hikari thought. Her attacks would have been mortal injuries for an average shinobi; against a Shukaku powered Gaara she suspected those deep injuries would incapacitate him. Render him incapable of fighting but not dead. _If he progresses any further…_

Hikari shook her head. No, she wouldn't allow him to unleash the full power of the Shukaku. 'Twas not an ideal battle to fight, even with her powerful kekkei genkais. Arrogance was fatal to all shinobi. To believe even her great power could overcome the Shukaku—the definition of raw power—would be the death of her and many others.

 _I'm sorry, Gaara. But you've embraced lunacy. You seek to be a source of destruction and pain to all those of this world. I cannot allow that. That is why I_ _ **must**_ _continue to hurt you. Please, forgive me. I never wanted to cause you pain, but the purpose you latch onto is wrong. I will defeat you; I will prove to you why your purpose is wrong._

 _That is my purpose._

Hikari could not deny the heavy heart she carried, however. Gaara's painful wheezing, 'twas hard to bear. Every cry of agony was a sharp and piercing whistle in her ear. Every terrible blow she hurt him with stabbed yet another dagger into her heart.

No elation came from his pain. No warm comfort covered her as her Iron Sand speared his previously untouched flesh. How could anyone find joy in harming a precious person?

"Thi- this pain…" Gaara's pained voice turned into deranged laughter. "To be able to wound me, I should have severed our friendship and tried to kill you sooner! Destroying someone who could actually make me feel this much pain will prove my existence beyond any shadow of a doubt!"

Hikari's stomach dropped. _What have you become, Gaara?_ She shook her head in disappointment. "You have lost your mind, Gaara," she said remorsefully.

 _This boy…No, this monster shares no similarities to the boy I knew._

The ember she held close to her heart, the little warmth that once touched her skin, the miniscule light it brought into her dark world…'twas dying. Or perhaps 'twas already dead. Perhaps the warmth she tried so long to preserve was merely her own lonely arms hugging her body to sustain heat against cold isolation.

Hikari sensed Gaara launch after her again, changing directions rapidly through the dense forest as he move in to strike. The fast movements rendered her Lava Bullets ineffective. At his speed, she was more likely to kill a vast number of trees instead of harm him. Summoning her Iron Sand from its gourd, she backed her rock up and prepared for his attack.

He came from her left side, wailing crazily as he tried to crush her body. She formed a half dome shield on her side and then expanded spikes from it to mirror a cactus of death. But her friend proved far more cunning than she expected in this state. He extended his large sand arm and slammed it into her floating rock, shattering it in one blow.

Gravity took hold and tugged her down towards the earth while her heart jumped up into her throat. The Iron Sand dome shield rushed under her. She landed butt first on a small disk shape platform as the rest of the Iron Sand cocooned around her in protection. Gaara crashed into the shield, rattling the kunoichi within but not harming her. He punched again and again, growling in frustration with every blow when his great power did nothing.

It would not crack. The Iron Sand was stronger than the special sand Gaara wielded. 'Twas not known as Suna's greatest and most feared weapon for nothing.

Hikari reached her hand out in front of her and further manipulated her sand. A hand shaped tendril of sand shot out from her right side, clawing after Gaara's retreating form while opening a hole in her cocoon. But 'twas the intention to get him focused on the hand. Her ears picked up the sound of his sandals clapping against bark; she had his position located and the surrounding hazards, and so now 'twas time to strike.

A slim tendril he did not see wrapped around his ankle from behind. "What?!"

She tugged her hand back and pulled Gaara backwards off the tree, tugging him through tree branch after tree branch before whipping him chest first into another branch. She let go of his ankle and reshaped the tendril into a fist. She punched the air, punching her friend through the tree down towards the forest floor.

 _That should buy me time._ To maintain the cocoon's position in the air and solid defense would tax her chakra if done for too long. This battle had a high probability of lasting long, which meant utilizing every bit of chakra she possessed to its fullest extent. To hold up a rock with only a few grains of Iron Sand did not rely on nearly as much chakra, nor did it limit how much of her sand she could use.

Hikari opened her cocoon and launched a Lava Style: Lava Bullet up into the air, solidifying it immediately so it could do no one harm. Grains of her Iron Sand rushed up to grab it and returned it to her level so she could hop onto it while the rest streamed back into the gourd.

 _Where are you now, Gaara?_ She clicked her tongue and listened intently to the sound waves. He was climbing the trees back to her. Iron Sand seeped out of her gourd again in preparation for defense or attack.

Her friend launched through the trees, but she struggled to track him. She couldn't hear his feet landing on any trees, and she heard sand pelting trees around her. Hikari grit her teeth. _He's using my ears against me. However…_

Her rock shifted quickly right; wind cut past her as a giant arm missed her by inches. "I can still sense your chakra, Gaara," she chastised. _'Tis too enormous to miss._ She kept moving her rock to a new position, back into long-range.

Projectiles of sand whistled through the air towards her at tremendous speed. Iron Sand leapt into the shape of dense shield in front of her. The enormous chakra of Gaara bolted behind her. "Now I've got you!"

Hikari's rock shifted again, twirling her evasively out of reach. The Suna kunoichi channeled chakra to her feet and flipped her rock up into the air and upside down to avoid another strike meant to take out her platform. Iron Sand conformed to her left side and shielded against a hard strike from Gaara.

In her right hand, the rough Iron Sand started to form into a shape her palm and fingers curled around. She swiped her left hand through the air, removing the shield and slashed her Iron Sand blade straight through the giant sand limb. The large clump of sand fell off her friend without severing his real arm off.

Shifting the shape of her blade while her friend stood paralyzed on the trunk of a tree, the sharpened sword became a trident she stabbed into the tree, pinning his neck between two of the prongs. "That's enough, Gaara," she growled. "'Tis over! Abandon this insane purpose you've latched onto. Abandon this path of destruction and evil. We are not the monsters Suna believes us to be. We are Hikari and Gaara. We are—"

A solid sand fist slammed into her stomach. Air ejected out her lungs as she flew off her rock. Her Iron Sand trident and shield cushioned her fall before she could move back onto her rock again.

"I was born a monster," he responded. "You continue to latch onto our friendship when I've told you it means nothing. Stop wasting your time being a nuisance and fight me! Try and kill me! That's the only way we'll know which one of us has the stronger purpose! Sand Shuriken!"

Hikari crouched low and created a half dome out of her sand. Her features contorted into a pained expression. _Why won't you listen? Why can't you see me anymore?_ Sand pellets collided against her shield. She weaved handseals and changed positions, evading Gaara's physical attack.

 _Lava Style: Lava Bullets!_

She expelled a bullet of lava after her friend's chakra signature. He dodged above it, but a splash of the viscous molten liquid caught onto his tail. Much to her surprise, Gaara severed the portion of the tail himself, forcing her to solidify her lava to avoid collateral damage.

"Hikariiii!" he roared as he launched after her again.

Her lips curled into an angry snarl. "Give up, Gaara!" She hopped back and off her rock onto a tree branch to dodge an attack from Gaara. She planted her good foot on the tree and hopped backwards again, landing onto her rock she had moved quickly behind her.

She threw her hand out in front of her. "Iron Sand: Infinite Darkness!" The Iron Sand floating around her turned into hundreds upon hundreds of small needles and launched ahead of her. Gaara cried out in pain as they penetrated his sand armor and protruded from his body like wicked acupuncture needles.

He fell to a knee but continued to breathe heavily with his enormous chakra refusing to fade. Anyone else would be dead, because she wouldn't stop them from penetrating into major organs, but she continued to fight for her friend. A friend she was beginning to believe no longer existed.

"Stop holding back!" he yelled at her.

She curled her hands into fists, inadvertently making the grains of sand on her rock and puncturing Gaara dig deeper into them. "Stop making me hurt you!" she cried at him. "You are not a monster, Gaara! You're my friend! Stop this madness and let's go home!"

Home. What did that word even mean to her anymore? Suna wasn't home. Home was meant to be a place of comfort, of tranquility and peace. Suna offered none of that. It only ever offered pain and misfortune to her. Gaara. Gaara had been her home. He made her feel comfortable and at peace…but that was before. Before today. Before he embraced this monster.

 _What am I even fighting for anymore? Why do I continue to fight when 'tis so clear my Gaara is gone?_

"You're beginning to annoy me. Either kill me or die! Those are your only two options!"

His words hurt her more than any physical blow ever could. They defeated her spirit with their crushing blows. Hikari's Iron Sand returned to her gourd, but as she opened her mouth to speak, her ears picked up a new sound.

The sound of paper unrolling and wrinkling in the wind.

"Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" The voice of Mimi Inuzuka came from her right flank, high up on a tree branch and out of Gaara's range of attack. Following her voice was what Hikari believed were two waterfalls splashing forth from the paper then slamming into Gaara's wounded body one after another.

He groaned and growled at the attack.

"Ha! My Water Style is the perfect weapon against your sand. Look at you, you're sand is starting to fall apart," she taunted.

Mimi Inuzuka was right. Hikari could hear the mounds of sand falling off of Gaara. His sand armor finally met its greatest weakness: Water.

The paper rolled back up and two gloved hands slapped together to create handseals. Hikari sensed the build of chakra, and the changing of positions of Sasuke and Amaririsu. The latter became three in number. Clones, obviously; they moved into new but separate positions in the trees to surround Gaara. The Leaf boy of the group hid his presence, to her mind it seemed he was lying in wait for his moment to strike.

Another spray of water shot through the forest, however this time Gaara dodged. The blade of water sliced through the bark and continued to chase her friend, splintering and cutting the branches in her path apart.

The real Amari appeared behind Hikari and grabbed her arm. "Come with me but leave your rock here for now. I think I have a plan to stop him."

Hikari obeyed and let the warm light guide her into hiding.

She settled down onto the branch Amaririsu chose, sitting to remove pressure on her bad knee. Pain thrummed in it, but 'twas not as bad as it could be. Not yet. _As long as I am careful, I will not agitate it too much in battle._

"We must stop him before he can unleash the full power of the Shukaku," Hikari stated without any real heart behind it. She didn't have much fight left in her. Her chakra reserves were not exhausted, but the same could not be said for her heart.

She sensed Amaririsu crouch down in front of her. "I know. When Sasuke wounded him in their Exam fight, it put Gaara in a state he couldn't fight back in. Mimi's Water Style is making his transformed limbs unsustainable, which will take away massive sources of speed and power he now possesses. If we can replicate his previous condition, could you trap him within a cage of your solidified lava? Or even that Iron Sand of yours?"

"I could," she nodded. "But 'twould require him to be immobilized to a single position. Unfortunately, he will be wary of my Iron Sand around his feet now. For all his madness, he possesses enough intellect to adapt from a past mistake."

"I can do immobilization. Immobilization is one of my specialties. Huh, here I thought it might be tough." Amaririsu's voice was quite expressive. She could hear the warm smile on her lips. "All right, let's finish this."

Hikari reached out and grabbed hold of anything she could to stop Amaririsu from leaving. Her hand brushed against warm and soft flesh—fingers, her left hands pinky and ring finger to be exact. Hikari's fingers automatically wrapped around them.

"Amaririsu, I thank you for helping me try to spare his life, but I…" Hikari turned her head away, towards Gaara's new position. Her lips twisted down in a sad frown. "I do not know if my Gaara still exists." Those words were incredibly hard to say. "Even should we defeat him and restrain him, his mental state may not change. It may simply delay him unleashing the Shukaku."

Two fingers lightly tapped her bare forehead. "Don't worry so much. It'll all work itself out in the end."

"How can you be so sure? Every time I try to reach out to him, he breaks my heart even more. How can you be sure it will work out in the end when he sees nothing but death?"

Amaririsu crouched again but didn't force Hikari to relinquish the little anchor she had found in this chaotic reality. "I know you've had to do a lot on your own before today," she spoke with warm rays of sunshine. "And I wish more than anything that you never had to experience it alone. But today, in this battle, you're not alone, Hikari. We're here. We've got your back. And if we all work together, we can stop Gaara and prove why his purpose is weaker. We can prove to him that only fools fight for themselves, and real strength comes from those precious to us."

"I…"

The pinky and ring finger wrapped around hers in the warmest of embraces she had experienced in years. "We're going to do this, Hikari. We'll prove him wrong together, I promise."

Hikari didn't know what to say, not at first. This girl, this wonderfully warm soul helped her to experience kindness and happiness in their first meeting. But now, now she helped her to remember what it was like to experience comfort and hope in their truest forms.

Her eyes stung with tears behind her forehead protector, but she found it in her to smile. "Forgive my forwardness, but you are Konoha's greatest treasure, Amaririsu Yūhi. Thank you."

Her fellow kunoichi chuckled bashfully. "I don't know about that. I'm not that special."

"You are to me."

"…Troublesome girl, making me blush."

Hikari hummed in satisfaction, a fond smile on her lips. She squeezed the two fingers affectionately one last time before relinquishing her grip. _I am not alone today. Today I fight with a friend to save my precious person._

Heart stirred and hope rekindled, Hikari stood up. "Let us rejoin the battle and prove to Gaara why his purpose is weaker."

"Right. Wait for my signal to cage him."

Amaririsu jumped away to land on a branch high in the canopy. The trio of Amaririsu's created a triangular formation with Gaara in their center. Her precious friend panted and wheezed heavily in pain and frustration. Droplets of water plopped on the bark beneath him, the light _drip-drip-drip_ like tiny sonar pulses to her senses.

Gaara was soaked. The sand armor of his transformation could not maintain its shape, all save a sand tail forming out of the bottom of his gourd.

Hikari hopped back onto her rock and prepared to play her role in Amaririsu's plan.

"I swear I'll kill you all!" Gaara shouted. Hikari frowned and prepared her Iron Sand to attack, forming a deadly silhouette around her body in the shape of a few dozen spears awaiting their order to be fired. "I'll crush every single one of you into dust! I will not die!"

"It's over for you," Mimi replied, her voice deadly.

Paper flapping in the wind preceded the dull _thunk_ of a blade impaling into the branch at Gaara's feet. The noise was an even louder sonar pulse for Hikari's senses, mapping out the surrounding area in exquisite detail. Two more blades _thunked_ into the tree branch, the paper she heard undoubtedly paper bombs.

The detailed map she had but a second ago vanished in a hot and loud explosion.

 _Loud_ , she cringed. The paper bomb explosion roared through her ears and rattled her bones. It drowned out the entire world around her in chaotic noise. Heat brushed against her skin, wind danced over her face, through her hair and ruffled her skirt.

Gaara survived, however. Clumps of wet sand fell to the forest floor below as he jumped up from the destroyed branch to a newer one.

Hikari clicked her tongue loudly to send out her personal sonar pulse to get a better read on his situation. The sound reflected through the trees, bent around his body and mapped out the area.

 _His tail remains intact, but Amaririsu's plan is dealing damage._

'Twas a good sign. If they could successfully incapacitate Gaara, then perhaps she could help him recapture the kind boy she once knew.

Gaara panted heavier than before. But his attempt to spare himself only lined him up with Sasuke Uchiha, who perched himself upside down on the branch above him. Hikari sensed his chakra swell and consolidate into one location, then what sounded akin to a thousand birds chirping in high octaves all at once pierced her senses.

 _This power… This must be the jutsu he used to wound Gaara._

He launched at Gaara like a bullet and roared, "Chidori!"

Gaara let out yet another shriek of pain as the jutsu cut through the tail he tried to use as a shield and drilled into his right shoulder. Sasuke pounced on her precious friend and pinned him chest first on the branch.

"All right Sasuke, get out of there. I'll take it from here," Amari ordered. "Hikari, whatever you need to do to restrain him, do it now. I'll keep him immobilized."

"This feeling…" Her former friend sounded surprised but it was quickly replaced by feral anger. "Uchihaaaa! Do you really think this technique will hold me?!"

"Not forever, no. But it'll hold you just long enough to get the job done," Amaririsu replied steadily.

Without hesitation, Hikari shortened and guided four of her Iron Sand spears over Gaara's body, impaling them into non-lethal locations to keep him pinned. She guided the rest of her Iron Sand back into the safety of her gourd then focused her chakra onto one of the few lava puddles still active and on level with their location.

Positioning the bottoms of her hands together to create a chalice shape, she pulled the shape from the viscous liquid, and with a squeeze of her hands into fists she solidified it.

With the rock formed, Hikari swept her left hand out in front of her, catching the falling rock with her Iron Sand. She manipulated the makeshift prison to face upside down and carried it towards Gaara.

 _Almost done._

"I will destroy you all for what you have done!"

"Dam- damn it," Amaririsu panted. "How do you still have this much strength to struggle after all your injuries? Hikari, please hurry! I- I don't know how much longer I can hold him!" Her voice was intoned with the strain she was under.

 _I just need a few more seconds, 'tis almost over._

Hikari lowered the chalice shaped rock on top of her friend, pinning him between the dome and the branch.

"Amaririsu, you may release him. I will ensure he cannot leave."

The constant draw on Amaririsu's chakra ended. Sasuke appeared next to his teammate and braced her falling body. "I think that's enough Shadow Possession for one day," he said dryly.

"A- agreed," his teammate panted.

 _Lava Style: Lava Bullets!_

The Suna native recalled her Iron Sand and expelled one blast of lava right at the chalice prison. Once it landed, she let the liquid spread over the makeshift prison then solidified it around the branch of the tree.

 _That should hold him_. Hikari exhaled deep breath and jumped onto a nearby branch. She recalled the last of her Iron Sand and let her rock fall to the forest floor below. _'Tis over._

Hikari clicked her tongue, hands moving along the rough bark to feel the area around her for the edge. She settled her back against the trunk of the tree. _Once I have given my knee adequate rest, I should be able to move his prison with us back home._

Three sets of feet landed on her branch, the chakra signatures belonging to the three Leaf ninjas. "Remind me not to get on your bad side. Never seen Lava Style or Magnet Style used before, but damn was it impressive," Mimi stated, a lightness to her voice.

Hikari gave an emotionally tired but grateful smile. "Thank you. I've spent years honing my abilities."

"Do you think it will hold him?" Sasuke queried.

She nodded and took another steady deep breath. "Our combined attacks have weakened him significantly, and it will take time for him to dry off. By then he will not be anywhere near the Leaf. Should he attempt to unleash the Shukaku then, it will be up to the Sand to handle what they turned him into."

"Thank you for helping us, Hikari." The Suna kunoichi looked in the direction of Amaririsu's voice. "Honestly, without your power and your prison he'd still be able to fight us. His level of strength and durability are insane."

 _'Twas not the only thing about him that was insane._ The Shukaku and loneliness had done a number on her friend's psyche. "'Tis I who must thank you three for giving me the chance to end this without his death," she replied. Her head lowered. "I…I do not know what will happen between us. Maybe 'tis best I leave my home after I return him."

She had effectively stopped Suna's plan to destroy the Leaf, going against the orders given to her by the person posing as the Kazekage. She'd be lynched for treason or worse if she remained in Suna. Perhaps 'twould be best if she disappeared.

"You could always—"

A loud rumbling cut off whatever the female Uchiha planned to say.

Hikari's heart accelerated at the massive chakra surge from Gaara.

 _It cannot be._

A series of cracking noises followed the rumbling.

The battle was not over yet.

* * *

Shards of rock exploded outwards as Gaara broke out of his makeshift prison. Amari stared wide eyed at their enemy, whose left side took shape as a massive sand arm. Behind him his tail swished about angrily. The Iron Sand pinning him remained in the bark, and yet he was free with fresh wounds where the spears pinned him.

 _He must have pulled himself free without a care for what happened to his body_ , she awed in horror. _After all that damage Hikari did, even after soaking his sand and hitting him with a Chidori, he still recovered within minutes. What kind of monster is he?_

Gaara snarled furiously, dangerous eyes flicking around in search of his imprisoners. His eyes fell upon them and his lips pulled into a wide, sadistic grin. "Did you really think that it was over? Huh?! Did you honestly believe that weak prison could hold me?!"

 _Yeah I did._ Amari glanced to Hikari. Even with her eyes covered, the horror she too felt at Gaara's renewed strength was clear on her face.

Amari's mind kept running calculations at light speed. _Two Chidori's, Hikari's Lava Style and Iron Sand, Mimi's Water Style and my explosions; combined any normal person would be dead already. No one is that durable, not without a Nine-Tails like creature. Damn it_ , she created frustrated fist and grit her teeth. _What do we do now? How are we supposed to stop someone who can withstand this much damage? Is there even a limit?_

Gaara didn't give her another moment to think. He burst off his tree directly for them, hellbent on plowing straight through the four shinobi. Hikari slid herself off the side of the tree while Amari, Mimi and Sasuke all evaded the attack in different directions. Upon impact, their previous position splintered beyond recognition.

 _Man, what a drag_ , Amari groaned, landing in a crouch with her Byakugan activated. _If each one of us didn't have some enhanced sense, we'd all be toast already. He isn't a speedster normally, but under the influence of the Shukaku his speed has increased tenfold._ She shook her head inwardly. _And his ability to regenerate from his injuries is insane. I'm not sure we can beat him, even with Hikari's help._

If his regeneration ability held no limit then they'd all keep expending chakra pointlessly until he overwhelmed them. It'd mean certain death for the entire team. _What's the best course of action, Amari? Retreat or continuing this battle?_

His strength hit its latest growth spurt and showed no sign of stopping anytime soon. But if they didn't stop him, Gaara could return to the Leaf fully transformed to cause more damage. She couldn't let that happen, yet…

 _"Whatever happens, watch each other's back and don't be afraid to retreat if the fight looks hopeless. You're each forbidden from dying, do you understand me?"_

This fight seemed hopeless. Perhaps it was time to fall back on Kakashi's primary objective: Survival.

"Now you're mine!"

Gaara's roar snapped her eyes down to Hikari. She laid crumpled on her side, hands gripping her left knee as she writhed in pain. _Oh no_. Amari's heart crashed rapidly against her ribcage. _The fall from the branch_ , she realized. _She must have landed on her bad knee._

Her Iron Sand tried to take shape around her. Before it appeared to be reinforced by steel; now it looked like normal sand with no steel to back up its strength.

Not good. Definitely not good.

Gaara lined himself up with his former friend and prepared to launch a devastating attack.

"This is the end Hikari! Your purpose was too weak!"

Chakra flowed throughout Amari's body. _No you don't!_

Leaves along her path rustled, caught in the wind of the bullet named Amaririsu Yūhi. She landed at Hikari's side and slung her left arm over her shoulders, but her great speed wasn't enough to get them out of there. Gaara's large sand arm stretched out for her, the clawed fist mere feet away. Her onyx eye widened, caught in marvelous terror like a doe spotting a lunging predator at the last moment.

 _I…_

Crimson flooded her right eye, the tomoe spinning rapidly within.

 _I'm not done yet._

Swiftly she turned her left shoulder to face the direction of the attack. In the split seconds before the blow could land, green chakra emanated from her body, spreading out from her back in the shape of a single dragon wing molding around her.

 _Ultimate Defense: Dragon Shield!_

The crushing blow crashed into the solid chakra wing and propelled the pair through the forest like an old cannon ball. Tree branches whipped past them; they cut at any warm flesh they came into contact with, drawing tiny red cuts on arms and legs and through clothing.

Amari, through the pain of the recoil erupting through her shoulder and back, did her best to twist her body to protect her passenger. The flight ended abruptly. Bark splintered beneath her back to form a small crater, tearing a sharp cry up and out of Amari's throat.

Consciousness tried to evade her, the tiny thread tried to slip through her grasps, but she gripped it with white knuckles. The chakra cloak and wing faded, red eye squeezed shut. _Creating one wing instead of a whole head wasn't nearly as exhausting._ She grimaced and grunted in agony, teeth clenched together as tightly as possible. _But the recoil is so much worse. My back and shoulder…they hurt so much._

She slid down out of the crater onto her butt with a groan but kept a firm grip on Hikari, who sat in her lap with her legs carried under one arm and her back supported by Amari's other hand. She examined the kunoichi in search of injuries her imperfect defense may have caused, but found none.

 _She didn't get hurt, though. Not by that attack at least. That's good. Makes getting hurt myself feel a little better._ Pain rippled up through her back. Her muscles tensed up as a whimper of pain escaped her. _Figuratively speaking, of course. Troublesome body._

Pain knotted between Hikari's white eyebrows, yet she stared up at Amari in wonder.

"What…color was that?"

"You saw it?" Amari struggled to ask.

"Ye- yes. You were covered in it. I saw…I saw you, or the shape of you. Your silhouette."

 _It must have been because of how intense my chakra was and how close together we were. She probably feels like she's lived in a dark closet her whole life and that sudden burst of color was like seeing the sky for the first time._

"It's my chakra, the color of it at least. Green is the name of it."

"It suits you. 'Twas magnificent and—"

"Amari, move!" Sasuke shouted at her as he and Mimi raced to her position.

Gaara barreled right at her far faster than before. Amari knew she couldn't move; her back screamed bloody murder and made the slightest twitch of movement excruciatingly painful. Even breathing hurt.

 _Do I have enough chakra for another shield?_ She closed her eyes and searched deep for the chakra necessary to perform the technique once more without death. _Do I have a choice? If I don't, we'll both die._

The tomoe in her Sharingan began to spin again, and with it she started to summon the strength to shape and solidify her chakra one last time.

"Get the hell away from her!" Amari's eye bulged open at that loud and dangerous voice. She witnessed a blur of orange phase in front of her, delivering a solid kick right underneath the jaw of the Sand shinobi.

The kick sent Gaara crashing through the branch of a tree, but he flipped out of his fall and slid back on another. An ugly snarl formed on his lips. Drool dripped down his cheek as he let the monster take more and more control.

Amari's wide red eye gazed at the back of the familiar orange jacket and spiky blond hair. "Naruto," she breathed out in relief.

Her best friend took his position on the tree branch in front of her and exhaled a few deep breaths before looking over his shoulder at her, cerulean eyes taking in her condition. "Are you all right, Amari?" he asked in concern.

"Could be worse without you," she replied, smiling through the pain.

Amari tried to take a deep breath but her breath hitched as another jolt of pain shot through her back. She shut her eyes and furrowed her brow. _I hope Mimi is doing better than I am on chakra. I_ _ **really**_ _need my back numbed._

The two downed kunoichi's were joined by Sakura, Tenten, and a brown pug wearing a forehead protector and a jacket. _Aw, a puppy._

"Looks like we made it just in the nick of time," Tenten said.

Sakura of the group moved to her teammate's side, her features pulled in a worried expression as she tried to examine her for injuries. "What happened? Where are you hurt?" her teammate asked.

"My back. Had to use Ultimate Defense," Amari managed to get out.

Her teammate's eyes grew more concerned, knowing full well what the last use had done to her internally.

"You're starting to pick up on Kakashi-sensei's timing, loser." Sasuke and Mimi joined the group on a higher branch. Naruto glanced over his shoulder to Sasuke, who nodded to him. "But better late than never."

"Are you guys okay?" Tenten questioned.

"More or less." Mimi hopped down to Amari and placed a hand on her back, channeling her Medical Ninjutsu into it. "Didn't I tell you _not_ to use Ultimate Defense?" the Inuzuka reprimanded lightly.

"Didn't have any other choice."

"I know. Try not to move too much right now. I'll numb the pain. We don't have time for an in-depth healing yet."

Amari grunted in acknowledgment. She wasn't too picky at this point. Creating a crater in a tree was not as fun or as easy as it sounded, if you could say it sounded fun or easy in the first place.

Soon enough the pain was no longer crippling. However it would only be a temporary fix; sooner rather than later the pain would return without real treatment.

"Hikari, where are you hurt?" the medic-nin asked, moving from Amari to Hikari.

"Left knee. You can only numb it. The true injury is un-healable." Mimi nodded and brought her hand to the Suna native's knee to perform the same Medical Ninjutsu.

 _We need to move_ , she flicked her eye in the direction of Gaara. _Who knows how long it is before he attacks again. He's becoming too powerful for us to handle. I need to summon Atsuko as soon as possible._

"So…wait a minute, we're working with a Sand kunoichi?" Tenten sounded flabbergasted.

"Long story and not the time for it, Tenten," Mimi answered without breaking focus. "Hikari's on our side, though. You can trust her."

"Then…who the heck is this guy?" Naruto asked, pointing at their enemy.

"Although his outward appearance has changed, he is still the one you know as Gaara," the dog spoke.

 _I remember you_ , Amari wanted to say. _You grabbed onto Zabuza's headband when Kakashi-sensei summoned his ninja hounds._ A burst of speed in the corner of her eye interrupted her.

Gaara was on the move again.

"Now you're dead, Uchihaaaaa!" he bellowed.

"Move!" Mimi ordered the group, hands moving to grab the downed pair.

There wasn't enough time, not for Amari. She didn't even have her feet under her yet. Her Sharingan and Byakugan eyes picked apart the entire scene around her in slow motion. Mimi and Sakura tried to grab them, the others were already moving, but Gaara would reach the downed kunoichis before her friends could get them to safety.

 _Damn it, this is such a drag!_

With a firm kick to Sakura and push to Mimi, she knocked them off the branch and out of the way. She braced for impact and shielded Hikari's body with her own. At the last moment, Iron Sand formed in front of Gaara, but it hadn't been fully solid. His sand arm broke through and slammed directly into Amari's back.

Painful, absolutely, but the Iron Sand lessened the severe damage it could have done. Amari's body broke through a series of branches before meeting the trunk of a tree yet again. A loud crack echoed through the quiet forest alongside a single cry of pain.

Amari fell forward onto her knees, vision darkening. She could taste blood in her mouth and feel the warm metallic liquid flowing out of her mouth. "What…a drag," she groaned.

"Why…Why do you keep protecting me?" Hikari asked, quiet and perplexed by her chosen course of actions.

Amari forced a chuckle and immediately regretted it when rough coughs tore up her throat. "Argh, I'll never get used to the taste of my own blood." She spat it off to the side, away from Hikari, though a trickle of it hung onto her lips. Ugh, why did these things always happen to her?

"With all this effort I put into protecting you, you'd think we'd have known each other for years, right?" Her fellow kunoichi nodded. "I told you earlier: I understand why you're here and what you're trying to do." She swallowed then spoke again. "I can't say I know what kind of life you've lived. But…I know what it's like to one day wake up and find the world you knew flipped around and the people you loved no longer at your side."

"Amari, are you okay?" Naruto's presence joined her at her side, worry evident in his voice and on his face. He rested a hand on her good shoulder, thankfully. She could only reassure him with a silent nod. Anything more would make it obvious how _not_ okay she was.

Her pain wasn't a priority. Hikari was her priority. "I know how you feel, I think. I've been there before. There was a time when all I had in this world were these two boys…They gave me a home, my name, a family. They gave me a life worth living. But one day one of those friends betrayed us, killed our friend and left me to die, and when that happened…"

Amari swallowed back years of pain, and as she swallowed down the metallic blood mixed with saliva, she remembered that day even more vividly. Kasai's taunts and hate filled eyes, the blade slicing through her eye, Ryu's last words and breaths; it all came flooding back. Kami, even the scar beneath her forehead protector and bandana tingled warmly.

"I…I was so lost, Hikari," she whispered lowly. "I was lost in an unbreakable darkness. My dying friend gave me a purpose to hold onto, but without them, without the only two people who made my existence mean something…life seemed so empty, dark and unbearably lonely."

"Why keep going on?" she asked a rhetorical question Amari remembered all too well, made heavier by the pain in her fellow kunoichi's voice.

Staring down at Hikari, looking into the reflection and seeing her own eye in place of the amber ones beneath, Amari again felt that same feeling she felt with Haku. The feeling they're places could so easily be reversed if only one moment in their lives changed.

But just like with Haku, she hadn't been the less fortunate one between them. Despite all the pain she experienced, Amari was the lucky one while other people, people who didn't deserve to bear this kind of pain, suffered.

 _Why? Why did you have to suffer so much?_

"I…" Amari fought against the sting of tears. "I got lucky. I really did. I tried to give up many times. I cried so much. But I was fortunate to meet new people. People who didn't owe me anything yet they opened their arms to me. People who gave me a reason to keep on living, no matter how much I was hurting inside. I decided I'd protect them, because they became my precious people."

She flicked her eye in search of Gaara. He was setting up for another attack aimed right at them. "But Gaara was the only one you ever had. People ignored you or feared you for non-legitimate reasons, and cursed you to loneliness. Despite that you kept fighting to use your power to save your only friend from the darkness he's consumed by. Because despite what other people said about you or him, he was your friend, not a monster."

"This isn't him, though. Not anymore."

Hikari sounded on the verge of giving up on Gaara. It was a point Amari herself had reached with Kasai the moment Ryu passed in her arms. The difference here, Hikari had a chance to save Gaara still. It didn't seem like that on the surface. He appeared to fully embrace his darkness. Yet underneath all his insanity, underneath this monster he turned into, a part of him still cared about her.

Amari could feel it.

"No, it is. Deep down he's still there and you know it, otherwise you would have killed him when you had the chance." Hikari wouldn't have held back if she thought him un-savable. "The light can still reach him, Hikari. Your light can."

"Incoming!" Naruto shouted.

* * *

'Twas as if Amaririsu could read Hikari's mind. How she spoke of waking up to find the world turned upside down, the unbearable loneliness and darkness…all of it were feelings her heart empathized with.

But there was one thing she was wrong about. 'Twas no longer her light that could save Gaara. The light within Amaririsu was brighter than her own. It burned through darkness and provided hope and comfort and _life_. A life worth living.

A life worth dying to protect.

She could feel the Naruto boy move to grab them both and run, but Gaara's speed was greater. Pushing herself out of Amaririsu's warm embrace—away from the light towards darkness and fate—she made her final stand on a throbbing knee.

Hikari thrust both of her hands in front of her, summoning every grain of Iron Sand she possessed to rush out of her gourd to wrap around Gaara's arm and body. 'Twas incredibly difficult to hold him there, the equivalent of holding back a rampaging bull with only her hands. Every beat of her heart was joined by an excruciating thrum of pain from her knee. It loosened her sand bit by bit, derailing the focus she required to manipulate the sand at its full strength.

"Amaririsu, 'tis not my light that can reach him anymore…but yours." She tightened her grip around Gaara, although she could feel his arm stretching closer and closer to her. "I ask that if it comes down to the safety of your friends and his life, please protect what you hold precious. Do not let your beautiful light fade. Now go!"

Amaririsu, carried by Naruto, returned to the group of Leaf shinobi, leaving Hikari and Gaara alone in their struggle. He breathed heavily, body squirming in her grasps. "You may kill me, Gaara, sever our bond and turn yourself into a monster. But you will never snuff out her light or the lights of those around her."

"Why would you risk your life for her? What is she to you?!"

 _What you will always be to me…_

Hikari's face scrunched up in pain as her knee grew worse. "Amaririsu is a precious treasure I was fortunate to meet. She has shown me more kindness than any other soul since you severed our friendship. She does not fear me. She does not ostracize me or treat me as a tool. Amaririsu treated me as a person…as a friend."

Hikari felt her grip loosening. _'Tis the end for me…but I accept this fate. 'Tis what was meant to happen._

"Why do I protect her? Because I deem her life worth sacrificing mine for. You will never stop them, Gaara. Not even you possess the strength to sever the bond a pure soul like her can create."

Her time was almost up. Death mere moments away. She smiled sadly at her former friend, unrestrained tears streaming past her forehead protector down her cheeks. "Forgive me, Gaara. Even though you were my most precious person, I did not possess the strength to save you. But 'tis the cards I was dealt. I played them as best I could, but perhaps…perhaps in the next life we will meet as friends. I'd like to see you then."

Hikari created a final spear out of her Iron Sand and launched it into Gaara as she released him. The spear pierced into his shoulder, but it did not stop the giant sand arm from crashing her body into the trunk of the tree. Her senses faded on impact, turning the world fully silent and dark once more. All except for a final memory from happier days.

 _"Gaara, do I look like a monster?"_

 _"Wha- no! Why would you think that?"_

 _Hikari continued to push herself back and forth on the swing. "I was curious. The way people avoid me, I was wondering if it was because I looked monstrous."_

 _"You look…pretty," he whispered shyly. A blush formed on her cheeks as she stopped pushing herself on the swing. She couldn't remember ever being called pretty in her life, and she wasn't even sure what was considered pretty by normal standards…but Gaara thinking she was pretty was enough in her mind._

 _"Can…can I see you?" Hikari asked._

 _"But I thought you couldn't see?"_

 _The Suna native smiled in his direction. "I told you, Gaara: There are more ways to see something than through your eyes. I would have to touch your face, so if you do not want me to, I understand."_

 _"No, I wouldn't mind." Hikari hummed and got out of her swing, reaching towards the boy, hoping he didn't let her accidently poke him in the eyes. "Here, let me help." His small hands wrapped around her wrists gently and guided her palms to his face._

 _When her hands finally met his skin, she smiled largely. "Your skin is soft." She followed his cheekbones and trailed over his closed eyes. "You look…very cute, Gaara. I'm sure you will be very handsome when we're older." His cheeks grew warm beneath her touch and it made her grin._

 _She hoped she would be able to see him then too._

* * *

"Why can't I do it?" Gaara growled as he grabbed his head in pain. The image of her determined and tear streaked face cut through his brain like the crumbling Iron Spear in his shoulder. Accompanying it were small memories…old memories of their childhood when her warm smiles eased the chill in his bones. Memories of a time when all she had was him, and all he had was her.

But now she had another precious person. She found another person she considered precious…And he still had no one. Gaara shook the thought off. He didn't need anyone! He had a stronger purpose! A stronger reason to live besides pathetic friendship!

"Why would she protect worthless trash like them?"

The girl, Amaririsu Yūhi, the girl who hid her Uchiha heritage from everyone, she was the one Hikari considered precious. She was the one who opened her arms to Hikari and treated her with kindness and compassion despite barely knowing her. Amaririsu Yūhi saw Hikari as a person, no less worthy of love or friendship than anyone else.

Ridiculous reasons. Ridiculous reasons that infuriated him to no end. Why was she still grasping onto her pathetic purpose?! A purpose that led her to throw herself into harm's way for someone else! A girl she barely knew. A girl she owed nothing to!

Her purpose, it forced him to harm her _again_.

"Why couldn't you just stay out of my way?" he growled at the unconscious girl he had pinned to the tree. "I told you that you'd be nothing more than a nuisance. I told you I'd only cause you more pain. Fighting for others…the purpose is ridiculous!" he roared at the top his lungs.

"I was wrong."

Gaara snarled and turned to look at the blue-haired brat he was going to kill. She knelt on a branch. The Inuzuka mutt stood behind her healing her back again. But that intense crimson orb glared into his eyes without fear. Without remorse.

Within it he could see Hikari's amber eyes gazing right back at him. The same pain, the same strength of will, the same heart! She was what tied them together. She was the reason they were both here willing to fight and destroy one another. It wasn't the meaningless war he didn't care about; it wasn't even what he did to that bowl cut shinobi.

No, this battle between them had always been destined to be over Hikari's soul. Even had she not been here, Amaririsu embodied his former friend's spirit. She latched onto pointless connections and saw them as a means of strength, of power, but it was all a lie. To fight for others, there was no power to be gained there, no strength to inherit.

Their battle would be his stronger purpose against their weak-minded idealism.

But he saw more in that burning red orb. He saw darkness. Boiling hatred aimed right for him.

Attacking Hikari made this more personal to her. Why? Why did she care so deeply for Hikari?!

 _Why can't I kill you?!_

"I was wrong when I thought you had killed her because you said she was of no concern. You just cut off your connection to her, and any reminder of her hurts you."

Gaara snarled nastily and squeezed his sand hand tighter around Hikari, causing her to cry out in pain. The hatred in the red eye grew; her jaw tightened and her nails dug into her palms.

"Is that so?! Then maybe I'll just have to kill her to sever the connection completely!"

He couldn't do it, though. Not yet. He would prove how foolish her purpose was first by forcing her to fight for Hikari's life. She would inevitably fail, and when Hikari died, Amaririsu would lose all of her will to fight. Then he would eliminate all of her pathetic friends before finishing her off.

Then and only then would she realize how ridiculous her purpose was!

The Uchiha girl glared. Her will didn't waver or lessen; his words and actions seemed to reignite it into a great inferno.

"You know what I wasn't wrong about? Saying you were unworthy of knowing her."

Again he could do nothing except let out a ferocious growl at her. This girl, why did her words always get under his skin? Was it because she reminded him of Hikari or was it because she wouldn't shut the hell up?

Always talking and always looking for a weakness in him, yet always coming up short. He didn't hold the weak feelings of regret, friendship or happiness. All he needed was his purpose and to love himself, that's why he was stronger than all of them!

"You don't deserve someone like her in your life, not after how you've treated her today." Amaririsu stood up, teeth grit and body tense. "All she ever wanted was for you to open your eyes again. To stop looking away into the darkness so you could see her still standing by your side!

"But you turned your back on her! _You_! The one person in this vast world who she considered precious! You betrayed her!" Her fists trembled. "I thought…I thought you understood betrayal and loss because your precious person betrayed you, but no. You only understand betrayal from wielding the knife yourself. People may have treated you like a relic, but she didn't! Hikari didn't come here for anyone except _you_! Even as she fought you, even as her heart was tearing itself apart, she never stopped fighting for you!"

Why did those words bother him so much?

"Tch," Amaririsu hissed out a breath. "But you don't care, do you? You don't care about her. You don't care that you broke her heart. All because you only love yourself, you selfish scum."

Why were her words crawling beneath his skin like beetles?

"When you and your Village attacked my home and my friends, when you and your people killed innocent people who had nothing to do with this war, you made this personal. But to betray the people precious to you is unforgivable!"

Amaririsu's chakra cloak enveloped her again, her fierce will taking shape behind her as a green scaled dragon only he could see.

"And what are you going to do about it?" He detached his arm from Hikari, leaving behind the claw to pin her against the tree. The sand claws regrew and his other arm was consumed by sand again. "If you continue to fight for the protection of others you will never defeat me. Stop caring about them and fight solely for yourself. There is no other way."

"Fight for myself? Forget my friends?" She shook her head. "Never. Not when it's them who taught me what true strength is." She burst forward in a flash of speed, a ferocious spirit burning in her eye. "You'll pay for what you did to her!"

Gaara grinned. "I think I'll toy with you before I kill you!"

He wanted her to use her full strength so he could know without a doubt what it was like to exist. Then he'd take out that other Uchiha, the one who had wounded him for the first time in his life.

Yes, by the end of today he would know what it was like to be truly alive!

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: The final confrontation is upon us! There are changes to the canon of Naruto beyond Haku and Zabuza's survival, but that's all I can say as of this moment. I can't say when they happen or what they are, but there will definitely be changes ahead. And you nailed Hikari's abilities, as you've already learned from reading this chapter, so nice work there! They will definitely need training in how to function during war time, especially given the future path that is ahead of them in canon and in my version. Bingo Books and the Crows of the Leaf will certainly help Amari and her team specifically. We will have to wait and see if there are Sharingan eyes for her to claim or not and what becomes of her Byakugan as the story continues. Hehe, grandpa Madara. I imagine Hashirama would love the idea of Madara being a grandfather, even in jest, though Tobirama I doubt would be so enthusiastic. Thanks for the review!_


	50. Chapter 49: The Final Confrontation

Chapter 49

Desperate Plans, Dire Situations: The Final Confrontation!

Inevitability finally arrived.

The strange connection Amari and Gaara shared had whispered of an eventual confrontation between them, a battle in which their wills and purposes for existence would clash like dueling blades to prove undeniable dominance. Well, the day finally arrived. This moment in time, this battle where only one could stand tall as the true victor, would determine whose reason to exist gave them greater strength.

There would be no torn apart hearts in this clash of purpose. No held back killing blows for the sake of their bleeding hearts cry to stop fighting one another. Gaara was not Haku. No, their hearts were as different as the latter's ice and Amari's fire. Haku found no pleasure in killing; his purpose was to live and die for the person precious to him, even if that person only saw him as a tool.

Amari empathized with Haku. She understood his reasons, his purpose and his heart as well as her own, because they were so alike in the most frightening way. One moment, a singular experience dictated their sides in that clash and bound them to their similar but separate paths, forcing them into a duel to the death for what they deemed precious.

That single moment, that life altering experience to dictate where they stood on the battlefield, wasn't anything flashy or traumatizing. They had already been traumatized and alone before it, which made the hand to reach out to them when they had _nothing_ —when they were _nothing_ , bearing no bonds of family or friendship—a monumental, life altering moment. And as they battled, as they crossed blade, senbon and ninjutsu, every attack they landed was a self-inflicted cut or stab to their own hearts.

Their hearts bled for each other in their battle, begging them to do no more harm than necessary to this stranger a thread of fate tied them to. And when all was said and done, they even cried for one another and all the pain they endured.

When Hikari first showed herself, Amari's greatest fear had been a battle mirroring Haku's. She could _feel_ that the Suna native and her were tied together by a similar connection, and that meant any battle with her would force Amari to open up self-inflicted wounds on her heart. Yet her greatest fears didn't become reality; Hikari offered a different path, a path she had leaped for in gratitude.

 _This time will be different_ , she believed. It had been in many ways. Rather than fighting against one another, she and Hikari were able to fight side by side as comrades instead of enemies, all in an effort to save the blind kunoichi's precious person. But as Hikari's battle against Gaara continued, as her precious person refused to open his eyes and see everything she was trying to do to save him, Amari's heart tore open differently than before.

No matter what they did, no matter how hard they tried, Gaara kept embracing his insanity. The darkness of solitude and isolation consumed his very soul. It transformed him into a monster, one who couldn't see the suffering of his precious person, even when she was right in front of his eyes, pleading with her broken heart to come home.

He felt nothing. He didn't care about Hikari or how he broke her heart. Gaara loved only himself. Loved only the bloodthirsty purpose he latched onto, for as long as other people existed, his couldn't be wiped out. Because his existence, his purpose, was to eliminate all other existences.

Amari hadn't seen how vast the darkness obscuring his vision had been, or maybe she hadn't tried to. To her mind, as a team with Hikari, all they had to do was pummel Gaara into defeat to show him the error of his ways. By failing to kill any of them, his purpose—and the strength he believed it gave him—would be shattered while theirs would be reinforced by Iron Sand like strength.

Most of all, though, her greatest hope was for Gaara's eyes to open, even for the briefest of seconds, so he could see Hikari's hand reaching out to him.

 _But you didn't open your eyes, you bastard! You shut her out! You broke her heart! And now I'm going to break_ _ **you**_ _!_

Like an arrow released from a fully taut bowstring, the chakra cloak enveloped form of Amari shot through the branches after Gaara. All her teammates saw was the flicker of a green flash.

One burning red eye scorched through the veil of darkness she refused to see while the piercing lavender eye gazed into the void of his soul without remorse or fear. Inevitability arrived, and she wouldn't run away from it any longer. _I tried to pretend I could avoid this. I hoped you would just walk away from my home and never return. But that's because I was afraid of you and your power. I was afraid of the all-encompassing darkness I could see in your eyes._

 _I was a coward and a fool._

Amari reappeared on the trunk of the tree adjacent to Gaara and Hikari's position, red eye ablaze and two onyx blades in her hands, then she released her chakra from her feet, the green flicker providing the only evidence of her presence there. Gaara spun to face her previous position, giant sand arm already on a warpath, accented by his golden eyes alight with excitement and bloodlust. He could finally feel alive, if only he could kill her.

The Sand shinobi smashed his giant sand arm into the trunk of the tree to destroy her, but his eyes betrayed him, as did the eyes of her allies. The flicker of green and the image of her body they witnessed was an afterimage her new speed left behind. Amari, so consumed by the fury of what Gaara had done to Hikari, didn't even notice her sudden advancement granted by the concoction of sheer emotion, adrenaline and her chakra cloak.

Two blades, thrown when she landed on the trunk, whizzed past Gaara's sand arm, undeterred from their path.

"What?" Gaara hissed, stunned by the lack of any body. The hilts of the blades landed snugly in Amari's hands as she reappeared directly in front of Gaara. Satisfaction swelled at the widening of his eyes when their eyes locked. "How did you—"

 _But I won't be a coward or a fool any longer. I'll erase your darkness in agonizing fire!_

Chakra emanated from her blades as they spun deftly in her hands to face towards the forest floor, then she struck. Blades strengthened by her chakra, she slashed two powerful strikes across his chest, cutting through the sand armor to the flesh below. Amari rolled her body low, ducking beneath Gaara's swinging sand arm to cut his exposed knees.

This was a battle between their chosen paths, their purposes for existence, with only one possible winner. There'd be no runner up prize. No second place trophy for merely showing up to this fight. No. Only one of them was walking away today with their purpose and body intact, she'd make sure of that!

Gaara, despite his new open wounds, jumped up to avoid another slash of her blade. The massive sand arm elongated quickly, prepared to smash the Uchiha through the tree branch into oblivion, but again she had already moved. Gaara faced a wielder of the Sharingan and Byakugan; she could predict his movements on subtle body language and see his high speed attacks as if they were moving in slow motion.

 _Now to get you away from Hikari!_

The sound of her sandals clapping against bark caused Gaara to turn his head around in shock, but even then he was too late to react. The clap of her sandal against bark didn't give away her current position; it gave away her _last_ position. As soon as he turned his head, he saw her foot inches from his face, and then they collided at full force, sending him hurtling away from the tree Hikari had been pinned to.

"You're speed in that form is impressive, I'll admit," Amari said, voice consumed by the fire in her heart. "But now we're going to fight at my speed. Think you can keep up when fractions of a second are all you get to evade or counterattack?" Gaara returned to his feet, a vicious snarl on his monstrous face, but it couldn't match the seething features of Amari paired with her smoldering red eye. "Let's find out."

In her Byakugan vision, she looked back at Hikari. Chakra flowed through her chakra network, proof she still lived, but the sand around her also flowed with chakra. While imperceptible to the naked eye at this point, it was steadily tightening around her unconscious body, slowly but surely it would crush the life out of her unless Gaara was defeated.

 _I'm going to get you out of there_ , she promised, then she bolted after her enemy.

"Sand Shuriken!" Gaara roared.

Sand from Gaara's transformed arms shaped into shurikens and launched in enormous volleys of powerful blades of sand as he swung his left arm at her. Amari could see every single sand shuriken. The attack covered a wide berth; it'd be impossible for an average shinobi without fine-tuned senses to dodge, which revealed its purpose—cut off an enemy advance through a massive assault the naked eye struggled to track.

His attack, however, could be countered by a wielder of dōjutsu and speedster. Amari created the clone seal, forming a clone directly under her to use as an impromptu platform in her flight, flickering away again. The clone dispersed on impact from the sand shuriken, but Gaara's golden eyes were already scanning the area in search of her. He was learning, adapting to her style of attack with every second they battled.

Their eyes met briefly, her new position on the bottom of a tree branch; her ponytailed hair gravitated towards the forest floor. Gaara whipped another sand arm at her, firing off another volley, but they only scuffed and pierced into the bark of an empty tree.

He turned and whipped his arms again and again, over and over, creating a seemingly inescapable and impenetrable attack that covered all three hundred and sixty degrees around him. An intelligent move. The speed Amari moved at overwhelmed him, especially in close range where his bulky size made him slower than his smaller, more agile enemy. To counter her superior agility, he was planning to keep her at range to avoid a close-quarters battle, all but guaranteeing one of these sand shurikens eventually would strike her.

Sand shurikens pelted every tree, every branch and every leaf in their wake. Green life gradually floated towards the ground beneath them, and between the falling leaves flashed the blue-haired shinobi.

 _There!_

An opening. A small gap in the assault, similar to a door open just enough to slip through. Luckily she was small too, and with this opening she could close the distance and attack. Landing on the trunk of a tree, blades tightly held in both hands, Amari moved to attack. Sand shuriken tore up the tree around her, sounding like a hundred axes chopping rapidly into the tree one after another. Then she became a torpedo, launching off the trunk via chakra released from her feet. Blades of sand whipped past her and whistled by her ears; one grazed past her cheek to spill forth a bead of crimson blood.

Gaara, who had been throwing his arms around wildly after the quicker opponent, saw her at the last moment and brought one of his massive arms up to shield himself. His line of sight momentarily blocked, the Nara re-calibrated her line of attack, bringing up the clone seal with two kunais in hand.

 _I'll have to be careful using this jutsu with my other clone still out in the Leaf. Shadow Clone Jutsu!_

Three separate pairs of feet pressed against the sand arm, halting their forward momentum completely with hard kicks. Amari's red eye saw Gaara's golden eyes widen at the increased numbers as he skidded slightly back. But he didn't freeze up. His tail lashed over his smaller body as sand particles tried to wrap around the trios ankles to end this battle here and now.

A startled sound wormed its way out of Gaara's throat when their presence all but vanished. He only had enough time to blink once before a solid fist slammed against his cheek, but he didn't see the source until the clone appeared on his right. A chakra coated blade cut across the sand on his back, through the armor to the flesh as a second clone emerged out of a Body Flicker on his left.

The real Amari came out of her Body Flicker above him, slamming her heel down into the back of his head, lips curled into a vicious growl.

 _You regenerated from Hikari's damaging attacks. None of my attacks alone are nearly as powerful as hers, which can only mean these ones are regenerating too. It won't be enough to cut you and hit you if I'm going to save her. I need something more._

Again the trio vanished, the only thing left of their presence being the fading flickers of green chakra. Gaara jumped back and away. His golden eyes flicked up and down, left and right in search of the missing shinobi so he could crush them into dust. He didn't find their presence until he landed, only because they launched another coordinated assault.

"You won't get away from me!" a clone of Amari shouted as she landed a hard kick to his sand covered face.

At the same time, the second clone appeared behind him, leg sweeping out Gaara's still normal legs. The combo did exactly as Amari hoped: The metaphorical giant had been tripped. He fell onto the branch of the tree and groaned, dazed by the hard hits.

Two kunai then pierced into the trunk at Gaara's sides, thrown from the branch directly above him. In his daze, he did not see the glint of light shine off the ninja wire attached to the hilts of the blades, nor did he see how the ends of those wires were caught between Amari's teeth.

"This is what happens when you piss me off!" she growled.

 _Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!_

Intense flames expelled from her mouth, shooting down the wires as if following an oil trail straight into Gaara, engulfing him in an intense inferno.

Out of the fire, a giant sand arm stretched to attack the real Amari. She quickly released the ninja wires and Body Flickered away just as the arm smashed straight through the thick branch she had been perched on, splintering it and sending it to the forest floor below.

 _Hmm_ , she hummed in discontent, _it's good I didn't use Dragon Flame Jutsu or even the most powerful Fire Ball Jutsu I can muster with my chakra cloak activated like I wanted to. That sand armor of his protected him completely against my attack. Dragon Flame Jutsu may deal damage, but I don't know if it'll be enough. And if either I or Sasuke use it, we'll be drained of most of our chakra._

Mimi's food pills weren't an unlimited supply, nor were they a crutch they could overuse without consequences. Food pills didn't magically heal the fatigue their bodies endured or would continue to endure in this battle. The more they consumed, the greater the chance of the side effects rearing their ugly heads.

" _High levels of stress and anxiety, insomnia, headaches, and a level of chakra exhaustion most shinobi don't even know exists,"_ was Mimi's warning during the preliminary rounds. They couldn't risk being overcome by those, not now. Not when they had to win this battle.

 _That leaves Mimi's Water Style, taijutsu attacks, any weapons Tenten might carry and one more shot with Chidori if we give Sasuke a food pill. Maybe two shots if we're lucky._

How did she use all these pieces together to get the best result? None of them alone could defeat Gaara. To defeat him and save Hikari, they would need to coordinate every single technique and attack they had in a massive offensive his sand armor and regenerative abilities couldn't overcome.

 _But right now we're scattered. We're disorganized as I try to keep him busy._

Amari dodged through the trees to evade further volleys of sand shurikens while her clones moved to attack at close-range. She was furious, true; internally she was hot with rage, desiring nothing more than to tear Gaara apart. But she wasn't beyond reason.

Hikari's life hung in the balance. _Their_ lives hung in the balance. Much as she wanted to be a hotheaded idiot who defeated Gaara by being so angry and full of adrenaline she blasted him into the next century with a single jutsu, this was reality. Not a dream.

This was a war where real lives could be lost based on decisions or actions she made.

 _I think it's time to call in Atsuko_ , Amari thought. She hoped to handle this without disturbing the Head of the Crows while she defended the Leaf, but she needed every bit of power they had to finish this fight.

Amari wiped her thumb across her cheek, painting it with the fresh blood and wiped it over her palm. Her senses spiked when the memories of her two clones defeat hit her. Red met gold as Gaara cannonballed directly at her.

"Uchihaaaaa!"

Her hands never stopped moving until she pressed her palm to her shoulder.

 _Summoning Jutsu!_

"You wasted Hikari's sacrifice!"

The incredible power and speed of Gaara slammed the kunoichi directly into the trunk of tree, promptly making her disappear into a mess of splinters.

"I did it! I killed her!" Gaara cheered, laughing manically. His laughter ended when dozens of crows swept out from beneath his massive sand hand without any human body anywhere in sight. "What? What is this?! No, no, no! I killed her! I know I did!" he roared in disbelief.

The crows reformed a reasonable distance from the enemy into the still very alive Amari, now accompanied by a crow on her shoulder and without her chakra cloak.

"Well, I'd say that was cutting it a little close, wouldn't you agree, Lady Amari?" the calm male voice of Osamu entered the forest.

The kunoichi exhaled a soft and short laugh. "Yeah. Sorry about that, Osamu. This guy has been a real drag." She looked up at the black feathered crow, who stood the same height as Atsuko and wore a Leaf headband. The distinguishing difference between the two, besides the obvious difference of gender, was an iridescent blue to Osamu's feathers.

"I was expecting Atsuko, but I'm glad to have you here, Osamu. I owe you another one for saving me again."

"You owe us nothing more than you already give, Lady Amari," Osamu responded kindly. "Lady Atsuko is currently coordinating a massive assault operation. Until she is finished I will be your backup."

"I feel safer already," Amari said, smiling at the crow.

Gaara's golden eyes darted away from her, locking onto movement behind. She knew what he saw. Through her Byakugan eye she saw Mimi and Tenten heading for Hikari, likely in hopes to remove her prison with Water Style ninjutsu. The sight of them close to Hikari made Gaara harden the sand prison around her body.

"Not one step closer or I'll kill her here and now!" Gaara shrieked.

Mimi stopped and cursed under her breath. Amari grit her teeth together, rage spiking again. "You bastard. You've done enough to her already! This is between you and me now!"

Gaara's transformed face split into a wide and feral grin. "This fight will only end when one of us is dead. You either kill me and save Hikari, or I'll crush all of you into oblivion! But if anyone tries to save her before that, I'll kill her before I kill all of you. So you better hurry," he laughed. "With every passing second the sand will harden, inevitably killing her."

"What a twisted game he has concocted," Osamu said, revulsion in his voice. "I cannot tell if it is the Shukaku's influence, or if this child's life as a jinchūriki has driven him towards insanity."

The word caught Amari off guard. "A…jinchūriki?" she asked.

"Yes," Osamu answered. "Although the word may be foreign to you, you know quite well already the life jinchūriki's face. Yes, I can see it in your eye now that you are beginning to realize whom I speak of."

Osamu looked to her best friend, who stood out of earshot of their conversation. "Naruto, too, has lived the hard life all jinchūriki face. He should be considered a hero for the personal sacrifice foisted upon him as an infant. Nevertheless, Naruto and Gaara both contain within them tailed-beast—the Shukaku and the Nine-Tailed Fox—and because of this, they are ostracized. Feared and hated because people see them as the monsters they contain, not the individuals they are."

"I…see."

"Permit me to ask one question, Lady Amari." He met her red eye, curiosity within his infinitely dark orbs. "Who is this Suna kunoichi to you? I can sense your determination to save her. I heard in your voice but a moment ago seething fury for this boy harming her further. Why do you intend to risk your life for her?"

Amari glanced to her through her Byakugan eye, her mind playing back Hikari's final words.

" _Why would you risk your life for her? What is she to you?!"_

 _"Amaririsu is a precious treasure I was fortunate to meet. She has shown me more kindness than any other soul since you severed our friendship. She does not fear me. She does not ostracize me or treat me as a tool. Amaririsu treated me as a person…as a friend."_

" _Why do I protect her? Because I deem her life worth sacrificing mine for. You will never stop them, Gaara. Not even you possess the strength to sever the bond a pure soul like her can create."_ Her tear streaked face and sad smile hurt Amari. _"Forgive me, Gaara. Even though you were my most precious person, I did not possess the strength to save you. But 'tis the cards I was dealt. I played them as best I could, but perhaps…perhaps in the next life we will meet as friends. I'd like to see you then."_

She could feel Hikari's heartbreak coursing through her body. She could feel the ominous hatred within her heart wanting to snap loose to destroy Gaara completely for what he had done to her. But she reined in her emotions. To act on them without any thought or plan wouldn't save Hikari; she had to fight smart.

"That could have easily been me pinned to that tree. Hikari risked her life to save mine, because she deemed me worth sacrificing her own life for." Amari clenched her hands into fists. "Hikari…Hikari walked a path worse than mine. She didn't meet new precious people like I did. She's been alone for years, hoping, dreaming of a better future. One where the one person she considered precious would return.

"But he never did. He kept looking towards the darkness, and now we're here." Amari shifted her body to prepare to fight again. "I won't leave her to die. I can't. No, I refuse to let her die. We may not have known one another long, but in that short time we connected." _Just like you and I did, Haku._ "If he refuses to take the hand she reached out to him, then I'll take her hand instead. I'll keep reaching out to anyone who needs help, that's the path I've chosen. That's my ninja way!"

"I see," Osamu hummed in appreciation. "Your family's wills live on your heart, Lady Amari. But we cannot do this alone if we are to save Hikari."

"I know," she agreed. "We have to get the others to regroup and get organized. My blades and my Fire Style alone aren't enough to defeat him." _Those two kunai I used were my last ones too, and the unfinished Seals I have aren't meant to be normal Explosion Seals_ , she thought, coordinating every avenue of thought possible. _I'll need to finish those later. First step is to get the others to regroup. I think I have a plan._

"Genjutsu may not be effective either," Osamu informed. "If this child and the Shukaku are working together, then the sand spirit will release any genjutsu placed on his host."

"I was worried about that," she muttered.

"Enough talk!" Gaara growled. "If you're too scared to fight me, then I'll kill your friends and incense that fiery spirit of yours!"

Gaara bolted off the tree towards Mimi and Tenten.

"Osamu!"

The crow needed no other command. Amari's physical form burst into crows and sped through the forest, cutting off the Sand shinobi's path before he could get close enough to strike. She reformed as she kicked him, her foot colliding with his impenetrable sand shield made from his giant arm. "You won't lay a finger on anyone else, you bastard!"

The pair pushed off one another and landed back on branches before bolting back in. There was no time to coordinate a plan to her team. Just like with Temari, there was no time to stay stagnant. She had to fight and keep her team moving closer to their objective at the same time.

Amari created a clone beneath her, used her back as a springboard and jumped over Gaara, corkscrewing over his attack, seamlessly landing on a branch to then launch at his back. She connected with her kick, knocking him further down their elevated battlefield and away from her peers.

He recovered and used his sand arm to swing to a tree trunk as she landed on a separate tree, red eye fierce with resolve to stop him. Immediately he shot back in, forcing her to retreat in a backwards and diagonal run up the trunk of the tree, coiling around it with the monster on her tail, his heavy and powerful strikes crushing the bark he came into contact with.

"We are to be the distraction then," Osamu noted quietly for only her to hear.

She nodded and hummed in agreement, Body Flickering around the trunk to turn hunter into hunted, coming up from behind the Sand shinobi to strike. Air whished past her ears as she hugged close to the tree, narrowly dodging the tail of her opponent and jumping in feet first—literally. Two kicks crashed into his chest; nothing damaging, but furthering her distraction.

Using his chest, she jumped back onto the trunk, handspringing up it to avoid the wild punch Gaara struck at her with. Gravity, fortunately, was on her side in this battle. The two kicks removed his feet from the tree, sending his punch wide as gravity tugged him down while his prey retreated higher.

The Sand shinobi stretched the sand of his transformed arm out like claws as he fell. The tendrils snatched onto branches, and the acceleration towards the ground became acceleration towards the canopy.

 _He's cannonballing himself again._

Chakra flooded through her body as her eyes dialed in on his attack. He was faster than the last time, belting out a wordless banshee shriek at her with a wild look in his eyes. Everything he came into contact with tore apart, nearly Amari too, but the Body Flicker user vanished briefly in her escape, reappearing above him upside down to cannonball herself after him.

The unbelievably quick tail swung for her; how something so large could move so quick continued to amaze Amari. It collided against her body, intent on breaking every bone in her body, but the Uchiha and Crow were well prepared for it. On contact, the body of Amari dispersed into a flock of crows once more. The crows spiraled around him, pecking and scratching at the thick armor, annoying him more than anything else.

As Amari reformed out of sight with Osamu, she pursed her lips in thought. "Physical attacks alone won't deal nearly enough damage, but I noticed something back there," she muttered in thought. "I was sure my Fire Style and the wounds I dealt with my blades hadn't done anything, or at the least would be healed already. But I saw burn marks on his ankles, and the wounds to his knees aren't fully healed yet."

She glanced down at her enemy, who swung and cursed at the agile birds. "Could it be reaching a limit, or are they so minimal he doesn't even bother to heal them?"

"Far more likely to be the former," Osamu said. "The regenerative abilities he and Naruto wield are not a conscious ability they can act upon at any given moment. It is passive, granted by the beast they contain within them, but as you see, it has limits." Osamu's head turned to look at Hikari's pinned body. "For one so young, she already wields incredible power if she can strain the regenerative abilities of a jinchūriki."

Amari hummed. "I'll have to thank her when we're done for giving us a chance to win, but for now I need a new plan to keep him busy. I'm either slowing down out of fatigue, or he's starting to adjust to my speed. I'm betting the first, to be honest."

Dull aches attacked her shoulder and back; the recoil of her Ultimate Defense biting at her with sharp teeth. Fatigue made her limbs and body feel heavy. Even her larger intakes of breath were becoming more consciously noticeable. Amari tried to shake it off. This wasn't the time to slow down. She had to keep moving, keep attacking; it was the only way to save Hikari.

Osamu turned his head to meet her eye. "If we are to be a distraction, Lady Amari, then allow me to offer a plan."

"I'm all ears, Osamu."

"One of my specialties is Combined Transformation. We fight a creature of immense power, so let us become one ourselves."

 _Become a creature of immense power?_ Amari grasped the concept. Combined Transformation worked like the Transformation Jutsu, only it was a cooperation technique between two individuals to transform them into a singular new being. It could simply be a person or, as Osamu planned to do, a creature of any kind.

"But what could we be?" she asked, unsure of what animal could even wage a battle in the forest against Gaara's transformation.

"The sky is the limit, Lady Amari."

 _The sky is the limit._ Amari looked up to the sky, brow furrowed deeply in thought. They needed mobility to move from tree to tree, so a powerful grizzly bear was out of the question, but they couldn't be a bird either because they needed strength. Lions or cheetahs could work in theory, but they were physically smaller than Gaara and not nearly as durable as a rhino or bear would be.

 _Wait a minute_ , she paused, lips pulling up into a smile. _I'm trying to pick a_ _ **real**_ _animal when the sky is the limit. And if the sky is the limit…_

Yes! The creature she had in mind would be the perfect combination of strength and agility for their elevated battle. Amari shut her eyes and created two clones, quietly sending them off to regroup the teams then made the Reverse Ram handseal. "Ready, Osamu?" she asked, more giddy than a lifetime supply of ice cream could make her.

"I am at your command, Lady Amari. Let us show him together what the combined power of an Uchiha and the Crows of the Leaf is capable of accomplishing."

"Right! Transform!"

* * *

Naruto stood frozen in place, watching the battle between Amari and Gaara take place right before his eyes as his mind scrambled to figure out something, _anything_ he could do to help against their opponent. But what? What could he do? This guy, he brushed off Bushy Brows greatest attacks, he even took that Chidori move back in the stadium and he was still standing.

The crows to attack Gaara fled into the canopy of the forest, leaving him alone in his annoyance after swatting at them like flies. None had been hurt, but Gaara hadn't been either. His golden eyes searched the area for Amari, but no one had seen where she reformed at. Not even Naruto.

 _Amari's giving it her best, but that sand armor of his is protecting him even better than that other sand he used against Bushy Brows. Is there any way for us to even beat him?_

"Where'd you go? Aren't you worried about your friends?" the boy turning into a monster taunted. "That's your greatest weakness! These pathetic insects you consider your friends haven't even tried to help you yet. They're too afraid for their own lives, while you waste your feelings on them! Fight only for yourself, Uchiha! Then and only then will you know what true strength is!"

 _Is…is he right? Is that why he's so powerful?_

Was that where real strength came from? Selfish lust for power? Darkness? Was that the truest form of strength?

Silence hung over the forest for a moment. Then, from seemingly every direction, the loudest, ear-splitting roar bellowed through the forest, rolling and reverberating through the large trees. Naruto winced, heart jumping into his throat as he covered his hands over his ears, refusing to take his eyes off the battle but feeling a sense of fear he had never quite felt before. He sensed instead of saw his comrades mimic his reaction.

 _Wha- what the hell was that?_

The answer came faster than he thought it might. Tree branches disintegrated as a large blur of green shot directly for Gaara; in its wake, wind gusted and pressed against those inhabiting the forest, ruffling their clothes. The two forces collided, breaking through an entire tree and into another with Gaara's cry of pain following their destructive path.

The dust did not settle from the attack. No, it was blown away as two huge and powerful looking wings expanded to their maximum width, pushing yet another pulse of air through the forest to whip against their faces. The dust scattered and revealed a jaw-dropping sight.

Naruto's eyes widened. _Amari? Is that…is that you?_

Standing proudly, or perhaps looming over their enemy, was a green dragon with one red Sharingan eye and one striking lavender eye. Four menacing horns protruded from its skull, the points aimed the opposite direction of its snout. Razor sharp teeth, revealed by a threatening snarl, looked poised and ready to devour their enemy. Its neck, body, tail and legs were all covered by the sharp yet glamorous looking scales.

Overall it was bigger than Gaara, but it wasn't monstrous in size; just small enough to fight and possibly even fly through the crowded forest. Her muscular front legs—arms?—and its talons held onto Gaara, pinning him down as it let out another piercing shriek into his face.

Naruto winced again, features pulled in a grimace at the painful noise. Gaara only laughed in his insanity. "Yes! That's it! Show me your true power!" Somehow, someway, he managed to push himself forward and the dragon back a step. "Only by embracing the monster you hold deep inside will you have any chance of defeating me! Hahahaha! _Yes_ , Uchiha! After I kill you, I will finally feel what it means to be alive! You and you alone will prove my existence beyond any shadow of a doubt!"

He pushed the dragon back with a solid punch to its jowls and then crushed his fist into its torso, sending it flying back through the air. The dragon expanded its wings to decrease its speed and then flapped its wings, lifting up higher into the canopy with Gaara chasing after it as wind pressed down on the mortal humans below them.

Gaara met it in air, but this time the dragon blocked his attack. Blocking with one of its muscular fists, the dragon punched Gaara square in the face with its free fist; the connection of their powerful blows reverberated through the forest like thunder, almost as if the gods themselves were battling.

Gravity pulled them down, but the dragon proved more agile, using all four legs to simultaneously scratch and push off Gaara to land on a branch behind it. As the dragon landed, it recoiled its neck back, large nostrils flaring as it inhaled a large breath. The Sand shinobi laughed wildly and landed on branch of his own, only to look up and see the torrent of flames unleashed just as it crashed into his body.

 _Yes, a direct hit!_

The dragon maintained the fire storm it unleashed a few moments longer before cutting it off, exhaling puffs of smoke from its nostrils with a snort. Even then, though, it did not lower its guard. Burnt wood and ash hit Naruto's nose, and as the smoke cleared, Gaara hidden within a protective sand orb appeared.

 _Damn it_ , he cursed. _He used his sand to protect him, and it looks like those flames were as strong as Amari's normal Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu._ Admittedly, he got caught up in the awe of the dragon's presence. In reality, though, the dragon was only a Transformation Jutsu meant to give Amari and her crow more physical size and mass to throw into Gaara. That meant this wasn't the checkmate of the battle. They needed another plan.

 _If only she was big enough to squish him._ A light bulb flickered on in his mind. _Wait, I know! Time I call in the chief toad!_

 _Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, Ram._ Naruto bit his left thumb, drawing blood, and swiped it across his palm. "Summoning Jutsu!"

A poof of smoke enveloped him, but when the wind took it away it revealed a small, palm sized orange toad with purple markings on his body, yellow eyes with dash-like pupils and a sleeveless jacket over his body.

Blinking in utter shock, Naruto was rendered speechless. This was definitely _not_ the chief toad. In his absence of words, the toad spoke first. "What is it? What do you want, kid? Well, whatever it is you better have some treats, because if you think I'm doing something for nothing, you're wrongggg!"

Snapped back to reality, Naruto bellowed, "Oh give me a break!" Why were all of the amphibians such jerks?! "I've about had it with you stinkin' frogs!"

"Oh ho ho, anti-amphibian huh? Well take that you big bigot!" The toad stuck its long tongue at him and blew a raspberry.

"Listen, I don't have time to play games you tiny little squirt," he retorted through grit teeth.

 _Damn it. After all my training, is this all I am capable of?_ If he couldn't get the chief of the toads to come, then what chance did they have? _He could have squashed him in one hit if I could have summoned him. Arghhh! Damn, I'll just have to make this work otherwise we're all toast._

But what was the little squirt going to do? He didn't have a weapon, let alone any size to actually fight Gaara. And based on his attitude, he wasn't about to do some kind of transformation to help him even the odds.

" _This fight will only end when one of us is dead. You either kill me and save Hikari, or I'll crush all of you into oblivion! But if anyone tries to save her before that, I'll kill her before I kill all of you. So you better hurry. With every passing second the sand will harden, inevitably killing her."_

Naruto looked worriedly towards Hikari. The sand hadn't crushed her yet, but it was still hardening, slowly suffocating her. _We're taking too long. We're all standing by while Amari fights an uphill battle. And if we don't get our act together soon, that girl will die. I…I can't believe he'd just kill her._

Gaara's golden eyes flashed through his mind. _Those eyes…_

"Sand Shuriken!"

"Take cover!" Sasuke yelled.

Naruto's cerulean eyes bulged as he looked up. Everywhere. Sand Shurikens were raining in every direction, even more than the last time he tried this attack. Caught within them was Amari, the dragon wings and scales of her transformation providing some cushion to the blow as she weathered the storm. But they were coming for him too. Naruto quickly grabbed the orange toad and brought him close to his chest as he jumped to evade.

The toads had given him a lot of crap since he started summoning them, especially Gamabunta, the big jerk. But he had been the one to summon the little guy. The least he could do was try to protect him.

Unfortunately, Naruto's greatest asset was not his speed. A blast of Sand Shurikens connected and sent him flying back into the trunk of a tree, down onto a branch he landed back first against. The collision of back and bark sent him tumbling down to a lower branch, on which his shoulder and side crashed against.

"Ow," he grunted, one eye shut in pain.

" _Wowww_ ," the toad drawled sarcastically. "Aren't you pathetic."

Naruto glared at the small fry. "Tch, shut up."

 _The last thing I need today is lip from an amphibian._

"So, who the heck are these two freaks anyway?" the toad asked, motioning to Gaara and Amari as they duked it out in close-quarters combat. Gaara's powerful punch forcibly knocked her back a few steps, but as his arm retracted, the dragon sunk its teeth into it and yanked him off his feet to throw him through the forest.

"The dragon is a friend of mine using a Combined Transformation Jutsu. The other guy is our enemy," he explained quickly. There wasn't time for anything more than that.

He couldn't just leave Amari to fight this battle alone, and he couldn't let Hikari die. The things he had heard Amari say to the kunoichi, it made him understand why she was trying so hard to protect her.

 _I can see the similarities between them…and it's scary to see how similar their convictions are to save and protect the people precious to them._

What made it even more frightening for Naruto was he could easily see this battle playing out with two different individuals.

Who were the individuals?

Amari and himself.

With a few different paths in life taken, it could have easily been them fighting this battle against one another. It made him think of a conversation he had with Amari after their battle with Haku.

 _"Hey Amari, what was the deal between you and Haku in our fight? Why did you risk your life to save him?"_ he remembered asking her.

 _"Haku…he and I aren't so different, Naruto. Do you know what separates us?"_

 _"He's a boy and you're a girl?"_

 _Amari rolled her eye at him and smirked. "Besides that."_

 _"Your kekkei genkais?"_

 _"No," she shook her head. "What separates me and Haku isn't an ability we're born with or our gender. What separates us is one single moment. Just one."_

 _"Huh? What do you mean?"_

 _"One moment separates me from becoming Haku. One single moment where the person who reached their hand out to me offered me unconditional love and support. All it would have taken was a different person and I'd be someone else. Had it been someone like Zabuza, I would have easily devoted myself to being his tool, all to have a purpose for my existence._

 _"And the same could be said for him. One moment changed where we stood on that battlefield. Had he met someone like my mom, he'd have followed a path just like the one I have been lucky to follow. One moment, one single change, and I'd be behind the mask, and he'd have been the one fighting beside his friends."_

Naruto lowered his eyes. _I never really understood what she meant back then. I could see how deeply the fight with Haku, the Lightning Blade and everything that happened was affecting her. I_ _ **knew**_ _it was important to her, and I could feel her changing, but even though I knew it was important, I never really understood the depth behind what she meant._

 _Not until today. Looking into his eyes…_

" _I just…I just knew in my heart that we shouldn't be fighting. I knew, even before I saw him without his mask, that we shared the same eyes. That we had the same spirit. I couldn't let him die. My heart couldn't take it."_

 _I get it now._

The dragon crashed through a few branches as Gaara plowed into its chest, but it spun out of the fall and kicked the enemy away. With another roar, it launched after him in an aggressive assault. Clawing, punching, kicking; Amari did whatever she could to hurt and damage their enemy.

 _He has eyes full of loneliness. I've seen that look before…in myself. And that sand spirit he has in him, it's just like the demon I have in me. Just like the Nine-Tails._

" _People are fickle."_

Three simple words. Three words full of an impossible amount of hatred and darkness. But he had understood it. Hearing Gaara say that, and everything else he said that day in the hospital, reminded Naruto of his own experiences with the villagers in the Leaf. How they all cast those looks his way, like he wasn't even human. Like he was just some kind of monster better off dead.

 _I remember how much I hated them, because they hated me and I couldn't understand why. Back then I wondered why I even existed. Why did I keep trying to live when everyone wanted me dead? Why did I put up with how they treated me? Why did I even bother to leave my room when all that was out there were those eyes always glaring down at me?_

 _"The fox spirit that killed Iruka's parents and destroyed our village is in control of your body. You are the Nine-Tailed Fox!"_

He hadn't forgotten that day. Naruto doubted he ever would. _It's because of Mizuki I learned I had this demon in me. It wasn't my fault, but the villagers always acted like it was. And that made it so much worse._

How could they hate him? He hadn't asked to have this demon inside him. He wasn't the one who destroyed Konoha or killed its people. But they acted like it was him…Or maybe it was more accurate to say they didn't even see him. They didn't see Naruto Uzumaki when they saw him in the streets. They saw the Nine-Tailed Fox. Or they saw _that kid_ who carried it within him, never once stopping to consider his feelings or his emotions.

Looking back on it, it was almost a miracle he hadn't ever lost himself.

 _But then…_

" _Oh. My name is Amaririsu."_

 _Naruto extended a hand to her, smiling widely at his new friend. "Nice to meet you, Amaririsu!"_

 _Amaririsu shook his hand and smiled back. "Likewise, Naruto Uzumaki."_

 _I met Amari, and she saved me from that place of hatred and darkness. She looked at me and saw_ _ **me**_ _. She treated me as a person. As a friend. Her best friend._

Even after she learned what he had inside him, that hadn't changed. She made everything okay. Although those other people never stopped glaring and whispering under their breaths, he didn't care because one really special person cared about him.

In time that one person grew to two in the form of Iruka. And two grew into five in the form of Team Seven. Even though sometimes they didn't always get along, Sasuke and Sakura were trusted friends and comrades. And although Kakashi's sense of time bugged him, his sensei was still really cool.

 _It took a while, and it wasn't always easy, but a few people came along and they didn't look at me like I was a monster. That made it better. It was all right then. Even though I had this monster inside me, even though everyone else acted like I didn't exist or like I was a monster, it was okay 'cause it meant I wasn't alone anymore. For the first time in my life, I was happy._

He grit his teeth, overcome by emotions he repressed and hid behind his exuberance. _It made me…really really happy. They showed me how good life could be._ _They made me glad to be alive._

In Gaara's eyes, though, he saw the all-encompassing darkness he once faced. The same unbearably cold loneliness he woke up to every single day before meeting Amari.

 _But when I think back to the time before I had met any of them, it's frightening. Nothing but pain and darkness. What would I be like if I had stayed there all alone?_

 _That's why I can understand him._

 _"It's all a distant memory now. 'Why do I exist,' I used to ask myself, but then I found out. I exist to wipe out all other existences!"_

 _I don't know how it happened_ , Naruto thought, _but this guy has been in that same place as me. He's still there, but…what I don't understand is he had someone too. Someone like Amari who cares so deeply for him, yet he disregards her. He fights solely for himself. Maybe he's right. Maybe it has made him stronger. Maybe it is a weakness to have friends you care about and to know happiness._

Doubt and concern flooded his mind. _Can I really win against a guy like this?_

The dragon and Gaara grappled fiercely with one another, but sand was accumulating around her hind legs, ensnaring the dragon as it desperately beat its wings to break free to take to the air again.

"It's over, Uchiha! Now you die!"

Naruto clenched his hands into fists. His mind was a mess of conflict. Wars waged over what real strength was and where it came from as a very real war played out before his eyes.

 _Amari…_

 _"These pathetic insects you consider your friends haven't even tried to help you yet. They're too afraid for their own lives, while you waste your feelings on them!"_

Moving on the purest of instincts, he lunged forward to attack.

* * *

 _Damn it. What are we going to do?_

Sasuke's jaw tightened at the sight of Amari's transformation struggling to break free of Gaara's sand. Those monstrous sand arms grappled her front legs, or arms or whatever the hell they were. He wasn't a dragon anatomy specialist, and it didn't matter. Even transformed into a mythical beast, his clan-sister couldn't overpower the dominating and overwhelming power of this creep.

Worse, all of their indecision and inability to think kept them frozen in personal paralysis jutsus. And despite _knowing_ it was happening, Sasuke couldn't get his damn body or brain to work properly. They were all too scattered out, too disorganized, too weighed down by thoughts of doubt to act.

 _Two Chidori's and this freak of nature is still alive and fighting at full power._ He looked down at his left hand; his fingers trembled against his will, the tips almost fully numb. _And one more will either kill me or activate the mark._

Fire Style wasn't effective, which left him with taijutsu—the most dangerous attack style against this opponent. He was fast, faster than he had been before thanks to Kakashi's training, but he wasn't as fast as Amari. And due to her Sharingan advancement and Byakugan, she had greater reaction speed than him.

 _What the hell do I do?_

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

At the sound of Naruto's voice, he snapped his head up to face his teammate. Naruto and seven clones bolted through the branches directly for Amari.

"That's enough! Get away from Amari!"

Gaara barely even glanced his way, too consumed by his innate drive to kill Amari.

"I'll kill you later. Now stay out of my way!" Gaara whipped his tail and smashed every single clone and the real Naruto, dispersing the former and grounding the latter on a tree.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted in worry.

The dragon's red and lavender eye sharpened before it unleashed an earth rattling roar from the deepest pits of its stomach. Fire spewed forth from its mouth as it flapped its wings harder. The wind fed the fire, intensifying it without any end in sight.

Finally, the sand imprisoning her broke. Free to move and attack, the dragon spun her body around to slam her tail directly into Gaara; the attack and force of the blow sent him barreling away. Sasuke noticed the blood rolling down the neck of the dragon, the crimson stream led up her neck to her mouth, where it poured from.

"Sasuke, Sakura, I need your help. All of your help." He heard Amari's voice before she appeared on the branch, joined by a second clone as well as Mimi and Tenten. "If we're going to defeat Gaara and keep him down for real this time, then we have to work together. We can't run around like headless chickens without any sort of objective or direction."

The speaking Amari turned to look back at the battle her real incarnation was taking part in. The dragon chased down Gaara, plowed him and herself through a tree before pinning him down on a branch and unleashing another blast of fire at point blank range. The attack may have hurt Gaara, but it didn't end the battle. His giant sand arm extended and pushed her body up and off of him as she dug her claws into the bark in a futile attempt to hold her ground.

The clone of Amari turned back to the group. "The real version of me is doing her best to keep Gaara busy so we can perform a massive coordinated offensive to finish him off. First off, Mimi, give Sasuke a food pill. That will replenish the chakra you used from your Chidori, and should give you at least one more use without fatal consequences or the mark influencing you."

Sasuke nodded and took the offered food pill, but the determination in her Sharingan eye, it left him off-balance almost. She was taking full control of the situation, directing orders as a battle commander, not as the shy and docile girl he was used to. Even though the situation felt hopeless, despite the fact their attacks weren't dealing visible damage, she hadn't abandoned hope.

His clan-sister hadn't lost a shred of confidence in their ability to win this battle.

 _Her will never ceases to amaze me. It knows no bounds of strength._

"Tenten, whatever weapons or items you have in your scrolls that can deal real damage to Gaara, I need you and Mimi to prepare those for my signal, all right?"

"Okay," Tenten nodded.

"Get started on that now, both of you." Amari's red eye moved over to Sakura. "Sakura, do you have any paper bombs with you?"

"I have six."

"Good. That's good." Amari brought her hand to her chin. "I know we've been training on your speed and strength, but this isn't the battle for anyone except me to get into close-range at this point. Only I have the speed and reaction time with Mimi's ankle still injured. When it comes time to attack, I want you to use those strategically. Make every shot count by aiming for his tail or any other weak spot we uncover."

Sakura nodded and smiled. "You can count on me, Amari."

… _What is this feeling building up inside of me?_ Sasuke looked down at his hands. It wasn't the food pills effects; it was something different, something greater. _This feeling…I remember it._ He clenched his hands into fists. _Yes. I remember this feeling clearly._

The feelings of courage, defiance and power he felt when he faced Orochimaru and when he overcame the mark. The feeling of strength and burning willpower his clan-sister's scarred hand gave him when it pulled him from despair. Inside, he felt his will be set ablaze again. Gaara's words, his lectures on fighting for himself and abandoning those closest to him, they had wormed their way into his mind. Made him doubt himself.

But now he felt…

He looked towards Naruto and found him pushing himself back up onto his feet, the same resolve and burning will taking hold in his eyes.

 _My body…it feels like it's on fire. This strength I feel…it's flowing through me._

His gaze moved back to Sakura, to Mimi, to Tenten. Every single one held the same glowing flame, sparked and ignited by Amari.

 _How do you always do it?_ Sasuke wondered. _How do you always find a way to rekindle the spirits of those around you?_

" _And if your strength ever fails you, you can always look to us to give you ours in its stead to overcome whatever obstacle is in your way."_

For so long he walked alone. The path of an avenger, the path of solitude as he festered in hatred and darkness.

 _Before I learned you were an Uchiha, before the Forest of Death, I was so focused on my path as an avenger. I didn't care for any other bond except the single bond between me and my brother: our bond of hatred. But then you…_

" _You're a- an Uchiha and a member of Team Seven, after all. That makes you family."_

That declaration changed everything. It opened his eyes, burned away the darkness so he could see the scarred hand reaching out to him. And as he grabbed onto it, she latched onto his wrist with a titanium grip and pulled him into the light where there were others. Other people she helped save like him or those who had saved her. People he never would have cared for if his clan-sister never existed.

 _Team Seven…it gave me something and I was never really sure what it was. I suppose I just didn't want to see it. I wanted to keep looking into the darkness where no light could reach._

 _"All she ever wanted was for you to open your eyes again. To stop looking away into the darkness so you could see her still standing by your side!"_

Sasuke glanced in Hikari's direction. _Hearing you yell those passionate words for a stranger, it made me realize how far you're willing to go for her, for us, for anyone you consider precious. More than that, it made me realize how far_ _ **I'm**_ _willing to go to protect this new bond I have._

 _This new family._ _ **Our**_ _family._

His Sharingan activated in response to the swell of emotion before he returned his eyes to Amari.

 _We won't let him win._

"Sasuke, I want you to hold back with your Chidori until my signal," Amari continued. "If all goes to plan, Gaara's armor will no longer be protecting him fully at that point. That's when it'll be time to strike him. Give it everything you've got."

"Got it," he nodded.

"All right. Mimi, when you're done, you'll be a long distance fighter like Sakura. You're our team medic. We can't risk you in close range anymore, not at this stage in this fight. So hit him with your Water Style, weaken his armor so our explosives can chip it off fully."

"Sounds like you have it all figured out," Mimi quipped.

"It's not perfect, but—"

"I'm only kidding," the Inuzuka waved her off. "It's the best plan we've got, and it'll take the pressure off your real version while using all of our abilities in the best ways. Keep the orders coming; we need them right now."

Amari turned her head to look back at Naruto. "Naruto, use your password with a paper bomb to weaken him!" she ordered.

 _Use his…_ Sasuke shut his eyes and furrowed his brow. "Seriously, Amari?"

"It'll work," she stated firmly.

"I know it will, but that move? Really?"

"I can always tell you to do it."

"Naruto has it handled."

"Heh. Thought so."

Tenten gave Amari an overview of her best weapons she had prepared before the Nara gave a step by step plan for them to follow. Orders dished out, they all moved to prepare, waiting for Naruto's attack to land to launch the full power of their assault on Gaara.

 _Let's finish this._

* * *

The memories of her two clones flooded Amari's mind simultaneously. The long and sharp teeth of the dragon transformation twisted into a bloody grin. It took time, but her clones completed their objectives to the letter. Her peers' hearts were rallied, every single one of them prepared to unleash a full-power assault on their powerful enemy to win this battle definitively, and Naruto's attack would set the signal off with a _bang_.

 _Just in time_ , she thought, relieved through throbbing discomfort. _We don't have much time left in this form, but…_

" _Uchihaaaaaaaa_!" Gaara roared as he attacked from above, golden eyes full of crazed delight.

Red and lavender intensified, spirit renewed by a sense of urgency and surge of adrenaline. _We're not finished yet!_ The dragon stood up on its hind legs, scaled and clawed fist colliding against Gaara's in a thunderous punch. Muscles rippled in the wake of the blow all across the dragon's body; her hind legs threatened to buckle beneath the force, but powered by her own willpower and Osamu's, Amari unleashed another roar. _As long as Hikari and my friends need me, I won't stop fighting!_

The clawed dragon fist opened, accented by the heterochromia eyes flashing dangerously. _I can't use my Shadow Possession to hold you in one place for Naruto's attack._ She sunk her claws into the depths of the sand arm. _But that's fine. All I need are these claws…_ She pulled him down onto the branch—small craters of splintered wood cracking beneath their weight—and grabbed his sand covered body by the shoulder with her other clawed hand, digging them into his shoulder.

 _And my teeth!_

Opening her mouth as wide as she could, the dragon bit down on his free arm. Gaara shrieked in pain and tried his best to pull free and push her away. He couldn't. This time she had greater leverage.

She grinned widely at her enemy, who growled fiercely as he tried to escape, aware of the incoming blond-haired knucklehead wielding a paper bomb kunai. _This is the beginning of the end for you!_

"Take this! Straight from the teachings of Kakashi-sensei: Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu!" Naruto pierced his paper bomb kunai beneath Gaara's tail, into the sand armor where it was weakest. "One Thousand Years of Death!"

Gaara, unamused and irritated, swatted Naruto away with his tail.

Amari immediately dispelled their transformation, ducking low beneath Gaara's arms as they swung, and shouted: "Osamu! Now!"

"At once!"

The form of Amari burst into a flock of crows that shot through the forest after Naruto. Behind them, the paper bomb exploded, heat and air repulsing outwards as the loud burst drowned out any sound Gaara made. Amari and her crow companion reappeared floating behind Naruto's barreling body; the blue-haired kunoichi caught him with her torso and slammed back first into the trunk of a tree.

 _Ow_ , she grimaced, squeezing her eyes shut to null the pain through mind over matter. More aches, more pain. This whole day was turning out to be such a drag. Blood leaked down out of the corner of her mouth; her taste buds were overwhelmed by the metallic and terrible taste of her own blood. Osamu, too, bore visible wounds from the attacks they endured together. But they were alive, that's what mattered most.

"Lady Amari, I fear I've used up too much of my chakra between the defense of the Leaf and this battle. And you have sustained injuries under my care. I apologize."

She opened her eye and smiled kindly through her pain. "You don't owe me an apology, Osamu. It was thanks to you we were even able to hold Gaara off that long. Plus I was able to live a lifelong dream in being a dragon because of you. Thank you." Her eye shut, a small, bloody grin forming on her lips. "I finally got to be a wise dragon, just like me and Cousin used to pretend to be." _Did you see, Cousin? I hope you did._ "I can't wait to tell Mom about it."

Being a dragon was even better than she thought it would be!

Osamu exhaled a short, tired laugh. "You are welcome, Lady Amari. I am sure Lady Kurenai will be most pleased to hear this story from you." She opened her eye in time to see him bow his head to her. "I shall return to Lady Atsuko to inform her of the situation here, see if there is any way I can relieve her so she may aid you."

"Thank you, Osamu. Hopefully we'll be done before she shows up."

"I wish you all luck. Fair winds and farewell, Lady Amari."

"To you as well, Osamu."

With their farewells done, Osamu reversed summoned himself to Atsuko so she yet might aid the Leaf Genin and the chosen Uchiha.

Naruto turned to look at Amari seated frame. Worried cerulean eyes scanned over her injured and fatigued body. "Are you going to be okay?" he asked gently.

She gave a small nod—the simple act of which stung the muscles in her shoulder—paired with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. "I'm more durable than I look."

But she couldn't deny the extreme exhaustion clawing at her body. The entire day, starting from her battle against Mimi, through the clones that battled in the Leaf to this last duel between monster and dragon, all of it took a physical and mental toll on the Nara. Sleep called to her. It whispered in her ear, begging her to rest.

 _I may be more durable than I look, but I've already put my body through a lot today._ Amari rested her head against the trunk of the tree. _But that's why I put so much emphasis on everyone else's roles in this assault. I knew I wouldn't have nearly enough in the tank to do more serious damage._

Across from them, Gaara's sand crumbled off his right side. The attack worked. Now it was time to make it count.

Mustering up what scraps of energy she had left, Amari raised her voice to yell: "Mimi, Sakura, you're up!"

Mimi appeared on a higher branch with a direct sight on Gaara. One of her water scrolls unrolled around her while her hands sped through her handseals. "We're gonna finish you this time, ya stubborn bastard! Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!"

Three seals opened up and, as the water poured out as if shot from a cannon, Mimi reshaped the water to form into three separate Water Dragon's. Gaara, still stunned by the kunai blast, struggled to even evade the attack. The Water Dragons smashed into his sand covered body simultaneously; the force of the attack caused him to stumble close to the edge of the tree branch, but not fall off.

"I'm still ready to fight, Amari," Naruto said. "Just tell me what you need me to do."

His enthusiasm helped her focus away from the pain thrumming warmly through her body. "I need two of your kunais. I'm all out." He nodded and provided two kunais from his pouch. She thanked him and pulled out her final two unfinished seals. "Wait until we've taken down the rest of his armor to attack. When that happens you're going to unleash a move straight from our Amaruto Ninja Handbook."

The boy pumped his fist with a look of triumph on his face. "Yes! I've been waiting to use it on a real opponent."

His infectious enthusiasm kept her motivated and awake.

Sakura jumped through the branches and threw one of her kunais down at Gaara. Sensing the sudden new strategy and plan of attack from his enemies, Gaara shook the fog from his mind and jumped away in an effort to reach safety, an explosion trailing him. But as he landed from his jump, a second kunai pierced into the branch and exploded on him.

More sand fell from his body, revealing glimpses of the boy beneath the armor as he dodged out of the smoke in a retreat. His eyes scanned the area for the next paper bomb. Would it come from the shadows? Or from a place he could see and strike down?

Distracted by Sakura's attack and forgetting about Mimi completely, the Inuzuka changed positions to attack from behind, unleashing a Water Style: Water Bomb Jutsu as soon as she could. The attack hit him directly, and though the stream wasn't razor sharp, it possessed enough pressure to drive him chest first into a tree branch.

Gaara growled in frustration and pushed himself onto his feet. This wasn't going as he planned. He hoped for a one on one battle against Amari, but now the others were involved and using their distinct numbers advantage against his weakened body. Hikari's attacks hurt him on a physically deeper level than they realized, and now the worms he planned to crush actually were dealing damage.

Amari found satisfaction in his frustration. Now the sandal was on the other foot. Now _he_ was the one being pushed.

He flicked his eyes over to Amari and Naruto and his growl become a full blown shout. " _You_! Uchihaaa! You're the one coordinating the attack! Without you, they'll be nothing!"

 _Ah crap._ Amari struggled to stand up, cursing herself mentally as he dashed after their position. Of course he'd figure out her role as the tactical commander. She glued this operation together, but she was weakened. Injured and fatigued. An easy target that stood out in the open like an idiot to destroy the morale of the entire squad.

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ "Naruto—"

A bolt of black struck from out of nowhere, kicking the exposed part of Gaara's face to knock him further away. The surprise attack tugged the rug out from even Amari's feet, especially when she saw Sasuke take a defensive position in front of them. As the Sand shinobi tried to recover, a kunai landed behind him and exploded.

Sakura took her position on the branch above them, her three remaining paper bomb kunais held at the ready in her hands.

"You won't lay another hand on my clan-sister," Sasuke stated confidently.

Gaara's face scrunched in anger. "Sasuke Uchiha, why do you bother to hold onto a connection like friendship?" he prodded heatedly. "Your eyes were just like mine. You thirst for vengeance and power; you look towards the darkness and don't bother with pointless bonds." The cruel lips of their enemy curled in a severe snarl. "Yet now you're eyes, they're different. You're forsaking the truest form of your strength."

"Heh, you're right. My eyes are different now. Before I only saw darkness, just like you said, but she helped me to see through that darkness." Sasuke's body steadily moved into an aggressive fighting stance. "It's because of her I can finally see clearly! I won't forsake my clan-sister or my trusted comrades to death. I lost everyone I cared for once before. I won't lose them a second time. This time, this time I'll protect them as a true Uchiha!"

"Sasuke…" Amari stared in awe at the back of her clan-brother.

"I…I get it now," Naruto said, voice full of revelation. Her best friend stood up and moved to stand by Sasuke's side. "He's no different than me, going through life with the same sadness and loneliness I went through. But he fought only for himself, forsaking the one true friend he had…and for a moment I thought that made him stronger. I really did."

Naruto shook his head. "I don't know. I guess I should have known better. That's not what real strength is. If you don't fight or care for anyone but yourself, you'll never be strong no matter what you do. That's what Haku and Amari taught me." He slammed a fist into his palm. "And that's why we're going to beat you!"

"As long as we're here, you won't be able to get within a few meters of Amari, Gaara," Sakura said. "You were right, we stood by and watched Amari fight you by herself before, but we're done standing in the background. Amari reminded us of where the truest form of our strength really comes from, and now it's our turn to show you that strength."

 _I'm…I'm happy I could help them understand what they taught me._ Amari braced her back against the trunk of the tree, sore and overwhelmed simultaneously by her friends words. If Gaara's monstrous transformation was the power of darkness, this amazingly warm feeling in her heart was the power of light.

A small smirk pulled onto her lips. _And with him focused on their presence, it doubles as a distraction._

"Tenten, fire at will," she ordered.

Tenten emerged from her hiding spot and unrolled her scroll, a smile on her face. "Let's see you walk this one off. Dragon Bomb!"

From the scroll, a large fire erupted shaped to appear as a dragon head. The appropriately named technique blasted through the forest and collided against Gaara's body, exploding on impact in a mess of flames and tangible heat even at a distance.

Gaara stumbled out of the smoke, burn wounds on the exposed parts of his body as more sand continued to crumble. Amari observed it and nodded mentally. His regenerative ability wasn't as effective anymore; they were dealing damage and finally getting somewhere.

 _Now it's my turn._ Amari threw her seal wrapped kunai between her two teammates and directly at their enemy. Both boys looked back at her, surprised by the sudden blade passing between them, but they only saw her hands in Snake and her eye focused on Gaara.

Once it was within inches of him, she detonated the tag, but it did not erupt in a flash of light. A pulse of energy surged from it for a three meter radius, paired with a loud _boom_ of an invisible explosion, knocking the blade off course and spiraling through the air into the dense forest.

Gaara screamed and grabbed at his head with both hands. "Wha- what did you do to me?!"

"Sakura, blow him sky high!" Amari ordered.

Sakura obeyed and threw her remaining paper bombs at the disabled boy who had fallen victim to her first Concussion Seal. As Genma told her, it temporarily disrupted his five senses: sight, smell, taste, touch and hearing, but she hadn't perfected it yet. They had about three seconds to take advantage of before his senses returned.

The paper bombs _did_ erupt in a flash of light, chipping away almost the last of Gaara's armor. All that remained was one giant arm barely holding together.

Her fellow kunoichi surged in. She landed in front of the still disoriented Gaara with her fist already cocked back and covered by a blue hue of chakra. "Take this! CHAAAAAA!"

Fist and face met painfully. The solid blow sent Gaara falling off the branch just as his senses recovered; a narrow margin she hoped they didn't test again. Sakura back flipped away to retreat as Gaara's sand arm latched onto another tree to stop his fall.

He flung himself to another branch but didn't assault them immediately. Even if her dōjutsu weren't activated, the scrunched features of pain and bruise forming on his face would have been visible. Pain, _real_ pain, was etched into his features. He panted heavily, struggling to maintain composure and turn this battle back into his favor.

What little breather he had didn't last any longer. Tenten emerged and twirled an open scroll around her, hands pressing against the seals along the paper to unseal the weapons stored within. Blades, polearms, javelins, clubs, spiked balls, any weapon Amari could imagine were thrown by the ninja tool specialist with expert precision expected of her skill.

Gaara did the only thing he could: he scrambled through the forest, all to evade weapons seeking to sink into his exposed flesh. "Hope ya didn't forget about me!" Mimi taunted before firing off sharp and precise water bullets as her clone had done back in the Leaf.

No way the Sand shinobi could handle both at this stage, but it wouldn't do to grow complacent and relaxed. Last time they did that, he broke free of Hikari's prison. Amari refused to make the same mistake twice. Too much was riding on this battle; Hikari's life, their lives, the safety of the Leaf, failure still wasn't an option available to them.

"Sasuke, prepare your Chidori," Amari said. "It's time to finish this."

He nodded. "Right." Then he jumped up into the canopy out of sight.

"Naruto, be ready to unleash a pounding like no other after he lands the Chidori. We're going to pummel him into submission."

"All right."

"Tenten, use this!" Amari threw her kunai at the kunoichi and pierced it into the branch at her feet. Gaara had more than a few weapons protruding out of his sand arm and his flesh, but he was starting to move just a bit faster. Desperation. Whatever faults he had, Gaara's conviction to his purpose was undeniable. It fueled his strength and was now fueling a second wind as he too refused defeat.

Tenten threw the Concussion Seal wrapped kunai with perfect accuracy. Once in range, Amari detonated the seal, disorienting Gaara again.

"Now, Sasuke!"

Lightning crackled to life, followed by the sound of chirping birds. "Now to end this," Sasuke said, then he released the chakra from his feet. Again he bulleted through the forest, path locked with Gaara as his final destination with a hand covered in lightning and crimson eyes zeroed in on his target. "Chidori!"

The hand of lightning stabbed straight through Gaara's sand arm and into his torso, destroying the last of his transformation and wounding him severely.

Sasuke retreated, leaving one final stage of the plan to unleash. "Our turn, Naruto," Amari said. She didn't have much left, but—

"Take a breather, Amari. You deserve it. I'll handle this." Naruto brought his hands into Ram. "HAAAAAAA!" She sensed the surge of massive chakra from him before it took shape as a blue shroud around his body; the power from it sent out a pulse of energy in every direction.

Amari lifted her torn apart mesh sleeve in front of her face to block the wind from her face. _He's releasing an incredible amount of chakra. Naruto..._

He brought his hands into the clone seal. Suddenly the entire forest area around them became shrouded in smoke. Amari sensed what he had done before her eyes and brain could process it. And even when they did, she wasn't sure if she had fallen unconscious into some sort of dream.

Her eyes darted around, wide as saucers. _Ten, thirty, seventy_. _One hundred, one-thirty, one-eighty._

Her head continued to swivel around as she counted the never ending horde of Naruto. Orange clad shinobi covered every inch of the forest.

 _One thousand eight hundred and ninety-nine, one thousand nine hundred and thirty-three._ There was no end to them. _One thousand nine hundred and sixty-seven, one thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine._

"Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!" the group of blonds shouted.

The real Naruto jabbed his finger at the wounded Gaara, who could only stare in the same awe overcoming Amari from a crouched position, heaving heavy breaths. "Gee, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to keep you waiting so long. So get ready for an original jutsu straight from the Amaruto Ninja Handbook!"

"In- incredible!" Amari stuttered.

"Hehehe!" He looked over his shoulder at her, a grin plastered on his face and his eyes closed. "I can't let my sister show me up all the time."

She gave a light laugh and a closed eyed smile. She loved her knucklehead. Troublesome boy always found some way to surprise her. _You just keep growing, Naruto_ , she thought, relaxing further against the tree. _I can't wait to see where you go in the future. I'll leave this battle to you._

"Way to go, blondie! You're showing a lot of promise!" the little orange toad congratulated.

"Don't worry, Amari. I'll take him down and save Hikari, that's a promise." He threw his hand into the air. "All right everyone, here I go!"

 _You can do it, Naruto._

The swarm of Naruto's jumped into the air. "Let's do this!" they all spoke in unison. "Straight from the Amaruto Ninja Handbook." The group grabbed and released a flurry of shurikens. "Ninja Tool Rain!"

In a futile attempt to regain control, Gaara tried to block the weapons with his slowly disintegrating arm. They pierced into it, but didn't do a whole lot of damage, which was okay. By blocking his face he was unable to see the large group of clones move into action.

Jumping up on all sides of his opponent, the horde of Naruto's aimed their kicks right at him. "Ama-Ru-To!" they chanted as three different sets of the clones kicked him off the branch, into the air higher and higher. "Two K!" a single Naruto landed a kick into the back of Gaara to send him higher up.

Simultaneously the two thousand Naruto's plunged in at their floating prey. "Yūzumaki Barrage!"

Amari couldn't fight the blush; she didn't have the strength left to do it. _Troublesome boy_.

Every Naruto landed hard punches to Gaara. It was impossible to track who was punching and when even with dōjutsu. There were just too many Naruto's to keep track of; she honestly couldn't even tell where the real one was anymore. Finally, the two last Naruto's of the two thousand slammed their fists so hard into Gaara, he barreled into the forest floor and imploded the ground into a crater the size of his body.

"Nice work, Naruto!" Amari cheered. "Keep it up!"

"This time we'll use both legs for a barrage of four thousand kicks!" the Naruto's announced.

 _There's no way he's going to be able to get up after this assault. The sand hasn't reformed and he isn't regenerating fast enough_. She looked over to Hikari. _You're almost free, I promise._

"There's just…absolutely _no way_ I will be defeated by a weakling like him!" Gaara roared from the ground. Amari's senses spiked at an enormous surge of dark chakra exploding from the forest floor, and with it a giant amount of sand sprang up towards the sky like a magic tree reaching for a sky kingdom.

As it rose higher into the sky it took out every single Naruto clone and knocked the real one out of the air into a nearby tree.

"What the hell is that?" Amari awed. Within the smoke, a large looming shadow formed. Piercing gold eyes beamed to life and glared down at the group. When the smoke cleared, the giant creature's shape took full form, similar but larger to the transformation Gaara had been going through.

Now their enemy was practically the size of a mountain.

"So, that's the Shukaku," Amari muttered in quiet awe.

"Well, what do you know? I never thought you'd bring this out of me!" Gaara sounded as if he was excited and angry at the same time, strangely enough. Then he aimed his gigantic hand down at them. Sand pooled around Naruto.

At the sight of it, Amari's eye bulged in panic. "Naruto! Move!" She tried to go after him, but then she felt sand wrap around her ankles. Eyes darting down, she saw Gaara's sand beginning to consume her body as well. "Ah man, what a drag!"

This was _not_ a part of her plan!

Movement caught her eye. Glancing up she saw Sasuke, Sakura, Tenten and Mimi rushing to their aid. "Stay back! You'll just get caught in it too!" she said. "Mimi, use your Water Style to save Naruto! I'll get out of this myself!"

Mimi obeyed and went after Naruto, expelling a huge stream of water to soak the sand. Amari, using the fresh blood on her fingers she used to create her Seals, wiped it across her palm and formed her handseals in quick succession as the sand climbed up to her waist. Her heart crashed rapidly against her chest but she remained focus.

She looked up to see Naruto completely covered by a coffin of sand, soaked but not falling apart fully. _Damn it, damn it, damn it!_ How could she get him out of there? He just expended a massive amount of chakra to create a horde of clones, which made it entirely unlikely he could do it again to break the sand apart. Could she break free and somehow break him out before Gaara killed him?

No, how could she when she couldn't break in from the outside. There was only one way for him to get out.

"Naruto, use your second chakra! You need to break the coffin from within!"

"Got it!" his muffled voice called back.

"This is the end for you! Sand Burial!"

"Summoning Jutsu!" they yelled out in unison.

Yet another enormous surge of chakra exploded from Naruto as Amari burst into a flock of crows. Amari quickly reformed on a tree branch in a seated position, panting in part exhaustion and fear with a crow on her shoulder. "I'm really tired of close calls today," she groaned.

"I believe it is preferable to the alternative, Young Haya," Atsuko said.

Amari glanced up to the Head of the Crows, her Sharingan fading for onyx while her Byakugan remained activated. "Thank you, Atsuko. I'm sorry I interrupted your defense—"

"There is no need to apologize, Young Haya. I am where I am meant to be now, and it is far more important to me that I was able to save your life. My agents and our comrades will handle the rest back in the Leaf." Her eyes took in the environment, as well as the giant Shukaku and towering toad above them, the latter of which carried Naruto on top of his head.

Amari sighed. _Troublesome boy about gave me a damn heart attack along with a shattered heart._

"Osamu informed me of the situation. It would appear you and your peers pushed this Gaara child into a state of such desperation, he had no choice but to manifest the true form of the Shukaku. However, had Gaara been any other opponent, this battle would have been finished long before my arrival."

"I think it's only in Naruto's and that toad's hands now," Amari said, slouching forward. "Even if I took another food pill, my body just isn't in any shape to fight. We'd only get in the way." The sudden surge of fear and adrenaline faded quickly. Replacing it was the sheer exhaustion of the day's events.

"Leave this to Gamabunta and Naruto," Atsuko said. "I will defend you and your peers, but this battle has escalated beyond the rest of you."

"I'm just sorry I couldn't end the battle before that," Amari sighed.

"You and your peers have nothing to be sorry for, Young Haya. You've shown great courage and strength in this battle. For now, rest. You may yet be needed in this battle."

"Right."

* * *

Meanwhile

* * *

Iruka stood at the ready, listening for any sign of a threat. In the safety of a room only a few meters behind him were his students. The evacuation of the Academy had been a success, and although a crack had suddenly appeared on Lord Third's stone face, he was certain victory would come shortly.

 _I cannot deny how ominous that is_ , he thought, worried about their Village leader.

Other than his bad feeling about the crack, the entire evacuation of the Leaf civilians was almost complete. There was only one team left led by Anko, who were sure to arrive any moment now.

 _I wonder how Amari, Naruto and the others are doing._

Had he been ready to let his students become ninjas? No, he hadn't. Over the years teaching them, he'd grown attached to each and every one of his students, even the troublemakers. Their lives weren't disposable to him; they were the future of the Leaf and they would bring so much light in the coming years, he could feel it.

Having war break out in their home left him worried over them. He hadn't seen any of them come with the evacuation units, though he hadn't seen every single team, so maybe they were all here and safe already. If not, he was sure they found safety in one of the other shelters.

Iruka let out a calm breath. _They'll be okay._

The door behind him slid open. Alerted, Iruka spun around quickly and prepared to face whatever danger it could be. When his eyes found the source of the noise, he couldn't stop the flabbergasted sounds from escaping him. "Wha- Konohamaru?"

Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon all stood before him, staring up a bit expectantly, although he had no idea why. Banishing away his surprise, he put his hands on his hips and took a firm stance. "What are you three doing? We're in the middle of a crisis. Do you have any idea what will happen if they find us?" He pointed in the direction of the room they were trying to leave. "Now get back in there and stay quiet."

"Yeah, I know, but you don't understand. I've really got to _go_ ," the leader of the trio whined.

 _I should have seen this coming, but this is really not the time for it. We can't risk being found._ "You'll just have to hold it," he tried to argue.

The boy looked like he was about to burst at the thought of it. "I don't really think I can, Sensei."

Iruka released a deep sigh. "Oh boy." He shook his head. "All right, come along with me."

"I- I'm not going to make it!" Konohamaru shouted and took off down the hall in search of a bathroom.

"Wait, Konohamaru!" Iruka gave chase. While he had gone the right way, there was no guarantee these halls hadn't been found by an enemy. Running as fast as he could, he turned the corner and found the boy sitting on his butt, staring up in shock at who he had undoubtedly run into.

"You troublesome boy, you're supposed to be hiding." Iruka slowed his run to a walk and eventually a stop right behind his student as he laid his eyes on the group.

Crouching in front of the boy, bearing a friendly smirk, was his former student Amari. Her long wild blue hair was tied up in the Nara ponytail, her forehead protector over her left eye, but other than that there were no notable changes to her usual outfit, other than the rips and tears from combat damage.

"Big Sis?" She poked Konohamaru's forehead with a closed eyed smile before standing up and offering him a hand.

Save for the torn apart clothes, the scratches to her body and a cut across her cheek with fresh blood leaking out of it, she looked no worse for wear. Standing close behind her was Mimi Inuzuka brandishing a small grin. She too bore similar injuries, but nothing fatal or life threatening. Behind the pair was a group of civilian women, while next to them was the leader of the group: Anko Mitarashi.

Moegi and Udon joined their friend as they each latched onto Amari in a hug. She looked down at all three with a warm smile, embracing them all as best as she could. In her arms, the fears of his youngest students washed away.

"Hey Moegi, Udon, Iruka-sensei," she greeted.

Letting his smile fall for a serious expression, he turned his eyes to Anko. "So, is the evacuation complete?"

She smiled confidently at him and stuffed her hands into her trench coat pockets. "Yeah, these are the last of them."

"So, this means it's time for the next stage, right?" Mimi asked.

Iruka and Anko nodded in agreement. _Yes, she's right. With the last of the civilians here in the shelter, it's only a matter of time before we begin the next stage._

"Huh? What does she mean, Sensei?" Konohamaru asked.

He lowered his eyes to his student. They had yet to go over the full procedures of an invasion or attack on the Leaf, at least not beyond evacuation drills so they knew how to act should an emergency happen.

"If the village is ever under attack," he started, "then there are very specific guidelines we have to follow."

"First up is to wipe out the enemy's advancing forces," Anko continued off of his statement. "And if that isn't viable then we immediately move to phase two."

"The total evacuation of all civilians to safety," Iruka followed. "We move the elders, men, women and children into shelters that are strategically set up across the village. When that is complete we proceed to step three."

His student stared up in confusion. "So wait, what's phase three?"

"The complete elimination of enemy forces by any means necessary."

"In that case…"

Iruka nodded, a grim look on his face. "As soon as we're ready, our main force we'll launch a counterattack."

"That means our work here is done," Mimi stated. She turned to Amari. "Come on, we're running low on chakra already. We'll just get in the way now."

The blue-haired kunoichi nodded in agreement. "Yeah. You're right."

Anko slapped the pair on the back, nearly knocking the exhausted kunoichis over. "Good luck you two and try not to get yourselves killed. Wouldn't want my two favorite squirts getting hurt!"

Both smirked and chuckled before poofing into smoke.

"I hope they'll be okay," Iruka said.

Anko waved him off. "Ah, don't worry about them. Those squirts will be fine. They handled themselves well out there."

 _She's right. Amari and the others will be fine._ Iruka let out a sigh, _but stay safe all of you._

* * *

Yet another tsunami wave of fatigue crashed into Amari at ramming speed. Her steady breathing faltered. Memories of her clone's battles, the destroyed structures and dead shinobi, it burdened her already burdened heart to a greater extent. Looking up at Mimi, who promptly collapsed onto her butt as she too was overcome by the fatigue, she wondered how she was handling what they witnessed.

Tenten rushed to her teammate's side. "Mimi! Are you okay?"

Sakura and Sasuke crouched next to Amari and cast worried glances between the two kunoichi as well as up to Naruto, who was locked in battle with Gaara from the head of his giant toad. The Leaf shinobi, Pakkun, Atsuko and Aoko were all soaked to the bone thanks to the massive Water jutsu used by the toad, but the fight was nearing its end. Amari could sense it.

"Our final clones just dispelled," the Inuzuka panted. "I…I don't think I have much left in the tank."

"You're pushing yourself too far again," Tenten scolded out of concern.

"I know…I know," Mimi admitted. She lifted her gloved hands up to stare at her trembling arms. Amari kept her arms braced on her knees, but the muscles in her legs and her back trembled fiercely just like Mimi's arms.

The war pushed them to their absolute limits.

Their three comrades, Atsuko, Aoko and Pakkun all observed the two kunoichi who took part in the frontline battles via clones. No one said anything at first. But they could see the weight of their experiences in their eyes and their slouched shoulders; they could see how little strength their strongest comrades had left.

Finally, Sasuke asked the question on everyone's minds. "What's the state of the Leaf? Is the battle almost over?"

Amari wanted to tell them everything was fine. That the destruction done wasn't too bad and everything would be back to normal in no time. But it would be a lie. Despite their defense, despite the Crows and Jiraiya destroying major threats, the Leaf suffered incredible damage. Buildings, people, there had been so much destruction. Perhaps it could have been worse, especially given what Gaara transformed into, but…

"The counter-attack is about to begin," Mimi spoke first, voice quieted by solemnity. "All the evacuation teams have reported in; our forces saved a lot of people. This battle against the Sand and Sound won't last much longer once the counterattack begins. It'll be a full deployment to crush them by any means necessary."

The absence of any mention of the Leaf, as well as the tone of her voice, said enough for everyone to understand.

"…We'll have a lot of hard work ahead of us," Amari said. "But this attack will only strengthen our Will of Fires. It has and will bind us all closer together so we can be stronger than before." She looked to all of her friends. "They can destroy as many buildings as they like. We'll rebuild them with stronger foundations." She shook her head. "The lives they stole cannot be replaced, but they will never be forgotten either. Their Will of Fires will become one with ours, passing on their strength to us so we can become the new guardians."

She looked up to the titan battle taking place before them. "Like a phoenix, the Leaf will rise up from the ashes of this war stronger than before. The Sand and Sound haven't broken us; they can never break us."

 _That's why I know you'll win this, Naruto. Like you said, a Hokage never fights alone. You have the wills of the entire Leaf behind your fists._

 _This is your fight to finish. Show him the power you hold._

* * *

Naruto couldn't budge. His feet were buried in sand, but he may as well have been wearing cement sandals. He grit his teeth and tried to think while the chief toad held the giant monster in place. There had to be something he could do. If he didn't act this instant, Gaara would kill him without blinking and all hope would be lost.

 _My chakra…I barely have any left_. Summoning Gamabunta took up almost all of his second chakra. _What do I do? What would Amari do?_ Glancing over his shoulder, his eyes picked up the sight of Hikari pinned to the tree, the hand holding her there hardening to the point of squeezing all the life out of her.

To his eyes, it may as well have been Amari.

 _I…_

" _Before I only saw darkness, just like you said, but she helped me to see through that darkness,"_ he recalled Sasuke's words. _"It's because of her I can finally see clearly! I won't forsake my clan-sister or my trusted comrades to death. I lost everyone I cared for once before. I won't lose them a second time."_

 _I feel the same as Sasuke does_ , he thought. _We may not be clan-siblings or anything, but Amari is the one who saved me from my darkness. She's my best friend. And Team Seven, Mimi and Tenten, they're my trusted comrades too. I won't let him kill them._

Naruto felt his inner fire reignite. _Hikari, I can't say I know you all that well, but I can tell Amari cares a lot about you. Even though she was tired and hurt, she kept fighting with your will as her source of strength. You entrusted your hopes and dreams to her, and since her will is behind my fists, that means your will is too. I made Amari a promise to save you, and I never go back on my word. That's my ninja way._

Naruto turned his head to glare back at Gaara. _That's why there's only one way this fight ends. Everyone is counting on me to finish this, and I will. For Amari, for my comrades, and for you._

Gaara's piercing pale blue-green eyes glared right back at him. "Now your eyes are like hers too," he growled.

 _I'm running out of time, though._ He closed his eyes and brought his palms together. _Come on. I just need a little bit of your chakra, Nine-Tails._

"I will kill every last one of you. I will not cease to exist!"

"HAAAAAA!" The Nine-Tails chakra surged through his chakra network and created a reddish-orange chakra cloak around his body. Its immense power broke apart the sand holding his feet in place, freeing him of the prison.

 _I won't fail!_

It continued to surge through his body, flooding his veins and renewing his strength for this final move of their battle. Power irradiated off of him, knocking off his forehead protector and breaking the zipper of his jacket to reveal his black shirt beneath.

Opening his eyes again, the hard and determined gaze met Gaara's furious eyes.

 _I am going to protect everyone!_

"Die!" Gaara yelled as he brought his hands into the Ram seal.

Launching forward in a flash of speed, Naruto's fist and upper body were snatched mere inches away from Gaara by his sand. Both shinobi struggled, fighting to finish off their enemy or to break free to land the decisive blow.

"I…" Naruto grunted and gnashed his teeth together as he tried to break free. His fist refused to budge.

 _No. I refuse to die here. I'll protect my friends!_

"I've had it with you!" Naruto shut his eyes and slammed his head forward, connecting their skulls with the wills of those depending on him behind his thickhead. He immediately felt warm, fresh blood drip down his face. Gaara's forehead, too, had been busted open, and behind him the creature of sand he turned into started to break and shatter like glass, cracking loudly. It shifted into soft sand then fell back down towards the ground.

Utterly exhausted, Naruto had no strength to do anything except fall down with Gaara towards the ground and trees. As they plummeted towards the earth, Gamabunta reversed summoned himself back to his home in a large explosion of smoke; the gales of wind caught the two boys and pushed them onto the tops of two separate trees opposite of one another.

 _At least the landing wasn't a splat on the ground_ , Naruto thought optimistically. Panting heavily, he sat himself up with a grunt of pain to stare at the ninja sitting up across from him.

Between the two of them was the gigantic tantō left behind by the chief toad. The steel of the blade showed him his own reflection, as it showed Gaara his, perfectly splitting them in half to make them mirror images of one another.

They weren't so different. Both had been given no choice but to contain these monsters others feared. They'd been shunned, outcasted and hated for a decision made without their consent. Yet, despite the hatred of their Village, they found people who saw beyond their monsters to see them as Naruto Uzumaki and Gaara. Not the Nine-Tails. Not the Shukaku.

They found two individuals who saw them as people, comrades, friends and family.

Maybe it was just one for Gaara, but one was enough. One saved Naruto from his darkness, and one eventually led to others.

 _If you didn't discard Hikari, you may have found others. You may have found a different purpose._ Naruto tried to frown but his heavy breathing made it too hard to maintain. _If you had only taken her hand, we wouldn't have to fight each other. You and I, we should be able to understand one another. We shouldn't be fighting._

"That's it, I can't go any further. I've used up all of my chakra," Naruto spoke through his labored breaths as he watched Gaara breathe just as heavily. "And from the looks of it, so are you. You and I are a lot alike, more than you know. We shouldn't be doing this."

But they were, and he would finish this. No matter what, he would stop Gaara from hurting his friends and killing Hikari so callously.

Calming his breaths and taking on a stern look, he pushed himself onto his feet, preparing for the next attack. Gaara followed his movements. The two deep down knew their next move would be the final attack.

Whoever landed the first punch would be victorious.

Whoever won would prove that their purpose was stronger.

 _This is it._

With the explosion of the tantō disappearing, the two launched at one another with their fists cocked back. They met at the center of their flight. With growls of resolve, they each threw their punches.

The sound of a fist colliding with a face resounded through the silent forest.

Naruto's fist found its home first.

With the rest of his energy taken, everything went blank.

* * *

"He did it."

Three simple words full of relief. Although battles would still be fought in the Leaf, the young Genin's mission and part in the war had finally reached its epic conclusion. They still had to restrain Gaara, as well as figure out where Temari went and what Shino's status was, but the major battle was over.

Naruto defeated Gaara.

Searching deep for her final wind, Amari stood up and dished out orders to her team with Atsuko and Pakkun backing them up in their search for the enemy shinobi. Once this was all settled, they would need to secure an area to bunker down in until the battle reached its official conclusion. Until then they couldn't let their guard down.

 _But first…_

Amari caught Hikari's limp body bridal style as the sand holding her disintegrated away. She hopped back over to Mimi, who looked about as exhausted and mentally fried as Amari felt, and held Hikari up as the medic's green hue covered hands ran a Diagnostic Jutsu over the Suna native's body.

"Is she okay? Does she have any critical injuries?" Amari asked in concern.

Mimi shook her head. "Besides the knee, no. She has some contusions from the sand trying to crush her, nothing that can kill her, though."

Amari sighed in relief. _Phew. It would have been a real drag if he killed you after all of that hard work._

"I'll do what I can to ease the pain. It won't be much, unfortunately, but I need to check over Goofball too."

"Just do what you can. We're both at our limits."

Mimi did her best to help before heading off to join the scouting teams. Amari made for Naruto and Gaara. Despite the fall they took and completely exhausting their chakra, the pair were still very much alive. _And I thought I was durable._

With one last sigh of relief, Amari jumped along the branches towards her exhausted friend.

"Amaririsu…" Hikari's tired voice and her stirring body brought her gaze down to the Sand kunoichi.

"Take it easy. You're safe, but not unhurt," Amari tried to soothe.

Hikari continued to stir in her arms, seeking a comfortable position for her aching body. Amari stopped when she about wiggled herself out of her arms on accident. "Here, wrap your arms around my neck and tell me what you need me to do."

The girl nodded and wrapped her arms around her neck, resting her head against her chest as she whispered commands to make the ride more comfortable without added stress on her knee. Once fully settled, they were off again.

"Did you stop him?" her passenger queried quietly into her chest.

"Everyone helped to defeat him. Together we proved that his purpose was weaker," Amari answered.

The arms around her neck tightened as Hikari embraced her. "…Thank you, Amaririsu. You are truly a precious treasure."

Amari smiled softly at the girl and turned her attention back towards the journey. "You don't need to thank me, Hikari. Helping each other is what friends do."

Glancing down, she saw a warm smile make its way onto her new friend's face.

For all the pain and fatigue she felt, that smile made it all worth it.

* * *

Naruto's senses returned slowly. Chief among them was pain on about every inch of his body. Sheesh, even his fingers and toes hurt. He cracked his left eye open to find himself face down on the ground in dirt and grass on the forest floor. _I guess I did go splat, hehehe._

Breathing was challenging. Pain attacked him with each inhale and his muscles trembled from the slightest movement. But he still lifted his gaze upwards. Gaara laid on his back ahead of him by what seemed like miles, but what was probably only a few meters. His eyes were barely open, but they were both awake and both still in the middle of a war. A war between their Villages. Between their ideals. Between them and the darkness they both experienced.

 _I…I have to finish this. I have to show him…how wrong he is about his purpose making him strong._

He didn't have any strength left to stand, let alone move his arms. All that remained of his energy were itty bitty scraps torn and shredded through an unholy disintegrator called war. But tiny as those scraps were, it was just enough to inch his way forward by shifting his body with his chin, the tips of his toes and shoulders.

Each movement was struggled and hurt _really_ , _really_ badly, but he still had something left to do. One last fight to finish.

As he inched forward, the memories of his childhood hit him hard. All those tears he shed, the mean words, the fearful and hatred filled eyes always watching him. It was so hard, harder than anyone around him really knew. But he wasn't the only person to suffer in this world. He met others who bore their own burdens of suffering, just as heavy on their shoulders as the weight he carried on his shoulders.

Haku, Hikari, Amari, they all understood what suffering was like, and they weren't the only ones either. Gaara, too, had suffered.

 _How many people turned their backs on him I wonder? Yet he tried to kill the one person who tried to save him._

 _Why? Why did you keep looking into the darkness?_

 _"It's all distant memory now. 'Why do I exist,' I used to ask myself, but then I found out."_

 _"But something else had been taken from me. Something even more important, and that is when I truly despaired. My purpose. In all the world there was no one who needed me. I was…unnecessary,"_ Haku had explained back on the bridge.

 _"I…I was so lost, Hikari. I was lost in an unbreakable darkness. My dying friend gave me a purpose to hold onto, but without them, without the only two people who made my existence mean something…life seemed so empty, dark and unbearably lonely."_

" _Why keep going on?"_

Naruto grunted, eyes stinging with tears. He knew those words and the pain in them so well. He had been there just like Haku, Gaara, Hikari and Amari—lost in the darkness, feeling unnecessary, wondering why he even existed and why he kept trying to live.

And if he felt that way, then some part of Gaara had to feel it too. If they lived the same hard life, if he understood loneliness, pain and darkness, then he should be able to see the light Hikari tried to shine into his life.

 _When it's dark like that, it makes the lights people like Amari and Hikari have shine even brighter._

Seeing him get closer and closer, true fear pulled onto Gaara's face. His eyes bulged in horror. "No! Stay away from me!" he screamed, frightened by Naruto's constant advancing.

Naruto wouldn't stop, though. He couldn't. "It's almost unbearable, isn't it?" He lifted his tear filled eyes to look straight at Gaara. "The feeling of being all alone. Being treated like some sort of monster and freak for just being alive. I know that feeling. I've _lived_ it! I've been there in that dark and lonely place. I _know_ the pain you've gone through!"

Gaara stared in awe and fear.

"But now there are others. Other people who mean a lot to me. It wasn't always like that though. Not too long ago I was all alone, just like you are. But that's when I met Amari. She was the first real friend I made. The first person who opened her arms to me without fear or hatred in her eyes."

He inched forward. Even if these moves were small, every inch would count up in the end.

"And that's what Hikari did for you. We were all lonely, all afraid because we weren't sure what our purposes were or what the point of a tomorrow was when no one cared about our existences." He inched forward again and grunted. "That's why you should see how important Hikari is! She cared more about your life and your future more than she cared about her own. The bond we share with them isn't just a one way street. They saved us from our darkness and we saved them from theirs!"

He had to stop. Just for a second to catch his breath then he'd keep moving.

In that pause, Naruto shook his head. "But you forsake her to the loneliness we all feared. You turned your back on the hand she reached out to you. Even at the end, even as you tried to kill her, she never stopped caring about you!"

" _Forgive me, Gaara. Even though you were my most precious person, I did not possess the strength to save you. But 'tis the cards I was dealt. I played them as best I could, but perhaps…perhaps in the next life we will meet as friends. I'd like to see you then."_

"It's so damn _wrong_." Naruto grit his teeth together to fight his tears. "You were her most precious person. Every time you turned your back on her or forced her to attack you, you broke her heart more and more. Unlike you…" Naruto forced himself forward again. "I care about Amari more than I care about myself. And I will never let anyone hurt her or our friends."

His tears didn't fall, but his eyes did intensify with his conviction to stop Gaara. "That's why I'll never give up. I _will_ stop you, even if I have to kill you!"

Gaara looked so lost and confused at his statement and determination to stop him. "But why? Why would you do this for anyone but yourself?"

The answer was so simple.

"Because they saved me from myself!" Inch by inch, he was getting so close. "They saved me from my loneliness. They were the first to accept me for who I am. They're my friends!"

 _So…close._

"Naruto, stop." Amari's command stopped him. He struggled to look up and meet her eye. Smiling down at him with all the warmth of the sun, Hikari safely secured in her arms, was his friend. "Hikari's okay and so are the others. The fight is over; you saved Hikari and protected us." His teammate glanced at Gaara. "Gaara's chakra is all used up. He won't be an issue."

Crouching down next to him and resting Hikari's back against her knee, his first friend placed her free hand on his shoulder. "Take a breather. You've earned it. Leave the rest to us."

He gave Amari a genuine but tired smile. "You got it, Sis."

Lowering his forehead into the dirt he let exhaustion take him to a nice well-deserved sleep.

* * *

 _Troublesome boy makes me look like I don't push my limits._

"Sleep well, Naruto," she told him.

Two chakra sources landed next to Gaara and across from her, but she sensed them before they landed. Amari hardly glanced at Gaara's siblings; they weren't a threat either, but she was worried about one particular person.

 _Shino, I can see Kankurō is practically sucked dry of all his chakra, but where are you?_

"Well, well. Look what we have here." Mimi's katana laced voice cut through the forest. Her fellow Leaf shinobi joined Amari next to Naruto as an entire platoon of Crows covered the trees around them. "Looks like the numbers game is back in our favor. So who wants to dance first?"

"That's enough." Gaara's gravelly voice was quiet but also had a sense of finality to it. "It's over."

"But Gaara, we can't just leave Hikari in their hands. Who knows what they'll do to her," Kankurō said.

Amari bristled at his comment. "And what did your people give her, huh?" she questioned fiercely, arms holding Hikari protectively. "Why should I give her back to Suna when all you and your people have ever done is treat her as a monster? Why do you even want her back? Is it because you have some sense of honor towards your fellow Suna shinobi? Or is it because you're afraid she'll spill secrets?"

Their silence was telling. It made Amari sick. "You all disgust me," she spat. "She's a human being! She's not just some tool you can mistreat or eliminate because she's outlived her usefulness in your eyes! She—"

"Amaririsu." Hikari's gentle hand rested on her cheek. The kunoichi smiled at her. "'Tis okay."

Amari clenched her teeth together. Her eyes watered at her casual acceptance and the swell of emotions the day left her with all coming up at once. The death, the destruction, she stomached it all to defend her home, but Hikari's acceptance tumbled her house of cards.

"No it's not, damn it. It's not _okay_. Why should you be given any less kindness than anyone else? Why should you have to continue to suffer?" She shook her head fiercely, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Why, damn it, why do you have to continue to bear this burden all alone? Why can't I help you?"

Hikari wiped one of her tears away. "You _have_ helped me, Amaririsu. 'Tis because of your actions and that of your comrades I live. 'Tis you who showed me kindness and warmth when no one else did. And 'tis you who cries because you care for my fate." Hikari's smile did not leave her face. "Before today I merely existed. But 'tis your light that has made me feel alive once more. Thank you. You owed me nothing, yet you gave me everything you could."

Amari choked on a sob and lowered her head. "I can do more. Damn it, let me do this. Let me help. You don't have to walk your road alone anymore. Just…Just let me help you more," she pleaded weakly.

"And this is why you are Konoha's greatest treasure," Hikari said warmly. "But my fate calls me back to Suna."

"But I—"

Hikari wrapped her arms around Amari's neck and held her tightly. "You are truly a pure soul, one I am grateful to have met," she whispered in her ear. "But please, allow me this chance to see if he has changed. I need to know if the boy I came to save can see me again."

Amari squeezed her eyes shut but nodded reluctantly. If that's what Hikari's heart wanted most, she wouldn't hold her back, even if it made her heart ache.

"What's the play, Amari? Are we letting these chumps leave or are we taking them all out here and now?" Mimi questioned.

Slowly, Amari rose. She wiped her tears away with her shoulders, heart still aching, and said, "Let them go."

Every step she took towards the Sand shinobi came even more reserved and reluctant than the last. This wasn't what she wanted. Suna had done nothing except give her kindred spirit tremendous heartache. They didn't deserve a second chance, but…Hikari's freedom to choose her own path was more important than her own feelings. Without that freedom, they were all caged birds, chained down by those who stole their freedom.

And a life caged was just an existence.

 _I…don't want to do this. But I won't make you my prisoner._

"Are you sure, Amari? They're not in any shape to fight," Sasuke pointed out.

"We completed our mission. We stopped the threat and the Sand and Sound will be defeated, if they haven't been already." She stopped a few feet away from the trio of Sand ninjas and looked over her shoulder back to her friends. The watery onyx eye gave her comrades' pause as they witnessed the full toll of everything she experienced on the frontlines in her reflective eye.

She was barely holding together. Pushing her to continue this war would break her.

"Enough blood has been spilled today," she said. "Let them retreat. This battle is over. Atsuko, can you come here, please?"

Atsuko swooped down to her shoulder. "How may I help, Young Amari?"

"Please send a few of your agents to monitor their retreat to the border between our Lands, and should they try to attack the Leaf or Hikari, kill them."

Temari and Kankurō tensed at the seriousness of her order.

Atsuko nodded. "Of course. Should such a foolish action be taken by your fellow Sand shinobi, Hikari of the Sand, my agents will protect you and return you to the Leaf. Young Amari's offer of help has no expiration date, as you have no doubt inferred."

"I know. I appreciate her offer and your protection, but there should be no altercations. My Iron Sand is still fully capable of defending me."

"Mm. My agents will monitor you all the same. Young Amari deems you precious, and so you will be protected as such. I will return momentarily," Atsuko said before departing into the canopy again.

Amari's Sharingan eye pinned onto the three, but mostly Temari and Kankurō. Gaara didn't appear to be on this planet anymore. "Abuse my mercy or harm her in anyway and your last breaths will be gasps of fear. That I promise." She trudged forward the final steps and crouched down to set Hikari in their care. "Take care, Hikari. I hope we can meet again someday."

Hikari smiled. "As do I, Amaririsu. Your light, 'tis something I will never forget so long as I draw breath."

Amari set her down and stood up, stepping away from the Sand shinobi as proof of her mercy. Kankurō picked up Gaara while Temari picked up Hikari, then they both jumped away. A handful of crows followed after them, as ordered. As for Amari, she watched them disappear into the dense forest, a sad look on her face and heaviness in her heart at letting Hikari leave to an unknown future.

 _I hope he can see you…but if he can't, I'll be waiting._

The kunoichi straightened her emotions out then turned back to her own team. Sasuke had Naruto's arm slung over his shoulder and his unconscious body brace. Mimi stood nearby with Tenten bracing some of her weight. They all looked tired, but they weren't safe yet. Rest would only happen when she knew they were safe.

Amari lifted her chin in the direction where they had left Shino. "Come on, let's go find Shino and find a place to bunker down until we're sure the village is safe."

All of the Genin shared a nod before jumping up into the trees on their trek back towards Shino's last known position. Hardly a minute into their journey and the full toll of exhaustion hit Amari's battered body. Mid-jump her vision fogged, and as she landed from a jump, the kunoichi lost her footing.

 _What a drag_ , she thought tiredly.

"Amari!" she heard someone cry.

Arms caught her before she hit the ground and continued back in step with her friends.

"You always push yourself too far, 'Risu," a voice chastised.

Amari cracked her eye open to see her cousin staring down at her with a smirk, Atsuko resting on his shoulder. "And…you're always lazy, Shika."

"Get some rest. I'll take it from here."

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she nestled into his chest. Maybe just this once she'd listen to him. "Wake me up…if you need me."

"I will. Now get to sleep, you troublesome girl."

* * *

The four Sand shinobi traveled in utter silence. Hikari sensed the general uneasiness of Temari and Kankurō, likely the result of the birds sent by Amaririsu. Her decision to leave the Leaf kunoichi, it had not been easy. Especially when her new friend cried for her. Her heart _wanted_ to stay, but it also wanted to return to Suna, not for anyone except Gaara.

She traveled all the way to Konoha to save him. 'Twas only right to travel back to Suna for the chance to renew their bond. If not, well, Amaririsu's offer had no expiration date.

"Temari, Kankurō, Hikari…I'm sorry," Gaara's tired but honest voice broke the silence.

The Suna native wasn't sure how to react to his words. 'Twas the first apology he gave since turning down his current path. 'Twas a small step, a small ember of hope that their bond may yet be restored.

Maybe things would be different when they got back home.

"Don't worry about it," Kankurō responded, sounding as surprised as she felt.

Maybe they could be friends again.

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: Thank you for the review! I think they could have interesting conversations as well, especially later on in Shippuden. But, alas, I cannot confirm or deny it. We will have to wait and see if she gets those conversations, as well as if she learns the truth about the massacre sooner rather than later. Hope you enjoyed the final confrontation!_


	51. Chapter 50: The Circle that Binds Us

Chapter 50

The Circle that Binds Us: A Will of Fire to Remember, Forever

The invasion couldn't have lasted more than two hours. Yet for the young Genin caught up in the war, fighting tooth and nail to defend their homes and survive, it felt as if they fought for several days without stop. Not average days either. Long ones. The kind of troublesome days that only ended when a person crashed face first into a pillow, body aching and exhausted enough to pass out within minutes.

Every single one of them—with the exception of Lee, Ino and Chōji—faced battles that practically assured certain death upon failure. Somehow, though, somehow they all found a way to walk away alive, some with far closer shaves to death than others, but no less dangerous. No less terrifying.

The invasion hadn't been some game. You couldn't call a timeout to think, forfeit didn't mean survival and victory in one battle didn't mean the end of the war. War was a game with no rules and no mercy. Only the strong, experienced and lucky survived war while the weak and innocent perished by its merciless, wrinkled and calloused hands.

Shinobi were trained for combat at a young age. The Academy sharpened their skills so, when graduation came, they could join a squad and begin gaining experience under the guidance of a veteran shinobi. But Shikamaru learned something important in the invasion: You could train and practice all you wanted, you could even be a workaholic like 'Risu, but none of it substituted for the real deal.

The intense floods of adrenaline and fear couldn't be simulated. To know you're being hunted _for real_ , to know if you didn't move fast enough a friend and comrade would be swept away by an enemy, to face a merciless monster hell-bent on _killing_ everything it touched, it changed a person inside and out. It left scars. Some visible on the skin, others deeper on the soul.

Suddenly their simple daily lives were forgotten, replaced by high pressure bearing down on their shoulders, submerging them in the reality of war they all escaped. For Shikamaru, his mind never stopped moving. He ran calculations, concerns interrupted them, his heart beat was out of control; every individual drop of sweat beading down his face he could feel in intimate detail, from its weight and size to how fast it moved down his slick skin.

 _How do I get everyone out of this alive? What's the best plan with the highest survivability rate? Can I really hold these guys off on my own?_

 _Is 'Risu okay? Can she handle the freak of nature?_

 _Come on, think Shikamaru, think. Stay focused. Strategy is your specialty. The others are depending on you, the laziest kid in all the Leaf._

 _Damn it, Mom was right. I never applied myself enough. I'm so stupid._

War found them. It laughed evilly in the faces of their easygoing and peaceful lives as it destroyed building after building, life after life, showing no mercy to civilians or shinobis. One mistake and death would claim their souls too.

Yet, miraculously, they all pulled through. They faced the chaos and the fear with courageous Will of Fires, empowered by the need to protect their comrades to achieve victory in their battles. Still, victory didn't negate the whirlwind of experiences now imprinted on their minds and souls. Victory didn't erase the destruction and pain they witnessed.

Victory couldn't bring back the dead.

Shikamaru exhaled a soft breath, eyes staring up at the blue sky above him. _Winning the battle is a good thing_ , he reminded himself again. Victory meant an end to the chaos, even if it was only temporary. Pushing the Sand and Sound into retreat won the day and preserved the future of the Leaf.

He could see the bigger picture and the importance of their victory. Shikamaru was _glad_ the invasion ended in their victory, especially when the alternative wasn't a happy ending for them. But still, thinking of this whole situation as _good_ was hard when good people sacrificed themselves for their sake and close friends of his got severely hurt.

 _Argh, thinking about all this is such a pain._

Maybe he just hadn't processed it all yet. A lot happened in those few hours of chaotic battle. As time went on, though, as they grew up and took their place as the next guardians, they would encounter more intense battles that tested their skills and their mettle.

 _Such is the life of a shinobi, I suppose. Could be tested on a mission, or maybe we'll be tested again in a continuation of the war between us and the Sand and Sound._

Shikamaru wasn't sure what the future held anymore. He certainly hadn't expected a big, troublesome invasion to happen two days ago, or to do more than live an average life. Nope. The latter was a turn of events he never suspected of himself, but hey, he couldn't be wholly blamed for it. His 'Risu was the one who rubbed her motivated attitude off on him, not the other way around.

 _'Risu…_ Shikamaru frowned in worry.

Two full days came and went, yet his cousin remained, in her words, a prisoner of the hospital with Mimi. Naruto used to share a room with the kunoichi duo, but his body recovered faster than theirs, not that the Nara boy was surprised. Nothing ever kept the knucklehead down long. Sometimes Shikamaru wondered if he had spare batteries on hand or something to plug in when he ran out of juice; he never seemed to run out of energy, which could be a real drag for anyone who enjoyed peace and quiet.

What 'Risu and Mimi did, though—well, they damn near drained themselves to absolute zero. Their clones battled it out on the frontlines of the war, pushing their already fatigued bodies to new levels of exhaustion to help anyway they could, unable to simply stand by and let other's fight on their behalf. But, like a yo-yo, the overexertion of the clones climbed back up its rope to the hand using it, tying up the users in a tangled mess of their clones' experiences.

Everything a clone experienced fell back on them. The fatigue was one facet of it, but the memories—shinobi dying in front of them, buildings crumbling, cries of terror they couldn't answer, wounds they couldn't fix—could crush them with the weight of a hundred circus elephants.

This was the cost of the Shadow Clone Jutsu. 'Risu passed out within seconds of him catching her, and Mimi passed out at some point on the way back to Shino. The bug tamer nearly died via poison used by Kankurō's puppet; luckily his father tracked their departure from the Leaf, saving his sons life with his insects and standing guard over the physically drained team of Genin afterwards.

'Risu and Mimi did not wake up until night fell, apparently, but even that was temporary from what he heard. Between 'Risu's use of her ultimate defense and the accumulation of chakra expended, as well as damage taken, maintaining consciousness was nothing short of another battle against Gaara. A battle she didn't have any strength left to fight.

Mimi boarded the same cruise ship to exhaustion island. Her use of Medical Ninjutsu, Shadow Clones and Water Style, even with two food pills, drained every molecule of energy within her body.

While unconsciousness gripped them both, doctors healed their injuries. Mimi was already moving around on crutches in their room, trying to get the knots out of her stiff and sore body. 'Risu watched on with Aoko in her lap. They both were recovering well, according to the doctors, but Shikamaru could see through their brave faces. He could see the struggles beneath the surfaces.

They looked tired. Older, even. Worn down and weather-beaten by their experiences like an old traveling merchant exposed to too many storms and rays of sunlight.

The Nara boy didn't prod. It wasn't his place. What could he even say? While Asuma rescued him, they were on the frontlines, waist deep and eyes wide open to the urban warfare splattering the roads with streams of crimson blood. Empty condolences wouldn't apply a salve to the wound. Attempting to relate his experience to theirs was just plain stupid. Sure, the whole decoy act and confrontation scared him, but equivocating that to the _frontlines of a war_ , he may as well compare a harmless childhood bully to Kasai.

Given his lackluster skill with heartfelt speeches, Shikamaru realized quickly there was only one thing he could do: be supportive by sticking together. They couldn't smother each other and make it impossible to breathe, that'd be a drag. Besides, Mimi and 'Risu were the type of girls to fight their own battles.

Speeches weren't necessary, or at least not from him. Maybe members of their family had the words he lacked. But he had to focus on his own skillset, a skillset absent of good speeches and heartfelt words to get them all through this.

"Shikamaru." The boy hummed at the sound of his dad's calm, deep voice. He craned his neck to look over his shoulder at his father, who stood a few feet away, bare foot on their front porch. "Mind if I join you?"

Shikamaru shrugged and looked up at the cloudless blue sky again. "I don't mind."

His father approached and sat on the top stair with him, crossing one leg beneath him and resting a forearm on his knee. He, too, lifted his head up to look at the sky.

The sun settled at a high angle, beyond their vision above the roof overhang, casting a small shadow of their home onto the well-maintained grass ahead of the Nara men. Among the forestry nearby, if one looked keenly enough, a few deer could be spotted grazing among the shadows and light shining through the canopy. Leaves rustled as squirrels dashed along the branches, and Shikamaru was pretty sure he heard a woodpecker pecking away out there.

The air was warmer today, but not uncomfortable. Within the shadows of the overhang the temperature lowered to a nice cool, made cooler by the slightest of breezes to pass through Konoha.

"Beautiful day out," his father said.

"Yeah."

"Battles like the invasion make you appreciate moments like these more. Shinobi and everyday people move through life, following their routines or moving from mission to mission. Unfortunately it's in times of great loss when we begin to appreciate what and who is around us."

"Is that why you and mom have been visibly touchy feely when you're together these last few days?" Shikamaru asked, lips twisting up in a smirk.

The sly comment earned him a hearty laugh from his dad. "Keen eyes, Shikamaru!" he complimented humorously. Then his father rubbed the back of his neck, a small puff of bashful laughter escaping him as he smiled. "Heh, guess I wasn't as smooth as I thought."

The boy waved his dad off. "Eh, you two have been pretty slick with it all. I only caught you kissing once."

And he quickly and silently retreated out of the kitchen to give them privacy.

"Otherwise it's just the little things I've noticed. Hand holding, short embraces, small touches as you two move around one another. Mom's been a bit easier on me too. Stops what she's doing to hug me anytime I leave the house, even just to come sit out here." He shrugged. "It's no big deal. Doesn't bug me or anything."

But his dad was right. For a guy who took it easy all the time and loved to just lay in the grass, eyes shut as he breathed in the relaxation, the invasion made him more appreciative of who and what surrounded him. How close were 'Risu and his friends to losing their lives against Gaara? Or Hinata from being taken by the Cloud? Or him from dying at the hands of the Sound?

 _Too close. Way too close._

Their survival came down to thread thin opportunities falling in their hands. By the grace of luck, teamwork and what skills they possessed, they pulled through. That alone, though, wasn't enough to get them by through their shinobi careers or the possible continuation of war with the Sand and Sound.

 _Or a whole new war with the Cloud_ , he thought, pursing his lips in a thin frown.

"Hm, you've got a look in your eye. What's on your mind, Shikamaru?"

"Probably not what you think."

"Oh?"

"The invasion forces wrecked a portion of the walls surrounding the Leaf, not to mention all the buildings they destroyed with those snakes. It'll take time to rebuild the structures and the defenses," he said, eyes lowering to the blades of grass bending on the breeze. "There are also the casualties our forces suffered to consider. I don't have an exact number, obviously, but I heard enough from Mimi and 'Risu and we've all seen the damage. We may have won the battle, but not without a heavy cost.

"Because of that us Genin will need to step up and take on harder missions. Could be guard duty and patrols around our walls and borders, could be B- or A-ranked missions led by Chūnin. Maybe even mission with teams made entirely of Genin. It's going to be tough from here on out, and that's not even including the possibility of this war dragging on or the Cloud becoming our enemies as well…"

He paused, eyes shutting as the next words struggled to come up. "Or the death of Lord Third," he finally got out after a length of silence.

Saying it felt traitorous, as if saying the words made him the murderer of the Hokage.

"Mm. All valid points," Shikaku agreed in a low voice. "Ibiki has yet to tell us what he gleaned from the two Cloud shinobi 'Risu and Neji helped capture. Knowing him, he wants to get the whole picture drawn out to the tiniest of details before he gives a briefing. Honestly, though, whether or not the Cloud ordered it or not doesn't really matter."

"Huh? What do you mean?" He met his father's gaze with a look of confusion.

"Well, even if they were ordered, the Cloud will in all likelihood deny it completely. Just like last time," Shikaku explained patiently. "Since their shinobi did not die, they cannot make the bargain of a life for a life as they did in their previous attempt. Plus, the last time they tried they didn't receive what they really wanted. That should deter them from asking again."

Shikaku gazed up to the sky. "They really only have three moves to make. They can demand the return of their shinobi, but that would be illogical. We're the wronged party clearly in this.

"Their second action would be a declaration of war over these captured shinobi. However that is also unlikely. I've checked our bingo books and spoken to Atsuko's agents about their identities; we have names, but they aren't among their elite shinobi or related to any important figures, so they probably won't hold any great secrets our spies can't learn themselves."

"Hmm. Which leaves their only real move: Complete denial and leaving them in our custody," Shikamaru said, looking back up to the sky. "It's our only real move too. If we let them go, they could tell their allies of 'Risu's heritage, which Kakashi-sensei said we couldn't speak to anyone within our own Village or Clans about. That goes double for outsiders."

His father nodded. "Exactly. To protect 'Risu's secret and not appear weak in this fragile time, the Leaf cannot cave into any of the Cloud's demands. I don't anticipate the Cloud waging war with us, although it's not impossible. Until we can confirm the attempted kidnapping as their true goal or an autonomous action taken by these two shinobi, we won't lower our guard. The Leaf will remain on high alert for the foreseeable future. If they try to make a move, we'll be prepared for it."

Shikamaru hummed. "Which leaves the Sound and Sand."

"I'm not so sure about the Sound." He turned to look at his father again, eyebrow quirked up. "Looking at the assault objectively, the Sound made up a bulk of the enemy forces in sheer numbers, but not skill. The Sand provided more talented and powerful shinobi. According to our reports, casualties were the highest for the Sound, followed by Sand and then our own."

Shock shot Shikamaru's eyebrows up. He hadn't known the Sound stacked up the highest personal casualties. "That's probably why they sent so many shinobi after us," he muttered to himself. "Asuma walked through them without breaking a sweat, which could mean their greatest strength was the sheer numbers to overwhelm."

"Asuma is one of our elite, so it's no surprise he eliminated lesser shinobi without issue, but your conclusion is closer to the truth than you realize." Shikaku met his eyes. "The Sound isn't one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations. By size of country alone and economy they don't possess the funding or the surplus of troops to assault us directly again. We'll have to wait for Atsuko's agents full report, but I'd bet against a continuation of war with them."

Uncrossing his one leg, Shikaku leaned back onto the palms of both hands to relax. "And although Lord Third died in battle, I'm told the wounds he dealt to Orochimaru are irreversible. He may yet strike again, but it won't be with an army or at full power. He also won't be able to sneak his troops in again to attack us from the inside and the outside.

"However, that doesn't mean he is no longer a threat. As long as he lives and sets his sights upon the Leaf, Sasuke and 'Risu, he will always be a threat to us and those we hold dear. But for now he will skulk in the shadows, likely with several Crows monitoring him and his underlings at all times," his dad added with an amused chuckle.

A chuckle escaped Shikamaru, the small action unwinding the tension burdening his heart. His dad confirmed his fear about Orochimaru's continued interest in 'Risu, and that their fight against him wasn't over yet, far from it probably. But to know Lord Third gave him irreversible injuries and that the Crows would monitor him at all times did level the playing field a little.

Not to their level, of course; Orochimaru remained out of their league in the present moment. The battlefield, to his mind, had been leveled to those like his father, who the Nara boy knew wouldn't let Orochimaru lay a hand on 'Risu ever again. For now, though, 'Risu was safe from him, and that would make sleeping a little easier.

"Finally, the Sand," his father continued. "It's hard to say where they will fall, but it'll be known within the next week. Of that I am certain."

"How come?"

"As you and your peers learned, Orochimaru posed as the Kazekage throughout the tournament. And according to that Hikari girl 'Risu talked to, he's been doing it for some time. Long enough to warrant an important question: Where's the _real_ Kazekage? He didn't show up to destroy the Leaf, so…" his father trailed off for Shikamaru to pick up on the conclusion.

"He could be dead," Shikamaru concluded. He furrowed his brow. "With their casualties and the loss of the Kazekage, war against us would be suicide. Even if they have many skilled shinobi left, low morale can defeat an enemy before they enter battle. Especially since we defeated their combined forces with the least amount of casualties."

"Not just their combined forces, but the Gaara child as well. The one who contained the Shukaku," his father reminded. "They may or may not know of Lord Third's death." Shikamaru winced at the reminder. "But they know that their forces, bolstered by Orochimaru of the Sannin, an army of Sound shinobi, summoning snakes and the Shukaku were all defeated. Strategically, a continuation of war ends poorly for them."

"Yeah, but it wouldn't end well for us either. We'd lose more shinobi, weakening our Village further and increasing the possibility of attack from the Stone, Cloud or Mist," Shikamaru realized. "And the same goes for them. If we continue this war with each other, we risk being destroyed by one of the other Nations if they take advantage of the situation."

And they _would_ take advantage of the situation. The consistent trend of war and destroying enemy countries in shinobi history all but guaranteed it.

"You're right. This means our two Nations have only one real move: a treaty that declares peace between our Nations and restores our alliance. They'll be in our debt, of course, but that's the cost they must pay for the war they started. Whether or not the Sand can let go of their pride to do this is another matter altogether."

His father sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Pride in one's nation or yourself isn't innately destructive. But when you allow stubborn pride and arrogance blind you, it will destroy a person, a Clan or a nation from within. Remember that, Shikamaru."

"I will."

Shikaku nodded to his son and sat forward. "Savor these moments of peace, Shikamaru. Whether you're alone or with someone you care for, savor them for all they're worth. Time catches up to us all. Tomorrow the world may be completely different than it is today. It may be better, it may be absent of a loved one. It's for that last reason we must make every moment count."

The way his dad gazed off into the distance, Shikamaru figured he was thinking about 'Risu's mother.

Shikamaru stood up. "Thanks, Dad."

"For?" his dad queried.

"The talk. I needed it." It cleared his mind and gave him a better overview on the situation and the future. But now there was something he needed to do.

Shikaku smiled and nodded. "Anytime. Where you off to?"

"Going to check on 'Risu and Mimi. They probably need extra company to keep them from going crazy in that room. Heh, 'Risu must be almost twitching from being stuck inside so long," he said, chuckling lightly. "Besides, it'll be back to work soon, so I might as well enjoy what little time off I have left." He stopped in his slow departure, turning to meet his father's eyes again. "If we can, I'd like to start training harder with you and Mom."

 _I can't drag my feet anymore. Ugh, this motivation thing is a real drag, but it can't be helped._

His dad nodded once. "We'll work it out. Take care, Shikamaru."

"Yeah, I will. Have fun with Mom," he added slyly.

The bashful chuckle from his father kept a smirk on his lips for a while.

Shikamaru strolled to the hospital, passing along the designated roads that were safe or mostly cleaned up. A lot of the main roads were cut off by debris of destroyed buildings or workers in the process of cleaning it up. People of all ages and backgrounds chipped in where they could. More than a few times he stepped out of the way to let a rushing worker pass, or a team carrying building materials.

Looking at it all, Konoha had a long road of recovery ahead of it. More than a few days of cleanup could do. But witnessing the people work together, supporting one another as best they could, kept hope alive in his heart.

Orochimaru may have killed Lord Third, but he hadn't killed the heart of the Leaf.

The Will of Fire still burned here, strong as ever.

He made it to the hospital and was granted access to 'Risu and Mimi's room as a visitor. Apparently they were due to be discharged later today; doctors still wanted a final checkup for Mimi's ankle and 'Risu's shoulder.

When he entered the sterile white room, he found the kunoichi's not in their beds, but sitting on the windowsill of their room's open window. Mimi leaned her back against the edge of the window with Aoko on her lap while 'Risu sat next to her, both legs hanging over the edge.

The door sliding open acquired their attention. They glanced over their shoulders to him, so he offered a small wave. "Hey."

'Risu smiled and waved casually back. "Hey Shika."

Mimi nodded to him, a small grin on her face. "Slacker, finally decided to get out of bed today?"

"Maybe," he returned in jest, offering a nonchalant shrug. He strolled on over to the windowsill, seating himself next to 'Risu to look out at the Leaf. "Anything exciting going on around here?"

"Oh yeah. Total party here in the hospital," Mimi snickered.

"Total party," Amari deadpanned, rolling her eye. "Although I did meet Hana today, Mimi's older cousin, and her three ninken. They pounced Mimi while she slept, which was hilarious," his cousin giggled.

"Oh sure, laugh at the cripple," Mimi grumbled, mocking agitation. "Here I thought we were friends, but _noo_ , you don't even bother to wake me up when Hana is up to no good. You could have used your Shadow Possession to stop her."

"Too tired."

"Could have yelled to wake me up."

"Raising my voice is such a drag," Amari replied lazily, smiling.

"Traitor. You're supposed to protect the crippled," Mimi grinned. Aoko rumbled from her lap, snapping a pleading pair of sapphire eyes down to her. " _Hey_ ," she whined, "don't you start in on that too. Hana and Aunty Tsume both gave me two earfuls already."

"Overexerting herself," his cousin provided context.

Shikamaru nodded, smiling at the exchange between the kunoichi. Their eyes lit up through it. Like an ocean wave washing away a sand drawing, the weighed down and worn look in their eyes faded as they exchanged in light banter.

"Ah, makes sense. You both did push it too far," he agreed.

"Not you too," Mimi whined playfully. "My family, her family, the doctors, our sensei's, hell even our teammates hit us with that lecture. Don't you start too, Slacker!"

Shikamaru raised his hands in defense, lips twisting into an amused smirk. 'Risu hid a giggle behind her hand at Mimi's theatrics. "All right, all right. Settle down, I won't bring it up."

"Good," Mimi nodded once, settling the matter with a grin on her face.

"Atsuko came by to visit too," 'Risu continued. "Her agents reported back in that Hikari made it safely to the border of the Land of Fire and Wind. She was fully recovered and capable of defending herself by then."

"Mm. That's good."

After everything she told him about the Hikari girl and how far she went to protect her, Shikamaru was glad for it. It'd have been a real drag if the Sand shinobi tried to hurt her again.

"I agree. But what about you? Anything interesting going on?"

"Had a good talk with my dad this morning. Helped me sort out some of my thoughts. Otherwise, no, not really. Nothing you two don't already know about anyways."

"Uncle Shikaku does have a lot of good advice," 'Risu nodded.

The conversations between the trio continued on, the view of the partially destroyed Leaf Village never fully out of their line of sight or out of their hearts. Eventually they settled for quiet relaxation.

Mimi rested her head of untamed brown hair against the edge of the window and shut her eyes, hand unconsciously petting Aoko as she breathed softly. 'Risu scooted closer to him so she could lean her head into his chest. He wrapped an arm around her smaller frame, silently acknowledging and accepting her need to cuddle close to someone as she and Mimi just shut their eyes to get away from their thoughts and the world.

Away from the sorrow awaiting them tomorrow.

He hadn't done much, not in his eyes anyways. But whether what any of them did was small or large didn't matter, he supposed. They all just had to focus on what they could do when in these moments.

As they all moved forward, changed by the invasion and preparing for an unknown future, they'd need to hang onto these moments and savor them like his father said. Because sooner rather than later trouble was going to come calling again, and when it did, the world could be completely different.

Hopefully better. Anything else would be a real drag.

* * *

Naruto sat crossed legged on the edge of his bed, cerulean eyes gazing despondently at the wood floor but not really seeing it. He dressed in all black, though three white bandages were taped to both his cheeks and his forehead. Small wounds either his fight with Neji or the war had given him; he couldn't remember the sources anymore. It didn't matter in the end. His wounds would heal, they always did.

 _Why?_

The heartbroken question he whispered in his thoughts rebounded off the walls of his mind like a rubber ball. The question lacked an answer, or at least one that could satisfy him anyways. But he still asked it, because deep down he hoped maybe there could be an answer. Maybe, just maybe, that answer might heal this bleeding wound on his heart.

The weather mirrored the mood of the Leaf. Bowling balls of thunder rumbled overhead, yet the rain building in the dark clouds didn't fall. Not yet. It would downpour when it did, just as unending and wrathful as the war he took part in a few days ago.

Konoha, it received so much damage. By a stroke of luck the homes of Team Seven remained intact, but they were fortunate. Many other people lost their homes, priceless mementos, businesses and loved ones. Entire livelihoods were destroyed, wrecked or fractured in some way all across the Village.

The true extent of damage done stretched so far. The nightmare never seemed to end. Everywhere they looked, pain lingered, a great pain looming over all of them in the form of Hokage Mountain.

The entire Village mourned, for those they didn't know and for those they did. Naruto experienced the latter more intensely. Although their battle against Gaara had many close calls, although the war threatened all of their lives, his teammates and peers all survived. The Rookie Ten, Team Guy, even all of their sensei's pulled through.

It was fantastic. His precious people and his peers survived a surprise war without critical injuries or death. But there was one person who hadn't made it. One precious person who gave his life to defend the Leaf.

The Third Hokage fell in battle. Naruto and his peers did not know the full circumstances surrounding it. They didn't know how Orochimaru desecrated the dead by reviving the First and Second Hokage to fight the Third, or how hard their leader fought to defeat his predecessors and his former pupil. They didn't know Orochimaru used Kin and Zaku, his own shinobi, as sacrifices to revive the past Hokage.

None of them would ever know the Third died with a smile on his face, as only a true hero does.

 _Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick._ The tick of the clock wormed into Naruto's ear, a background noise that lulled him into this daze of silent depression.

Why? Why did someone so good have to die?

 _Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick._

Naruto did not delude himself into believing only he felt this pain. That the severing of this bond was felt strongest by him and him alone. Konohamaru was Lord Third's grandson, and as far as Naruto knew the Third was his only family. Amari too would feel this. It had been the Old Man to allow her to stay in the Leaf when she was found; he was a similar presence in her life as he was in Naruto's.

But it wasn't just them or just the shinobi to mourn for the Hokage. Lord Third was beloved by everyone in the Leaf; civilian and shinobi alike mourned equally for his passing.

A knock against his doorframe awoke Naruto from his sorrow. Looking up, he met Sasuke's downcast onyx eyes. He too dressed in all black and his forehead protector. Their shared apartment, meant to protect them from a possible threat against Gaara, no longer had Anbu monitoring it, but neither found the time or the will to move out just yet.

At a time like this, no one really wanted to be alone.

"It's time," he said plainly.

With those two words spoken, they returned to muted silence. All save the ticking of the clock.

Time never stopped. Not for them, not for anyone.

Naruto stood up, tied his forehead protector around his neck and followed his teammate out of his room. It was time. Time to meet up with the kunoichi half of their team. Time to attend the funeral for Lord Third and everyone else who had been lost in the war.

Time to share in the grieving for one moment before returning to their duty.

Time stopped for no one. Repairs needed to be done. The injured needed to recover. And at some point they would all find out whether or not the stupid war was going to continue. For now, though, they would put to rest those they lost with great respect then share their moment of mourning.

Staying in this darkness wouldn't do anyone good.

Stepping out of the apartment and into the open air, the two boys paused and looked out towards the cracked stone face of Lord Third and the Hokage's of their past. Destroyed buildings cut off some of the roads and put into perspective the collateral damage a few days couldn't erase.

Neither spoke. Words weren't necessary for them to understand what they were both feeling. Since they could first comprehend the world around them, the Leaf had stood untouched. Even through their darkest moments, the Leaf never lost the light or the comfortable feeling of home. To see it in such a sad state…

Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets and turned to leave, steps slow so the hesitating Naruto could catch up.

 _Don't worry, Old Man. We'll get the village fixed up in no time._

With his final thought gone on a steady breeze, he turned and followed after his friend.

* * *

Life defined the meaning of duality. For every beautiful flower, for every breathtaking mountain or heartwarming moment, there was a decayed forest, a burned down Village or a cruel war.

Life and death.

Love and hate.

Peace and war.

Compassion and cruelty.

Hope and despair.

For every piece of good in the world, there was a piece of evil. For every bright light in the world, a dark shadow is cast behind it.

Today's funeral service was the dark shadow casted by the light of their victory. It reminded Amari of why she hoped beyond hope the shinobi world might one day know peace. Even if evil could not be snuffed out forever, if the Five Nations came together to bring peace between their lands then maybe war would cease to exist. Maybe such large scale pointless destruction and tragedy could be averted.

 _All this loss of life, and for what? Proving some sort of dominance?_ Amari shook her head inwardly in anger. She hated the war. Hated everything it had done to her home, to the innocent people she and Mimi couldn't save and to the world itself over the years. She hated the people who ordered it most of all.

Orochimaru, the Council of Fools Hikari referred to, they should be the ones suffering right now, not the injured shinobi they sent to war, not the innocent people they attacked for no good reason, _them_.

But they weren't, and Amari hated that so much. Old men and women sent the young to fight, destroy lives and die while they sat safe and alive, tucked away from all the carnage war wrought. As innocent people died in the Leaf, as they cried out for mercy and tried to protect their children, those heartless scum went about their daily lives without a care in the world.

"Young Haya?" Atsuko's voice woke her up.

Amari didn't even notice she stopped walking, the furious gritting of her teeth or the white-knuckled fists she formed. Slowly, after a deep breath, she loosened her jaw and relaxed her fingers before continuing on her silent journey.

"War is hell," she whispered.

"Indeed."

She hated the quiet voice in her heart telling her this wasn't the last war she would fight.

Would the Leaf move in retribution to crush the Sand and Sound? Did they even have the military strength to do it? Amari didn't know. She didn't really want to know. Deep in her heart, she feared the possible continuation of war, or the new beginnings of one against the Cloud or Stone.

The Cloud already made a move on Hinata; they almost successfully kidnapped her to steal her Byakugan and eliminate her. Now the Leaf had two Cloud shinobi in custody, one of which saw her Sharingan and would report it back to their leader if he could. And if the Cloud did learn, Amari would be the prime rib to their Akimichi buffet.

The Stone, on the other hand might be opportunistic enough to crush them while they were wounded. Considering their shared history of war, Amari didn't doubt their attempt to strike while the iron was hot.

 _We retaliate, we defend, it doesn't matter. People will die no matter what, and more hatred will be bred between our nations. More blood will be spilled, and more people will refuse to forgive those who cost them their precious people._

How many more Mimi's, Amaririsu's, Haku's, Gaara's and Hikari's were created in the invasion?

How many more would exist by the time she reached the end of her life?

Amari didn't want to think about it. She wanted to stop feeling this pain in her heart, but it refused to relent, like a monsoon of agony and sorrow hammering her heart for days without end.

Everywhere she looked was some reminder of what the Sand and Sound had done; a destroyed building over here, a blocked off street there, an injured civilian still trying to work down the road, a full tavern at noon. Even the hospital hadn't offered a reprieve from it. Doctors and nurses rushed around all day and all night to take care of the wounded. Gurneys rolled down the hall with orders being shouted, weary eyed nurses checked up on them, apologizing for any delay due to how overwhelmed they were.

A busy hospital was never good.

And when Amari shut her eyes, she saw the intense battles her clones' fought playing on the back of her eyelids. She could hear the cries of terror and pleas of mercy whispering hauntingly in her ears. Afflicting memories of dead shinobi lying in the streets and on the rooftops, crimson pools of blood beneath some of their bodies, faces ghostly white and absent of life, followed her.

No matter how much she hated the people responsible, or how much her heart hurt, or how terrible her nights of sleep became, Amari promised herself to remain true to her path. Should they fight Suna in their home, she would not return their cruelty with her own. She refused to walk the same path they had.

She refused to be like the people responsible for this suffering.

Of everything to happen, learning of the loss of the Hokage struck Amari's heart the hardest. Just a handful of days ago she ran into him in the street, he had smiled and laughed at Atsuko calling him old, he mused about the future of the Leaf and wondered if she might one day be Hokage…and now he was gone.

The Shadow user's eyes lingered on her feet as she strode slowly towards the team meeting spot. Perched on her shoulder was Atsuko. They hadn't spoken much, but she appreciated the company in this pit of melancholy they all sat in.

Thunder rumbled above yet it barely registered in her ears. Her thoughts were too absorbed by memories of Lord Third. Every moment she shared with him, from the day she woke up in the hospital after losing Ryu to now, came swimming to the surface. She remembered their retrieval of Tora the cat, how she had been barely able to breathe because of the perfume the Daimyo's wife wore.

" _How are any of you alive right now?"_ she had asked after the woman left, looking to her team and even the Hokage for a legitimate answer.

" _Over time you grow immune to it,"_ Lord Third responded flatly.

" _Over time?!"_ The mere thought of encountering her again left her horrified.

As simple as the moment was, the tiny encounter lifted her lips up in a sorrowful smile.

She missed him terribly already.

Amari came to a stop, turning her eye from the ground to the empty area around her.

 _I'm early._

Resting her back against the wooden fence, she turned her eye back downwards and brought her right hand to her left arm, gripping loosely the soft cloth replacing the mesh today. She dressed in a plain black buttoned up long-sleeved blouse, paired with a black shirt underneath, a black skirt and black ninja sandals.

Save for her blue hair and forehead protector over her left eye, she had no other visible color on her. Beneath her blouses left sleeve, though, she wore her precious bandana as a source of comfort.

How long she stood silently with Atsuko, she couldn't say. Amari couldn't find the will to track the time. At the sound of approaching footsteps, she looked up to find Sakura arriving in the same formal attire. Her features, too, were shrouded by the same sadness they all felt. They met eyes for a moment and offered quiet greetings before turning their thoughts elsewhere.

Together the two kunoichi and the crow waited quietly for the last two members of their team to show up. It didn't take much longer, and as a group they proceeded in silence towards the roof of the Academy—the location of the funeral service. Once there they lined up in single file lines with shinobi from their class, their senseis and other older shinobi.

Their team was split up. Sakura and Sasuke stood next to one another a few rows over, Amari stood between Naruto and Konohamaru while Atsuko and many of her fellow crows perched over all of them to mourn.

Next to the grandson of the Third Hokage, and the final person in their row, was Iruka. From Naruto on it went Shino, Neji then Ino, Shikamaru, Chōji and a few others. All of her mother's team and Team Guy were present as well, although Amari wasn't sure where.

Her eyes were drawn like magnets to the picture of the Hokage and all the others whose pictures—including their former proctor Hayate—settled on a table in front of them. Torches were lit on either side of the table and a bouquet of white petal flowers laid below the Hokage's picture.

As all the shinobi stood together in solidarity and silence, the dark clouds above finally opened up to release the downpour they contained on the mourning shinobi below.

Even the heavens wept.

Two of the Leaf Elders, one old man and one old woman, approached the table. The man of the pair spoke first. "We are gathered here to remember not only the Third Hokage, but all those who sacrificed themselves in this battle so that our village would survive."

A bell rang a low, mournful note as the Elders continued their eulogy.

 _Damn it, why did this have to happen?_ Amari's eyes shimmered with tears she fought to keep from falling.

" _I know I am old, and I am content with it. I have lived a long and good life."_

 _"You still have many years left, Lord Third."_

 _"Indeed. There's still plenty of life in these old bones of mine."_ She could still smell his pipe smoke and see the smile that illuminated his eyes. _"But it heartens me to see the new generation blossoming. All of you are so spirited and young, unlike me, and you carry the Will of Fire close to your hearts. It is your fires that will one day illuminate the Village. Who knows, perhaps it will be you who will become Hokage one day, Amari."_

 _Lord Third…_

When the eulogy reached its end, each shinobi took their turn in placing one of the white flowers, gathered on nearby tables, on the table in front of the pictures. Most of the first to do so Amari did not know personally, but they all wore the same solemn features.

Konohamaru, who had done his best to stand strong, broke down into tears, unable to hold them or the heart stabbing sobs of raw pain back a second longer.

Amari squeezed her eyes shut. _I'm…I'm so sorry, Konohamaru._

She wanted to hold him, to cry with him, but she couldn't. Today she had to be a shinobi, not the girl who was curled up and weeping inside.

Iruka knelt down and pulled the boy into a hug, shutting his own eyes as he held the pain filled child close. It wouldn't fix anything. It wouldn't make the pain go away or replace the hug of the grandfather he lost, but just having someone hold you close when everything was falling apart could make a difference.

Amari knew that from personal experience.

Eventually the Genin took their turns. Shikamaru, Chōji and Ino were first, followed by Sakura and Sasuke. After them Kiba, Hinata and Shino placed flowers on the table, and with each new person done, Amari stepped ever closer to the picture.

She was trying not to clench the flower in her hand as hard as her heart was clenching in her chest. This was really _it_. The final goodbye before all that was left of him were memories, pictures and the stone carving of his face.

Knowing all of that, she felt the internal struggle to not cry growing tougher than any war. _Stay strong_ , the kunoichi coached herself. _You have to stay strong._ Naruto placed his flower on the table and stared at the picture of the Hokage briefly before he too turned away, cerulean eyes strong but shiny.

Now it was her turn. Her turn to place her flower among the growing pile. Her turn to say goodbye.

So many memories came to mind. Some so small, she almost forgot they even happened in the first place.

 _I…I'll miss you, Lord Third._

 _I'll never forget that first day we spoke. You told me about my heritage, and I asked if any of my family might still be alive. You confirmed what I knew in my heart all along, that they were dead, and I finally realized why you all looked at me like I was supposed to be dead, because I should have been. But when I started to feel even more alone, you told me that what mattered most was that I was alive and I finally returned home._

She gripped the flower tighter. _Do you know how much that meant to me? Everything I had known and loved was torn from my arms, but you…you told me I was home. If Ryu's last wish gave me purpose, your comfort in that moment gave me a foundation to stand on._

Tears stung her eyes. _Thank you. Thank you so much for letting me stay and always encouraging me to become stronger. Thank you for teaching me about the Will of Fire. Thank you for reintroducing me to my uncle, aunt and cousin. And thank you for making Kurenai my guardian when I returned home._

 _I won't be Hokage, but I'll keep the future Hokage safe until it's his turn to lead this Village. I'll keep inspiring and leading my generation towards the future so we can make the future of Konoha bright, just like you believed it would be._

 _Goodbye Lord Third._

 _Thank you_. Amari placed her flower down and looked at his picture one last time then turned away. _For everything._

The downpour hid the single tear she could not hold back.

The Nara took her place next to Naruto again. His wet hand enveloped over the top of hers, squeezing it gently in support. The anchor helped keep her strong for the remainder of the funeral.

When the last of the flowers had been placed, the rain lightened up to a full stop. The gathered shinobi did not depart. They stood their ground, soaked to the bone, as they mourned. Konohamaru stopped crying, but Iruka didn't leave his side, remaining in a crouch next to him with a gentle hand resting on his shoulder.

"Iruka-sensei." Naruto's voice broke the silence around her. "Why do they do it? Why do people risk their lives for other people?"

Their former sensei looked up at them for a moment before turning his head to look at the table of pictures again. "Well, when someone passes away, their past, present, future, and the dreams they had disappear with them. That is true even for those who die honorably, as so many have. Like Hayate.

"All the ties that bind them to the living are severed. All but one, the most important of all: People. Parents, siblings, friends, lovers, all people who were important to them. These people are joined together in a great circle of their shared memories of those they lost. A circle of friendship, trust and sacrifice that grows larger and stronger as time passes.

"It's hard to explain. We remain in the circle together, we have no choice. It's important to us."

Naruto hummed thoughtfully and turned his head to face forward again. "So we do it because we have to. I get it. Sort of…But," his voice broke slightly. "I'm sad he's gone."

"Think of how sad it would be if he died for nothing." Kakashi's voice made Amari turn to look over her right shoulder at him standing a row behind them. "But he left us something priceless. Don't worry. You'll eventually understand one of these days, when you're older."

Her friend smirked. "Hey, give me credit. That much I understand."

The dark clouds parted to reveal blue sky and sunlight once more. Everyone slowly shuffled out, not feeling bright and warm but no longer carrying the deep burden of darkness within them.

Team Seven regrouped with one another as Naruto and Amari said their goodbyes to Iruka. "Bye Iruka-sensei. See you later!" Naruto waved with a smile. Amari just smiled and waved to him, not entirely trusting her voice.

Even with the funeral over and the sun shining, her heart felt weighed down. Only by staying in the circle, though, would she be able to recover, and she would hold firm to it.

It's what Lord Third would have wanted for all of them.

"All right," he smiled back at the pair.

Her knucklehead grabbed her by the wrist and tugged her in a run towards their waiting team. "Naruto!" Amari giggled for the first time that day.

 _I will remember your Will of Fire Lord Third, forever. I promise._

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: Itachi's return is around the corner, the events of which will change those he encounters. Whether his changes will be for better or worse, we will have to wait and see. :). As long as I can make the encounters organic and not forced, meeting other jinchuriki beyond Gaara, Utakata and Killer B is highly possible. Thank you for the review!_


	52. Chapter 51: The Path Forward

Chapter 51

The Path Forward: Kiri's Future and Kakashi's Vow!

In an empty and dimly lit hall, Zabuza Momochi leaned against an old, sturdy wall, the paint of which was stained by a liquid of some kind—possibly water damage, more than likely blood based on splatter pattern—or showed general abuse earned through time. Fights or assassinations, hard to tell even for a veteran like him without bodies to examine.

He even noticed a few cracked tiles along his walk. Some of the cracks were long in length but barely worthy of being called a surface scratch, appearing as if a shaky hand wielding a thin brush drew a line over the dulled and dirty surface. Others were shorter but deep enough to separate the tile into multiple jagged shapes to jiggle when a heavy and firm foot crossed it.

The maintenance done around here would've been better handled by a blind interior designer.

Zabuza's eyes shut, a sinisterly amused hum escaping him as he crossed his muscular arms over his chest. This place hadn't changed. Some of those tiles had been broken for years, and still no one made time to replace them. Other important matters, no doubt. Never mind the mockery it made of a once prestigious and powerful office.

Once. Long ago. In the past. These words surmised eroded glory, prestige and power best.

Once glorious.

Prestigious long ago.

In the past they held power.

When past tense was all that was left to describe a person or a Nation, they tended to be dead or destroyed. However it seemed this place still had a faint pulse. By stubborn will or false hope did they cling to their fading life, clutching onto it so tightly, it almost staunched the bleeding.

A few strides away from Zabuza's silent and shadowed position, in a room adjacent to him, arguments as loud and as ferocious as a volcanic eruption took place, bearing no sign of stopping as both parties argued in repetitive circles. The battling ideals were as different as Mist and Stone; they couldn't be more incompatible if they tried.

Overall, the raised voices did not disturb the Demon. No tension wound up his muscles, no frustration furrowed his brow; he didn't feel like a hungry and violent caged animal, ready to break loose and kill his first meal in weeks. Strangely, he felt at ease and reflective.

Many thoughts floated through Zabuza's mind, including the purpose of the argument, though he pushed those particular thoughts aside when the entire loud affair started repeating its circular pattern. Instead he reflected on the changes to take place in the last two weeks, the events of which tickled his dark sense of humor.

The frozen wasteland of the Land of Snow was behind him. Mei's offer held a lot of promise for his and Haku's future, too much to ignore, and it was a guarantee ticket back to normal, livable temperatures. The latter guarantee alone made it tempting, but Zabuza wasn't without caution. Nine times out of ten, if a proposal made by another shinobi sounded too good to be true, it usually was.

So he listened intently to everything Mei had to say, picking apart her words and probing for important details to get the most Intel to work with, then he consulted Haku on his opinion. Zabuza knew the boy would follow him anywhere, all he had to do was order him or ask and Haku wouldn't argue. This time he hoped to give him a chance to speak his mind.

Mei's proposal, simply put, was for them to join her in Kirigakure to help rebuild their Village and begin building its new future.

 _Ha! And they call_ _ **me**_ _ambitious_ , he chuckled deep in his chest.

Rebuild the Mist? Build its new future? Coming from anyone else would make it a joke, a ridiculous one at that. The Mist had no future.

As he told Mei as they sat within the warmth of her camp, _"No one can rebuild our home or build its future as long as the Fourth Mizukage still lives. Him and his supporters are a cancer. By simply breathing they continue to drain our people of life, and sooner rather than later Mist will die under their regime. And it won't be the Stone to deliver the final blow. The Mist will die by its own hand."_

Her leveled response stripped him of his words. She cocked her visible auburn eyebrow up, a coy smile pulling her lips upwards. _"And if the Fourth Mizukage is dead?"_

It took Zabuza a beat or two to recover, but his eyes sharpened, analyzing every mannerism, the tone of her voice and gesture Mei made. She left those seven words to hover around them like mist, coy smile never once leaving her lips.

Finally, he spoke. _"You killed him."_

" _I did,"_ she answered without a hint of regret or remorse, nodding only once.

" _How?"_

" _I'd rather not go into perverse detail. Suffice to say, I waited and planned for a long time, Zabuza,"_ she explained, cadence smooth as silk, but voice and features serious. _"After your failed attempt, I was more careful, but I never stopped gathering supporters to my cause. Every single one was vetted; we caught a few spies attempting to enter our ranks before they could do any significant damage. But as you can see from the shinobi I have with me," she motioned to the camp goers, "some are survivors of Blood Mist, others are from the new generation."_

Mei had leaned forward, closer to the campfire, and rested her forearms on her knees, emerald eyes never leaving his. _"In my opinion, we who lived through Blood Mist hold a great responsibility in teaching the next generation of Mist shinobi of that terrible time so it is never repeated. We cannot bury it. We must confront it as we move towards the future."_

" _Mm," he hummed in agreement. "It won't be easy."_

" _No, it won't be. But I believe it will be worth it."_

Their discussion had been long and intimate in details about the current state of Mist. It was a sign of her trust. Shinobi did not give information of infrastructure or current state of military strength to anyone freely, not even old friends. But Zabuza knew betraying her trust would end morbidly for him.

Quite frankly, there weren't many worse ways to die than by Mei's kekkei genkais; either he'd be melted by lava or choked by her corrosive vapor as it dissolved his skin and internal organs.

He'd rather die a thousand times by Kakashi's Lightning Blade.

In the end Zabuza and Haku took her proposal to return to Kirigakure. After many years of running, Zabuza returned to his home, or to what was left of it.

As to be expected of a Land stricken by poverty and bloodshed, Kiri's structures weren't encrusted with sparkling diamonds and the streets weren't paved by gold bricks. Poverty was as abundant as ever; some buildings were visibly falling apart while others were fully abandoned and vacant of life. Streets needed cleaning, buildings needed more than a new coat of paint, people desperately needed hope.

" _It's gotten worse since I left,"_ he noted solemnly as they walked the streets.

" _I'm afraid so,"_ Mei replied. _"Our reclusiveness and history of betrayal lowered our ability to trade beyond our own people. But money is hard to come by for many, shinobi and civilian alike, and without the money to buy items or keep shops open, many businesses had no choice but to close down and leave."_

" _What about shinobi missions?"_

" _The Feudal Lord outsourced many of our missions to mercenary gangs of rogue Mist shinobi, or to other Villages if he could. But I've built a working relationship with him over the years to ensure we could negotiate a better deal when the Fourth was out of the picture. Any effects it has won't be immediate, but the mission desk has seen more activity within the last few months than it has in the last several years."_

" _Hmph," he chuckled darkly. "Going behind the Fourth's back to build a working relationship with the Feudal Lord, you're a shrewd tactician, Mei."_

" _Hmhm," her velvet laugh hid the cunning in her eye._

According to Mei, their military force had taken a hit as well due to the amount of shinobi going rogue or getting killed in betrayal. Their natural defenses and secrecy kept them safe, so far anyways, but a shinobi village could only call itself as such if they had the military might to back it up. It was another thing to rebuild, another piece of Mist inflicted by the cancer of the Fourth Mizukage's rule.

Some of the old mindset remained, fed by hardliners who tried to assert any power they could. Remnants of the poison left behind by the Fourth lingered on in the veins of the Land of Water.

Sighing deeply, Zabuza rested his head back against the wall. _I should have expected as much. The wounds inflicted to our home run deep. It will take more than time to heal them._

The road ahead for Mei's plan was a long and tough one, yet Kiri had made steps already. Out of all the decisions made so far, the most impactful one—to Zabuza's mind, anyways—was the election of a new Mizukage.

The Demon chuckled to himself. _Mei Terumī, the Fifth Mizukage. Never thought I'd see the day._

From their discussions, she already surpassed the low bar of the Fourth. Given time, the proper support and adequate resources and Mei could successfully rebuild the Mist to give it a better future. Zabuza supported her, but their tactics and opinions didn't always align, specifically when it came to the old councilors who held onto the Fourth's beliefs.

He wanted them dead. Their continued existence peddled the idea they should lend any credence to their opinions, when their outdated and out of touch policies were fragments of the poison that drained the life from Kiri. If Yagura—the Fourth Mizukage—was the source, the councilors were the leftover trace amounts piggybacking onto whatever cells they could to survive.

Better to purge the disease completely than give it any chance to regain a foothold in the Land of Water, in Zabuza's opinion. Dethroning Yagura had taken years; they couldn't afford to give his people a chance to seize power again.

Unfortunately for him and fortunately for the councilors, Mei was in charge. Not him. If she got rid of them, it'd be through a peaceful course of action to avoid sowing further division within their Nation. Their people had all seen their fair share of bloodshed. They wanted an end to it.

Desperation was thick in their village, desperation for change. But that's why they elected Mei by a landslide. She spent time gathering their support and proving herself a woman of her word; the Feudal Lord even placed his trust in her while the Fourth still lived. Now it was in her hands every day to keep proving they could trust her to change the future.

Zabuza hoped to aid that cause. Mei already had a few plans in the works for increasing trade, but so far lacked a means to start the steps towards them. So much required her attention, especially home grown problems, it left her busier than a tavern during a celebration festival.

He had an idea, though. It wouldn't be an immediate fix or a guaranteed success, but like her proposition to come back to Kiri with Haku, it held a lot of promise for a very prosperous future down the line.

The councilors as a whole convinced Mei to leave a team of the Fourth's spies within the Leaf during the Exams, all in an effort to learn more about the next generation of Leaf and Sand shinobi. It wasn't a bad plan, though it wasn't exactly a great plan either. Who knows how long those spies were undercover, and how deep their loyalties were to the Fourth Mizukage.

Mei agreed, but ordered them to be recalled as soon as the Exams finished. She had to debrief them and vet them properly. How trustworthy were they really? Did they hold more loyalty to the councilors and Yagura? Or were they prepared to follow Mei's lead?

 _There's no telling if any of those spies work for the councilors now_ , Zabuza thought pensively. _If any of them make a move on Mei, they'll be dead in seconds either by my hand or hers._

Neither of them spoke of their doubt in front of the councilors. They distrusted the councilors more than they distrusted the spies. Spies were trained to hide their true identities and loyalties, among other skills. The possibility of one of them, a small group or even all of them now being under the thumb of the councilors was high enough to warrant caution.

 _We'll have to be careful._

Still, the decision to keep them in the Leaf turned out to be the best idea the councilors ever had. What they learned from the messenger bird sent report was nothing short of good Intel. Shocking, certainly, but good nonetheless.

Every Exam candidate to participate showed promise, but of all the battles, it was the little brat's battle against the Inuzuka that intrigued Zabuza the most. They put on a hell of a show, and through their battle they proved why they deserved those headbands they wore. In time they'd become formidable shinobi, perhaps even worthy of a bingo book entry.

It was during Sasuke Uchiha's battle the peaceful event turned towards chaos. Shinobi of the Sand and Sound waged a war on Konoha, attempting to destroy it in one swift and powerful blow.

 _The Sound Village_ , Zabuza snorted and shook his head. _Hardly can call it a Village._ No, the Sound Village was just a puppet show run by Orochimaru of the Sannin. He gathered a large force, sure, but numbers didn't equal skill.

Their purpose for war was simple: Kill the Hokage and destroy the Leaf for their master.

Not exactly a righteous rallying cry.

As for the Sand, their reason Zabuza understood. When the Land of Wind's daimyo started outsourcing their missions to Konoha, it promised enmity to grow between the Nations. Slowly but surely the outsourcing ate at their economy until maintaining a large force became impractical, which inevitably led to the reliance on creating singular, destructive shinobi out of every soldier.

Blood Mist all over again, in other words, only without the graduation exam. When a Nation lacked suitable numbers, the few numbers you had then must wield exceptional power. Only the strong survived in such an environment, and the weak perished.

 _Suna was steadily falling into obscurity and poverty, just as Kiri has. They were acting before it could get any worse._

A desperate act to destroy those who stole their work and prove their dominant power. They set out to make a statement and an example out of Konoha. Their colossal failure only worsened their situation. Questions would arise over their strength, and the Feudal Lord wouldn't be pleased by their actions.

 _If they're smart, they'll ask for peace._

Even though he understood their choice of actions, it still left Zabuza stunned. To attack the Leaf when they had an Alliance with them, when negotiations were an option? Something about that didn't sit right in his mind. Was it stubborn pride or something more? Was their situation worse than they were led to believe? Or were they full of impatient hatred?

These questions were tossed around until they learned Orochimaru had impersonated the Fourth Kazekage. Many questions still lingered, but Zabuza had all he needed to understand what and why the Sand took such a rash course of action. They were played for fools by the Sannin, tricked into believing it was the wish of their Kazekage to go to war when it was really Orochimaru.

A sinister plot fit for someone consumed by darkness. Now the Leaf was without a Hokage, and the Sand likely had lost their Kazekage as well. There was no way to really know, not yet anyways. Only six days had passed since the attack, and their network of information didn't reach as far as it once had.

That left Zabuza here, waiting for the pointless arguments to end so he could explain his plan to Mei in private. _At this point they're just wasting their breaths and giving me a headache. What's the point of arguing about something they should know she won't do? Idiots._

Their idea to attack Konoha while it was weak wasn't a step forward; it'd keep them buried up to their waists in this muck and blood the Mist waded through for years. Mei called for peace. They called for war. One of those actually could work in their favor. The other was a waste of time and resources.

Helping the Leaf and gaining an alliance between them would change the future of the shinobi world. Leaf and Mist, maybe even Sand too, all united. The trading of goods native to their own lands alone could be profitable to all three Nations. Now _that_ was a step in a good direction. But it wouldn't be easy or come because they wished it.

Real reform needed to happen within the Mist; a better foundation needed to be set so their people could stand up once more without fear of a blade stabbing them in the back. Petty grudges had to be let go of so the whole Nation could prosper, and it'd take time for that to happen. More than a few months could do.

They couldn't just send shinobi to the Leaf either. After an attack like that, Konoha would be waiting for an attack. Any Mist shinobi crossing their border or nearing their Village could be seen as a threat. It'd derail all chances to start peaceful discussions.

What Mei and Mist as a whole needed most was a way to speak to a respected and influential member of the Leaf to start even the smallest of dialogues.

Someone like Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja.

Through Haku and the hawk—Kaito, apparently it had a name now—they had such a means of communication. Zabuza never intended to use it. His whole intention was for it to be a means of contact between Haku and Amaririsu, yet neither Mist shinobi could deny this opportunity in front of them.

"They've been at it for quite some time." Zabuza opened and flicked his eyes over in the direction of his approaching partner. Kaito perched on Haku's shoulder with the messenger pack on his body already, no doubt already containing the letter the boy wrote. Whether or not it would contain a second letter, however, would depend on Mei's decision.

 _Right on time._

To his statement regarding the raised voices on a crescendo, the Demon shut his eyes once more and chuckled darkly. "Yeah. I'm impressed she hasn't threatened to kill them yet."

Even a monk had limitations in patience. Mei was a peacemaker in her heart, but beneath her calm presence was a molten temper and smoldering killing intent capable of melting any who tested it.

"How long do you think it will go on?" Haku asked curiously. His brown eyes scanned the nearby closed door where voices barked and bit at one another. A small frown creased his lips. "Shouting solves nothing. We're all working towards the same goal, aren't we?"

"If you mean Mei's plan for the future, then no." Haku's eyes returned to his master, who watched him from the corner of his eyes. "Those old fools may parrot their desire to see a prosperous future, but mark my words, Haku, they're idea of a prosperous future for the Mist doesn't align with ours."

"Hm. You believe they'll try to overthrow Lady Mei," he stated rather than questioned.

"Sooner or later they're true intentions will slip out. And when that day comes, I'll kill them." Haku nodded. "Anyway, as for how much longer this argument will last, I'd say not much with Mei's depleting patience."

Suddenly Mei's voice rose above all others. "We are not attacking the Leaf Village! Do you wish to see our village cease to exist?!"

Zabuza's eyes stared intensely at the dirty and cracked tile floor, listening intently to what their new Mizukage had to say. Anger may have shrouded her voice, but behind it he could hear the care for their home.

"Even if I wanted to attack the Leaf, it would only end in failure! The element of surprise has been taken from us, and our reports show that the legendary Crows of the Leaf were among the defense forces," she explained heatedly.

"If a _single_ Mist shinobi enters the Land of Fire, the entirety of the Leaf will know it within an hour. Not only would it be impossible to sneak a large enough force in to attack, but even if we did, the Leaf repelled an attack from both the Sound and the Sand, whose combined forces out-match our own. A war would only end in catastrophic failure!"

"The Leaf is no longer as strong as they were thanks to those attacks! Are you too ignorant to see that?!" one of the councilors insulted.

"You are the one filled with ignorance!" Mei seethed.

 _Nice way to piss her off_ , the Demon chuckled.

"Weakened or not, Yagura's leadership— _your_ leadership—has left our forces at their weakest. The Leaf's military might fended off the attack of not one, but _two_ separate Villages! Together, according to the reports _your_ spies sent us, the combined might of the invasion forces were greater than our own numbers. Bolstering those forces were massive summoning snakes, a jinchūriki who unleashed his tailed-beast and Orochimaru of the Sannin, and they _still_ failed!"

 _These pointless arguments have gone on long enough._ Zabuza pushed off the wall, stepped towards the door and motioned his head for Haku to follow him. He was sick of the arguments and the rockslide of a headache it was giving him.

Inside the Mizukage's office, pacing in front of her wooden desk, was Mei. She dressed in a royal blue, long sleeved dress that draped below her knees; a zipper could close the entirety of the dress, but from her waist down on front right side it was kept open, revealing a mid-thigh length similar colored skirt and mesh leggings.

Overall, the upper half of her dress left little for the imagination, hardly even covering the underside of her breasts and leaving her shoulders and upper biceps bare to the elements. The mesh armor she wore underneath did _try_ to cover more of her bust; however, to say it _tried_ was a gracious use of the word.

Sensuality and sexuality was a weapon for attractive kunoichi, he supposed. She certainly wielded it well.

Beyond that, she wore a white belt and high-heeled sandals paired with shin-guards. Really only an ensemble Mei could pull off and still possess the ability to destroy nearly any enemy she faced. She did wear royal blue polish on her fingernails and toenails, as well as very light fuchsia lipstick.

Under normal circumstances her features would be one of peace or thoughtfulness. Mei rarely let any situation get the best of her. However the councilors pushed her into rage and indignation.

 _Calling her ignorant wasn't wise_ , Zabuza thought. _Not unless you have a death wish. Who knows, maybe we'll get to kill them now._

Mei may have noticed their entrance, she may not have. Her attention never left the councilors. For the safety of Haku and himself, Zabuza decided to let her get what she wanted to say out of her system.

He wasn't foolish enough to try to step between her and making her point.

"For too long our people have suffered through the wakes of blood and poverty pooled over by our previous leadership," she declared passionately then jabbed her finger at the councilors. "You would see our nation destroyed and our people burdened by fear of what tomorrow may bring to prove this so-called 'dominance' you seek!"

Mei stopped pacing and shook her head, voice falling in pitch to a smooth yet deadly tone. "I will tell you for the last time: I will not attack Konoha when it is weak. I _will_ find a way to establish diplomatic relations with them and our people _will_ move forward out of the dark times."

The emerald eye of the Mizukage flitted over to Zabuza's, acknowledging his presence with a nod before returning to the councilors. "If you have nothing more to say outside of your ridiculous plans for attack, then you are dismissed. Please see yourselves out."

"You will regret not attacking while the time is right," one of the councilors told her as they began shuffling out.

"I have few regrets when it comes to my decisions today, but this choice will not be one of them."

Zabuza watched the three stomp off to go sulk or plot elsewhere, meeting every single one of their pissed off expressions with a smirk behind his bandages. They were part of a dying age; a rotten, decrepit, termite filled age that was steadily crumbling into permanent nothingness.

 _Just another sign that times are changing._

Once they were out the door and he could no longer feel their presence, he turned back to the Mizukage. "My offer still stands. Give the order and I'll kill them before they can even gasp in fear."

Mei shook her head, simpering as she did, before motioning the pair to approach her desk. "Tempting as that is, no. Not yet anyway, although it remains one of my regrets." Turning around, she trailed her finger along the old wooden desk, stacked from side to side with papers. "I have a team investigating them and their movements. I want to know if they had any hand in the genjutsu casted on Yagura."

"Hm. I get it."

According to one of Mei's followers, the Fourth Mizukage had been under a genjutsu of some kind, although current Intel was unclear on how long he was under it and who cast it on him. They needed answers, for Mei's safety and for the Mist.

The auburn-haired woman moved around her desk, only coming to a stop at her chair to sit in it. "So, what is on your mind, Zabuza? I assume you did not come by to give me a reason to dismiss the councilors or an excuse to not do any of this paperwork."

"Not exactly," Zabuza replied. "I actually came to talk to you about a plan Haku thought of to get a dialogue started with the Leaf without endangering the lives of our shinobi or provoking a war."

As expected, Mei's full attention was captured instantly. Her visible eyebrow arced up as she leaned forward to rest her elbows on her desk. "Oh?" Her eye left Zabuza and moved to Haku. "Please explain, Haku."

Haku bowed. "Thank you for hearing our proposition, Lady Mizukage." Mei smiled at the boy and gave a small nod for him to continue. "As you know, while we were in the Land of Waves we battled against a team of Leaf shinobi."

"Yes, a team of new Genin under the leadership of Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja. They fought to break Gatō's control while you both fought to maintain it. However Gatō betrayed you and your groups joined together to kill him and scare off his followers. Correct?"

Both nodded. That was their encounter in short. For Mei to have any faith in this plan, though, they had to go further into detail about the girl who spared their lives.

"Yes," Haku continued, "but it isn't as simple as that. During our battle, one of the Leaf Genin, a kunoichi of great strength and will, and I…" Haku trailed off, lips pursed. "I'm not sure how to explain it. We…connected. When we met on the bridge, we both realized the similarities in our dreams, our goals and our wills. She said we were two sides of the same coin, and I agree.

"But we were still enemies, dedicated to our missions and our purposes. We battled, and though we had opportunities to land killing blows on one another, we continued to hesitate. It…hurt to hurt her," Haku struggled to explain. "I've never felt something like that before. I was always dedicated to Zabuza. Even when I did not want to kill someone, I never hesitated because to me, Zabuza's life and his dreams were more important. I lived for him. I was his tool."

"It sounds as if you found a kindred spirit," Mei observed. "But you are much more than a tool, Haku. Far more. I hope you can see that." Then her eye moved dangerously to Zabuza. "I am happy your eyes have opened, Zabuza. Treat him well."

The man nodded silently. He heard her threat of _"or else"_ loud and clear.

Mei returned her attention to Haku and smiled kindly. "I apologize for interrupting. Please continue."

"After I had been defeated by a boy named Naruto and we spoke, I noticed the silhouette of Kakashi about to kill Zabuza through the mist. I moved to deflect the attack or take it in his place…yet I was not struck by his Lightning Blade."

Somberness took over Haku's expression. The change made Mei watch him with the concern befitting a mother who found her child sitting silently in isolation with a black eye. "The girl I mentioned, she jumped in front of the jutsu to save our lives. Her name is Amaririsu Yūhi."

The Lightning Blade may as well have struck Mei. The shock on her face almost matched the little girl's, but it wasn't nearly as haunting or painful to see. Shock turned to recognition. "Wait a minute. That name, Amaririsu Yūhi, I've seen it recently."

The Mizukage grabbed a nearby scroll, unrolled it and sped read through the details within, her well-manicured finger trailing along the paper. Finally it stopped. "Yes. She was in the Chūnin Exams the same as the Naruto boy. Her abilities, as well as this Mimi Inuzuka's, impressed all those in attendance. The spies even labeled them to be monitored as 'future dangers.'"

Her puzzled expression returned, lips pursing as she looked back up at them. "But how did she survive the famed Lightning Blade?"

"She used a Shadow Clone to stop his arm, but it only took the lethal blow. The lightning carved up her left arm and shoulder regardless," Zabuza explained.

Those scars on her arm weren't the only she received that day. Those scars were scrawled all across her soul like shattered glass.

"Mm, I see. She's lucky to be alive." Mei rolled the message back up and put it back. She looked at Kaito then back to them. "I believe I'm beginning to understand your plan. This girl, Amaririsu Yūhi, do you trust her enough to give a message directly to Kakashi?"

"With my life, Lady Mizukage," Haku answered immediately.

The earnest declaration brought an affectionate smile to Mei's lips. "And what about you, Zabuza?" she asked.

"I trust her and Kakashi."

Mei nodded and leaned back in her chair, bringing her hand to her chin in thought. "I admit, I did not expect such an opportunity to arise so soon." She crossed her left leg over her right as she mulled quietly over the situation they presented her with. "I only foresee one problem with this. Without a Hokage their village will be in disarray until they can find a replacement; an alliance with us, a recovering Nation, may not be seen as anything more than a joke. Or, the other possibility, our personal history as well as our history with the Leaf will make them fear we have ill-intentions."

Valid points, and points he already planned for. "Kakashi and the girl will believe our intentions." The girl even told Haku she believed they deserved a second chance to return to Kiri. _Heh. Wonder what the girl will have to say when she reads Haku's message_. "It's everyone else I'm worried about," he continued. "Which is why what you send should just be for them right now. Our councilors don't need to know about it either."

The Mizukage raised her auburn eyebrow yet again at him, smiling widely as curiosity gleamed in her eye. "What kind of _delicious_ game are you playing, Zabuza?"

"Send a message, but not asking the Leaf Village Elders what aid they need. We're not in any position right now to offer much. We need to get our own Village in order before we go that far."

"And anything we'd offer would be suspect. Yes, I thought as much as well," Mei nodded in agreement, grasping where he was going but still listening intently.

"Instead inform Kakashi about the death of Yagura, your plans to reform the Mist and our overall goal to open up diplomatic relations and trade with the other Villages. Up front honesty will make him see how serious we are; it'll make him believe the truth of your intentions."

It certainly made him believe.

"Eventually it'll be talks between you and the next Hokage, but for now we have to do this the smart way, even if it takes months to get there."

Again Mei nodded, but this time she returned to her thoughts. After a lengthy and thoughtful silence, she spoke again. "Hm. This plan of yours will give us time to better organize the Mist and them time to elect a new Hokage. Both of our Villages are recovering, although from two very different experiences, so we can't make any bold or rash decisions just yet. As you said, we must do this the smart way no matter how long it takes."

Her lips lifted in a smirk. "Plus it circumvents the councilors for now. They would try to stonewall it or use this line of contact for nefarious purposes, and I won't have that." She interlaced her fingers and rested them in her lap. "If Amaririsu and Kakashi trust you two as well as you trust them, this may well be the start of better relations between us and the Leaf. Groundwork, of course, but we have to start somewhere."

"Our thoughts exactly, Lady Mei."

The Mizukage sat up with renewed energy and began searching her desk for items. "I will begin writing immediately." She found a piece of paper, a stamp of the kanji for _Mizukage_ , and a pen. "Thank you both for bringing this to my attention. Is there anything else you wish to speak about?"

"Yeah. I have my opinion on two of your advisers, if you want to hear it."

Mei, who had already turned her attention to writing the letter, paused in her actions and met his eyes again. "Ah, yes. I almost forgot about that. What do you think?"

"The boy lacks confidence despite his position as a member of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist." And that was the kind way of putting it. While there was definitely talent in the boy, his lack of confidence did little to help it show. The Demon shrugged. "Other than that I have no complaints. He'll do well under your command."

"He will grow to be more confident in time. He just needs someone like you to guide him to it," Haku agreed.

"You flatter me, darling." Mei smiled at the boy then turned her attention back to Zabuza. "You are a fellow Swordsmen even without Kubikiribōchō. He holds his predecessors in high-esteem, so do not frighten him when you extend my official request to be a full-time adviser and bodyguard of mine."

Zabuza couldn't stop the dark chuckle that escaped him. Mei squinted a suspicious glare his way. Don't frighten him? His moniker was _The Demon of the Hidden Mist_. His very name instilled fear into his enemies, let alone Kiri natives. Sending the Demon to meet the confidence lacking boy face to face though? Now that could provide some serious entertainment to his inner sadist.

"Frighten him? Come now Mei, you know me."

The woman's glare became colder than Haku's Bone Cold Blizzard. "That's exactly why I am telling you _not_ to frighten him. We need to ensure the future generations do not grow up as we did. Chōjūrō is a part of that future, Zabuza. Please don't ruin it." She gave him a closed eyed smile. "Or I'll kill you."

An unnatural chill shot down his spine. For a foolish brief moment, Zabuza forgot behind that smile, the beauty and peaceful belief was a woman who graduated Blood Mist Exam at age nine. The same woman who possessed the kekkei genkais of Lava Style and Vapor Style and ended the reign of the Fourth Mizukage.

This was the Fifth Mizukage before him, the most powerful ninja in their village. Her words were not a petty threat; they were a promise.

"All right, I'll go easy on the kid," he backed down.

"Good." The woman nodded and smiled as if she hadn't just threatened to kill him. "Now what of Ao? I trust him, but what do you think of him as an adviser and bodyguard?"

"Ao's been around longer than the two of us. He lived through Blood Mist the same as us and a war on top of that."

Zabuza crossed his arms and stared up at the ceiling in thought. The man also held the Byakugan, a souvenir from defeating a Hyūga in battle many years ago. Surviving as long as he had and managing to not lose such a coveted eye was impressive, especially in Kiri. Missing-nin's and backstabbers were as common and plentiful in Kiri as trees were in Konoha.

From what he learned, he was also the man who had noticed the Fourth had been under control of a genjutsu. That made him extremely valuable. Keeping him close to Mei could ensure it didn't happen again.

"He'd be reliable as an adviser and bodyguard since he's already loyal to you. Plus we need him close to you so you aren't influenced by a similar genjutsu."

"Agreed."

"Ao's status as a veteran also helps to counterbalance the kid's lack of confidence when it comes to decision making."

Mei nodded. "Yes, I thought Chōjūrō might learn more about confidence from him and you."

 _More like what living through war and Blood Mist does to a man._

"Once our forces are more organized," Mei continued, "I'd like you to be the head of the Anbu with Haku as your second-in-command. I don't trust the councilors to pick those who join those ranks, and I want the commanders who encourage the killing of comrades to be found and removed, without killing them. Just acquire their names and bring them to me when your role becomes official."

"All right," he answered. The position made the most sense, given his history with the Anbu. People still feared his name, his presence. But he'd find any and all who wanted to keep killing allied shinobi.

They could consider themselves lucky their Mizukage ordered them to be brought in alive.

"Haku." Zabuza turned to his partner, who gazed up at him curiously. "Are you okay with these arrangements?"

If the boy wasn't for the assignment, he would let him choose a different path.

Haku nodded. "Of course. It would be an honor to serve you and the Mizukage."

Zabuza smirked and gave a nod. "The honor is mine, Haku." Haku smiled in return. "I'm going to go find Ao and Chōjūrō. Stay here so you can send off the bird as soon as Mei is done." He turned to the Mizukage. "As long as you don't mind, Mei."

She waved him off. "He may stay as long as he wishes. While you're out Zabuza, could you please retrieve Natsumi?" The Mizukage glanced up at the daunting mountains of paperwork on her desk. "I may need an extra set of hands to get through this."

"May I assist you in any way, Lady Mizukage?"

"Maybe. Let me finish this first and then we will start looking into all of this paperwork."

The former Swordsmen's body shook from the deep chuckle he released while he began to excuse himself from the room. "Have fun you two."

After he was done fetching the newest members to the Mizukage's inner circle, it would be time to start researching the Anbu agents soon to be under his command.

There was much work to be done.

* * *

Meanwhile in the Land of Fire

* * *

Kakashi never staked claim to being the perfect teacher. He had plenty of personal flaws. One of his greatest, by his own recent self-reflection, would be how little time he allocated to aiding the growth of Naruto and Sakura.

He hadn't fully ignored them, not intentionally or out of maliciousness. Recent events, however, opened his eyes. War had a funny way of doing that in his experience. It seemed to always peel back the curtain of darkness enough for him to finally see what was right in front of him, and usually by then he ran out of time to act.

Looking back at Team Sevens time together, Kakashi saw clearly now the significant quantity of attention he dedicated to Amari and Sasuke over his other two students. Both of whom, quite frankly, needed more guidance than his two resident Uchihas.

Sasuke and Amari had wrinkles to iron out, certainly, and no small amount of maturing when they first were assigned to his team, but both were extremely talented. They learned quickly, adapted even quicker. Given even the smallest bit of direction and those two could figure out almost anything.

But, well, Kakashi still devoted more time to them. It wasn't without reason, or as if he callously believed Sakura and Naruto didn't deserve to be taught; he _knew_ those two needed his guidance, Sakura especially since her head hadn't been in the right place.

Back then Sakura was too obsessed with Sasuke and the idea of falling love. Love wasn't forbidden by any shinobi rule. Almost all shinobi created a connection with someone, some even settled to have children, even the Hokage's of their past. And to find true love with another shinobi or civilian as you journeyed through life wasn't a bad goal.

Sakura's problem was she didn't pay any attention to building any of her skills as a shinobi beyond the textbook; her in the field skills were slightly better than average, but without taking her training seriously she'd become a liability. A danger to herself and the lives of her teammates.

Had she not shown any potential to be a shinobi, he would have removed her immediately. But Sakura did possess the potential to be a good shinobi. A brain like hers could be a sharpened blade to cut down future enemies, if only she could focus on her training instead of Sasuke.

Instead of helping push her in that direction, Kakashi's focus zeroed in on the two Uchiha's, the two most susceptible to everlasting darkness. All the while he promised himself _one day_ he'd get around to teaching Sakura. Time had never been his ally, though, and without him she had to learn a hard lesson in helplessness.

Sasuke reminded Kakashi too much of his younger self; talented, arrogant, submerged in darkness as they followed their chosen paths. All the self-centered qualities that set him on a path of self-destruction were in Sasuke. All the ingredients of a toxic and chaotic life brewed within him, preparing him to one day give up his soul in exchange for revenge.

Kakashi doubted he could ever convince Sasuke to give up on eventually killing Itachi, or Amari on killing Kasai. Those two were too driven to let it go, especially after what they lost. But his greatest hope was to steer Sasuke from the darkness by showing him there was a life beyond his revenge and the darkness around him. To teach from his own failures so his student didn't have to make those same mistakes.

And Amari, ever since they found her in that forest, heart shattered and face covered in blood, he tried hard to give her guidance. Foundation. As he did, Kakashi imparted onto her the tools and knowledge necessary to defend herself from those who would seek to steal her eyes, and to finish what Kasai started.

In that time, he grew fond of the kid. Ah, there was no sense denying it, he showed Amari favoritism. Why? Well, if Sasuke was the reflection of his past arrogance and darkness, Amari was a living reflection of the pain he endured and the struggle to overcome it.

Somehow, though, she reflected more than his pain. Somehow she found a way to carry on the best parts of his old friends. Rin's gentleness, her affectionate gestures even when scolding him and Obito; she had been _their_ balancing point as peacekeeper and friend.

Amari definitely didn't inherit Obito's sense of time—Kakashi had that handled—but his loyalty to his friends and Will of Fire for sure lived on in her.

Even so, Kakashi did care for all four of his students. They had grown on him, _became_ something to him. These kids helped to fill in the holes left behind by the losses he experienced.

But had he done enough for them? The bell test helped to teach them the importance of teamwork, one of his greatest flaws as a young shinobi, but what else had he taught the _entire_ squad? Sasuke he trained for the last month, Amari he taught even more to over the years.

Yet what did he teach Sakura and Naruto? Sure he gave Sakura pointers on genjutsu and _tried_ to keep Naruto focused on chakra control.

Could he truthfully say that was enough, though?

 _No._ Such a simple answer he hadn't been able to see. If that wasn't enough, he even sent his entire team, two members of Guy's plus Shikamaru into an A-ranked mission—alone. He could rationalize it anyway he wanted; shinobi who lived and died by the rules could rationalize anything. Kakashi left that part behind him, though, and no rationalization could wipe away the thought viciously attacking his mind.

 _I sent them to fight a tailed-beast._

The simple act of thinking those words made his heart tighten and his eye squeeze shut. Seven young Genin he sent to fight an entity of such massive power, and every single one was fortunate to be alive right now.

When the invasion reached its end and the enemy forces retreated, he set out with Kurenai and Guy, guided by an agent of Atsuko, to find them. Every jump, every minute to pass by, had been anxiety filled on his behalf, even with the knowledge of their safety.

He had to see it for himself. See with his own eyes that they were all alive.

They found the team in a small clearing. Joining them were Shino's father, Pakkun and Shino while a platoon of crows stood guard. His eye was immediately drawn to Amari's unmoving body in Shikamaru's arms and Naruto's supine form under his jacket; he feared the worst against the reassurances of their safety.

Every Genin sat or laid in a different state of rest, bearing their own fair share of injuries varying from physical wounds to chakra exhaustion. Their battle took everything they had, and then they had no choice but to push further. Such was the way of war.

Sasuke and Sakura rested their backs against a tree near Naruto. Exhausted from the overuse of the Chidori, his chin tucked into his chest as his body slanted into Sakura's shoulder, Sasuke slept.

Across from them were Mimi and Tenten, mirroring their position, though Sasuke stirred at their arrival. Mimi didn't. The Inuzuka's head rested on Tenten's shoulder with Aoko in her lap. Shino was slowly recovering from his fight while his father hovered close by, hidden in plain sight while watching and listening intently for intruders.

To all of their relief, everyone was okay. Exhausted and battered by the day's events, but alive. They survived their A-ranked mission, which was wonderful, yet a single question lingered in Kakashi's mind.

 _What the hell was I thinking?_

He understood war. He had seen the kind of death and destruction it wrought as a child. So why the hell did he send them? Was it as simple as trusting them or a lack of other options?

How close was he to losing his students? How close was he to losing the kids who helped give him something to live for?

He barely made it through the darkest part of his life with some sanity left. By the skin of his teeth was an appropriate description. The scars given to him sent him into a downward spiral with him sitting in the cockpit, but doing nothing to regain control. Instead he accepted his path through hell and waited for the imminent death at the end of the spiral.

Friends like Guy, Kurenai and Asuma pulled him out of it. They helped set him back on the right path towards the eventuality of meeting the kids currently under his tutelage. These kids had changed him, or were in the process of doing it. Maybe that was the reason it ate at his soul how his decision might have cost them their lives.

Team Seven affected every member positively in one way or another. It brought a sense of stability and purpose, it helped them to find real strength and confidence or gave them the family they never had or had lost.

 _Family…_ Kakashi nodded inwardly. _Yes, that's what Team Seven is, for all of us._

The word felt foreign on his tongue. Or perhaps it wasn't as foreign as he thought. The previous people in his life had been family, too. Unfortunately he hadn't seen it until it was too late. The running theme of his life, really.

They weren't perfect. Was any family perfect? Probably not. Imperfections were what made them each unique.

With Amari in her mother's arms, Mimi carried by Guy and Naruto on his back, the group returned to the Leaf. During the trip back Kakashi did no small amount of soul searching and decided then and there to do better for them. He owed it to his students to follow their example of growth.

This time he'd move forward instead of dwelling in the darkness and failures of a past mistake or missed opportunity. He wouldn't let Team Seven be severed as all his previous bonds were.

 _I won't fail, not this time._

Unlike before, he refused to let those be hollow words. He started acting on them already, fitting little bits of team training between their duties to help fix or protect the Leaf. But regardless of where they were, Kakashi followed the example his students set and did his best to help all four of them.

So far the only one to make note of it out loud, in his team at least, was Amari. Her perceptiveness of the actions or emotions of those around her continued to surpass the rest of her team.

" _I'm happy you're around more, Sensei."_

He was happy to be there too.

Each of them had grown significantly since their bell test. Sakura, as he noted during her preliminary round fight, had changed the most. She was fiercer, smarter, stronger in spirit.

The Land of Waves taught Sakura the hard lesson of weakness and helplessness. She learned firsthand how it felt to watch from the sidelines as friends and comrades fought, struggled and nearly died right in front of her.

That kind of experienced changed a shinobi at their core. It could shatter their spirit into fragmented pieces of bloodstained glass. It could turn them towards darkness. Or it could become a new foundation to stand on so there was never a next time.

Sakura could have easily quit. She might have even considered it secretly. But she didn't. Not when Amari took her by the hand and lifted her onto that new foundation to build strength from.

With her teammate's guidance, Sakura began her journey towards real strength. In the Forest of Death, that foundation was put to the test. Watching again as her comrades fought, struggled and gained critical injuries on her behalf matured her, and in the end Sakura found the conviction to walk her path with real strength in her backbone.

Kakashi had seen Amari take Sakura under her wing at the time. He entrusted Sakura's growth to her, as both a way for the pair to strengthen their bond and to give Amari a chance to grow leadership skills. Now it was his turn to step in.

Amari carried the heavy burden of taking care of the team alone long enough.

 _Maybe we'll see what chakra affinity she has soon. Her precise chakra control will more than make up for her average reserves. However, I wonder_ , he pursed his lips in thought, watching as Sakura sparred against a clone of Amari. She used speed enhanced by chakra to get in close to aim chakra enhanced strikes for the Nara. Amari's eyes and better reflexes kept her safe, yet every exchange helped attune Sakura to a faster, more agile opponent.

Sooner rather than later her reaction speed would match her quick mind.

Sooner rather than later those blows could crack bones.

 _What a frightening similarity to Tsunade of the Sannin_. A similarity he saw exceptional promise with. _With how well she can control her chakra, could she be a medic-nin in the making? She definitely has the intelligence for it. Hm. Having a team medic would be good, but it will depend if she's interested in it or not. Without full dedication, there's no way anyone can become a medic-nin._

He'd have to think about it. For now, continued physical and stamina training was best while he figured out what the next step for her was.

Sasuke he kept working on Chidori, his Sharingan and his physical abilities. The advancement of his Sharingan would help him see a fast moving target, such as the Amari clone he sparred intensely with, but as he continued to learn, seeing it wasn't enough. His body had to get faster to react in time to block or dodge.

 _"Amari, I don't want you to hold back your speed as you fight Sasuke. Go as fast as you can,"_ he had ordered the clone.

" _Are you punishing Sasuke by making him my punching bag? Did he almost destroy your book again?" she quipped._

 _"No," Kakashi answered, chuckling lightly at the perturbed twitch of Sasuke's eyebrows. "You have already advanced your Sharingan to the third tomoe, and through battle you will learn to wield it to an even greater extent. However, Sasuke's eyes haven't fully matured yet._

" _Your speed will help him accomplish two goals. First," he raised his index finger, "it will help him adjust his reaction time to a faster opponent. As you both experienced in fighting Lee, eyes alone don't change the battle. Your reaction speed has to match what you can see, otherwise you end up a punching bag. By fighting you at your top speed, Sasuke will be left with no choice but to make himself fast enough to match you move for move."_

 _Kakashi raised a second finger. "Secondly, Sasuke unlocked his Sharingan in the heat of desperate combat with Haku, and you advanced yours to three tomoes through similar circumstances. Normally I'd suggest allowing time and experience to mature it, but…"_

" _We don't have that kind of time," Amari and Sasuke stated in unison._

 _He nodded. "Exactly. Which is why I want you to push Sasuke as hard as you can. Push him to walk in step with you. You are both of Uchiha blood. Members of Konoha's strongest lineage and one of its founding Clans. Training together will only help you ascend to new heights."_

And when they did, Chidori would be Sasuke's sword to protect his comrades.

As for Naruto, his situation was a bit more difficult. Naruto wanted to learn Chidori due to its great power. For a kid who summoned Gamabunta of all toads, created one thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine clones, and at the precipice of chakra exhaustion still defeated Gaara, Naruto felt he was falling behind.

 _"I've gotta get better so I can fight Mimi and Amari on their level!"_ he had exclaimed passionately.

Sasuke and Sakura, even if they didn't say anything, felt the same. Amari and Mimi stood at the peak of the mountain, jostling in friendly competition for dominance while their peers were still climbing after them. Their performance in the Exams motivated every single Genin, regardless of team, to train harder.

 _"I understand that, Naruto, but Chidori isn't the answer. There are better and smarter ways for you to train to catch up to them. Besides, only a wielder of a dōjutsu can use it properly. I have a different jutsu in mind for you."_

 _"Really?! Is it an ultra-super cool secret technique only you know, Sensei?"_

 _"Uh…sure. It's an ultra-super cool secret technique." And calling it that really lessened its value._ _ **It's Naruto. Just roll with it.**_ _A glance to Amari proved she hadn't heard those words leave his mouth. Good. He could sleep soundly tonight._

 _"Awesome! What is it? What is it? What is it?"_

 _"Well, it's what inspired the Lightning Blade."_

" _No way! This ultra-super cool secret technique inspired the Lightning Blade?" Naruto sounded as if he told him Ichiraku Ramen opened a free all you can eat buffet._

" _Before I can teach you it, though, there are some serious steps you need to take to learn it. First off is gaining a better grasp of your chakra control. Without chakra control you won't be able to perform it."_

Naruto was determined to learn it. In the meantime Kakashi was also training him to fight smarter instead of harder. Because he had such large chakra reserves, Naruto used them carelessly until eventually running himself into exhaustion. If, instead, he started to fight more intelligently, then he could use more jutsus than the Shadow Clone Jutsu to be a real force to be reckoned with.

 _Just like Sakura, I'd like to him to learn his affinity soon. Shadow Clone Jutsu and stubborn will has gotten him far, but Naruto possesses the ability to become incredibly powerful. As long as he can stay focused._

That left Amari, though she already had her training handled. Fūinjutsu, Sharingan genjutsu, along with Shadow techniques and the physical training she put herself through. As always, Amari was a workaholic.

Was he doing better as a sensei, though? It wasn't an answer that came from a few days of helping out. To become a better sensei was a constant daily challenge, and a challenge he took gladly.

Today, however, he was unsure of what to do. Team Seven were in the midst of finishing up their training, yet something was wrong. Not with him or even Naruto, Sasuke or Sakura. He made his rounds with those three, providing tips or encouragement depending on the situation. While Sakura and Sasuke sparred against Amari's clones, Naruto and a large group of clones climbed trees and meditated on the surface of the nearby stream.

Because they were busy, they didn't notice their balancing point's abnormal level of quiet. Sometimes Amari simply stared off into the great abyss of nothingness. When spoken to she fell into her usual personality, but when in quiet solitude there were those moments where she seemed to check out mentally.

Kakashi understood, for what it was worth. What she and Mimi witnessed together, the death of Lord Third, it all left their marks as painful as the scars of the Lightning Blade. In usual Amari style, she tried to hide it by putting her own internal issues away for the sake of others.

 _It's been her way since we found her in the forest holding Ryu in her arms_. Kakashi lifted his head to stare up at the cloudless sky. _Mimi and Amari saw the deaths of many shinobi, both allies and enemies. They heard the sounds of enemy shinobi attacking civilians and witnessed firsthand the chaos of war. All the training in the world can't prepare you for that first experience._

He kept his eye on her since, and the presence of her friends and family had helped keep her moving forward. Still, only a handful of days passed since the invasion. Hardly enough time to fully grieve for Lord Third or fully move past the memories of the war.

But was it Lord Third and the invasion bothering her, or was it something else?

 _Only one way to find out_ , he thought before moving to approach her.

"So, how goes contemplating the meaning of life and your place in it?" he asked, voice light in hopes to coax her into opening up.

Amari visibly snapped out of her daze at his voice. She chuckled lightly and shook her head. "Still working on getting my crystal ball to work." Softly, she exhaled through her nose and lowered her gaze to the notes in her lap. "Just wish the day would end," she whispered.

"Oh? What's wrong with today? Not enjoying our August temperatures? Not enough clouds to watch?"

She didn't chuckle or even giggle a little at his joke. She merely raised her eye to the sky, sadness prevalent in the onyx orb. It was enough to tell Kakashi he was getting warmer to the source of her pain.

 _What about the seventh of August is bothering her? She's never been this way._

Kakashi sat down with his student, pondering over what he may have been missing here. Nothing came to mind. As far as he knew, today was just another ordinary day, with exception to recent events. Could it be she remembered something from her past?

"What's bothering you, Amari?" He rid his voice of his earlier lightness for a lower, caring tone.

For a long silent moment she continued to stare up at the wide open blue sky lacking a single cloud. Would she tell him? Would she brush it off and pretend nothing was wrong? Kakashi didn't know but he would wait as long as it took for her to open up.

Finally, she spoke. "When you guys found me in the forest three years ago…three days before it was my birthday, or the day we celebrated it since we had no way of knowing when I was born." Kakashi waited patiently when she paused. "And the day you guys found me…well, you know what happened."

"Not the happiest memory of me you have, I'm sure," Kakashi tried to tease.

To his surprise, the half Uchiha giggled softly. "Big bad Kakashi-sensei frightened at the sight of a girl with the Sharingan is actually one of my funniest memories of you."

"I was not frightened," he responded, mocking an affronted voice. "What you saw was my surprised face."

She giggled again, in turn making him smile slightly at her. She hadn't finished explaining what was bothering her, but he was happy to help her laugh even a little.

It was a good step.

Amari took a breath, her smile holding firm on her face but shifting towards sorrow. "Atsuko told me today is my birthday…and its only days after the death of Lord Third."

 _My birthdays are surrounded by the deaths of people I cared for_ , went unspoken.

"Oh," was his intelligent response.

"Yeah."

No wonder she wanted the day to end, and why she seemed hesitant to even mention it. Knowing Amari, she was overthinking the coincidence of people dying around her birthdays.

 _And that's all it is, a terrible coincidence._

What could he do to help here?

"Finally a teenager, huh? Any plans for a night on the town doing all the things your sensei and mother will disapprove of?" he quipped. Not his best attempt, but it stalled for time to figure out a better plan.

The jest coaxed a bashful giggle out of her. "I'm only thirteen, Sensei, and that'd be way too troublesome anyways." Kakashi hummed a laugh. "If you guys aren't busy, Mom wanted me to invite you guys over for a team dinner. I have no idea what she is cooking. Troublesome woman said it was a surprise."

There was his opening.

In response, Kakashi ruffled her hair and gave her a closed eyed smile. "Same time as last time?"

Surprise and happiness flashed in her eye. Clearly she wanted to ask but doubted the possibility. There was so much work to be done, it didn't seem like there was any time anymore for personal moments. But it was exactly because of what happened they needed to take these personal moments when they came.

"I- uh…" She nodded. "Yes….thank you."

Again he ruffled her wild blue hair and stood up. "I'll go tell the others so you can pack up." Before he left to do as he said, he turned his gaze back down to the young ninja staring up at him. "If you ever need to talk about something that is bothering you, just remember your team and family will listen."

"I will." Kakashi nodded and turned to go inform the rest of his team they now had dinner plans. He walked a few steps before he heard the faint voice of Amari again. "But they're one and the same to me, Sensei."

He kept walking, a smile beneath his mask. _I know how you feel, Amari._

Convincing the others to meet at the Yūhi household for dinner didn't take long, especially with the subtle hint it was a certain Nara's birthday. Naruto about crushed Amari as he hugged and twirled her through the air, cheering happy birthday to her. An entertaining sight, to say the least.

After dismissing his team so they could go wash up, Kakashi headed to his apartment room to do the same. As he cleaned up and got ready his thoughts trailed to his team.

He was proud of them. Proud of their constant growth as individuals, proud of their growth as a team, proud they survived against Gaara. The team that had once only had one of their teammates trying to force them to work together, and failing to do so, had an entire group effort at teamwork, and it was working.

" _Kakashi-sensei…it's no big deal. You set me on the right path and taught us the most important lesson of all: teamwork,"_ Sakura's words played through his mind.

The Jōnin wasn't sure he believed her. Maybe he had informed them of the importance of teamwork, but he didn't believe he deserved credit for how they worked now. Maybe he just liked to self-critique himself because of his previous failures and losses.

He sat down on the side of his bed and looked at the two pictures on his nightstand of his Genin team from years ago to the one currently under his command. He wondered how they would have gotten along with them, and if they'd think he was doing a good job.

His eye moved to Obito. _You would probably tell me to get the stick out of my ass and be happy for how far they've come_ , he thought, lips upturning in a small smile. _I think you would have liked Naruto the most, Obito, though your personalities would mix together like oil and water._ He chuckled. _You two do share the same dream after all. To become Hokage. Yeah, Naruto would've been your secret favorite._

His eye moved to the sole kunoichi of their team, her smile and the purple markings on her cheeks. _Rin, I think if you were still here you would scold Amari the most. Not because she misbehaves or acts arrogantly, but because she always works so hard and doesn't take too much time for herself. I should probably help her with that, shouldn't I?_

Another way to do better by his students.

 _And I think you would know what to say at times like these when she needs emotional support. Between the two, though, I think you would have taken Sakura under your wing. She could have learned a lot from you._

Finally he looked at his sensei. _And Minato-sensei…_

Yeah, his sensei would be proud of the team.

For a while he sat there, staring at the two pictures, thinking about his old team. When the time finally came to be fashionably late, he took his leave of the pictures and headed back out into the village. Hands in pockets, he strolled leisurely through the quiet streets towards his destination.

Once he reached the Yūhi household, he knocked lightly on the door. He had just enough time to blink before the door opened; Amari or Kurenai no doubt sensed his presence. Amari stood on the opposite side, the pain and sadness absent in her heterochromia eyes. She wore a loose fuchsia top with her mesh long sleeve underneath, hiding the scars on her arm.

"Late as always," she jested as she ushered him.

"Fashionably late," he retorted.

"There is no such thing."

Dinner came and went with his team eating first and then moving into the living room to play a game of cards while he ate his meal alone. Old habits die hard. Throughout the night he could see the spark of life returning into Amari's eyes as she and the others laughed, debated and had fun together.

Their happiness left Kakashi with a warm feeling in his heart. These kids, they were precious to him. They were a family, a dysfunctional family, but a family nonetheless.

"Thank you." Kakashi paused in cleaning his dish at the sound of Kurenai's voice. Turning off the water and turning to face her, he found the mother giving him a warm smile paired with grateful eyes.

"For washing my dish? It's the least I could," he jested lightly.

Kurenai rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You know what I mean, Kakashi."

He hummed softly and finished washing his dish off. Once done, he turned back to face her, though Kurenai's feature turned more earnest. "I mean it Kakashi, thank you," she spoke quietly to ensure the others wouldn't hear her. "When she learned it from Atsuko, she had been happy, but it steadily became what it did. I've been worried about her all day."

"All I did was tell the others you were cooking food. It was you who invited us over," he deflected.

Kurenai smiled. "I suppose I have spoiled all of you with how Amari talks about my cooking. I'm sure if I started cooking ramen, Naruto would come over every night. He'd probably even drag Sasuke with him."

"Sounds like Naruto," Kakashi agreed, chuckling softly at the truthful statement.

The two boys were still rooming with one another at the moment; there really hadn't been time yet to help them move out. That or the two were doing better as roommates than he had anticipated.

 _Stranger things have happened._

"Come." Kurenai nodded her head for him to follow her. "The kids are about to start their last game of cards and they wanted one game with you."

"Or are you just trying to prove your dominance in a game of cards over my own?"

She smirked cockily at him. "Scared, Kakashi? I didn't think you'd be worried about losing a game of cards to me in front of your students."

 _Did she really have to stoop to going after my ego to get me to play?_ It was damned effective. "Fine," he sighed dramatically and followed the woman into the living room to join his students in a game of cards.

Unfortunately for all of Team Seven, Kurenai was still better at twenty-one than they were. Their resolute defeat didn't hamper the good mood of the night. The two Jōnin soaked up the laughter and smiles of the four kids, smiling at the return of life into their eyes after their harrowing experiences.

Although Kakashi had harbored doubts about how much good he had done as a sensei, there was one fact he knew for certain.

There really was no other team he would have ever asked for.

* * *

The chime of a bell, hung from a hat, jingled in the wind as the shinobi walked on the empty road towards their destination.

Soon they would reach Konoha.

Soon he would see his home again.

* * *

 _Important Note: Next week I'll be away on a family vacation, so there won't be an update next Friday. However I will be back to regular posting schedule the week after, on Friday the 12th of July. Sorry for the_ _inconvenience and thank you for your patience._

 _Review response to ChillinInKonoha: Interesting theories on how their encounter will go. There will be a few twists, some of which I wonder if anyone will see coming. I'm looking forward to posting it when I come back and look forward to everyone's responses to it. Thank you for the review!_


	53. Chapter 52: I'll Always Be With You

Chapter 52

A Promise of Pain: I'll Always Be With You

"Thank you so much, dear," an older woman thanked Amari. Her weathered features wrinkled more around her eyes and lips when she smiled. "I wouldn't have been able to get so much done today without your help."

Amari set down two large bags of cat food—her final load—on the kitchen counter inside the woman's home. The furry tails of two cats brushed past her legs as they danced between her limbs, bodies rubbing up against in search for food or attention. She wasn't sure which. Another cat, eyes green as emeralds and coat pitch black, watched her intently from the counter-top, meowing at the stranger who carried in food.

 _I wonder if Tora escaped being squished again_ , she mused.

Taking a breath, she turned and smiled at the old woman. "You're welcome."

Six loads of groceries—including bags of food for dogs and cats, plus litter box materials—carried from the market center to her residence on the outskirt of the Leaf made for a long, heavy walk.

 _Talk about an exercise_. Discreetly, she eyed the woman again. Wrinkles and gray hair revealed the many winters she had seen, yet she didn't look like a slight breeze could knock her over. She looked lively and physically capable, or as physically capable as an old, hunched over woman could look.

"Such a fine young lady, and shinobi, to take two hours out of your busy schedule to help a troubled old woman." The old lady smiled warmly at her. "I'm sorry for being such a bother, but my back has given me trouble ever since I hurt it in my garden."

Her well-attended garden could make the Yamanaka flower shop jealous with its vibrant colors. Beautiful. Lively. Just seeing it made Amari's day better.

"Oh, it was no bother really," she tried to reassure quickly. "I'm just glad I could help."

 _Even if it means I'm running incredibly late for a meeting with sensei_ , she added inwardly, nearly twitching at the thought of it.

Late. She was running late.

 _I'm never going to hear the end of it from Kakashi-sensei_ , she groaned in despair. _"Oh, this is a surprise. Why are you so late, Amari?" "Sorry I'm late. I was helping an old lady deliver her groceries."_ Internally, she deflated faster than a popped balloon. _It even sounds like one of his stupid excuses!_

What a critical defeat for the great Amaririsu Yūhi.

A cat head rubbed against her shin, followed by a distinct meow. Her eye glanced down and met two sets of cat eyes looking expectantly at her. An awkward smile worked its way onto her face. _Needy little guys or girls, aren't they?_

She reached down and patted them gently on the head. _I'm more of a dog person, but your tuxedo markings are adorable._ They were like professional hit-men. Dressed to kill as they struck in the wee hours of the night, unseen and unmerciful.

The thought made her giggle.

"At least let me pay you for your work," the old lady said, reaching into her pocket.

"No, no," she stood up, putting her hands out to coax her to stop. The cats resumed rubbing against her legs in their excited dance. "Really you don't have to pay me, ma'am. This wasn't an official mission or anything. Acts of kindness aren't for payment, at least mine aren't."

"Nonsense!"

Amari flinched at the raised voice. _Sheesh, I'm just trying to be polite and she argues. Troublesome adult._

"You took precious hours out of your day to carry all of my groceries for me. You will not be leaving empty-handed young lady."

The old woman dug into her purse, pulled out a roll of money and then something that made Amari's eye illuminate. "Is that a coupon for a free meal at Ichiraku?" Her stomach rumbled happily, and loudly. Amari's cheeks tinted pink. _Do you have to make it so obvious how hungry I am? Troublesome stomach._

Absolute mirth sparkled in the old woman's eyes. "Yes it is. It, and the money, are yours." She handed her the roll of money with the ticket, which Amari took and bowed in thanks for the gift she didn't ask for. "Thank you very much, Amaririsu Yūhi, and be sure to tell your Sensei I'm the cause for your lateness."

 _Probably won't believe me_.

Amari bid farewell to the old woman, patted the two tuxedo cats on the head and exited the house. Back in the afternoon sun, she glanced one last time to the bright and life filled garden. Such vibrant life. She smiled to herself then departed.

A lot had been destroyed during the invasion, but at least this small sanctuary escaped unscathed. Maybe something good could bloom from this pain. Something as joyful and beautiful as the flower garden.

Who could say?

An incoming pair of wings perked her up, causing the Uchiha to lift her left arm up unconsciously as a landing zone for the Head of the Crows. "Well done, Young Haya," Atsuko greeted upon landing.

"I only carried groceries. It wasn't a big deal, honestly," Amari deflected.

"Perhaps not in your eyes just yet. Allow me to change your perspective. In troubled times such as these, and even when all is well, good deeds of all sizes help make the Will of Fire in the Leaf stronger. That woman will tell her friends of your deed, and those who saw you will not only remember you, but will now be inspired to perform an act of kindness for a stranger."

Atsuko made a wide encompassing motion with her wing. "Like a stone thrown into a river, you have created a ripple of kindness to spread throughout the Leaf. If that is not worthy of praise, then I seem to misunderstand the purpose of the word."

"I…I guess," she replied, eye shyly looking away.

"Hm," Atsuko hummed pleasantly. "While far shyer than your father and cousin, you have inherited their humble nature, as well as your mother's sense of punctuality. I am astounded you are not yet squirming, or rushing in a panic to meet Kakashi."

"Ha. Ha," she drawled out, the corner of her lip twitching up. "I already mentally squirmed the entire walk. I'd rush, but that'd just be a drag at this point." Amari shrugged and kept walking to the dango shop Kakashi set up as their meeting point.

She was already late. She accepted that. Or, more accurately, she had no choice but to accept her reality, even though it was a big stupid drag. Body Flickering there now would just expend needless energy.

Kakashi could consider it vengeance for his consistent tardiness.

Atsuko hopped up onto her shoulder, allowing her to relax her arm at her side again. "You never finished telling me about Naruto," Amari said.

Before the impromptu delivery, Atsuko had wanted to discuss something she deemed of great importance in regards to Naruto. However, before they could begin she saw the old lady struggling, putting their conversation on temporary hold.

Her mind was already certain Atsuko found a threat to her best friend. What else could it be? None of them had gone beyond the walls on a mission since the invasion. He didn't hurt himself training, not yet anyways. Hopefully another trip to the hospital was far, far away for all of them.

It could only be a new threat. A new danger on the approach, whether imminently or in the future.

Amari wasn't an inept fool. She hadn't forgotten her fight with Gaara, his madness or the power of his full transformation. She hadn't forgotten Osamu's lesson on what a jinchūriki was either.

 _I can never say I understand the lives they have lived, because I don't. I haven't lived the life of a jinchūriki. That's an experience only they could understand. But_ , she thought, feet carrying her down the street as she stared up at the sky. _I can see how it affected their lives. I can see how others have treated them, and how those experiences twisted Gaara into what he was, and how they could have twisted Naruto into something similar._

People resented them for what they contained. Yet that same power would be sought after by fools with bad intentions. So, was that threat Naruto faced? Or was it something else? Something she didn't yet know about?

When Naruto practically sprinted past her during her delivery, buzzing with uncontainable excitement, her curiosity for what Atsuko had to say grew even more.

She had called out to him in an attempt to figure out what had him on the verge of bouncing to the moon. What he told her, well, quite frankly she wasn't able to make heads or tails of it. He talked so fast, too fast and full of grand gestures of an excited child.

All she really learned was Master Jiraiya planned to take him on a trip to teach him a jutsu better than Chidori, and he promised to see her when he got back.

Amari hoped he'd be okay.

"Ah, yes," Atsuko started, voice smooth but serious. "This information I am about to impart to you is not widely known, nor should you speak of it to your peers for the time being. But I believe it wise you are aware of the purpose of Naruto's sudden departure, as well as what the future may yet hold so we can prepare properly."

"So Master Jiraiya is really taking him somewhere for a real purpose," Amari stated.

Something about it hadn't sat right with her. Master Jiraiya hid his intelligence and skills of observation behind his very real perverted nature. But Amari saw through it. Like her Shika, he saw more than he let others believe.

"I get it," she began to think out loud. "He may teach Naruto a new jutsu, and it may even be more powerful than Chidori, but that was just a way to coax that knucklehead to join him. No questions asked. And Naruto's desire to be stronger blinds him to the ulterior motive completely."

"Correct on all points. As you learned, Naruto holds within him the spirit of the Nine-Tailed Fox. Up until now, the only threat he has faced because of it is the disgraceful resentment of the villagers. He has been sheltered well here. The secret of what he holds has been kept as well as your own, but there is a growing threat beyond the likes of Orochimaru."

Amari's head snapped to face Atsuko, eye wide as she continued to walk. "Beyond Orochimaru?"

How could there even be a _beyond_ Orochimaru?

"Indeed. Orochimaru is an exceptionally powerful shinobi, but he is only one man. This new threat is an organization of S-rank rogue shinobi called the Akatsuki. A minimum of nine, but I have reason to believe there are others hidden from even our eyes, either true masters or shinobi better suited to work from the shadows."

Pieces were already falling into place in Amari's mind. S-rank rogue shinobi didn't gather together for nothing. All that power in one place? The egos alone should guarantee self-destruction, but it didn't. That could only mean they had a common goal. A serious objective beyond petty thievery.

And since this conversation revolved around Naruto…

"They want the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox," she stated quietly, shocked, frightened, but still determined.

Now Master Jiraiya's recent interest in Naruto was beginning to make sense. Before now she hadn't been able to figure out his real motive for training her best friend. One of the Sannin just magically reappeared after Orochimaru showed up, and he just decided to train Naruto of all people? For what purpose? Why Naruto?

Sure, he fixed the fūinjutsu Orochimaru placed on Naruto. She was grateful for that, but if that's all he had to do, why did he stick around to train him? It never made logical sense. From this new perspective, though, she could finally see the hidden motive behind the illusion of a dumb pervert.

"That's why he taught him the Summoning Jutsu during our month of training," she realized. "It wasn't for Neji; it never made sense to be for Neji, or anyone else for that matter. Because of how massive Gamabunta is, the sheer chakra to summon him forced Naruto to start learning how to control the Nine-Tailed Foxes chakra."

She pressed the nail of her thumb to her bottom lip. "Master Jiraiya's real goal must be to teach him to harness its true power, that way when these Akatsuki guys come around he can defend himself from them."

Pieces were still missing. Pieces for why Master Jiraiya cared about him as more than just a weapon. For now she would wait and observe him. His actions would tell her more than his words ever would.

"Exactly," Atsuko nodded. "While their true purpose is yet unknown, our safest assumption is they seek to gain the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox for themselves."

"They're going to be disappointed, I assure you." Amari's brow set in steely resolve. "I'll have to train even harder to become strong enough to keep him safe."

An entire organization of S-rank shinobi. Nine at the minimum, possibly more. And she was barely strong enough to handle Orochimaru toying with her. There wasn't a way to increase her strength to their level in a month. Not even two months or half a year. These shinobi garnered their reputation and experience over time. Through years of battle she didn't have time to wait for.

"I suppose this doesn't really change anything," Amari said at length. "Because of the power I hold, I've never had the luxury of time. This just cements that fact further. I'll nee—"

Swift movement above caught Amari's attention. Eye flicking up and body instinctively preparing to attack, she spotted several crows bursting out of a canopy of trees. At first she began to relax; the crows were her allies, after all. But then she tensed again. Osamu flew among them, fending off an aggressive assault, outnumbered and visibly wounded.

Crows fighting crows, a bad omen.

"Osamu!" Atsuko took off to aid her fellow crow. Amari stood by, unsure of how to act. Why were these crows attacking? What was going on? An attack with ninjutsu guaranteed hitting Osamu, who looked worse for wear even at a distance, or Atsuko. Should she still risk an attack?

Before she even had time to blink a second time, Atsuko eliminated every enemy crow in a flurry of quick attacks she struggled to trace without her dōjutsu. Black feathers floated slowly towards the ground in the aftermath as the bodies of the enemy crows crashed onto the road.

 _Amazing._

Osamu, seemingly unable to fly any longer, plummeted from the sky. Amari reacted instantly, jumping up and catching the crow in her arms.

"Osamu, you're hurt." An obvious and stupid statement, she realized, but one full of concern.

He breathed heavily. Open gashes and cuts marked his feathered body; crimson meshed against the night sky of feathers. She knelt down, cradling his body as she would a newborn, eye wandering over his injuries first, and then to the crows Atsuko dispatched.

There was only one answer to who did this. One answer that filled her with dread.

Atsuko landed on Amari's shoulder. "Osamu, is he here? Is Itachi within the Leaf?" she demanded.

"…Yes…" The single word took no small amount of strength to get out. "His crows…came out of nowhere."

"Do you know where he is now?"

"In battle…against Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma."

Amari's heart stilled. Itachi…was battling her mom, sensei and Asuma?

Osamu took a sharp, wheezing breath, feathered body puffing up then shuddering as he exhaled. "He wasn't…alone. Two other Akatsuki…joined him. Ki- Kisame Hoshigaki and—" Whoever else joined him remained unknown as Osamu's shuddered breaths became faster.

Amari stood up. She heard more than enough. "Hang on, Osamu. I'll get you to a medic. You're going to be fine." She looked to Atsuko. "Atsuko, they'll need all the help they can get against Itachi and the other two. Can you go find Guy-sensei?"

The Crow dipped her beak in a nod, black eyes sharpened. "At once, Young Haya. But under no circumstances are you permitted to seek them out. I forbid you."

"I won't. I'd only be a liability anyway," she lied.

Atsuko didn't suspect it and left in search of Guy. Amari flashed away in a Body Flicker, leaving no trace of her previous presence other than a few swirling leaves of a nearby tree caught in the wind and the fallen enemy crows.

She crossed most of the distance to the hospital as quickly as she could move. Then she stopped on the roof of a building, created a clone and handed Osamu over to her.

"Get him to a medic immediately," the Uchiha ordered.

"Lady…Haya…" Her onyx eye fell onto the wounded Crow struggling to dissuade her stubbornness. They held one another's gazes for a few brief seconds, but it was enough to express an entire conversation.

She couldn't stand by and hope for the best. She had to do _something_. Intel could be gathered on their enemy's attack styles, or even their true goals confirmed. And if these shinobi were beyond Orochimaru, a Shadow Clone rescue operation could be what saved her precious people.

Osamu might have sighed, but it might have also been an attempt to breathe. "…Do not…be reckless. Only…act…if you must."

"I will," she agreed.

Again she flashed away, Byakugan and Sharingan activated, darting around frantically in search of the chakra signatures of her sensei, mother or Asuma.

Itachi wouldn't take them too, she vowed in that moment. Even if it cost her own life in exchange, he wouldn't take this new family from her arms too. That was a promise.

 _Two other Akatsuki are with him_ , she thought. _That's what Osamu said, which means he's a part of the organization after Naruto as well._

Three S-rank shinobi, all of whom made it within the walls of the Leaf without alerting anyone. If they had, more than Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma would be fighting them.

Beyond Orochimaru seemed an adequate description.

 _Itachi Uchiha, Kisame Hoshigaki and another._ She recognized the second name from her mother's bingo book, a book Amari decided she needed to read more of after the invasion. Kisame Hoshigaki, a former Seven Swordsmen like Zabuza and the wielder of the sword known as Samehada.

Would he live up to his reputation as the Scourge of the Hidden Mist? And Itachi, how much stronger had he become since he murdered their entire Clan? Was there anything left of the boy who cried that night? The one who apologized to her?

 _Mom's chakra!_ Amari's heart fluttered in her chest like a bird trying to break free of a cage. She landed on the side of a telephone pole and burst off it with chakra, flickering away as fast as she could towards them.

A bead of sweat slid down her cheek; her fingers trembled. Anxiety, anger, thrill. The man who killed her family, two other S-ranked shinobi, she was getting closer to them. Closer to a battle between elites.

Was her mom okay? What about Kakashi? Asuma? Had Itachi or the others hurt them? So many questions, no answers. Not yet, but soon. Soon she'd get her answers.

She passed over a building and kept running, kept Body Flickering, dōjutsu eyes locked on to the target ahead of her. With every step closer to the battle, the more she could see of the current situation.

Kakashi had a Shadow Clone backing up Asuma against the tall Mist shinobi wielding a blade of similar length to Zabuza's. The real version stood behind Itachi on the surface of water, kunai blade at the latter's back.

The mere sight of Itachi made her heartrate accelerate. He was really here. He had grown taller too, and his hair longer. But otherwise he was just like she remembered him.

Her mother knelt on the water, back to Itachi—he clearly had the upper hand before Kakashi showed up.

 _Mom's a master of genjutsu, but Itachi's Sharingan allows him to see through them, reflect them back on her and use his own without even making a single handseal. And an advanced Sharingan genjutsu can outmatch normal genjutsu._

Amari grit her teeth, frustrated, worried. She was terrible with worry.

Itachi was the worst match for her mother. Kisame would have been better, but the Uchiha boy knew that. He saw the threat her mother posed to his ally and separated her from him, forcing Asuma to duel his imposing partner instead.

Another bad match. Asuma's special blades required him to fight in close-range. Kisame's blade, from what she read and could see of it, gave him more reach and strength to shred those caught in its way.

 _They're fighting a genius and master of the Sharingan. Not even a number advantage can make that easier._

Buildings turned to trees as the last obstacle between Amari and the battle became an area of forestry. She shot even faster through the trees.

 _But where's their third partner? Osamu said he was backed up by two other shinobi._

She stopped at the edge of the forestry, hidden among the canopy of leaves overlooking the battle taking place below on the cement walkway and the stream it closed in.

Itachi's clone suddenly exploded. Water surged upwards, obstructing the naked eye fully to what happened to the two Leaf shinobi. But not her eye. She saw the entire scene unfold in her Byakugan. Kakashi, hidden in the water, dove out just in time to grab and shield her mother, jumping out of the immediate radius of the explosion. Burns marked his flak jacket protected back.

He seemed okay still. She hoped it wasn't just a brave face.

Asuma jumped down off the walkway to join his comrades. Kisame rejoined Itachi so fast, she barely caught his movement even with her dōjutsu. Their enemies were clad in matching black cloaks adorned with red clouds, the symbols on their headbands with a single horizontal line carved through them.

 _An organization with a particular dress code. No doubt so people know who they are when they finally make their move._

Amari's eyes moved to examine her allies. _Asuma-sensei's left bicep is ripped up. He must have been hit by that blade of this Kisame guy. Mom's not visibly injured, but Itachi's genjutsu prowess obviously outmatched her in the first round of this fight._

That left Kakashi. His chakra depleted by the second, the Sharingan in his eye the main source of the drain. He couldn't out last Itachi in a Sharingan to Sharingan battle, it was impossible.

Her eye moved back to their enemies. Kisame bore a thin cut on his cheek, likely from Asuma's blades, but nothing else. Itachi didn't even have a mark on him yet.

 _The chakra coming off Kisame is insane. It's on a level like Naruto's._

Was he a jinchūriki too?

Amari bit her lip. _All right, Amari. You're here now. Now what are you going to do? You can't actually battle toe to toe with these two._

To them, she'd be nothing more than a stationary fly waiting to be swatted, which left Intel gathering and operation Shadow Clone Rescue as her only two options. _If the worst happens and I have to use Shadow Clones to rescue them, I need to be prepared for the fight of my life._

Opening up her hip pouch, Amari pulled out her storage scroll and unrolled it across her lap. She pressed her hand down onto the Seal and released what laid within: A black harness holding her cousin's tantō.

It seemed appropriate she and her cousin would fight side by side today to defend against Itachi of all people.

She hastily fastened it over her shoulders so the tantō was strapped to the back of her right shoulder then stretched her arms around, checking her range of motion and nodding to herself when she finished. The material was flexible and comfortable to wear; it wouldn't obstruct her in a fight.

 _Please hurry, Atsuko._

"Quite the interesting predicament, wouldn't you say, Haya."

Amari's entire body went stiff as a corpse. Her Sharingan eye bulged in terror.

 _The third Akatsuki member…_

They were right behind her. Within range to slit her throat. Her sensory abilities and dōjutsu didn't even pick up their presence until they spoke. Why? Why hadn't they killed her? Why did they alert her to their presence? To toy with her? To terrify her before killing her?

Slowly, in fear a fast movement would end morbidly, she turned her head to look the person in the eye with her terrified expression. A black cloak and red clouds towered over her crouched form, overly large on the slender frame of the woman.

Sharingan eyes met.

"Aimi…Uchiha," she gasped. The kunoichi smiled and hummed. "You…You're—"

"Alive?" Aimi offered, so obviously amused by her terror. "You're the third person to say that to me today. Color me surprised when Kurenai Yūhi of all people recognized me. You two must be very close."

Intense anger replaced terror. Amari growled and clenched her hands into fists. "Stay the hell away from her."

Dangerous mirth flashed in Aimi's red eyes. "Or what, my little sweet? What can you hope to do against me?"

It was a question Amari was asking herself.

Aimi didn't wait for her to find an answer. "Never mind that," she dismissed. "You see, I'm searching for a particular child who has something we need."

 _Naruto…_ Amari's brow furrowed and her lips curled in a snarl. So, they _were_ after the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox. _You won't lay a finger on him._

She didn't speak a word, yet her reaction spoke volumes. The sight of her snarl turned Aimi's lips into a menacing yet pretty smile. "Ah, so you do know of whom I'm searching for. That makes you valuable to us."

"Go to hell," she spat.

"You've grown much, my little sweet. Such spirit and backbone you possess, telling an enemy who holds your life in the palm of her hands to go to hell." Aimi's hand ran into her wild hair, gently playing with the tresses just like she used to. "You're not even trembling in fear anymore. Quite impressive. Your cousin would be so proud of you."

The taunt made Amari bristle, but she didn't dare to act recklessly. Not when Aimi was absolutely right: Her life really was in the palm of her hands.

Before the massacre, Aimi Uchiha had been like an older sister to the blue-haired child and the closest of friends with Itachi and her cousin. Like her two male counterparts, she was praised as one of the strongest Uchiha's of her generation. Skilled with the Sharingan, Medical Ninjutsu and powerful ninjutsu, Aimi used to be one Amari's greatest inspirations and supporters.

How times had changed.

Her nickname, my little sweet, once upon a time was endearing. Now it was a sharp barb. A reminder of a life she couldn't go back to.

"For one who is not of the Uchiha Clan, you have mastered the Sharingan well," Itachi's calm analytical voice met her ears. Amari ignored the hand playing with her hair and turned her attention back to the battlefield. "However, not being of Uchiha blood, you lack the physical strength needed to wield the Sharingan. That's something you can't copy."

 _That's Kakashi-sensei's biggest drawback. While his Sharingan is powerful, lacking our bloodline takes too much off a toll on his chakra. Me, Sasuke, Itachi and Aimi can all keep ours activated with little draw to our chakra, but not Kakashi-sensei._

Amari tightened her white-knuckle fists. "You killed my family. Why? We considered you and Itachi a part of it. You all used to have those quiet conversations."

"Come with us and we'll tell you the truth."

She suppressed a snort. "The truth? Or just more lies? More spins and half-truths to play me like some pawn?"

"Hmph. Wise of you to question my intentions, however it is unwarranted." The hand left her hair. "Tell me, Haya, given the choice, would you choose a path where nothing you love is left or a path where nothing you do is right?"

Amari furrowed her brow. "What kind of question is that?"

"Answer it," Aimi ordered, stern and unflinching.

"To hell with those paths. I'll make a different path and I'll walk it my own way."

"Hm. I'd like to see a world like that. Unfortunately we live in reality."

"Then I'll change this reality by walking my path. I'll light the way for others and reach out to as many people as I can so the world can change," Amari stated resolutely. "That's the path I've chosen. That's my nindo."

"You've certainly inherited his spirit."

"Tell me, why is the Uchiha Clan known by all, and feared by all?" Itachi continued down below. "I'll show you what the Sharingan can do when it is wielded by a true heir of the bloodline."

"Close your eyes! Don't look in his eyes!" Kakashi's panicked voice echoed from the river. Alarm filled the Nara at the sound of pure fear in his voice. What kind of dangerous power could make her cool-headed sensei react like that?

She strained to hear his next words. "Listen, both of you. Don't look. If you meet his gaze, you are done for. I'm going to have to do this alone. My Sharingan against his."

"Indeed, your abilities are impressive. They may even be enough to resist the Mangekyō Sharingan."

 _The…Mangekyō Sharingan? What the hell is that?_ Full black pinwheels accented by red eyes flashed through her mind. _Wait a minute. That night…Itachi's eyes weren't regular Sharingan, they were different. Is that it?_

She gulped. _If it is…then he could do to Sensei what he did to me…or worse._

"However," Itachi continued, "there is something they can't defend against. This special Sharingan jutsu called Tsukuyomi. Only someone with the Sharingan _and_ Uchiha blood can defeat me."

 _Of Uchiha blood?_ Her heartbeat began to beat faster and faster in her chest. _If this jutsu is unbreakable to only us…that means Kakashi-sensei is done for…unless I…_

"Careful, Haya. Your next decision is very important."

Amari shut her eyes, took a deep breath then opened them again. Her fingers stopped trembling and her fists uncurled. "I made my choice long ago."

"As did I."

Amari spun around, tantō gripped in her hand to clash against the kunai meant to cut her down. Sharingan eyes scorched one another, but Aimi was quicker. Her foot slammed into Amari's gut, sending her flying out of the tree down towards the concrete.

 _She's faster than me_ , she analyzed. _Much faster._

Amari flipped to land feet first on the cement then Body Flickered back, narrowly dodging a bolt of lightning striking her previous position. Shards of concrete shattered and flung into the air around her; small bits pelted her skin, but she kept moving towards her goal.

 _Kakashi-sensei…_

"Let me show you," Itachi taunted.

Amari skipped gracefully back on the water, chakra flooding her right eye and tomoe spinning within the red orb. Aimi was already within a meter of her. She had time for only one attack, so she chose the best option.

Her red eye flicked over to catch Kakashi's wide Sharingan eye.

 _Sharingan!_

* * *

A red moon and sky hung over the genjutsu world. Black clouds passed overhead, reflected in the water beneath their feet. So far Kakashi survived two days within the Tsukuyomi. Two exceptionally long days where every second elapsed at Itachi's control. Every moment here was his to command.

Unfortunately for Kakashi, he had one more day to go.

Itachi could only applaud his former comrade's mental fortitude. An average shinobi wouldn't have survived the first second. Yet here they were. Two full days and he still hadn't broken. Then again, Kakashi was one of the Leaf's best shinobi.

This performance was to be expected.

"In the Tsukuyomi, time and space, even physical mass, I control them all." The thousands of versions of Itachi lifted up their blades, plunging them methodically into the thousands of Kakashi that were restrained to T-shaped walls, repeating this chant over and over again. "Twenty-three hours fifty-nine minutes and fifty-nine seconds to go."

Or so was his plan. However, Itachi sensed a sudden disturbance to his genjutsu. An outside interference he had seen a glimpse of before his attack, but not one he expected would actually break into the Tsukuyomi.

"Itachi!" she shouted in fury.

The elder Uchiha's blade halted. "How fortunate for you, Kakashi, that a member of the Uchiha Clan came to save you."

His former comrade struggled to breathe through the agony. He did find enough strength to look surprised, though.

"I wonder, is she strong enough to fully break the Tsukuyomi, or will she only be able to take your place?"

"Leave…her…alone…" he wheezed. "This is…between you…and me."

"Then perhaps you should teach your student not to meddle in the affairs of adults."

Turning his head to the side, the thousand Itachi's took note of the lone child playing hero. Anger burned in her Sharingan eye. It appeared torturing her sensei touched a delicate nerve.

"What kind of monster have you become?" she hissed.

Itachi smiled vindictively. "Would you like a demonstration?"

"Try to touch him again and I'll make you regret it," Haya snarled.

"Is that so?" The several forms of Itachi lifted their swords up to prove a point. Then their bodies froze. "Hm. Impressive."

To be able to exert even the slightest control over him in the Mangekyō Sharingan genjutsu proved her genjutsu prowess improved since their last meeting. He wasn't surprised. The bloodline she wielded, and the woman who took her in, made it inevitable.

Itachi glanced over his shoulder again to see the cold, scaled claw of death clutching his body. A dragon. Quite the frightening choice. He almost smiled at the sight of it.

"You're done torturing my sensei. Demonic Dragon: Darkness Flames!"

Black flames erupted on invisible tracks of oil, engulfing the Itachi's in their soul burning flames while circling protectively around Kakashi. Slowly the Copy Ninja began to vanish, and with him the Tsukuyomi proceeded to fade away. Itachi merely stood there, a disinterested look in his eyes as he burned.

Haya glared at him before she too vanished. Her eyes spoke for her.

They had unfinished business to settle.

Itachi smiled.

 _Let us see how much you've grown, Haya._

* * *

The real world came flooding back into Kakashi's view. Blue sky replaced red. Sunlight replaced darkness. And he was alive, if only by the skin of his teeth.

Vision blurred and breathing unsteady, he struggled not to fall over when the cool breeze touched his heated skin. Every inch of his physically unwounded body was screaming in agony. His pain receptors sent false information of thousands of open stab wounds to his brain, overloading it with pain that wasn't physically real.

He tried to convince his mind it was just a genjutsu. That the pain wasn't even real, just an illusion created by the Tsukuyomi. None of it worked. Illusion or not, for Kakashi every moment in that hell was as real and valid as real life.

 _My body…_ He wheezed while his body began to tremble. _It feels like I have punctured lungs._

Even though he could feel the oxygen entering his body, even though he _knew_ his lungs were intact, his body instinctively acted to suck in precious oxygen. And with every renewed, desperate inhale, more pain constricted his chest.

Kakashi could hardly make out Itachi's general shape across from him. He couldn't make out a single detail on his face. He couldn't see how his facial features twitched ever so slightly in pain or how his normal Sharingan eyes were now focused on Amari. Everything blurred and meshed together in an incoherent mess.

 _Amari…_

The thought of his student awoke Kakashi. It gave him focus. Clarity for even the slightest moment. He turned his head to his left, slowly, in agony, and made out the small frame of his student ducking beneath a blade. The foot of Aimi—she was still alive after all this time?—slammed into Amari's arms, held up in a guard. But the blow sent her flying away, closer to Kakashi and Itachi.

 _I have to move. I have to get her out of here._ Kakashi flexed the muscles in his legs but stopped immediately. _I…can't_ , he despaired. _If I try to move my legs, my body will collapse. But there has to be…something I can do, at least to separate her from these attacks._

As her sensei, he had to protect her. That was his duty. His will.

Amari's body skidded across the surface of the water, a wave forming behind her as she channeled chakra to her hands, back and feet to stay afloat.

He lifted his gloved, trembling hands closer together. _I can…still move my arms._ Painful. But he could handle pain. Pain meant he was still alive. It meant he was awake and in a position to act. Even if he couldn't physically move to rescue her, he was the shinobi who copied a thousand jutsu; surely he had one to save his student.

He willed his hands to weave handseals as quickly as he could. Amari sprang up, tantō jumping from its scabbard into her hand to block and parry Aimi's lightning fast strikes. The veteran kunoichi smiled playfully as she struck. She was just toying with his student. Having fun.

 _She's faster than Amari. Her Sharingan keener in its ability to predict her movements._

His student didn't stand a chance.

Aimi broke Amari's guard with a single, upward strike. The Nara stumbled back, teeth grit and body left open as her left hand jolted into her pouch for a second blade. She wouldn't be fast enough. Aimi was already on her.

"Water Style: Water Wall," Kakashi rasped.

A wave of water, strong as steel, sprang up to shield his student from the attack. Aimi broke around the wall to attack from Amari's flank. His student danced on her toes, spinning to her right side as her kunai blade spun in her hand to defend. Then another wall of water jolted up between them.

"Kurenai…Their vision is blocked… Go!"

The single order was all the mother needed.

Wind ripped past Kakashi. Out of the Body Flicker, Kurenai materialized low in front of Amari, arm wrapping around her small waist as a kunai coated in lighting cut through the wall of water in search of blood. The blade did not physically touch either kunoichi. Even still, crimson blood splattered through the air.

Kurenai bolted back to their side of the battlefield. Her left arm hung limp at her side, an open and deep cut through the bicep. She crouched in front of her daughter, blade held out in front of her protectively and her features pulled in a grimace as she waited for the next advance.

It didn't come. Not yet.

The waves Kakashi produced fell, revealing Aimi still there, kunai blade coated with crackling blue lightning.

"Intelligent move, Kakashi. You realized your body couldn't move after what you endured, so you used the Water Style: Water Wall to break our line of sight, affording Kurenai the opportunity to save Haya in your stead."

He couldn't quite make out the smile on her face, but he could hear it.

"You haven't lost a step, nor has your strength of will lessened over the years. To think you were able to perform a jutsu after enduring the Tsukuyomi. Although, Haya deserves some credit for bringing you back to reality." The lightning faded and Aimi lowered her arm back to her side. The kunai vanished up her cloak sleeve. "What an interesting twist this little diversion has brought."

"Kakashi, Kurenai, is it safe to open my eyes now?" Asuma asked.

"No," Kakashi struggled to get out the singular word.

"What's happening? One second Itachi was talking, the next you're struggling to breathe. And what's Amari doing here?"

 _Two days…two days in that hell, and only a moment passed in the real world._

"Not that…I'm not grateful you…spared me…from another twenty-four hours of hell." Kakashi focused hard on every single syllable, eyes squinting as each new one became harder than the last. He felt faint. Dizzy. Blackness fought to overcome his vision, but he willed it away.

He couldn't pass out. Not now. Not while his student was here.

He glanced down at Amari, whose blades were once more sheathed, as she pulled her Leaf headband off and tied the blue cloth tightly around her mother's wound. Her worried eye watched the blood trail down her fair skin as she worked.

"But…what the hell are you…doing here, Amari?" he finished his question.

Amari looked up to him. The smile she forced didn't reach her eye. "Sorry I'm late, but an old lady with back problems needed my help carrying groceries," she offered weakly.

 _She sounds like me_. He might have laughed in a different circumstance.

This was not a different circumstance.

"Little one, you have to go," Kurenai ordered, hand moving to grab her bloody arm. "We'll hold them off to—"

Kakashi couldn't hold strong any longer. The torture he endured became too much to bear. His knees buckled, and he soon found his body braced by his smaller student.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "Had I been faster, I might have—"

Kakashi put what little energy he had into shaking his head. "You did enough. Now get out of here…Now," he ordered. "Get the hell out of here…Amari."

She forced another smile. "I wish I could. I hoped, if it came to it, that I could use Shadow Clones to rescue you guys and escape, but that's no longer an option. She's too fast for me. And I have information they want. I've become too valuable to them to let escape."

"Information? What information?" Kurenai questioned in surprise.

"Their real goal isn't me or Sasuke or even you guys. It's Naruto. And Aimi knows I can lead them to him." Amari shook her head. "It was a rookie mistake. But now I've made myself a target. And a good shiny object shines brightly."

Kakashi's stomach dropped. _She's planning to be a decoy._

"Amari, no."

In a different circumstance Kurenai's firm voice would have stopped Amari in her tracks.

This wasn't a different circumstance.

"There's something I have to do. Neither of you are going to like it, but it's what has to be done."

Amari moved to stand, but using the remaining strength he had left, Kakashi snatched hold of her arm. "Don't be stupid," he chastised. "You know you're no match…for them. And with the genjutsu…he placed on you…who knows what he could do to you."

She nodded in solemn agreement. "You're right. But this is the only way I can ensure you guys survive this. You can't fight anymore, and the risk of the Mangekyō Sharingan means Asuma-sensei and Mom have to keep their eyes closed."

Another weak smile crossed Amari's face. "I'm the only one who can break free of his special genjutsu, or fight with my eye closed." With little effort she broke free of his grasp. "I'm sorry, but if I leave now, you all die. I can't do that."

 _I don't have the strength to physically stop her_. Amari smiled sadly at him. _And she knows it too._

She wrapped him up in a hug. "Thank you for teaching me and your support over the years. I'll make them fight for every inch. I promise."

No physical blade could hurt as much as that goodbye did.

His student was leaving them to fight a battle she knew was hopeless.

Amari was leaving, and there was nothing he could do but watch helplessly as he had done too many times before.

 _Please…don't do this_.Kakashi's plea wouldn't stop her. He knew that.

"Amari—" Kurenai's words were broken off by an even tighter hug.

"Thank you for being my mom." Even in his blurry vision, Kakashi could see the shimmer of tears form in Kurenai's eyes. "Thank you for giving me a life worth living. Thank you for giving your love to a broken and hurting girl in her greatest time of need. I love you. Please, no matter how this ends, please don't blame yourselves. This is my choice. My path."

"Get out of here, little one," Kurenai pleaded one last time.

"I can't. You know that. Even if you could battle with your eyes open, your arm is numb because of that attack."

Kurenai squeezed her eyes shut. "Please. Don't do this."

"I love you, Mom. Never forget that."

Her tears finally fell. "I love you too."

Amari released Kurenai, standing up then stepping back and away. "Asuma-sensei, if the worst happens, promise me you'll take good care of my mom and Shika. They'll need you."

"Amari…"

"Promise, Asuma-sensei."

"I swear I will."

"Thank you." She smiled again, warmer. "Don't look so worried you two. I'll be okay. After all, you guys are the ones who trained me. And I've got back up from my cousin today."

Kakashi and Kurenai could only watch her step towards a hopeless battle.

* * *

Itachi's eyes stung. The Mangekyō Sharingan's great power came with a high price, as all great power did. So long as he used it sparingly, though, he could prolong the inevitable as long as he needed to.

"Well, well, well, his spirit isn't broken, and it seems Aimi found a new toy to play with," Kisame Hoshigaki said. Itachi could hear the grin on his face, wide and full of sharpened shark teeth. "I thought you said only an Uchiha could break that genjutsu, Itachi."

Itachi said nothing. He watched silently as Haya said her final words to the three Leaf shinobis. Meanwhile, Aimi meandered closer, a pretty smile on her face as her waist-length dark hair flowed behind her.

"She's gotten quicker," she said.

"She has," he agreed.

Kisame frowned. "I'm starting to get the feeling I'm the only one who doesn't know this kid."

Itachi's Sharingan eyes did not leave Haya. He had not intended to encounter her. But it was clear to his eyes she wouldn't leave voluntarily. She was driven to stall them, maybe out of hope other shinobi might notice the battle, or perhaps she already sent for backup.

Both stood out as distinct possibilities. His opponent now was a child, yes, but a child with the intellect of a Nara and the strength of an Uchiha. A dangerous combination.

Underestimation here was most unwise.

So far too much time had already been lost to these Leaf shinobi, and Aimi's return meant her part of their mission reached its end. Yet he was hesitating to retreat. He hadn't hesitated since _that_ day.

There was something he needed to do. Something he had planned to do later but decided could and should be done sooner. They didn't have time to waste anymore. Time was no one's ally.

Haya stood no chance of pushing him or his partners, which meant he could dictate the pace of the fight, just as always.

Unfortunately, Kisame could see the threads of the past connecting the three Uchiha, even if he had yet to realize Haya's heritage himself. Soon, though, he would see for himself there was another Uchiha who lived. One more survivor. One stubborn child playing the sacrificial role of a martyring hero.

As for Haya, there were key names he could use to unlock the Pandora's Box on her mind, ridding him of her interference whenever he so desired. For now he chose to wait.

Itachi would indulge her foolish actions to teach her a valuable lesson.

Haya stepped away from her protectors and exhaled a soft, resigned breath. Then she spoke. "It's been a long time, Itachi."

True. Years had passed since their last meeting. In that time, Haya had grown from a small, fragile child to the beginnings of a stubborn, maturing adolescent. Still small, he supposed, for a child her age.

The resemblance to her parents she bore, it strummed at strings of nostalgia he wasn't prepared for.

Years had passed, hardening him as he walked down his path of darkness, yet seeing her again, it still…

Haya turned around fully, three tomoe Sharingan meeting three tomoe Sharingan. In it he could see the reflections of her path and the pain it gave her. Scars crept out from her mesh sleeve. He could even see the necklace of her fused Clan crests hanging around her neck.

The girl he once knew, the child who idolized him, Aimi and her cousin, no longer looked at him with adoration. Her solitary eye met his indifferent gaze without fear; she was ready to fight and die to protect the three behind her.

Time changed them. The events of their lives shaped them into the people standing on opposite sides of this battlefield. Whether or not she had a future beyond the battle would be his to decide.

"Hohoho! This tiny girl has Sharingan like both of you!" Kisame grinned. The word _tiny_ coerced a noticeable twitch from Haya. It would seem her height remained a sore subject. "Looks like you'll need to kill her to finish the slaughter."

"Her death is an undesirable conclusion," Aimi interceded rationally. "After all, she has valuable information about our true target."

"Does she now?" Itachi drawled. "Yes, that does make her death an undesirable conclusion. For now, anyways."

"So, who is this kid, Itachi?" Kisame asked.

"Her name is Haya Uchiha. We used to train her."

"Oh? " Kisame chuckled. "Student and teacher coming face to face after years of being apart? I think I might shed a tear at this little reunion."

The sarcasm was unneeded. His comrade could not hope to realize how personal this reunion was, and Itachi wasn't including the massacre or teaching Haya. No, those two facts did not accurately reveal the personal threads sewing the three Uchiha here together.

Internally, beneath the unexpressive mask Itachi wore, a plethora of emotions reared up. Seeing Haya again, five years older, taller by some inches, wielding that blade on her back with her Sharingan activated, it brought back old memories. Good memories he couldn't afford to look back on.

Itachi never looked back. He had to continue moving forward, even if it meant walking through darkness only the Sharingan could guide him through.

"Not bragging about me to all of your friends, Itachi? I'm heartbroken."

Despite the jest in her voice, her body language and facial features showed no amusement. Itachi cracked the faintest of smirks. _Yes, this is definitely like old times._

Not with Haya, of course. No, that comment and light tone reminded him of someone else entirely.

An old friend.

"Amusing as this diversion has been, it's time for pleasantries to come to an end," Itachi said.

* * *

Amari lowered her gaze to the water beneath her, hands clenching into fists, steeling her heart for the inevitable futile battle stampeding towards her. This was it. She was about to duel against elite shinobi out of some misguided belief she could actually make a difference. Sheesh, no wonder her Shika called her troublesome.

"You two used to be family to me. I can't remember everything…" She brought her hand to her heart and clenched her shirt. "But I feel it in here. The bond I had with you two…and my previous family."

 _And it hurts…really badly. You're both within a couple steps of reaching distance, yet you feel as if you're kilometers away._

"Times change, Haya," Itachi's voice was completely devoid of all emotion.

Amari shut her eyes and exhaled the softest of chuckles, hand releasing her shirt. He was so right. They all walked different paths now. And they carried the convictions to walk them to whatever end awaited them.

She wouldn't falter here.

"You're right, Itachi. Times do change. We've all changed, and now I have a new family. This village, my mother, my sensei, my cousin, my uncle, my aunt and my teammates, all of them are precious to me. That's why if you _ever_ lay a hand on my family again…" The dark hatred dormant within her heart permeated in her Sharingan eye. "I _will_ kill you."

"Feisty girl!" Kisame chortled. He grabbed the hilt of his blade tighter. "Hey Itachi, mind if I take this one? You did wear those eyes of yours out."

 _Wore his eyes out?_ Amari looked away from Kisame to examine Itachi's eyes. Pain. She could see his pain. He did well to hide it, but the unconscious and almost imperceptible muscle movement around his eyes couldn't be hidden.

 _It hurt him_ , she analyzed. _The Mangekyō Sharingan must be like keeping the Byakugan activated for extended periods of time, except more extreme. It strains the eyes and depletes his chakra at an accelerated pace. That's why he's using the normal Sharingan now. But does that mean he can't use the Tsukuyomi again?_

Mentally she shook her head. _No. I can't assume something like that without real knowledge on the Mangekyō or Tsukuyomi. I'll have to stay on my toes and be prepared to get out of any genjutsu._

Itachi took a step forward. "She's mine. Stay out of this, both of you."

"'Tachi, you're overdoing it," Aimi chastised gently. "Let me finish this."

"It's better if I do it," he replied. "You two need to be at full strength for our true mission. Furthermore, Kisame's liable to take a limb or two if he fights her, which will render her capture pointless."

"Can't argue there," the swordsman chuckled.

"Haya was also reckless enough to take her eyes off you to save Kakashi. She may be reckless enough to allow you to land a mortal blow, if only to kill you with a Shadow jutsu. My fighting style is the best suited to capture her."

"Heh, I wouldn't underestimate me, Itachi," Amari returned. "I'm not the same girl you used to train."

"That remains to be seen, Haya."

 _All I have to do is stall long enough for Guy-sensei to arrive_ , Amari coached herself. _Which means I can't be reckless. If I screw up, everyone will die._ Determination reinforced her backbone with steel and ignited her warrior spirit. _I won't let them die. I'll protect them, even if it costs me my life._

Amari reached up and grabbed her tantō. "To be honest, I hoped you would just leave the Leaf and never return, but I already know what you Akatsuki bastards are after."

The mention of their organization earned her three satisfying surprised looks.

 _A good shiny object shines brighter than the sun._

"Heh," she smiled cockily against the acceleration of her heart, "oh yeah, I know _all_ about you and your little squad of S-rank criminals. And soon the entire shinobi world will know of your existence, as long as I have any say at least. Then you'll all be hunted down and destroyed like the scum you are."

"I see." Itachi hummed, eyes shutting for a moment. "It seems we have no choice but to capture you then. You know far too much already, Haya, and we can't risk a war with the Five Great Nations. Not yet."

Silence fell between them after that.

The time to fight had come. Uchiha verses Uchiha. Her past and present finally colliding on this battlefield of water, where reflections of the past battled alongside visions of the present.

"Sensei, Mom, Asuma-sensei. Don't worry about anything. I won't let any harm come to my family." She turned to look at them with a closed eyed smile. "I promise."

* * *

Haya turned to face Itachi, eyes full of determination.

 _She's finally prepared to fight_ , Itachi thought.

"I hope you're ready, because I'm going to go all-out, Itachi!" Haya spoke, but it wasn't just her voice he heard. He swore he could hear her cousin as well.

Startled, he barely leaned his body out of range of her strike. _She's faster than before._ He grabbed her forearm at the end of her swing. _But not fast enough._

Weight pressed down on his knee, drawing his attention down to the child's foot using him as a stepstool. Haya stepped up and swung her opposite foot for his jaw; wind brushed past his face he dodged his head back and released her, allowing her to use the momentum to throw herself into a backflip.

How unorthodox.

The tantō sheathed, Haya's hands caught her on the water in a handstand, quickly shifting into several back handsprings to retreat. Itachi didn't wait. Haya was quick, but so was he. Years of battle experience put him at an entirely different level than her. They weren't even on the same spectrum of strength.

A lesson she would soon learn.

Itachi sped behind her as her feet planted on the surface of the water. Sun reflected off his kunai as it appeared out of his sleeve, searching for flesh and the definitive end of this battle. In those motions, she had no hope of reading his movements, let alone dodging them.

The sharp _clang_ of metal meeting metal cut his arrogance in half.

Haya didn't even turn to block. She hunched slightly forward, her right arm wrapped behind her back, the tantō firmly gripped in her hand to block his strike inches from her flesh.

 _How did she…_

In a single fluid and graceful move, Haya pushed his blade away, spun and slashed at his midsection. Her blade found only empty space as Itachi, upon reading her movements, evaded her short sword. Immediately he prepared a Sharingan genjutsu to strike her down.

The elder Uchiha expected her red eye to meet his. Upon doing so he would end this diversion immediately so they could be on their way. Further battle served no purpose.

His expectation did not come to fruition. All he found was the flesh of her eyelid shut over her right eye.

 _She anticipated my genjutsu_ , Itachi realized. Although Haya proved she could infiltrate the Tsukuyomi, even rescue Kakashi from it, she decided to act with caution, using the one weakness of Sharingan genjutsu against him: eye contact. Without eye contact he could not cast a Sharingan genjutsu upon her.

A good move on her part. In the end, it didn't matter. He had other means of attack planned, as well as a theory forming around her ability to fight without her eye.

Itachi's right hand appeared out of his sleeve, shuriken equipped between the gaps of his fingers. All around Haya, water shaped drills surged up to strike her, but she flickered away.

The feint hadn't worked on Kakashi, and it appeared it wouldn't work on his student either.

She was good. The title of Leaf's number one rookie appeared well-deserved. But a rookie was still a rookie, just as inexperienced in the reality of shinobi warfare as her peers.

Zigging and zagging closer in the Body Flicker, Itachi's experienced eyes did not fail to see her every movement. He threw his shuriken. The circular blades whirled through the air, and as they neared their target, more appeared from their shadows. Haya jumped up, eye still closed, twirling in space as a dancer might with a kunai slipping into her free hand. Together with her tantō she blocked his shuriken effortlessly.

All except one.

Itachi yanked back on the nearly invisible thread of ninja wire. Every move she made in that jump worked towards his overall goal and could end in her inevitable capture. The Akatsuki member did not bet on it, not this time.

 _Such simple tricks won't work on you, will they?_

The yank of the ninja wire tightened the sharpened thread. Sunlight glistened off it, revealing the coils prepared to capture the floating form of Haya as a constrictor captures its prey. Before it could be pulled taut, the tantō flashed into action, slashing quick strikes through the wire to sever the snake.

Itachi halted on the water and titled his head to the side; air whistled past his ear as a kunai flew by.

Once her feet touched the water again, she bolted in to attack, so he let her close in with a kunai at the ready. Kunai and tantō clashed and clanged together, strikes and blocks requiring exceptional speed and precision from both parties to perform. Sparks jumped from their blades as the intensity of their duel grew.

No matter how fast her attacks came or what angle she struck from, his eyes could see them clearly. Every muscle ripple offered insight to her movements; every step she took, every swing of her blade, none could escape his eyes.

Conversely, Haya showed her ability to read his movements with similar, but not nearly as accurate, predictive abilities. Had she done this with her Sharingan, he would not have been too surprised. After all, he knew her bloodline better than she did.

The keen sight she was destined to inherit could have made her a future threat to the Akatsuki's plans. However she would be dealt with long before she posed any threat. He would see to that today.

But Haya was not predicting his attacks with her Sharingan. Her right eye never opened, and yet she could fight him seemingly with no vision at all. Although a shinobi could train to fight with their eyes closed—blind shinobi were rare, but did exist throughout the shinobi world—Haya had not done so.

 _Which can only mean you wield the Byakugan in your left eye_ , Itachi concluded.

The thought of an Uchiha wielding the Byakugan made his lips twitch up, but only for an imperceptible moment. Should the Hyūga Elders ever learn her secret, they would scream and stomp their feet like misbehaving and spoiled children, and how satisfying that would be to see.

One could say the only difference between the Hyūga Clan and Uchiha Clan was the name of their Clan. Both carried an unhealthy obsession over their coveted dōjutsu, blinded by a false sense of superiority and ignorant pride.

In Itachi's eyes, the Hyūga Elders were nothing more than old fools jockeying for political power, while the young and innocent paid the price for their outdated rituals.

 _Their ancestors must be turning in their graves._

The elder Uchiha parried her strike with his blade, grabbed her arm again with his free hand and vaulted over her. Maintaining his grip, he landed behind her and, with his superior leverage and strength, threw her across the water like a light stone.

She skipped twice before recovering. Rather than facing where he threw her from, Haya spun around one hundred and eighty degrees. Crimson blood spilled through the air, flesh splitting beneath the sharpened edges of two kunai—one a surface leveled cut over her right cheek, the other only slightly deeper on her left shoulder.

"Heh, so that's what it feels like when someone attacks from my blindspot," Haya chuckled under her breath. "Should have known you would figure it out. You were always perceptive, you troublesome boy."

Itachi didn't reply. He loomed over her from the guardrail. The placement of the sun cast his dark shadow onto the sun warmed concrete behind him, away from his opponent. Behind Haya, a second Itachi stood, paralyzed in place by their connected shadows.

Keeping his distance had been wise.

With her empty and closed left hand, Haya mimicked turning a kunai blade towards herself and thrusted the invisible blade into her stomach. The clone behind her popped.

"Hope I'm not being too troublesome for you," Haya provoked.

"Hardly."

"Hmph, good. I was just warming up. Wanted to see if you'd take me seriously or not."

Again her voice melded with her dead cousin's. So familiar, yet so foreign and distant. As out of reach as his past was. He couldn't let it distract him. He couldn't act carelessly. The longer this battle continued, the longer she struggled, the higher the chance of reinforcements arriving.

"How childish," he replied, jumping back down onto the water.

It was time to end this futile struggle of hers.

* * *

 _I have to step things up_ , Amari thought as Itachi strode calmly towards her. _I hoped I could delay by dragging this fight out, but nothing I've done has given me the power to dictate the pace of our fight._ She frowned internally. _I knew from the start I didn't stand a chance, but the gap between our abilities is even greater than I could have predicted._

 _He could kill Orochimaru. Easily._

If this was Itachi's strength, how powerful were his partners? Stronger? Weaker? What about the other members of the Akatsuki?

Questions she hoped to answer later. If there was a later.

 _Well, that was a motivating pep talk_ , she quipped to herself. _All right. Time to get serious!_

Amari holstered her tantō quickly and brought up her hands into the clone seal. _Shadow Clone Jutsu!_ Ten Amari clones took form around Itachi. He stopped and glanced at them but said nothing at first.

Despite the numbers, his face remained frustratingly blank. Could he even express other emotions? Or was his face permanently stuck with that unimpressed gaze like an old piece of gum stuck under a table.

Itachi's red eyes scanned around. "Shadow Clones, and quite a few of them," he commented dryly.

Without further delay, one Amari clone jolted in to attack. Itachi merely leaned his upper body out of the way of her tantō, the downward slash missing him completely. His knee connected to her sternum hard, knocking the wind right out of the clone, leaving her choking and gasping for air on all-fours. Itachi pivoted out of the way of another attack. Before the second clone could even blink, a kunai slashed down her back and popped her.

Three clones jumped in simultaneously, but they struggled to even get in range of attack. Itachi moved fluidly. Dodging. Blocking. Then landing a blow of his own. His fist crushed the insides of one of her clones. As she bent forward, he placed a hand on her back, using it as a platform to vault over and kick the other two, popping them.

Another clone Body Flickered after him, following him over her sister clone and slashing at his back. Again Itachi effortlessly pivoted on his feet to dodge, snatching her wrist in his hand and breaking it.

Seven clones left, two currently disabled. Amari realized then and there that her plan to stall through numbers wouldn't work. Even if she kept creating clones, he'd destroy them all, all the while her chakra would continue to diminish on a pointless tactic.

A new plan was necessary. But what? What could she possibly do against someone so out of her league?

Itachi made short work of two more clones. Five more left, two still unable to breathe.

A clone of Amari Body Flickered to attack, feinting with her tantō to hide her planned kunai stab. Her opponent blocked the real strike and allowed himself to step back as the clone, backed up by another, performed a dance of duel blades to overwhelm him.

Her blades spun deftly in her hands. Every spin and every move meant to attack from every angle possible. Not a single strike passed Itachi's defenses.

 _I'm so outclassed, it's not even funny_. Amari ground her teeth together in frustration. At least Orochimaru gave her the illusion of an effective offense. This was just ridiculous.

She grabbed three kunai from her pouch. _This isn't a fight. It's just a diversion to him._ In her own words to Temari, it didn't matter if Itachi made the first move or the last. This battle was over before it even began.

 _I'm not done yet._

The two attacking clones met their end quickly. Switching gears, Amari dispelled her final three clones, knelt down and launched her Shadow across the water. Ahead of the shadow were three kunai.

 _Come on Atsuko. Where the hell are you and Guy-sensei?_

Surely the Bushy-Browed shinobi would sprint at max speed for a chance to save his eternal rival.

Itachi blocked the three blades, sending them flying left, right and up into the air around him before throwing his kunai at the girl kneeling in a singular position. The kunai pierced into her chest and popped the clone.

Out of the three kunai, the real Amari and two clones appeared. She floated high above Itachi with her hands, as well as her clones, in Tiger.

Itachi lifted his bored gaze up to her. "An interesting choice of attack."

 _Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!_

Three torrents of flames erupted from their lips. At the last moment Itachi's body exploded into crows, sweeping past the flames without ever being touched by them.

 _Damn it, he's too skilled._

Her Byakugan recognized him reform behind her before her body could react. As she spun to face him, his fist connected to her face, sending her plummeting back towards the water.

A clone caught Amari from her fall. Before either could react, Itachi appeared in front of them, plunging his blade into the clone to vanquish her, forcing Amari to fall towards the water. She gasped for air as he kicked her square in the ribs. That one hurt. The force of the blow sent her skipping across the water.

 _Damn it. Damn it. Damn it_ , she cursed as she spun back onto her feet, chakra covered heels gliding backwards on the surface of the water. She coughed while trying to catch her breath. Luckily no blood this time in her mouth; a small victory, she supposed, given how bad that kick hurt.

"How many times must I tell you, Haya? You cannot fool my eyes." He swung his arm out, clocking her final clone along the head as she tried to attack out of a Body Flicker, dispelling her on impact.

"Ugh, not this speech again," Amari groaned.

How many times had she been told the same thing years ago every time she tried to beat him in a spar with a new tactic? How many times had it always been at the precipice of defeat?

Too many to count.

As she was about to start preparing her next attack, a menacing twist to his lips halted her in fear. "In that case, allow me to teach you a different lesson. The genjutsu I placed on you, it was created by your cousin in order to protect you. But I changed its purpose." Itachi lifted up his finger and pointed at her. "The jutsu I casted on you wasn't to protect you, it was to torture you."

"Amari, get out of here now!" Kakashi ordered in panic.

It was too late.

 _My body_ , she grunted in effort. _It won't move._ A paralysis jutsu. He caught her in a paralysis jutsu by pointing a single finger at her. The fear flooding her made her heart sound like a herd of horses stampeding to war.

"Amari!"

"I…can't move," she struggled to get out.

"Why would you want to leave? Don't you want to know your precious cousin's name?" The sight of her eye bulging twisted a malicious smile onto Itachi's lips.

 _Move body! Move!_ It refused to respond to her commands.

"Your struggle is pointless. No amount of sheer will can break my jutsu."

"Shut. Up. Itachi." Amari gritted her teeth and struggled even harder than before.

"Your cousin cared so deeply for you, Haya. He would have done everything in his power to protect you. It's only a shame he wasn't strong enough to succeed."

"You really are evil, Itachi," Kisame commented with a sadistic grin.

Aimi said nothing, eyes watching the entire affair in boredom.

The comment made Amari's anger spike. "Shut your damn mouth, Itachi! You have no right to talk about him! None!"

"I'd bet you'd give anything to have him back," he continued like she hadn't even spoken. "Even the smallest scrap of a memory. To be able to see his face again one last time, I'm sure you'd take on any pain."

He was right. She'd give anything to see her cousin again, to know his name and face. But she also knew what it would do to her. The pain that awaited her, it'd be worse than holding Ryu in her arms as he died.

"Let me go and I'll make you eat your teeth!"

"I will grant you your wish to know him again. Consider it a belated birthday gift. His name was—"

Amari shut her eyes and tried in vain to somehow shut off her sense of hearing. _Don't say it. Don't say it. Don't say it._

"Shisui Uchiha."

With the drop of his finger, control over her body returned. But even without a paralysis jutsu holding her in place, her feet refused to budge. Her wide eyes gazed into the reflection of the water as the missing piece of her heart returned, and was severed at the same time.

 _Shisui…_

She could see his face. His big grin that could illuminate a dark cave, his unkempt dark hair, those onyx eyes filled with the light of life and happiness. She could see him again. Feel him in her heart and the bond they once shared.

Then a tearing pain ripped through her skull. She could only scream a wordless, agony filled scream that sent birds hidden within nearby canopies flying away. It felt like someone was tearing her insides out of her. Ripping and tearing and laughing as she screamed.

Tears built in her eyes as she gripped her head, legs buckling beneath her and bringing her to her knees.

Flashes of memories, too many to grab hold of, jumped through her mind, bursting out of the containment cell they had been held in all these years. Every memory held happiness and joy lost to time.

Every memory opened a new wound in her heart.

Another shred of pain tore through her skull. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks while a wordless cry of pain, sorrow, and heartbreak ripped her vocal chords apart.

 _Shisui…Shisui._

She could see him carrying her on his shoulders as they walked through the Uchiha District. Their smiles, their joy, their love, all of it she felt in her heart.

Another claw tore her apart accompanied by an anguished sob.

She grasped onto another memory. Shisui took her into the backyard to teach her the Body Flicker Technique—a technique he mastered. Her first use nearly ended with her face planting into a tree, but Shisui Body Flickered in front of her, catching her and falling backwards into the tree. Despite tackling him into a tree, they both fell into laughter.

More pain.

A memory of him poking her forehead and smiling fondly at her.

 _"I love you, Haya."_

Pain.

Finally the world around her started to darken, her eyes closing like the shutter of a camera, never to reopen again.

 _Shisui…_

As the darkness swarmed her vision she grasped onto one final memory. Shisui had blood flowing out of both of his eyes.

 _His eyes…they're gone._

In front of him were Itachi and Aimi as he stood with his back to the same cliff she found his tantō on.

 _"I know Haya will succeed without me, no matter what. You'll see. She's my cousin after all and I believe in her." He took a breath. "Well, I guess this is the end of the road for me." Slowly he let himself fall back and off the cliff with a smile on his face._

At the sight of her cousin's death, all the darkness dissipated in a burning light of pain and hatred.

 _They took Shisui's eyes!_

In that moment, something snapped in Haya Uchiha.

* * *

Itachi took no pleasure in Haya's pain, but she brought this upon herself. Foolishly entering a battle with him, openly bragging about her knowledge of the Akatsuki, what did she expect to happen?

There was nothing left to do or say now. The mental anguish and genjutsu would keep her incapacitated long enough to leave the Leaf behind.

"Man, you really are cruel, Itachi," Kisame chuckled.

Itachi said nothing. He stepped forward, moving towards Haya to retrieve her for their imminent departure.

It was almost sad to see her reduced to such a pitiful mess. If her cousin had been alive, he would have likely killed him for putting his beloved cousin through so much pain.

"This diversion is over. Kisame, Aimi, let—"

"'Tachi! Be careful, her chakra is spiking!"

"You. _Bastards_!"

Itachi stopped mid-step. His red eyes widened in horror. _Impossible._

Haya gripped her head tightly, visible eye pointed towards the stream with tears pouring down both cheeks. Yet she was awake. And he sensed something ominous. Very ominous. His hairs began to stand on ends. The air around the child was becoming stifling. Suffocating. The invisible force constricted around his chest.

It was then a green cloak of chakra formed around her body. "You bastards killed Shisui and took his eyes!" Haya seethed.

 _What?_

"He trusted you, _we_ trusted you. We considered you _family_! And for what?!" She was not shouting. Her voice, cracking with pain and laced with hatred, cut through him in a quiet whisper.

 _Did she witness his death? How?_

The black tips to her green chakra shroud began to trickle down and consume the green. Angry lashes of chakra whipped around her. Finally she lowered her arms and moved to stand. Her arms hung limply at her sides, but the now fully black chakra cloak expanded to a greater size, towering over her small frame.

"You won't get away with what you did to him. I promise you right now."

When their eyes locked with one another Itachi couldn't help but flinch backwards. _Her eye, it's—_

"I will kill you for what you've done!" she bellowed.

The black chakra cloak loomed the battlefield, and anyone who looked her way could see the face of a demonic dragon taking form within it. The hellish demon finally had its freedom. Its red eyes seared into his very soul, and he felt a shiver shoot down his spine.

Suddenly a shockwave of pure energy irradiated off of Haya, lifting her long hair up ever so slightly to float around her. The trio of Akatsuki raised their arms up to block the wind whipping past them.

"The demon-like chakra coming off of this girl, it's almost a mirror image of Zabuza's!" Kisame said, stunned by the sight. "The air is ripe with her desire to kill us. This isn't the same kid anymore. She's become a demon."

"Such violent and vile chakra. Haya…" Aimi whispered.

Killing intent flooded off her. Killing intent on levels he hadn't sensed outside of the shinobi within the Akatsuki.

This was the power of darkness.

This was the power the Curse of Hatred could give an Uchiha at the cost of their soul.

 _What have I done?_

* * *

Kurenai sensed the change of chakra in her daughter almost immediately. It was impossible not to. For her it was like feeling the bright girl she adopted disappear on the wind, only to be replaced by a person she didn't even recognize.

Suffering. Anguish. Evil. Hatred. Her daughter's chakra ran cold, colder than a winter blizzard. What was left of her daughter's essence had slipped right through her fingers before she could even try to grab it.

Hazarding a look, Kurenai cracked an eye open and felt her heart stop.

"Amari…"

The black chakra swirled around her with a life of its own. And with its immense energy, her wild blue hair defied gravity, floating around her like some sort of demonic spirit possessed it. Tears streaked her face, but her features, once full of determination, protection and love, were set in unadulterated hatred.

It looked like Amari. The person had all the same features, hair and size as her daughter. But this child was not Amaririsu Yūhi. This child was someone else. Someone darker. Someone who had nothing left except hatred.

This was the child Amari could have become. The child she was becoming because of Itachi Uchiha.

Kurenai's eyes fell away in sorrow, but the sight of her daughter's headband wrapped around her arm awoke something in her heart.

 _"I love you, Mom. Never forget that."_

No. Her daughter was not gone yet. She could still save her. She refused to lose her to this hatred or the Akatsuki members.

Flexing her numb fingers into a fist once, twice, she tested its strength. While not fully healed, it would be enough to do what needed to be done. Her daughter had preserved time and again through injury and overwhelming odds to defend her dream or those precious to her.

Now it was her turn. This time she would defend her daughter with her life. As her mother it was her duty to save her, even if it meant saving her from herself.

Kurenai moved to stand, but a gloved hand wrapped around her wrist. "Don't try to stop me, Kakashi," she told him.

"I'm not. Help me…up. I'll be your backup."

"Ah, to hell with it," Asuma cursed under his breath. "I'm not going to sit here with my eyes closed. We're not losing Amari to these guys."

No. They were not.

* * *

All Haya Uchiha could feel was the flood of burning hatred coursing through her veins. That and the feeling of knives piercing her eyes over and over again. Persistent pain. Persistent agony. Persistent darkness.

She didn't care, though! These bastards took her cousin's eyes like some sort of trophy! Her cousin couldn't extract revenge, so she would do it in his stead. She would turn them all into unrecognizable ash!

Nothing else mattered except their deaths!

"Itachi, I won't stand by any longer." Aimi activated her Sharingan. "Kisame, with me!"

"You got it. Samehada is itching to eat that chakra!"

"Wait! Don't try it!" Itachi tried to ward them off.

Aimi and Kisame charged past Itachi, ignoring his plea.

Amari equipped two kunai. "I'll kill you for what you did to him!" she roared, the demonic dragon's roar interlacing with her own.

She darted forward, yet a wall of water cut off her charge and her enemies. On the opposite side, Kurenai and Asuma blocked the paths of the two Akatsuki members, catching their blades with their own.

"You won't touch another hair on my daughter's head," Kurenai stated firmly.

"Is that so?" Aimi replied.

"Your fight is with us now," Asuma followed.

"Hehe! All right, let's have some fun then," Kisame chortled.

Haya growled in irritation and annoyance at the wall. No one was getting between her and killing them. No one! She made to cut around it, failing to see the other four shinobi completely. Her eyes zeroed in on Itachi, who continued to stand in the same position, eyes wide.

"Little one!"

"Amari, wait!" Kakashi cried out to her.

She didn't hear them.

Finally she had a chance to kill this bastard. He stirred this darkness in her. He stole Shisui from her! Nothing in this world mattered anymore except making him _suffer_! And it would feel _so_ good!

He deserved it. He deserved to die. She'd send him straight to hell, even if she had to drag him down there with her! Even if it meant sacrificing herself to this darkness, she would do whatever it took to kill him and Aimi. For Shisui. For her parents.

 _I'll never forgive you!_

"You're dead, Itachi!"

Unbeknownst to Haya, who charged after Itachi in a blind and feral rage, thick black lines of fūinjutsu began to spread out from behind her bandana, over her body and across the water in a wide and circular seal that captured everyone on the battlefield.

As she prepared to strike down her cousin's murderer, her body halted on its own. She growled and snarled, nostrils flaring as she tried to break free of the new paralysis. Itachi just stared. He couldn't move any more than she could. Yet his red eyes revealed his shock. At the fūinjutsu he didn't know about. At the hatred irradiating off this child.

Again Haya snapped. "You bastard! I'll make you _suffer_! I'll break every bone in your body! And then I'll continue to break you over and over and over again until you are _begging_ for my mercy!" the darkness within Haya Uchiha screamed at him. "But you'll find no mercy! None! Because you don't deserve it! You- you," her voice wavered, more tears spilling over, "how could you kill him?! How could you?!"

"Amari…" Kurenai murmured.

"You stole my family from me!" she wept. "Why am I still alive? Huh?! Why didn't you kill me too?! Did you just want me to suffer?!" Itachi said nothing. It infuriated her. "Answer me, you bastard!" She tried to struggle against the paralysis as the Seal finished. "Stop standing there in silence! Say _something_!"

"This has gone far enough."

All three Uchiha gasped at the sound of the new, deadly serious voice. A bolt of lightning may as well have shot through Haya's body. Her hands released the kunai in shock, but they did not fall. They remained suspended in space.

Her heart raced along in her chest. Fear and hope replaced the hatred flooding her veins as she slowly, hesitantly, looked over her shoulder. Between her and the other five shinobi stood an ethereal being, glowing brightly as it began to take form.

Kakashi knelt at the very edge of the seal, his desperate attempt to run and catch her still leaving him several meters away. Her mother's kunai clashed against Aimi's while Asuma's body was frozen in a narrow dodge from an upward slash of Kisame's blade.

But it wasn't them who she truly saw. She knew that voice. She remembered it. And as the glow lessened, she saw him standing there through her tear obscured eyes.

"Shi…sui?" she asked, the name so hard to form.

He grinned at her. "Yep!"

Itachi no longer mattered.

Haya's feet were heavy. Step by step she hesitantly approached him, afraid the next step would make him disappear. And when that one didn't, she feared the _next_ even more.

 _Please…be real. Just this once. Let him be real_ , she begged.

Slowly her steps began to gain speed. The distance between them felt like miles, every next step a little quicker than the last. Soon her walk became a jog, and her jog became a run just like all those times she used to run into his arms.

 _Please…_

Shisui crouched down, grinning with his arms held out ready to catch her.

 _Let him be real._

She crashed full forced into his solid chest, wrapping her arms around his neck as she nearly knocked him over.

"Shisui!" she cried.

"Whoa, look at you! You've gotten so big!" Shisui replied happily.

Haya could only sob brokenly in response.

Shisui didn't let go. One arm held her tighter as the other rubbed gentle circles on her back. His chin rested lightly on the top of her head.

"I missed you too, Haya," he said warmly.

He was real.

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: It freaks me out that you thought about that Yugao suggestion. It's like you know... Like you've read this before..._

 _Haku and Amari letters will definitely have comedy due to those around her, and Anko definitely will have her fun at poor, poor Amari's expense. Definitely a dirty mind waiting to torture and corrupt the young and innocent Amari. Mei will also have plenty of fun with Zabuza and Ao equally._

 _I'd say those are accurate interpretations of Ino as well as Shikamaru's and Temari's relationship, and Amari and Temari will definitely have an interesting dynamic later on._

 _Thank you for the review and hope you enjoy the chapter!_


	54. Chapter 53: Tears of Pain, Tears of Love

Chapter 53

Tears of Pain, Tears of Love: Cousins Reunited

Mimi struggled to catch her breath, sharp exhales followed by shorter inhales as she plodded forward off the surface of the river towards the shore. Her steps were unsteady, almost tripping as the muscles beneath her flesh trembled, her limbs feeling as fragile as the glass of a lightbulb, but bones heavy as concrete.

Her appearance wasn't any better. Honestly, she looked like a dog in the middle of a bath after a long run. Her waterlogged outfit dripped a light rain, creating tiny little ripples in the river beneath her feet to cascade outwards. Smaller droplets slid down her arms and legs, tickling the nerve endings they touched on their paths off her fingertips or to her sandals.

Her untamed mane—damp originally by sweat but now drenched and straightened by river water—stuck to her face, the back of her neck and clothing.

 _Ow. Ow. Ow._ Every step was accompanied by the same thought and complimented by the permanent grimace on her face. Talk about an internal body massacre.

Guy met her on the shoreline, joined by Tenten and Neji. The latter two were hunched over, bracing themselves on their knees as they too sucked in precious oxygen, eyes weary and wincing often enough to reveal their pain.

Their teacher, however, grinned so widely Mimi had to squint to avoid the sun glare reflecting off his pearly whites.

"Nice work, Mimi! I worked up a fantastic youthful sweat!" he congratulated, hands on hips and posture straight. He looked ready to take on an army of other shinobi for a morning warm-up before a real battle.

 _You really are a beast, Guy-sensei._

Mimi grinned weakly. "Glad…I could help."

She collapsed a second later. The solid ground greeted her butt without remorse to her tired and sore body. Couldn't it be a little gentler? Guy literally just put them all through the ringer. Surely even the ground felt his hot-blooded fury and could show a little remorse to the medic-nin.

Mimi tried to lean back onto her hands but stopped halfway. The gravity of Earth must have grown stronger since she last sat down, because she was pretty sure that little movement backwards shouldn't have nearly sent her drilling into the core of the Earth.

 _I think I'm more exhausted than I thought_ , she thought with a tired chuckle, slouching forward as she tried to right her breathing. No way could her arms support all of her weight. The slightest pressure and her limbs would collapse faster than a house held together by rotten, termite infested wood.

Breathing in deep from her diaphragm, the Inuzuka exhaled sharply, then inhaled too fast from her chest to receive adequate oxygen. Her heartbeat drummed along rapidly in her ears, vibrating her brain with its army march on every rapid pump of blood.

Few intelligent thoughts crossed her mind as she fought to breathe. A couple curses floated around. Well, more than a couple, and a lot more colorful than a child's art project. Some even made her laugh.

Where did _that one_ even come from? Her Aunt Tsume would love it, and crack her in the back of the head for cursing in the house.

Chuckles—because cackles were impossible without more oxygen—interrupted her pattern of inhale and exhale. It felt good though. Made her curse again, but not without grinning.

"Never…never again," Tenten panted.

The sound of her defeated voice broke her focused pattern of breathing with another chuckle. Mimi didn't curse this time. She glanced up from her hunched seated position to her teammates, whose outfits were soaked and as disheveled as they looked. Between the two, though, Neji had the worst of it.

 _That's what you get for underestimating me._

An unlimited source of water plus her Water ninjutsu equaled a whole bunch of fun for Mimi Inuzuka. A real party!

Although Neji had started to lighten up a little since fighting the Goofball, she still had a few bones to pick with him. Forgiveness wasn't any Inuzukas strongest quality.

So, had she used Guy's insane training to even the score?

Oh hell yes.

The training had been a free-for-all spar. No teams, unless alliances were made in battle. Aoko offered the idea of aligning with Tenten; the three of them would make a good team and make it tougher for Neji and Guy to win. The selfish part of Mimi wanted to. She wanted to team up with her friend and kick ass together. But she hadn't forgotten the promise she made in the hospital.

" _You're not giving up. I'll train with you by using long distance ninjutsu until you can beat me without a handicap. And I'm going to fix Lee too. I'm the kunoichi who's gonna surpass Lady Tsunade's Medical Ninjutsu prowess after all. So don't you quit on me. We're gonna get stronger and we're gonna get Lee back on his feet in no time. Trust me."_

That hadn't been an empty promise. Not then, and not now. She would help Tenten become stronger, and she would fix Lee and surpass Lady Tsunade. But she couldn't fulfill her promise by taking it easy on her friend or buddying up in this training session.

Fighting by her side would be fun. Entertaining.

Helping her regain her confidence so she could become the legendary master of ninja tools she knew her friend could become would fulfill her soul. Tenten's happiness and joy would be her light, just as Lee's would be.

Throughout the battle she used long-range ninjutsu and close-range combat against the trio, tag-teaming with her faithful ninken to make her two teammates fight their hardest and at their best.

Guy, however, again proved why he held the title of sensei and they were students. If a winner had to be picked from this contest, he'd win unanimously.

Aoko rested in her hood, feeling and looking just as wiped out as the rest of Team Guy, panting heavily.

She earned a good rest.

 _When I get back home, it'll be back to researching how to fix Lee's injury_ , she thought, thoughts and heartbeat finally regaining a sense of calm. _I promise I'll figure it out, Lee. You won't have to give up on your dream._

" _I'm gonna make this right. I swear."_

Another promise she vowed to keep.

Mimi turned her mind from her thoughts back to her fellow kunoichi. "What's wrong Tenten? I thought we were having fun," the Inuzuka teased.

"I…hate you…so much…right now."

Mimi grinned. "Ouch. That hurts my feelings." She stretched out her back, straightening her posture before forcing herself to stand up again.

The world spun a little, or more than it should, but she kept her head and mischief gleaming in her blue eyes and in her teasing grin. "I think I may have one Water Dragon left in me. Ready to run?" she asked.

Her brown eyed teammate found the energy to glare. "Don't. You. _Dare_!"

Angry Tenten was nothing short of adorable.

"I think…this training…was a bit much…Sensei," Neji tried to argue through labored breaths for his fellow kunoichi.

"Nonsense! Mimi gave us a perfect session of pure hot-blooded training! I know we all appreciate your work, Mimi!" He patted her shoulder, the slightest force causing her exhausted body to crumple again.

Guy didn't even appear to notice her collapse, determined eyes set on the horizon and sun gleaming off his teeth. "Now, for managing to land one blow on me I will run three hundred laps around the village, as promised!"

He seemed to grin wider at the thought of the challenge.

Mimi wanted to groan in unison with her teammates, but instead she chuckled. Still not enough air in her lungs to laugh.

 _I can't believe I managed to get him with that dragon_.

During the battle, the Inuzuka had been dodging as fast as she could to avoid his focused taijutsu attacks. Her last desperate attempt to secure victory consisted of jumping up onto one of her Water Dragon's heads, hoping to create some distance and catch her breath while setting a trap.

Guy didn't give her much time to breathe. He chased after her, sprinting up the body with a big, triumphant grin splitting his lips as his arms pumped almost comically with every stride. He knew he had her on the ropes.

Right as he jumped up to Dynamic Entry her into the land of dreams, she sprang her last ditch effort trap. To his credit, he _did_ sense it, but only at the last moment. She imprinted the amusing, horrified wide eyed and jaw dropped expression on his face as another Water Dragon charged from his side to collide into his body.

Mimi foolishly sighed of relief; a relief that soon ended when Guy launched back out of the river to land behind her on the dragon head.

It hadn't ended well for her, but at least she landed that blow.

She could be proud of that.

"Guy!"

All of Team Guy turned their tired attention to the sky. Mimi's ears twitched, recognizing the voice under exertion before her eyes locked onto Atsuko.

The Head of the Crows rolled in the air, launching a Wind Style ninjutsu that blasted several other crows chasing her into oblivion.

" _Atsuko? What's Amari's crow doing here?"_ Aoko questioned. _"Why is she attacking crows?"_

"Crows fighting crows? That doesn't make any sense," Tenten said.

"This doesn't bode well," Neji muttered.

Atsuko rolled again into a nosedive, landing on the grassy training field and hopping to a stop. Her feathered body noticeably puffed up and shrunk with every deep breath. "What a cruel fate this is, fighting former comrades," she said to herself.

"Atsuko, what's going on?" Mimi asked. "Why are you fighting fellow crows?" _Her heartbeat is off the charts_ , she noted quietly.

Guy's bushy eyebrows lowered in a stern expression. "What's the situation, Atsuko? What's happened?"

"Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma are currently in battle with three S-Rank criminals." Atsuko took a breath, calming her rapid breathing. "One of which is Itachi Uchiha."

Her sensei's features intensified. "Itachi, huh. There's a name I will _never_ forget."

Mimi couldn't blame him. The name alone awoke her body from its state of exhaustion.

Adrenaline, the human body's natural reaction when fight-or-flight became an imminent reality. Medically speaking, it dilated the air-passageways so more oxygen could reach the muscles—that way the person could fight or flee—and redirected blood flow to the major organs.

A name did that to her.

 _Itachi Uchiha? He's back?_

Mimi remembered the morning after the Uchiha Massacre. She remembered hearing her Aunt Tsume talk about Itachi killing men, women and children in the dead of night without mercy.

Hana had been heartbroken; friends of her had died in the massacre, and the one responsible for it had been a friend as well. A person she grew up with. It left her a mixed bag of confusion, hurt and anger.

That man was in the Leaf now. He stood within their walls against Kurenai, Asuma and Kakashi while in the company of two other S-Rank criminals.

How he got in wasn't even a question on the Inuzuka's mind. For someone of his skill, infiltration into their recovering village would be a cake walk. A light stroll without a single blade ever being drawn. The title S-Rank criminal wasn't for nothing. Only the deadliest shinobi could earn it.

But that left one very important question in the Inuzuka's mind. It kept the adrenaline pumping in her veins as she stared at the crow. Atsuko was here, alone, and Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma were fighting against these shinobi, so…

"Where's Amari?" she asked worriedly.

Atsuko sighed. "Young Amari was bringing Osamu to a medic when I last saw her. My agents are being attacked and put into disarray by Itachi's rogue crows, as you saw." The Crow shut her eyes. "But I know that stubborn child too well. Even though I've forbidden her from seeking them out, I fear Young Amari is likely where the battle is."

Mimi's nerves burned hotter with worry, the adrenaline pumping even faster into her body, dulling the aches and waking her from exhaustion. _Damn it, Amari. I get why you'd go. I know what he stole from you._

She had seen glimpses of her past life. Her parents. Her cousin. Her happiness, untouched by the massacre, by the orphanage incident and the Land of Waves. She had seen those intimate memories without filter.

 _But there is no happy ending to that fight. You'll…_

Mimi shook her head, trying to rid herself of that frighteningly real possibility.

"Then we don't have a lot of time," Guy said before turning to Mimi. "Take one of your food pills and use your All-Fours Jutsu, Mimi. Kakashi and the others may need your medical expertise."

She gave a nod and immediately fished into her back pouch for her food pills.

Guy turned to the others. "You two rest here. We'll be back in no time." Their sensei gave them a thumbs up and a smile. "That's a promise."

Neji and Tenten didn't argue. They knew this wasn't a battle for Genin, especially in their states. Mimi wouldn't have even been allowed to go if she wasn't a medic-nin, however the possibility her talents would be needed were too high for her teacher to ignore.

Mimi popped two food pills into her mouth, swallowed them and felt a sudden burst of life, greater than her previous fearful adrenaline. She moved onto all-fours. _Ninja Art of Beast Mimicry: All-Fours Jutsu!_ Furious red chakra enveloped her body as the transformation took hold.

"Lead the way, Atsuko," she growled.

"Be careful, Mimi. You too Sensei," Tenten said to them, features distinctly worried.

"Don't act recklessly," Neji said.

"Right," Mimi nodded.

 _Hang on all of you. Help is on the way._

* * *

Meanwhile

* * *

"What is this? Why can't I move my body?" Kisame questioned, his voice full of frustration.

Itachi couldn't move either. Not his legs. Not his fingers. Not even a twitch of his toes was physically possible. From what he observed, none of them—not his allies nor his enemies—had any hope of moving under the influence of this jutsu.

What currently captured them wasn't a Shadow technique of the Nara Clan or even an advanced Paralysis Jutsu. This was fūinjutsu of the highest level, and it could have only been planted on Haya by Miyako Nara.

Haya's mother. The Fourth Hokage's trusted friend and personal guard.

 _You learned much from the Fourth Hokage and his wife. More than you ever let on_.

To suspend them within a separate space and time while the outside world appeared to pause completely, Miyako Nara truly had been a force to be reckoned with. A legendary kunoichi worthy of fear and respect in equal measure.

What other secrets had she kept hidden from him? What other secrets on Haya were hidden beyond his sight? What knowledge did she leave behind for her to inherit in time?

Answers, he supposed, would come in time. When they did, he wondered how they might change the future of the ninja world. The Nara matriarch believed her greatest legacy would change this world for the better, bringing light and hope to a world shrouded in darkness and despair.

And Miyako Nara's self-proclaimed greatest legacy—the one she sacrificed her life for—was, after all, her daughter.

Back on the present, this fūinjutsu went beyond simple space and time manipulation, however. The ethereal being hugging the fūinjutsu covered frame of Haya proved that.

 _She sealed Shisui's chakra into her before his death._

A long-term plan, he realized, to keep Haya on the right path, even when the darkness consumed her. Quite the intricate plan.

"Stay calm, Kisame," he said. "The person to plant this fūinjutsu on Haya had no way of knowing if those captured within it would be friend or foe. It will not harm us, and the Leaf shinobi cannot move any more than we can."

Miyako would have thought of every possibility. A genius of her skill wouldn't risk the possibility of harming allied shinobi.

"It's likely time oriented," Aimi continued off his statement. "Or it's possibly feeding off the chakra used at the time of sealing. Regardless of how, it _will_ end. It's only a matter of time."

Their voices were schooled and steady against the intense swell of emotion they both felt within their hearts at the sight of their old friend.

 _Shisui…_

So much had changed for him and Aimi since Shisui's death. The two elder Uchiha had grown over the years.

Shisui hadn't.

He looked exactly as Itachi remembered him; unaged and unburdened by the events to take place following his death; full of life, bounding with energy and carrying the presence of the older, protective and wise sibling he spent years admiring.

Conflicting emotions of what Itachi _wanted_ to feel and express and what he _must_ express battled within the Akatsuki member. Aimi, he knew, faced the same struggle.

This wasn't here for them, though. This wasn't a fūinjutsu left behind for the three of them to catch up on old times or speak of the future they fought for—a future he and Aimi still fought for. Shisui wasn't here to save them from the Leaf shinobi or impart warm words of friendship and wisdom on them again.

Shisui was specifically here for Haya. His most precious person. The cousin he had been willing to sacrifice everything for. The girl he entrusted his Will and the future to.

This fūinjutsu had one purpose: Save Haya from the darkness of the Mangekyō.

Itachi was inwardly grateful. The demonic black chakra and the dragon within it lingered around Haya even in this place. Killing intent curled maliciously around them like invisible serpents exploring the heat source they stumbled upon. Only the intensity had faded.

For now she was contained.

The fault fell on him for the incident occurring. While the memories alone would have inevitably awakened the Mangekyō, he did not expect her uncontrolled and overwhelming hatred to keep her awake. He expected to be long gone already. Yet here they were.

"Shisui, you're…you're really here," Haya whimpered almost too quietly for him to hear.

"Of course I am," he replied softly. "I did promise you I'd always be with you, remember?"

Haya's head nodded into his chest, arms refusing to remove their vice grip on him. If only such an action could prevent his inevitable departure.

Shisui raised his eyes and turned his head to look between the other two Uchiha. He smiled the way he used to. "You two have gotten taller since I last saw you. But you shouldn't frown so much, Aimi, otherwise you're going to start looking as broody as Itachi. And honestly," he looked back to Itachi, mirth gleaming in his onyx eyes, "he looks even broodier than before."

"Shisui, you—" Itachi stopped his frustrated retort, choosing instead to glare at his old friend.

Shisui snickered. Behind him he could see Aimi's lips twitch ever so slightly in amusement, and her red eyes glisten with tears.

"By the looks of it, you forcefully triggered her memories of me earlier than I hoped," Shisui noted more seriously, head swiveling and eyes drifting around to take in the entire scene around them. "And it looks like you two have joined an organization of some kind, one with bad intentions if Kisame Hoshigaki of all people is a member of it. Akatsuki, according to Haya's memories."

"So you recognize me, huh?" Kisame grinned. "That's funny, because I can't say I've ever seen you before. I'd kill you for interfering if you weren't already dead."

"Any fight between us would have been over before it even began," Shisui replied evenly.

"Is that so?" Kisame's quick temper got the better of him.

"Yeah. It is." Shisui looked down at Haya. His expression changed from seriousness to warmth again. "I get the feeling he's going to be trouble. Let's go somewhere more private to talk."

* * *

The surrounding area didn't visibly change, not at first glance or when your eyes were buried in the ghostly visage of your dead family member.

If Haya were to look, she would have seen their original group captured in the fūinjutsu beneath her feet, upside down in a watery reflection, fully frozen in time. She would have seen the other three Leaf shinobi joining them, as well as the other two Uchiha.

But she did not see any of it. Her face remained buried in Shisui's shirt, sobs racking her small body as tears streamed like an endless river down her cheeks in happiness and grief. Her heart hurt with every beat.

"How?" she choked out, fingers curling into his shirt. "How are you here right now?"

Why hadn't he come any time before?

Could he stay forever?

"Remember the letter of mine you read? The one left with your tantō?" She nodded into him. "I was already dying at that time. Your father placed you under a genjutsu to keep you asleep so I could spend some of my final moments with you, and while I wrote those words, your mother created this Seal for us so we could see each other one more time in the future.

"She sealed my chakra into her Seal so, when a specific condition was met, I could be here for you to help you understand what was going to happen. By awakening your memories of me, that specific condition was triggered sooner than we hoped. Still, even though it is sooner, seeing you like this makes me glad they did."

"Seeing me…like this?" Haya questioned.

Shisui's secure arms released her, hands untying her hold on him so he could look her in the eye. "Look at yourself for a moment, Haya. Notice anything different?"

Anything different? Haya furrowed her brow and looked down at her arms. The sight of black chakra made her gasp. "My chakra, it's—"

Evil. Full of malice and hatred. Cold. So terrifyingly cold.

Frightened of herself, she spun her head to look up where the face of the demonic dragon loomed, bloodlust flooding its haunting crimson eyes.

All that remained of her essence was a shattered fortress and decimated forces, overrun by an army led by a hatred filled tyrant.

"I-…I didn't mean-…I-…" She tried to rein it in. It refused to go away. Finally, after all this time, she unleashed the darkness caged inside her. This ugliness she harbored. This vile hatred strangling her fire. It wouldn't give back control so easily. "Wh- why…"

Why couldn't she control it?

Haya lifted her hands up and stared wide eyed at the black flames dancing along her arms.

Was this…was this who she truly was?

Was this the truest manifestation of who Haya Uchiha was in her heart?

"Little one, it's okay," she heard her mother try to reassure.

"No! No it's not!" she cried, shaking her head fervently. "I could have…I might have…"

 _Hurt you. Injured you. Killed you for simply getting in my way._

She couldn't say it out loud. The darkness she could feel within herself consuming everything in its insatiable hunger…it couldn't even tell friend from foe. It couldn't see her precious people.

 _She_ couldn't see her precious people.

"What the hell is happening to me?" Her voice caught in her throat.

"Hey." Shisui's gentle hand rested on her shoulder. Her red eye, full of despair, met his gaze, hoping he could fix her. Fix the broken within by slaying this monster she harbored. "Nothing is happening to you. You're still my little cousin. Here. Let me help."

He removed his hand briefly to poke her forehead fondly. The small action replaced the cold, numb feeling in her chest with warmth. Life.

A green tsunami overtook the black flames, sending the darkness back to the very edges of her cloak, further away from her heart where they continued to flicker like tiny dark embers. The demonic dragon went away quietly, and then the cloak too vanished.

"There we go," Shisui smiled.

Her heart and mind felt clearer. Lighter. Even her vision seemed clearer, as if seeing Shisui for the first time. _He looks exactly how I remember him._

Haya bit her lip and felt renewed sobs shaking her body. She dove back into his chest, letting out a strangled cry as her small frame crashed against his still so very solid and real ethereal body.

"You promised!" she cried, slamming her weak and trembling fist into his chest. "Yo- you promised! You promised you'd always come back!" She shook her head and felt the pain in her chest swell. "…and then you…you…died."

"Haya…"

"You, Mama, Papa, I lost all of you! I woke up not even knowing who or where I was! Do you- do you know how afraid I was?" She slammed another weak fist into his chest. "Do you understand what it's like to not know if you- if you-" She clenched her eyes shut. "To not know if you were just dumped like a piece of trash on someone else's doorstep!"

Those words were the hardest to get out. The feeling of being dumped at the orphanage like a piece of trash to be someone else's problem was a deep scar on her heart.

A scar that had never really healed.

"Do you know how many times I stared at the door of the orphanage waiting for whoever it was to come back?"

Too many times. Each time worse than the last.

She felt emotionally exhausted instead of angry as her voice dropped to one of quiet sadness. "I…I wanted someone to come and pick me up. To tell me that I ended up there on accident…" Her fingers curled into his ethereal shirt. "I just wanted to go home."

A home she couldn't go back to. A family she could never have back.

"I'm sorry, Haya," he apologized sincerely. "For all of the pain you've gone through without me. For breaking my promise. For everything. I'm sorry. I know it doesn't make it better, and I don't expect you to forgive me. Heh," he breathed out a sad laugh, "I don't think I can even forgive myself for the pain I've caused you."

"Do you have any idea…" Haya wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "How happy I am to see you right now? I've…I've missed you. So much." The crying girl buried her face into his shoulder. "I love you, Shisui. I love you so much."

His arms wrapped around her, and with those familiar arms securing her in an embrace once more, warmth and love enveloped her being. He was here. He was real.

"I love you too, Haya. Always."

* * *

Kurenai watched the emotional reunion with a heavy heart and sad eyes. They were all silently bearing witness to true heartbreak. The reality of how much the loss of someone dear could hurt someone. Not just anyone, though. A child. A child who's most precious person promised to always come home.

A promise he had been forced to break.

Her heart yearned to go over to them and wrap her daughter up in a hug. She wanted to help her put the pieces of her shattered heart back together, to reaffirm to her daughter that she was here for her no matter what. She wanted to chastise Amari for being so stubborn and tell her how proud she was of the courage her daughter showed.

Parental instincts demanded her body to move, yet her body refused to budge. This fūinjutsu was sublime. Likely an S-rank jutsu created by Miyako Nara, from what she learned of Amari's parents from Shikaku.

It pained her to be unable to be Amari's pillar of support. Yet Kurenai felt a great sense of comfort in knowing this boy, Shisui Uchiha, could be. Amari's cousin. The one who gifted her the bandana she wore everywhere. The one who sewed those precious and warm words into them that helped keep Amari going all those years without him.

When this fūinjutsu ended, Kurenai would still be here. He wouldn't. He knew that. Amari knew that, even if she didn't want to admit it. It'd be selfish of her to interrupt.

In the intense grief and hatred, Amari's barriers had crumbled and the fire in her heart faded into darkness. Shisui could help her reform those barriers and reignite her fire; and anything he wasn't able to do within the limited time she would gladly help finish.

 _In me, Team Seven and others she found solace from the pain. She was able to take our love and keep the pain far from her mind. But deep inside of her, hidden out of sight like the scars beneath her mesh sleeve, I always knew there was a young girl curled up in the darkness, crying in pain._

 _Amari never wanted to show it, never wanted anyone to worry about her because she saw it as a weakness. Because to her, it was that girl who had been too weak to save Ryu and Kasai._

The woman sighed internally. _After seeing that black chakra and now seeing her like this, I wonder if there was more I could have done for her. Did I do enough as her mother? Did I fail her?_

"You've done more than enough." Kurenai's eyes bulged and snapped to the two friendly Uchiha. Shisui's onyx eyes peered over his shoulder at her. His arms remained protectively around Amari in his effort to soothe her wounded soul. "This wasn't your fault, Kurenai. Or yours, Kakashi." He flicked his eyes momentarily over to the Copy Ninja.

Her eyes followed, seeing the same surprised expression she wore on his face.

 _Kakashi…_ Kurenai's heart went out to him. _You were seeing this as your failure, weren't you?_

Shisui leveled them both with a grateful stare. "You've all done so much for Haya, and I can see in her memories how much she cherishes all of you. Even if I was alive I don't think I could repay you. All I can offer is my gratitude for loving her like your own daughter. You've done a great job with this troublesome and stubborn girl," he added lightly.

"You're stubborn and troublesome," she heard Amari retort quietly.

"Well, I suppose it's hereditary then," he grinned. Amari giggled through her tears, and even Kurenai found it in her to breathe out a laugh. She liked this kid. He had a pure heart, just like his cousin.

Shisui's features turned serious again as he met her eyes specifically. "You've done right by our family." He bowed his head slightly. "Thank you. I know in my heart that our parents would approve of you. I know I do. But please, don't blame yourself for this. You're not responsible for any of it."

Pride and warmth soothed Kurenai's heart. Seeing how much he loved his cousin and how far Miyako had been willing to go for them to reunite in the future, the Uchiha's gratitude and approval meant a lot to her.

Shisui closed his eyes and began rubbing his hand gently in a circle pattern on Amari's back. "This is my fault. All of it. I'm the one who left this heavy burden for her to carry. I…I never wanted you to carry it alone, Haya. But it was the only way to keep you safe."

He cracked his eyes open a little and stared into the watery reflection below them, where mirror images of the current occupants stood frozen in time.

"I wish there had been another way. I never wanted to break my promise, please believe that. Things spiraled out of my control."

What had spiraled out of control? It was the question Kurenai wanted to ask. The curiosity of the question grew with the sudden flick of Aimi's eyes away from her.

Was that pain? Anger? Guilt?

"The genjutsu I created was meant as a last resort. I hoped your parents would survive; they would raise you and your memories of me would remain hidden until you were older and stronger. I guess things got worse after I died.

"I assume your memories were blocked so you could have a peaceful childhood. This situation was the worst possible conclusion, and if it were to happen, we wanted you to one day meet people like Kurenai and your team. People who would love, cherish and care for you just like we did."

"I found them," she whispered.

Shisui smiled. "I can see that. I'm proud of you, you know." She saw Amari's hands grip tightly into the back of his shirt. "You've endured so much. But you keep using it to get stronger instead of falling into despair. That's your truest spirit, little cousin."

"It's hereditary," she replied quietly.

"Heh, true," he agreed. For half a minute he held her in silence. Finally he broke the silence with a sigh. "If I had more time, I'd spend every second of it holding you, Haya. But we have a lot to talk about and not a lot of time to do it."

"Okay," her daughter replied quietly but didn't let go of him.

"Going to have to let me go for a little while, little cousin," Shisui chuckled fondly. "Don't worry. I'll give you a really big hug before I go."

* * *

Haya reluctantly let go of her cousin, her lips curling down in a sad frown. "I…I wish you didn't have to go."

Near on six years had passed since the last time she hugged him. Since she had known his name, his face, his love. But as she always feared, regaining her past connection meant severing it simultaneously, and replacing their love would be a greater burden of grief for her already wounded heart to carry.

The genjutsu hiding her memories sheltered her from the grief and pain of losing her precious family. It protected her. Reawakening those memories tore down her shelter, brick by brick.

Haya wiped the tears away and sniffled. "But I'll endure. I have to."

There was no other choice. She couldn't change the past. She couldn't pull Shisui from the afterlife to be at her side from this day forward, no matter how much she wanted to.

She could only keep moving forward. Keep fighting. Keep walking the path ahead of her.

"I'm sorry for venting all of that at you," she apologized, rubbing her mesh sleeve over her runny nose. "I have so many emotions running through me right now. I never thought I'd see you or hug you or know you again. And my mind is jumbled by all these new memories of us. Of the life I lost. It's like someone took a hundred different picture puzzles, dumped them into one giant pile and asked me to put it all back together in an hour."

"A hundred different puzzles in an hour? With the Shadow Clone Jutsu and your work ethic, you'd have it done in thirty minutes," Shisui replied lightly.

She giggled and nodded slightly. "Probably true."

Two fingers prodded her forehead, drawing her attention to her smiling cousin. "Don't be too hard on yourself. I know this isn't easy for you. You are allowed to be angry with me, you know. I left you a heavy burden."

The Uchiha girl shook her head. "I'm not angry with you or my parents." She sniffled again. "In the beginning, at the orphanage, I did harbor some bitterness. But I was bitter because I didn't know anything about myself, about my past, about anything at all. Not knowing made me afraid. Who was I? Why was I _here_? Who were these people? Was I safe? What about my family?

"Ryu and Kasai laid strong stones of foundation for me. First with a name, then with a home and finally the stability of a family. I…I always knew, though." She held her cousin's gaze. "Even if you weren't there with me physically, I knew I had a family who loved me. I knew it because of the words you sewed into my bandana."

She grabbed her bandana and pulled it up to reveal her left eye. Then she met Shisui's eyes again with a heartfelt smile on her fūinjutsu marked face. "The burden may be heavy, but I'm not carrying it alone. As long as I have my bandana and your tantō we'll always be fighting side by side through the challenges ahead."

Pride irradiated from Shisui's grin. Then she noticed a change. A dangerous change that promised embarrassment for her.

 _I'm going to end up red as a tomato_ , she realized in horror.

Deep down, Haya didn't care. She missed him and his troublesome teasing.

"You're growing up too fast. Which does pose a big problem: Boys," he said, wagging his finger and grinning like an evil villain. For good reason, too. Her cheeks were aflame already.

Were they really about to have _that_ conversation _here_? _Now_?! Haya felt ready to combust, and he hadn't even really started yet.

"Or girls," Shisui added with mischief.

An addition that left her a smoking heap of embarrassment.

"As you start getting older—"

"Please stop."

"You may start to notice others noticing _you_."

"Shisui…" she begged. Why did he have to make this _super_ embarrassing?

"And _you_ may start noticing others, which is perfectly natural as you get older. But I must warn you, my little cousin, beware!" he continued dramatically, wrapping an arm around the back of her neck and pulling her in close to his side.

He was enjoying her flustered state _way_ too much.

"Heartbreakers are everywhere!" Shisui made a wide encompassing motion with his free hand. "They snatch up pure hearts like yours and crush them without mercy; to them it's a little game, but heartbreak is no game, my little cousin. You must defend your heart from these cruel heartbreakers at all costs!"

" _Shisui_!" Haya whined.

"And when you finally find that special person to be in a relationship with, I want you to remember this piece of wisdom your mother gave me."

He let silence settle for a moment. In that silence her terror increased.

Her _mother_ gave him this advice? The person everyone she spoke to said had a _unique_ sense of humor?

"If and when things begin to progress towards intimacy—"

 _Oh no._

"Make sure protection is used _and_ that both of you are one hundred percent sure you want to share in such an intimate act."

Her head may have exploded.

"Consent is very important," he continued sagely. "And it can change as you two are progressing towards romantic intimacy. As your wise mother once told me, 'The word _no_ means no regardless of how heated the moment is.'"

Somewhere in the afterlife, her mother was crying from hysterical laughter at the paralytic embarrassment her thirteen year old daughter experienced. Not even the Tsukuyomi could deal this level of devastating damage.

Could this conversation _never_ happen again?

"So, if you have to use a genjutsu on a boy or girl to teach them how to treat you properly, you have my blessing," Shisui finished. "And if Kurenai learns you've been breaking hearts and taking advantage of people, she has my blessing to have you placed on a years' worth of D-rank missions, _after_ strapping you in a genjutsu."

"I- I would never!" she argued in embarrassment, cheeks burning. "I- I wouldn't hurt people or take advantage of their feelings! Or- or-" Oh kami, these next words were even harder to say than she thought. She lowered her voice to a whisper, as if that could lessen her awkwardness. "Or…take advantage of their intimacy. People's hearts are sacred, and intimacy is…"

Totally out of her realm of skills right now. Totally awkward to talk about. Especially since she did feel…stirrings of adolescence occasionally.

"Speaking of sacred hearts and intimacy…"

Haya's eyes widened in horror. Was there no end to this conversation?!

"Any crushes? Any individuals you might consider capable of handling your pure heart? Or someone you might want to have fun with? That's okay too, you know? It's okay to have a little fun."

Oh kami. This was it. She was going to die today via Shisui's teasing. What a way to die. What a tragedy! She wouldn't even get to experience said fun or true love!

Shisui took on the expression of adorable puppy dog eyes. "You'd tell your favorite cousin if you were in love already, right?" He leaned in close to conspire. "I can't tell from your memories. You have such sweet and affectionate thoughts for people. Come on! Tell me!" he pestered excitedly.

"Your secret will be safe with me! Is it someone on your team? Oho, or is it the Suna girl, or that Mist boy, or what about Lord Hiashi's daughter! Maybe even one of your peers from Might Guy's team or our cousin's team? Huh? Spill it!"

No, her head hadn't exploded before. _Now_ it exploded.

"Shisui! You- I- This is- Troublesome boy! I'm not…"

Attracted to anyone in that list? A lie. Carrying affectionate feelings for some of those people? Another lie.

Damn this fūinjutsu! Or the genjutsu! Whichever one gave him access to her memories and all the sweet and affectionate thoughts she kept safe in her mind!

Speaking wouldn't end well for her. Silence wouldn't either. This conversation was firmly gripped in his troublesome hands, his quick wit able to read and react to her verbal reactions as keenly as the Sharingan.

Haya could only resort to one dirty tactic: Poking him in the side with her finger.

"Troublesome boy! Take this!"

"Ah! Hey! Haya!" Shisui flinched away and laughed.

"Concede to defeat, you troublesome boy! I'll poke you until you do!"

Shisui quickly snatched her hands, pulling them together to clutch them with one hand while she struggled to break free. Tugging, pulling, squirming, her counters were remarkably ineffective.

"It'll be hard for you to poke me if I hold you here," he quipped.

"I refuse to lose!"

She wiggled around more, cheeks puffed out in a pout. He raised his free hand and prodded her forehead with two fingers, snickering as he released her hands. "You're too adorable for your own good."

Haya lifted up a dangerous finger, matched with narrowed eyes and pursed lips. Her cousin raised both hands in amused surrender. "All right, all right, I'll stop. I just didn't want you getting all broody like…" he trailed off and looked conspicuously over his shoulder at Itachi. He leaned in closer to her. " _Someone_ we know," he whispered.

The tight frown to pull onto Itachi's face proved he heard him.

"See! Don't get broody, Haya. You don't want your face to get stuck like that."

She couldn't stop the light giggle to bubble out of her or the smile on her face. Kami, she missed him.

Her giggle coaxed Shisui to pump his fist into the air with a victorious cheer. "Woo! Yes! I got you to laugh. Another victory for the great Shisui Uchiha!"

Haya lifted her hand up and jabbed his forehead with her pointer and middle finger. "You are such a troublesome boy, cousin." _But I missed you so much._

"Still your favorite cousin though," he replied with a cheerful grin.

Haya cocked an eyebrow up, a teasing smirk gracing her lips. "Maybe Shika took your title."

"Huh?!" Shisui gasped dramatically, clutching his hands over his heart. "Haya, you wound me!"

"Hehe!" she giggled. "That's what you get for teasing, troublesome boy."

"An Uchiha beaten by a Nara, I don't think my pride will ever recover from this critical defeat!"

She snorted at his dramatics, which quickly devolved into a fit of giggles, and soon they were both fully ensnared by the clutches of laughter. Haya savored every joyful second of it, failing to see the smallest of smiles forming on Itachi's and Aimi's faces at their interaction.

After they regained control of their laughter, Shisui sat down in front of her cross-legged, lips turning down in a dejected frown. "I don't want to ruin the mood, but it's time we talk about my purpose here." He sighed deeply. "I just didn't want all of our time together to be heavy talks about darkness and hatred."

Neither did Haya. She wanted to forget the ache in her heart. She wanted to forget this was a temporary reunion, where the end meant he wouldn't be around to console her, make her feel embarrassed or laugh ever again. She wanted Shisui back, permanently.

But this was her reality, and duty called. Her mother set this up for her safety. She sent Haya's shining knight in one last time to rescue her from the monsters. In that limited time he had to pass the wisdom to keep her on the right path.

For giving her even a temporary reunion, Haya could only be grateful to her mother and Shisui.

Haya sat cross-legged in front of her cousin then said, "You said nothing is happening to me, but I get the feeling that was only a half-truth. I heard Kisame. He said my chakra was mirror image of Zabuza Momochi. I've seen his Demon chakra, I _felt_ it. And I know I have darkness within me."

She brought her hand to her heart and clutched the fabric of her purple tank top. "It's in my heart. I can feel it even now. The darkness consumed even my chakra, changing its color and its essence completely. Whatever happened triggered Mama's Seal and you. Do you know why?"

Her cousin nodded. "Yes. You're right, it was a half-truth. I'm sorry for that, but I didn't lie when I said you're still you. You're still my little cousin, pure as star light."

Haya blushed. "Troublesome boy."

Shisui smiled briefly before frowning again. He lifted his ethereal hand up and looked at his palm. "As I said before, though, there's a lot to talk about and not much time to do it. I can feel myself fading away, little by little."

Haya's mood and eyes fell at his words. Grateful as she was for this temporary reunion, it didn't replace the yearning in her heart for him to stay forever. It wouldn't ever go away, she knew. Time might make it easier, but her wish for him to be alive wouldn't ever pass.

 _Why? Why did things have to be this way?_

A hand moved under her chin, lightly lifting her head to level her sorrowful eyes with Shisui's gentle and kind onyx eyes. "Everything will be okay, I promise."

She nodded. "Okay."

Her cousin lowered his hand back into his lap, features turning serious once more. "Before today you've only felt the tug in your heart between the dormant hatred and your Will of Fire. Today you learned how it feels when you lose all control.

"It's blinding, isn't it? It devours the joy and love and warm colors of life around you, and then all you see is the single-minded goal you set yourself on. Damn whatever the consequences are. Doesn't matter who gets hurt or sacrificed along the way.

"And deep down, deep in a part of yourself you didn't even know you had, it feels _good_ to let it loose. It almost feels like righteous retribution for all the past pain you've experienced."

"Ye- yes!" she nodded. He described it perfectly; the tugging of wills, the devouring darkness, the _good_ feeling of letting loose in rage, she felt all of it. "What is it? Why won't it just go away?" she asked desperately.

"That feeling is the Curse of Hatred," he explained.

"Curse…of Hatred?"

"Right," Shisui nodded. "If the Will of Fire is a physical fire, the Curse of Hatred is the darkness cast by its shadow. It's the opposing ideal to the Will of Fire. Selflessness, friendship, love, peace, self-sacrifice, these are the beliefs of Will of Fire.

"Selfishness, isolationism, sacrificing the many for the few, misplaced arrogance and superiority, hatred, this is what the Curse of Hatred encourages. They are polar opposites in every way.

"We of the Uchiha Clan are so susceptible to it because of how strong we feel our love and affection for others. When we love someone, we love with unmatched fierceness. It's one of the Uchiha's greatest qualities, yet it can be our greatest drawback too."

"Because if someone steals what we love from us, our intense love becomes intense hatred instantaneously," Haya concluded. "That's what happened to me. And when love becomes hatred, only darkness remains. Only the need to destroy the people who stole what we love, as well as anything that steps between us and our goal."

"Exactly."

"So…does that mean I'll be stuck with it forever?"

Shisui's shoulder shook with a light laugh, head shaking. "Far from it. The Curse of Hatred is an ideal, and like any ideal you can choose to follow it or to follow a different path. As long as you keep the principles of the Will of Fire close to your heart, even in the darkest moments you'll stay true to yourself."

She hoped to prove him right.

"Kasai," Haya muttered quietly. "He sparked this hatred within me when he killed Ryu. He helped create this…ugliness in my heart."

"You're right," Shisui agreed. "He's the root of it all. He's the reason you have this scar on your face." His hand cupped her cheek, thumb running up the scar she couldn't escape. "And like this scar, that hatred has been with you since he killed Ryu. Kurenai is the reason you didn't embrace it after you lost him."

"I know," she admitted quietly.

"You have to resolve this conflict within yourself, Haya," Shisui spoke in softer tones. "You've pushed yourself hard to become stronger. You've lived solely for others, to see their dreams come true without ever trying to live your own. You _know_ what that path leads you to."

She squeezed her eyes shut and nodded silently. She did know. She saw in Haku what living only for Zabuza turned him into, and she saw in Hikari what it meant to have nothing left except a desperate need to regain her only bond.

"I'm partially to blame. I've left you a heavy burden and a path you didn't ask for. But I don't want you to live without dreams. I want you to _live_ , Haya. I want you to chase _your_ dream, not a dream or goal given to you by someone else. I want you to live a long and happy life.

"This path I left behind, the path Ryu left you, its final destination isn't your death. Never think that way again." He placed his pointer finger between her eyes. "Use these eyes of yours to see a better future. Chase your dream. _Live_. That's what your parents and I wanted most."

Haya swallowed the heavy and obtuse emotions down. "I…I'm trying. Uncle Shikaku says I inherited Mama's work ethic."

"You mean being a troublesome workaholic?" he asked with a grin.

She breathed out a laugh. "Yeah."

"It's okay to work hard. But even Mama Nara chased a dream despite how much she worked. You're proof of that."

Haya's entire body shuddered as if punched square in the sternum. Teeth grit, she shut her eyes against the sting of warm tears. "Damn it, you troublesome boy," she whimpered, tears cascading down her cheeks.

Her emotions were running high anyways, but those sincere words struck her heart hard.

His thumb brushed away the tears. "I'm not saying abandon your comrades and embrace selfishness. Your heart is in the right place, and with the threats ahead of you you'll need to train hard. Still, even I was a little selfish. I used to sneak out after you fell asleep to spend time with my girlfriend."

"You had a girlfriend?" Haya's eyes went wide in awe. "Is she…is she still alive? Did you love her?"

"She should be alive. She was a civilian from outside of the Clan. As for love, it was too soon in our relationship to call it that. Could it have been if we had more time? I think so."

His eyes drifted away as a different kind of fond smile formed on his lips. Nothing like their sibling-like fondness. Instead it looked a lot like how her mom and Asuma smiled at each other. "She was a rare gem. Kind. Vibrant. Her eyes sparkled with life, always marveling at the world around us. I hope she hasn't lost that."

 _If Shisui found time to have a girlfriend, then maybe I…_

Shisui returned his attention to her. "Life as a shinobi moves fast. Make the time to enjoy yourself as you walk your path, Haya. And if things ever feel like they're getting too dark, look to the people you care for most. They will always be with you to pull you back towards the light." Shisui winked and smiled. "Me included."

His wise words provided perspective she needed, as well as an answer to the fate of their Clan.

"Our Clan embraced the Curse of Hatred, didn't they?"

Shisui's eyes slid shut, a smirk gracing his lips as he snorted. "I should have known you'd pick up on that."

The smirk faded for a frown. He sat silently for at least half a minute before he spoke again. "The Uchiha Clan lost their way. I had a plan to stop it, but there were two shadows moving in the darkness I didn't see until it was too late."

"You mean them?" she gestured to Itachi and Aimi.

To her surprise, Shisui shook his head. "No. Itachi and Aimi were true friends, even when I was dying."

Again he sat silently. Longer this time. He crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes. His lips creased in a deep frown as he seemed to gauge how much information he should divulge.

"Orochimaru isn't yours or the Leaf's worst threat," he finally spoke. "Before I died, I was approached by a man in a mask who claimed to be Madara Uchiha."

Haya furrowed her brow. "One of the Leaf founders, but…shouldn't he be dead already?"

"By natural age alone he should be a frail old man or dead. By history he should be dead after his final battle against the First Hokage." Shisui shook his head. "This man wasn't frail or dead. I have my doubts about his true identity, as did your father. However, his power and his knowledge was enough to make me believe he could really be Madara.

"He tried to coax me onto his side, twisting his words to sound righteous as he talked about destroying the Uchiha Clan and the Leaf. I let him talk to gather Intel, but I could see through his lies, half-truths and manipulations. He just wanted the power of my Mangekyō Sharingan for himself. When I refused to let him destroy our home and our Clan, he tried to take my eyes by force."

Shisui scratched at his neck. "It was one of the toughest fights of my life. He wielded the Mangekyō Sharingan with such mastery; it made him intangible at times while also giving him the ability to teleport into a different space-time. I've never seen anything like it."

Haya didn't like this masked Madara person at all. Apparently he was of the Uchiha Clan and yet wanted to destroy it? He even attacked her cousin to steal his eyes.

"So, if Aimi and Itachi weren't the ones to take your eyes, was it this masked man then?" she asked.

And why did they kill her parents if they were loyal friends even when Shisui was dying?

What changed?

Shisui shook his head. "No. I was able to dissect his techniques quick enough to turn them against him. With his power and his goal, I had no choice but to kill him when I had the opportunity. Yet he cheated death with a forbidden Uchiha jutsu, and because of that I was forced to manifest my Susanoo to draw attention to our battle. Your father and mother were there within seconds.

"Rather than fight all three of us, he chose to retreat with his space-time jutsu, vowing to one day return to destroy the Uchiha Clan and the Leaf."

"Do you think he helped kill the Uchiha and my parents?" she asked in shock.

"Yeah. I do. Make sure you ask Atsuko about his techniques, that way you can be prepared if he ever tries to approach you." His stare became severe. "And don't listen to his honeyed words. He'll tell you everything you want to hear, and it may even sound tempting when he does, but it's all lies. Nothing he offers will bring peace to this world."

Haya nodded. "I won't listen to him. But what about the other shadow?"

Shisui looked away from her to Kakashi. "Beware of the Foundation."

He said nothing more. The kunoichi furrowed her brow. _Beware of the Foundation?_ What did that even mean? What was this Foundation? Another organization like the Akatsuki, perhaps?

She may have been ignorant, but her sensei wasn't. Kakashi's eyes widened a fragment in a sudden realization, but then they hardened dangerously. "I should have known," he muttered under his breath. "I was there that night, and I never even suspected that he…"

"That he what? What night? What are you two even talking about? What's this Foundation thing?" Haya interrogated.

Were they the ones responsible for Shisui's death?

"You couldn't have known," Shisui assured Kakashi. "They may not know of her heritage yet, but the more Haya excels, the more attention she draws to herself. She'll follow in her parents' footsteps and become one of the Leaf's greatest shinobi, I truly believe that, but this group and their leader won't be above killing her to steal her power."

Suddenly incensed, Haya narrowed her eyes. "This is the bastard who stole your eyes, isn't it?"

Shisui nodded. "The Foundation's leader has a skewed view of peace. He believes in peace through force, and he'd sacrifice countless lives to reach his ends." His eyes sharpened at the thought of the man. "Maintaining peace through force isn't real peace. It's imprisonment. He doesn't see that though. An old war monger like him will never see it."

He refocused on the blue-haired kunoichi, who felt the urge to find and kill this man. "The eye he stole from me wields a power greater than the Tsukuyomi. It is called Kotoamatsukami."

"It's _stronger_ than the Tsukuyomi? How? The Tsukuyomi allowed Itachi to torture Kakashi-sensei for two days within a second. A blink."

"And yet this power is greater," he replied. "Kotoamatsukami is a mind-controlling genjutsu, so subtle you don't even realize you're under its influence. Eye contact isn't a requirement either; as long as you were within my field of view, I could cast it on you, giving you false experiences while you fully believed you were acting on your will."

"That's…really scary," Haya admitted. And some war monger controlled this power? Scary might have been an understatement. "Can a Sharingan, a Byakugan or a strong enough Sensory Type notice it?"

Could they counter it? Could they stop this man?

"Fortunately, yes." Shisui turned his attention to Kakashi again. "All of you need to be careful and alert. Atsuko is monitoring his movements at all times, waiting for him to try to make another move. I'd like to ask you to tell our Uncle Shikaku to monitor his movements as well—covertly.

"Acting now, especially with the Leaf in its current shape, won't do anyone any good. In time, though, what you need to deal with him will become available. Don't rush. Be patient and create the illusion of ignorance to draw out their true motives. And most of all don't act alone. That was my mistake."

"Got it," Kakashi nodded.

Shisui looked back to her, fingers poking her square in the forehead. "That goes double for you, you stubborn girl. My greatest mistake was trying to do too much on my own, even when I had friends and family who were trying to help. It cost me my life. Don't repeat my mistake."

Haya covered her forehead and puffed her cheeks in a pout. "But how can I be prepared if I don't even know what this Foundation thing is?"

Another poke, this time on the tip of her nose. "You'll learn the truth in time. Atsuko will tell you. First and foremost I want you to remember that you're not bound to the Curse of Hatred. You are not bound to our Clan's downfall. Walk the path you're on and remember what I said about living, all right?"

Haya lowered her hands, frowned and nodded once. "I will. You don't have to go yet, do you?"

"No, not yet, but it's almost time." He smiled in regret. "There's so much I wish we could talk about. Things I wish we could do beyond this fūinjutsu." Shisui raised his eyes to the sky, or water. She couldn't tell which way was which anymore. "Talk and be together, that's something I wish we could do more than anything else."

She wanted it too. She wished they had more time. All those years as a child, what she'd give to have just a few more as a teenager now that she understood the importance of time.

Their bond was maybe not special in the vast world of people. Yet it was _their_ bond.

That's what made it special.

"I know. I do too," she whispered softly. "Can you…tell them I love them and miss them? And tell them I won't be early this time. I'll be fashionably late."

Shisui reached forward and squeezed her hands affectionately. "They know, but I will." He lifted an eyebrow up to tease. "Fashionably late? No such thing."

She giggled. "Tell that to Kakashi-sensei."

For a few moments they remained in comfortable silence, soaking in the small contact and close proximity to one another. Savoring these little moments they were given the chance to share.

One sentence ended it.

"You're going to unlock the Mangekyō Sharingan," he said, reluctance weighing down his voice.

She remembered the stabbing pains in her eyes at that moment. Both eyes.

"The Mangekyō Sharingan, that was the specific condition, wasn't it?" she asked.

"Yeah. If you look into the water you'll see them frozen halfway in their transformation by the fūinjutsu. It'll only delay it for a little while longer."

Haya didn't want to see it. She didn't want to look into her own eyes and see the inner turmoil…yet she forced herself to look down into the water anyway.

In her reflection she could see black points expanding out from her pupil in her right eye, and the Byakugan lavender was changing, replaced by a fuchsia flood and black marks within. And in those same eyes she saw raw pain.

 _Her_ raw pain.

"When…when I think back on my life thus far, I can't remember if there was ever a time when my eyes didn't show me the suffering I've been through. These eyes are like mirrors into my soul. Every time I see them I remember every scar, every tear, every loss, and every failure I've had."

She poked her reflection. Ripples cascaded along the water. "Yet, at the same time, I see more than the pain in them. I see every laugh, every smile, every joyful tear, every triumph. The total amount of happiness I have been able to experience, all the moments and people that gave me that happiness, I can see those too. I wonder if the Sharingan is more than just a show of pain then. I wonder…I wonder if it can _be_ more."

"Those are questions I hope you seek the answer to, little cousin." She met his proud gaze shyly. "You've inherited the wisdom of your parents, and maybe learned a thing or two from me."

"I've heard the word so much today, yet I still have no idea what it even is. What is the Mangekyō Sharingan exactly?"

"An advanced form of the Sharingan. It will grant you brand new abilities and increase your visual prowess, but it comes with a cost: The more you use it, the more your vision will deteriorate. Eventually you'll go blind, and no amount of Medial Ninjutsu can fix it."

 _So don't use it often or I'll go blind. What a drag._

She pursed her lips and furrowed her brow. "But what about my left eye? It's Ryu's eye, not mine."

"Your original retina is still intact and fused to the Byakugan eye. Even if it wasn't, the Sharingan doesn't come from the eyeball itself. That's where the power resides, yes, but only _after_ our brain releases the special chakra we of the Uchiha Clan possess."

"But no tomoes ever showed up before. If it is the special chakra released from our brain, I should already have a fusion of Sharingan and Byakugan, right?" she pointed out.

He smirked. "Interesting, wouldn't you say? Almost as if you unlocked it before that day."

Her eyes bulged. "I…unlocked the Sharingan before Ryu died."

"Yep. Sift through your memories later, you'll find it."

She had even more questions now, yet Haya knew there wasn't nearly enough time for all of them. After a moment of deliberation, she picked the most important and asked, "How did you unlock yours, Shisui? I'm unlocking my Mangekyō because I saw you die. Does that mean you saw someone important to you die too?"

"Ah…well, yeah," he said. She could see in his eyes that the event still affected him. "As you know I was already a shinobi as a child. I had a very good friend who…I wasn't able to save during an intense battle. He died in front of me, and I was overcome with a swell of emotions that unlocked my Mangekyō.

"My new visual prowess allowed me to save others, yet the chakra I expended knocked me out. Pops, your dad, explained its power and its cost to me when I woke up. I had no real recollection of activating the power, though. During the fight I gained a concussion," he explained.

Her cousin smiled warmly. "However, the first time I ever activated it consciously was through my desire to protect you and our family. I wasn't even in a battle, but my love for all of you acted as a sort of retrigger of it. I decided that night I would only ever use my new power as Pops did: To protect my comrades, my family and the Leaf when my skill alone wasn't enough."

 _When his skill alone wasn't enough…_

"…Can you show me that memory?" she asked. "I…I want to feel that way too. I don't want it to become my crutch."

Shisui nodded. "Of course. Who knows, maybe your eyes will be as powerful as mine or your father's."

"Shisui…" Itachi cut himself off.

Shisui looked over towards the other Uchiha with a severe stare. "I get what you were trying to do Itachi, but you should have just gone for a physical blow to get her out of the way." His stare softened, a smile forming on his lips. "Still, even if it is sooner than I hoped, it's because of you we got to see each other again. I guess I should thank you for your moment of impatience."

Thank him? He was the one who took her family away from her. He didn't deserve thanks. He deserved a punch to the face and an unending fireball.

"You shouldn't. He helped kill Mama and Papa," she growled.

Shisui turned back to her, smile still in place. "And I warned you not to get broody like Itachi over there." He pointed his thumb to the frozen Uchiha. "When you have time, make sure you look at your memory of my death again. What you saw was an incomplete glimpse of the truth I left for you."

"Incompl—"

She was silenced by a forehead poke. "We have other priorities and dealing with a broody Uchiha isn't one of them. Come here."

He pulled her into a warm embrace. No words were spoken yet Haya felt her heart become constricted by fear. "Is it…is it going to hurt?"

"Yes, it will." His voice was weighed down by guilt and sadness. "But no matter what I'm going to be here with you." The blue-haired Uchiha nodded into him. "Now close your eyes. You're about to see and feel everything I did."

Haya shut her eyes and her senses faded.

* * *

Years Ago

* * *

Twinkling stars dotted the black canvas over the Leaf Village, joined by the glow of a crescent moon looming in the peaceful night sky.

Most of the citizens slept soundly after another day of hard work. Few meandered around on the streets, at least few in the districts Shisui passed over rooftop by rooftop; elsewhere, where night life activities were more abundant, plenty of civilians and off duty shinobi had their raucous fun.

Shisui took no detours on his way home. His mission had been long—a few days in length to be exact—and took him from Konoha, taking him and his team on a journey through the Land of Fire, past abundant forests, little towns and farmland to the port of entry closest to the Land of Waves.

They completed their objective without a real battle breaking out; he preferred it that way. Less fighting meant less chance of any comrade getting injured. His genjutsu left a few of their enemies screaming in frightened horror, and their leader made the wise decision to retreat back beyond the border.

The Hokage kept the debrief short once he was assured there were no complications on the mission. Now a shower, a warm meal and his family were mere moments away.

 _I wonder if Haya is still up at this hour?_ He pushed off a building, landed on the bark of a branch and Body Flickered through the trees.

Midnight hadn't crept up on them yet, but he couldn't deny that it _was_ late. Late enough his kid cousin should be already tucked away beneath the warmth of her blankets, seeking out a land of dreams where she could ride on the backs of dragons to her hearts content.

The thought of her riding on dragons made Shisui smile affectionately.

He missed her.

On arrival he hopped up to the window of his cousin's bedroom to peek in. Was she asleep? Or was she—

"Shisui Uchiha, get your butt in this house right now. Don't be a drag."

The scolding and lazy drawl from the opposite side of the wall froze him for a moment. Then he exhaled a short laugh. _She must have sensed me coming once I entered the district._ He slid the window open and jumped in, grinning sheepishly at the adult woman waiting for him.

"Hey, Mama Nara! I was jus—"

"Shisui!"

And there she was.

The Uchiha caught the joy filled child about to tackle him, picking her up in a hug and spinning her around. Her small arms wrapped around his neck as she giggled, bare heels lifting towards the ceiling.

"Now what is my favorite little cousin doing up at this hour? Rebelling against the machine called parental guidance already, eh Haya?" he quipped.

Her sweet giggle left him grinning from ear to ear. Kami, she was too adorable for her own good. Haya released his neck and backed away in his arms. "Nope! Mama said she sensed you coming so she let me stay up to see you."

Shisui turned to look at the mother of his cousin, who leaned against the wall next to him, arms crossed with a loving smile at the mini-reunion.

"Did she now?" He leaned in closer to his cousin. "I think she's hiding something," he whispered conspicuously. "Waiting like this should have been too troublesome."

"No!" Haya pretended to be shocked at the notion.

"Yes! I'm telling you, we may be in for a big lecture tonight if we're not careful."

Miyako shook her head and rolled her eyes, amused by the little banter. Her smile slowly transformed into a terrifying smirk. Terrifying for him, at least. He wasn't the one dressed in pajamas about to go to bed, unlike Haya.

"The only lecture I have is for you, Shisui."

 _Uh-oh._ He may have felt a little bit of a chill dance down his spine at that innocent and threatening promise. Maybe.

"You're in _trouble_!" Haya sang childishly.

He poked her in the forehead, causing her to puff her cheeks out in a pout as she tried to cover the point of attack. "I guess I'm just a troublesome boy." He set her back down and stood up back to his full height, eyes glancing down at the standard Konoha gear he wore. "Mind if I wash up and get changed first? I've been in these for a few days."

Haya's mother dipped her head in the direction of the door. "Shower and clothes are already waiting for you." She shifted her weight off the wall, stepping forward and picking her daughter up. "Okay, my little shadow, it's time to get ready for bed."

"Aw, but I wanted to talk to Shisui a little more," the girl pouted cutely.

"We will see, my little shadow. We will see. At the least you will be in your bed. Now, did you…"

Mother and daughter recounted everything his little cousin had done before now— brushing teeth, picking out her clothes for the morning, that sort of stuff. Shisui smiled at the pair.

 _It's great to be home._

Leaving behind the room, he sauntered down the quiet hall towards the shower calling his name. Getting out of his uniform felt good. So did the warm water.

After washing up and drying off, he got dressed in a black high collared shirt with the Uchiha crest on the back and past knee-length black shorts. Finished with the bathroom, he flicked the switch off for the light and headed down the stairs to the kitchen in search of food.

He found Haya's father sitting at the table, eyes focused on the scroll laid out on the table, his expression thoughtful as he mulled over whatever information it contained.

"Hey Pops! Interesting stuff?"

The man raised his onyx eyes from the scroll, smiled and dipped his head in greeting to the younger Uchiha. "Welcome home, Shisui." He glanced back down at the scroll. "Just an intelligence scroll for a future operation. Important, but as stale as an Aburame's sense of humor."

"Uh-oh. That sounds like a story," he laughed.

"Hmhm," the man chuckled deep in his chest. "Yes. Not even Miyako's sense of humor can break a stoic Aburame. Nevertheless, her attempts have made for amusing diversions."

Shisui snickered at the thought.

"How was your mission?"

A breath of cool air greeted him as he pulled the fridge door open. He scanned the shelves, looking for something to fill his hungry stomach when his eyes fell upon a wrapped plate of leftovers. A little name card sat on it, his name written in Miyako's neat penmanship.

 _Ah, Atsuko must have informed Mama Nara I'd be back tonight._ He'd need to thank her for that later. For now, food, visiting with Haya and sleep stood as his top three priorities.

He grabbed the plate, unwrapped the food and set it in the microwave to cook it. The machines hum was oddly soothing.

"The reports were right," he answered, eyes watching the plate spin slowly on the artificially illuminated turntable. "A small squad of Kiri shinobi did enter the Land of Fire, and they were traveling towards the Leaf. I only recognized one of them as a veteran shinobi—Ao. You don't send a man like him on a do nothing mission.

"I confirmed to Lord Third the rumor of his Byakugan eye; I sensed the chakra there, and he wore Sealing Tags from his ears like earrings. My guess is to protect it. At this point, I don't think anyone except a Sealing Master will be able to get it from him."

"Ao's still alive, huh," the elder Uchiha hummed. "It's no wonder they made it within the Land of Fire then. Did you face his team in battle?"

"No," Shisui shook his head. "Before they even sensed our presence, I strapped two of his comrades in a powerful genjutsu in an effort to end the battle before it could begin. At the sight of me and my team, Ao called a full retreat." He snorted humorously. "I guess you could say we escorted them out of the Land of Fire."

He could have killed them. He chose not to. If they killed Mist shinobi, even when they were the ones infiltrating, it risked creating a ripple effect of confrontations between their nations. Friends or family of theirs would seek to kill him or other Leaf shinobi in revenge. Then those who lost loved ones in the retaliation would seek their righteous retribution.

And so the bloody wheel of war, violence and hatred would keep spinning.

The chime of the microwave woke him from his somber thoughts. Pulling the warm plate from it, he shut the microwave with a light push, retrieved his utensils and sat down to eat.

"Good work, Shisui," Haya's father praised with a small nod. "Many shinobi, even those not of our Clan, would have confronted them verbally or physically for their infiltration. Any wounds or death in the following combat would heighten tension between our Nations, breeding further hatred between our people."

He rolled his scroll up. "You attained a peaceful solution without a single blade being drawn, and that single genjutsu sent a clear message to these infiltrators: The Leaf is watching. And since one of their veterans couldn't reach the Leaf, Kiri will be less inclined to send any squad to infiltrate for a long while." The elder Uchiha smiled proudly at him. "You bring honor to our Village and Clan."

"All in the days work, right?" he grinned.

Haya's father, Kiyoshi, gave him an approving nod and smile. Although the man was an uncle by blood, he was more like a father to Shisui. He hadn't ever known his real father or mother, though not for ill reasons. He'd barely been a year old when they died, so the only parents he had any memory of were Kiyoshi and Miyako.

They were precious parents he was glad to have.

Of present day Uchiha, Kiyoshi stood as the strongest and wisest. Those who held no ill-intentions for the Village, the Clan or his family had nothing to fear, though. At his heart and foundation he was a peaceful man.

Kiyoshi had seen war. Witnessed death. Watched people he cared for die at the hands of enemy ninjas, unable to save them in their time of need. Those events changed him and, in Shisui's eyes, built the foundation to the wisdom he now possessed.

He sought peaceful resolutions. Hoped to make positive changes within the Village and their Clan for the sake of a better future. But even Shisui knew the elder Uchiha would fight with every ounce of his spirit to protect what was precious to him.

It was one of the reasons why Shisui looked up to the man and trusted him implicitly.

"Your mother and I are proud of you, Shisui. We couldn't ask for a better son."

Shisui bowed his head. "Thank you, Pops."

"I will never grow weary of watching my little shadow brighten at the sight of you." Miyako's hands gently rested on his shoulders. "Haya looks up to you as if you walk on water."

"Well you know, I _can_ do that," he quipped, glancing up and back at the Nara with a grin.

"It was a figure of speech, troublesome boy," she chuckled. Then she gave him a small peck on the cheek. "Welcome home, Shisui."

"I'm glad to be back."

Miyako meandered around the table to stand behind her husband, resting her hands on his shoulders before engaging him in an intimate kiss. Respectfully, Shisui turned his attention back to his food and _far_ away from the display of affection.

Eventually—a _long_ eventually—they stopped.

"She's waiting for you to say goodnight, my love. After that, her attention will belong to Shisui."

Kiyoshi nodded and stood up, ruffling Shisui's hair a little as he walked by. With the elder Uchiha out of the room, Shisui found himself alone with Miyako, who wore a knowing smile.

 _Why do I get the feeling I'm not going to like where this is going?_

"Ah, the lecture," he realized out loud.

Internally he winced. _I almost forgot about that._

Almost, but not quite.

His mother granted him the courtesy of finishing his meal in peace. When he finished his meal, the Uchiha stood up and moved to the sink to wash off his dish, every step like walking the plank of a pirate ship about to cast him overboard or keelhaul him.

Miyako's eyes never once left him, neither did that terrifying smile of hers. His heart beat a little faster in nerves.

"All right, hit me Mama Nara. What'd I do?" he addressed the issue head-on, unable to stand the anticipation.

She leveled him with a scolding motherly stare. "First off, you continue to use the window instead of the door to enter our home. While I usually have no issue with it, I would prefer you didn't use it to leave the house and sneak back in late at night."

 _Uh-oh_. The hint of knowledge paralyzed him briefly. So, that's where this conversation was going. He quickly restarted washing his dish. Sooner he finished, sooner he could bolt to the sanctuary of Haya's room.

His embarrassing doom was barreling towards him like stampeding bulls.

"That brings me to my real lecture." He finished up washing his plate and began drying it, trying hard to ignore the eyes on him and the knowing smile that returned to Haya's mother's lips. "I do not expect you to report every hour of your life to me. It'd be troublesome to ask of you and you're an adult in my eyes. I trust you to make good judgments."

Well, that was nice to know at least.

"However, I would like to know who she is."

Shisui put his plate away and let out a sigh of defeat. There was no use running. For starters, he couldn't lie to his family willingly, not unless he was spinning a story for the purposes of entertainment.

Secondly, Miyako was a Hokage Guard and one of the best intelligence gatherers in the village.

She already knew the answers to all of her questions. She just wanted to hear it from him, and to make him squirm a little in awkwardness.

"How long have you known?" he asked curiously.

"Since you started."

 _Heh, not as sneaky as I thought I was. Guess that's why she's on the Hokage Guard though._

Her hand rested on his shoulder, bringing his attention to the comforting eyes of his mother to him. "I'm not upset, Shisui, nor is your father. We understand it's the only time your schedules align. We're happy you found someone worth sneaking out late at night to go see."

He chuckled. "You make it sound like I'm held prisoner here at home."

He met the girl a few months back on his way home from a mission. Her hands had been full of books, papers, folders—medicine based he would soon realize—when a stranger accidently bumped into her, causing her little tower to collapse.

Seeing a person in need, Shisui ran over to help her pick them all up. No ulterior motives. Just an act of kindness.

By the time they went their separate ways they had both been laughing and smiling. Her eyes were special, from his view anyway. Unlike the Uchiha Clan and Hyūga Clan, her eyes weren't special due to a dōjutsu. Her eyes were special because they sparkled with wonderful life, and they followed his thoughts for a long time.

Then he started noticing her more often. In the market, at restaurants, working as a nurse at the hospital. Aimi noticed his lingering gazes; Itachi had been around when he dropped a task to quickly say hello when they started to run into each other more often.

Both of his friends teased him relentlessly about it. Revenge, he supposed, for all the teasing he gave them, yet they also encouraged him to ask her out.

She was gentle, generous, kind and warm. Quiet as a mouse, but vibrant when she wanted to be. And her eyes allured him like no other.

Comfortable, she was comfortable. Around her he could forget about the divide forming between the Leaf and Uchiha. They weren't deeply in love, and they hadn't done anything intimate beyond holding hands, giving flowers, hugs and a few small pecks on the cheeks. Nothing crazy.

"She's a civilian, a nurse, but not of the Uchiha Clan," he explained. "We're…I don't know. Calling us friends doesn't really cut it, yet we're not lovers or anything."

He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. Talking about it was really strange. Most of his Clan would frown upon it and demand him to take someone from within the Clan. As one of their most prodigious talents, and with his heritage, they'd want him to sire pure-blooded Uchiha.

Shisui just wanted to be happy regardless of Clan origin, like Kiyoshi and Miyako were.

"Does she make you happy?"

"Well, yeah. Wouldn't be too fun if she made me miserable, would it?" Shisui tried to lighten the mood with a joke and start the process of getting out of this conversation. The danger hadn't passed yet. A _very_ uncomfortable lecture was waiting for him.

Miyako smirked and let her hand fall from his shoulder. "Just remember, if and when things start to progress further then be sure you are both using protection. I'm too young to be a grandma. Also make sure you both are comfortable with taking that intimate step."

Yeah, this was exactly the lecture he _didn't_ want.

"Consent is very important, Shisui. Sexual intimacy is a wonderful thing; it is meant to be fun, passionate and satisfying," she continued against his internal pleas of mercy.

Could someone please strike him down right now? Just end it before he died of embarrassment.

"However, without consent it is none of these things. Be aware of your partners wants. Pay attention to their true feelings, not just the words or actions they may feel obligated to say or do for your sake. And always remember this: The word _no_ means no regardless of how heated things get."

Shisui flushed red. This was not a topic he wanted to discuss right now, or ever. Especially ever.

"Mama Nara!" he whined.

He was a half a second away from Body Flickering up the stairs and out of this awkward conversation. Half a second too late. Miyako's Shadow Possession already had him within its grasps.

"If I ever catch hear tell of you being anything less than respectful to this girl in or out of the bedroom, I will ensure the Hokage sticks you on a years' worth of D-Rank missions as punishment."

 _A years' worth of D-Rank missions?_ Shisui shuddered at the thought of it.

"Although I do not believe you have to fear such a consequence. We did raise you to know better than that."

Her Shadow retracted from him and she smiled kindly. Thank Kami the terrifying smirk had vanished.

"Lecture's over. All I have left to say is that I am happy you are home safe and sound."

 _Phew._ Shisui let his smile return. "What? You were worried about me, Mama Nara?"

Her two fingers jabbed him in the forehead. "Of course I was, you troublesome boy. You are, and always will be, a son to us and a brother to Haya, Shisui. Never forget that."

Those words warmed his heart. Shisui acted on instinct and embraced the Nara matriarch in a tight hug, receiving one in return. With all the things going on—the Clan, missions, etc.—it was amazing to come home to the stability and unconditional love of a family he was blessed to have.

At the sound of the footsteps of Kiyoshi returning from Haya's room, Miyako smiled to him and lifted her chin to motion him to go. "Go on. She's missed you dearly."

 _Just as I have missed her._ "Thanks, Mama Nara." He made his way from the kitchen to his cousin's bedroom, finding her lying back with her hands behind her head. "Looks like it wasn't too troublesome for me to come see you before you went to sleep."

Her onyx eyes met his with a smile, and as soon as he was sitting on the bed Haya wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "I missed you."

She always found a way to fill him with more love than he knew what to do with.

Haya released him and gave him a closed eyed smile before continuing. "You have to tell me about how your mission went. Did you do anything exciting?"

"Exciting?" He brought his hand to his chin to feign contemplation. "Well, you see… There was this princess we had to escort across the Land of Fire to her kingdom," Shisui grinned and pointed to himself, "and I had to fight off these giant serpents!"

"Ew!" Haya made a fearful face at the thought of snakes.

"I know! They weren't a match for your awesome cousin though!"

For the next few minutes he spun his tale about protecting the princess from the snakes and his triumphant victory over them. Haya knew better, yet she enjoyed the story and reacted like a captivated audience. She even partook in recreating his falsehoods, keeping a smile on his face long enough to hurt his cheeks.

By the end of it they were lying on the bed staring up at the ceiling, soaking in the comfort of being together again.

While he did have feelings for the girl he was sneaking out to see, his cousin would never come second for her. Haya would always be the most important person in his life, along with his family.

When he was around his cousin, nothing—not the Clan, not the stress of missions or any outside forces—had any effect on him. Even if his mind would be weighed down by any kind of stress, having his cousin with him made it all disappear.

She was his anchor of unconditional love. His lifeline when out in high seas full of rogue waves that always pulled him back to safety and shelter.

Miyako was right: Haya did look up to him like he walked on water. She looked up to him like he was the greatest person to ever exist. Like an invincible hero. Her big heart filled him with so much love.

She was truly amazing.

Haya turned onto her side and laid one of her arms over him as she nuzzled her head into his chest. "I love you, Shisui," she whispered softly.

"I love you too, Haya."

He would do anything to protect her. It was for her safety and future he continued to work as hard as he could to prevent their Clan from treading on the path they were on. Their shortsightedness would lead to a bleak future, where the Uchiha Clan no longer existed and the people he loved were dead.

Shisui wrapped his arm around her and held her closely. _I won't let the Clan continue on this path._ He looked down at the peaceful face of his cousin. _I will protect her, our family and everything precious to me, no matter what it takes._

The thought of losing Haya and their family was almost too much to bear. _I promise Haya, no matter what I'll always be here to protect you. I won't ever allow anyone to harm you and take away the love in your heart._

"Shisui?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you think I'll ever be as strong as you?"

Shisui smiled down at her and ruffled her hair gently. "Of course. I know for a fact that one day you'll do great things for our village and our Clan." Haya's hand clenched his shirt tightly. "You'll be strong and wise, like a dragon. I know it."

"Thank you…big brother."

 _"Your mother and I are proud of you, Shisui. We couldn't ask for a better son,"_ Kiyoshi's voice echoed in his mind.

" _You are, and always will be, a son to us and a brother to Haya, Shisui. Never forget that,"_ Miyako's words came next.

Over the years he had never once doubted the love between himself and his family. He always knew he loved them more than anything and it was reciprocated…yet hearing the pride in Kiyoshi's voice, the motherly love in Miyako's and the gentle loving voice of his cousin one after another hit him in a way he hadn't been prepared for.

"Sleep tight, little sis. I love you."

"I love you. Thank you for coming home safely."

Shisui shut his eyes against the swell of emotion. Haya was his anchor, but he was hers as well.

He pressed a kiss on the top of her head. "I'll always come home safely for you," he whispered gently.

"Promise?"

"I promise." Haya hugged him tighter before sleep finally claimed her. Shisui smiled at her sleeping form one last time then laid his head back. "I'll always be with you."

He could have sworn he heard a barely audible "Me too" from his cousin, yet he wasn't sure.

 _I'll always be here for you Haya, no matter what._ _I'll stop the Clan and keep you, Mama Nara and Pops safe. I swear it._

Chakra pooled into his eyes. _Whatever it takes._

Full pinwheels formed in his eyes.

 _I'll protect everything I hold dear_.

* * *

Back in the Present

* * *

Amari's senses came flooding back. Through this strange fūinjutsu she felt the entirety of her cousin's love for her coursing through her body. She held him tightly as tears streamed down her cheeks and an ache built up in her heart.

The stabbing pains returned. Scratching, clawing at her eyes, growing more intense with every second. "Cousin…it—" she whimpered in pain.

"I know. Just hold onto me. You'll be okay, I promise."

Her body began to shake, small whimpers escaping her as chakra pooled into her eyes.

After many long agonizing seconds with her eyes closed the final stab plunged through her eyes, forcing her eyes open.

Full pinwheels took shape.

The awakening was complete.

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: Thank you for the praise. I'm not arrogant enough to say my story is in anyway better than the original anime, but I appreciate your words all the same. I'm glad it's immersive enough to make you feel like you're watching the anime._

 _The old lady wasn't that cat lady. She was just a random woman I created for the purposes of making Amari/Haya late to her meeting._

 _I like the OST scores you picked for those particular moments. Hope you enjoyed the new update and thank you for the review!_

 _Review Response to SuperKaiokenGoku: Yep, she's following in the steps of the one and only Shisui of Teleportation. Based on everyone's reactions to the last chapter, I think its safe to say the feels are strong with that last entry. Hope you enjoyed the new update and thanks for the review!_


	55. Chapter 54: A Farewell to Family

Chapter 54

Last Stand: A Farewell to Family

Pain. It attacked her eyes in steadily intensifying waves of pain, expanding out from the source to every fiber of her body. If felt like senbons being embedded into her flesh in a sick form of acupuncture treatment.

Kami, why did it hurt so much?

What kind of power was this?!

Haya tried to even out her breathing. She tried to focus on the comfort of her cousin's embrace, to use his warmth and love as a shield against this never-ending agony. Nothing lessened the pain.

She made choking sounds, teeth gnashing together hard enough she might have worried about fracturing a tooth if everything else didn't hurt so bad.

 _This pain… Who the hell would_ _ **want**_ _to unlock this ability?!_

Every pain receptor screamed at her. They demanded to know what the hell was going on when no physical strike ever struck them. Had another poison entered her system? It sure felt that way, yet there was nothing for her body to fight off. No poison responsible for this mountainous climb up her personal scale of pain tolerance.

However, this awakening went beyond physical pain for Haya.

Her heart ached so much.

By witnessing the smallest glimpse of her old life—even with her parents blurred out by the genjutsu—together with Shisui's love for her and his death, it struck at her soul like a hammer meeting an anvil over and over again.

The weapon the hammer was forging was certainly powerful, but it steadily cracked her soul, fragmenting the pieces of her heart she had once forgotten.

"That's it. You've awakened the Mangekyō Sharingan," Shisui said.

"Is…is it going to stop hurting?" she whimpered quietly.

If the awakening was over then why didn't the pain retreat? Would activating the Mangekyō Sharingan promise this pain with every single use?

"The pain in your entire body will fade after you deactivate it. After that…" He let out a sigh. "Your eyes will always hurt when using it. The power the Mangekyō Sharingan grants is incredible, and that incredible power comes with a heavy burden of pain those who wield it must endure through.

"It's a double-edged sword. That's why I want you to remember not to use this power as a crutch. The Mangekyō isn't meant to be abused or flaunted recklessly—it's a trump card meant to be used as a last resort. Only use it when your skill alone isn't enough to defend what you hold precious."

The blue-haired ninja nodded slightly, eyes squeezed shut in a futile attempt to repress the pain.

It wasn't very effective.

"My time is almost up, little sis."

Haya's hold around him grew tighter in an attempt to hold her cousin in this world.

"I-…I don't want you to go." She felt tears begin to flow again.

"I know. I don't want to go either…but I promise you this." Shisui forced them apart and met her pinwheel eyes with warm love. "I will always be with you. Through everything." He poked her forehead. "In here." He placed his hand over her heart. "And in here. You'll never be alone, Haya."

She sniffled and wiped her streams of tears on her mesh sleeve. "Promise?"

"I promise."

With that promise, sorrow filled silence replaced their words. Soon he would be gone. Soon this wonderful reunion would be over.

 _Once he's gone I'll have to fight again._

Even with the Mangekyō, would she be able to make any difference in this battle without knowing its abilities? Her mom's arm was still injured. The threat of Itachi's genjutsu, or even one from Aimi, hovered in the air here. And these three still intended to capture her.

What could she even do?

"You know, you got yourself an interesting pattern Haya. Take a look in the water."

Haya snatched the distraction he provided instantly. Anything to forget he was leaving.

Looking down into the water, she finally witnessed the full transformation of her Mangekyō in both eyes. The black lines took shape in the form of four straight and sharp triangles in both eyes. The points of her pinwheel jutted out in like the four cardinal directions of a compass, or a four-pointed star, and dead center within the pinwheels rested a red pupil in her right eye and a fuchsia pupil in her left.

Even with this new power in her left eye her three hundred and sixty degree, inverted black and white vision remained. The powers of the Byakugan combined together with the Mangekyō Sharingan; she wondered how dangerous it would be to her adversaries.

"They're pretty," she said to herself, deactivating her dōjutsu to return them to onyx and lavender.

Beautiful pain. What an oxymoron.

The pain settled with the advanced dōjutsu deactivated, as did the immense draw on her chakra. It was no wonder Aimi told Itachi he was overdoing it. The fact he still made mincemeat out of her after using an actual jutsu—which guaranteed more chakra to be expended and extreme pain—further proved their vast difference of skill.

But those two were a problem she'd have to confront afterwards. For now…

"I'm going to miss you," Haya admitted quietly. "When I used to think about what I would say to my family if I ever had the chance to see them again, I would always tell myself there was so much I wanted to say…yet all I can think of is telling you that I love you and that I will miss you. It's so troublesome."

She forced humorless laugh and shook her head. "To think I have this once in a lifetime opportunity and I can't put together my thoughts enough to talk to you."

The Nara squeezed her eyes shut as her heart began to ache and tighten in her chest. "I…I want to be able to talk with you more," she said, voice cracking. "I want to be able to walk with you and hear you tell those stories about your missions that I knew were fake but were so fun to listen to."

Haya curled her hands into fists, digging her nails into her palms to stave off the tears and frustration. "I- I want to be able to play shogi and train with you so I can show you how much better I've gotten. I want to introduce you to the friends I made and my precious people. I-…I want more time!" she wept.

"Me too." Shisui's grief filled voice broke her a little. "I'm sorry I can't stay, but Haya Uchiha doesn't give up, no matter what she faces."

Those familiar words snapped her eyes open. She remembered them so vividly; it felt like a different life now, years had passed since she heard them, but those were the words imparted to her before waking up in the orphanage.

 _Shisui…_ Haya met his gaze with doe eyes. _It was you…_

"She stands strong against any storm and carries the very best of her family and Clans on within her heart. Even if the road is a hard one, she will always forge ahead because she doesn't know the word quit." Shisui smiled at her. "But even when things get extremely rough she will always remain compassionate and follow her code of honor, love, respect and loyalty."

Stinging tears streamed down her cheeks. Her lip began to quiver. Shisui shared his bright grin with her as he said, "That's who Haya Uchiha is. But then again, I don't have to tell you that," he gave her a closed eyed smile, "you already know!"

"Shisui!" Haya tackle hugged her cousin.

 _Even all the way back to the orphanage, he was there. He's always been here!_

Shisui embraced her in a big, warm hug. Suddenly he lifted her up and spun her around, coaxing a sobbing giggle out of his precious person. She lifted her heels to the sky and held him tight as he laughed, just like he used to.

He began to stop spinning, but she begged through a choked giggle and sob, "One more time!"

One last time they could be here together. One last time he could be her invincible hero. One last time he could be strong for her. He could walk on water and make her feel strong like a dragon this final time.

"You know, I can still get dizzy even in this form," he quipped. "But the wise blue-haired dragon has spoken, and that means I must obey! Here we go!"

He spun her again, both cousins laughing through their grief with inexplicable joy, neither aware of the heartbreak the other five shinobi were experiencing as they witnessed these final moments of love between them.

Shisui stumbled at the end of his final spin, coaxing further laughter from the pair as they simply held one another for these last few moments together.

"You're going to be a fantastic shinobi. And don't worry, you'll hit a growth spurt one of these days. Your parents weren't tiny," he added with a laugh.

"Thank Kami," she breathed out a giggle, nuzzling into him.

"And you don't need to play me in shogi to show me how good you've gotten at it. I already know you'd crush me in it; Mama Nara used to do it all the time, it was embarrassing," he sighed dramatically.

"Hehe!"

"You've got some good friends too. Keep inspiring them to be better than they are."

"I'll try."

"And don't forget to share some of those affectionate thoughts with them. Love can blossom where you least expect, and if it isn't love, then remember it's okay to just have a little fun if you're both up to it."

" _Shisui_ ," she whined in his embrace, burying her flushed face into his shoulder. "You're being super embarrassing again! Don't make me poke you!"

"Not the finger of doom!" he teased playfully, making her giggle.

Sooner than she hoped, his physical form began to fade. "Well, looks like my time is at its end," Shisui said solemnly.

She hugged him tighter. "I love you."

She wanted to beg him not to go. To stay a bit longer, even if it got him in trouble. But she didn't have the heart to. This wasn't hurting only her; Shisui was hurting too even if he hid it better than she did, and begging him to stay would make it so much harder for him.

"And I love you, Haya. Know that Mama Nara, Pops and I are extremely proud of you."

"Tell Mama and Papa I love them too."

Shisui set her down and smiled at her. "I will." He then turned to her mother and bowed slightly. "Thank you again for loving Haya as your own child. Words cannot describe what it means to our family to know she has a person like you as a parent."

Her mother smiled gratefully and full of pride. "Thank you for believing I'm worthy enough to be her mother. She's an amazing girl." Her smile faded for a guilt ridden frown. "I'm sorry I haven't been able to defend her here and now."

"Don't blame yourself for anything that happens here," Shisui spoke again. "We Uchiha are a stubborn bunch when it comes to protecting our loved ones. Haya knew what she was getting into when she came looking for you."

Her cousin turned his eyes to her sensei. "Kakashi, keep in mind what I said about the Foundation. Don't act recklessly or alone. Be patient."

"Got it. We'll keep her safe."

"Thank you." Finally Shisui casted his gaze to the two Uchiha. "Well Itachi, Aimi, I guess this is goodbye again. For all that has happened I'm glad I was able to see you two again, even if things didn't turn out the way I hoped. Whenever you two reach the end of this path, I'll be waiting for you." Her cousin's voice turned amused. "And good luck. You're going to need it against Haya this time around."

He turned to face Haya again. "This is it Haya. As soon as I fade away, the fūinjutsu holding everyone here will end and the battle will continue. Protect your comrades and family today, and when this battle is over continue to follow your nindo and your dreams. _Live_ , all right? Find love, start a family, find your peace."

"I'll do my best," she nodded.

"That's all I can ask for." Shisui crouched down to her level and brought his hand to the back of her head. "I'm sorry I can't physically be here for you, but my spirit will always be here to protect you, no matter what it is you face." He leaned his head forward and guided hers to gently rest against it. "You will always mean everything to me, Haya. Never forget that."

Tears pricked at her eyes before cascading over once more. "I won't, I promise. I love you, Shisui," she told him lovingly.

"And I love you, Haya." He wrapped her up in a hug as his transparent form began to fade away. "Walk your path with the courage I know you have. Trust in your heart and your eyes; they'll lead you through the darkness." She nodded and held onto him as her tears fell. "You can do it, I believe in you."

"Thank you, Shisui. I'll make you proud. I promise."

"You already have, Haya." His spirit form was nearly gone but she could still see feel his warmth and his smile. "Of everything I ever accomplished, of everything I ever did, being your hero will always be my greatest achievement. I'm so happy I could be your cousin, little sis."

Haya choked on a sob. "I was happy to be yours too, big brother. I love you with all my heart."

"And I love you with all of mine, little sis. Thank you," her cousin disappeared, the ethereal glow flowing into her with his final words and love entangled in them, "for everything."

Haya shut her eyes, a broken sob escaping her throat as she collapsed to her knees, tears of love and grief streaming down her cheeks. She wrapped her own arms around her body in the absence of his warm embrace.

 _You'll always be in my heart, Shisui. Thank you for being my cousin._

 _I love you._

"Somewhere mor— Hey, where'd that guy go?" Kisame's voice met her ears.

He was gone. Shisui was gone, and her heart was breaking again.

"Prepare yourself, Kisame. We're about to be free," Aimi informed.

And yet, with her bandana tied around her forehead and his tantō in her harness, he was still here. In spirit and in her heart.

"All right. So what's the plan?" Kisame asked.

 _As long as I have my bandana and your tantō, we'll never be separated. We'll be fighting side by side. Right, Shisui?_

He couldn't answer with words anymore, however she knew the answer in her heart.

"We capture Haya and then we leave," Itachi answered stoically. "However, we must act quickly. Haya has unlocked the Mangekyō Sharingan, and if her power is even remotely similar to her father's or her cousin's, it could end our lives."

Right. Of course. She was still their target. Her failed attempt to be a decoy earned her the full, undivided attention of three S-rank shinobi. And now with these new, far more powerful eyes, she was an even greater trophy to capture.

 _I've got no choice but to fight…_

She slowly stood up, eyes lowered and hidden in the shadow of her hair as the large fūinjutsu seal on the water began to recede towards her.

 _As soon as Mama's jutsu ends, they'll come right for me. All three of them._ In her mind's eye she could see the battlefield layout, her enemies' next moves and her allies all playing out for her.

 _Kakashi-sensei can't move fast._ He breathed heavily, as if having fought a hundred shinobi in the last hour. _Willpower alone is what is driving him, but his body isn't able to keep up. Not after the two days of torture he sustained. He'd be an easy target if they weren't so focused on me._

They'd ignore him. He wasn't even on their radar anymore.

She thought of her mother's arm, the deep and bloody wound she tried to staunch the bleeding via tying her headband around it. Aimi stood directly in her path, paralyzed for now but soon to be free to attack again.

 _The lightning attack damaged Mom's arm badly. I'd bet it's still slightly numb. And if Aimi coats her blade in lightning again, she could disable her or kill her. But Aimi's next move will undoubtedly be an attempt to create distance then capture me._

Her mind's eye locked onto Kisame, his blade frozen on its upward slash as Asuma dodged it. Then it locked onto Itachi, the fear and surprise he showed no longer in his crimson eyes.

 _The same goes for Kisame and Itachi. As soon as this fūinjutsu ends, they'll ignore the other three just to capture me. Itachi and Aimi know what kind of power I may have unlocked with the Mangekyō Sharingan. They won't risk me unleashing a single move._

 _Kisame, on the other hand, has been around them long enough to know one Mangekyō Sharingan move could end them._

The slightest of twitches tugged the Uchiha child's salty tasting lips up.

For the first time in this battle, she was the kunoichi to be feared. She had the power to change the course of this battle. She could dictate the pace.

 _But I can't do it alone_ , she thought. Before, she acted alone. She took the entire burden of this fight onto her shoulders, believing foolishly she could delay a superior shinobi of Itachi's skill long enough for reinforcements to arrive.

" _And most of all don't act alone. That was my mistake. That goes double for you, you stubborn girl._ _My greatest mistake was trying to do too much on my own, even when I had friends and family who were trying to help. It cost me my life. Don't repeat my mistake,"_ Shisui's lesson reverberated in her mind.

Her allies were injured, yes, but they weren't incapable of fighting. These three were elite shinobi of the Leaf. Far more experienced in battle and far stronger than she was.

Even better, she gained valuable Intel through her meeting with Shisui about the Mangekyō Sharingan. Before she only had theories and fears about what Itachi's eyes could do. Now she understood her opponent's technique in intimate detail.

 _Itachi won't use Tsukuyomi again in this battle_ , she concluded.

Kisame said it himself, Itachi wore his eyes out with the first use. The chakra a single Mangekyō jutsu used sufficiently depleted his reserves, on top of causing him pain and wearing down his eyes.

Itachi was smart. He wouldn't risk blinding himself permanently by relying too heavily on his Mangekyō Sharingan in any situation. Just like Shisui and her Papa, he would only use it when his skill alone wasn't enough or when he wanted to end a troublesome fight before it could begin.

Tsukuyomi was off the table, but Itachi wasn't a one trick pony. His normal skills were enough to take on her mother, Asuma and Kakashi without taking a single blow.

 _Aimi may have the Mangekyō Sharingan too_ , she considered. _But there's no telling what power she may wield, or if she'll grace us with its use. Her skills are great enough to avoid using it completely._

So how did she delay long enough for Atsuko and Guy to arrive? How did she keep her precious people and herself safe?

 _If I can survive past the first move, if I can figure out at least one of my Mangekyō abilities, we have a shot._

The fūinjutsu released the other shinobi around her. She heard the heavy _whoosh_ of Kisame's blade as he finished his original swing, narrowly missing Asuma. She heard the sharp _clang_ of fierce blades connecting rapidly and that of a solid, physical blow connecting to her mother.

As expected, all three Akatsuki members charged her way. Aimi and Kisame kept their eyes on the two Leaf shinobi while Itachi merely darted right for her, unhindered by any of his enemy shinobi.

Only he saw her create a clone, who quickly transformed into a Demon Wind Shuriken. Only he saw her feet begin to move; right foot moving onto the tips of her toes, left heel lifting just enough to be off the surface of the water.

Even his eyes couldn't see this new trick coming. Not even the Head of the Hyūga Clan had.

 _From this point forward…_

Amari lifted her head up, blue hair falling back into place to reveal her Sharingan and Byakugan activated eyes, paired with a terrifying triumphant smirk she aimed right at Itachi.

 _I'll be the one dictating the fate of this battle._

"Mom, Asuma-sensei, stay back!" she ordered, upper body twisting right as she prepared her next attack. The two older shinobi hesitated in confusion, but that single movement was enough to telegraph to them her true plan.

Amari could sense their smiles as they too prepared for the second move of this battle.

Shadow Possession wouldn't work against these three elite shinobi. Not for her. Her Uncle could have paralyzed them in close-quarters, though Kisame would have likely had the strength struggle free—his enormous chakra was extraordinary.

Amari couldn't. Even at close-range she didn't have a hope in hell of holding them down for more than a second. She wanted them as close as possible for a different reason.

Itachi's eyes widened a fraction at the last moment as his genius intellect realized her real attack. He thought it impossible at first—surely she couldn't replicate this technique? But he had forgotten one fact: Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja was her sensei.

Copying useful jutsus was one of the tricks she inherited from him!

"Your incredible powers have made you all arrogant," she said, her cousin's will and confidence behind her. "But this is a whole new battle now. Round one is over, and now you're all about learn what happens when you underestimate _me_!"

Aimi sensed the sudden flare of chakra and power around Amari, as did Kisame. They spun to face the child, red and white eyes wide in surprise at the shroud of green chakra already beginning to rotate around her still body.

It was too late for all of them. They were in her inescapable range.

The child of Uchiha and Nara blood propelled herself with the chakra at her feet into tornado of green chakra.

"Rotation!"

For the first time in the battle, Amari landed a blow on all three Akatsuki members. It wouldn't end the fight. It wouldn't incapacitate them, but that didn't matter.

To her mind, landing this single blow meant anything was possible now. Any outcome she wanted could be achieved if she could land this one blow on three S-rank rogue shinobi.

 _All because I have you backing me up, right Shisui?_

She could feel him there.

The power of the Rotation sent the three Akatsuki members careening away across the river.

Beneath Amari, the water began to rotate counter-clockwise with her, creating a makeshift whirlpool as she spun faster, faster, faster. More momentum, more speed to make her second move mean something.

Through her Byakugan, she witnessed her mother ensnare the other two Akatsuki members within one of her powerful genjutsu's. Asuma weaved handseals she didn't recognize.

"Amari, keep spinning!" he ordered. "The Rotation will keep you protected from this!"

She couldn't verbally answer, but she kicked the whirlpool of water again to increase her dizzying speed. Admittedly, she was getting woozy. It felt like someone strapped her into a revolving chair and decided to spin her mercilessly.

She kept at it, though, hopeful Asuma's jutsu could deal serious damage to their enemies.

Aimi broke herself out of the genjutsu with her Sharingan, though Amari bet her mother anticipated that inevitability. It was likely meant to delay her long enough so she could attack Kisame without restraint, as she was poised to do at the moment.

The Akatsuki kunoichi pointed her finger at Kurenai like a finger gun. The Leaf shinobi's kunai blade was mere moments away from mortally wounding the Swordsman, prepared to slash a massive gash open over the back of his neck where he was most vulnerable.

Focused and intense lightning crackled at the tip of the Akatsuki kunoichi's finger.

 _Mom!_ The Demon Wind Shuriken ripped out of the green orb of chakra, sharpened blades spinning at the same speed as its thrower on an express train to impale the Lightning Style user.

"Lightning Style: Sharpshooter!"

"Aimi, duck!" Itachi ordered calmly.

Aimi ducked without hesitation. The blades of Amari's rapidly spinning Demon Wind Shuriken passed over her head, stealing with it a few strands of her waterfall of hair. Amari's clone appeared out of the transformation shuriken, three paper bomb kunais between her fingers.

An intense bullet of Lightning shot through the air, rippling the water in its wake, piercing the clone's heart and shattering the concrete behind her. _What power…_ Amari awed.

Simultaneously a lightning covered kunai flew for Kurenai. The Genjutsu Master dodged away from Kisame, her blade only slicing open a minor cut on the back of his neck.

"Gah!" He ducked forward, one hand reaching up to the wound as he dashed a step forward and spun to face the already disappearing form of Kurenai. He examined the blood on his hand and snarled. "I'm getting sick of these multilayered genjutsus!"

"Then how about this!" Asuma challenged.

Asuma unleashed a bullet of air from his lungs, blasting Kisame in his blindside to knock the Swordsman into a roll across the surface of the water. Tears opened up in his cloak and on his blue skin, cut by the sharpened blades of wind.

The large gale tore past him and over the rotating tornado of green chakra right for Itachi. Without even seemingly moving a hand, Itachi unleashed a Wind natured jutsu of his own.

Together the two jutsus collided in a sharpened storm of wind all around Amari, passing through the gaps of her imperfect Rotation to open up a fresh wound on her right arm as well as through her tank top and mesh top along her lower back.

 _These jutsus are on an entirely different level than us Genin use_ , she thought, still spinning like an ice dancer.

The two Wind Natured techniques inevitably canceled one another out. Unable to continue, Amari stopped rotating and disengaged her chakra cloak. _That ate more of my chakra than I hoped._ Her balance faltered briefly. _And I'm_ _ **really**_ _dizzy._

The whole world seemed to be tilting and moving beneath her feet.

"Kisame, behind you!" Aimi tackled her partner down just as Asuma's floating trench knife speared right for him, held up by the owner's precise Wind chakra. The Wind chakra infused blade opened up a surface level cut through Aimi's cloak across her side.

Asuma guided the blade back into his hand, wearing it once more like brass knuckles.

Kurenai appeared behind him. "We almost had him with that combo," she said.

"Yeah. Her Sharingan is a real pain."

"Careful, you're starting to sound like Shikamaru."

"Heh, I guess you're right."

Aimi removed herself from her teammate. "So sorry for pouncing you like that," she apologized playfully, standing to fight once more, "but you were about to take a permanent nap, and I'd miss your charm far too much."

Kisame chortled. "Hehe! Didn't realize you liked to play so roughly, Aimi." She hummed in amusement, rested a hand over the wound on his neck and staunched the bleeding with Medical Ninjutsu. She did the same to her side.

 _We've made a little ground_ , Amari noted. _More than before. Hopefully we can keep this up._

The whirlpool beneath her feet calmed, bringing her attention back to her opponent at the moment

Itachi met Amari's determined gaze with a blank stare. "The Eight Trigrams: Palm Rotation. No Uchiha has ever replicated the Hyūga Main Branch technique. Well done."

"Lord Hiashi would beg to differ," she muttered to herself.

She wasn't looking forward to _that_ talk at all.

Itachi shut his eyes. "It's time we leave, Haya."

 _Here comes his genjutsu_ , she predicted, body tensing in preparation of defense.

One more move to get past. Then she could better coordinate this defensive operation.

She pooled chakra into her Sharingan eye in preparation of a counter, left hand moving into her ninja pouch to cup a shuriken in her palm.

Itachi's eyes opened, and Amari's eyes widened as she felt his genjutsu overcome her. Illusionary pain erupted from her spinal cord; a nail, greater in size than her own body, protruded from her back, piercing deep into her flesh to paralyze her.

Amari gagged from the nausea and grunted in agony, chin tucking into her chest causing her hair to cover her eyes again. "I almost…forgot how much illusions could hurt," she said through gritted teeth. "It's been too long since Mom and I trained together, but you know, she taught me all about genjutsu."

"Clearly not enough, otherwise you wouldn't be here, would you?"

"Heh," she chuckled then choked. She wanted to puke. But she couldn't lose focus. Not in this battle. "You foolish boy. I _let_ you do this to me."

Like a game of chicken, she let the herd of bulls stampede as close as possible so she could execute a daring escape.

She lifted her head, a smirk on her lips and right eye shut as she looked up at the floating form of Itachi Uchiha above her, whose body was seemingly made of crows.

"You can't use your special Tsukuyomi genjutsu anymore, can you?" she prodded arrogantly. "Or is it more accurate to say you can't allow yourself to use it. You and your organization have a daring goal, which means if you go fully blind you'll no longer be of any use to them."

Itachi's eyes squinted in a glare.

Her smirk grew. "I hit the nail right on the head, huh?" Kami, that sounded better in her head. "Your genjutsu prowess is greater than my average Sharingan genjutsus. Even if I tried to reflect this back on you, you'd just pin it back on me a hundred times over, which means I'll have to take a gamble."

"Are you almost finished with this bravado? You cannot beat me, Haya."

The Uchiha girl grinned viciously. "Don't underestimate an Uchiha!"

Her right eye flung open, her full pinwheel glowing behind the shadow casted by her disheveled blue hair.

Itachi did appear surprised that time.

"Demonic Dragon: Shadow Checkmate!"

Out of the water below him, an elongated, scaled and cold claw of her demonic dragon erupted forth like the demon he freed in her, clutching around the elder Uchiha's surprised body. The nail in her back vanished, and with it the feeling of nausea went away—thankfully. Another churn of her stomach and she would have puked.

Itachi's red eyes turned downwards to the dragon beneath the surface of the water. Upon meeting its ferocious glare, the crimson, blood thirsty eyes shifted to mirror her pinwheels, giving it an even more frighteningly demonic appearance.

Bubbles boiled and exploded outwards as it let out a terrifying roar from the molten pits of its stomach. Then it dragged the elder Uchiha down into the water, pulling him further and further down into the darkness where he could not breathe or fight back.

Haya's right eye stung and the cells in her body began to flame again, yet not too badly this time. Nothing compared to the awakening itself. _So, the Mangekyō Sharingan enhances my original abilities with greater strength_ , she concluded.

A dangerous gamble that paid off. Now it was time to move. No doubt Itachi would break free any second now.

Amari darted towards Kakashi, pinwheel eye never leaving Itachi and a shuriken still palmed in her hand. The real Itachi stood motionless on the surface of the water, closer to her than he had been before the genjutsu with an even blanker stare on his face than normal.

The clawed hand of her dragon suddenly curled its sharp talons into her body, digging into her flesh with even greater pain than the nail before it. Amari growled through the agony as her body froze but a few feet from Kakashi.

 _Genjutsu reflection_. Just as she expected.

Amari bit her lip as hard as she could. _Not enough_ , she realized as blood dribbled down her chin. This was why Mimi had to rip her own arm up to escape—her Sharingan genjutsu was more powerful than the ordinary genjutsu.

She tightened her left hand around the blades of the shurikens, feeling the sharp and cold blades embed deep into the soft flesh of her palm.

The claw hand vanished, yet she didn't celebrate. She didn't point a finger at Itachi and boast about how she escaped the genjutsu like a moron. She kept moving to her pace, refusing to let Itachi gain the upper hand once more.

Stuffing her left hand back into her pouch, placing the bloody shuriken away, Amari equipped a kunai. _I have to get his eyes off me._ With a flick of her wrist, the blade flew towards the feet of her opponent, falling a meter short into the water.

An upheaval of water shot towards the sky as the paper bomb attached exploded. Now her enemy's line of sight was blocked, affording her the opportunity to deactivate the Mangekyō back into the three tomoe Sharingan and opening up her next avenue of attack.

 _Shadow Clone Jutsu!_ She was joined by a clone, who moved to Kakashi's other side as she slung his arm over her shoulder. First she had to get Kakashi off the main portion of the battlefield. He was a sitting duck out here, and Itachi would dispose of a sitting duck on a whim if he so pleased.

"I don't know what your most recent score is, but after today you may have to work harder to get in the lead," she told him.

Kakashi's eyebrows rose then he chuckled. "I appreciate…the warning."

"An interesting combination, Haya." Itachi's voice was right behind them. She could barely track him in her Byakugan. "You're running out of tricks, though."

The Uchiha girl turned her head to meet his eyes, her smile in place once more. "Am I?" The turn of her head moved her hair off her back, where a paper bomb stared right back at the Akatsuki member. "Boom," she quipped.

Yet another explosion erupted over the battlefield. Heated water flew into the air to rain down on all the combatants once more, their eyes momentarily drawn to the sight.

The real Amari—plus a clone—burst out of the water several meters away, Kakashi's weight braced on their soaked shoulders. "Sorry for the hard tackle into the water, Sensei," she apologized.

The moment her first paper bomb exploded and her clones were created, she Body Flickered as fast as she could into Kakashi to knock them far enough below to escape Itachi's sight. With her clones taking over their position, she was able to safely swim them out of the blast radius and back to their side of the battlefield.

"Don't…apologize. You did good," he congratulated.

 _Itachi escaped that unscathed though_ , Amari analyzed through her Byakugan vision. _Still, with those explosions and the heightened alert around the Leaf, we may have even attracted more attention to our battle._

A hopeful scenario. Average shinobi wouldn't be enough for these three, but the sight of more numbers could theoretically make them decide to retreat. Kisame wouldn't. From what she gleaned of his personality, he enjoyed the thrill of the fight—something she shared with the Swordsman.

Despite the desperation, despite what failure meant, inside Amari's heart her inner warrior thrummed at this extreme challenge of survival. The thrill kept her heart's fire burning in this seemingly hopeless situation, making her fight and operate at her very best.

 _I'll make you proud, Shisui._

While Aimi showed playfulness, she and Itachi were levelheaded enough to put their true mission over a full-scale battle against several more Leaf shinobi. Hopefully.

 _Here's hoping Guy-sensei or someone else powerful shows up soon._

She'd even take Hiashi Hyūga at this point. Even if it meant him seeing her Byakugan eye, at least she wouldn't end up kidnapped and her precious people would still be alive. Dealing with the imposing man wasn't nearly as troublesome as those scenarios.

"Kurenai!"

Amari snapped her head towards Asuma's voice. He used his body to catch her mother, who had been struck by a solid blow from Aimi. As he caught her, the bearded shinobi expelled a cloud of what appeared to be smoke from his mouth to encompass the two Akatsuki members.

"A smoke screen?" Amari wondered.

"Not exactly. It's a cloud of…ash Asuma can detonate," Kakashi corrected.

Her sensei wasn't getting any better.

A sudden gust of wind, sourced from Itachi, pushed the ash off of Aimi and Kisame. Just in time, too, because the loud detonation happened a mere second later.

Hot air pressed against the two Akatsuki members, their cloaks billowing in the sudden roar of air. Aimi lifted a well-manicured hand up to push the strands of her dark hair out of her face, appearing as calm as ever despite the close call.

Asuma and Kurenai rejoined Kakashi and Amari. New and old blood stained her mother's skin, and two streams of blood dripped off her chin; based on her own personal bloody lip, the Nara assumed she too had to break a genjutsu through pain.

Out of all of them, Asuma looked in the best shape, but his chest rose and fell with heavy breaths. Something was wrong. Something she couldn't see.

"Asuma-sensei, what's wrong?" she asked.

"It's that sword of his," he breathed. "It didn't even touch me, yet it still drained my chakra."

The Nara bit the inside of her lip in worry; the slight pressure made her punctured lip throb. _Not smart_ , she chastised herself.

Refocusing, this wasn't an ideal situation at all. They were all weakened, nearly immobilized or simply out of their league in her case. That made what they needed to do a hundred times harder.

"These next two minutes will be the most important and incredibly dangerous two minutes of this entire battle," she spoke, somehow sounding more confident and stronger than she probably should have.

Her mother and Asuma peered over their shoulders at her curiously. "Two minutes?" Asuma asked.

She nodded once, settling Kakashi's on the water in a kneeling position with her clone bracing him. She stepped forward between the two elite Leaf shinobi. "Our Village is on high alert because of Orochimaru's invasion, which means our explosions will have drawn the attention of allied shinobi, possibly even Anbu agents. At most it will take them two minutes to get here."

"So, we'll have to hold them here until then," Kurenai said.

"Exactly, Mom. These next two minutes are crucial. But our enemies understand that too," she explained, narrowing her eyes at the three Akatsuki members. "Their next attacks will be even more aggressive than the previous, that's why it'll be the hardest two minutes of this entire battle.

"They're going to do whatever they can to eliminate you guys and capture me, while we have to fight for survival, avoiding death and capture for two whole minutes against these S-rank shinobi in states of exhaustion and injury."

This was a worst case scenario practice battle turned into reality. Her Shika would call it a huge drag, and Amari couldn't agree more.

"In our condition, and with me as our weakest link, our odds of victory are too slim to call it a chance. And reckless attacks at this point will do more harm to us than to them." She glanced up at the two adults. "That's why stalemate is our only option. Against a superior opponent in shogi, sometimes a draw is the closest thing you can get to victory."

They nodded in agreement. "We'll have to be careful of Itachi's jutsu," Kurenai said.

She shook her head. "No, you don't. It's Aimi you two need to worry about most now."

"Huh? What do you mean, Amari?" Asuma said.

"The Mangekyō Sharingan takes a severe toll on our chakra, and it brings with it immeasurable pain in our eyes and throughout the rest of our bodies. It's like having someone claw at your eyes with sharp nails while every cell of your body is on fire."

Her mother's eyes widened in concern for her well-being, but she couldn't waste any time reassuring her. She had to keep talking fast and passing on this information while she could. Any moment now this battle would start again.

"Itachi used the Tsukuyomi, knowing with Kakashi down and out he and his partners could leave without a battle because you two wouldn't be able to open your eyes out of fear the same could happen to you.

"I'm not saying he can't use it, but he knows it wouldn't be wise to at this point. Using the Tsukuyomi again will risk weakening himself further, possibly to the point he can't keep his regular Sharingan activated. Even without Sharingan he'd still be dangerous, but without it he wouldn't be able to counter your genjutsus as easily or read Asuma-sensei's techniques, and I'd bet he only has one shot with it now."

"Which means he'd have to choose between the three of us," Asuma pieced together. "But that'd be risky for him. With your Sharingan you could counter his genjutsu again or capture him in one once his Sharingan is out of commission."

"Right," Amari agreed. "At the end of the day, Itachi has no desire to fight a long, drawn out battle, especially when overusing his Mangekyō Sharingan will continue to deteriorate his vision."

"Shisui mentioned if you used it too much you would go permanently blind," her mother noted. "I wonder how much he's used it since he left the Leaf, and how much his vision has deteriorated in that time."

"There's no way to know, but Itachi can't risk going blind before the Akatsuki's true mission is complete. It'd render him useless, and I doubt this group would carry around dead weight," the Nara explained. "So, like I said, it's not Itachi's special genjutsu you two need to worry about now. It's Aimi and whatever power she may or may not wield."

That didn't include the problem of Kisame's monstrous power or Itachi's general amazing ability, but if it gave them even the slightest bit of hope, then she considered it a mission success.

"I need to figure out one of my Mangekyō abilities," Amari continued. "Whatever it is, it could injure one of them or force them to retreat before the two minutes are up."

And it would hurt _so_ badly. She had a high tolerance for pain, but the Mangekyō wasn't a cut or a stab or poison. If using one of her special jutsus ended up anything like the awakening, she'd be eliminating herself from this battle equation as well.

 _It won't be my crutch, I promise, Shisui._

"You figure that out, we'll cover you," Asuma said, lifting his blades up once more. "After all, it's you they're after, not us."

"We'll keep you safe, little one."

"How touching," Kisame chuckled darkly. "Too bad for you this fight is already over."

Water splashed up at Amari's feet, and as her eyes snapped down a painful grimace took over her features, left eye shutting and right eye squinting at the culprit.

The sharp teeth of a water formed shark wrapped around her ankle. It didn't bite off the foot it captured—though it could if it wanted, she could feel that much.

 _Damn it, when did he use that jutsu?_ Asuma's smokescreen came back into her mind. _Wait, the ash cloud. He must have used it then._

She inhaled a large breath just before it tugged her beneath the water. Blood from her wound pooled and floated in around in the river. She hoped it wouldn't entice a feeding frenzy. Quite frankly, that'd be a drag.

Quickly reaching into her ninja pouch, she pulled out a kunai and began stabbing it into the water creature.

The attack seemed to annoy it more than hurt it. Still, the shark released her ankle, tearing it up more as it shook its head mid release. Grimacing in pain, Amari kicked her legs and used her arms to swim towards the surface, ignoring the new pain each kick elicited.

Before she could reach the surface, another shark torpedoed directly into her stomach, almost knocking the air fully out of her as it ascended.

Their path would place her right in the Akatsuki's hands, she could tell. But the shark was moving her too fast. She barely had enough time to equip a second kunai as it broke out of the water, sending her flying into the air towards Kisame.

"Hope my little friends didn't chew any limbs off! Itachi would never let me live it down."

Amari spun her body and threw her kunais at the Swordsman; however the attack was ineffective against the superior shinobi, who dodged them with ease while weaving familiar handseals.

 _Damn it, not that jutsu again!_

"Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu!"

The orb of water imprisoned her. Unlike Mimi and Zabuza, however, he suspended her within without any oxygen. Once more she was submerged in water with dwindling oxygen in her lungs, at the mercy of their enemies.

 _Damn it, think, Amari, think._ She glanced to her mother and Asuma, but Itachi and Aimi blocked their path in a duel. _I have to do something before one of them does something reckless, and before I run out of oxygen._

"Don't worry, I won't drown you. Not completely anyways, hehe!" Kisame clearly had a dark sense of humor. "Itachi and Aimi think you're valuable, which is more than enough reason for me to keep you breathing. You're lucky. I don't make a habit of capturing shinobi alive."

He never once met her eye. He knew. He knew one brief moment of eye contact could mean a Sharingan genjutsu.

 _He's teammates with Itachi and Aimi_ , she thought in frustration. _That gives him some of the greatest insight to what true geniuses can do with our dōjutsu._

Would he buy an attempt at blowing them both up? Or would he see through her ruse? Would a Concussion Seal work? What if it only temporary broke her free and he recovered fast enough to recapture her?

She had no idea what the effects would feel like. She wouldn't know if she could even keep her feet or move. Gaara hadn't been able to do anything except shout, but had he even realize he was shouting?

 _I'm almost out of oxygen._ She plugged her nose and covered her mouth. _I need to breathe. But if I do, I'll only choke on water._ Outside of her bubble, her mother and Asuma were almost fully at the mercy of Itachi and Aimi. _Mom…Asuma-sensei…_

Whether because of the duress of the possibility of drowning or because of a need to protect her precious people, chakra pooled into Amari's right eye almost unconsciously.

 _I won't…_

Her right eye fell shut as more chakra pooled into it.

 _I refuse to let them die!_

The eye snapped open, a black pinwheel accented by red fire.

 _Mangekyō Sharingan!_

 _Ōkuninushi!_

* * *

Asuma and Kurenai were almost fully disabled. They still struggled in vain, of course. Leaf shinobi who inherited the Will of Fire did not give up regardless of the odds they faced, nor would this mother abandon her child to the man who murdered the Uchiha Clan.

However, this prolonged diversion had reached its end. It was time for the three Akatsuki members to be on their way.

Itachi disarmed Kurenai seamlessly, forcing her to her knees with a kick as he wrenched her wrist into an awkward position.

"That's quite enough," he commented.

"I won't let you take her," she seethed, her red eyes burning with the will to stop him.

"Struggle all you like, the end result will not change."

A kunai slipped into his free hand from his cloak sleeve. He plunged the blade towards this skilled kunoichi's flesh, intending to end this futile battle here and now before control of its outcome could slip through his fingers again.

Then his hand stopped against his will, the elbow of his arm held in a vice grip by a hand of an unknown origin.

 _What?_

He snapped his eyes to see the perpetrator, expecting a surprise appearance from another Leaf shinobi or perhaps even Kakashi finding the will to stand without support. The surprise was even greater than he could have expected.

His own Shadow held his arm. From the shadow casted by the sun at his feet, a shadow hand extended up off the water like a vine to grip his elbow, clutching the limb in its corporeal clutches. He winced as the hold constricted even tighter; any tighter and his bones might break.

"Whoa!" Itachi looked back to Kisame, who narrowly ducked beneath a far more alarming corporeal shadow. One that stood on the surface of the water, swinging a shadow blade that looked exactly like Samehada in search for his partner's life.

His Akatsuki partner's arm slipped out of the Water Prison. There had been no other choice, unless one considered dying an option. Itachi didn't, and he knew Kisame didn't either.

Haya, released from the water prison, rested on all fours, breathing in heavy doses of oxygen while her Mangekyō Sharingan eye maintained a field of view on the two Akatsuki members.

 _This is her Mangekyō Sharingan ability_ , he realized, eyes wide. _An ability unique to her bloodline._

The Uchiha once preferred to keep their bloodline pure, believing that any child born of a separate Clan would be less inclined to possess the Sharingan. However, from his current observation, that appeared even farther from the truth than he believed before.

This ability had never been documented before. It was her original jutsu, born from the mixed heritage of her parents.

 _This jutsu is the highest level of Shadow manipulation possible. She can manipulate our shadows just by looking at them._

Miyako Nara was surely beaming with pride.

He was lucky. Had it been her father's jutsu or her cousin's, he would have met an untimely end just now. Or, perhaps he was lucky her main focus zeroed in on Kisame, otherwise his own Shadow may have been used to kill him before he could blink.

Hopefully that still wasn't a possibility.

"Mom…break free now! Then back Asuma-sensei up!" Haya yelled, voice full of strain.

His momentary distraction presented Kurenai the chance to escape his hold, kicking him in the gut before dashing off to attack Aimi. Itachi moved to follow. He hoped by physically struggling he could break free, as would be possible with the normal Shadow Possession, but the Shadow Claw pulled him back, nearly dislocating his shoulder in the process.

Itachi frowned in silence. He glanced to Kakashi's kneeling form. The Copy Ninja hadn't moved, still braced by the clone of Haya as he sucked in deep breaths of oxygen, eyes squinting in a pointless struggle to stay awake. The Tsukuyomi's toll was finally catching up to the veteran shinobi.

Satisfied, the Uchiha returned his gaze to Haya.

Every Mangekyō ability held great power. However, the cost of this power was its greatest limitation. He could already see Haya straining to maintain both Shadows; blood trickled out of her right tear duct as she grunted and grimaced in tormented distress.

She blinked. His arm came free.

Itachi acted instantly. He burst into a flock of crows, flying towards his kunoichi teammate as tiny shadows leaped off the water in hopes of grabbing hold of a single crow.

None touched him, and as soon as he was out of her field of vision, the attempts to capture him stopped.

 _So_ , he thought as he reformed to block one of Asuma's trench knives, _she can only maintain the shadow as long as her eye is open._

"Back for more, huh? Fine by me!" Asuma roared. Wind infused chakra cut straight through Itachi's blade as if it were made of butter.

Itachi used his Sharingan to keep sight of the Wind chakra, evading its long reach through well-timed dodges he could only hope to pull off with his dōjutsu and years of experience. His opponent, however, was no amateur. He held more years of experience than the Uchiha prodigy and personalized in close-ranged combat, evidence of which came from the tiny tears made in his cloak.

Dodging his head and neck back, the sweeping attack narrowly touched his flesh, the air of which he felt brush past his collar. Itachi spun on the water, grabbing Kurenai's striking arm and pushing himself up into the air to avoid Asuma's flying trench knife.

Here he was vulnerable, a note made more apparent when he heard the whistling of the thrown blade seeking out his exposed back.

 _Not a single word of communication, and yet they managed to coordinate this combination attack_ , he analyzed. _These two must be very close._ Synchronization of their level required far more than the same headband to pull off.

Unfortunately for them, he also had such a partner.

Aimi's warm hand grabbed his as she vaulted off over Kurenai. He instinctively clutched her wrist back, releasing his grip on the Leaf kunoichi as his partner pulled and swung him up, over and around herself.

"Kurenai, think fast!" Asuma said, tossing his second trench knife to her as he snatched the other out of the air.

Itachi landed on his feet first, pulling Aimi down into a crouch as he did to get her out of range of the trench knife thrown by Kurenai. The blade, no longer channeled with wind, open a warm cut on his cheek.

Instantly his body went rigid against his will. Tree branches lurched out of the water, wrapping around his body. _The blade absorbed her Yin chakra, and by opening a single cut she was able to ensnare me in her genjutsu._

Impressive. Most impressive. He had wondered what Asuma hoped to accomplish by giving her his blade. Now he knew.

Before he could break the genjutsu, it dissolved suddenly, and no sooner did his sensations return did he find Aimi's red eyes locked with his. She was arcing her body out of the way of Asuma's strike, a fresh but thin cut on her neck from Kurenai's freshly blood soaked kunai.

Somehow she found it in her to wink at him and smile. "No time for a nap, 'Tachi. Back me up."

Without hesitation he unleashed a storm of shuriken for the Leaf shinobi in rapid succession, more than anyone without a dōjutsu could feasibly block and evade.

"Damn!" Asuma cursed, dodging back as he weaved handseals. Kurenai ran behind him and appeared on his other side. Itachi squinted at the kunoichi but didn't bother with her. Not yet.

"My turn." Aimi's hands moved too fast for their opponents to see her handseals. She inhaled a large breath, and from her lungs she expelled a massive torrent of fire, setting alight his shuriken as she swept the area in front of her.

Flaming shuriken and tendrils of fire raced over the battlefield towards their enemies. Itachi unleashed one last handful while his free hand's index finger twirled a kunai into his grip.

He spun around, and just in time. Metal clanged together in a fierce deadlock. That was their plan, after all. Hold the three Akatsuki members here for reinforcements, and it was working. These Leaf shinobi earned their elite status, he believed.

"Impressive move, Kurenai," he complimented as her determined red eyes met his without fear. "You used the standard Clone Jutsu to draw our attention elsewhere as you attacked us from behind. But as I have told Haya countless times before."

Itachi appeared behind the kunoichi with his kunai poised and ready to strike, his clone still holding her in a deadlock. "You cannot fool these eyes."

As he moved to strike, the kunoichi pivoted her feet and caught his blade with a second kunai. He furrowed his brow as she met his eyes with an intense gaze. "Is that so?" she replied confidently. "Then allow me to tell you what I've told Amari countless times before."

Without preamble, Kurenai twisted her blades, spinning them with impressive skill. Her action took the force he placed behind his blade and used it against him, forcing him to stumble one step forward and for his blade to swing wide of his intended target.

Kurenai ducked low with her kunais still in hand, blood and perspiration mixing together on her wounded arm. Equipping shuriken into his empty hand, he threw them at the crouched form of the kunoichi. They pierced into her back, but a sudden smoke cloud encompassed her body, replacing her with a wooden log.

"Your eyes may be powerful, but relying on them alone will get you killed," she hissed close enough that he could feel her breath on his ear while her blade pressed to his throat.

"A wise lesson," he replied. "But wise words won't save her today."

"No, but my blades will."

"We'll see about that."

Crows swarmed out of his cloak, and with them his body vanished from sight, reappearing a moment later with his back to Aimi.

In the moment of breathing room he glanced to Kisame, who was engaged by his reformed shadow. _It seems only the shadows in her field of view can be manipulated._

Good. He knew this jutsu's weaknesses now, and if she kept relying on it to keep Kisame at bay, her chakra would be exhausted in but a few moments. From his observations, the pain and strain made it impossible for her to move while using this jutsu.

He wondered if that would change with more experience then quickly banished the thought from his mind. Questions such as those could be answered later.

Time was running out. They had to finish this before Leaf reinforcements arrived.

* * *

 _It…it hurts_ , Amari whimpered in her thoughts while commanding her eye to stay open. It felt like someone was hammering a nail into her eye with soft, gentle hits so she could feel every centimeter enter her skull.

Blood drained out of her tear duct, and with that figurative nail poking a hole into her body, her chakra seemed to drain out of the same hole like air out of a popped inflatable castle. With every second she maintained her new technique, she could feel her strength being sapped from her body.

 _What am I going to do? Itachi and Aimi are out of my line of sight, and if I take my eye off Kisame, he'll imprison me again in an instant._

A massive migraine made her nauseous. She couldn't think straight. How much longer did they have to hold them off for? One minute? Thirty seconds? The two minutes had to be almost finished.

 _I can't…I can't give up yet. I have to…_ She growled in pain, hand moving to cup her right cheek, nails digging into her forehead as she peered through the gaps of her fingers at Kisame. _I have to make his Shadow move him closer to Itachi and Aimi._

Strengthening her resolve, the Nara commanded the Shadow Kisame to do more than attack wildly. _Focus. Focus. Focus_ , she chanted.

The Shadow Kisame swung its blade one last time before noticeably freezing. Kisame dodged back on the water, skidding along the surface as he kept his eye on them both, waiting for what came next in excited anticipation.

 _Now…_ Amari blinked and the Shadow Kisame vanished.

"Done already?" Kisame taunted. "What a shame. I was just starting to enjoy myself."

Amari's eye snapped open again, revealing irritated red lines in the white of her eye.

 _Now it's my turn to push you!_

The Shadow Kisame took form once more, the tip of Samehada resting in the water in a reverse grip. Kisame furrowed his brow at the sight then grinned nastily. "All right, looks like you've still got some fight left in you."

The Shadow Kisame bolted forward with new speed. As it reached the Swordsman, it swung its Shadow blade for a horizontal cleaving strike. Kisame ducked beneath it, his grin still in place. Her Shadow hastily changed grips and swung again for the crouched form of her opponent.

"It's faster this time, and…" Kisame used Samehada to block the strike. The connecting blows sent him sliding on his feet along the water, towards Itachi and Aimi but not enough to see them in her peripheral vision.

She commanded the Shadow to attack again. All Kisame needed was breathing room to realize he could use his Water Ninjutsu attacks to disable her, which meant she couldn't afford to give him a moment to think. He was lost in this battle against the Shadow, likely piecing together Intel on its limitations for the future, if she had to guess.

The two swordsmen dueled with their hulking blades. For the first time since forming the Shadow, the Akatsuki member looked challenged; his Shadow's fierce attacks came faster and harder, controlled and calculated in every single strike to move him exactly as she wanted to.

It didn't take Kisame long to figure out why he was beginning to be pushed.

"It's mirroring my real technique," he analyzed beneath his breath. He brought his sword up to block his enemy's blade again. Once more his Shadow swung for the fences, landing such a severe blow it sent him sliding even closer to the battle between the two Uchiha's and the Leaf shinobi. "It even matches my strength too."

She could almost see them.

The Swordsman grinned. "This Shadow Sharingan technique is pretty dangerous. I have to keep my guard up otherwise my Shadow might actually kill me."

 _Just…a little…further._ Amari winced, eye nearly shutting. _No. Not yet._ She forced it open against the pain _. I'm not done yet._

Closer and closer they moved towards their teammates currently in battle against Kurenai and Asuma.

Aimi rolled back first over Itachi's hunched forward form, her lightning covered blade connecting against the bearded shinobi's Wind chakra infused trench knives.

Lightning Nature's natural weakness was Wind, so when the two natures met, Asuma's blade sliced right through the kunai, opening up Aimi for a devastating blow. The sudden flick of Itachi's wrist sent a blade flying past Aimi's leg to impale into Asuma's thigh.

With her lightning charged broken kunai, and Itachi battling her injured mother towards her defeat, it seemed to be the end for the two Leaf shinobi. These two genius prodigies worked perfectly in synch with one another, covering the other's blind spots as they danced an elegant dance of battle around one another.

 _Almost…there._

Amari blinked, snarling in agony, but she pushed Kisame exactly where she needed him to be. Far enough away he couldn't capture her, and now with the two Uchiha right in her field of view.

 _Now!_

The order of her brain snapped her right eye open one last time.

 _Ōkuninushi!_

Shadow hands lurched from the abyss to snatch the two Uchiha. Aimi's shadow caught her by her weapon hand, halting the blade before she could finish her swing. Itachi's caught him by the leg to prevent his advance on her mother as she held her gut and tried to regain the air knocked out of her lungs.

"Mom…Asuma-sensei, get away! I…can't…."

Her eye fell shut. With the closing of her eye, the Mangekyō deactivated—far too much chakra was needed to keep it activated a millisecond longer. She ducked her head into her chest, a cry of pain ripping through her throat.

"Fang Rotating Fang!"

Amari couldn't lift her head to see the new arrivals last second save, their buzz saw like attack kicking up water in their wake as they separated the two Uchiha from the two Leaf shinobi.

Her entire body hurt. It quaked and trembled as every cell in her body received the hammer and nail treatment. This was on par with Hisashi's poison, no doubt about it.

"Gah! Grrrraahhhh!" she growled. "Ahhhh! Argghhhh!"

Even maintaining her normal Sharingan became too much to bear. Beneath her, she could feel her knees, toes and left hand sinking into the water from lack of chakra control and dwindling chakra supply.

"Looks like I made it just in time."

The familiar female voice admittedly confused the Nara. Against the pain, she lifted her heavy head, seeing first a full sized dog, bearing a closer appearance to a wolf than a dog if she were honest. Then she spotted another. Then another. They all growled and snarled viciously at the Akatsuki members, ready to tear them to shreds at a moment's notice.

Behind them were her mother and Asuma, alive, awake and safe with Kakashi and her clone.

At the lead of the three hounds was a woman in a beige Konoha medic uniform with long brown hair in a ponytail, two bangs of which framed her Inuzuka fang tattooed face.

"Hana Inuzuka?" she muttered then choked, eyes shutting again as another wave of pain hit her.

 _This pain…_ This was the cost of the Mangekyō's power. A power unlocked through the severing of a bond that dealt further pain to its user. It was a double-edged sword. A glass cannon. And it hurt. It hurt so much.

"Not that I don't appreciate you showing up when you did, but what are you doing here, Hana? Did you hear the commotion?" Asuma was the one to ask.

"No, that's not what brought me here," she answered calmly. "I was at work when Amaririsu's clone showed up with one of her crows critically injured. While our bird specialist took him in, I scraped the information on the situation from her. There was no way his injuries were a training accident."

 _Osamu…Are you okay right now? Are you still alive?_

She hoped.

"I learned just enough before she popped mid-sentence. Figured the situation turned ugly and left after sending for backup. Tracked her clone's path back to their separation point then tracked her here."

She couldn't see Hana's face with her eyes closed, but her next words made her expression imaginable. "I didn't want to believe you had returned, Itachi. And Aimi…I can't believe you're here. I _mourned_ you."

Hurt. Confusion. Anger. Amari couldn't blame her. She felt it too.

"I appreciate it. It is nice to see you again, Hana," Aimi hummed. "The Haimaru Brothers have grown so much since I last saw them."

"Spare me the small talk," Hana dismissed heatedly. "We're not here to reminisce."

"No, we're not," Itachi agreed. "Kisame, Aimi, delay them then prepare to leave." She could feel his eyes bore down on her. "I'll grab Haya."

"Heh, you got it, Itachi," Kisame said.

"You won't be leaving on my watch," Hana growled. "And you're not taking Amaririsu."

"Watch me."

In a blink a hand secured it's clutch around Amari's throat. She gasped and choked as Itachi lifted her off the water, her legs dangling and kicking helplessly in the air. His red eyes gazed intensely into her onyx and lavender pair.

"I told you it was futile, Haya."

"I'm…not…through…yet," she choked.

Chakra pooled into her left eye, turning lavender to fuchsia. Veins bulged along her temple as a black pinwheel took form.

 _Mangekyō Sharingan!_

An orb of light, gleaming like a red star, appeared between the two shinobi.

Itachi's eyes widened significantly in horror.

 _Amenominakanushi!_

* * *

All-encompassing red light exploded at the epicenter of Itachi and Haya. It's bright glow blinded those outside of the range of attack, which spanned several meters in width and length in the shape of a dome, stretching almost to the top of the nearby tree canopies in height.

Shockwaves of the explosion rattled their bones and made the hearts of all those on the battlefield jump into their throats. Torrents of hot wind seemed to burn their flesh as the gusts ripped past them, rustling the cloaks of the Akatsuki, whipping long strands of hair against the kunoichis faces and gusting through the leaves of the nearby forestry.

Choppy waves swelled on the once calm river as an implosion of water shot high into the sky.

As the initial shockwave faded and the gales of flesh biting wind receded, the water displaced into the sky rained down for the final time in this battle.

Scalding hot water poured onto the bewildered and speechless shinobi gawking at the place the two shinobi once stood, unable to see through the fog of steam created by the blast even with dōjutsu.

"'Tachi!" Aimi cried out in fear.

"Little one!" Kurenai did the same in almost unison.

Itachi did not speak. In fact, he couldn't find his voice to reassure his partner of his safety.

Hidden at the opposite end of the mist, he stood on the surface of the water, red eyes still wide after staring death directly in the eyes. His heart pounded like a hammer against his chest in the truest form of fear he had felt in many, many years.

His skin tingled oddly, his head felt lighter than air, and yet he was hyperaware of every tiny detail about his body and the young kunoichi at his point of focus.

Haya nearly killed them both.

If his reaction speed had been even a fraction of a second later, if he hadn't been able to turn her head to direct her vision to the water below as he dashed them both out of the inevitable blast radius…

 _Amenominakanushi_ , he panted in a strange combination of panic and adrenaline. _One of the rarest abilities a wielder of the Mangekyō can unlock, just as rare as Kotoamatsukami is._

 _The technique her father wielded._

The air he inhaled was hot. It burned his lungs, and the droplets of boiling water stung every inch it touched, but he was happy just to breathe.

The attack launched wherever the user directed their point of focus, launching an explosive light mirroring a red star, a yellow star or a blue star—each one greater in strength than the last.

Fortunately for all of them, Haya lacked the chakra and strength to use the other two. Otherwise they'd all have been doomed to death.

"Such power," he murmured.

Raw power, the likes of which he hadn't felt from an opponent in what was surely years now. The kind of power that would entice any and all power seekers to steal it for themselves. He could already think of a few—one was a former member of the Akatsuki, the other was still a part of it and the last was the leader of the Foundation.

They could not be allowed to wield it.

Regardless, this fight was over. If the previous explosions had not drawn attention, this one certainly had.

Far too much attention.

Below him, floating in the warm water, body slack and lifeless of all energy, was Haya. Blood streaked both of her cheeks. She lived, if barely by the threads of what little chakra she had left. The overuse of the Mangekyō left her unconscious, and should she not receive chakra soon she would likely die.

Itachi knelt down, his form still hidden in the mist and covering him as he transferred his chakra to spare this stubborn and foolish girl from death.

"It's time to go, Haya," he breathed out.

"Severe Leaf Hurricane!" a shout came from outside of the steam.

He exhaled a frustrated breath. "So, reinforcements have arrived."

She almost completed her objective. He would be impressed if he wasn't so annoyed.

* * *

Kakashi panted heavily as a green blur appeared ahead of him, landing a hard kick to the face of Kisame, who had been intent on eliminating the Leaf shinobi frozen in awe of that incredible power.

Even in his current deteriorating state, he knew the owner of that green spandex and loud voice without even having to think about it.

Kisame skidded back on the water but regained his footing quickly, irritation pulled onto his blue features. "Argh, now who is interrupting."

"The Leaf Villages Fiercest Beast of Battle." Kakashi could practically hear the shine of light off the grin of his rival. "I'm Might Guy!"

Atsuko flew down onto his shoulder and Mimi landed on all-fours next to her sensei.

"Itachi, what have you done…" he swore he heard the crow murmur.

"Hana?" Mimi questioned.

"I'll explain later. We have more important matters to deal with," Hana said.

"Are you okay, Kakashi?" Guy questioned, his voice turning serious.

No, he wasn't. Darkness continued to overtake his vision. The sensations of the Tsukuyomi torture he sustained were still as fresh as ever. Holding on even now took a severe amount of perseverance so he wouldn't fade while his student was still in danger.

He couldn't say that though. His own pain didn't matter to him and was outclassed by his concern for Amari. Her clone had dispelled when that explosion went off. And what kind of power was that anyway? Did they escape it?

The steam made it impossible to know.

"Don't…worry about me. Amari…is in the most danger," he panted.

"You're Might Guy?" Kisame grinned. "More like mighty stupid looking guy."

"Don't underestimate him," Itachi's voice warned from the mist.

A gust of wind from within the mist carried it away to reveal Itachi and Amari to the gathered shinobi. The latter stood above his student's floating form, his right sleeve missing all the way up to his shoulder, the edges tattered and burnt.

Kakashi couldn't make out the intimate details of his state, but he could see severe burns along the entire length of his arm, and what appeared to be blood dripping off his fingertips.

"Amari!" Mimi gasped. Aoko let out a few quiet whines causing her partner to growl. "What did they do to you two? The depths of injuries you two have sustained internally, it's incredible you're even still alive."

Exhaustion consumed Kakashi's body. He felt the darkness starting to take over his vision. _Come on. Stay awake. Amari is still in danger. I can't pass out yet._

He had to witness her rescue to know she was safe before letting himself fade into unconsciousness. He needed to know she was going to be okay…that she wouldn't die because of his inability to protect her.

"Mimi, provide long-range support. Asuma, Kurenai, you'll be mine and Hana's support. If any of you see an opening to grab Amaririsu, take it," Guy ordered.

"An interesting plan, but ultimately futile," Itachi reached down and grabbed Amari by her soaked blue hair, lifting her limp body out of the water.

 _No!_ Kakashi panicked, heart-rate elevating as his chest felt tighter.

"Kisame, Aimi, we're leaving."

"Got it."

"Okay, 'Tachi."

"Over my dead body will you leave with Amari!" Mimi growled.

Itachi pulled out a kunai and placed it to the throat of the unconscious girl. "On the contrary, you will either let us leave peacefully, or I will kill her right in front of all of you."

"Amari!" Kurenai cried out for her daughter.

There was not an ounce of fight left in the body of his student. Her body was lifeless. Empty of her fiery will. Both of her eyes remained shut with fresh blood dripping out of her tear ducts.

She had no idea what state she was in. She couldn't see their panicked expressions or hear her mother's worried cry for her.

If it wasn't for the small movements of her chest rising and falling, Kakashi would have thought she was already dead.

The two Inuzukas let out ferocious growls as the other three Leaf shinobi stiffened in sudden hesitation to attack.

"You've become a real piece of work, Itachi," Hana spat.

"If you kill her, then we'll attack you mercilessly until all that remains of you are tiny shreds no one will have any hope of stitching back together," Mimi threatened.

Itachi leveled her with an irritated gaze. "No, you won't. Have you ever watched a comrade drown in their own blood?" He pressed the blade harder against her throat to draw a single bead of blood down the onyx blade. "You do not know what the pain of watching a comrade die does to a ninja, especially being a child as you are."

"I'll kil—"

"Spare me your bravado," he cut off the furious Genin. "I'm through playing games and entertaining foolish impulses. Try to attack us and I _will_ kill her. Or do you think you'll be faster than my blade?"

He was met with tense silence.

"As I thought. Kisame. Aimi." The Uchiha and his partners vanished in a flash of speed.

 _Amari…I'm sorry._

Kakashi's world faded to black.

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: She will retain the Byakugan vision with the Mangekyo activated, though the drain is significant and because general overuse of the Byakugan can temporarily blind her, using the Mangekyo speeds that up. It's not the permanent deterioration in that case, rest would restore it, but if she started spamming it she would inevitably blind herself permanently._

 _Nope, no canon Mangekyo abilities for her. She gets her own original techniques, based on shadow and light. Hope you enjoyed their first appearance!_

 _I'd love to see Tenzo react to being called Lord First. He'd probably get all bashful, but we'll have to wait and see what happens on when or if Amari gets to meet our friendly Anbu Wood style user._

 _A lot of those moments you listed in your second review will show up, but I won't specify which at this moment. I look forward to more than few of them, though._

 _Thanks again for the reviews!_


	56. Chapter 55: Rescuers on the Move!

Chapter 55

Kidnapped: Rescuers on the Move!

Outside of the Leaf Village, three cloaked shadows swiftly moved through dense forests on their hunt for the jinchūriki child, unseen to any wayfaring merchants and enemy shinobi.

Slung over the shoulder of one cloaked shinobi was the unconscious and motionless form of a blue-haired child. Exhausted of chakra, the child slept in darkness, oblivious of her current location, their inevitable destination or what information she would soon unknowingly give them.

She would never know if she dreamed or not. But the stoic and injured man carrying her heard her quiet murmurs calling to her cousin. To her adopted mother. To her teacher. To their target.

His threat to kill her wouldn't dissuade the Leaf shinobi from tracking them down. Soon they would mobilize in an effort to rescue the child who risked everything to save them.

So he planned for the encounter—how it might go, how it needed to end and how to achieve the best outcome.

This time he would be prepared.

"Shisui…" Haya murmured.

This time he wouldn't fail.

* * *

"How's your arm now? Any better?" Hana asked, hands wrapping a fresh bandage around Kurenai's bicep.

"Yes, thank you," she thanked quietly.

The medic's application of rudimentary Medical Ninjutsu returned feeling to the numb and injured limb. Soreness remained, of course—the wound was deep, deeper than she expected. Dry blood coated her arm, unwashed in the little time to pass since the end of the battle against the three Akatsuki members, but some of her strength had returned to the limb.

Just enough to curl her fingers tightly around the bloodstained headband belonging to her daughter.

Kurenai sat in Kakashi's claustrophobic bedroom, body hunched forward as she gazed heartbrokenly at the Leaf headband held in her rigid fist, ruminating on the conclusion of the battle.

Amari was captured by the Akatsuki. Despite all of their efforts, despite fighting tooth and nail to stop Itachi, Aimi and Kisame, her little one had been taken from her grasps…and she could only watch it happen.

She could still see her daughter's lifeless body, drained of almost all of her chakra by that unbelievable power, held up by her head of soaked blue hair with a blade at her throat. She could see the trickle of crimson blood sliding down the blade; the streams of bloody tears staining her once defiant features, now absent of the strength and courage it took to fight such dominant shinobi.

Kurenai's hand tightened around the headband and began to shake. She gritted her teeth against the rage, the grief, against all the emotion bubbling up inside her in search of explosive release.

 _I was supposed to protect you, and yet you had to protect us._

 _"Sensei, Mom, Asuma-sensei. Don't worry about anything. I won't let any harm come to my family." Her daughter gave them a closed eyed smile. "I promise."_

It should have been her to make that promise. It should have been her to protect her daughter from the Akatsuki. And yet…

" _Try to attack us and I_ _ **will**_ _kill her. Or do you think you'll be faster than my blade?"_

 _I'm so sorry._

Hana finished wrapping her bicep and rested a gentle, sympathetic hand on her left shoulder. Kurenai didn't budge. The strands of her dark hair shadowed her glistening red eyes from sight as she grasped the only piece of her daughter she had left.

"We'll get her back," Hana soothed.

"Yes, we will," Atsuko agreed from the Genjutsu Master's right shoulder, her smooth voice bladed by rage. "So long as I draw breath, I will hunt them down to wherever they may hide and ensure personally that their last gasps of air are made in terror."

"Do any of your other agents need medical attention?" Hana asked. "The injuries the crow Amaririsu brought us—Osamu was his name—were critical. We have plenty of bird specialists to provide aid to your agents if they need it."

"I thank you." Kurenai sensed the bow of her head. "Although we were caught off guard, I suspect Osamu's injuries are the worst we encountered, but I won't know more until I have a full report from my agents." A slight pause. "How was Osamu when you last saw him? Recovering, I hope?"

Hana nodded. "He was in good hands. It may be a little while before he's flying again, but he should make a full recovery."

"Mm. That is good news at least."

Hana stood up and meandered over to Kakashi's bed where the three Haimaru Brothers laid on the floor, guarding the bed as if they all expected an enemy to sneak in to finish the job. One of them whined at her approach.

"We'll get moving soon," she responded. "Still have their scents memorized?" A light growl. "Good. Those three have experience erasing their presence from tracker shinobi, so I'll need you three at your best. Guy, you almost ready?"

"Of course," the bushy-browed shinobi responded firmly from his seat at the edge of Kakashi's bed. "But first I want Mimi's diagnosis of Kakashi's condition, that way we can make whatever preparations are necessary to nurse my rival back to youthful health."

Team Seven's sensei laid unconscious beneath his bed covers. Mimi leaned over him, eyes shut and green hue covered hands cupped around his skull. The only other occupant of the room was Asuma, who sat atop Kakashi's dresser, his left bicep and leg wrapped with fresh white bandages. The latter limb he kept fully extended over the empty surface he sat on.

According to Mimi and Aoko, Amari had been on the verge of a deadly dose of chakra exhaustion—no doubt the result of the Mangekyō Sharingan techniques she used. They had yet to learn the full extent of Kakashi's trauma.

Among these vast and enormous dark clouds looming over Kurenai, one single ray of hopeful light broke through the clouds: Her daughter still lived. She wasn't dead. She wasn't out of reach. And they knew why the Akatsuki captured her.

 _Naruto…_

Wherever he was, they would use Amari to draw him out. She would be the bowl of ramen to bait Naruto out of his den, at which point the three Akatsuki members would ensnare him. So as long as they didn't find Naruto and capture him, Amari's value wouldn't be diminished.

However, this truth only lasted for these next important hours. Eventually she'd become useless to the cruel rogue shinobis, and when she did they would hold no qualms of disposing of her.

They had to act soon. If they didn't, Amari could be lost forever.

 _She's not lost yet_ , Kurenai reminded herself.

As long as there was even a fragment of chakra in her daughter, Amari would hold on. And as long as Itachi thought she was of some use he'd keep her alive. His word was law, with Aimi's a close second.

 _So long as I have breath in my body, I will continue to hunt for her. No matter how long it takes, I will find her and I will bring her back safely._

That was absolute.

"Sensei…I…" Mimi's hesitant voice broke the silence of the confined bedroom.

"What is it Mimi?" Guy questioned, worried.

"The damage he's received, it's unlike anything I've ever practiced to heal." Her gaze turned to her sensei. "While his back had evidence of burns from some kind of explosion and his chakra was depleted to a dangerously low level, those were in my wheelhouse to fix. But…"

"But the psychological trauma Itachi put him through is insurmountable," Kurenai strung together her longest sentence since the battle ended.

"Yes," the young medic said.

Most shinobi didn't understand the unparalleled damage a genjutsu could inflict in the hands of a master. In the world of illusions, anything could be done to damage or even break the psyche of an enemy.

Ordinary genjutsu techniques could bring no physical harm to a shinobi, and most did only enough to render the enemy unconscious, but a true master could trick the mind and body into actually believing the damage it received was real. It took exceptional mastery of genjutsu to perform—mastery Itachi possessed.

Kurenai had met a handful of shinobi capable of performing genjutsu of this level. Before the massacre, the Uchiha Clan stood high above all others in their proficiency for genjutsu, able to entangle their enemies in a world of illusion with a single look before a battle could even begin.

However, now Itachi, Aimi, Amari and Sasuke were all that was left of a Clan feared for their genjutsu prowess—perhaps that masked man too. Kakashi's current state revealed why shinobi feared battling the Uchiha Clan.

Mimi looked down at the unconscious Copy Ninja and began to speak, "Psychological trauma isn't anywhere in my specialties. It's not a broken bone or a torn muscle."

She turned her eyes back to her sensei, her helplessness seeping into her voice. "To heal an injury like this, I don't think any average doctor or medic-nin can do anything about it. You'd need a master of Medical Ninjutsu who knows how to heal psychological trauma."

"Why is that?" Guy asked.

"If you don't know what you're poking around at, instead of healing you'll only hurt your patient," Hana explained. "I know enough rudimentary Medical Ninjutsu to take care of battle cuts, stabs and burns, but my specialty is veterinary medicine. Throw me into an important surgery for a critically injured shinobi and I'll accidently kill them."

"Same applies here," Mimi continued off her cousin's statement. "If I tried to do something with my lack of knowledge on psychological damage, the possibilities of what could go wrong are endless. I could end up damaging one of his four lobes or screwing up his motor controls." She glanced back at the unconscious ninja. "Possibly even leave him brain-dead."

"Well, thank you for trying Mimi," Guy thanked his student.

"Sorry I can't do more for him." Mimi moved to stand up but stopped herself. "Sensei, what were those bastards after? Was it Amari?"

"No. Not Amaririsu," Guy answered hesitantly. "Amaririsu was a convenient hostage. However I'm concerned that explosion we saw may turn her into more."

Even without looking, she could sense Guy's intense features through his voice alone. "Even I felt a shiver of fear when we witnessed that devastating power. Itachi and his comrades may now want to steal it for themselves, and I don't need to tell any of you how dangerous that would be."

"Was that the technique Kakashi-sensei wanted her to learn?" Mimi asked.

"It can't be," Guy shook his head. "I have committed to memory every move Kakashi has ever used in battle to prepare for our hot-blooded challenges. In all these years, he has never used a technique like that. That's a technique I would never forget."

"Shinobi of their level don't do anything without cause, especially Itachi and Aimi," Hana stated. "I grew up with those two. There's a reason everyone hailed them as genius prodigies, and it wasn't to stroke the egos of the Uchiha Clan. Them and a guy named Shisui Uchiha were the best of the best."

Kurenai winced at the name.

"They don't need that power to accomplish their goals, but they will steal it if they get the chance for their organization. And like Guy said, power like that in their hands is bad news for everyone." Hana sighed. "Still, if they wanted to wipe us out, now would be the perfect time to strike the Leaf. We're wounded prey, ripe for the kill. There's no reason for them to waste time skulking around in the shadows when Itachi and Aimi grew up here. They already know the Leaf's layout.

"Which means they wanted one of two things: Either to be noticed so we know they can infiltrate and kill our people without breaking a sweat, or…"

Hana had it figured out. Kurenai could tell by her voice alone.

"Or they were after a different target?" asked Mimi.

"Right."

"But why take Amari hostage? I mean, come on, if those three could infiltrate the Leaf without raising an alarm they could just as easily escape without taking Amari. She's dead weight in her condition."

"They needed to guarantee we wouldn't follow them immediately," Hana started. "But I'd bet Amaririsu had Intel on where they might find their true target."

"But who could…" Mimi gasped. She figured it out too. "They're after the Goofball!"

"And who better to use as bait than his best friend," Hana said.

"Those bastards," Mimi growled.

"What I don't get," Asuma started, "is why they didn't find him. They had already infiltrated the village, and Aimi left us to battle Itachi and Kisame to complete her mission." He sighed. "Itachi and Aimi know what Naruto's face looks like already. She shouldn't have had any problem finding him."

"Shhh!" Guy shushed them all at the sound of approaching footsteps. Kurenai knew who it was by chakra signature alone. _Why now…_

The knob turned, and as the door began to open the voice of Sasuke followed, "Hey Kakashi-sensei, Naruto just headed to pack up and leave to meet—"

His words died upon seeing the room full of Jōnin, plus Mimi, Aoko and Atsuko.

The gears in his head began to turn slowly at first. "Why is Kakashi asleep?" Then they picked up steam. Asleep, no. That didn't make sense. If he was asleep, why would all these people be here? His eyes became severe as he stepped further into the room, closing the door behind him. "And why are there so many Jōnin in this room."

Sasuke switched his gaze between all of them in search of answers, finding only nervous silence. His eyes finished on Kurenai, taking in her bloody arm first. "What the hell is going on here? Why is Kurenai-sensei injured, and…"

He finally saw the bloody headband clutched in her hand— _really_ saw it. She couldn't offer anything except her broken silence. She couldn't reassure him it wasn't what he thought. She couldn't lie and say this was someone else's headband when she clutched it as if she were clutching onto her daughter's spirit. It was precisely what he thought.

Amari was gone. And she failed to protect her.

"Is that…" He stepped cautiously towards her, voice stunned, disbelieving of what his eyes were seeing. It couldn't be, right? It couldn't be Amari's headband. It just couldn't.

Kurenai squeezed her eyes shut behind the shadow casted over her face by her hair when he rested his shaky hand on the cool and bloodstained metal. "I'm sorry, Sasuke," her voice trembled. "I tried…I tried to protect her…but I…"

The unfinished statement hung in the air. Sasuke's nails scraped against the metal as he held lightly onto the headband. His chakra, his mere presence, was full of conflict. Full of heavy emotions just like she was. Before his hand left the cloth, he offered the only condolence he could by resting his hand on hers in silent solidarity.

He turned to the other shinobi. "What happened to Amari?" he bit out each word, then he raised his voice, "Where is she?! Why are you all just sitting around here?!"

"Easy, Sasuke," Mimi tried to abate his anger. "We're going to—"

The door to Kakashi's room burst open suddenly, snapping everyone's attention to the new visitor.

"Hey, is it true Itachi has returned?!" Aoba, a special Jōnin of Konoha, entered the room in a panic without taking note of his surroundings. Sasuke stiffened visibly.

Everyone opened their mouths to shut him up before he could say more, but he hurried his words out. "And that he kidnapped Amaririsu Yūhi to trap Naruto?!"

Searing red eyes would have incinerated her comrade if a mere look could kill.

Sasuke inhaled a sharp, surprised breath. "Itachi," he hissed under his breath. Quickly he shoved his way past Aoba and darted out of sight.

"You idiot, have you ever heard of paying attention to your surroundings!" Kurenai seethed.

"Why does this always happen?!" Guy slapped a hand to his forehead in irritation.

"Guy, there's no time to waste. Amaririsu needs us," Hana said firmly.

"Right. Let's go!" he agreed, standing up and rushing out the door with Hana and her ninken right behind him.

Aoba, off balance and confused by the two departures, finally recognized his mistake. Kurenai watched him shrink and slink away with terrifying red eyes.

"Atsuko, are you ready?" she asked.

"I am at your command, Lady Kurenai. Shall we go?" Atsuko asked.

Kurenai nodded mutely. She stood up and spared Asuma a small, worried glance. He waved her off. "Go on. My leg is only going to slow me down, and Amari doesn't have a second to spare. Besides, Shikaku needs to know what's going on."

"We'll be back soon," she promised.

He nodded. "I know. Take care of yourself, Kurenai."

"I will."

She left the cramped and claustrophobic walls of Kakashi's bedroom behind for the open air of the Leaf. It still seemed peaceful here. Unaware of the battle that had taken place only minutes before.

Kurenai tied Amari's bloodstained headband around her neck.

 _I'm coming, little one._

Someone cleared their throat behind her, giving her pause.

"I'm coming too," Mimi stated rather than asked.

Kurenai glanced over her shoulder at the Inuzuka behind her. Her face and stance were firm; she wasn't going to take no for an answer here.

"What makes you think I won't stop you from coming?" Kurenai asked, her voice low and serious.

"You need someone who can heal Amari if they've hurt her any more than she was, and Hana's specialty is animals." She pointed to her nose. "Plus, with my nose, I'll be able to track Amari's scent anywhere."

"Never play shogi with a Nara and always trust an Inuzuka's nose is a motto I have learned to trust in," Atsuko provided composed wisdom.

The motto had sound logic.

Kurenai dipped her head in silent order to follow. "Come along then and be sure to keep up."

The two began ninja jumping across the rooftops of the Village with Atsuko taking to the skies to follow them. "We should find Guy-sensei and Hana before we go. I know we need to rush, but we can't be reckless against someone who can do the damage done to Kakashi-sensei. And those other two aren't burdened by the same injuries Itachi gained. We'll need all the strength we can get."

 _She has good instincts_ , _I'll give her that._ "All right. Which way?"

"Directly Northeast." The Inuzuka pointed in the direction. They changed direction and chased after the two shinobi.

"Why are you doing this Mimi?" Kurenai asked after a lengthy silence. "You know the danger we face is unlike anything you've ever faced, even in Guy's training regimen."

"Ha!" Mimi grinned. "That's the truth, and Guy-sensei's idea of training is crazy."

That little moment was the last glimpse of Mimi's usual personality she'd see on this mission.

Her grin fell back into a serious expression. "For starters she's a friend and comrade in the hands of an enemy with bad intentions. If we have to hunt them down to the edges of the earth, I'll damn well do it, but…"

Kurenai looked over to the Inuzuka, who went silent, with a raised eyebrow. Her sapphire eyes were distant. "But what?" she prompted.

Mimi didn't answer at first. Her eyes gazed out at the horizon, uncertain in her own ability to open up about this personal topic.

"Amari is one of the few people who I can say knows the pain of loss and never let it turn her cold," she spoke up. "Unlike her, I did. Before I was put on Team Guy I used to be really cold…I still am sometimes." The admission came reluctantly.

Kurenai remember seeing that during the preliminaries against Hironori.

" _This is the part where I usually ask my opponent to forfeit because I don't want to cause them more pain. But for people like you I make an exception. Aoko, knock him senseless."_

She could still remember his agony filled screams and the blood to come from his ruptured eardrums.

"When I lost my parents…I lost a lot of myself," Mimi continued. "I put on a mask to pretend I was okay. But all it took was the tiniest thing to make me snap and beat the hell out of anyone if they insulted me, my heritage or my family. During that time I hurt a lot of people because I was hurting… I'm…I'm not proud of the person I became. Doubt my parents would be either."

Kurenai's eyes softened. _I can see the same pain in her eyes that I see in Amari's. Pain that has anchored onto their hearts and refuses to let go._

"It's thanks to Aoko, my aunty, cousins and Team Guy that I never lost all of myself. They kept me stable, kept me from fully forsaking who I am.

"Yet, even though I've tried hard to put it all behind me, I almost fell right back into it again because of those Sand shinobi. After they hurt Lee and Tenten, all I could feel was that old anger. I wanted to rip them to shreds! To make them _suffer_ for hurting those two and stealing Lee's dream from him!"

Mimi took a breath, gloved hands uncurling from their fists. "I was losing myself to it. I felt justified too, just like I used to. But Amari encouraged me to stay true to myself. She understood what I was feeling inside, and never once passed judgement on me for feeling the way I did. She encouraged me to put it behind me for the sake of my precious people.

"I battled with it daily. I knew she was right, but I couldn't just let go of it." Mimi lowered her eyes. "Then Amari made that speech before our match. I'll never forget what she said. I'll never forget how passionate she was about it, all for my sake. She could have left me be, pretended it wasn't her business or pushed me away for my attitude, and she'd have won our fight.

"I…I've only had a few people who actively reached out to me like she did. Each passionate in their own ways, but Amari's speech is special. _Amari_ is special."

Kurenai's heart felt warm at the impact her daughter had on Mimi.

"Our fight was damn awesome. I loved every single second of it, even if she all but crushed my insides with that punch." Mimi exhaled a breath. Not a full laugh, but close. "During that final collision of my Water Style and her Fire Style, though, I experienced something extraordinary with her."

Mimi looked to her. "This is gonna sound crazy, but I saw her memories. I saw pieces of her past life like short snippets of a movie playing out in front of me. I saw her life before the massacre, her days at the orphanage, the day she lost Ryu. And I can prove it too, because when you showed Amari her room, she bowed her head to you and balled her eyes out."

Kurenai's eyes widened. How? How could Mimi know that?

"You're an incredible woman, Kurenai-sensei. What you said to that broken girl when she needed it most, and the hug you gave her, changed her life. You _saved_ Amari. You saved her from uncertain darkness and the loneliness she feared."

 _Amari told me about her experience with their communication. I…I didn't know Mimi saw so much, though._

" _I saw her life, Mom,"_ her daughter tried to explain as they sat together on the couch. _"Mimi used to be so carefree and happy when her parents were still alive. I could feel it. And I could feel her pain and sorrow as she cried at their grave stone._

" _This strange communication we shared, it put me as a bystander to her life. I watched her sleepless nights when all she had was Aoko to comfort her through the tears, wanting to just hug her so she knew everything would be okay. I saw the people who tried to bully her, and when she fought back the darkness finally consumed her, replacing her real emotions with a mask._

" _Tender moments with Hana, the formation of Team Guy, her quarrels with Neji, Lee's and Tenten's lights reaching through to her. I saw it all. And I felt everything she did when they hurt Tenten and Lee._

" _But through it all I was finally able to figure out what our connection was and why we are so close."_

"Amari is…Amari's a sister to me," Mimi said.

" _We're sisters."_

"Takes a lot for me to respect a person; I don't give it away freely, not after what I went through. Gotta earn it, and Amari has a thousand times over. I never thought someone younger than me could teach me so much, but she did it a lot that day. Especially after our battle against the Sand shinobis."

"Oh?"

"Did she tell you how our fight with the Sand shinobis ended? After Naruto defeated Gaara I mean."

Kurenai shook her head. "Amari didn't elaborate on much. She mentioned Hikari was saved and they all fled with the battle over."

"We had a chance to kill all three Sand shinobi. They were at our mercy…and yet, Amari let them go." Mimi stared thoughtfully into her own abyss. "Even after everything we witnessed the Sand do to our village and allies, she had the heart to let them go. 'Enough blood has been spilled today,' she had said.

"I would have killed them, said it was justified because of what they did to my friends and what their fellow ninjas did to our village…and I would have been wrong."

She lowered her eyes but kept pace as they moved across another rooftop. "After it was all over, I thought back to what I used to be like and the unchecked hatred growing in me, and I realized I could have been someone like Gaara. Someone who believed to justify my existence I had to beat the living hell out of everyone or kill them.

"The more I thought about it, the more I realized I would want someone to see something redeemable in me despite my darkness. Someone to give me a second chance, to show me I could be different if I tried hard enough," she said quietly.

"I think you found those people, Mimi," Kurenai said.

"Yeah, but I got lucky." Mimi lifted her eyes back to the path ahead. "To know when enough blood has been shed, to have enough compassion to spare an enemy, to believe there is something redeemable in someone who is lost in darkness even after being betrayed by someone she considered a brother, that compassion is something this world needs more of."

The Inuzuka's sapphire eyes met her red ones with respect. "Your daughter, like Lee and the Goofball, is a very bright spot in a very dark world, Kurenai-sensei. I'm here to ensure her light isn't taken from this world."

Kurenai smiled warmly. "Thank you."

Mimi gave a short nod. "I'll do all I can to help her." She turned her head to face forward. "Guy-sensei and Hana are right up here."

Determination filled the mother.

 _I promise I will save you._

* * *

Minutes Before

* * *

 _Why is he here?!_

Sasuke's heart pounded harshly against his chest as he sprinted through streets and over rooftops.

Why was Itachi back? Why was he trying to trap Naruto? Why Amari? Did he learn how close those two were? How long had he planned this? What did he hope to accomplish?

So many fearful questions, none he could answer yet. All Sasuke could think about was reaching his shared apartment, hopeful he could catch Naruto before he left. He _had_ to stop him. There was no other option. If Naruto left with whoever this Pervy Sage was, he'd be caught outside of the Village by Itachi, away from any chance of reinforcements.

But if he could reach him in time, if he could stop Naruto, they could pause for a second and think up a plan to rescue Amari.

 _It doesn't make sense. Why now? Why Naruto and Amari? Unless…_ Sasuke's heart's harsh slams grew more intense as a new thought came to mind. _Unless he's here to kill everyone close to me again._

Had his brother found out what team he had been put on? Had he been watching him this whole time, waiting for the moment he created bonds so he could destroy them as he destroyed their Clan?

 _I won't let him!_

Sasuke skidded to a halt at the door to their shared apartment. The loser had to still be here. He had to be. It was only ten or fifteen minutes ago he went to get packed. There was no way he had finished getting ready already.

The Uchiha gripped the door knob tightly, turned it and ripped the door open. If he possessed the strength, he'd have ripped it off its hinges.

On the opposite side of the door, another person was about to open the door. When he tore it open, the person stumbled forward, all but tackling him to the ground as they were yanked ahead, knocking the box they carried out of their hand to the ground.

"Sas- Sasuke?" Sakura stuttered in surprise at his panting, wild eyed form.

 _Wrong teammate._ He cursed inwardly.

Sakura quickly picked up the small box wrapped in a blue cloth.

"Is Naruto in there?" he asked earnestly.

"No." She shook her head. "I came over to drop off chocolates to you two, but neither of you were here. Have you seen Amari or Kurenai-sensei? They weren't home."

 _Amari and Kurenai-sensei…_

" _I'm sorry, Sasuke."_

A sudden pang of guilt and agony clenched Sasuke's heart. He could see clearly the blood on Kurenai's arm, the bloody headband in her trembling hand. He could hear the guilt and grief she tried to hide.

Was this all his fault for getting close to them? Had he endangered these people?

Sasuke struggled to find the words to say to his teammate. "Sakura…Amari's gone."

"Gone?" Her eyes widened in panic. "What do you mean she's _gone_?!"

Sasuke tried to turn to leave; he couldn't stand to be in this position feeling so utterly weak and defeated thanks to his brother. He couldn't stand seeing the pain of another person affected by his brother's malice.

He didn't get far. A vice grip clenched his bicep and turned him back to face fierce emerald eyes. "What happened?" she bit out. "Amari wouldn't just leave the Leaf or us."

"She didn't have a choice."

The words to explain the situation were hard to grasp. He still didn't want to believe that Jōnin was right. He didn't want to believe the truth his eyes had seen when he looked at Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai of the challenging and, inevitably, futile confrontation against his brother to save his clan-sister.

But he'd be a brain-dead idiot to ignore the truth. He _saw_ the truth. He heard it straight from Kurenai's mouth. He didn't blame them or curse their names; he understood better than anyone what Itachi was capable of. And Kurenai carried enough grief and guilt without his state of conflicting emotions.

Now, though, the nauseating bombshell was swarming him. Amari was _gone_. Kidnapped by his murderer of a brother to trap Naruto. Why? To kill them? To torment them? To make Sasuke watch her suffering to force his eyes to mature?

"My brother," he started slowly, "he came back and kidnapped Amari. Kakashi-sensei, Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei tried to protect her, but Itachi took out Kakashi-sensei with some kind of technique and injured the other two. All they have left of Amari is her headband."

He dared not mention the blood on it. He dared not to even think of where the blood came from, or the possibilities of what Itachi already did to her. He couldn't bear it.

Pure doe eyed disbelief, worry and pain crossed Sakura's face. And it hurt. Sasuke hated to tell her this. Hated that Itachi had come back from whatever hole he hid himself in, all to harm his team. Hated that there was nothing he had been able to do about it.

"Ho- how did this all happen? When?"

"I don't know. But some Jōnin said he was going after Naruto next." Sasuke pulled his arm free of Sakura's grasp. "I have to go find that knucklehead before Itachi does, and then I'm going to get Amari back."

He refused to let Itachi kill Amari or torture her the same way he had done to him. Whatever his plan was for his clan-sister, Sasuke would put an end to it.

"I'm coming too," Sakura stated as if it was even up for debate.

"No, you're not," Sasuke told her firmly.

He was met by a stare that could have shattered diamonds. "I'm not some weak girl you have to carry around Sasuke. Naruto and Amari are my teammates too."

Sasuke knew that. He knew she was stronger. He knew she had a personal stake in their safety just as he did, but she had no idea who they were up against.

"I know, but Itachi isn't a regular shinobi. His eyes, the power that resides in them is far beyond Kakashi-sensei's, Amari's or my own."

 _I've seen that power firsthand. The things he made me watch…_

Sasuke clenched his hands into fists as they began to shake. "I don't know what he is after, but if he is targeting my team then he'll go after you as well." He met her emerald eyes with a protective stare. "I won't let him hurt you or the others more than he already has."

Sakura did not back down. She met his gaze, and in her eyes he saw a will stronger than ever before. "I don't care what power resides in his eyes. I've trained against Amari's Sharingan and her greatest weakness is the same as yours and your brothers. If you can't meet my eyes, you can't cast your Sharingan genjutsu on me."

She tossed the box back into the apartment and closed the door behind her before turning to face him in confident defiance. "Your brother is not going to get away with Amari and he isn't going to take Naruto either. This isn't just your responsibility, Sasuke. We're a team. We do this together or not at all."

Sakura walked past him towards the balcony and pointed in the direction of the ramen stand. "If Naruto is still in the Village, he'll be at Ichiraku. If he isn't there then maybe Teuchi or Ayame will know where he went." She looked over her shoulder at him. "Let's go."

 _Sakura…_

Sasuke gave a nod and the duo headed off to the ramen stand.

 _You've changed. For the better._

He hoped they wouldn't be too late.

* * *

Haya's unconscious head slumped as Itachi released it. Her chin tucked into her steadily rising and falling chest, entirely unaware to the information his Sharingan had pulled from her mind, his crouched position looming over her or the other two Akatsuki members behind him.

Silently, he reached his uninjured hand up and pulled her bandana over her eyes. They couldn't risk her using a single Mangekyō technique on them; should she do so, chakra exhaustion would kill her instantly.

That was an undesirable conclusion. So he took the extra precaution to obstruct her eyes with her precious bandana, giving her the appearance of one who had their eyes plucked from them with those dry streaks of blood marking her fair cheeks.

"So, what'd you learn?" Kisame asked patiently.

"Our target is traveling with Master Jiraiya of the Sannin," he began to explain, pulling out a string of ninja wire and grabbing her hands to tie them together. Another precaution. Couldn't risk her using any ninjutsu at this point either. The stubborn girl already delayed and injured him more than he expected in their encounter.

"Master Jiraiya, eh? Hm," Kisame hummed in discontent. "I don't like those odds. Even with the three of us I'm pretty sure he'd kill me. Think you two could take him?"

"Any battle between us and the Legendary Sannin will end in all of our deaths—Master Jiraiya included," Aimi stated. "Frontal assault isn't an option, not against a shinobi of his caliber."

"Say Itachi, any idea why this kid is traveling with one of the Legendary Sannin? Far as I know jinchūriki are resented by everyone."

Yes, they were. That's what made them far easier targets for the Akatsuki than they should be. Because people were so close-minded, they treated jinchūriki with callous disdain and vehement hatred, so when one disappeared no one bothered to look for them. _Good riddance_ they would say, and it is that attitude that would be the world's undoing when the Akatsuki took center stage in the coming years.

"It would seem Master Jiraiya plans to train him," Itachi answered, knotting the wire tightly so Haya would not be able to form a single handseal.

He did not expect her to awaken soon, but he hadn't expected a many great events today. And Itachi knew better now than to underestimate Haya Uchiha.

"He must know what the Akatsuki seek," Aimi noted. "Why else would he train the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox while traveling? He must plan to keep him on the move while protecting him, and so long as he is around, this child will be one of the hardest to track and capture."

"Which means now is our best opportunity to capture the Nine-Tailed Fox," Itachi said. "Our reports suggest the jinchūriki has yet to gain full control of the Nine-Tails power. Alone he will be the easiest for us to capture, but first we'll need to find a way to separate him from Master Jiraiya."

"That'll be tough," Kisame said.

"Every shinobi has a weakness, even one of Master Jiraiya's skill and talent."

Every shinobi and every jutsu had weaknesses. There were no exceptions. All they had to do was find and exploit Master Jiraiya's to achieve their mission.

"All right. What about this kid? We disposing of her?"

Itachi did not answer at first. He stared at the unconscious child's slack body, eyes lingering on the pendent of her fused Clan crests.

If only things had turned out differently…

"No," he finally answered. Itachi hefted the unconscious girl onto his good shoulder. "Haya still has some use to our mission. From what I learned, she is very close to this jinchūriki. Close enough he may wish to exchange his life for hers."

"Once he sees her at our mercy, any unnecessary battle or struggle will be nipped at the bud," Aimi concluded his plan.

He nodded silently.

"Probably better we do it your way, considering the state your arm is in," Kisame said, eyes examining the severe burns on his arm and the minor twitches it made.

Aimi frowned at the limb then stepped closer, placing a Medical Ninjutsu covered hand over his bicep. "Aimi—"

"You've already overdone it enough today, 'Tachi. I know we need to move, but we can afford a preliminary treatment to lessen the pain." Her Sharingan eyes met his, soft and compassionate. "Please, don't argue."

Itachi sighed. Aimi still remained the one person he couldn't argue with.

"Yeah, Itachi, don't argue. Wouldn't want Aimi to tie you down. Or maybe you would, hehe!" Kisame grinned.

Itachi sent a mild glare at the swordsman, coaxing another chortle out of the shinobi.

"You are very fortunate it was only burns you received," Aimi continued. "Any slower and Haya would have killed you both, or left you in need of an amputation. As it is," her hand moved down his limb, the intense pain lessening by the warm waves of Medical Ninjutsu, "I should be able to heal it back to health. However, you may have some scarring."

"I've got to ask, after everything we saw from this kid, are we sure we don't want to take her eyes now?" Kisame asked curiously. "With her intelligence and her power, she'll make it into the Bingo Book one day if she has time to gain more experience and hone her abilities. Maybe even with a bounty that will catch Kakuzu's attention."

Itachi noticed Aimi hide the slightest of proud smiles.

"We'll deal with her after we've captured the jinchūriki," Itachi said. "I'm also not confident we'll be able to steal her eyes."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"There could be other fūinjutsu invisible to our eyes that will protect them or kill whoever attempts to remove them," Itachi explained. "We have no way of knowing, and I have no intention of risking any of our lives without proper preparations to counter high leveled fūinjutsu." He met Kisame's eyes with a wry expression. "Unless you'd like to die at the hands of someone already dead."

Kisame's lips split into a wide, sharp toothed grin. "Good point."

Itachi snorted softly and lifted his burned hand to clutch Aimi's forearm gently. "Thank you. The pain isn't as bad now."

She pursed her lips in a cute pout. "'Tachi…"

"Come," he motioned for her and Kisame to follow as he started walking towards their destination. "The sooner we capture the jinchūriki, the sooner you can finish healing my arm."

And the sooner they finished their objective, the sooner he could set things right.

* * *

Two sets of Leaf shinobi raced in search of Naruto and Amari. Sasuke and Sakura alone were ahead of the second group, both running faster than they had ever run before to the nearby outpost Teuchi pointed them towards.

The second group of Leaf shinobi—consisting of Kurenai, Guy, Hana, Mimi, their four ninken and Atsuko—traced Amari's scent as best they could, following it through the forestry where the trio of Akatsuki traveled. They stopped only once, the same as their prey, where they found her scent lingered.

They were close. Closer than they had been when the first departed the Leaf in search of her.

And as both groups chased after the kidnapped kunoichi, they all carried the same thought.

 _Please, let us save them this time._

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: Glad you liked her Mangekyo abilities! We'll be seeing soon what Amari's fate will be with her capture by the Akatsuki. Thank you for the review!_


	57. Chapter 56: Toleration at Absolute Zero

Chapter 56

Toleration at Absolute Zero: A Secret Truth Revealed!

Sasuke and Sakura skidded to a halt at the top of the concrete staircase that led down into the outpost. The street was overflowing with people; they entered and exited stores with shopping bags in their hands; street act performers worked in the afternoon sun for money. Some were in pairs as they traveled into restaurants to sate their hunger, others were alone.

The outpost was loud too, blanketed in a cacophony of random conversations and shops seeking to gather the attention of new customers. The situation couldn't be worse. They were looking for a loud needle in an even louder haystack.

Sasuke scanned the sea of people in search of blond hair on top of a bright orange outfit or a broad older man with long spiky white hair. He didn't see them anywhere.

 _Damn it, where the hell are you Naruto?_ The two members of Team Seven were panting lightly, the beginnings of warm sweat beaded on their foreheads; neither paused for the briefest of seconds since they sprinted out the gates of the Leaf.

He still couldn't believe Itachi was back. Or he didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to believe any of what he learned. Yet he knew it to be true, and it pumped him full of desperation and anger.

Shaking it off, he refocused on the task at hand: Find Naruto. Sasuke couldn't afford to lose focus now when seconds and minutes would determine the fate of his other two teammates.

There was no way Naruto and Jiraiya—the man Teuchi said was with Naruto—had gotten farther than the outpost.

Those two didn't have a clue that Itachi Uchiha recently infiltrated the Leaf or what his goal was. They couldn't know, which only meant they spent this entire time walking the distance instead of running, unaware of the murderous shadow haunting their every footstep.

Sasuke clenched his hands into fists as he scanned the crowd for any sight of his brother. _You're not going to get Naruto, Itachi and I won't let you take Amari either._

First step was finding Naruto. From there they could warn him and the Sannin of the danger and, hopefully, recruit the legendary shinobi's aid to save Amari. Otherwise it would be the three members of Team Seven hunting down their fourth member.

No one would stop them from chasing after their missing teammate. Not Jiraiya and definitely not Itachi.

"I don't see Naruto anywhere," Sakura said worriedly.

"Neither do I."

Time was running out. Every moment they wasted standing here presented his older brother more time to find the loser and execute Amari, if not both of them.

But Itachi was one man and they were two. In this large outpost packed with people, even someone of his talents would have trouble finding Naruto among the sea of people. But there was only one way the two of them could clear enough ground to find their teammate before their enemy.

"Sakura." The pair met eyes. "We're going to have to split up."

Sasuke didn't like the idea at all. It put Sakura at a greater risk of running into his older brother alone, and that was a situation he didn't want to find himself in either. He had seen what his brother had done to Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma; he witnessed him kill the entire Uchiha Clan through his Tsukuyomi.

Alone they stood no chance. Together they probably didn't stand a chance either. _The power of his eyes…_

Sasuke fought back a shudder.

 _If he hit us with that genjutsu, we're dead._

"Whether or not we find Naruto, we meet up here in ten minutes."

The kunoichi nodded. "Right."

She went to take off but was stopped when he grabbed her by her bicep. "Sasuke?" Concern and confusion took over her voice and expression.

He kept his features steely. "If you see my brother, do not engage. Understood? Just get as far away as you can."

He needed her to understand his wish. She _had_ to understand.

 _If Kakashi wasn't able to keep up with Itachi even with his Sharingan, we won't stand a chance in a frontal assault._

Sasuke stared into the emerald eyes of his teammate and felt his resolve strengthen.

 _I won't let him harm anyone else._

"He'll look like…" The Uchiha stopped himself. He was going to say his father but Sakura hadn't known him. "Like…an older me. He'll have tear troughs, black hair. He might have his Sharingan activated at all times, so be careful."

His teammate nodded. "I will. Don't worry. You be safe too, Sasuke."

He gave a nod and released her bicep to let her begin her search.

 _Let's just hope we aren't too late._

Sasuke took off down the stairs.

 _If those two stopped here, they would have stopped at a hotel for rest. This outpost is a place for adults to cut loose, not kids._

Sasuke stopped at an intersection, looking around for the nearest hotel. There were more than he expected. It annoyed him immensely.

"I'll just have to go door to door."

He bolted off, Sharingan eyes activated to spot every individual sign of every hotel in this outpost, hopeful he may catch the sight of Naruto's chakra somewhere in this tumultuous sea of people.

Back and forth. Back and forth he traveled at a ninja dash between the two sides of the street he was on, entering each hotel to ask the same hurried question.

"Have you seen a dopey looking blond-haired boy, about my age traveling with an older guy with white hair?"

No. No. No. Every time he asked he received that same answer. No one had seen either of them and no one had checked them into their hotels either.

 _Did Itachi already find them?_

Sasuke couldn't be sure and he didn't want to think he was already too late to do anything. He had to believe there was still a chance to save his team. Thinking anything less would only result in failure.

So he continued to dash through the outpost as fast as he could. His heart was racing. Sweat dampened his hair and began to slide down the side of his face, tickling the sensory nerves in their wake. Fear filled adrenaline pumped through his body, driving him forward, pushing him to not feel any of his stamina depleting.

 _Where the hell are you, Naruto?_

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

No.

No.

No.

Sasuke exited his recent hotel with heavier breathing and stared across the street at another hotel he had yet to enter.

 _I hope you're having better luck than me, Sakura_ , he thought in his brief moment of pause.

He took in a deep inhale and ran into the hotel, slamming his hand on the receptionist desk as soon as he entered. "Have you seen a dopey looking blond kid, about my age? He's traveling through the outpost with an old man with long white hair?"

"White hair, you say?"

Hope blossomed in Sasuke's being. "Are they here?!"

The man hummed and brought his hand to his chin. "Did I see someone like that when we changed shifts?"

Sasuke growled impatiently at the clerk. He needed an answer now! Couldn't he see how important this was?

"Oh yeah! A blond kid and a white-haired old man!" the clerk suddenly remembered.

 _Yes!_ There was still a chance to stop all of this before things spiraled further out of control.

"So they're here! What room number?!" Sasuke tried to peek at the book with his Sharingan ablaze. His eyes darted across the pages searching for the name Jiraiya or Naruto or both listed as the clerk drew his finger down the page.

"Let's see now…" The clerk trailed off as he searched the book. "That would be room number one on the second flo— hey!"

Sasuke didn't care to listen to the rest. He deactivated his Sharingan and sprinted past the desk, up the stairs and towards the room with extreme haste.

Once he arrived at the door he tried to turn the knob but it wouldn't budge.

 _Locked, of course it's locked at a time like this._ Another thing to annoy him.

Hesitant to outright kick it down, though the thought screamed to be heard, Sasuke rapped his knuckles urgently on the door.

 _Come on, loser. Answer the damn door!_

At the sound of the lock being turned he ripped the door open.

"Naruto!"

In the doorway stood a blond boy, paralyzed with fear at the jarring movement and raised voice. It was not Naruto.

"You're not…" Shock took over the Uchiha at coming up short when he had felt so close.

He growled in overwhelming annoyance and bolted back down the hall, down the stairs and out of the hotel to continue his search. He should have just kicked the damn door down.

Hotel by hotel he searched, his mind tugging him back to a time when his brother had been someone he looked up to explicitly.

Itachi was one of the best of the Clan even at a young age. He was a prodigy and a genius, graduating from the Academy at the top of his class at the age of seven. He made Chūnin at ten, and to top it off he had unlocked the Sharingan at a young age and mastered it by the time he was eight.

For a long time Sasuke aspired to be just as good as him. He had loved his older brother, believing him to be the greatest person and shinobi to ever live. All he wanted was for Itachi to take the time to teach him, to share more time with him instead of always pushing him away. But he usually didn't.

His brother would only poke him in the forehead and say something along the lines of, _"Sorry. Maybe next time, Sasuke."_

Even then though, Sasuke never stopped trying to be closer to his brother.

As time passed, though, his brother's prodigious shadow began to loom over him, filling him with envy of his skills and insecurity over their clear difference of talent.

It frustrated Sasuke. It frustrated him his brother didn't seem to ever want anything to do with him. It frustrated him that he couldn't match his brother's talents. It frustrated him that his father only ever seemed to care about Itachi's accomplishments and never any of his own.

Living in the shadow of his older brother's achievements had spurred him to want to be greater than Itachi so he could be seen as more than just the little brother. It became a challenge to him; one he had taken gladly.

Then his life was turned upside down by Itachi. His older brother, the one he loved, the one he envied, killed their entire Clan then used his Mangekyō Sharingan genjutsu to make him watch the murder of their Clan and family over and over again.

Ever since that day Sasuke's goal had changed. He no longer sought to overcome the shadow, but to destroy the man who casted it to avenge those he had slain.

Now here they were, two brothers bound by their bond of hatred, set on a path where only one would survive. Worst of all, his clan-sister, the person who had given him hope, who had burned the shadows away and grabbed his hand, was captured by the man who murdered their families.

Sasuke snarled. _You won't get away with this Itachi._

His Sharingan activated in his anger.

 _I will stop you and rescue my clan-sister!_

* * *

Meanwhile

* * *

Itachi's gaze lingered on the doe-eyed container of the Nine-Tailed Fox, who stood frozen in rightful fear, cerulean eyes darting between the three elite shinobi looming ominously over him and their hostage.

 _So_ , he thought, _this is the legacy of the Fourth Hokage._

He was remarkably short for a boy of his age; shorter than Haya, which was almost humorous. And he bore an almost laughable resemblance to the Fourth Hokage.

Itachi did not laugh or smile, however. He was no longer in the mood for it.

Hardly a word had been spoken between them since the jinchūriki opened his door without a care in the world to who might be waiting on the other side—a rookie mistake made by a child oblivious to reality. Clearly Master Jiraiya didn't bother to tell him of the Akatsuki; yet another irrational mistake, likely made in the hopes to protect the boy's innocence a bit longer.

Atsuko had chosen far more wisely in informing Haya of the Akatsuki, if not a bit untimely.

Yet, despite Naruto reading the situation he was in perfectly, defiance flickered in those cerulean eyes.

Another reckless child who intended to defy his elders. Or so the child believed. Unfortunately for him, this was reality, and in this reality of shinobi life heroes didn't always get to save the day as shining white knights. They didn't get to save their friends from death, defeat evil through sheer willpower alone and earn the adulation of their Village.

No. The reality of the shinobi world was far harsher than that; a lesson Itachi intended to teach this child in the coming moments.

Cerulean eyes flicked over to Haya's seated frame adjacent to them, back braced against the hallway wall across from his room, chin tucked into her chest and hands bound by ninja wire. Dry blood stained her fair-skinned cheeks, her right arm and the lower back of her tank top.

"An unsightly mess, wouldn't you agree, Naruto Uzumaki?" Itachi asked, his stoic voice penetrating the silence like the sudden crash of a gong.

His question earned an aggravated growl and sharpened glare, but no words. No biting retorts or foolish attacks.

No matter how angry he was, no matter how much he wished to make them regret hurting his friend, Naruto Uzumaki was sufficiently afraid of them. Afraid a single act could end their lives before he could even blink.

In a small moment of boldness he began to reach for his ninja pouch. Small droplets of blood splashed onto the wall as a kunai—thrown by Aimi with the slightest of movements—cut the boy's cheek and embedded itself into the floor behind him.

Naruto's eyes widened and, for the slightest moments, his breathing halted.

Aimi strutted forward, attractively confident and even a little playful. As she passed the child, her fingers lightly glided over his wounded cheek, healing the cut as she went.

"Noble as your intentions might have been," she spoke with lightness, "in your hopeless situation, any rash act may get one of you killed. And think of the poor hotel workers who would have to clean up _all_ that blood."

She bent over to pick her kunai knife up then strutted back, lightly gliding the cold hilt along the nape of the boy's neck as she passed. "But you did intend to attack us to save Haya, even at the risk of your own life. You must care a great deal for her."

Naruto did not utter a single syllable. He stood paralyzed in place, gulping noticeably once, utterly terrified of the kunoichi member of the Akatsuki who clearly had every opportunity to kill him in their small interaction.

He finally comprehended how the fate of his life and that of Haya's did not rest in his own hands, or that of luck or fate. They lived or died by the whims of the Akatsuki—a petrifying reality he could not escape now.

"Consider your situation carefully, Naruto Uzumaki," Itachi said. "You are not an unstoppable hero capable of defeating overwhelming odds all because you _believe_ in yourself. That is only an illusion. You are still only a child—a Genin. In your short life you've witnessed but one glimpse of war and death, while our eyes and our hands have been submerged in it since we were children.

"War, death, sacrifice; this is our reality as shinobi. A reality you and your peers have been sheltered from all this time, until now." Itachi glanced to Haya. "For all of her foolishness, Haya understands this reality far better than you do. She understood from the moment she stepped between us and our goal that saving those she considered precious required her to sacrifice herself in their stead."

"You've both called her Haya, and you both have Sharingan, but neither of you cover them up like Kakashi-sensei does. That has to mean that the two of you are members of the Uchiha Clan," Naruto interrupted, finally finding his voice and reaching the obvious conclusion.

Itachi's eyes lingered on Haya and her pendent. Regrets. Wishes. Memories of a life out of his reach.

 _So much could have been different…_

"As far as I've known, Sasuke and Amari were the only ones to survive the massacre, which can only mean you two were the ones responsible for it."

"You're just now figuring that out? Not the sharpest kid, are you?" Kisame chortled.

Naruto ignored him. His intense, and still frightened, eyes lingered on the two Uchiha. "You can talk down to me all you like, but that doesn't change the fact you're traitors and murderers. You betrayed the Leaf. You betrayed your Clan and your family's when you slaughtered them without mercy."

He pointed at Haya. "It's because of both of you that Amari and Sasuke have had to suffer! So don't talk to me about this 'reality' crap when you're the ones responsible for it! Besides, when I'm Hokage, I'll work hard to change this reality so kids won't have to know the pain they have."

Itachi snorted. He slowly drew his eyes from Haya back to the child. "Your foolish bravado only proves you're still an ignorant child. Do you truly believe you alone can change the world? That you can change the hearts of shinobi just by seeking the title of Hokage? Don't be ridiculous."

"I won't have to do it alone, because I'll have my friends backing me up. And that includes Amari!"

Aimi hummed a laugh. "He's certainly has a charm to him. I don't think he's going to take our offer, 'Tachi."

"No, I don't think he will either."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "What offer?"

"As I said previously, Haya understands the reality of shinobi far better than you do. She was willing to sacrifice herself so the people she held precious wouldn't die. So what about you, Naruto Uzumaki? Given the choice to either exchange your life for hers, or for both of you to be disposed of, what do you choose?"

"I'm not letting you take Amari," Naruto growled.

"And yet you still look ready to fight." Itachi leveled him with a pointed look. "You have much to learn if you plan to be Hokage."

Naruto glared at them in defiant but frozen silence.

"Well, you had your shot, kid." Kisame gripped Samehada and stepped forward. "You should have taken Itachi's offer while you could. I think I'll take a leg off you. That should keep you from causing us problems on the way."

Itachi did not speak. He watched with a disinterested stare as Kisame made his approach. Every heavy step forward steadily broke the tough exterior of the jinchūriki; his own fault, considering he chose to ignore the wise course of action when given the opportunity.

Yes, he would need to learn more if he had any hope of becoming Hokage.

Before Kisame could swing his sword, Itachi spoke up.

"It has been a long time."

Kisame paused. He turned his head to look back in confusion, only to then notice their newest arrival standing at the other end of the hall.

"Sasuke," Itachi spoke the name once spoken with fondness in an emotionless voice.

"Itachi Uchiha." His brother's voice was full of resentment and hatred.

Fighting his brother now of all times was of no interest to Itachi. They'd been delayed enough today as it was, and his younger brother lacked the necessary strength for him to fight seriously.

Next to him, he sensed Aimi's lips twitch upwards in the smallest of smirks. "It's one reunion after another, huh, 'Tachi? Today has certainly been eventful."

"Well, well, another little brat with Sharingan," Kisame grinned. "And he looks like you, Itachi. Care to tell me who this one is?"

"He's my younger brother."

Kisame half turned to meet his eyes fully. "Honestly you two, how many did you spare?"

"He is the last," he answered honestly.

"Hm," Kisame hummed thoughtfully. "Well, it's not my business to ask after your reasons. You two aren't the type to do something without cause." He smirked at the pair. "Just don't make another repeat incident of last time, all right? You already almost lost one arm."

Itachi gave the smallest dips of his head in agreement.

"What did you do to her, Itachi?!" Sasuke yelled in fury.

"Haya's current state is her own doing," he glanced over his shoulder to his brother, "and not of your concern."

Sasuke grit his teeth and growled in anger. "That's where you're wrong. It became my concern when you targeted my team!"

"Is that what you think I was doing? Attacking your team? Going after the people you bonded with to incite your hatred for me?" Itachi snorted. "Foolish little brother, it's time for you to grow up. Not everything in this world is about _you_."

Sasuke inhaled a sharp breath full of rage.

"Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma discovered our presence while we were searching for our true target, and so we had no choice but to battle them to ensure our escape." He looked away from his brother back to Haya. "And when Haya learned of our presence, she came rushing to their aid, intent to sacrifice herself so they would survive."

"So, what? You're telling me that this is all some coincidence that everyone you've targeted has been close to me?"

"Again you assume I've given any thought to who and what you care about," Itachi scolded. "Let me guess, you still believe you're the only one capable of avenging the Clan. That you're somehow special because I left you alive on a whim."

He returned his gaze to his brother's furious and hurt eyes. "That night I lied to you and made you believe you and I were the only Uchiha's left. And yet, after learning Haya is alive, you still hang onto every lie I fed you as if it were truth. Even when standing in the same presence as Aimi you don't recognize her because you still believe she is dead."

His brother's eyes widened and snapped to the Akatsuki kunoichi. Finally he recognized her. "Aimi… You…You're…"

"Alive?" she offered in amusement. "Haya could hardly believe it too, and yet here we are."

Sasuke snarled and locked gazes with Itachi. "Everything you told me that night, it's all been a lie?"

"Hmph. Did you truly believe I would give you the keys on how to defeat me?" Itachi questioned in return. "Fester your hatred? Kill your best friend to unlock the Mangekyō Sharingan? My foolish little brother, why would I tell you the truth? Because we're brothers? Because we're blood? I had just finished killing our parents, and yet you think I couldn't lie to you?

"I misled you for my own purposes, but seeing you now in this weak state is just unsightly for one of Uchiha blood."

Kisame chuckled sadistically. "That's cold, Itachi."

"Mangekyō…Sharingan?" Naruto questioned.

Turning back to the jinchūriki, Itachi decided to give the boy the knowledge he sought. "It is an evolution of the Sharingan, Naruto Uzumaki. It holds incredible power, far beyond Kakashi's, and yours Sasuke. There is a catch however."

"A catch? What kind of catch?"

"For one to unlock the Mangekyō Sharingan, they must first witness the death of someone they hold dear." He glanced over his shoulder at his brother again with a disappointed look. "A half-breed unlocked the Mangekyō Sharingan before you. How pitiful."

His brother's eyes would have bulged out of his eye sockets through shock alone if it were possible.

"She unlocked the Mangekyō Sharingan?" Sasuke's eyes met Itachi's in rage. "What the hell did you make her do, Itachi?! Who did you force her to kill?!"

He smirked vindictively. "You're still hanging onto my lies. Weren't you listening? Haya didn't have to kill anyone. Instead I unlocked the memories of her dearest cousin, and made her watch his death.

"Her power was most impressive; it's responsible for my injuries. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't able to finish the job. What little chakra she has left is all that is keeping her alive. But she's beginning to outlive her usefulness. Perhaps I'll eliminate her now."

The hall went dead silent.

Itachi caught the eyes of Kisame and Aimi, silently signaling them to be prepared to strike. The former Mist ninja grinned in response; he was ready to finally cut loose, even if it was only on children. The Akatsuki kunoichi nodded once and stepped closer to Haya.

With his partners in position, Itachi turned around completely to face his brother, trusting in Kisame to handle the angered jinchūriki accordingly and Aimi to keep any attempt to rescue Haya from happening.

Lightning began to build up around Sasuke's left hand, casting a threatening blue over his body; what sounded like a thousand birds chirping at once followed. The power of the technique made his brother's hair and clothes begin to shift on their own, as if caught in a breeze.

 _Chidori. Impressive._

"You won't lay another finger on Amari, and if you do—" the lightning grew in intensity, "I will make you suffer!"

"You three won't get away with what you've done!" Naruto followed his teammate.

A surge of strong, ominous chakra began to form behind Itachi, making him glance back in curiosity. The orange cloak of the Nine-Tails chakra formed around Naruto. "I don't care what you call your Sharingan." His determined filled eyes met Itachi's. "We'll take you down and save Amari together!"

"Die, Itachi!"

The elder Uchiha turned his head back to face his charging brother. The Chidori tore a crater through the wall, backed up by furious Sharingan eyes full of hatred. Sasuke's speed was impressive for his age, as was his ability to use Kakashi's signature jutsu. However, while the technique was undoubtedly powerful, it was ultimately a foolish plan of attack.

The ridiculous level of foolishness actually irritated Itachi.

Did his younger brother honestly think he would just stand here and let him strike him down? Did he really believe anyone of his skill level would be unable to dodge such a technique while he was in complete control of his body?

What was his brother thinking?

"The air is ripe with chakra, but you are too slow, kid," Kisame taunted as he swiped his blade into the orange chakra.

His brother neared and threw the lightning filled jab, intent to kill Itachi in a single blow. At the last second Itachi moved his right hand.

An explosion ripped through the hallway. Creaks and groans could be heard if one listened closely, the shockwave of the explosion shuddering through the walls and beams holding this building together. Drywall dust covered everyone.

When the dust finally settled, all were able to see the hole in the wall opposite of Haya and Aimi, leading into the nearby bedroom Naruto once sat peacefully within.

Peace. What a fragile state of existence.

Itachi's eyes stared through his brother as if he were made of glass. His right hand gripped Sasuke's forearm tightly, aiming the palm of his hand towards the giant circular hole next to them.

The attack failed.

"Wha- I can't feel my charka," Naruto panicked.

"My sword, Samehada, cuts through chakra, and devours it," Kisame taunted the jinchūriki. "Your chakra was quite the treat for Samehada. I wonder if your little friend's demonic chakra would have been any better."

Itachi glanced to his partner. "Don't lose focus."

Believing that he had lost his focus by speaking to the former Mist shinobi, Sasuke went to strike him with his free hand.

Itachi didn't bother to glance back. "That's enough, Sasuke," he said before breaking his wrist.

His brother let out a wordless scream of pain before collapsing face first to the floor.

"All right. Don't want this kid whipping out anymore jutsu. Forget the legs; I think I'll take his hands instead!"

His partner lifted his blade up and moved to cut the blonde's hands off, but a sudden plume of smoke formed around the boy. The sound of his blade hitting metal echoed in the hall.

"What the?"

"Careful, Kisame, it's one of the Sannin's toads," Aimi warned.

The smoke cleared to reveal a short but large toad wearing metal vambracers and a chest plate; its arms were held up in a guard, using the vambracers to block Kisame's sword.

A second smoke cloud appeared behind Naruto and was followed by a new voice.

"You three don't know me at all, do you?"

Right on time to interrupt. Whether or not they succeeded in capturing the jinchūriki now didn't matter. So long as they lived they could try again later.

"You three should have done your homework. Jiraiya the Toad Sage falls victim to no ladies charm. Rare beauties fall for _me_! It isn't in my nature to fall to the wiles of women. When you reach the stature I have, the ladies kneel and worship at your awesomeness!"

The smoke cleared. Master Jiraiya stood behind his new student with an unconscious woman slung over his shoulder, a ridiculous grin on his face and his palm facing the trio in an even more ridiculous pose.

 _Such a fool._

Legends rarely lived up to expectations, he supposed.

* * *

Sakura exited yet another hotel with sweat on her brow and labored breathing. Almost all ten minutes had been used up, and still she hadn't found anyone who had seen the pair.

 _Where are you Naruto?_ She was worried. Sasuke didn't show fear often, but the look in his eyes when he spoke of his brother…

 _I just have to hope he already has Naruto and Master Jiraiya waiting for me at our meeting point._ Then they could begin their rescue mission to save Amari.

 _We'll save you, Amari. I promise._

As she made to start the run back to their meeting point, a loud explosion echoed over the outpost, silencing the loud population in one fell swoop. Sakura snapped her head in the direction of the noise. _That came from the other side of the outpost._

Jumping up onto a building, Sakura brought her hand above her brow to block the sun from her eyes as she searched the horizon. She couldn't see any smoke anywhere, but she could see a building people were scattering away from as if a war was taking place within.

Worry gripped her heart. _Did he find Naruto and then run into his brother?_

Sakura took a breath and steeled herself. She had to be strong. If her two boy teammates were in trouble, then she needed to be there with them.

With one last breath to calm her nerves she began the trek back through the outpost towards the building.

 _Please be okay Sasuke, you too Naruto._

* * *

Jiraiya set the civilian woman he carried down on the floor, out of the way of what could very well be one of the most intense battles in his recent recollection.

"What kind of coward uses his Sharingan to cast a genjutsu on an innocent woman?" he asked rhetorically.

He had seen through it right from the start. So he played his part as the fool and enjoyed himself with the pretty woman to make the trio believe he was duped. It had worked quite well, and during the wait he had had a good time around the outpost.

In a way it ended up being a win-win.

"All of this in an effort to separate me from Naruto. I must say it could have been a good plan if it wasn't so rushed."

The Sannin examined the three Akatsuki members. _The only one with visible injuries is Itachi, but it's clear these three have recently been in battle._ The tears in their cloaks and Itachi's burned arm showed whoever they battled against gave it their all. _His wounds aren't fatal, but they are severe. They must have him acting quicker than he wants to, or something else has him acting too hastily._

He glanced to Amaririsu's seated body behind the trio of shinobi now facing him; the dried blood on her cheeks and current state of capture painted an unsettling tale. _How did you get caught up in all of this, kid?_

A lot had happened since he left the Leaf with Naruto, clearly. And none of it good.

"I know Naruto is the one you're really after," he said, eyes returning to Itachi. "And I assume by her presence here you planned to use Amaririsu as bait or a bargaining chip to get him to come quietly while I was away. Your injuries show you met resistance back in the Leaf when you tried to kidnap her, but whoever tried to stop you ultimately failed."

"Quite the assumption," Itachi replied flatly. Jiraiya chose silence, for now. "You are right. Naruto is the prize the Akatsuki seeks, and we will have him."

Naruto took an involuntary and fearful step back, farther away from the Akatsuki and closer to Jiraiya.

"However, you are only partially correct about Haya. We held no intention of kidnapping her when we infiltrated the Leaf; neither she nor my foolish brother interests me at this moment. It was Haya who learned of our presence and jumped thoughtlessly into our battle.

"When it became clear she knew where our target was, and that she planned to unveil some of the Akatsuki's secrets to the world, she became too valuable to ignore. However her eyes have made her of even greater value to me."

"What would the great Itachi Uchiha want with a Byakugan eye and a three tomoe Sharingan?" asked Jiraiya in a serious tone.

 _Don't tell me she's unlocked_ _ **that**_ _ability already._

Itachi's blank face was broken by the slightest upward quirk of his lips. "An interesting question indeed, Master Jiraiya. But you and I already know the answer to that question."

The Sannin frowned. "So, you used that genjutsu on her mind to show her something painful enough to unlock the Mangekyō Sharingan, probably in hopes she would unlock the power her father wielded so you could take it for yourself."

He wasn't surprised, not when the Uchiha once practiced killing their best friends to gain the Mangekyō Sharingan.

"Half right again, Master Jiraiya. I used the genjutsu to render her unconscious; however the pain she experienced kept her awake, and in turn unlocked the Mangekyō Sharingan, prolonging our battle." He made a motion to his injured arm. "The power she gained did this to me."

"You can't be serious."

A Genin doing _that_ to an Akatsuki member had to be some form of a bad joke.

The rogue Uchiha's face returned to one of impassive blankness. "I am. She unlocked her father's power and almost killed us both with it."

Jiraiya didn't like it, not one bit. That kind of power in the hands of a kid was asking for trouble, especially when she had a genjutsu obscuring her mind by the man in front of him.

"Heh, why am I not surprised someone of the Uchiha Clan is planning on stealing the eyes of someone they once called friend," he mused. Jiraiya dispelled his toad and stood up to his full height. "You're not getting Naruto," his voice was deadly serious, "and you will not be taking Amaririsu or her eyes."

"We'll see about that," Itachi responded just as serious.

The Sannin couldn't help but smirk. "Actually this is all very convenient. I can eliminate you three at the same time."

Before Jiraiya could act, movement caught his eye. He struggled not to look at it, in fear of drawing attention to Amaririsu as her trembling hands began to lift towards her forehead. _Kid, stop moving_ , he mentally urged. _Don't draw their attention._

Their backs were turned to her. They had no idea she was moving yet, but if she kept at it she would become a target again.

She pulled the bandana up off her right eye, revealing an onyx orb still intact and very much in her eye socket. Any relief that provided evaporated when she began spreading her hands, tightening the ninja wire holding them together to cut deep into her flesh. She grimaced but kept at it until she had just enough of a gap to grab a kunai.

Reaching into her leg holster, she procured a blade and cut the wire, freeing her hands.

The snap of the wire made Itachi's eyes squint. "Haya, you're becoming a nuisance," he said. He actually sounded annoyed.

"…Good," she replied in a quiet, shaky voice.

Amaririsu stabbed the blade into the wall and used it to pull her quaking and trembling body up off the floor. The added support wasn't enough at first. Her legs gave way almost immediately, crashing her knees first back onto the wooden floor. The energy she expended to get up left her out of breath. But she tried again to a successful end.

"Just stay down, kid," Jiraiya tried to coax the stubborn kid down. "I'll handle this. You've done enough already."

"Master…Jiraiya…get ready…to…attack."

Fresh blood plopped onto the wood floor from her fingertips; her chest heaved with heavy breaths as her legs trembled, but somehow she found the energy to reach into her back pouch to pull a second kunai from it, this one with a sealing tag tied to its hilt.

Before Jiraiya could utter a word, a kunai he didn't even see pierced through the tag and into the wall. He blinked and Itachi suddenly had the child pinned to the wall with his cloaked forearm as he used his injured hand to immobilize her weapon hand.

"You should listen to your elders, Haya."

* * *

Itachi's tolerance for the foolishness had finally hit absolute zero.

Glaring into the exhausted and watery onyx eye of Haya, he watched it shift ever so slightly. Left. Right. Closer to him and then further away.

Unbelievable. She couldn't even see him clearly and yet she still tried to attack. He glanced down to the sealing tag, examining it in expectation to find yet another sign of her irrational behavior.

 _A Concussion Seal?_ Hm, so she hadn't intended to use a paper bomb. Her intelligence hadn't been entirely impaired, it seemed. Still, he wouldn't let her interruption go without punishment.

Itachi released his hold and let her body begin to cave on its own. Before she could collapse, he slammed his uninjured fist into her stomach, knocking her back into the wall behind her and the air from her lungs.

She lacked the energy to cry out in pain. Her eye visibly dulled in a daze; it seemed that single punched finished off what little fight she had left in her.

As she bounced back towards him, Itachi backhanded her with his fist. Her body flew down the hall to the T-intersection at the end, where her back made a sickening crack upon impact with the wall. Haya slumped down into a seated position.

"You have no strength left, Haya. You cannot see straight out of your right eye and you are blind in your left. _That_ is why you have not activated the Byakugan."

He sent her lifeless body a flat look. "I am finished tolerating your interference."

Itachi turned and stepped towards the downed kunoichi. As he passed his prone brother, Sasuke grabbed his ankle with his unbroken hand in yet another futile attempt to stop him.

"Stay away from her, Itachi!"

The older Uchiha ripped his ankle from his younger brother's grasp then stamped on his broken wrist. Sasuke's painful scream reverberated through the walls.

When his cries became grunts and whimpers of agony, Itachi spoke again. "And what are you going to do about it? Your head-on attack failed, Sasuke. Did you really think that I would just stand here and let you kill me?"

Itachi was done with foolishness.

"Chidori is a powerful tool, but it is one you used carelessly. Now look at you. You cannot even form the handseals to use it."

Suddenly his body seized up. Itachi shut his eyes and exhaled an annoyed sigh through his nose. "You are testing my patience, Haya. What point is there in using a jutsu you lack both the strength and chakra to use properly?"

"…It's…my eyes…you want, right? Well…come and take them…if you can."

"As you wish." He broke free of her Shadow Possession and looked at his brother one last time. "You and Naruto have much to learn about the world. Watch carefully, Sasuke, as Haya teaches you the reality of shinobi."

And with those final words, he vanished from sight, reappearing before the downed kunoichi panting in exertion. "Is this going how you imagined it?" he asked.

"Perfectly. I…won't…let you…hurt them."

"I see." He reached down and picked up the defeated kunoichi by her throat until her small legs dangled helplessly in the air. "Then it is only fitting that I use the jutsu you interfered with against Kakashi against you."

She didn't flinch or tremble in terror. She merely waited for her fate to come, no longer able to fight.

"You have proven yourself worthy of Shisui's warning. I must commend your efforts, even if they are futile." He shut his eyes and began to pool chakra into them. "But this is the end for you."

Full pinwheels bored into Haya's onyx eye.

 _Tsukuyomi._

* * *

The hallway collapsed away, replaced by the red sky world of the Tsukuyomi. The exhaustion once sapping Haya's limbs of all strength vanished, and with it the aches and pains that made every little movement hurt disappeared too.

She felt fully recovered. She could even see out of her left eye again, as if the Mangekyō jutsu had never strained the Byakugan eye into temporary blindness. Haya knew better than to believe it, though.

Her current state of apparent full recovery, the lack of physical aches, it was all just another part of this remarkable illusion casted by Itachi; he controlled everything here, and soon she would meet whatever horrific fate he planned to unleash on her.

Casting her eyes around, a tight pinch formed in her heart as she noticed her whereabouts. She was standing on the hill overlooking Nakano River. The hill her cousin threw himself off.

"Why here?" she asked in heartbreak. "Wasn't it enough the first time?"

"You are mistaken if you think I meant for you to see that moment the first time." Paralysis halted Haya's attempt to swing around and punch him. Itachi strolled past her, closer to the place he once stood in when he watched Shisui die.

"However, do not blame me for your being here now. Your consistent interference is what brought you to this moment."

Haya growled. "Did you expect me to just stand by and let you kill my mom, Asuma-sensei and Kakashi-sensei or whisk Naruto away?! They're my family!"

She struggled to break free of the paralysis to no avail.

"Or did you think I'd just accept choosing the path where nothing is left or where nothing is right without trying to make a new path? No. I refuse the paths Aimi tried to make me choose from. I'll follow my own path, just like Shisui asked me to! And that path means standing between you and—"

"Enough, Haya."

Itachi's voice gave her pause. He sounded utterly exhausted, and annoyed. After a pregnant pause, he turned to face her with unguarded eyes and features, no longer hiding behind the disconnected indifference he wore so well, revealing but a glimpse of the boy she once knew.

"You acted exactly how I expected you to."

"I…what?"

"You may think what you will about our decisions, but do not doubt our ability to comprehend the reasons for your actions today. Aimi and I understand them better than you will ever realize."

The scolding made her inwardly shrink. Sheesh, she forgot how it felt to be reprimanded by him.

"But just because I understand your reasons doesn't mean you are without fault. How many times do you intend to recklessly risk your life against a superior opponent? Master Jiraiya told you to stay down, and yet you continued to persist with your reckless behavior, placing yourself in a position where you must unnecessarily sacrifice yourself for your comrades.

"Master Jiraiya could have saved all three of you without your help, but you placed yourself in harm's way, for what? To distract one of us for the briefest of moments? To render us incapable with your Concussion Seal without considering the possibility your savior could be caught in the blast?"

He glared. "If I was anyone else you'd already be dead, and the sacrifices made by your family would be wasted!"

Haya winced. Ouch. That stung.

Itachi didn't necessarily raise his voice. He didn't need to. The passionate emotions he kept restrained filtered into his voice, the heat and rawness of them doing more than enough to keep her in shamed silence.

Itachi exhaled a deep sigh. "But you're stubborn. It isn't in your nature to sit still when there's even a slight chance you can help—a trait you inherited from Shisui and your parents. You used whatever little information you gained from Atsuko about the Akatsuki to paint yourself as a target for us, fully resolved to sacrifice yourself so we would leave Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma alone. In that you succeeded."

"How did you—"

He cut her off with a single look. "Truly, Haya, where else would you have gained such information? You are no spy of the Leaf. And you certainly haven't made the connections necessary to learn what the Akatsuki's plan or targets are. No," he shook his head, "it could only be the Crows of the Leaf to give you such information."

Haya frowned. "Troublesome boy."

Why did he have to be so intelligent?

"You are not the only one to blame for this current situation, however. I hold my share of the blame in what has happened to you today." Itachi looked off at the horizon. "While revealing your memories of Shisui would have granted you the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan regardless, I did not know you would see his death. I suppose there was no reason for me to know you were given his memories; none of us expected the worst possible scenario to become reality."

Haya furrowed her brow. "You say that like you were working to stop it all the way up until the final day."

"We were." Itachi looked back to her stunned expression. "Shisui entrusted you with many truths I did not plan to tell you or Sasuke. Perhaps that is where I have made my greatest mistake as a brother, and where Shisui has accomplished what I was incapable of."

"…Itachi…"

She wasn't even sure what she wanted to say. Part of her wanted to yell and scream at him, but the more she looked at him, the more she realized how…sad and defeated he looked.

"Shisui realized his mistake. His attempt to take the burden of the Clan's fate alone cost him his life. But given the chance to continue to hide truths from you, he chose the opposite. He placed his trust and his Will in _you_ ; he brought you in instead of pushing you away."

Itachi's eyes lowered. "I've only ever pushed Sasuke away, out of hope I could protect him from darkness through lies and half-truths. But if I had been honest with him from the start, if I only brought him in instead of pushing him away, I wonder what could have been different."

"…Then why admit this to me and not him?"

"Because I'm choosing to place my trust in you as well," Itachi answered. "Do you know why I spent so much time lecturing Naruto and Sasuke? I know you were awake to hear it all."

Haya felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment.

"While you still have much to learn, you have a firmer grasp on who you are and who you are not. For one moment you lost that today. For one moment you embraced the Curse of Hatred."

Haya's eyebrows rose. "You were trying to teach them?"

"Precisely," Itachi nodded. "Naruto must mature if he has any hope of defending himself from the Akatsuki. And Sasuke must abandon his hatred. If someone as pure as you can become corrupted and blinded by the Curse of Hatred, I fear my attempt to focus Sasuke's hatred on me will inevitably turn him into someone our parents would not want him to become."

This was all making her head spin, but she was beginning to see the bigger picture previously hidden from her sight.

"You and Aimi…" She shut her eyes and scrunched her brow in heartache. "Now I get it. The paths she tried to make me choose from…she was giving me the slightest hint at what you two went through. You had to choose a path where either nothing you did was right or nothing you loved was left. So you…you're both still…"

"This is the burden we must carry," Itachi stated plainly.

"And that's why Shisui let you guys stay to hear everything he had to say instead of kicking you out like Kisame. The fūinjutsu, it essentially let him see beyond the illusions you two casted around yourselves to the real Itachi and Aimi. That's why he said he'd still be waiting for you both when you two…"

Pieces were beginning to fall into place.

"Which means either this masked man or the Foundation forced you to choose from those paths."

"Yes."

"Aimi wasn't searching for Naruto, was she?"

"No, she was not. Aimi reminded the Foundation they are not untouchable, and should they cross a line, we _will_ act."

An ominous threat.

"Why? Why are you telling me all of this?" Haya asked, feeling dizzy and overwhelmed. "Why tell me and not Master Jiraiya? Or Kakashi-sensei?"

"Master Jiraiya will learn the truths Shisui entrusted to you through Kakashi, Kurenai or Shikaku. That will be enough for him to protect the Leaf and Naruto. I'm giving you this information because you have the power to keep Sasuke on the right path."

Haya's heart tightened. "And I'm just supposed to…lie to him? Pretend I don't know you and Aimi had no other choice? That this Foundation thing doesn't exist or this masked man didn't have a hand in killing the Uchiha?"

"You must do what you believe is right. But do you believe Sasuke is currently in a place where he'll listen? Do you think he'll actually believe you?"

Her silence was answer enough.

"Sasuke has lived in the shadow of my lies. Even if you were to tell him the truth, he would accuse you of being manipulated by me; now his precious clan-sister is his enemy, and so he would descend into darkness to do whatever irrational action he believed necessary, wouldn't you agree?"

Haya nodded solemnly.

"Sasuke is not you, Haya. He doesn't hold your convictions or your individuality," Itachi said. "It is up to you to open his mind after he has closed it for so long. It is up to you to guide him out of the darkness back into the light."

"Itachi…"

"I'm entrusting Sasuke's future to you. All I ask is that you keep him on the right path. Keep him from the darkness by whatever means you must. Do not let Orochimaru mold him into a disposable tool." She gawked at him, earning the smallest of smirks. "I saw his Curse Mark. When the time comes, I will ensure it is removed. Until then, do not let it become his crutch of power."

"…I'll try."

"Thank you." He met her eyes with an earnest stare. "Know this Haya: neither Aimi nor I want you to save us from ourselves. We are on our path for a reason just as you and Sasuke have paths of your own to walk. This isn't just about you or Sasuke or even us. The Akatsuki, the masked man and the Foundation all pose a threat to the shinobi world.

"You and Mimi Inuzuka have already positioned yourselves as the next generation's guardians. You two must continue to inspire your peers to become greater than they are. It is the only way they will survive what is to come, should the worst happen."

"I'm…I'm not even sure how to do that," she admitted quietly.

Itachi hummed amusedly. "Yes you do. Walk the path you've chosen, continue to reach out to others as Shisui did before you, and your parents did before him, and you will inspire your peers to follow the trail you have illuminated."

He glanced back at the edge of the hill. "Until then, I will reveal one final truth to you. Shisui wanted you to see his fate in its entirety."

Haya squeezed her eyes shut against the sudden ache of pain in her heart. "Please…please don't. I don't know how much more I can bear today."

Itachi turned to face her again. "You must face this truth now, Haya. We do not have the luxury of time, and I must ensure no one suspects Aimi or I of going easy on you."

Haya gulped but nodded. She was the one who made this happen. She had to accept the consequences.

"Upon this genjutsu ending, your body will sleep, but you will be taken into the safety of your mindscape where more lessons await you."

"That's not foreboding at all…" she muttered.

Without a word, Itachi faded away.

The scene she had seen before took center stage in front of her; a young Itachi in Anbu gear stood across from Shisui, the former being joined by Atsuko on his shoulder and Aimi standing next to him in her mantle.

Just the sight of Shisui brought on the desire to run over and hug him. To hear him call her name in excitement. To be teased about her affectionate thoughts. To hold him so tight and for him to actually _see_ her here, but he couldn't see her, and she couldn't move.

His right eye was gone already. Blood flowed down his cheek from it, like her bloodstained cheeks in the real world.

"He didn't trust what I was going to do," he spoke, bringing his left hand up to his left eye. "They'll probably come after my left eye, too. Before that happens I want you to have it, Itachi."

Haya flinched in pain and shut her eyes, but even then she could see the scene playing out on the back of her eyelids, forcing her to witness her cousin pull his own eye out.

Aimi shut her eyes while Itachi merely flinched slightly and continued to watch. "You're the only friends I can trust to keep it safe. Protect the Village and the Uchiha name."

He put his hand out for Itachi to take the eye. Reluctantly he took it.

"But…" The younger Uchiha stopped himself as he stared down at his closed hand.

"When the time is right, I would like for you to pass it on to Haya," Shisui continued. "The path ahead of her will be tougher than I ever wanted it to be…but it and my eye will keep her safe."

"When will the time be right?" Aimi asked.

"Atsuko will let you know when Haya is ready to embark on the path I've left her."

"I will guide Young Haya as best as I can until then, Shisui. I promise," Atsuko promised.

"Thank you, Atsuko. Pops and Mama Nara will have her sign the contract when she makes Genin. But there is something else I must give you."

He reached into his ninja pouch and pulled out a storage scroll.

Shisui took his tantō and scabbard out of his harness and sealed it away into the scroll. He handed it over to Aimi. "This storage scroll contains the things I wish Haya to inherit in the future. Please keep them safe."

"I will."

Haya wanted to stop watching. She could see the pain in Shisui's face, not from his missing eyes but from the knowledge he was leaving her, their family and the others. Itachi and Aimi seemed unaware that this was really a goodbye.

"Finally, I'm going to give you two a new power too." Shisui's face was one of intense seriousness. "The Mangekyō Sharingan."

Aimi and Itachi's eyes visibly bulged, although Atsuko did not seem surprised. Deeply saddened, but unsurprised. Shisui must have already spent his final moments with her and their parents before this, which meant Atsuko had been filled in too.

"Shisui, you can't!" Itachi protested with unadulterated shock in his voice.

"Wait, jus- just give me more time to find an antidote, Shisui," Aimi tried to argue.

"I'm not going to last much longer anyways. Take it as a gift…my dying wish."

"Wha- what about Haya? You can't just leave her. She needs and loves you, Shisui," Aimi was fighting against tears as she continued to argue against the body flicker master's decision.

Shisui released an unsteady breath. "I know…I…know. I made her a promise…a promise I never wanted to break." A tear made its way down his cheek with the blood. "I love Haya more than anything else in this life. She shouldn't have to shoulder the burden I've placed on her, but it's the only way I know she will be safe and alive.

"As long as she lives, the will of the pure hearted Uchiha will never die." He paused and took a breath. "Please…look after her in the coming years."

"…We will, Shisui. I promise," Itachi said, but both he and his female counterpart's eyes fell in sadness.

Shisui laughed lightly as his smile returned. "What's with those looks on your faces? Aimi, don't tell me you're going to get all serious and broody like Itachi."

He placed one hand on each of their shoulders. "A worried expression just doesn't look good on you two. You two must always stick together and remain calm, my friends. That's who Itachi and Aimi Uchiha are. I'm positive you two can do this." Shisui gave them both a confident smile. "So don't worry, everything will be fine."

Both lowered their heads and closed their eyes. "I will carry on your will for the Uchiha…" Itachi spoke lowly.

"As will I. We will watch over Haya as you would, Shisui, guiding her to follow in your footsteps."

"Thank you both. But don't worry too much about her. I know Haya will succeed without me, no matter what. You'll see. She's my cousin after all and I believe in her."

Two warm streams of sorrow spilled down Haya's cheeks. "Please Itachi, I don't want to see anymore," she begged.

She couldn't stand it anymore. Watching her cousin say his goodbyes and being unable to move her body to embrace him as if it could stop him from dying, it was slowly killing her inside. She didn't want to watch him die again. She didn't want to hear the pain in his voice at being unable to keep his promise.

She received no verbal answer from Itachi, only the scene continuing to unfold before her.

"From now on, you two may be forced to walk down a long, dark path. One that's filled with pain and suffering. I have to apologize…" Shisui's hand gripped their shoulders tighter as he held back his own emotions. "That I can't be with you two through it all. Still, I hope you two don't falter from your path and keep moving forward as Konoha shinobi. I believe in you both."

Both Itachi and Aimi grit their teeth as they too began the struggle to keep their emotions at bay. The kunoichi of the group was the first to let tears fall. "That is why I'm able to ask you both to carry my will," he turned so his back was facing them with the Uchiha crest on his shirt staring right back at the two Uchiha's, "and the Mangekyō."

The pair opened their eyes to stare with sorrowful eyes at their friend. Shisui lifted his head to the sky and let out a breath. "Thank you both…for everything."

The trio remained silent for a few moments before Shisui spoke up again. "Well, I guess this is the end of the road for me. But this will pave a new way for you both, and Haya. It'll also give you two new power."

"Itachi…please stop. I…I don't want to see this again."

There was no reply.

Shisui let out a sigh. "Well, Itachi, Aimi… Now the time has come. Make a new way for yourselves with your own hands. You two can do it…I know you can." Pure sadness pulled onto both of their faces as tears continued to stream down Aimi's face.

He turned around and aimed his back at the edge of the cliff. "See you friends. I leave the rest…to you both."

Shisui tossed himself off the cliff but both Itachi and Aimi tried to lunge forward at the last second to grab his hands. Both missed and could only watch and shout his name helplessly as he fell to his death with a smile on his face, tears of blood and the normal kind streaming down his face

Sobs shook Haya's body as she stood between Itachi and Aimi. "Shisui…Shisui!" she cried his name before yelling it in the open air of the Tsukuyomi. Her knees collapsed under her as the sobs of a broken child filled the silence.

* * *

The world of the Tsukuyomi faded, and with it reality came flushing back like a tsunami wave. Amari's bleary, tear filled vision met Itachi's Sharingan eyes as they slowly began to close. Tears rolled down her cheeks without restraint.

Two fingers suddenly prodded her forehead.

As all life was fading to black she was able to see a genuine smile on Itachi's face. "Itachi…don't…do…this. Please…come back," she whispered.

He leaned in close so his mouth was next to her ear. "This is our path. For Shisui, for you, for Sasuke, we must keep walking it." Itachi leaned back to his previous position. "Goodbye, Haya," he spoke at a normal volume, in his disconnected voice.

In a futile attempt to stop him from leaving she grabbed his cloaked arm with her hand, eyes pleading him in silence to abandon the path he had been forced onto so he could come back home.

Deep in her heart she knew he couldn't and wouldn't.

"You're dead, Itachi!" Sasuke's voice sounded off in the distance.

"Don't you dare touch her anymore!" Naruto's came next.

It was too late. Darkness consumed her vision and silence overcame her senses.

 _Itachi…Aimi…_

 _Shisui…_

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: Hehe, sorry about making you think there would be a double update. I just meant her fate was coming up soon in the next chapter. Yep, Kisame and Zabuza could definitely be a battle in the future, although whether it happens or not we'll have to wait and see. We're right at the end of the Uchiha Reunion arc, and the next is the retrieval of Tsunade, with a little few extra things going on during it._

 _I have to apologize again for accidentally misleading you. I forgot to count Susanoo as a Mangekyo ability when I said she won't have any canon Mangekyo abilities; I just meant she wouldn't have Tsukuyomi or Amaterasu. As for Kotamatsukami, well there was a slight mention of it in this last chapter, so we'll have to wait for that to come to fruition._

 _Oh, she will definitely not end up with two Rinnegan. I actually haven't fully decided if she'll get a single one or not; I'm still deliberating on what to do with that stuff._

 _Doesn't have one of the divines powers? Hmm. Are we sure about that? Or am I just misleading you again?_

 _Dun dun dun!_

 _She didn't have much time to tell Kisame about Zabuza this time, but who's to say she won't in the future? Or that she won't tell Zabuza? Well, I could say it I guess, but where's the suspense in that?_

 _Yep, I write Mass Effect fanfiction as well. It's actually what started me writing in the first place, and for that reason, as well as many other personal reasons, the Mass Effect series as a whole will always have a special place in my heart. And Kasumi Goto is absolutely a favorite of mine as well, if the three stories I wrote with her as a main pairing doesn't make that obvious enough. She was a bright and witty light among the Normandy crew, or at least that's how I see her._

 _Thanks for the reviews and hope you enjoy the newest update!_


	58. Chapter 57: Sacrifice

Chapter 57

Sacrifice: The Reality of Shinobi

Shikamaru stared intensely at the shogi board in front of him, his mind considering every offensive and defensive maneuver he knew to get out of the sticky situation he found himself in. His father sat opposite of him, leisurely sipping from his cup of jasmine herbal tea, patiently awaiting his son's move.

Nothing was going to spook his old man at this stage. Shikaku had his son right where he wanted him.

Shikamaru hated to admit it, but he was running out of moves. Every defense and advancement he made so far was countered expertly. His fakes fell apart. Any reckless attack would be struck down instantly if he went for it.

 _What a troublesome situation_.

To his left, sitting on the couch, was his mother with some novel in her hand as she too sipped from a warm cup of tea. Every so often she peered up from the intricate dance of words to see the progress of their game.

While by no means official, his mother was on a mission, and though usually she wasn't the most patient woman Shikamaru knew—Kurenai held that title, with 'Risu being a close second—this time was different.

His mother, the troublesome woman, decided for him they would train his Shadow techniques today. It wasn't like he was against training; sure he used to be against any effort required activity, but that was before witnessing 'Risu and Mimi's match.

Before the Invasion.

As of late Shikamaru went out of his way to put forward more effort into his training, whether he was training with his team or training at home.

It was all so troublesome, but he couldn't logically justify slacking off anymore. Couldn't claim he was just a support shinobi who would never see frontlines battle. Couldn't brush it off by explaining how the Five Great Nations weren't warring.

During the Invasion he ended up in a solo battle against nine Sound shinobi regardless of his support role—a battle that would have claimed his life without Asuma's timely arrival.

And war found them at home, the place he once believed they were all safest. If it was only his life at risk, he'd probably be more relaxed about it.

 _But it isn't_ , he thought. His teammate's lives may one day depend on his ability to think or act faster. Another enemy may breach through to his support line, and if he wasn't strong enough to combat or capture those shinobi then his weakness could doom the lives of his comrades.

The only problem was he planned today just to be an easygoing day. Asuma kept him and his team active with D-rank missions inside the Leaf, helping wherever they could with the recovery efforts, squeezing training in simultaneously. And his dad had been training him in his off time.

Shikamaru could see the incremental growth from his new training. It wasn't an overnight thing that'd make him all-powerful—not that he wanted to be anyway. Being all-powerful would be a drag.

Still, he hoped to relax today. Hadn't he trained hard enough lately to earn a day off?

By his mother's standards he supposed not, troublesome woman. And of course his father had agreed to his wife's plan, being tied to her apron strings as he was.

The young Nara frowned silently at both his lack of options on the shogi board and at how utterly whipped his father was. _Well, there goes my day off. How troublesome._

"You win," Shikamaru sighed.

 _It was a nice thought while it lasted._

While his statement was intended to let his father know he won the game, it was also a quiet tap out to let his mother know she had won _her_ game too.

Well, he did his best to keep the game going as long as he could. But in the end his defeat had always been inevitable. No sense prolonging it.

At this rate, if he continued to struggle pointlessly he'd only end up suffering a far more catastrophic defeat, and probably end up earning further ire from his mother—neither of which he wanted.

It was far better to admit a small defeat here then be handed a devastating loss and punishment that would leave him unable to walk tomorrow.

"All righ—"

Shattering ceramic cut through the quiet of their peaceful home like a paper bomb.

Shikamaru watched the shattered fragments of the cup and the warm tea it once contained fall, his eyes wide as the empty saucer his father had been placing his tea cup on.

"Shikaku!" Yoshino raised her voice.

His father simply stared at his hand with a bewildered look on his face.

 _He was barely touching it…_ A familiar twisting feeling began to build up in Shikamaru's gut as he stared at the shattered ceramic, heart beating a little faster in anxiety.

"Yoshino, I didn—"

Another shatter deafened their ears. Yoshino's destroyed cup fell out of her hand.

The entire Nara household went silent as a graveyard.

 _One cup would have been an accident, but two within seconds of each other?_ Shikamaru didn't like it. Something very wrong was going on, and the familiar twist in his stomach gave him an idea of who it revolved around.

"Dad, did you see 'Risu when you were out?" he asked as calmly as he could against his slamming heart.

"No, but I met with Kakashi. He was meaning to speak with her today." His father got his feet under him and stood up. "I'll clean up this mess. Shikamaru, could you put the shogi board away?"

"Yeah."

His dad was formulating some kind of plan, that much Shikamaru could tell. He had the same look in his eyes that his son could feel in his entire body—the look of a man needing to find answers.

Shikamaru didn't consider himself the superstitious type; they were usually old ghost stories created by older men, but this incident was a bad omen.

 _I've got a really bad feeling about this._

While he made quick work of putting the shogi board away, his father busied himself with cleaning up the mess and helping his mother take care of the cut opened on the back of her hand.

When Shikamaru finally finished a knock on the door disturbed their collective troubled silence.

Shikaku moved to answer with Shikamaru and Yoshino hovering close by, both intending to eavesdrop on what may be said.

"Genma? Asuma? What brings you two here?"

"Shikaku…" By his burdened voice alone Shikamaru could tell his Sensei's news was grave.

"…What happened to 'Risu, Asuma?"

"She was kidnapped."

Those three words felt like 'Risu's final punch against Mimi landed in his gut instead. Every bit of air in his lungs departed his body in an instant, his world suddenly spinning and obscured by a terrible fear turned reality.

He didn't even realize he was moving towards the door to demand answers until a gentle hand settled on his shoulder. Shikamaru halted, stunned awake long enough to see his mother there, eyes gazing intensely at the door, features serious but heartbroken.

His mom had been fond of 'Risu ever since she showed up in their lives. Back then Shikamaru attributed his mother's quick attachment to the shy girl to 'Risu's work ethic. But it had always been more than that, he just never saw it. Or he hadn't tried to see it.

'Risu was family. Blood. That old picture of his dad and another Nara woman, the picture Shikamaru remembered seeing as a child but one day vanished without a trace, she was 'Risu's mom. His aunt.

Pieces of a tragic puzzle had been right in front of his nose but he never even realized it.

Shikamaru had never known 'Risu, or Haya Uchiha he supposed was more accurate. Couldn't recall ever meeting his aunt. But his mom and dad had those memories. They _mourned_ 'Risu. They lost her to the massacre, only for her to one day show up on their doorstep without any idea of who she used to be or who they were.

His mother cried a lot that day. He never asked why. Didn't seem like his business, and he assumed someone they knew died, so he did his best to be supportive. But it hadn't been death to bring her to tears; it was a resurrection, to be dramatic.

Their niece was alive…and now she was kidnapped.

Shikaku's hand tightened around the door knob out of sight of Genma and Asuma as he kept the rest of his body impassive. The harsh and awful emotions exploding within him were palpable in that single gesture.

"Kurenai, Atsuko, Guy, Hana Inuzuka and Mimi Inuzuka are tracking her down right now," Asuma explained.

"They're not the only ones," Genma said. "I was on my way to confirm the news with Asuma when I heard Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno were seen racing out of the Village towards the nearest outpost."

"What about Kakashi and Naruto? And who kidnapped 'Risu? You still haven't told me that," Shikaku stated, still patient and calm but trying to skip inconsequential details for the meat of the issue.

Where was 'Risu and who took her?

"I saw Naruto leave with Master Jiraiya before all of this."

"And Kakashi got taken down by a powerful genjutsu." Asuma exhaled a heavy breath. "And Amari…she was taken by Itachi Uchiha."

It was at that moment Shikamaru felt his heart stop. The grip on his shoulder grew tighter.

"No. Not again," his mother whispered to herself.

His father kept quiet for a single beat. Processing it, maybe. Or just to breathe, like Shikamaru.

Then he spoke again. "I see. So, he was targeting 'Risu then?"

"Not exactly. Amari learned Itachi was in the Leaf after Osamu was attacked by Itachi's Crows. She sent Atsuko to find Guy and disobeyed her orders to stay away from the battle. When she found us, we were already in the middle of battling them.

"Amari tried to stay out of sight, hoping she could gather information or rescue us with Shadow Clones if necessary, but the third member of their team found her. When she learned Amari had information on their real target—"

"She became a valuable target as well," his father finished for Asuma. "But who was Itachi working with? You've mentioned them as a group and team now. Are they all rogue shinobi?"

His father's ability to hold it together impressed Shikamaru. He was still seeking out all the details, trying to put the puzzle picture together before acting.

"Itachi had two partners. Kisame Hoshigaki of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist was one of them."

"And the other?" Shikaku pressed.

"Aimi Uchiha."

" _What_?" Shikaku gasped.

"That's exactly what I said when Asuma told me." Genma released a less than humorous laugh. "Man, what a mess. How did her survival slip past us? Didn't we identify the dead to see if more than Sasuke survived?"

"Aimi used to be in the Anbu, and she's skilled with Medical Ninjutsu. If she wanted to leave a fake body behind to fool our shinobi, she could have done it with ease," his dad told them, voice steady but mind sprinting.

Honestly, to hear another name with Uchiha attached to it caught Shikamaru off guard. The fact there were two Uchiha's with bad intentions out there did not ease his rapidly rising unease.

Yet the chief of all of his worry was the whereabouts of his cousin.

Where was she right now? Was she alive? How did she get taken and how close behind were the groups tailing her kidnappers? Could he catch up to them or would he only arrive when all the fighting was over?

"What kind of condition was 'Risu in?" Shikaku asked. "They obviously meant to capture her alive to learn the whereabouts of Naruto. Don't look so surprised, Asuma. It's the only possible conclusion.

"'Risu isn't a social butterfly, and she's not one of the Leaf's spies. If Itachi and Aimi wanted one of the Crows, they wouldn't have wasted time fighting shinobi. They'd have targeted 'Risu from the start and forced her to summon Atsuko to capture her and all the Intel she carries, and none of us would have ever sensed their presence.

"Genma already said Sasuke and Sakura were seen racing to the outpost, so it's clear Itachi and Aimi weren't interested in Sasuke or 'Risu before she became valuable. Kakashi's incapacitated but alive, Kurenai and Guy are tracking her down, you both are here and all the other Genin teams are safe.

"This leaves only Naruto and Master Jiraiya. But truly it can only be the power Naruto holds they're after. For Kisame Hoshigaki, Itachi Uchiha and Aimi Uchiha to team together means their objective isn't small.

"So I ask again: What condition was 'Risu in? Did he use the genjutsu on her mind to incapacitate her?"

Kami, how could his dad even think straight? How could he coordinate all these thoughts and still be as calm as a tranquil lake?

"Besides a few cuts and bruises, according to Mimi she was nearing a deadly dose of chakra exhaustion."

Another punch to the gut. Another squeeze of his heart.

Part of Shikaku's exterior finally cracked. He braced his free hand on the wall, his posture sagging under the weight of the news.

'Risu…you stubborn girl," his father breathed out shakily.

"It's a lot more complicated than it sounds," Asuma continued. "Amari saved our lives, and she injured Itachi severely in the process."

"She _what_?"

Genma apparently hadn't heard that news yet either.

The burden didn't lift off his father's shoulders. It seemed heavier than ever. "I see."

"Hey, wait a minute, I know Amari is ahead of her peers in talent, but against Itachi Uchiha she'd be lucky to land a single blow," Genma said, baffled. "And you're telling me she severely injured him? How?"

"Mind if we sit down as I explain? My leg isn't in the best shape right now."

Shikaku nodded then looked back at Shikamaru and Yoshino. His wife gave him a silent nod. He turned back to the pair. "All right. Tell me everything."

"Right."

Without another word the three adults moved to sit out on the front porch.

Yoshino gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze. "She'll be fine Shikamaru. Come, you still have to train even if your father is busy."

Normally the boy would have groaned in response, but he just nodded mutely, unable to trust his voice or mind to say anything.

' _Risu…you better come back safe, you troublesome girl._

* * *

"Is this going how you imagined it?"

"Perfectly. I…won't…let you…hurt them."

"I see. Then it is only fitting that I use the jutsu you interfered with against Kakashi against you. You have proven yourself worthy of Shisui's warning. I must commend your efforts, even if they are futile. But this is the end for you."

 _An attack he used on Kakashi?_

Jiraiya only had enough time for that thought to cross his mind. Not even a moment after tears began streaming down Amaririsu's sorrow stricken face.

The Toad Sage's eyes widened in alarmed horror. _What the hell is he doing to her?_ Itachi brought his burnt arm up to her face. _No! He's going for her eyes already._

Amaririsu's mouth began to move but he couldn't make out her words. To whatever she said Itachi leaned in and whispered something no one could hear except her.

Whatever it was tore apart Amaririsu's heart, he could see that as clearly as the streams of tears cascading down her crimson painted face.

Itachi then leaned away and spoke for all to hear. "Goodbye, Haya."

In a futile attempt to stop him from finishing her off, she grabbed his arm with a weak and trembling hand.

"Amari…" Naruto's shocked voice met Jiraiya's ears as he was formulating a plan to put an end to the three rogue ninjas once and for all.

He couldn't target them one at a time and hope to accomplish anything. Kisame Hoshigaki had terrifying physical prowess; if he tried to battle him one on one, the rogue Mist shinobi would put up a valiant fight that allowed Itachi and Aimi to escape with Naruto and Amaririsu's eyes.

Conversely, if he targeted Aimi, whose abilities he did not know well, or Itachi, he risked the same problem with Kisame or whichever Uchiha he did not attack stealing away their true target.

In this cramped hallway and in this highly populated outpost, only he would be held accountable for loss of civilian life and destruction, not these rogue shinobi.

So, he couldn't risk attacking one at a time, although singling them out would have been preferable. He had to eliminate them all with one powerful move. It was the only way to protect Naruto, Sasuke and Amaririsu now.

"You're dead, Itachi!" Sasuke, finding renewed strength, jolted onto his feet and charged after his brother.

Naruto was right next to him. "Don't you dare touch her anymore!"

Kisame and Aimi were quick to give chase, the kunoichi of the pair vanishing from her original position to obstruct their path in a blink, snatching both foolish boys by their throats and slamming them back first into the floor.

Jiraiya sped through handseals.

"And what do you two hope to accomplish?" she taunted venomously. "Naruto Uzumaki, you held onto your defiance, you spoke of protecting precious Haya no matter what, and yet you stood in cowardice when given the opportunity to spare her from further sacrifice."

Her grip tightened around Naruto's throat, causing him to choke. "You desire to become Hokage, and yet you fail to understand the greatest trait a Hokage must possess. A trait Haya already possesses."

Jiraiya knew of the trait she spoke of, and he hated to admit she was right.

"And you, _Sasuke_ ," she hissed, red eyes searing into his. "How the precious little brother of Itachi Uchiha has fallen. So arrogant. So self-centered." Sasuke choked as she cut off his airway. "Did you forget the sacrifice Haya made so quickly? Did you forget the hopeless situation you were in so soon?"

"We'll see about hopeless," Jiraiya said as finished his final handseal and slammed his hands into the floor. Aimi raised her Sharingan eyes up at him, but he wasn't fool enough to meet her eyes. One look and he'd be in a powerful genjutsu.

In a matter of seconds pink flesh turned the walls, floor and roof into the intestinal tract of the powerful Mountain Toad.

This was the end for these three Akatsuki members.

The sticky flesh attached to the pinned boys, holding them in place so neither could be pulled free by Aimi. Simultaneously his jutsu tried to snatch the kunoichi's hands, forcing her to release the boys and hop back out of range, landing next to Kisame.

"Well, this is quite the disturbing and unsanitary jutsu," she muttered.

All eyes wandered around the new environment surrounding them.

"What happened? Where the hell are we?" Naruto was the first to question.

"Ninja Art: Toad Mouth Trap," Jiraiya said.

He commanded the pink flesh to absorb Amari into the wall, out of Itachi's grasps where he could no longer hurt her. However, the Akatsuki members found that the toad stomach was far less friendly to them, trapping their feet to the floor while they were distracted.

The Toad Sage grinned as he looked at the Akatsuki members. "You three have just been swallowed by the Mountain Toad." He couldn't resist saying his next line. "Welcome, my friends, to the belly of the beast!"

Oh yes, he was shining with awesomeness right now! Bask in the power and glory of the one and only Toad Sage, the gallant Master Jiraiya of the Sannin!

"He has a very sensitive digestive tract, so be careful not to upset him," he taunted. "Not the most glorious way to die, is it? It must be humbling to know you'll be digested by a toad."

"Whoa…I'm not liking this at all," the blond said nervously as he looked around.

Luckily the two boys sat frozen in shock, trying not to move in fear of also being digested. "Naruto, Sasuke, stay still." The two let out wordless sounds of question. "Just stay calm. Trust in my jutsu. I'll finish this."

Itachi looked over his shoulder to his partners. "Kisame, Aimi, come."

A blade slipped into Aimi's hand. With Lightning covering it, she cut herself free of the sticky pink flesh. The former Mist ninja ripped his feet loose of the trap and prepared to run but found his blade still held in the grasps of the stomach.

"Easier said than done, Itachi. I think I'd rather be killed by my Shadow than this place."

He pulled his sword free and took off down the hall with Itachi and Aimi. "It's useless!" Jiraiya warned. "No ninja has been born that can survive this powerful stomach!"

Giant mounds of pink flesh under his command chased after the three shinobi, moving to trap them between a wall and the flesh where he could finish them easier. Either way they were done for.

Certainty filled the Sannin. There was no ninja alive who could escape this jutsu.

His brows shot up in surprise when a loud explosion sounded off down the hall. Jiraiya hastily sprinted down to the T-intersection.

"He- hey! Pervy Sage?!"

Awe overcame Jiraiya as he gazed out at the outside world. _How is that possible?_ Black flames surrounded the hole, but there were no flames capable of burning through the Mountain Toad stomach…or so he thought.

"They got away…" Naruto said as he and Sasuke skidded to a stop behind him.

 _He did the impossible. He broke through the wall._

Cautiously, he approached the wall with the two boys flanking him.

"What is this stuff? Some kind of black fir—"

"Stay away from it!" he warned them both. If it could punch through the stomach of the Mountain Toad, he didn't want to imagine what it could do to fragile human flesh.

The Toad Sage pulled out an empty sealing scroll of his and knelt down in front of the black flames.

Heat stung his eyes just by being close to it.

 _How did they do it? What technique did they use to escape?_ He brought his squinted gaze up to the flames. _These black flames… To burn the Stone Toad, who has the ability to spit fire itself, that is strong jutsu indeed._

He bet a Mangekyō Sharingan technique. But had it been Itachi or Aimi to use it?

Rolling the scroll open, the Sannin pulled out a brush and black ink to create the Fire Seal. He moved quickly through it, creating the one thing that would be able to get rid of the flames for good.

Once done he moved through another set of handseals.

"Sealing Jutsu: Fire Seal!" He slammed his palm into the ground right below the edge of the paper then, with his free hand, he lightly guided the two boys back.

Blue chakra like vapors were produced by the seal, moving over the flames to then absorb them into the scroll until not a single black flame remained. He rolled the scroll up and tied it tightly; hopefully he would never need it, but he would keep it close in case he did.

"Well, that takes care of that for now," he said as he stood up and put the scroll in his inner jacket pocket. Jiraiya looked back to the wall where Amaririsu had been. "Now for Amaririsu."

The toad stomach slowly began to release her from its grasps. The sight of their teammate left the two boys rushing over to her side.

"Amari!" both called worriedly as they caught her in their arms, or arm in Sasuke's case.

 _Did he manage to use that jutsu before I could stop them?_ Stamping his foot on the pink flesh below him, he summoned the rest of the toad stomach to recede until the hallway was back in its natural state.

Naruto and Sasuke were sitting Amaririsu down when Jiraiya joined them. Her fresh tears were finally starting to dry, for whatever that was worth. Her single visible eye was left open, staring blankly into the ground with none of the life in it as he had seen before.

 _So…I was too late._

"Sasuke, Naruto, Amari!" From the hole created by the Akatsuki members, the pink-haired member of Team Seven rushed into the hall to her teammates. She slid onto her knees next to them and began examining them all to see what state they were in.

The girl looked as if she had run the entire outpost and then a few miles before that; sweat dampened her pink hair visibly and a sheen of sweat covered her entire body.

As she was finally able to take in the state of her fellow kunoichi her voice fell from previous hope to sorrow. "…We were too late."

A kunai suddenly whizzed right past Jiraiya's head and into the far wall on his left.

"What in the blazes!"

Alert once again, the Sannin spun to face the new threat charging right at him from the same hole.

"Dyyyyynammmic—"

"Guy?" Was the only word Jiraiya got out before a kick landed against his cheek.

"Entry! Hehehe!"

* * *

Minutes Before

* * *

"Their scent leads off down the river, but Amaririsu's scent isn't with them anymore," Hana informed.

Kurenai hummed in acknowledgement, a flutter of hope in her heart. "Then she must be back on the trail Mimi and Guy followed," she said, glancing slightly back towards the populated outpost from the high ground of a rooftop located on the outskirts.

Hana stood up from her crouch, rubbing the heads of her three ninken in gratitude as she did, her eyes narrowed on the river their enemies used to escape. "Master Jiraiya's presence alone may have sent them running after he rescued Amaririsu. You don't move that fast after fighting one of the Sannin; they should either be dead or leaving behind a trail of their own blood."

But they weren't, unfortunately. _At least Amari isn't in their possession anymore_ , she thought, sighing in relief. She was grateful for that.

Flapping wings caught both of their attention. Kurenai lifted her uninjured arm up for Atsuko, who quickly swooped down and took it as her perch. "I can confirm the three Akatsuki no longer possess Young Amari and did not capture Naruto. They've taken to retreating to the border."

"If they were anyone else I'd say we should chase them down and finish them off." Hana crossed her arms over her belly. "But we're hardly prepared for a battle against them. Let's regroup with Guy and Mimi, check the wounded and get them home."

"Let's go," Kurenai agreed.

Next time they battled, she swore she would be ready.

The two kunoichi and Crow traveled back into the outpost, following the trail left behind by the Akatsuki members to their last location before retreat—a hotel which frightened civilians scurried away from.

As they neared Guy, Mimi and Aoko, they heard the exuberant shinobi declare, "Let's end this right now! Follow my lead!" He jumped through the massive hole blown into the concrete hotel and tossed a kunai down the hall.

"Wait, Guy-sensei!" Mimi panicked, reaching for his jumpsuit. Her hand missed him as he bolted forward. "You didn't let me finish! They're not—" She slapped her hands to the sides of her skull. "Ah crap! He's going to get destroyed by one of the Legendary Sannin. How am I going to explain _that_ to Hana and Kurenai-sensei?!"

"Mimi, what's going on?" Hana asked, mildly amused at her little cousin.

"Guy-sensei totally jumped the gun! He's about to—"

"Dyyyyynammmic Entry! Hehehe!"

Mimi slapped a hand to her forehead. "One of the Legendary Sannin just fell prey to the Dynamic Entry." Aoko rumbled, causing Hana to snort. "Yeah, you said it Aoko. I'd be embarrassed too if I were Master Jiraiya."

"Didn't Amaririsu hit you both with a Double Dynamic Entry?" Hana teased knowingly.

"Tha- that's different!" Mimi sputtered. "We were in the heat of battle! And her clones were transformed into kunai so I wouldn't see it coming! Plus I'm still a Genin. He's one of the Legendary Sannin, which should mean he has tons more experience and better reflexes. Whose side are you on anyway?"

Her argument was slowly dying for a cute pout. Even Aoko was ducking her head to sulk.

"Whichever side allows me to tease you," Hana chuckled. Mimi crossed her arms and pouted further. She ruffled her cousin's untamed hair as she moved past her to enter the hallway. "Stop moping. Come on, there's injured to take care of."

"Right," the younger Inuzuka grumbled.

Down at the opposite end of the hall stood Guy, looking as bashful as Kurenai had ever seen the energetic man as he helped pick Jiraiya up off the wooden floor. A trickle of blood trailed out the Sannin's nose, and even at a distance Kurenai could see a bruise already taking form on his cheek.

 _Ouch_. Guy clearly hadn't held back his attack.

Closer to the group but still several strides away were the members of Team Seven, all sitting or kneeling in front of Amari's seated body.

Kurenai's heart jumped into her throat at the sight of her motionless body. The old wounds had closed, the blood completely dried, and yet new blood dripped off her hands onto the floor.

Her chakra was dangerously low, and yet her still body was the cause of her greatest concern. Had Itachi used the Tsukuyomi on her too?

 _Little one…_

Mimi bolted past her. "Amari!" She pushed her way past the three to crouch down in front of Amari, hands immediately glowing green as she placed them over her skull; the young medic's mind clearly reached the same worrying conclusion Kurenai had.

Control over her body came flooding back. She rushed to join the group with Hana and the Haimaru Brothers trailing close behind, kneeling down next to Mimi as quickly as she could. The other three members of Team Seven stepped back to provide room for them.

Her daughter's eye stared emptily at the floor; no light in them, no fire, no spirit. Just…frighteningly empty.

Kurenai grimaced, eyes lowering as the slightest teary fog obscured her vision. _I'm so sorry, little one._

"Oh, Young Amari..."

Mimi grit her teeth together in frustration. "Itachi Uchiha, you better pray I don't ever get my hands on you," she growled under her breath.

"The same as Kakashi?" she asked despite knowing in her heart what the answer was. Amari's condition was as clear as a victory in shogi by a Nara over any opponent.

The sapphire eyed kunoichi nodded solemnly. "…I'll heal what injuries I can… I'm sorry Kurenai-sensei. If I was better I'd—"

She rested her hand on Mimi's shoulder. "You have nothing to apologize for, Mimi," she said, shaking her head once. "You are a great medic for your age. Amari wouldn't want you to believe anything less and neither do I."

Mimi wasn't to blame for this. No one present could be blamed, not rightfully. Itachi was responsible for this. He kidnapped Amari. He used the Tsukuyomi on her.

…And she hadn't been able to stop him. That was her burden to shoulder. Not these children, not Master Jiraiya, Hana, Guy or Asuma.

Kurenai released the Inuzuka's shoulder and looked to her daughter. Save for the small rise and fall of her chest signaling her breathing, there was no other life in her. No strength. Not even the smallest twitch of a muscle in a single finger or toe.

Disheartened, the mother wanted to scoop her daughter up in a hug just to hold her close in false hope the warm embrace could change her condition. That somehow she could transfer her life force or her spirit into her daughter to heal her.

Had she truly died, Kurenai would have used any Forbidden Jutsu to sacrifice her life to revive her right then and there.

She relented against her restrained emotional responses. Mimi needed to heal Amari's wounds first. After that she would hold her daughter tightly.

"All right, anyone besides Sasuke injured?" Hana asked Team Seven. "Cuts? Bruises? Anything?"

Kurenai glanced back to see Hana already in the process of healing Sasuke's broken wrist. She met Sasuke's eyes for the briefest moments, but he quickly looked away. Shame. The conflict of emotions within him still raged on, she could feel it, but shame was the newest addition.

"No. They…didn't really attack me, and Sakura arrived after they left," Naruto answered.

Physically unwounded as they were, the teams appearance revealed their spirits hadn't escaped so unscathed. Shattered or bleeding out, their spirits hovered between life and death, barely holding themselves together after the loss of a friend.

"Tried talking you into trading your life for hers, right?"

"Ye- yeah! How'd you know?"

"They'd only just gotten through fighting three of the Leaf's elite, and I doubt Aimi had enough time to heal Itachi's arm completely. Still had intense burns, right?"

"Yeah."

"Makes the most sense to avoid a fight completely when you hold all the cards." Hana dipped her head to Amari. "They had your best friend hostage _and_ they're all S-rank shinobi. You didn't stand a chance in a straight fight against those three," she stated plainly but not callously. "And you wouldn't want to risk them killing her. They probably figured you'd cave instantly, so good work kid for standing your ground. If you had caved they'd have you both right now."

"You…you think they'd have taken Amari too? Even if I went?"

"No doubt about it. Come on, kid, you think they have a sense of honor? That they'd just leave her behind after they lugged her all the way here because you decided to be the martyr?" The wise Inuzuka shook her head. "They'd have either killed her or dragged her along with you."

Naruto didn't say anything after that. He stood in silence, fists slightly shaking.

"I'm sorry. It was a simple mistake, hehehe," Guy apologized to Jiraiya with a nervous laugh.

"More like simple minded!" Jiraiya growled then let out a sigh. "Never mind that. We've got to get Amari to the Medical Corps at once. She's taken a bad beating, and she was knocked out by whatever jutsu Itachi used on her."

"Pervy Sage, Amari is going to be all right, right?" Naruto asked worriedly.

"Mimi?" the Toad Sage prompted.

Mimi didn't take the time to turn around as her green glowing hands moved to heal every wound she could—her bloody hands, the cut on her arm from a Wind jutsu, bruises, etc.

"I can heal her physical wounds, but the jutsu Itachi used on her did the same thing it did to Kakashi-sensei: Extreme psychological damage. It's out of my league."

There was a clinical detachment to her voice, but her hurt and frustrated eyes betrayed it.

"That's all I'll be able to do for your arm here, Sasuke. Make sure you stop by the hospital and take the necessary time off to let it heal properly," Hana said.

Sasuke didn't reply.

"Kurenai-sensei, can you lean her forward please? I need to check her back for injuries from the first fight."

Kurenai nodded and leaned her daughter's body into her chest, holding her there while the Inuzuka checked over her back. She scooped up her daughter's knotted blue hair to lay it over her shoulder out of the medic's way.

 _You'll be okay, little one_. She placed a kiss on the top of Amari's head, shut her eyes and rested her chin gently on her head. _We'll find some way to heal your injuries. I promise._

* * *

Jiraiya's eyes wandered to Kurenai, a disappointed frown on his lips and feeling he couldn't quite shake. He hadn't wanted this to happen. He hoped, with quick action, he could prevent further damage to this young girl. But he failed.

Her attempt to help was foolish, of course—that was one thing he could agree with Itachi on—but her bravery to risk everything for her teammates couldn't be ignored.

Amaririsu acted with honor. She put the lives of her comrades before herself, in hope that her life was enough to distract at least Itachi. Her calculation was correct.

 _In the end_ , he thought solemnly, _her sacrifice spurred Naruto and Sasuke to attack, which distracted Aimi and Kisame away from their real threat—me. Without that distraction, the fight could have gotten real messy in this hallway. Sasuke or Naruto may have been extremely hurt during the fight, or one of the Akatsuki members may have been able to grab Naruto and escape while the other two held me here._

 _However, this victory came at a great cost._

"Wh- why is it always Amari this happens to? Wha- what the hell did she ever do to deserve this?" the knucklehead asked, his voice shaking with anger.

"Nothing. But I will make Itachi pay for this, I swear." Sasuke did a better job at hiding his emotions, but Jiraiya could see the guilt and rage in his body language.

 _Heh, what do they think they'll be able to do?_ He cast a look to the defeated kunoichi. _She's the best of their class, and she never stood a chance. These kids are no match for the Akatsuki. Not yet._

In time it would change. It _had_ to change. There was no other option for these kids, not while the Akatsuki sought their evil intentions.

"Okay, Pervy Sage. It's time for a new game plan. I admit it, I let those three scare me a little, but that ends now. No more running. After all, it's me they're after, right?" Naruto met his eyes with sudden fiery determination. "Well okay then, it's time I give them what they want!"

"Not alone you're not. Itachi is my duty to kill, not yours," Sasuke said.

Jiraiya's stern eyes burned into the two boys. These fools. Aimi may have been their enemy, but she wasn't wrong in her analysis of their actions.

From his peripherals he saw Sakura's emerald eyes flicker with fire. "You two…you idiots!" she said before he could. It earned her two sharp glares from Naruto and Sasuke. She didn't back down. "Do you think you're the only ones hurting about Amari right now? Stop being so selfish and open your eyes!"

"Calm down, Sakura," Hana coaxed the last bastion of common sense in Team Seven, placing a gentle and soothing hand on the shoulder. Emerald eyes looked up to the older kunoichi, confused but ready to argue her point.

Hana smiled kindly. "Emotions are running high in everyone, even in you. Hurt. Grief. Guilt. Anger. I know how it feels, trust me. I've been there before. But stay levelheaded, for Amaririsu's sake, all right? She needs you to be the balancing point now."

"Listen to Hana, Sakura," Jiraiya stated. "She's right, and so are you. These two _are_ being hotheaded idiots."

Defiant growls and eyes left Sakura for him. Good. He had plenty to say to these two morons.

"Listen to yourselves," he scoffed, "you two honestly believe you stand a chance against even one of those three? Grow up. If Kakashi and Kurenai couldn't defeat them, what hope do you two have?"

Naruto swiped his arm through the air. "So, what? You just expect us to stand here and do nothing when he hurt Amari! We're not just going to sit around and wait for them to hit us again!"

"We're going to kill them with or without your approval," Sasuke agreed.

The Sannin's features and eyes intensified in fury. "Shut your mouths!" They flinched back and looked away. "What do you think Amari was doing? Did that thought ever cross either of your minds?"

These two children so caught up in their emotions, they couldn't see the reality of the situation in front of them—a reality Sakura understood despite not witnessing the battle. And because of their adolescent emotions they were willing to waste their teammates sacrifice.

That above all else infuriated Jiraiya.

Jiraiya pointed to Amaririsu as he picked Naruto to be the first of the two boys he hit with reality. "Look at her! Do you realize the kind of emotional anguish an Uchiha must go through to unlock the Mangekyō Sharingan?"

He eyed the girl with his peripherals. "He must have used that genjutsu to awaken memories of a family member." He returned his eyes to Naruto. "Why don't you stop thinking about yourself and consider for a moment the heartbreak she went through in the last few hours.

"And despite that pain, despite being heavily beaten, exhausted of her chakra and captured, she still used the last of her strength to save _you_! To protect _you_ from the Akatsuki!"

Naruto flinched and released a grunt of pain and sadness mixed together. His teary eyes fell away from everyone.

"Aimi was right about one thing: each past Hokage has possessed a single trait above physical strength and intelligence. One single trait that Amaririsu displayed today in spades. And I want you to seriously think about what that trait is and why it's so important, Naruto, because it's the only way you'll ever become Hokage."

Jiraiya wasted no time in turning his gaze to Sasuke. "And when your brother pinned his sights on you, Amaririsu risked losing her eyes and her life so he would ignore you. She sacrificed _everything_ for your safety."

Sasuke grit his teeth and shut his eyes at the reminder.

"Don't shut your eyes, Sasuke." His gaze fell on all of the Genin. "And neither should any of you. Look at Amaririsu. Really look at the state she is in."

They did.

" _That_ is the reality we face as shinobi. Friends, comrades and family sacrificing their lives for the people they care for most." Their eyes remained on the fallen kunoichi in the arms of her mother as he continued to speak. "She risked her life to fight a losing battle all to save her precious people. Whether you like it or not, that is the reality you face."

The Toad Sage glared at Naruto and Sasuke. "Yet you two would dishonor that sacrifice by recklessly throwing yourselves at the very people she protected you from. One of you in some sort of foolish sense of bravery to make up for your past fears. The other in a self-centered attempt at redemption.

"Amaririsu, for all her foolishness, knew exactly what she was sacrificing. And she did it for an honorable cause." The Genins met his eyes again. "Vengeance is not that cause. You would do well to remember that."

Switching gears from scolding to a due apology, he turned his eyes to Kurenai, who sat with her eyes closed. "I'm sorry, Kurenai. Had I reacted faster, I would have been able to prevent this from happening."

"You couldn't have done anything, not against a jutsu that happens in a blink," she spoke quietly. "…Shisui told me Amari understood what she was getting into. That she was stubborn," she laughed weakly. "This was…this was her choice. Her path. That's what Amari said.

"I…I think they both knew this was how it would end," she admitted in a shaky voice.

Kami, it hurt to hear that slight waver. The waver of a mother struggling not to cry for her daughter.

Hana knelt down next to her to place a silent and supportive hand on her free shoulder. Sometimes that was all anyone could do. And sometimes just having that little support was enough. He hoped that would hold true here, but…well, he'd seen friends lose family in the past.

Unfortunately, sometimes even the support of friends wasn't enough in times of tragedy.

"But Shisui was certain she would continue walking on her path. And I believe he's right. No matter how hurt she is, my daughter _will_ recover. We'll find a way to heal her wounds, and I'll help her stand strong against any damage that lingers."

"We both will," Atsuko agreed. "This is not the end of Young Amari, but a new starting point. She will recover, and she will become stronger for it. Can't have Mimi Inuzuka beating her again, now can she?"

Mimi chuckled and sniffed but said nothing.

"This Shisui," Jiraiya began, "Itachi mentioned that name. Said something about Amaririsu proving his warning true. Who is he?"

"Her cousin," Kurenai explained. "Before her family died, Amari's mother created a high level space-time fūinjutsu that would activate when or if she ever unlocked the Mangekyō Sharingan. She also sealed a portion of Shisui's chakra into the seal so he could explain a great many things to her, and so they could have some time together."

Jiraiya's eyebrows rose. _Incredible! Minato, what else did you teach her?_

"He was able to stop Amari from falling into the Curse of Hatred. It's…it's hard to explain, but for what he did for Amari and the things he said, I will believe in him. When I return to the Leaf I will tell Shikaku everything he said. If you would like to hear it…"

"I'll talk to Shikaku when I return, don't worry." It sounded like something he needed to hear about, but now wasn't the time for it. Not while Kurenai held her almost completely lifeless daughter's body in her arms.

"Itachi said Amaririsu interfered with the jutsu he hit Kakashi with," the Sannin glanced to Guy, "is his condition any better?"

There was a lot of missing points hidden in the darkness of his ignorance, but those points would come to light eventually. What was important right now was figuring out the state of Team Seven's sensei and what they were going to do about all of this.

"The same as Amaririsu. We don't know when he'll come out of it."

Mimi finished what she could with Amari and stood up, rejoining her cousin, who ruffled her hair. "Don't mope," she said gently. "Use it as motivation to get better. That's what she'd want. It's what I want from you too."

"I will."

Guy's softened eyes lingered on Amaririsu. "There's nothing worse than watching your students fall in battle. It's like…losing little pieces of your soul. What we need is a supreme medical specialist, a master of healing arts, and soon."

He couldn't agree more. Luckily the person they needed to heal the injured was also the person they needed to take up the mantle as Hokage.

"You're right, and the woman you are speaking of is the one we've come to find."

Everyone except Kurenai froze up and stared at him in wonder. The mother with the Crow on her shoulder remained silent, her eyes closed and arms embracing the unconscious blue-haired ninja.

"The…woman?" Guy asked.

Mimi met Jiraiya's eyes with stars in her sapphire eyes. "You're not talking about—"

He grinned. "Yes, that is exactly who I mean. Another of the Legendary Sannin. The Queen of Slugs and Elixirs." His grin grew. "That gambling fool and mistress of the healing arts, Lady Tsunade!"

A full grin made its way onto Mimi's face as Kurenai looked up at the group with a hope filled smile. "Aw, hell yeah! Now that's what I'm talking!"

"You're such a fangirl," Hana teased playfully, jabbing her cousin in the arm. Aoko and the three Haimaru brothers barked in what appeared to be agreement.

 _Seems you have a fan, Tsunade,_ Jiraiya smirked.

"If you can get her to come back to the Leaf she could heal Amari, Kakashi-sensei and Lee with ease. I know it," Mimi said enthusiastically.

"That's my plan."

 _But it's not going to be easy_ , he thought. _You kids don't know it, but she left the Village for a reason, and Tsunade is one stubborn woman_. He cringed internally at the memory of a previous beating she gave him. _And her super strength is no joke at all._

"Naruto, you'll be coming with me. We should get moving now. The sooner we can find Tsunade, the sooner Amari, Kakashi and your friend Lee can be healed."

"Right," the boy agreed with a nod.

Sakura and Mimi helped place Amari on Kurenai's back before they all left the hotel behind. When they reached the main road they split into two groups, Naruto with Jiraiya and the rest together.

"Master Jiraiya." He met Guy's gaze. "Find Lady Tsunade and bring her back to us—"

"Don't worry, you can count on us!" Naruto declared. "We'll bring her back to the Village in no time."

"Be careful Naruto. Don't do anything too knuckleheaded," said Sakura. Sasuke nodded in silent agreement to his kunoichi teammate's statement.

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." He met Kurenai's eyes. "I swear I'll bring back Lady Tsunade to help, Kurenai-sensei."

Kurenai smiled in gratitude. "Thank you, Naruto. Be safe."

Jiraiya couldn't help but smile, chuckle and ruffle the boy's hair for his enthusiasm. It was that kind of energy that would help to bring Tsunade back home.

 _Probably._

"Naruto." The boy looked in question to Guy. "Nothing impresses me more than guts. Come here, let me give you something." The bushy-browed ninja reached into his vest. "Lee got stronger with this."

Naruto's eyes lit up in excitement. Caution sewed itself in Jiraiya's being, a single brow cocking up as he waited for the reveal. _I've got a bad feeling about this._

"What? What is it?" Naruto asked eagerly.

Guy grinned, sunlight gleaming off his teeth as he pulled out a matching green spandex jumpsuit. All save for Naruto and Guy deadpanned in disgust; even Mimi and Aoko were both trying to signal the blond to not take it by waving their hands and shaking their heads behind their sensei.

 _Eugh. It's hard enough seeing Guy in that outfit all the time. I don't even want to think of Naruto wearing that outfit, let alone see it._ Naruto took it with enthusiasm, soon battling Guy in who could grin the widest while the blond mirrored his gesture of a thumbs up.

 _If you're going to walk around wearing that you should carry a hand mirror._

Eventually the groups parted ways.

Jiraiya set his sights on the horizon, resolved to accomplish his mission. _Whether you like it or not Tsunade, Konoha needs you._

* * *

Amari groaned as she grabbed her pounding skull and sat up. "Ugh…my head."

"Greetings, Haya." The Shadow user cast her blurry vision up to see Itachi standing before her in his Anbu gear. "It is time for us to train."

Itachi offered her his index and middle finger for the Seal of Reconciliation. Immediately she took it, curling her fingers around his. He used the small grip to heft her up onto her feet.

"What are we going to do?" she asked.

He gave her a small, terrifying smirk. "You'll see." He turned around and walked further away from the giant compounds doors with her merged Clan symbols. "Come, Haya." The older Uchiha paused and glanced over his shoulder at her with a prodding smile. "Unless you do not wish to be as great as Shisui."

 _Troublesome boy, you just had to challenge me didn't you._

Without hesitation, she followed after Itachi.

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: Yep, Amari has been given important pieces of truth by Itachi. We'll have to see how that changes her and the world around her. Manipulation is sort of the Foundation leaders game, so he won't be above trying to manipulate Amari as well. Let's hope she can see through it. Amari is definitely stubborn enough to ignore Itachi's wish._

 _More on the other Villages is coming up in the future. All I'll say about that. We'll have to wait and see who trains Amari in the future._

 _Can't really comment on her eyes and the future of their power without spoiling anything. The dynamic of Shikamaru and Temari later on with Amari around is sure to be fun._

 _As for Amari's sexuality, yep, she's bisexual. Not so much happening in the future, it's already a present reality. I appreciate you asking; I've wondered if the hints were too subtle or not, but it's nice to know people are picking up on it._

 _Thank you for the review and hope you enjoy the new update!_


	59. Chapter 58: Somewhere to Belong

Chapter 58

Somewhere to Belong: A Light to Illuminate the Darkness

The Kazekage was dead.

'Twas something Hikari assumed to be true since first sensing his impersonator, but only learned the certainty of when she returned to Suna. The grim news did not bring forth a gasp of shock out of her. She did not become paralyzed by the bombshell dropped on Suna. Hikari shrugged it off.

 _Oh well_.

Why should she feel anything for a man who treated his own child as a monster and weapon? Why should she waste precious warm words over a man who chose to forsake honor to work with the scum known as Orochimaru?

Because he was her Kazekage?

Because in his twisted perspective cruelty was acceptable so long as it protected Suna?

Hikari felt no connection to her Kazekage. And those who saw the world through such a twisted perspective were not worthy of leadership. 'Twas the Kazekage that made Gaara lonely. 'Twas the Kazekage that made him question the purpose of his existence.

Righteous intentions for one's Village did not absolve him of sin. After all, the road to damnation was paved by those who cloaked themselves in righteousness.

The Kazekage's death did not stir a single feeling in Hikari's heart. There was no sadness, no heartbreak; she shed no tears, nor did she feel a knot of coarse anger anchored to her heart for twisting her precious person into a monster.

The absence of feeling, she believed, was a greater revenge against him.

The Kazekage chose his path. He chose to turn Gaara into a weapon. He chose to trust a rogue shinobi.

' _Tis a fool who believes a traitor will not betray them as well. 'Tis the nature of their being to betray those they promise loyalty to._

At the end of the day, when Suna's madness failed and their forces were driven into retreat, wounded and shamed by their foolish arrogance shattering at the hands of the Leaf, the truth came to light. The truth the Council of Fools sent assassins to kill her over could no longer be swept beneath a royal rug, crafted from the finest wool and cotton available to man.

Suna had become blind puppets of the Puppet Master Jutsu, made to dance in a bladed fern, mortally wounding themselves for Orochimaru's sadistic entertainment.

The irony of being used as puppets was not lost on her.

Upon returning to Suna, Hikari had listened well to the whispers of her people. Being ignored had its perks; people chose not to see her, allowing her to hide in plain sight to gather information when she so desired.

In response to the new knowledge of their Kazekage's death, Suna offered a full surrender to Konoha, coupled with humble apologies for their betrayal.

'Twas intelligent. When only one option was available, it paid to take it while the chance existed. Suna suffered grave losses in the invasion, and due to their smaller forces, each death struck down their collective power.

Further conflict against the Leaf would have led to their destruction, of that Hikari held no doubt.

' _Tis unfortunate so many had to die on both sides for such a wasteful and idiotic reason._ Hikari merely shook her head to herself. _I tried to warn them of the impersonator. I tried to stop them from disregarding all honor and sense, but no. They ignored my warnings and allowed Orochimaru to manipulate them like the fools they are._

She could only shake her head again. _Worst of all, the Council of Fools somehow found a way to blame me for all of this. Because_ _ **I**_ _was too untrustworthy to listen to. Because_ _ **I**_ _did not eliminate the targets assigned to me. I tried to stop them yet I am the one they blame._

 _Fools. All of them._

'Twas infuriating. First they ignored her, speaking harsh words in whispers and physically abusing her as a child. Then they turned her dream of freedom into a cage. Now they scorned her for merely existing.

No one in Suna _wanted_ her to exist. They'd rather she walk into the desert and die alone where scavenger animals could feast on her carcass.

So, the blind kunoichi sat alone on the old swing set she and Gaara used to meet at, pushing herself back and forth with her good leg in the silence of the cold night, her forehead protector not over her eyes but held in her hand.

She was tired, so tired of this pitiful existence in Suna. Why did she even expect things to change? Because she hoped it would? Because Gaara's friendship made life worth living as a child? What a naïve fool she was.

Hikari returned because she had to know if Gaara could finally see her again. She came back for him. And yet…and yet she was still here. Still alone. Still cold. Still hurting. Still curled over a dead ember she mistakenly believed she could reignite if she devoted herself to it.

 _A complete stranger shares her warm compassion with me while the very people I share a home with shun my existence. Suna will never change. My life here will never change. I'll always be less than trash._

Hikari clenched her forehead protector tightly and grit her teeth. _I…I should have stayed in the Leaf. I should have stayed with Amaririsu._

The Suna native couldn't take this existence anymore. 'Twas clear to her now that she had no one left in Suna. Her parents were long dead. Gaara hadn't spoken a single word to her since his apology, nor had she sensed his presence anywhere.

There was nothing for her in Suna except pain.

What a cruel world this was.

Cruel and cold.

…But a shining light waited in a distant land. A warm light. A light that illuminated her dark world, and a warm hand that pulled her in instead of callously shoving her away. A light that had wept for her and _begged_ her to stay, all because she didn't want Hikari to suffer this loneliness anymore.

" _I can do more. Damn it, let me do this. Let me help. You don't have to walk your road alone anymore. Just…Just let me help you more."_

Amaririsu remained prevalent in her thoughts. She was a shining beacon of hope and affection beyond this gilded cage she lived within. Just the thought of her and the small time they were able to share with one another brought a fond smile to Hikari's lips.

" _Young Amari's offer of help has no expiration date, as you have no doubt inferred."_

'Twas true. Amaririsu's offer of aid, of a new life where her kindness would gently caress her wounded soul back to health held no expiration date. Her hand would always be there to grab hold of. Her arms would always be open to her.

To know that this one girl cared so deeply about her fate was enough to make tears prick at Hikari's eyes.

Amaririsu was a precious treasure. A precious person to Hikari.

So why was she still _here_? Why did she remain in Suna?

Perhaps 'twas best to walk away. Perhaps the cards given to her here in Suna were cards she had to fold and leave behind if she were to ever be happy.

Of course to leave would mean becoming a rogue shinobi. The Council of Fools would never allow her to retire nor would they allow her to leave for Konoha; she was a powerful weapon, after all, and could not be allowed to slip away. And if their favorite scapegoat left, then who would they cast blame on or shun?

The bond she had once shared with Gaara, 'twas something she did not wish to lose or walk away from. But 'twas a bond they _once_ shared, now severed. Now just ashes in the wind as she sat in dark solitude, smelling the residue of the fire that once gave her warmth as the last of its heat faded in the cold desert.

Even now her heart yearned to have that bond back in a painfully fierce way. 'Twas a fault of hers, she supposed, to be unable to let go. She held on too aggressively, and perhaps that was a factor in her inevitable failure to fix what was fractured.

If she were to leave then there was a high chance of being forced to fight him yet again, only this time 'twould be for her freedom from Suna instead of fighting against his insanity.

 _I do not wish to fight him again…because I fear one of us will have to die if it happens again._ Killing Gaara was not an action she was sure she was capable of, even for the chance at a better life.

Should she make it to Konoha, she considered leaving shinobi life behind. Maybe she could work at the flower shop she found, where all those precious flowers waited to be tended to and caressed. She could live on the streets; 'twas not as if she was not accustomed to it.

Hikari frowned. _Amaririsu would never stand for such a thing._ She hadn't offered her help to leave her on the streets. Amaririsu would bring her into her home. 'Twould be nice, and she could sleep on the floor instead of the street.

 _Amaririsu wouldn't stand for that either._

She was too kind. If there was another piece of furniture or bed, she would offer those, and if there was not then she would likely offer to share the same bed…and perhaps Hikari would like that. To be so close to her warm light, 'twould be lovely.

However, first she had to escape her cage to reach Konoha, and that would prove difficult. And even if she did reach Konoha, she did not wish to be a burden to Amaririsu or to take advantage of her kindness.

Amaririsu had given her so much already, but she was truly her last hope. _I will repay her, I swear it on everything I am…I just need this last favor._

'Twas decided. She would leave Suna for the chance at a better life, and if she died along the way or was imprisoned by Konoha and later executed…so be it. 'Twould at least allow her to leave for the peaceful home of the spirits where she would no longer be ostracized and treated as trash.

 _I accept whatever my fate awaits me by making this choice. If I die because of this choice, I will not die as a tool for Suna or as something less than human. I will die free._

Hikari stopped pushing herself back and forth on the swing and lifted her forehead protector up. She brought her other hand to it and traced it across the cool metal, the frown on her face deep.

 _I spent my life thus far trying to prove my worth to people who will never accept me. This forehead protector…it symbolizes all of my hard work overcoming my injury and blindness, yet it also symbolizes my prison. If I am to leave this life behind me, I must leave this too. Once I leave this place, I am no longer a Suna kunoichi._

With one last brush across the metal, she let the forehead protector slip out of her hands.

To her surprise, it never hit the ground.

* * *

Naruto Uzumaki and Amaririsu Yūhi.

Their names were engraved in Gaara's mind. Their sharp and passionate words echoed in his ears. Their penetrating eyes haunted his waking and sleeping hours more than the Shukaku ever could. Their intense battle—a battle he lost—was a deeper scar than the red kanji for love on his forehead.

Ever since _that_ night he loved only himself. He lived only for himself. Connections, bonds, they meant nothing. And in that belief he pushed away the one person in this world that had ever truly cared about him. The one person who had accepted him. The person who helped to chase away the nightmares and cold solitude just by smiling.

He lost all direction in the darkness, never realizing how much he had forgotten about his first friend. About how she made him feel. How she helped him to _feel_ more than numbness.

How she, who lived without the gift of colors, made his world vibrant and warm.

Naruto Uzumaki and Amaririsu Yūhi shattered his darkness. They demolished the walls casting their long, black shadows over him to open a single portal for light to enter.

With that single light, darkness ceased to be all he knew.

" _It's almost unbearable, isn't it? The feeling of being all alone. Being treated like some sort of monster and freak for just being alive. I know that feeling. I've_ _ **lived**_ _it! I've been there in that dark and lonely place. I_ _ **know**_ _the pain you've gone through!"_

He hadn't believed anyone could understand, yet Naruto Uzumaki did. However, their paths were unique to them and their choices. Where he embraced the darkness, Naruto Uzumaki sought light. Where he pushed away his precious person, Naruto Uzumaki kept his close to his heart.

" _We were all lonely, all afraid because we weren't sure what our purposes were or what the point of a tomorrow was when no one cared about our existences. That's why you should see how important Hikari is! She cared more about your life and your future more than she cared about her own. The bond we share with them isn't just a one way street. They saved us from our darkness and we saved them from theirs!_

" _But you forsake her to the loneliness we all feared. You turned your back on the hand she reached out to you. Even at the end, even as you tried to kill her, she never stopped caring about you!"_

Those words, they made his heart squeeze unpleasantly in his chest. They brought about the kind of pain medicine couldn't fix. A wound the wonders of Medical Ninjutsu couldn't heal.

Why had those words hurt so much, he had wondered. Simply put: Because for someone who only loved himself, Gaara hated himself just as much for breaking Hikari's heart. He hated himself for tearing apart her heart and leaving it to bleed in loneliness.

He hated himself for being a source of immeasurable pain to someone he, even in his darkest moments, only wanted to protect.

It was because of him her knee could never be repaired. He lost control of the Shukaku that night, and in the rampage he unleashed he unknowingly destroyed her home while she was still in it.

It had been the first night his father sent an assassin to kill him—the first of many.

Who had the first been?

To his everlasting despair, the assassin was none other than Yashamaru, the only other person outside of Hikari who ever loved him.

Gaara hadn't known it at the time; his uncle ambushed him and hid his identity behind a mask. Only after he brought the assassin close to death did he learn the truth, and as his uncle's life slowly slipped away he told him a heartrending truth: he _hated_ Gaara. His birth killed his uncle's sister—Gaara's mother—and even she had never loved him.

Yashamaru told him to push Hikari away, that he would only ever cause her anguish and heartbreak because his namesake—given to him by his mother—was to be a self-loving carnage. His uncle continued to tell the shattering child that Hikari, although ostracized by others, was not the true monster between them, and she would only continue to suffer because of his friendship.

" _She deserves to know happiness, but she never will because of you, Gaara. So long as she remains close to you, she will never be accepted by anyone. You will be the bane of her life."_

The pain of his words went beyond any previous agony he had ever felt. Yet, after Gaara returned to his normal form he held onto the small hope his uncle was wrong.

When he saw Hikari's knee he came to believe Yashamaru's words.

So he pushed her away, hoping it would protect her from the path of loneliness he was destined to walk. But no matter how he acted outwardly towards her, even when he ignored her existence, he couldn't escape the injury his uncle dealt to his heart.

All he could do was try to ignore it just as all those who ignored her existence.

When they first arrived in Konoha and his brother tried to pick a fight with the blue-haired kunoichi, his ability to ignore it vanished to join the warmth he could no longer feel. Her eye was not amber colored like Hikari's, but it held the same will and feelings to always glow in his friend's eyes.

Admittedly, her ability to freeze his siblings with pure killing intent had also impressed him at the time.

The more they encountered one another, the more Gaara realized the inevitability of their conflict beyond Suna's plan. Their paths were meant to intersect in heated battle to decide between them whose purpose for existence was stronger; he felt it in his bones, he felt it in the cold void of his heart when they glared into each other's eyes.

The hospital sealed their fates.

" _You regret it. You regret turning your back on her. You regret shattering her dream and her knee. And most of all, you regret stealing her life, because despite so many people hating your existence for a decision made without your consent, she never did. She never saw you as a monster or as anything less than a friend. You were her precious person, and she was yours."_

Amaririsu was absolutely right. He harbored those regrets. He hid them behind a cloak of hatred and indifference only she had ever seen straight through.

It made him hate her more.

The pure distraught sadness and betrayal on Hikari's face when he severed their connection trailed his every step since he turned his back on her. Her eyes followed him everywhere, always asking him the same question filled with heartbreak: Why? Why did he do it? Why did he push her away?

Hikari had been his truest friend. A friend he was undeserving to have…but one he desperately needed now.

He didn't deserve her forgiveness nor would he blame her if she found the strength to let their bond go. After everything he had done to her, Gaara would never blame her for finally severing their bond.

But he hoped beyond all hope that there was still a chance to salvage it. That if he devoted himself to this task and worked hard, he could fix the heart he so cruelly broke.

These thoughts spurred him to summon the courage to speak to her. Facing down the friend he hurt, however, was far more frightening than fighting any foe. Courage escaped him. The thought of approaching her left his heart tight in his chest; he struggled to breathe and think at times when he thought of her negatively reacting to his attempt to speak.

Was this what it felt like to be afraid? To be afraid of heartbreak? To fear facing the disappointment of a precious person? To be afraid of pain?

It took Gaara time to find the same courage Hikari wielded when she stepped up to battle him. More time than it should have, he knew. But now he stood close by, hugging the shadows of the night as he watched Hikari sit alone, sadly pushing herself back and forth on the swing set.

This place, he hadn't been here in so long. He forgot how quiet it was here this late at night. How special it was.

With his eyes cleared of the shadows obscuring his vision, Gaara was finally able to see how much Hikari had changed since they were six year olds. She was…pretty. Or prettier, he should say. She bloomed like a cactus flower; a vibrant bloom made more magnificent by the harsh conditions she grew from.

He did his best to protect her since their return, hiding the truth of her attempt to stop him from Baki and the Suna Council by telling them he attacked her in a fit of rage—a half-truth. But as always, his attempts to protect his precious person fell short.

The Suna Council hadn't been kind to her, they never were. So it did not surprise him to see in her amber eyes even at this distance the internalized wish to leave their home behind.

Again he couldn't blame her. Pushing her away hadn't helped others to accept her. It left her with no one. It left her in this cold, desolate isolation he knew all too well.

Gaara shut his eyes and sighed heavily at himself.

Why did he have to cause her so much pain?

Was he even capable of salvaging their bond?

As he opened his eyes, he took note of her halted movement, all save the hand she glided over her forehead protector.

His eyes bulged in shock as he saw her begin to let it fall out of her hands.

 _Hikari…_

He could see the frown on her face paired with the melancholy and determination equally built in her eyes. She had made a decision, one that left Suna in the past.

Instinctually Gaara caught the forehead protector in his sand, the action revealing his presence to her finally. Surprise flickered in her eyes when she did not hear her headband touch the sand below her; the kunoichi's body immediately turned to face him.

"Gaara…" she whispered his name.

The redhead strode forward slowly, hesitant, unsure of himself and what he planned to say or do. He used his sand to bring her forehead protector into his hand, stopping his approach when he reached the swings.

"I…" Hikari's eyes fell as she sighed.

"May I sit on the swing next to you?" Gaara asked, the very same question he first spoke to her all those years ago.

"'Tis yours to sit on, I do not mind," she replied quietly.

Gaara sat down with his first friend and looked down at the dull sand conforming beneath their feet. He still remembered when their toes were all that could reach it, their little legs dangling from the wooden seats as they spent hours speaking of everything and nothing, eagerly learning everything they could about one another.

He missed this. This familiar and comfortable silence was like holding his favorite teddy bear again; like the teddy bear, being here again brought back nostalgic memories of simpler days when nothing seemed to matter. Before the reality of the world made him grow up.

Part of him just wanted to savor this, to hold onto it for as long as he could on the chance it would be the last time he could. But Gaara knew he had to speak. He _must_ if there was any chance to salvage their bond.

"I'm sorry for all the pain I have caused you, Hikari." He lifted his eyes to stare up at the canvas of sky above littered by millions of stars Konoha didn't know because of its light pollution.

The word _sorry_ did not roll off his tongue naturally. Lost in the darkness, feelings of empathy, sympathy, pity or compassion did not exist. And should he hurt someone, he felt nothing. Why should he?

Now was different, though. Naruto Uzumaki and Amaririsu Yūhi opened his eyes. They showed him he could change his path and redefine his bonds that revolved around pain, suffering and murder.

It would not be an easy road. The new path he wished to walk was full of hard work, but he was okay with that. Hard work was the only way he could redefine his bonds with his people as it was the only way he could salvage the one bond he should have never tried to sever.

"I know my apology will never take away the pain my previous actions and words gave you," he continued. "Seeing the bond between Naruto Uzumaki and Amaririsu Yūhi made me realize just how precious our bond truly was to you…and how important it was to me." Gaara shook his head to himself. "But I do not deserve to be given your forgiveness, Hikari."

" _All she ever wanted was for you to open your eyes again. To stop looking away into the darkness so you could see her still standing by your side! But you turned your back on her!_ _ **You**_ _! The one person in this vast world who she considered precious! You betrayed her!"_

He could still hear Amaririsu's fiery passion. The tremble of rage and hidden grief slipped unconsciously into her voice, all sourced from the pain his actions caused Hikari.

" _I thought…I thought you understood betrayal and loss because your precious person betrayed you, but no. You only understand betrayal from wielding the knife yourself. People may have treated you like a relic, but she didn't! Hikari didn't come here for anyone except_ _ **you**_ _! Even as she fought you, even as her heart was tearing itself apart, she never stopped fighting for you!"_

Sharp pains attacked his heart.

" _Tch! But you don't care, do you? You don't care about her. You don't care that you broke her heart. All because you only love yourself, you selfish scum._

" _When you and your Village attacked my home and my friends, when you and your people killed innocent people who had nothing to do with this war, you made this personal. But to betray the people precious to you is unforgivable!"_

Gaara lowered his eyes back to the forehead protector in his hand belonging to his friend. "After I pinned you to the tree, Amaririsu told me that no matter how much I was hurting you, you never stopped fighting to save me. She told me I broke your heart by betraying you, and that such a betrayal is unforgivable…and she's right, but…"

Hikari turned to face him with her features pulled in confusion. "But?"

"I would be willing to do whatever is necessary to earn your forgiveness and earn the ability to call you my friend again."

He looked up and met her eyes. Those amber eyes still cured the chill in his bones.

"If you have finally severed your connection to me, I understand and I will never resent you for it. I do not deserve a second chance, Hikari. Not after what I did to you. I know this, but I want to heal the wounds I gave you."

He saw a flicker of hope in her eyes, but it quickly faded for dejection as she turned her eyes back to the sand below them.

"I hear the truthfulness in your words Gaara and wish to be able to call you friend again… The bond we had, 'tis something I still yearn to have in a way that nearly causes me physical pain…"

"But you want to leave?" he asked.

The white-haired girl remained still with a sad frown pulling onto her lips. Hesitantly, she nodded. "My existence here…'tis painful. I need not tell you the cruelty of the villagers; you have experienced it as much as I have. No matter what I do, they will always hate that I exist. They will always treat me as a monster."

Hikari lifted her hands up, blind amber eyes staring into the space they settled in with pain.

"I do not understand why 'tis this way. Are we truly monstrous? Is it this power I wield? Or is it they who are monsters? 'Twould be so easy to accept their label and become the monster they fear. 'Twould be even easier to call them the monsters. But perhaps 'tis not one or the other. Perhaps I am a monster, and perhaps so are they.

"Or perhaps none of us are monsters. Perhaps we are all merely human, and these emotional responses, monstrous as they are, are normal for our savage species. But if that is true, why does Amaririsu exist? Why does Naruto Uzumaki? Why are they capable of such pureness while not a single soul in Suna is?"

She lowered her hands. "Why do we exist, Gaara? To suffer? To make others suffer? Is this what it means to be alive? Or have we all lost our way? And if so, do people like Amaririsu and Naruto exist to guide us in the right direction?"

"I don't know, Hikari," he answered honestly. "I don't know why we exist. But you aren't a monster."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I know what it means to be a monster."

"Gaara…"

"I don't blame you for wanting to leave," he switched the subject.

"But would you let me if I did?" she asked in return, quiet and concerned for his answer.

"Yes." Hikari stared his way in astonishment. "If that is what your heart wants most, then I won't stop you from leaving. I don't know what kind of life would await you in Konoha, but Amaririsu Yūhi would do all she could to help you. I know that to be true."

"…Gaara…"

Of course he did not want her to leave, but he had lost his right to ask her to stay. He lost it the moment he turned his back on her.

Before she did leave he felt it important to tell her the truth about the day he severed their bond.

"The night your knee was destroyed, I was attacked by an assassin sent by my father. It was Yashamaru. He told me I would be the bane of your life." Those words hurt his heart to repeat. "I don't know if he is right," he admitted. "I don't know if all I'm only capable of causing you pain. But he was right in saying you deserve happiness. That's why I tried to push you away."

"Yashamaru…but…" Hikari's voice held the same disbelief and hurt he felt when he learned his assassin's identity. Betrayal crossed her features, joined by immeasurable heartbreak.

It took her a moment to collect herself. "…I am so sorry, Gaara. But he was wrong about you being the bane of my life. You…you were the brightest light in my very lonely world all those years ago. You are still precious to me, Gaara."

Those words provided the smallest hope that she may remain in the village.

"Would you consider giving me one last chance to prove myself worthy of your kindness before leaving?"

Hikari turned in her swing and reached her hand out to touch him, finding his pant covered knee. The small touch made a ghost of a smile form on her face before she turned serious once more.

"I would. What is it you plan to do? You are planning something, no?"

"I seek to redefine the agony filled bonds I have had with others and become the Kazekage so that one day people will see me as more than a monstrous tool."

He could now see the path ahead of him with untainted eyes. Now he just had to walk it.

His friend frowned slightly to his surprise. "You do not owe these people anything, Gaara. 'Tis them who twisted you into the person you became."

Hikari's resentment was strong. He could hear it and see it, but it was that kind of emotion that led him into darkness. Perhaps this time he could reach out and save her before she fell out of reach.

"One act of pain does not justify another," Gaara said as he looked at her. "If I don't do anything, nothing will ever change. My ties of sorrow and pain will only grow worse."

He turned his gaze back to the sky full of stars. "I know the road will be difficult, but I will work hard and commit myself to this Village so I too can become precious to others, like Naruto Uzumaki and Amaririsu Yūhi have within their Village."

 _And I would like it if you were with me as I did_ , his thought went unspoken. Gaara didn't want to make Hikari feel obligated to stay. If she was to stay, then he wanted her to stay because she wanted to.

For too long the events in her life were either out of her control or forced upon her by others. This was his chance to give her the ability to choose her own path just as he had chosen his.

"Gaara, the Fifth Kazekage." Hikari gave him a genuine smile. "'Tis a good goal, one I believe you can succeed in if that is what you wish."

"Thank you." Her belief in his ability and her approval of his goal satisfied his heart. It was a reminder of how great their bond had once been, a bond he was willing to work back towards.

Gently he turned the hand on his knee over and placed her forehead protector in it.

"I would be grateful to have a friend like you at my side through this journey."

Hikari's answer was the small closing of her hand around her forehead protector with the tips of her fingers brushing against the top of his hand. She smiled fondly at him and nodded.

For the first time in many years Gaara found a smile on his face.

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: Sasuke's future is definitely dancing on a blade of a knife at this point. Her training will be expanded upon later, don't worry. There is a chapter still some distance away that unveils her sadistic Comedy Jutsu; it'll be worth the wait and my vagueness, I promise._

 _As for Mass Effect, I've got a few stories in my head I want to write. It's just a matter of finding the time to write them. I did enjoy playing through the Lair of the Shadow Broker and going through the footage archive on the base; definitely some interesting clips on there that would provide some humorous reactions from the other members of your squad._

 _I'd say Amari is aware of her bisexuality. She understands her feelings._

 _Thank you for asking and thank you for the review!_


	60. Chapter 59: A Small Breakthrough

Chapter 59

A Small Breakthrough: Onwards with the Power of Hope!

As the morning sun hovered above Konoha, angled between the horizon and high noon, beams of light descended from the heavens, cutting through the windows of Mimi Inuzuka's bedroom, painting the floor and walls in natural sunlight. The areas blessed by the light were warm at the touch, a contrast to the light chill Mimi felt.

The bed within sat empty; the comforter and sheets beneath were pristine and untouched since it was last made, still eagerly awaiting the eventual return of its occupant.

Her bed would be disappointed, if beds could feel emotion.

Adjacent to the bed was a desk, at which the sleeping form of Mimi Inuzuka could be found. Her head lay on her balled up sweater, arms looping protectively around and squishing the clothing turned pillow as she nuzzled her face into the soft and warm cushion. Aoko slept curled up in her lap. Every so often she quietly barked at a dream, hind legs twitching enough to hint at the chase she was taking part in.

Had she the energy, she wouldn't be sleeping here. Neither would Aoko. Sleeping in chairs wasn't anywhere on any doctors list of recommendations, especially when a nice, warm bed was within cannon-balling distance.

The cramps awaiting her would not be pleasant.

Mimi did have reason for her sleeping arrangement—if one could call her current situation a sleeping arrangement without rolling their eyes or scoffing, which even she found hard _not_ to do. This was a sleeping arrangement like a katana was a kitchen knife.

Anyway, her studies of Medical Ninjutsu the night before went well into the morning, and when she decided to lay her head down to rest for a moment, well, she conked out.

Long study hours consumed her nights after days of physical training or missions—sometimes both. Every cell in her brain was dedicated to learning how to heal Amari, Kakashi and Lee; in her mind, all three were her patients, which meant learning how to treat the injuries they were afflicted with.

There was more to this than being challenged as a medic-nin who wanted to surpass Lady Tsunade; Mimi felt a desperate _need_ to help the people she cared about.

One week passed since the Akatsuki incident. One entire week since she knelt helplessly on Kakashi's bed and then in front of Amari in some random hotel hallway, unable to do anything for them except curse, growl and fight against tears for the girl she considered a little sister being all but dead in front of her.

Some medic-nin she was. First she couldn't help Hinata, then Lee, now Kakashi and Amari. It _pissed_ her off. The darkness lingered in her mind. It called to her, demanding to find some way to extract righteous vengeance on those who harmed Amari. But, while the darkness sought to lead her astray, Hana's words hugged their arms around heart and kept her from following its siren calls.

" _Use it as motivation to get better. That's what she'd want. It's what I want from you too."_

Right. Anger was just a distraction right now. Being pissed off wouldn't fix anything or anyone. She had to buckle it down, for Lee, Amari and Kakashi. She had to become better. To keep advancing so she could be ready the next time.

Moping around the house, being an angst filled teenager complaining about their inability to succeed would be as useful as a moody cat paired with an Inuzuka. Besides, she did enough moping recently to fulfill the angsty teenager yearly quota.

In the end, Amari acted with honor, and with no short supply of stubbornness. She made the sacrifice to protect her precious people. She _chose_ her path. And had Mimi been in her position, she would have made the same choice to protect the people precious to her.

 _"I…I think they both knew this was how it would end."_

It hurt to hear Kurenai say the truth out loud. It hurt to hear the waver in her voice as she fought valiantly against the insurmountable grief and rivers of tears she had every right to shed, but built a dam around to keep them at bay. It hurt to know Amari went in knowing she'd be taken out, and that she wasn't able to stand side by side with her so she wouldn't go down alone.

She should have been there, if for nothing else than to fall alongside her sister. But that was a selfish wish, completely and utterly inconsiderate to the turmoil such a fate would cause her family and team.

The best thing she could do now was stay focused on advancing her skills, that's what Amari would want from her.

Although Master Jiraiya and Naruto were on the hunt for Lady Tsunade—the legendary kunoichi who revolutionized Medical Ninjutsu before Mimi was born—the Inuzuka was still plagued by the concern of Tsunade not returning. It kept her motivated to find answers herself.

What if Tsunade died long before today? What if she never existed in the first place?

Lee, Amari and Kakashi would be screwed. Out of luck and out of reach.

Sure, she believed the Goofball and Master Jiraiya would be successful in their mission, but that was no reason to stop seeking a higher level of skill.

Mimi was, as Hana said, a bit of a fangirl when it came to the legendary kunoichi. But as big of a fan as she was, solely relying on Tsunade's medical prowess wasn't enough for her, and it never would be.

Lady Tsunade was legendary, yes, and her talents in Medical Ninjutsu could not be understated; no one outmatched her prowess in Medical Ninjutsu—no one.

Well, no one yet. Mimi was planning to change that.

Still, it'd be shortsighted to think Lady Tsunade could always walk in and save the day for them.

The difficulty of healing these specific injuries was the book equivalent of Amari's struggle against Itachi, Aimi and Kisame. These injuries weren't meant for ordinary medic-nins to fix, and those who afflicted them with these injuries didn't _intend_ for them to be fixed; Mimi knew this, she had the damn books scattered across her desk, the margins of the pages within marked by scribbled notes and calculations that proved the difficulty.

Lady Tsunade wasn't immortal or infallible. One day they wouldn't be able to lean on her, and when that day came Mimi planned to be prepared to stand in her place, as well as pass on her knowledge so the Leaf Medical Corps could one day be the best damn Medical Corps to exist in the shinobi world.

The more people in possession of greater Medical Ninjutsu knowledge, the better the world could be.

Less orphans. Less avoidable deaths. Less helpless situations like this.

This wasn't the last time they'd see Itachi Uchiha or shinobi of his level. No way. She learned enough to know the infiltration and the attempted kidnapping of Naruto and Amari was only the beginning of a substantial threat to all of their lives.

Those shinobi—the Akatsuki—they weren't disappearing anytime soon. As long as they were targeting Naruto, as long as Amari had this new Mangekyō Sharingan power, they'd be targeted by members of the organization, meaning Mimi had no choice but to get better.

No, not just her, but everyone. Her peers, their teachers, their forces, even the other Nations had to step up their game if they were to be prepared for the Akatsuki.

Mimi's starting point was learning to heal these injuries. To be a great medic meant learning to treat all varying types of wounds, from poison and broken bones, to psychological damage and organ transplants. You couldn't just apply Medical Ninjutsu to poison within the body and expect it to do anything, nor could you mend a broken bone with a simple wave of the hand or snap of the fingers.

Knowing the kind of poison afflicting a patient was required to give them the proper antidote; otherwise the attempts to treat would do nothing at best or quicken their patient's demise at worst.

For broken bones it depended on the severity of the fracture. Sasuke's case was a bit mild, but his arm and hand weren't bent in the wrong direction, nor were his bones shattered from his elbow to his fingers. Those situations required surgery, for starters, and a hell of a lot of time off from shinobi work to heal properly.

There was also the possibility of the bones rupturing the tissues surrounding them, which meant learning the different types of tissues and sub-tissues within those tissues. Without that knowledge you couldn't fully treat the patient.

For instance, muscle tissues were broken into three different types: cardiac, skeletal and smooth. If you didn't know that cardiac muscle tissue was only found in the walls of the heart while smooth was in your internal organs and blood vessels then you weren't fit to be a medic.

Knowledge was power in the field of Medical Ninjutsu. The more you knew, the more you could do, whether it be healing a wound or severing tendons to incapacitate an opponent.

All she had to do now was—

"You're still asleep?" Her body was shaken gently. "Come on, Mimi, wake up."

Mimi groaned quietly and kept her eyes shut. "Five more minutes," she pleaded.

Hadn't she at least earned some rest with how hard she was training and studying?

"Mimi, it's time to get up. You have to meet up with your team soon."

To her inaction, two furry heads started sniffing around her head and attempting to lick her face.

" _Hana_. Call them off," the Inuzuka whimpered tiredly.

Her older cousin chuckled at her expense. "I'll call them off as soon as you get up."

With another tired groan, Mimi reluctantly opened her eyes and moved her face out of the reaching range of the two Haimaru brothers to bother her.

"All right, all right. I'm up." She winced, immediately lifting a hand to her cramped neck. "And _really_ sore."

"You heard her boys. You can leave her be now," Hana called her ninken off with a grin in her voice. The duo wagged their tails happily and returned to their companion's side where the third of their trio sat patiently.

The sapphire eyed Inuzuka raised her arms into the air, releasing a yawn as she did, and stretched out her back in an attempt to alleviate the aches attacking her body. It didn't quite work. She _did_ hear a nice crack roll up her spine, though, so that was something.

Lowering her arms, Mimi used one hand to apply rudimentary Medical Ninjutsu to her sore neck and back while using the other to cox her ninken from sleep.

"Time to wake up, Aoko," she cooed.

" _Five more minutes,"_ she whined.

Mimi smiled tiredly and scratched Aoko behind her ears. "Hey, if I have to get up then so do you."

 _She's worked just as hard as I have. Having her here with me, motivating me to not give up has really helped a lot._

She was a true companion.

Her ninken let out a yawn and got onto all four paws to stretch her body out. _"I hope Guy-sensei isn't being too eccentric today."_ Aoko yawned again. _"I don't know if I have the energy for his hot-blooded attitude."_

"You and me both," Mimi yawned into her hand before turning to examine her cousin.

She was already in her beige Konoha medical uniform, her long brown hair tied back in a ponytail save for two long locks that framed her face over her black eyes.

Unlike Mimi, Hana was ready for the day.

In her tired mind, Mimi thought back to the days and nights they used to spend studying together, learning all they could about their chosen fields of Medical Ninjutsu, Hana always motivating her to keep at it. The memories brought a soft, nostalgic smile to her face.

Things hadn't been simple back then, not with the death of her parents being so fresh. But she missed the seemingly endless hours they spent together, so absorbed in their studying that time didn't seem to exist, granting her escape from the cruel world she despised.

Hana was, and always would be, one of her greatest positive influences. While her aunt helped toughen her up, Hana stopped her from turning completely cold, sustaining her freezing heart with warm affection.

Pride and stubbornness never stood between Hana showing her love. Never. Even when she knew Mimi would find it embarrassing, or perhaps _especially_ because she knew Mimi would find it embarrassing, she kept her arms and heart open to her little cousin.

Mimi learned early on that a smile and hug from her cousin could melt almost all of her negative emotions away. She breathed love into a world Mimi began to believe was only capable of creating pain.

 _I'm fortunate to have her_. Mimi covered her mouth as she yawned again. _But I really wish she would have let me sleep._

"What time is it?" she asked through her yawn.

"Nine o'clock." The younger Inuzuka groaned and laid her head back to stare up at the ceiling. "How long did you sleep for?"

"Barely six hours. I was up with all of this." She motioned to her table full of notes and opened medical books revolving around psychological trauma and cellular structures.

Mimi shut her eyes and released a sigh. _I hope I'll be able to sneak in a nap today…but I doubt it._ She let out a steady breath and turned her gaze down at her desk. _No use complaining about it. I chose to stay up. Now I just have to deal with the consequences._

Hana peered over her shoulder to examine everything on the table with interest. "Any luck with all of your studying?"

"Yes and no."

Mimi picked up Aoko and set her on the floor then stood up, immediately reaching up towards the ceiling and moving onto her tiptoes to stretch out her back. A muffled groan escaped her as another satisfying pop sounded off.

Any more pops and her spine would become a musical instrument.

"I haven't figured out how to heal Amari and Kakashi-sensei, but I had a small breakthrough last night with Lee's condition."

"Oh? What was it?" Hana's curiosity couldn't be contained.

Mimi grabbed a fresh black V-neck and shin length black shorts from her closet then set them on her bed. When she returned to the table to grab her sweater she found her cousin already skimming through all of her notes without touching them.

"The surgery he needs would only have a fifty-fifty shot at being successful even with an expert medic. It would be unlikely anyone would do it with that much risk. He'd have to give up his shinobi career."

Her cousin looked up from the notes with an eyebrow quirked up. "But?"

"There could be a way to increase his chances." Mimi grabbed her sweater off the table, revealing another piece of paper. Notes were scrawled over it in every margin and space available. One circled group stood out the most.

"Cell Activation Jutsu?" her cousin read out loud.

Mimi nodded and tied her sweater around her waist. Her cousin's eyes scanned the page taking in all the diagrams drawn on it, the questions and answers written into the margins and the steps to use the jutsu; everything was detailed and researched down to the tiniest of details, checked and double checked to ensure it was a real possibility instead of a false hope.

Hana hummed and pursed her lips in consideration to what she had written down. "How long have you been working on this?"

"Ever since the prelims. Figuring out a way to fix his injury has been a huge challenge."

Hana broke her gaze from the papers to give her an admonishing glare. "Why didn't you ask for help?"

She was upset, hurt even. Mimi would have known that without seeing it in her eyes; her voice was enough to convey it. A hint of guilt ate at her heart.

Why didn't she come to her and ask for help when she knew her cousin would have gladly aided her? They were family. They didn't have to hide anything from each other. They could always depend on each other to help. So why, why didn't she trust in that bond enough to ask for help?

The younger Inuzuka shifted her weight on her feet uncomfortably as she let her eyes fall to the floor. "…Pride."

" _Mimi_ ," Hana scolded.

"I'm sorry," she apologized

It was a stupid reason, she knew, but it was the reason. Her pride wouldn't allow her to ask for help. She saw it as _her_ responsibility to fix the trio because she wasn't able to stop it from happening.

"I know you would have helped, but I felt like I needed to figure this out on my own. You had enough on your plate without me begging for you to help me with something, especially after the village was attacked."

She was a veterinarian, new Jōnin _and_ one of the best trackers in the whole of the Leaf. Asking for her aid after working all day didn't feel right.

 _But that's also an excuse for my pride getting in the way. I had to learn this alone, to prove it to myself that I was capable of doing it…at least it sort of worked out._

Hana held her under her gaze for a few more seconds then sighed, turning back to the page. "So you would have to activate every cell in his body at once to increase his chances," she said.

Hana wasn't happy, but she understood. That was something.

"Yeah. Activating every cell will force the body to repair itself as a medical-ninja is performing the surgery…only there's a slight problem."

And by slight she meant a problem that completely ruined everything.

"You haven't figured out how to activate every cell at once. Another problem is the amount of chakra, chakra control and skill needed once you do figure that out. To force the body to create new cells and revitalize the cellular structure in each type of cell is beyond most medical-ninjas," Hana stated.

Mimi released a sigh of disappointment in acknowledgement to the flaw she couldn't get around. Being able to activate one type of cell in isolation was easy for a skilled medical-ninja, but to activate every type of cell from internal organ and muscular to skin cells? She might as well demand to be gifted cosmic power. Or try to use the First Hokage's kekkei genkai.

"I know. A strong enough food pill could possibly grant the person the chakra needed, but everything else is still up in the air." The Inuzuka ran her hand through her untamed hair. "I have a lot more work to do."

She had yet to talk to any of Team Guy or Lee about her findings for this exact reason. Sure it could give them small hope by showing the possible path forward, but what if she hit a brick wall or there was zero possibility of the jutsu working?

 _I can't get Lee's or anyone else's hopes up only to smash them into pieces. It would crush them, and seeing them crushed because of my incapability would hurt_. She stared down at her books with tired eyes. _I have to complete it before I tell them about it._

A hand rested on her head and ruffled her untamed hair, bringing her attention from the books to her smiling cousin. "You'll figure it out. I'm proud of how much you've managed to get done on your own, but don't be afraid to ask me if you need any help. I'm here for you, always."

Mimi gave her a smile in return, grateful for the warm wave of confidence and love her cousin provided. "Thank you, Hana."

"You're welcome." She let her hand fall off her cousin's head. "I'll let you start getting ready. Don't forget to clean up the table and have some breakfast before you head out."

"I know, I know. I'm not a complete lost cause despite sleeping in so late."

"I don't know about that. Kiba never begged me for five more minutes," her cousin jested.

"That's because Akamaru wakes him up since his damn snoring could wake up an entire village from miles away," Mimi shot back with a grin.

Hana tried to hide her laughter behind her hand but was less than successful in the endeavor. Aoko made no such attempt, nor did the Haimaru brothers with all four ninken chortling in amusement.

"So true!" She laughed then gave a small wave, taking her leave with the Haimaru trio following after her.

" _I did not think his snoring was so bad until we were forced to listen to him snore in unison with Naruto after the second phase of the exam. I should be applauded for restraining myself from using Fang over Fang on them,"_ Aoko rumbled with amusement.

"You and me both." Mimi chuckled then took a breath. "I hope the Goofball is doing well out there."

 _"Naruto will be fine. He showed great strength and Will in defeating Gaara, and now he has Master Jiraiya watching over him. Have faith in him."_

Aoko hopped up onto the bed and bit down on Mimi's clean shirt, lifting it towards the Inuzuka. _"Let's focus on getting ready and meeting up with our team. I believe we had a mission today, did we not?"_

"Right." The Inuzuka nodded.

She grabbed her clothes and headed for the shower. Once she was finished going through her morning routine, she sat down at the door to put the finishing touches of her gear on.

The kunoichi slipped her black gloves on then strapped her ninja tool box to her right thigh and put her pouch on her left hip. After she tied her forehead protector around her forehead and got her sandals on, Aoko jumped up into her lap, panting happily at her companion.

Mimi laughed lightly before picking her up and placing her on her head.

"Ready, Aoko?"

 _"Ready!"_ she barked.

Mimi grinned and pulled her pack on. "All right! Later Hana!"

"Be safe out there Mimi!" her cousin called back.

"I will!"

"And good luck!"

"Thanks!"

The Inuzuka took off out the door at a run and began making her way through the village to the front gate where her team would meet up.

As soon as they all arrived, which her team probably already had, Guy would dish out the details on their mission. He told them to pack for a short-term mission, which usually meant to be prepared for a C-rank mission taking them away from home for one to two weeks.

Anything more than that meant packing long-term, but thankfully that was not the case this time. _Our mission will probably only take a week depending on how fast we move and the exact details of the mission._

If they were escorting someone from point A to point B then it wouldn't take too long. _Especially if Guy-sensei decides we should sprint back._

Mimi shuddered not at the thought, but the memory of a previous experience.

 _The sheer energy and speed he showed was insane…though I suppose that's because he is a bit crazy._

If it was escorting a person from Konoha to somewhere else and then back it likely would take them almost two full weeks depending on where exactly they were traveling.

 _Guy-sensei said to pack short-term so it can't be too far away if we are escorting someone._ For all she knew it wouldn't be an escort mission at all; in fact they could end up hunting down a dangerous wild animal creating problems for a small town or fighting a bunch of bandits preying on innocent travelers.

She pushed the thoughts away and focused on the path ahead.

Construction was on-going, although that was to be anticipated. Many long days lay ahead of them before the Leaf would show a full recovery. Despite the damage, the people of her village were moving forward each day, taking the challenge head-on with strength and hope in their beings.

They had lost their Hokage along with other ally shinobi and civilians. Businesses and buildings had been destroyed and the future of their home seemed a bit uncertain. It would be easy to drown in despair if they really wanted…yet no one did.

Everyone pitched in to help one another. People joined together to keep the fire burning in their hearts as they rebuilt what was destroyed.

 _Just the way Lord Third would have wanted it to be,_ Mimi thought with a mournful smile.

She missed the man and everything he stood for, yet she could see the latter in the actions and eyes of her fellow shinobi and villagers.

The Will of Fire still burned here.

" _You'll figure it out. I'm proud of how much you've managed to get done on your own,_ _but don't be afraid to ask me if you need any help. I'm here for you, always."_

The certainty, pride and love in Hana's voice were as clear as a cloudless night sky. It crushed the doubt lingering within the Inuzuka and renewed her confidence into a bright star.

 _I won't let any of you down. And I won't let your faith be misplaced Hana. I may not be the one to perform the procedures, but I'll get better and figure out how to perform the jutsus, that way I'm ready the next time any of you need me. That's a promise._

Her team was already waiting for her at the gates. Tenten noticed her approaching form first. "There she is." She waved. "Mimi, what took you so long?"

Neji and Guy turned to face her, the latter of the pair grinning at her arrival and the former offering a passive nod.

"Hey guys. Sorry if I kept you waiting," the Inuzuka apologized as she came to a stop. "Stayed up too late and woke up even later. I suppose it wasn't all bad, though. I was able to get a good morning run in."

"You _would_ see running to barely make it on time as a good thing." Tenten sighed. "Sometimes I don't know what to do with you, Mimi."

Mimi grinned at her fellow kunoichi. "Aw, you're getting all mother hen-like already. Another bonus of running a bit late, right Aoko?" She looked up at her partner for support.

" _Agreed. It's entertaining to see her fuss over us."_

"True enough."

Tenten placed her hands on her hips. "It's so not fair when you two do that." She then jabbed her finger right below her left collar bone. "And I have to be a mother hen because if I don't you're bound to get yourself in trouble."

The sapphire eyed kunoichi's grin remained firm on her face. "Aw, I got a run in, I got to hear you be a mother hen and now I get to hear how much you care for my well-being? It's official, my morning is complete." She bounced on the balls of her feet. "I woke up a bit tired, but now I feel energized. I can't wait to see what this mission holds for us."

" _You and me both,"_ her ninken agreed.

A glimmer of light sparkled off Guy's teeth. "That's the spirit, Mimi! Embrace the fires of youth and let them burn brightly for all to see! Let us run to the ends of the earth with those flames burning in our hearts and fulfill our mission!"

Their sensei went to take off but was quickly stopped by the Hyūga of their team speaking up. "Sensei, you haven't even told us what our mission is or where we are going," Neji spoke calmly yet to the point.

The bushy browed Jōnin squeaked in shock then turned back to face all three of his Genin with a bashful smile and laugh. "Hehehe, right. I almost forgot about that." He brought his hand to his mouth and cleared his throat. "We have been ordered to track down and capture a group of bandits terrorizing various towns in the Land of Fire. They were last seen heading to a town not too far to the southwest of here."

"Sounds like we need to teach these bandits some manners." Aoko gave a bark of agreement to her companion's comment. "If we find any sign of their trail, it shouldn't be hard to track them down."

"Do we know how many there are?" Tenten questioned.

"Reports show they are a group of four," their sensei answered.

"Hmm." Neji's features were pulled into stoic thoughtfulness.

"What's wrong, Neji?" Tenten asked in confusion.

He turned his gaze to his two kunoichi teammates. "I find it odd that four bandits could attack various towns without anyone stopping them. It is not as if towns outside of Konoha have no police forces."

He had a valid point.

There was a high possibility the 'bandits' were not actually bandits at all. Whoever hired them could have lied because they lacked the money to pay for the price of a higher ranked mission—much like Team Seven's adventure to the Land of Waves—or they were taking advantage of Konoha because they were recovering from an attack.

 _We could be dealing with ninjas who are Chūnin or higher if they've gone to a lot of towns without being stopped._

"It is not impossible that they are merely bandits who are skilled, yet it is also very possible one, if not all, were once shinobi. We should be cautious," the Hyūga stated.

"Neji is right," their sensei agreed. All three students looked over to him. "It is very possible these bandits may have been ninjas in the past. We won't know until we track them down." He smiled confidently. "But even if they are I know you three will be more than a match for them." Guy turned around and pointed his finger down the road ahead of them. "Let us go!"

"Right!" the trio echoed with an extra bark from their resident ninken.

The power of hope would keep them moving forward as it always had, and soon enough Lee would be back among them embracing the power of youth with their crazy sensei.

It was a day Mimi would ensure became reality, no matter what.

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: Well, here's a glimpse at what Mimi and Team Guy are up to. Some more of the Leaf crew coming up, as well as more on Mist Village later._

 _We'll have to wait and see how her relationships with the kunoichis in her life develop, though I will say there are tiny glimpses so far of who she has affectionate feelings for._

 _Those are two songs I did listen to at the time of writing Mimi and Amari's fight in the Exams, helped with the intensity of the fight. I also listened to You Say Run and United States of Smash from the My Hero Academia ost heavily during it too. First one for the high-intensity parts, second one for the end of the battle. If you haven't heard the songs before, check them out. They're awesome._

 _Anko will have a presence, but I can't really say for what without spoiling anything. I personally enjoyed her character a lot, and was sad when she and pretty much every other badass kunoichi got sidelined._

 _Thank you for the review!_


	61. Chapter 60: Clash of Clansmen

Chapter 60

Clash of Clansmen: Shikamaru's Promise!

Sterile white walls surrounded Sasuke. Silence encircled him outwardly, yet internally a deafening war of frustration, insecurity and tormented sorrow raged on. Nearby, languid _clicks_ of shogi pieces being set pierced the silence at odd, thoughtful intervals. Thin veils of fabric hung over an open window behind him, rustling now and then when the weak breeze caressed past.

But his eyes never left the motionless body of Amari. She looked like she was sleeping; her small frame lay hidden beneath a sterile white sheet that complimented this isolated sterile white room. Everything here was so absent of color, everything except the wild blue hair spread out beneath her and the amaryllis flowers set next to her bed.

 _Why?_

The question pestered him endlessly. It played through his mind over and over and over and over again, left unanswered by the chaotic war he was torn between.

A week and a half had passed since the Akatsuki incident. A week and a half since his brother mercilessly took down Amari and Kakashi. Their conditions hadn't changed; no better and no worse since they suffered through the torture of Itachi's genjutsu.

The battle, if it could even be called that, replayed on the back of his eyelids every time he shut his eyes. He could see Amari seated on the floor, cheeks bloody and eyes covered by her bandana. He could _feel_ the burning hatred coursing through his veins again, demanding to be let loose on the perpetrator of their suffering. He could hear his brother's chastising words.

Then his arm was breaking, and as he lay there defeated, he watched as his clan-sister hurt herself to break free of the wire.

Fresh crimson beads led twisting and turning trails like a winding river down her trembling hands, dropping onto the floor with audible _plops_. She was breathing so heavily, as if her lungs were constricted. Yet, even after her body caved, she kept pushing to stand on her weak and frail legs.

 _Why?_

The strain to remain standing was visible in every quivering muscle. In her dulled and watery onyx eye he saw the fractured fortress walls his brother so cruelly demolished.

" _You're still hanging onto my lies. Weren't you listening? Haya didn't have to kill anyone. Instead I unlocked the memories of her dearest cousin, and made her watch his death."_

 _How many times?_ It was yet another unanswered question.

How many times had his vindictive brother forced her to witness the death of her cousin? How long had he tortured her with his final moments? Was it anything compared to what he had witnessed all those years ago?

 _To have unlocked the Mangekyō…the pain she would have endured emotionally…_ The thought made him clench a hand into a white knuckled fist while his face struggled to remain impassive.

Years ago, when his brother left him alive, he told him to unlock such a power he had to kill his best friend.

 _Another lie. He told me to embrace my hatred to become stronger than him, yet it was a lie. He told me he alone had killed our Clan to test his skills, yet it was a lie. He made me believe we were the only ones left, yet it was a lie._

Lie after lie after lie.

" _That night I lied to you and made you believe you and I were the only Uchiha's left. And yet, after learning Haya is alive, you still hang onto every lie I fed you as if it were truth. Even when standing in the same presence as Aimi you don't recognize her because you still believe she is dead."_

" _Aimi… You…You're…"_

" _Alive?" she offered in amusement. "Haya could hardly believe it too, and yet here we are."_

Everything his brother told him that night, everything he lived his life for, it was all just lies. Lies! And he ate them up like a naïve idiot!

 _"Hmph. Did you truly believe I would give you the keys on how to defeat me? Fester your hatred? Kill your best friend to unlock the Mangekyō Sharingan? My foolish little brother, why would I tell you the truth? Because we're brothers? Because we're blood? I had just finished killing our parents, and yet you think I couldn't lie to you?"_

Why did his lies still hurt? Why did it gnaw at his heart that his brother lied to him? Why did he continue to hold onto those lies when Amari was right there in front of him? And Aimi…

 _Aimi_ , Sasuke growled internally, aggravated at himself, at her, at this entire situation. _How could you join him in this madness?_

He could remember Aimi from what now felt like a past life. She was one of the only girls his brother actually acknowledged beyond polite interactions. Itachi, Aimi and Shisui, they had been the closest of friends—family, really.

She had been so kind to him back then, but now…

" _And you,_ _ **Sasuke**_ _," the hiss of her voice and burning red eyes pierced his soul. "How the precious little brother of Itachi Uchiha has fallen. So arrogant. So self-centered."_

Did she help kill Shisui to gain the Mangekyō Sharingan? Or was Itachi the only one responsible for his death?

Again he lacked an answer. But he knew one truth now: Shisui was Amari's cousin. First Itachi mentioned it then Kurenai confirmed he hadn't misheard his brother.

A week and a half did not make the revelation any less surprising to Sasuke. He could barely process it. Shisui was Amari's cousin this whole time? How had they never met? Shisui was around enough in that past life to be like another brother, and Itachi was in Amari's life before the massacre. Aimi, too.

Yet they never ran into each other. Not that Sasuke remembered, at least.

 _Shisui…_ Sasuke's fist fell open as his eyes remained glued to Amari. _I remember…I remember three members of the Police Force asking Itachi about what happened to him. Itachi denied any knowledge of his death. But the night he killed everyone, Itachi told me he forged Shisui's suicide note and killed him to gain the Mangekyō Sharingan._

Guilt and anger overwhelmed Sasuke. His brother _murdered_ Shisui for the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan. Amari's family was _dead_ because of Itachi and Aimi diving into their insanity.

Would she hate him because of his brother's actions?

 _I wouldn't blame her if she did._

She had more than enough reason to despise him. Not only had his brother stolen her precious cousin from her, but he was utterly useless in protecting her. Because of his weakness and his idiocy Amari had to paint a target on herself to get his brother away from him, enduring whatever further mental torture he unleashed on her through the Tsukuyomi.

The tears cascading down her blood stained cheeks flashed through his mind. He scowled at the memory.

All of this brought him back to his main question: _Why?_

 _Why am I so incapable of protecting anyone I care for? Why did she have to sacrifice herself and go through even more pain for me!_ He clenched his hand into a fist as his body began to shake. _I would have taken it; she didn't have to be stubborn and protect me._

" _And what are you going to do about it? Your head-on attack failed, Sasuke. Did you really think that I would just stand here and let you kill me? Chidori is a powerful tool, but it is one you used carelessly. Now look at you. You cannot even form the handseals to use it."_

Those words stirred a festering hatred within his heart as his eyes glanced to his repaired arm. He hadn't even been able to land a single blow on him. What was the point of all of his training if he was still so far beneath his brother?

Was this all he was capable of?

The mark on his neck began to itch in response to his emotions. Perhaps forsaking his hatred had been a mistake. Had he lost sight of his goal because of these connections that only served him more pain? Amari had unlocked the Mangekyō Sharingan already, yet he—a full-blooded Uchiha—had not.

 _She just keeps growing stronger and stronger while I get left behind in the dust._

As if Amari's spirit could hear him, he felt an invisible hand rest over his heart. _"Real strength comes from here. Yo- you have to find it in yourself and let it ru- run free. You can do it. You're a- an Uchiha and a member of Team Seven, after all. That makes you family."_

Sasuke squeezed his eyes shut. The war was growing in intensity. He could feel the constrictor around his heart tightening, the itch of the mark whispering its enticing promises of power he so obviously lacked.

The struggle was almost physically debilitating.

 _I…I don't know what to do!_

Everything he had done up to this point was to kill his brother and avenge his Clan. He lived by his brother's lies, and yet despite truths being given to him, he just wanted to turn away from them and go back to the easy lies he followed for so long.

To hell with the truth! To hell with everything! Itachi was still responsible for the death of their parents. His path was that of an avenger, wasn't it? What point was there to playing at being a shinobi when there was real power out there to be claimed?

All he had to do was let go and he could gain the power he needed.

Simultaneously, the scarred, warm hand that saved him kept snatching his wrist every time he tried to turn away.

Could he really just abandon her? All for what? Broken pride? Harsh truths he was afraid to confront alone?

" _Look at Amaririsu. Really look at the state she is in."_ His eyes returned to his teammate. _"_ _ **That**_ _is the reality we face as shinobi. Friends, comrades and family sacrificing their lives for the people they care for most._

" _She risked her life to fight a losing battle all to save her precious people. Whether you like it or not, that is the reality you face. Yet you two would dishonor that sacrifice by recklessly throwing yourselves at the very people she protected you from. One of you in some sort of foolish sense of bravery to make up for your past fears. The other in a self-centered attempt at redemption._

" _Amaririsu, for all her foolishness, knew exactly what she was sacrificing. And she did it for an honorable cause. Vengeance is not that cause. You would do well to remember that."_

The tugging of forces within his heart continued to pull him in every single direction. Sasuke could feel the threads of his stability starting to be pulled apart at this insanity he had to deal with.

 _What the hell do I do!_

* * *

Shikamaru sat back and gazed at the battlefield of shogi in front of him. Last time he and 'Risu played, she did well in their duel of tactics. Still, he won, which honestly surprised the Nara boy at the time; he was certain she could have turned the game around and won based on the positions of their final pieces.

So, he set the board up to reenact their last game, only this time he was going to play to win from 'Risu's side of the battle. It took a while, but he was within the final moves of the game.

The closer he looked at the board, the more her final choices became obvious.

 _All of her other options were limited. In her eyes, she could see me out maneuvering her through every other move she had. It was either take a leap of faith and possibly win, or lose._ He snorted in slight amusement. _Taking a risk for a chance at victory sounds like 'Risu all right._

Sighing, Shikamaru glanced up from the game to look at his unconscious cousin. _You always have to push yourself too far, troublesome girl._

Since Asuma and Genma showed up on their doorstep to tell his dad the news, Shikamaru spent the following days piecing together the entire incident from start to finish. Sometimes he sat in on conversations held with his mom and dad. Other times he went out of his way to ask those involved for details—specifically Mimi and Asuma.

This wasn't for some stupid plan of revenge. 'Risu wasn't able to defeat those S-rank shinobi, which meant he had about the same chance of doing anything significant right now as he did beating his dad in a game of shogi.

But he was too weak _now_. Later he could be stronger. Later he could be ready.

Eventually these guys would attack again, he learned that much. It'd be troublesome, no doubt about it, but the best way to prepare for that future encounter was learning every detail of the battle and their skills, that way he had time to think of counters and get a better idea of what kind of strength he needed to gain in the coming years.

What he learned was unsettling, to say the least. These guys were Orochimaru level of trouble, and his 'Risu somehow managed to damage one of them. But it came at a cost. Not just this state of unconsciousness, either.

Black chakra. Curse of Hatred. Space-time fūinjutsu. Mangekyō Sharingan. Those four points stuck out the most to Shikamaru, mostly because they had to do with his cousin's mental and emotional well-being.

For her chakra to change color, for Kurenai to _feel_ the difference between 'Risu and the person her hatred turned her into troubled him. He knew his 'Risu had a temper. Rarely did it appear—she was usually a docile deer.

But Shikamaru hadn't forgotten the kind of darkness Neji's attempt to kill Hinata brought out of 'Risu. He remembered Zaku's cries for mercy, and her lack of it.

Still, there were two silver linings here. First and foremost, 'Risu was alive. The trauma she experienced was terrible, obviously, but she had a heartbeat. She was still breathing. That meant she'd come out of this.

Of course she wouldn't be the same, not on the inside at least. She'd be troublesome and pretend nothing was wrong, like she just didn't go through torture or regain and lose a loving family member. But this recent fight and the memories she regained would engrave a deep and jagged scar onto her heart.

 _She'll take the pain and move forward. It's just what she does._

Shikamaru frowned slightly. He sensed his own hesitation in the reassurance, felt the lingering doubt beneath the confident façade.

Whether it was the Land of Waves, the fight against the Sound ninjas, Hisashi's poison or her battle against Gaara, Shikamaru always knew she'd bounce back. It was his 'Risu's way…yet this felt different.

Was this pain something she could overcome as she had countless times before?

Much like his next move on the shogi board, the repercussions of this incident were unknown. It was possible he'd find a crack in his old defenses and claim victory just as he believed 'Risu could have. But it was also possible each move he tried would lead to inevitable defeat.

Similarly, this pain was heavily tied to her past life and the bond she shared with Shisui. Witnessing his death, spending time with him in the space-time fūinjutsu before losing him, the memories she now possessed, they were all variables in this equation with unknown side effects.

' _Risu's a tough girl, she'll get through it. And I'll be here whenever she needs me._

That brought the Nara to the second silver lining: Naruto was out there somewhere with Master Jiraiya in search of Tsunade of the Sannin. If anyone could heal Kakashi and 'Risu, it was her.

There was no telling how long it'd take for them to find her. Could be they showed up tomorrow. Could be another few weeks. Still, Shikamaru believed the knucklehead would bring her back.

Team Seven's hyperactive ninja was called many things; an annoyance, an idiot, the dead last, irritatingly loud, and a troublemaker to name a few. Each had some semblance of truth to them, he supposed. Yet there was one thing that Naruto was that all of those titles couldn't take away from him.

Naruto was a man of his word. If he promised to do something, he damn well went through with it regardless of how impossible it seemed to others.

Shikamaru knew without a shadow of a doubt in his mind that he would succeed. Sooner rather than later he would march back into the village with the kunoichi member of the Sannin in tow so she could heal 'Risu and Kakashi.

Sure the kid was extremely troublesome, and he honestly had way too much energy for Shikamaru to deal with. But he was someone they could trust to aid 'Risu.

No doubt the knucklehead was training in some capacity to ensure he never "failed" Amari again.

 _I hope Naruto doesn't do something too idiotic to become stronger_. He sighed. _That's probably too much to ask of that knucklehead. Hopefully he isn't brooding like Sasuke._

Glancing up from the shogi board, Shikamaru examined the other occupant of the room—Sasuke. He wore the same sullen features he'd been wearing for the last week and a half.

What were the odds they scheduled their days to visit at the same time? How troublesome.

'Risu wouldn't want anyone thinking they failed her. Unfortunately, her teammates all felt that in some way, and they weren't alone. Kurenai, Mimi, Kakashi, Asuma, Atsuko all obviously felt they failed her. Hell, even his dad and mom felt that way despite having no clue there was even a battle at the time.

They all _wanted_ to be there. They all _wanted_ to somehow go back and stop it from happening. But they couldn't. The only option was to move forward, shouldering the pain in their hearts and using it to become stronger; that's how 'Risu got strong, after all.

Sakura came by often to replace the wilted amaryllis flowers with the fresh ones she'd been purchasing since 'Risu was checked in the hospital. Depending on the day she'd stick around to sit with her teammate for a little while or would leave to train or work.

But Shikamaru saw the biting guilt in her emerald eyes. Out of all the members of Team Seven, she alone didn't reach the battlefield until _after_ it was all over. It couldn't feel good. So, since his cousin wasn't around to do it, he offered a little nudge to keep her on the right track.

 _"I get how you feel, Sakura. I do. But 'Risu wouldn't want you sitting around worrying so much when you could be training. We can't change what happened, and she wouldn't want us to. It's up to us to get stronger for the next encounter. That's how we make it up to her."_

 _"…Yeah. You're right."_

She didn't seem as mopey lately. Apparently, after his little pep talk, she and Ino began training together again, and from Ino's disheveled appearance it seemed Sakura was pushing them both hard.

Shikamaru didn't bother to hide his amusement from his teammate. _"Sheesh, Ino. You look like you were hit by a tornado and a tsunami at the same time."_

 _Ino's response might have been witty. It might have even been biting. But all it sounded to Shikamaru's ears was incoherent mumbles._

" _Well, seems Sakura took my words to heart. My work here is done."_

" _Yo- you?!"_

 _The out of breath accusation and look of betrayal kept a smirk on his face and left Chōji snickering._

" _Yep. Me. Come on, Chōji. We've got training to do ourselves. Can't let Ino out work us. Asuma-sensei and our parents would never let us hear the end of it."_

" _Right behind you, Shikamaru!" his best friend laughed._

" _Shika- Shikamaru! I'll ge- get you back for this!"_

" _I doubt it. Later, Ino," he lifted a hand up as he strolled out of her home. "Make sure you take a shower. Oh, and stick to 'Risu's meal plan. That's the only way you'll ever surpass her."_

 _Ino groaned in defeat._

" _Bye, Ino!" Chōji bid farewell, his laughter at their teammate's response barely contained._

It was nice to know he wasn't the only one training so hard.

That left Sasuke, the most troublesome one of the pair. Sakura, at least, wasn't as hard-headed anymore. 'Risu's guidance changed her. She changed Ino, too; hell, she changed a lot of their peers, whether as a personal task or through her actions.

Sasuke wasn't exempt from the change, Shikamaru knew that. The Forest of Death was a sort of awakening for all of Team Seven. The rest of the Exam and Invasion only solidified it.

However, this latest incident was bound to leave Sasuke off kilter, especially when the person responsible for his change of attitude fell in combat. He didn't have a solid foundation. Not like 'Risu did. And the fact his brother was involved in 'Risu's fall—responsible for it, he should say—well, Shikamaru didn't envy his position.

In the week and a half, not a single syllable was spoken between them. Short nods to acknowledge their presence was all they managed, and then they'd sit or stand in here in utter silence.

Uncomfortable, in other words.

The palpable tension built around Sasuke made the room eerily quiet at times. His shinobi senses perked up at times; danger, or the feeling of it. Sometimes the Nara even felt like he was being watched by the walls. Like there was someone else in here with them.

Maybe there was. He'd seen the look in his father's eyes. Intense was a good start to describe it; beyond that was the shinobi behind the man, the shinobi who already lost too much and refused to lose his niece again.

Seeing that in his father's eyes, it was sort of freaky. At home, his dad was, well, he was his dad. Laid back, caring, busy some days, thoughtful, but never battle-hardened. Never the shinobi. Never the man willing to kill to protect his loved ones.

So, in all likelihood, they weren't alone. In all likelihood there was an Anbu agent, or several, lurking in the shadows, watching, waiting for some idiot to make a move. Even more likely were the Crows of the Leaf hovering nearby.

 _Probably the reason the window is always open._

Shikamaru pitied any idiot who tried to make a move on 'Risu now. They'd be dead before they could scream.

Anyway, Shikamaru had done his best to ignore the tension in Sasuke. Saying something in this situation would lead to trouble, he could feel it.

The Nara boy reached forward, picked up a shogi piece and moved it. The _click_ may as well have been a gong in this silent room.

Still, troublesome as it might be, Shikamaru considered speaking up. He could see the guilt, the frustration and the terrible war raging on within the Uchiha's eyes. That war left him in desperate straits.

For someone like Sasuke, whose world just got turned upside down yet again, having no one to reach out to him, to push, pull or shove him back in the right direction could be dangerous.

 _I know you did what you thought was best, but you're their balancing point, 'Risu. They're struggling to stay on their feet and they don't have you there to help them._

The Shadow user sighed internally. _Guess that means I have to ensure Sasuke doesn't do something incredibly stupid. Troublesome girl, why did you have to leave me all of this work?_

"She wouldn't want you tearing yourself apart over this, Sasuke," Shikamaru stated flatly while his eyes watched the motionless shogi board.

There were few moves in his arsenal. He could be flexible here, but regardless of his flexibility and the number of moves he wielded, there'd only be one set that led to victory. 'Risu had thought long and hard in their last game.

What did she miss? Or what opportunity did she pass on?

"Don't you have a game to be playing, Shikamaru?" Sasuke replied.

That was an effective way to tell him to mind his own damn business. Shikamaru refused to be so easily discouraged from his goal, even if it was a drag.

He snorted. "Don't you think wrestling with yourself over something you had no power over is kind of pointless?" An effective counter, he thought. The agitated growl proved his blow landed.

An opportunity was at his feet now to get his point through Sasuke's thick skull _before_ aggression took hold.

"'Risu made the choice she believed was best. Yeah, it's painful to see her down and out like this, but beating yourself up about doesn't help anyone. It's not something she'd want you to do."

And it was painful to see her in this state. Stuck in a sterile white room, lying in a bed with a white sheet pulled up to her neck; this was not the 'Risu he liked to see. He preferred the 'Risu who was nose deep in a book studying, or the workaholic training until she collapsed. Or the one simply lying in the grass with him, doing absolutely nothing for a change.

Those versions reflected his 'Risu best.

 _Luckily one of the nurses or Kurenai-sensei brushed through her hair_. The boy smirked inwardly. _She'd call it troublesome to wake up with knotted hair._

It took one time of seeing her struggle with knots to become grateful for his straight hair. Taking care of a thick mane like 'Risu's or Mimi's would just be a drag.

He was broken from his inner musings by Sasuke's frustrated voice. "So I'm just supposed to pretend like it doesn't matter that she sacrificed herself to protect me from my brother?"

The tension in the room rose in equal measure with the Uchiha's voice.

"You want me to act like everything is _fine_ when I failed to do anything to stop him from taking away someone else I care about?"

Shikamaru raised his eyes from the shogi board, only because he felt a hole searing into his temple. Sure enough, fury filled onyx eyes bored down on him.

Sheesh, being responsible and levelheaded was such a pain.

In those dark eyes he saw the colliding emotions of hurricane storm proportions. He could see the torn look in Sasuke's eyes and the beginnings of rage based trembles attacking his body.

 _Curse of Hatred, huh?_

Shikamaru could see it clearly now, the hatred his father, mother and Kurenai spoke about in regards to 'Risu.

" _When Itachi awakened the memories of Shisui, Amari was consumed by grief and debilitating pain. She was screaming in agony; it sounded as if she were afflicted with the poison Hisashi used on her."_

 _Kurenai held her glass of tea tightly in her hands. Her red eyes stared despondently into the liquid._

" _Before she could lose consciousness, I sensed a sudden spike in her chakra. And then grief and pain became hatred. It changed her, inside and out." The haunting voice she spoke with revealed it hadn't only changed 'Risu._

" _Her chakra, you mean," his dad asked, gentle but still in search of answers._

 _Kurenai nodded once. "Yes. Her green shroud took form around her, but the color shifted to black. It swirled and lashed around her with a life of its own. I- I could feel the essence of Amari slip away, replaced by a person without light. Without love. Only hatred, anguish, suffering._

" _Her killing intent flooded the entire battlefield. She didn't even know we were there anymore. That demonic chakra…I still can't believe it came from Amari."_

" _Asuma said that's when the fūinjutsu seal activated and encapsulated all of you within a separate space-time."_

" _A…separate space-time?" Shikamaru couldn't stop the question from escaping him._

" _Yes," his father nodded. "'Risu's mother worked directly with the Fourth Hokage, who is renowned for his fūinjutsu expertise. And it seems she learned how to create a seal that, for a temporary period of time, can suspend an individual in a separate space-time."_

 _His dad looked over to him. "Not only that, she was able to seal the chakra of 'Risu's cousin and her adopted son into this fūinjutsu, allowing him to spend time with 'Risu one last time before inevitably fading away."_

 _Shikamaru's eyebrows rose. "That's crazy."_

 _Somehow, his father found it in him to snort. "No, that's 'Yako in her truest form. And that's the level of skill and intelligence 'Risu inherited." He exhaled deeply through his nose. "A lot of love and pain went into that Seal. 'Yako was suffering more than I ever realized in those final days."_

 _Yoshino rested a hand on top of Shikaku's. She spoke up in a soft voice. "Amaririsu…this darkness you felt in her, did it fully recede? Was Shisui able to bring Amaririsu back to her senses?"_

" _Yes," Kurenai nodded. Yoshino sighed in relief. "He explained the source, too. The Uchiha's strong emotions are their gift and their curse. In that moment, when Amari lost herself, she was consumed by the Curse of Hatred."_

" _Curse of Hatred?" Shikamaru questioned._

" _That's what Shisui called it. 'It devours the joy and love and warm colors of life around you, and then all you see is the single-minded goal you set yourself on. Damn whatever the consequences are. Doesn't matter who gets hurt or sacrificed along the way._

"' _And deep down, deep in a part of yourself you didn't even know you had, it feels good to let it loose. It almost feels like righteous retribution for all the past pain you've experienced.' That's how he explained the feelings to Amari, and she agreed."_

 _Shikamaru couldn't even imagine how that felt._

" _But it's not a real curse," Kurenai added. "It's an ideal those of Uchiha blood are susceptible to. 'If the Will of Fire is a physical fire, the Curse of Hatred is the darkness cast by its shadow,' is how Shisui explained it. It encourages selfishness, isolationism, conceited arrogance and hatred."_

" _Hm. The exact opposite of what the Will of Fire teaches us," his father noted. "We're fortunate Shisui and 'Risu's parents had the foresight to execute the perfect counter to the Curse of Hatred overwhelming 'Risu. Shisui was an excellent and wise shinobi and man; he took after his adopted father in that respect. More importantly, he was 'Risu's hero."_

 _A pained smile formed on Kurenai's lips. "To Shisui, being her hero was his greatest accomplishment."_

Shisui sounded like a pretty cool guy. Still, who knew listening in on those conversations was going to be so helpful?

Shikamaru kept his face blank, but his mind finished the puzzle it had been working on.

 _You're battling the Curse of Hatred right now, aren't you? If someone like 'Risu is susceptible to it in a moment of intense grief, you're probably fighting for your life right now. Definitely with that mark on your neck._

This whole situation just got seriously troublesome.

He glanced to his cousin. _'Risu's influence helped him to hold the ideals of the Will of Fire closer to his heart. But with her taken down by his brother, the shadow of the Curse of Hatred must be growing._

The Nara realigned his eyes with the furious boy. _But which one will win out? I don't know if opening my mouth is going to make it better or worse. I don't have a strong bond with Sasuke, not like 'Risu's bond with him or her bond with Shisui._

All he happened to be was an outsider related to 'Risu. He hadn't been there to fight. He didn't know how it felt to battle with the intense emotions Sasuke currently fought against.

 _I can't just sit here though. I already opened my mouth and I'm not going to let Sasuke fall into this Curse and leave behind his feelings for his team_. Shikamaru let out a sigh. _This motivation of mine is your fault, 'Risu. Troublesome girl._

"I didn't say that," he responded calmly to Sasuke's previous rhetorical questions. "All I was saying is that moping around isn't what 'Risu would want you to do. It's not why she made her sacrifice."

"Then why!" Sasuke's voice had lost its usual cool demeanor and was replaced by frustrated confusion. "Why did she do it? Itachi would have left her alone if she would have just stayed out of it!"

To witness Sasuke's lack of control over his emotions as everything was bubbling right out of him, it caught Shikamaru off guard at first. The Sasuke he knew was a cool customer. Didn't let the slightest thing break his cool, and once cold, exterior.

However, the Nara couldn't blame him for how he felt or his questions. If the roles were reversed he'd probably feel the same way.

"It's because she cares about us, and honestly it's just the way 'Risu is. You _know_ that. She nearly got herself killed for a stranger, and then fought that Gaara guy to protect someone she barely knew. For someone precious to her, 'Risu would suffer any pain or would sacrifice herself in our place, because that's just who she is."

He hated voicing that fact out loud.

"I get how you fee—"

"You have no idea how I feel!" Sasuke interrupted him with a shout. The tickle of danger on his shinobi senses kept the Nara on high alert and his Shadow Possession at the ready. "Have you ever come home to find your mother and father dead with someone you cared for standing over them?"

"Liste—"

"No, you haven't! You've never had the bonds you share with your family severed by someone you loved. I _know_ what Amari and Kakashi suffered through; Itachi used the same genjutsu on me that day! Imagine being forced to stand and watch every single person you loved fall before your eyes and being unable to do anything! Closing your eyes does nothing. You still see it playing out in front of you!"

… _what the hell did he put you through, 'Risu?_

He already knew what she was put through was bad, but that was…that was something else entirely.

 _Being forced to watch his family and Clan killed over and over again? No wonder he hates his brother so much._

"I wasn't saying I know what it feels like to go through that. I was talking about how you feel about 'Risu throwing herself in front of everything for others," he tried to cool the boy down.

"You don't understand in the slightest," Sasuke hissed. "You don't know how it feels to watch helplessly as someone you care for is struck down in front of you."

The Uchiha boy clenched his hands into fists, his hatred surging into his eyes again. "The only way you could ever understand how I feel is if I struck Amari down right now."

Protective instinct kicked in at the threat. Heated intensity sharpened the Nara's features.

So, this was how his dad felt.

"You even flinch aggressively towards 'Risu and I'll make you regret it," he warned

Hostile silence fell between them, neither budging an inch.

"This is a real drag, but I'm done trying to ease my way through your thickhead," Shikamaru finally spoke.

Sasuke snarled at his words.

"I know deep down you understand why 'Risu acted the way she did that day, but I'll spell it out for you because your emotions are making you irrational. It's because she knows exactly how you feel right now."

"No—"

"What? Watching helplessly as Kasai killed Ryu doesn't count? It isn't enough? How about what your brother just did to her? Awakening the memories of her cousin Shisui, forcing her to witness his death Kami knows how many times isn't close to your pain?"

Shikamaru remained as calm as he could, but there was no way he was backing down now. Sasuke was emotional, for good reason, but no one threatened his 'Risu's life.

No one.

Shikamaru blew aggressive air out his nostrils. "Listen to you. You think you're the only one who knows suffering?" he questioned the boy heatedly. "Open your eyes Sasuke and look at the people you know. Mimi has suffered the loss of her parents. That Hikari girl suffered the scorn of her Village. Naruto, Gaara, Neji and Hinata have all suffered because of others."

His voice began to rise with hot emotions he couldn't recall feeling in a long time.

"My father and mother lost 'Risu and her family once already. They grieved them, and then she came back to us after _years_. She's our _family_ , and then we learn she's been whisked away by the Akatsuki. Unless she was saved—which we're lucky she was—she would be _dead_!

"And _you_ want to play the role as the only person who is suffering right now? You want to threaten 'Risu's life, for what? So you can be the last Uchiha? So you can turn those lies your brother told you into the truth? Wake the hell up, Sasuke. This isn't just about you anymore."

Something about his words flickered a light on in Sasuke's brain, he could tell. But Shikamaru kept going.

"You're not the only one who's torturing yourself over not being able to protect 'Risu. You're not the only one who couldn't be there for her. You're not the only one who she sacrificed herself to protect. You're not the only Uchiha. And you're certainly not the only one who understands suffering."

"Tch," Sasuke hissed out a breath. "You weren't there, Shikamaru."

"Exactly." This idiot was playing into his hands perfectly. "I wasn't there. I was at home, playing shogi with my father and about to train when Asuma-sensei showed up to tell us 'Risu was captured by Itachi. You know what my father, mother and I felt? Helpless."

Sasuke shook his head. "It's not the same. You two didn't have a chance to help her like I did."

The Nara snorted. "What about Kurenai-sensei, Kakashi-sensei and Asuma-sensei? All three of them had to stand and watch as 'Risu was taken from their grasps. Sound familiar?" he asked pointedly.

Having the words of his threat tossed back at him made his verbal jousting partner tense up.

"What's your point, Shikamaru?"

"You don't think Kurenai-sensei is tormenting herself over her inability to protect her daughter? She's been wearing 'Risu's forehead protector everywhere she goes."

Everywhere. Even when she wasn't in shinobi gear, she wore it.

"What do you think Kakashi-sensei is going to be like when he wakes up? The last image of 'Risu he had was her unconscious body being swept away as he could do absolutely nothing to stop them."

The Uchiha grit his teeth and clenched his hands into fist. "I know that."

"Do you?"

"Yes!" Shikamaru's body and face remained alert as Sasuke's agony and anger made its way back into his voice. "Do you think I enjoy seeing the pain in Kurenai-sensei's or Sakura's eyes every time I see them in the street or in the halls of this hospital?"

He swiped his arm through the air making the Nara tense up in preparation to strike. "How am I supposed to face them or Amari when I had the chance to stop my brother from harming her and I completely screwed it up?"

For a second Shikamaru believed he saw the glistening of tears forming in the Uchiha's eyes, but he dismissed it with a sigh. It was time to take a step back, breathe and refocus his efforts on finishing this argument in success instead of failure.

"They don't blame you, Sasuke, and neither do I for whatever that's worth. There was nothing you, Naruto, or Sakura could have done for her even as a team. Three Jōnin didn't stand a chance; three Genin wouldn't have better odds."

"Are you saying I'm supposed to just accept that I can't protect anyone?"

"No." Shikamaru shook his head and turned his eyes to his downed cousin. "I'm saying you did everything you could to save 'Risu, that's all she would have wanted from you guys. But 'Risu is…she's a stubborn and troublesome girl.

"Given the choice between watching one of you fall or taking the brunt of an attack herself, she'll sacrifice herself every time. That's just who she is. It's her way, and none of us can change that."

No matter how much he wished he could.

"But 'Risu wouldn't want any of us feeling sorry for ourselves. She'd want you out there," he dipped his head to the window, "training your hardest to become stronger. It's all we can do. We aren't strong enough now to change a battle against those guys. But we can become strong enough in time."

The tense air began to dissipate.

"You were right, though" Shikamaru continued. "I don't know what it's like to have bonds torn from me or to witness the death of family members. I've gotten through life pretty unscathed so far, unlike the two of you. But watching her get hurt tears me apart inside."

Because there was rarely anything he could do to stop it. He just wasn't strong enough yet to fight on her level.

Shikamaru let out another sigh. "I'm sure this is all part of some elaborate plan to get me motivated to train. Troublesome girl would go that far."

Sasuke released breathy chuckle. "Heh. I'm pretty sure she wouldn't go this far to get you to train, Shikamaru. She'd just tell Asuma-sensei or your mother you're being lazy."

"She's already done that and it works every time. 'Risu can be such a pain sometimes."

With the tempers subsiding, Shikamaru retracted his Shadow from under the bed, once more returning his eyes to the shogi board.

"'Risu won't blame you for anything, Sasuke. But she will need you as support." Just as she would need everyone she considered family to support her through the loss of Shisui. "If nothing else I said means anything to you then remember that you're as much of a brother to her as she is a sister to you."

"…yeah."

His words seemed to settle the internal struggle within. The previous hate and pain subsided into the shadows, screeching and hollering at the Uchiha who ignored them.

Sasuke stuffed his hands into his pockets and began to move towards the door.

"I'll see you around, Shikamaru."

"See you. Oh, and Sasuke?" The Uchiha stopped at the edge of the bed and met the intense eyes of the Nara. "If you ever threaten 'Risu's life again or turn your back on her bond, I will make you regret it. You get me?"

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah."

"Good."

With no other words spoken, Sasuke shuffled out of the room.

About ten minutes later Shikamaru moved his final piece and smirked down at the board.

 _Checkmate._

His 'Risu would be okay, he was certain of it.

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: There will probably be more mention of their Uzumaki relation; they sort of missed the opportunity to actually have it brought up with Naruto around. As for making Kushina blood related, like a sibling or distant aunt or something, I doubt I'll do that, but I'll have to think more about it. On one hand it'd give Naruto a family, which is interesting, but on the other I don't know if I'd like that. I'm not sure yet._

 _We'll have to wait and see for what happens with Anko._

 _To be honest, I wasn't a huge fan of any member of the Sound Four. I thought the battles were interesting, emotionally and tactically. And their strength was obviously impressive, considering it took pretty much everyone sacrificing themselves to take them down or for the Sand shinobi's to save them at the last moment. I liked Kimimaro the most out of Part 1 Sound shinobi. Guren was my favorite in Part 2. I have some interesting twists for that arc, so I can't really say much without spoiling anything, but keeping Tayuya alive to play a love triangle role between her, Temari and Shikamaru isn't really likely. It would be funny, considering the rough personalities they have and the fact Shikamaru would be stuck dealing with it after giving his dad so much flak for being tied to his mom's apron strings. But I wouldn't bet on that happening. It'll make sense why later._

 _Who gets trained by who will be answered in time. As we continue forward from the Uchiha Reunion arc, canon begins to change. That's all I can say._

 _I do plan to do some of the movies, though I haven't seen them all yet so there may be ones I don't do. Land of Snow and Road to Ninja, however, are definitely happening._

 _Thank you for the review!_


	62. Chapter 61: Tears of Shinobi

Chapter 61

Late Night Visit: Tears of Shinobi

Night had long since fallen over Konoha. Most civilians of the recovering village sat tucked away in the safety of their homes, searching for the precious hours of sleep spared to them between now and the morning when reconstruction and business resumed.

Work was ongoing. It was _always_ ongoing. Every day the people of Konoha woke up to the never-ending reality of surviving Orochimaru's nightmare. Backbreaking work, reconstruction, accidents—Konoha's road of recovery was a long one, bathed in the sweat of hard labor as they walked a treacherous road where valleys and potholes attempted to throw them off course.

Would it ever end? Or would another tragedy strike before they could recover from the last? Time would tell. Tragedy never stopped the sands of time before—it wouldn't stop now. Only their hard work could fix the damage. Only their vigilance could prevent a future attack.

And only time could heal the pain of loss.

Few of the Leaf's population lingered outside of their homes. Some chose to seek peace or revelry at one of the taverns, others sought pleasure at the few adult-only businesses to survive the Invasion. Regardless of _where_ they chose, those particular businesses were in higher demand than the movie adaptation of _Make-Out Paradise_.

However, despite these few stragglers, the majority of Leaf inhabitants awake at this hour were on-duty shinobi. Chūnin and Jōnin patrolled all throughout the Village at full alert. They hid among the shadows or materialized from them to send people home before the curfew began.

 _A curfew_ , he mused. It had been a long time since one was put into effect. The last one in recent memory happened in the aftermath of the Uchiha Massacre.

Some may find it unfair or inconvenient, but life was full of unfairness and inconvenience. Best get used to it.

In this fragile time, all civilians and young shinobi without guardians or missions were required to stay indoors when the curfew began. This ensured only Leaf patrols inhabited the Village, making it so any invader intent on attacking under the cover of darkness stuck out like a refreshing bathhouse in the middle of a lifeless desert.

It was for everyone's safety. Hopefully those affected would see that.

On this late star covered night, a member of the Leaf Anbu sat on the windowsill of a moonlit hospital room. Listening. Watching. Relaxing, if only a little bit.

During the day he merged with the darkest shadows, melding into the very walls of this room where none—save a Hyūga or keen Sensory Type—could see him. The fall of night granted only a slight reprieve, allowing him to take in some fresh air and relax. Never, though, did he lower his guard. Even when he relaxed the Anbu kept his senses sharpened.

Comrades of his lost their lives on the last hospital protection detail because they lowered their guard. He would not repeat their mistake.

The Anbu agent's left foot rested on the sill, the leg bent towards him to prop his left arm up as his right leg dangled on the inside of the room. From this relaxed position, his peripherals could catch any movement from either side of him. Should such an unwise course of action happen now, he was fully prepared to intercept them.

As a cool breeze brushed up against the thinly veiled curtains and his body, the Anbu agent exhaled a comfortable sigh; winter was only a few months away, the caress seemed to say. He wondered if they would see much snow this year.

Overall, this job wasn't so bad. The two shinobi under his guard offered no struggle or complaints to his constant shadowing, although they weren't really in a position to say much of anything to him.

Unconscious shinobi didn't talk much.

His mission was to keep them well-protected from any enemy, whether foreign or homegrown, who sought to kill or kidnap his charges—a mission he took seriously.

To complete his mission as effectively as possible, the cat-masked Anbu agent learned the names and faces of assigned doctors and nurses with authorization to their rooms. He learned their schedules. He timed their interactions with their unconscious patients. Examined their mannerisms down to the smallest of idiosyncrasies.

Any decent shinobi could transform into another person. It took an elite to mimic every mannerism and idiosyncrasy an individual possessed authentically, and even then there would be mistakes. Pretending to be an enemy wasn't easy when their allies knew them well.

With his wealth of time, patience and knowledge in these walls, the smallest mistake would stick out to his eyes, and then the invader would die. Simple. Clean. Not a single soul in these walls would even know it happened.

He even went as far as to research their visitors, a list luckily limited to family, teammates and a handful of close friends. Some might see his actions as overly cautious; however, with the gravity of the situation at hand, anything less than the highest of security and scrutiny guaranteed tragedy.

This mission, the safety of his comrades, it was entrusted to him and him alone by none other than Shikaku Nara—the Jōnin Commander of the Leaf's forces.

In ordinary times, at least two squads of Anbu would be deployed for this mission—one team for each shinobi. Of course these were not ordinary times. Konoha's regular shinobi forces took the brunt of the Invasion, and Anbu hadn't fared much better.

Squads of Anbu patrolling the Exam arena and the borders were eliminated by Kabuto Yakushi before the Invasion began. Orochimaru's henchman had his hands soaked in the blood of his comrades. He masqueraded as a nobody. An annoying gnat. But that kid, he was more than just some average Genin. More than a gnat.

Regardless, recent events left their forces spread too thin on both sides. He, however, would be more than enough to guard the two wielders of the Sharingan from any sort of threat.

You see, he had a very special set of skills. Skills that allowed him to watch after both of his charges simultaneously. Skills that could and would end any entity to bring ill-intentions into these rooms.

The necessity of this mission was not lost on him. Unbeknownst to the everyday civilian and average ninja, three S-rank criminals infiltrated their home.

This secret, kept between only the highest rank shinobi and those involved, could not become common knowledge. If word spread their walls were infiltrated yet again so soon after the Invasion, panic _would_ spread. Especially if it became common knowledge no one—not even the Anbu—knew of the intrusion until _after_ the initial incident ended.

What was worse, two of the infiltrators used to be Leaf shinobi.

They _used_ to be his comrades.

 _Itachi Uchiha and Aimi Uchiha_. The cat-masked Anbu knew those names well. Comrades turned rogue shinobi. Friends who became enemies.

 _They managed to sneak in with ease. If they had all attacked at full power, who knows what kind of damage they may have caused._

It showed the Anbu agent there were, unfortunately, more holes in their defenses than they had the manpower to cover. Shinobi of their level were an even greater danger to the Leaf in their current state.

For that very reason, Konoha's Anbu agents were needed out there, in the shadows of the frontlines watching for threats.

Although he desired to contribute to those efforts, he was needed here to protect Kakashi Hatake and his student. For power seekers, traitors or dangerous enemies, these two shinobi were sitting ducks. Their lives, their Sharingans and the girl's Byakugan made an enticing prize for the weak willed.

Kakashi Hatake was known throughout the ninja world for his skills and his Sharingan eye. If someone were to find out he was incapacitated, if they knew they possessed the skill to infiltrate the Leaf… The thought demanded caution.

 _Then there is his student_. The Anbu agent turned his head to look at the bed she currently occupied. _This small child is of Uchiha and Nara blood. I admit, when Shikaku first told me I had to guard her I couldn't comprehend why at first. I understood that she was Kakashi's student and that whoever forced him into the hospital did the same to her, but…_

He turned his head to look back out at the star covered sky, their conversation returning to his thoughts.

" _What I'm about to tell you is classified on the highest levels," Shikaku said as he handed him the dossier for the mission._

 _He took it from the Jōnin Commander and opened it to find six sheets of paper, each with a small picture held by a paperclip in the top right corner. The first page held information on the current status and statistical information of the ninja in the picture, Kakashi Hatake._

 _The cat-masked Anbu didn't need to read it to know the man. They were well-acquainted already._

 _He turned to the second page, finding the shinobi identification of a young girl with wild blue hair and a purple bandana covering her left eye._

 _ **Amaririsu Yūhi? A student of Kakashi's team, and quite skilled for a Genin according to these charts**_ _. He turned his eyes back to the bandana over her eye._ _ **Odd she wears that the same way as Kakashi.**_

 _He shrugged internally and let it go. Both were marked as incapacitated._ _ **I'll be their guard detail then, but how were they incapacitated and who am I guarding them from?**_

 _He knew the answer was likely in this folder somewhere so he turned to the next page. The face that stared back at him paralyzed him._ _ **It…it can't be.**_

" _Yesterday," Shikaku spoke up, "our village was infiltrated by three S-rank ninjas. Itachi Uchiha was one of them."_

 _The cat-masked Anbu couldn't believe it, or didn't want to._

 _ **Itachi Uchiha…**_

 _Yes, this made a lot more sense now. There weren't many ninjas who could go toe to toe with Kakashi Hatake and leave him incapacitated. Itachi Uchiha was one of those shinobi. Seeing his face again, it left a knot of complicated emotions in his gut._

 _How could his comrade sink so low?_

 _He turned the page to the next enemy, away from his former comrade. Away from the past. A blue face greeted him. This one did not catch him as off guard as the last had._

" _Kisame Hoshigaki, the Scourge of the Hidden Mist," he read the name aloud._

" _Yes. He was once part of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and still wields the sword Samehada."_

 _The Anbu agent hummed and turned the page. The next picture made the air in his lungs disperse in a gasp. "Aimi Uchiha? That…She's…"_

" _Still very alive," Shikaku said stoically. "And even more dangerous than before."_

 _All this time he believed Itachi and his little brother were the only survivors, but Aimi too? She was alive? It shouldn't have surprised him; Aimi and Itachi rose to prominence together, and those who knew them could see their connection to one another._

 _Another comrade to betray the Leaf. Another friend to submerge herself into darkness._

" _They infiltrated our village in search for Naruto Uzumaki, but came upon resistance in the form of Kakashi Hatake, Kurenai Yūhi, and Asuma Sarutobi. From the reports I received from Kurenai and Asuma, they were lucky to have survived the encounter."_

" _Lucky?"_

 _The question came out with more disbelief than what was appropriate when speaking to a superior. But those three ninja were some of their best_ _Jōnin. Surely luck alone wasn't all that saved them._

" _Itachi Uchiha's prowess with the Sharingan has grown substantially since his days as a Konoha shinobi, and Aimi's talents are as sublime as ever. However, the condition Kakashi and 'Risu have been put in was a result of a Mangekyō Sharingan genjutsu Itachi used against them. It was a technique even a master of genjutsu like Kurenai couldn't have countered."_

 _The girl's sudden nickname caught him off guard, but he let it be. "What happened?"_

" _From what we've pieced together, the Sharingan genjutsu was used to torture Kakashi in some form for two full days in a mere second. Kakashi called it hell. The result is his current condition: a coma-like state our medic-nins don't have the talent to fix."_

 _ **Two days of torture…in a second? And none of our medical-ninjas have been able to do anything to wake him up?**_

 _That was one powerful genjutsu._

" _So that's how he ended up in the hospital."_

" _Yes. Had it not been for his student, Itachi would have put him through another day of torture."_

 _The cat-masked Anbu's eyes bulged behind his mask as he quickly flipped back to the blue-haired child._ _ **She broke a genjutsu of that level?**_ _Sure she shared the Yūhi name, but apparently not even her mother could break the genjutsu._

" _How did she release the genjutsu? If Kurenai Yūhi couldn't break it…"_

" _As I said earlier, what I'm about to tell you is classified on the highest levels. You will speak of this to no one. Understood?"_

 _The Anbu agent nodded._

" _That child," Shikaku lifted his chin at the papers, "she is not of Yūhi blood. Her true heritage is of two separate Clans, the Nara and the Uchiha—she is my niece's daughter. She also wields a Byakugan eye under that bandana you were scrutinizing."_

" _Uchiha?" the Anbu gasped. Then the rest of the statement hit him. "Wait a minute. She's Miyako Nara's daughter?"_

 _This child was the daughter of a legend among the Anbu? The daughter of one of the Hokage's trusted guards? Talk about a well-kept secret._

 _Shikaku nodded. "On the night of the massacre, 'Yako apparently left 'Risu in the Nara forest. Alone. That's what 'Risu remembers, at least. As far as any of us knew, Itachi and Sasuke were the only Uchiha's to survive that night. Obviously the official report is wrong otherwise we wouldn't be having this conversation."_

 _He sensed the suspicion in his superior. "You think we were lied to," he stated rather than asked._

" _I'm not sure yet. But it's all too smooth. Too perfect. Too clean. At least it was before 'Risu and Aimi returned. They've complicated the narrative. Or, perhaps, they've peeled back the illusion just enough for pieces of reality to slip through."_

 _The Nara shrugged. "Regardless, after the deed was done Itachi kidnapped 'Risu and left her at an orphanage. We don't know why, but it's clear to those of us involved she was inevitably meant to return to the Leaf. He has some plan for her. Maybe he plans to try to turn her. Maybe he plans to steal her eyes now that he's forced her to awaken the Mangekyō Sharingan."_

 _Shikaku shook his head, frustrated. "I can't say with certainty what his motives are, not yet, but I can say he did spare her for a reason."_

" _I…see."_

" _Itachi is not the only one whose motives we are unsure of. There is another," Shikaku said._

 _The Anbu nodded and flipped through the pages until he reached the last picture. His stomach dropped._ _ **You've got to be kidding. Orochimaru too?**_

" _Prior to the invasion, Orochimaru attacked her team in the Forest of Death. He claimed she was a pawn he had no use for, but there is no such thing as a pawn Orochimaru cannot find a purpose for. Sasuke Uchiha and Amaririsu Yūhi are both wielders of Sharingan, and that dōjutsu is something he covets with an obsessive passion," Shikaku explained._

 _The Nara crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at the desk, troubled by the situation. "We can't take any chances while the Leaf is weakened. If Itachi's group, an agent of Orochimaru's or anyone else seeking the Sharingan or Byakugan infiltrates our village, we need to be ready."_

" _I understand," the Anbu agent stated, closing the dossier and setting it back on the desk._

" _Good," Shikaku said as he uncrossed his arms and picked up the dossier. "You are to guard Kakashi Hatake and Amaririsu Yūhi until they are cleared for duty or you are otherwise called off by me."_

" _Yes sir."_

" _And one last thing." The Nara's eyes became deadly. "Beware of the Foundation. Don't let them near 'Risu or Kakashi."_

 _The Anbu felt steel strengthen his spine at the warning. "So,_ _ **he's**_ _after her, too, huh?" The masked shinobi nodded. "Don't worry. None of his agents will get past me."_

The memory faded when the cat-masked Anbu agent's ears picked up the sound of the door sliding open.

 _Only an elite shinobi could have made it this far._

He quickly faded into the surface of the wall with the Hiding in Surface Technique and resumed his mission.

* * *

Kurenai, dressed in her red mesh armor blouse and ninja gear, entered her daughter's hospital room with a sluggish gate to her otherwise silent steps. Normal visiting hours were over, of course. But the mother didn't care. Her latest mission kept her far from home—far from her daughter—for the last week.

She needed to see her little one, even if she was unconscious.

Her tired red eyes scanned the darkened, sterile room, trailing first to the open window that poured glowing moonlight onto the reflective, cold tile floor beneath her.

The elongated rectangle of light was surrounded by shadows; the curtain's shadow danced on the floor when caught by the breeze while the other shadows watched. Unmoved. Submerging the rest of the room and its occupants in strict darkness.

The window was left open by order of Atsuko and Shikaku for the Crow protection unit—a unit which Atsuko led, though few realized the true purpose of the order.

Then Kurenai's narrowed eyes flicked to the Anbu agent concealed within the wall. He hid his presence well. However, a protective Mother Bear with keen sensory abilities investigated every shadow when her cub was hurt.

 _So, Shikaku found a trustworthy shinobi to guard Amari and Kakashi_.

He mentioned his plan when they last spoke.

" _I trust Atsuko and the Crows with 'Risu's life, but we can't be too careful with the Foundation. At this point, it's all too possible he suspects her identity, if not knows it."_

 _Shikaku scratched at his goatee, thoughtful eyes sharpened to mimic a katana. Kurenai couldn't recall him ever wearing such a severe and deadly expression. "It never made sense that 'Yako and Kiyoshi were eliminated by Itachi. Not even Itachi and Aimi could have killed them together—that's how powerful they were."_

 _He shook his head. "For a long time I thought it was just my grief making me irrational. However, the information Shisui provided has changed everything. It's given me the pieces to this puzzle I was always missing. I can finally see the bigger picture. And I don't like it."_

" _Neither do I," she agreed. "What do you think we should do about the Foundation?"_

" _We must be cautious and heed Shisui's warnings. Patience will be our ally. He said the key would become available in time, right?"_

" _Yes."_

 _Shikaku nodded. "Then we prepare for that day. We may not be able to act now without consequences, but there are preparations we can make that will help. Vigilance is just as necessary as patience, after all."_

 _He clutched his chin in thought. "There are a few individuals within the Anbu I trust implicitly. Unfortunately we can't spare too many of them to guard 'Risu and Kakashi, not without risking our borders or drawing attention to ourselves, so I'll pick one who can guard them both—unofficially."_

" _Thank you, Shikaku."_

" _You don't need to thank me, Kurenai. We lost 'Risu once already. We won't lose her again."_

No, they would not.

A cool breeze drifted into the room, rustling the thin curtain. The shadows danced again.

Kurenai shifted her eyes over to her unconscious daughter. Her bed was neatly made around her motionless body. Fresh amaryllis flowers splashed a little color into the room, while a shogi board with its pieces neatly settled in preparation for a new game sat alone on the other side.

 _Seems Sakura and Shikamaru have kept their visits frequent_ , she thought, a small smile forming on her lips. _Amari will probably call them troublesome for visiting when she isn't even conscious, but deep down she will appreciate it. I know I do._

Kurenai strode across the room, stopping briefly to take in the beautiful night sky. Stars twinkled and shimmered against the black canvas. Each little light was like a miniature revolution against darkness. Infinite darkness may surround them, and they may appear small or insignificant to the void they dotted, but the twinkling stars refused to be snuffed out.

Because sooner or later the sun would rise again, and the darkness would be defeated.

Exhaling a calm breath, Kurenai turned away and strode over to the empty stool placed next to the bed.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around, little one," she spoke in a hushed voice, as if speaking louder might wake her. She settled down onto the stool then reached forward, clasping her daughter's hand in-between both of hers. She shut her eyes, darkening her primary sense not to listen, but to _feel_ the slight heartbeat in her daughter's hand.

 _Lub-dup. Lub-dup. Lub-dup._

Faint. Hard to feel without adding a little pressure, but it soothed the mother.

Her daughter was still here. Still _alive_.

"But you're still holding strong, I see," she murmured.

 _Thank you._

It felt like months since the fight with Itachi, Aimi and Kisame. A millennium since she last heard her daughter's voice. Witnessed her smile. Called something or someone troublesome. But it hadn't been a millennium. It hadn't even been a month.

Two and a half weeks. What felt like months and years wasn't even three full weeks, and in that time nothing had changed with Amari's or Kakashi's condition.

" _To heal an injury like this, I don't think any average doctor or medic-nin can do anything about it. You'd need a master of Medical Ninjutsu who knows how to heal psychological trauma."_

A harsh reality they couldn't escape.

Kurenai worried for Team Seven. Prior to that battle, Kakashi seemed almost unbeatable from their experiences. To them he was a man who would always come out on top to fulfill his promise to protect his comrades, partnered with his signature eye smile.

…Yet their protector fell in combat. And none of them were able to do anything to help. They could only learn secondhand of the trauma he suffered, finally seeing with their own eyes that Kakashi—like every shinobi—was fallible. Mortal. Human.

The next blow to their hearts was Amari. Their teammate. Their balancing point. Their friend and clan-sister. But Amari did more than succumb to the powerful foe to defeat her mentor; Amari, running on minimal chakra and sheer willpower, sacrificed herself to save Sasuke and Naruto.

All three bore witness to her lifeless state. They'd known Amari to always stand up, no matter how hurt she was. In the Forest of Death against Orochimaru, against the Sound Genin, through her fight against Hisashi and Mimi into the Invasion, Amari fought through fatigue and pain unimaginable to succeed.

This time, though, she did not stand again. This time Amari was defeated. Broken in body and spirit.

Helplessness. Despair. Weakness. These emotions could attach themselves to the young Genins like parasites if they were not careful. Loss was hard on its own. _Sacrifice_ was a different animal altogether.

 _"Thank you for being my mom. Thank you for giving me a life worth living. Thank you for giving your love to a broken and hurting girl in her greatest time of need. I love you. Please, no matter how this ends, please don't blame yourselves. This is my choice. My path."_

Blades punctured Kurenai's heart. She clenched her daughter's hand tightly, jaw tightening as she battled with emotions she had suffocated since that day. They scratched and clawed at her. Screaming in muffled voices she tried to suppress.

There were no more smiles or laughter in the Yūhi household. No warm words or warmer embraces. No affectionate pokes to the forehead or closed eyed smiles.

The Yūhi household sat empty, because it didn't feel like home anymore. It was only a house. A building. A shelter. But walls, roofs and appliances did not make a home. Home was a _feeling_ , and until her daughter returned, the Yūhi household would lack what turned her house into a home.

Anko, Asuma, Team Eight and even Shikaku did their best to support her. To provide normalcy or comfort. Anko, particularly, tried her best to make Kurenai smile in their sparse meetings since that day.

 _She's a wonderful friend, but…_

But nothing anyone could say, nothing anyone could do, would take away this guilt and agony gnawing chunks out of her heart and soul. Grief and guilt did not relinquish their holds so easily.

 _How close was I to losing you, Amari? How close did I come to losing you to the Curse of Hatred or Itachi because of my inability to protect you?_

The black chakra, the turmoil she felt within it, she could still _feel_ it. The hatred and heartbreak in Amari's red eye and on her face attacked her memories relentlessly. As streams of tears poured down her face, the deep ravines of hatred tugged her daughter further and further away until only a stranger remained.

Then she was crying. Sobbing so painfully into the chest of her cousin.

Kurenai grit her teeth. The memories were so vivid and tangible. She was there again. No, she never left.

 _I'm sorry, little one_.

The headband around her neck felt heavier than it should. It _shouldn't_ be around her neck. It should be around Amari's. But…

" _I love you, Mom. Never forget that."_

In that moment, the feelings she spent two and a half weeks suppressing won the war. The dam she built to hold back her tears shattered. Burning streams cascaded over the rubble, gliding down her cheeks to drip off her chin.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't protect you when you needed me most," she cried in a whisper.

The emotions crashed and exploded within her body. Silent, ragged sobs left her body quaking and trembling.

 _Even now I can hear your sobs in my dreams as the fight is reenacted from start to finish._ Kurenai choked out a harsh sob. _And even in my dreams I can't do anything to protect you!_

Again and again she watched, helpless as her daughter fell in battle. She couldn't protect her. She couldn't save her. Not in her dreams or in reality. Amari was always beyond her reach. So close, yet never close enough for her to scoop her up and save her from herself or their enemies.

" _I love you, Mom."_

Her acidic tears burned her eyes and her skin. Tremors of turmoil refused to cease. She hunched forward, holding on tightly to the warm, little hand of her daughter.

"I am- I am so sorry, little one!" she sobbed.

Her heart ached terribly in her chest. Every pulsation tightened the razor wire wrapped around her heart. The tight feeling in her chest never ceased. She was drowning. Suffocating. Air may fill her lungs, but she couldn't _breathe_.

 _Please…let me see you alive again. Even if you never forgive me for what happened…please…you have to live. You have to._ She shook her head as a broken sob escaped her. _I'm begging you, little one. Don't leave me behind like this!_

She…she couldn't even bear to think about burying her daughter. Of standing at her grave, mourning her. Thinking of what kind of life her daughter may have lived. Of the missed moments she would never get to see; moments like her finally hitting that growth spurt her daughter was dying for, or the first romantic partner she introduced her to.

Amari was barely thirteen years old. She'd barely lived. Barely had a chance to chase her dream to find peace and love. She was still only a child. Her little shadow. Her little one.

Parents weren't meant to outlive their children. But…

"I- I almost lost you," her voice broke, tangled up in heartache.

And it frightened her. It was breaking her down and tearing her apart.

She just wanted this nightmare to end already. To wake up and see her little one's bright smile again. To come home and find her training or excitedly greeting her with a hug, even if she'd only been gone a few hours.

But the nightmare refused to release her. It haunted her footsteps. It left her hollow inside. Hardly a spark or a fire left of her Will remained. Only darkness. Only emptiness. How could it be anything else when Amari was her world?

"You thanked me for being your mother, but I never thanked you for being my daughter." Tears dripped off her chin into her lap. Her voice barely reached a whisper. "Thank you, little one. Thank you for coming into my life. Thank you for being my daughter. You have been and always will be the greatest gift in my life."

She shut her eyes against the fog of tears, renewing the warm rivers of sorrow. "I love you so much. Please…come back to me. I don't want to lose you."

Many painful and tearful minutes passed in silence, all save the choked sobs and sobbed apologies of a mother who could not save her daughter. Many long minutes she spent letting go of the restraints and strength used to mask her pain.

Tonight she couldn't be the shinobi. Tonight she could only be a heartbroken parent.

"You should be at home resting after such a taxing mission, Lady Kurenai," a soft, soothing feminine voice called to her as she began to pull together after being torn apart.

Kurenai whirled around to see Atsuko perched on the windowsill.

"Atsuko?"

She could not say how long the Head of the Crows had been present for, but she supposed it didn't matter now. Her sniffles and the fresh tears streaking her face painted the scene well enough without words.

"It was an A-rank mission, was it not?" the Crow asked, warm and sympathetic.

"Uh…yes. It was." The Genjutsu Master wiped the tears on her sleeve. "I'm sorry, I was just—"

"You have nothing to apologize for, Lady Kurenai, nor should you feel any shame for shedding tears for someone you love or the pain that lies within your heart."

Atsuko flew effortlessly from the windowsill to the edge of Amari's bed. Another tear escaped Kurenai, breath shaking as she inhaled. She didn't bother to wipe it away.

"I have witnessed shinobi from Genin's to Hokage's shed tears as they cried in joy, in pain, in love, and in grief."

Atsuko turned her downcast eyes onto her fallen companion. "…There truly is no greater pain than being unable to protect who and what you love. It is a pain I am all too familiar with."

She sighed and turned her gaze back to Kurenai. "Young Haya would not want you blaming yourself for what happened. I know these words alone will not erase the guilt you bear in your heart. If words alone could do such a thing, my heart would not be burdened by my failure to protect her family…but…"

Atsuko paused and slowly swiveled her head to look at Amari again.

"But?"

"So long as Young Haya lives, we have not failed. Our promise to protect her has not been rendered meaningless. It remains intact. She is not lost, Lady Kurenai. She is here. Safe. Home."

Atsuko's reassurance applied a warm salve to her wounded heart.

The Crow returned her gaze to the woman. "It is true we both wish we could have prevented this situation altogether; we do not wish Young Haya to suffer any more than she already has, nor do we wish for her to acquire more scars to bear. However, we cannot allow this moment to destroy us, for it will not destroy her.

"This incident will only strengthen her resolve. That is simply who Young Haya is. So let us follow your daughter's example and stand again so that we may walk beside her on the path she walks."

Like a spark to oil, a small flame reignited within the mother's heart. A small revolution against the darkness she'd fallen prey to.

They hadn't lost Amari, not yet. She was still holding on, and that meant Kurenai couldn't and wouldn't give up hope.

She rested her hand back onto her daughter's and began rubbing her thumb across the back of it. _Stay strong for me, little one._

The Jōnin wiped her last tear away with her sleeve covered wrist then released a sigh. "You're right, but…I can't shake this feeling of failure."

The pain lingered. She wasn't sure if it would ever retreat, at least not until her daughter could hug her again.

"Shisui did not see it in such a light and neither will Young Haya."

Kurenai hummed.

" _Don't blame yourself for anything that happens here," Shisui spoke again. "We Uchiha are a stubborn bunch when it comes to protecting our loved ones. Haya knew what she was getting into when she came looking for you."_

She had held onto his confident proclamation since that day. Doubt, however, never ceased prodding at her conscious.

"…Do you think he was right? Did Amari know what she was getting into?" she asked.

Atsuko nodded sharply. "Yes. Young Haya knew from the moment she disobeyed my order what potential consequences she faced. And, as you said, I believe she realized when Aimi found her that _this_ ," she motioned to Amari with her wing, "was the inevitable conclusion. If Shisui believed it, then I will defer to his judgement. He knew the depths of her heart as if they were his own."

The Crow met her eyes. "But, then, so do you. Search beyond the pain in your heart and tell me what you feel."

"I…" Kurenai paused and looked away.

Did she really believe Amari knew what she was getting into? That she knew this was the inevitable conclusion?

"Even though she can be stubborn and reckless, I've never known Amari to act without reason." Her hand paused it's gentle, soothing circles. Softened red eyes fell onto her daughter. "Amari followed the path she believed was best. Even at the very end, even when she was at her limit, she did everything she could to fulfill her promise of protection to us and her teammates. And that's why…"

Her jaw tightened in struggle. However the struggle died quickly, and as it did a tear trailed down her cheek. "And that's why I'm proud of her. She was so brave, Atsuko. She faced certain death without flinching. Without fear. All to protect us. And she fought with such tenacity."

The small, malnourished, fragile girl they found in that forest wouldn't have recognized the kunoichi who battled that day. She would have been in awe. Inspired by the stranger's ferocity and conviction to protect those she loved, never realizing it was the girl she would become.

Her daughter had grown so much. How could she not be proud of her?

"I am proud of her, too. But she must grow stronger."

Kurenai nodded slowly and wiped her eyes again. It was clear now more than ever that the road ahead of Amari was far more dangerous than any of them ever anticipated.

Before recent events, the threats to her daughter were only those who would try to steal her eyes and Kasai. But now those threats seemed so small in comparison to the Akatsuki and Orochimaru.

 _Even so, I don't want her to underestimate Kasai whenever she does fight him again. I want her to be ready so she can fulfill her promise to Ryu and be relieved of its burden in their next meeting._

The red eyed woman sighed. "I do not know what the future holds for her, but I can see it will not be easy." Her features softened as she looked at her daughter. "She carries a great weight on her shoulders for one so young, yet I know she'll continue to push forward. It's who she is."

 _I miss you._ Her thumb began to rub the circles again. _I can't walk your path for you, but I will do everything in my power to become strong enough to support and protect you while you walk it._

"In any event," Atsuko spoke up, "I have information for you regarding Naruto's progress."

Surprise filled the Genjutsu Master. "You know where Naruto is?" she asked, hopeful it would be good news.

"Of course," the Head of the Crows hummed in amusement. "We Crows are plentiful, and the Land of Fire is our natural environment. Blending in is but a game for us. I even have my agents watching you, Lady Kurenai."

Her eyebrows rose in shock. "You have Crows watching me?"

"How else would I know of your mission, hmm?" Atsuko teased.

"But…why?"

"Young Haya treasures you, Lady Kurenai," Atsuko answered in a soft and gentle voice. "I am not watching you because I do not trust you, or because I believe you are not skilled enough to defend yourself. On the contrary, I trust you implicitly with Young Haya's safety as her mother and as an elite of the Leaf.

"But Itachi's Crows took us by surprise. That will not happen again. If anyone dares to attack you or anyone else Young Haya considers family again, they will know the full wrath of the crows."

"Sounds frightening," she jested lightly, the smallest of smiles forming.

Atsuko hummed humorously. "It should. None have survived it."

"Thank you," Kurenai bowed her head.

"You do not need to thank me. You are family, Lady Kurenai."

Those simple words warmed her heart. _Did I adopt you into my family, little one_ , she mused, _or did you adopt me into yours?_

She was grateful regardless.

"As for Naruto, he has been training hard while Master Jiraiya searches high and low for Lady Tsunade without luck." Her heart began to sink at the news. "Until three days ago that is."

Just like that, her hopes were rekindled. Kurenai felt a genuine smile begin to form on her lips.

 _Naruto…_

"Where are they?"

"They have recently arrived in Tanzaku Town."

She hummed and cast a glance out the window to the world of night beyond this moonlit room. _That's a long way from Konoha. No wonder it's taken them so long. Even if you took out all the time Master Jiraiya has taken to search for her, walking that distance with breaks in between would take at least a week._

"Are they on their way back yet?" she asked curiously, turning her head back to Atsuko.

"Unfortunately not. According to my agent, Lady Tsunade has challenged Naruto to a bet that expires this coming Sunday, four days from today. If he cannot succeed in learning an incredibly difficult jutsu, she will not return."

Before the red eyed woman could feel disheartened, Atsuko's eyes gleamed with mirth. "But Lady Tsunade is the Legendary Sucker and does not recognize a fools bet when she sees one. My agent reports he is getting closer each day to completion. I have no doubt he will succeed by the weeks end."

" _I swear I'll bring back Lady Tsunade to help, Kurenai-sensei."_

Kurenai smiled. _Thank you, Naruto. I can see why Hinata and Amari adore you in their own special ways. What was your nindo again? You never give up or go back on your word? Stick to it. It could very well lead you to becoming Hokage someday._

"There is something that troubles me, however," Atsuko said slowly. "My agent informed me that Tanzaku Castle has been destroyed recently, as in within the day Naruto and Jiraiya arrived. They have not picked up any sign of the source, but—"

Flapping wings and a piercing cry cut off Atsuko. The pair turned to the source—a hawk perched on the windowsill with a carrier pack on. It took only a moment for Kurenai to recognize him.

"Kaito?"

He let out another cry.

"Kaito?" Atsuko questioned. "Is that not the bird Young Haya uses to remain in contact with the boy named Haku?"

"It is." Kurenai stood up from the stool and strode slowly over to the bird. "Kaito, do you have a letter for Amari?" He dipped his head in a nod. "I see. She was rendered unconscious two and a half weeks ago."

He shrieked twice. Kurenai winced.

Ah, so this was why Amari said he needed to learn volume control.

"He says he knows. He felt a disturbance in their connection," Atsuko translated.

Surprised, Kurenai peered curiously back at the Head of the Crows. "You can understand him?"

"You cannot?" Atsuko retorted in jest.

Kurenai breathed out a chuckle and shook her head. _I guess I had that one coming._ She held up her mesh sleeve covered right arm as she stopped near the messenger bird. "Would you like to see her?"

Kaito answered by hopping up to her arm, allowing her to transport him to the bed. While she sat back down on the stool, the hawk moved onto the bed to observe the young girl. He twisted and turned his head inquisitively, remaining utterly silent the entire time.

Finally, he met Kurenai's eyes then let out a cry before pecking at the pack on his back.

"I carry a letter of great importance. It must reach Kakashi Hatake's hands," Atsuko provided.

"Isn't it from Haku? Shouldn't it be private?" Kurenai asked.

Kaito 'spoke' directly to Atsuko this time. The Crow listened intently, though the sudden bulge of her eyes made Kurenai a little restless.

"Is this some sort of prank? How did you come by this information?" Kaito cried again. "I see. Kakashi was rendered unconscious by the same person who incapacitated Young Haya."

Kaito looked at Kurenai, cried then pecked at his back again.

"What is it, Atsuko?"

"There is one letter from Haku. However there is also a second letter, and it's intended recipient was meant to be Kakashi. Considering his condition, you are the only other person he can trust with its contents. And the letter…it comes directly from the Mizukage—the _Fifth_ Mizukage."

Kurenai's eyes widened. Well, this was certainly a turn of events she didn't expect today.

 _A direct message from the Fifth Mizukage? Why are they messaging Kakashi? And what happened to the Fourth?_

There was only one way to find out and she wasn't going to waste time with it.

Kurenai procured the letters from the pack, seeking to find which belonged to Haku and which belonged to the Mizukage. When she found the Mizukage's official stamp on one, she gasped. "This is…legitimate."

Kaito shrieked. Again she winced.

"I will ignore your tone, but I will not stand for you speaking that way to Lady Kurenai."

Another cry, softer and possibly confused.

Atsuko leveled the hawk with a heated glare. "I do not care if she does not understand you. _I_ understand you, and you _will_ show her respect when you are in my presence. Am I understood?"

Another cry, even softer than before.

"Good." Atsuko turned back to kunoichi. "Yes, it is legitimate. He witnessed the Mizukage write it himself."

Kurenai unrolled it and began to read. The penmanship was quite neat, and the words to the point. Not sharp or barbed, but open and honest. Candid in the Mizukage's desires and the difficulties her Village faced.

In the hands of an enemy, this Intel could be dangerous. Yet the Mizukage, Mei Terumī, placed her trust in the bond between Amari and Haku, as well as Kakashi, with every word.

"But…with Kakashi and Amari unconscious…" she paused, too stunned.

 _This is real…_

She couldn't believe it, yet the words were there in front of her.

"What does this letter contain?" Atsuko questioned. "Is it a threat? Did they capture the boy?"

Kurenai shook her head and rolled the paper up. "No…it's an olive branch."

"What? Are you sure?" Even Atsuko sounded skeptical.

"Yes…Kaito, this isn't a trick, is it?"

He shook his head then gave a series of quiet cries. Once he was finished Atsuko began to translate. "No. This new Mizukage desires peace. This letter is but a small step in what she and her comrades' hope can become peace talks with the next Hokage. There is no foul play."

Kurenai hummed. _But what are we going to do about it? Kakashi is out cold, and we don't know when they'll be able to respond. If I sent Kaito back, they could take it as a complete denial. If we wait too long they may take that as a denial as well._

This was all a delicate balancing act of preventing worsened relations but not completely lowering her guard.

 _Kaito believes the new Mizukage desires peace, and I believe him. I'm just not sure I should be the one handling this_. She wasn't in the right frame of mind to handle a diplomatic response. Her heart and mind were too clouded by Amari's condition.

 _Normally I'd give it to one of my higher-ups, but that isn't an option either. They'd only brush it off, use it as a weapon or believe it to be lies._ She purses her lips. _And Shikaku has enough to think about without this._

The Head of the Nara Clan had a full plate of responsibilities due to the Invasion. Pushing this off onto him wouldn't be fair to the man.

 _So how do I let them know of the current situation without leaving it impossible for them to know when to send their messages again?_

She bit her lip in thought until her eyes fell upon Atsuko. The epiphany hit her a moment later, and it seemed the Head of the Crows understood her thoughts before she could speak them.

She nodded sharply. "I am at your command, Lady Kurenai."

"Here's my plan…"

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: I actually didn't know she had any canon chakra natures, though that's not to say I wasn't planning to give her any. Although I don't think being able to use water and earth would be enough to use Wood Style, even if you tried to combine them like Yamato did. I think Orochimaru's experiments were the reason he could use Wood Style. I do have plans for Sakura regardless so that she isn't just a medic and powerhouse._

 _I haven't seen that OVA, so I'll have to look it up later. The Menma arc is one of the fillers to make it into this story. Lost Tower is another I'll do, but I haven't seen most of the Shippuden ones so I'll have to get around to watching them._

 _We'll have to wait and see with Tayuya. I can't say much else without risking spoilers._

 _Amari's sword of choice will be her tanto for the foreseeable future due to it's connection to Shisui._

 _Beside's Haku's and Zabuza's survival, as well as Mei's rise to power happening here, the changes I've begun to make are very subtle. They're incremental changes for characters and their paths; for instance, Sakura and Ino beginning to take training seriously, Shikamaru realizing he has to train harder to protect the future, Amari balancing out Sasuke's darkness at this point, to name a few._

 _Shisui's presence, his warnings, as well as Itachi entrusting the truth to Amari, will have ripple effects as well. It may not be obvious how it changes things at this point, but it hasn't had a chance to grow yet. Other stones will inevitably be thrown into the water, creating additional ripples from this one._

 _Some of the things I didn't change, like Naruto defeating Gaara, had reasons. Naruto, to me, was the only one who could, not because of strength or anything, but because only he could understand the life of a jinchuriki. To me, it could only be Naruto to finally get through to Gaara at that point. The reason Amari didn't fight one of the other canon participants in the Exams was because the story at that point was meant to be built around Amari and Mimi's connection. Again, to me, it had to be them to fight each other. No one else could reach through to Mimi, not like Amari could._

 _But as we begin to progress from the latest arc of Amari reuniting with Shisui and learning the truth, the ripples will begin to spread. The state of the Naruto world when he left to train with Jiraiya in the canon story will not be the same as it is in mine. That I can guarantee._


	63. Chapter 62: A Search for Truth

Chapter 62

Lingering Questions: A Search for Truth

Kisame Hoshigaki sat in almost complete silence. Almost. Crackles of their campfire disturbed the air; his honed shinobi senses caught the skittering of wildlife beyond the shadows of the trees, hunting for their next meal or seeking shelter from their predators. Such was the way of all life. Hunters and hunted. Predators and prey. A constant struggle for survival.

The sky was overcast. The air still. Heat from the fire washed away the moderately cool temperature of the night. All in all, everything was about as peaceful as this eat or be eaten world could be.

Samehada lay behind him while his two trusted partners lingered within the nearby tent.

 _Two and a half weeks since that kid nearly killed Itachi_ , he thought with a sideways glance over to the tent. _Those weird eyes always find new ways to surprise me. Such fascinating power. It's only too bad it comes at such a high cost._

He released a sigh and tossed a stick into the fire.

Frustration and fury ensnared his mood after their retreat. But he got over it. Tactically, retreating was the best option. There was no rush to capture the jinchūriki. Not yet, anyway.

Besides, sticking around any longer to battle Master Jiraiya guaranteed a morbid end. The Legendary Sannin was without a doubt a perverted fool; sort of underwhelming in that respect, especially for a shinobi of his widespread legend. But every legendary figure was just another human being in this undesirable world, just as flawed or full of undesirable vices as the average fool.

Only in pretty fairytales were heroes ever unflawed saints. Reality was far more caustic. Their world was painted by trails of blood, lies and betrayal. And it'd always be that way.

Shinobi were shinobi, regardless of Nation. They were soldiers. Killers. Assassins. Bloodshed was their life. Duplicity was their game.

Kisame despised this world of deceit. But he accepted its pointlessness. He accepted what _he_ was. His hands were stained by the blood of those he was supposed to call comrades. Allies. Friends. Whatever "bond" he was meant to share with his fellow Mist shinobi ended with them lying dead at his feet.

Orders were orders. His duty was to protect the secrets of the Mist. By any means necessary. Even if that meant slaughtering his own people, he would fulfill his duty.

" _What a sad existence you live."_

That Mist kunoichi's words and peaceful smile as he killed her never left him.

What a sad existence indeed.

This cruel and sad world of lies. Hopeless and purposeless.

Yet, he was still here. Still existing. Barely. He'd be dead at the hands of Master Jiraiya's Toad Mouth Trap without Itachi's Mangekyō Sharingan. What a sad end that would have been.

So, they survived to fight another day. It was the running gag of his life, it seemed. No matter how pointless this world of lies was, he always found a way to survive. A way to keep existing. Then again, he wasn't in any rush to die.

Patience was their ally now. Someday in the future they'd capture the Nine-Tails for their mission. It was only a matter of time. And unlike the girl, the jinchūriki brat didn't show the same cut-throat, fearless potential of a thrilling enemy. He was just another hopeless weakling.

But that girl… Intelligence. Reasoning. Intensity. Will. That kunoichi wasn't some average shinobi. She was still a rookie, far outclassed by the Akatsuki trio. But in time, if she ever woke up from that coma Itachi put her in, she'd make it into the Bingo Book. He'd stake his existence on it.

 _I wonder what Itachi's plan with her is._

He believed his partner when he said they couldn't risk stealing her eyes. After that strange space-time fūinjutsu he didn't want to even put his hands near that girl's eyes. Definitely if there were more traps waiting for them. Fūinjutsu of that level, in his experience, wasn't to be trifled with.

Still, he'd been mulling over the incident for the last two weeks and hadn't gotten around to asking his partner for a straight answer. Kisame wasn't an idiot. Itachi and Aimi spared that girl for one reason or another. A long-term plan. Or what seemed to be a long-term plan to his trained eyes.

Placing the genjutsu on her mind when he could have easily killed her too? No, that didn't add up. Itachi and Aimi always calculated every single move they made. They never cut loose without thinking through the next hundred steps ahead.

 _Did Itachi plan to awaken her Mangekyō Sharingan to give them to Aimi?_ Kisame pursed his lips and rolled the thought around in his mind. _Aimi has both forms of Sharingan just like Itachi and that girl do, but her powers were different than Itachi's and Aimi's. Powerful too._

They obviously hadn't known about the fūinjutsu. Everyone was rendered stupefied by the experience, even Aimi and Itachi. For a brief moment their reserved disconnection faded for genuine shock—a rare sight on his two genius partners.

So, had that girl's family theorized their intentions to steal her power? Or was there more to it than taking her eyes?

Kisame wasn't sure it was even his business to ask. Itachi and Aimi didn't owe him an explanation. Partners or not, their past business with their Clan wasn't his to poke and prod at for answers. But his curiosity was getting the better of him.

He watched the dancing flames, blue features pulled into a thoughtful expression. _I can't help but wonder what he plans to do with that girl. She has wells of potential to tap into. And that demonic chakra she exuded…_

It excited Samehada. Purest darkness. Suffering. Hatred. Power. He'd felt and seen it all in that girl's expressive crimson eye.

 _Her killing intent was so volatile; even_ _ **I**_ _felt the chill in the air. It was a mirror image of Zabuza's. Heh!_ He grinned. _I wonder what he'd think to know a little girl can mirror his Demon Chakra._

The grin faded. In the orange flames, their tongues licking at the air and casting shadows to dance along the ground, he saw his own Shadow trying to kill him again. Talk about a dangerous technique. To be able to create and control a corporeal Shadow imitation of the person she looked at…

 _That's some jutsu. Once she started to focus, it began to mirror my technique and my strength perfectly. But it didn't seem able to mimic my ninjutsu, and it can only be maintained as long as she can keep her eye open._

With the strain the Mangekyō Sharingan put on the eye, plus the drain of her chakra, its weaknesses lessened the techniques effectiveness. At least against opponents of greater strength and experience than her. Average shinobi would die against it.

However, regardless of its weaknesses, that girl began adapting to the new power during a life or death battle. Adaptability and levelheadedness like that could only be commended.

 _Then there's that explosion of light…_

Such raw power. That ability _was_ power. Honestly, it left him wary of the girl. Itachi's incredible reaction time was all that saved him from death. But if she unleashed that power to start an ambush, no one would survive its epicenter. Instant death, guaranteed.

He saw no weaknesses in the technique itself. The weakness they could exploit was the personal weakness of the girl herself. She would never use it in a town or in any populated area—too much collateral damage for someone of her motivations. And she most certainly wouldn't unleash its power when her allies were nearby.

They could use that to their advantage if they ever fought her again. No, they _needed_ to use her soft heart to their advantage if they had any hope of surviving.

The sound of the tent opening broke Kisame from his analysis to Itachi's exit. His stoic features greeted him, and though the Swordsman expected Aimi to follow, she did not.

"You two done getting frisky?" Kisame grinned.

Itachi shut his eyes and exhaled an annoyed sigh. He didn't bother with a verbal retort. The sigh was threat enough.

The Swordsman chuckled. Then he exhaled through his nose. Now seemed as good as ever to get some answers.

"I've been thinking about that girl," he started, voice low and serious.

"Don't you think you're a little too old for her?" Itachi replied dryly.

The dry remark tugged a wide, sharp grin onto Kisame's face. "I deserved that one."

Itachi snorted but nodded for him to continue.

"Anyway. Looking back on it, I can see why you spared her." A single eyebrow rose on Itachi's face. Kisame chuckled at the silent, calculated response. "Come on, Itachi. I may not be a genius like you and Aimi, but I'm not an idiot."

He turned his eyes back to the fire, features settling into a pensive expression. "You saw that girl's potential when you used to train her, didn't you?"

"Yes. The rest of the Uchiha Clan shunned her as a half-breed, seeing her as a sin to their supposed purity. But for those who looked beyond her heritage, her potential to become a formidable kunoichi was obvious." Itachi cast a look to his repaired arm, covered by a fresh Akatsuki cloak sleeve. "Her heritage has been and will continue to be a source of immense strength. Witnessing her power firsthand has retaught me that lesson."

Kisame hummed but said nothing. He honestly expected Itachi to evade the question, but maybe that was just his nihilistic view of the world setting his expectation too low. Blood Mist Village only ever showed him pointless deaths, lies and greed.

 _And they wonder why our Village became so weak. While we were so busy selling our own secrets and killing each other, the other Villages were growing in strength._

Not that he cared anymore. He harbored no intention of _saving_ the Mist. What was even the point? The cycle of lies and greed leading to pointless death would only start over again somewhere else. What difference did it make if one Village rose above it while the rest of the world greased its wheels with blood?

Nevertheless, Itachi answered his question with honesty. Maybe he'd answer the others he had. He turned his head away from the fire and back to his partner. "Why did you spare her and your brother in that last fight?"

Itachi stared at him for a moment then shut his eyes. "What you ask is complicated, Kisame."

Exhaling a deep sigh, Itachi strode over to the log to sit next to him. He rested his forearms on his thighs and leaned forward, locking his onyx eyes on the fire in front of them.

"I cannot explain it in full detail yet, though you are right to assume I have a plan for them."

"Recruitment?"

His stoic partner released a short chuckle at his question. "No, nothing of that sort. By the time they would be old and strong enough to aid the Akatsuki our goal will already be complete."

"Heh, good point," the former Mist ninja replied, chuckling. "So, what is it? An eye transplant? You're not planning on stopping the Akatsuki, are you?"

"No, I do not. The eye transplant is a fragment of it, but it is still too soon for me to go into detail." His partner turned his head and met his eyes. The sincerity in them actually surprised Kisame. "When the time comes, Aimi and I will give you the truth you seek."

Kisame nodded. "Thanks, Itachi."

Itachi gave him more than expected, and it came with a promise of truth later on when the time was right. That was more than anyone else had given him. It left him content.

The Swordsman released a sigh. "Well, I suppose we're never going to live down being delayed by a little girl when we tell the others what happened."

To his surprise, Itachi chuckled heartily. He could only stare at his partner as if he was the strangest person on the planet. "I don't think I've ever heard you laugh like that. What's so funny?"

"If you wish to die by telling the Leader a thirteen year old Genin prevented us from completing our goal, then be my guest. Aimi and I will be sure to carry on your memory," Itachi replied dryly.

That was…a really good point. Kisame considered what their leader would have to say about such a failure, and he was fairly certain that there wouldn't be a reprimanding.

 _Even if we explained her unlocking her Mangekyō Sharingan abilities, we'd still be killed._

He still wasn't in any rush to die.

"Let's just leave out the parts about the girl," he decided.

"That would be the wise course of action without an immediate death at the end. Unless that is what you desire?" Itachi said, a smirk forming on his face.

Kisame grinned at his partner. "Earning the ire of the Leader is definitely not my idea of a good time. Besides, you and Aimi would get distracted without me around."

Itachi rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"There'd certainly be more opportunities to get 'frisky' as you put it," Aimi's playful voice joined them. They turned to see the mischievous smirk playing at her lips. "However, your charm would be sorely missed, Kisame."

Aimi stood in a royal blue tank top, the sides of which were cut within a few inches of the hem to reveal the mesh short-sleeved shirt and black bra beneath it. She wore black shinobi pants with matching sandals and white leg warmers.

Kisame chuckled deep in his chest. "Aw, you're going to make me blush, Aimi. Here I thought you only had eyes for Itachi."

"He has his charms too, I suppose," the kunoichi jested.

Itachi frowned. Aimi approached, a playful smile on her lips and a light bounce in her step. She ran her finger along Itachi's jawline, lightly pushing his chin away. "Don't pout, 'Tachi. Your face will get stuck that way."

"I think it already has," Kisame grinned.

Itachi rolled his eyes. "I didn't realize the Akatsuki recruited comedians." His tone was dryer than the Land of Wind's deserts.

Kisame's wide grin didn't budge. Aimi hummed pleasantly then seated herself next to her fellow Uchiha. "We should recruit comedians. It would liven up the Akatsuki significantly," Aimi said.

"I agree," Kisame nodded. "Every time we gather together our so-called 'artists' or the Zombie Brothers end up arguing with each other. Otherwise everyone just broods." He turned to grin down at Aimi. "We need more members like you, Aimi. It'll breathe some energy into this organization."

"Mm. We're out of luck then, Kisame," Aimi replied.

"How so?"

She smirked. "Because I'm one-of-a-kind. We won't find another shinobi like me."

"Can't argue with that," he grinned.

Glancing down, Kisame noticed Itachi's hand resting on Aimi's. His grin grew wider. "Well, I suppose I'll go check the perimeter to give you two some alone time."

" _Kisame_ ," Itachi scolded tiredly.

"What?" He reached behind the log and picked up Samehada before standing up. "I'm just being a gentleman. Young love is so pure, I cannot come between it! Heh heh heh!" he chortled.

Itachi's glare was deadly even without Sharingan.

Aimi spared him a thankful smile and bowed her head. "Thank you, Kisame."

He slung Samehada onto his shoulder. "Don't mention it. Just don't get _too_ frisky. I'm only going for a short walk."

"I'll make no promises," she responded with a light laugh.

Kisame chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Careful, Aimi. You might make me blush if you keep this up."

"I must endeavor to be as 'frisky' as possible if you only _might_ blush." Kisame snorted. "Be careful, Kisame."

"I know, I know." He waved his hand over his shoulder and continued his walk into the darkness of the forest. He stopped only once to spare a glance to his two teammates. Aimi's head rested on Itachi's shoulder, their fingers entwined as he slowly tilted his head to rest on hers.

Kisame let his lips quirk up in a small smile. _Maybe I'll take a longer stroll than planned. It'd be nice to stretch my legs for a little while and it'd give them some time alone._

In this pointless world of death and lies, it was the least he could provide for the two people he actually trusted.

* * *

Itachi released a deep sigh as Kisame's footsteps faded away into the darkness of the forest. He was gone. For now, at least.

The warm hand entwined with his soothed Itachi into a place of peace he rarely found on this mission of theirs. However, just having these brief moments alone together saved him from drowning. Aimi kept him afloat when the anxiety and sorrow dug their claws into his flesh.

He provided the same relief to her. This wasn't how Shisui wanted it to be—it wasn't how any of them wanted it to be—but they stuck together and supported one another just like he asked them to as they bore this arduous burden.

Despite the tired scolding he gave Kisame, Itachi appreciated these private moments he offered them. When alone with Aimi, he could decompress and share in the quiet, soothing presence of the woman he loved. Missions or lack of privacy kept them from sharing the intimate gestures he wished to shower her with.

But now was not the time to dwell on such thoughts. He had missed opportunities such as this in the past because he had let his thoughts and feelings remain elsewhere. Doing so left him with a handful of regrets he could no more fix than a human could fly.

Still, he would forge ahead on this path he walked. For those he held precious, he would not falter.

"I'm sorry for allowing the situation with Haya to escalate so far," he apologized sincerely.

"Don't blame yourself, 'Tachi. Neither of us knew the fūinjutsu was there, or that Haya could succumb to such darkness," Aimi comforted. She gave his hand a soft squeeze and nuzzled into his shoulder. "Everything worked out in the end. Stop worrying."

He smiled softly and squeezed her hand back. Shutting his eyes, he honed in on the warmth of Aimi's hand in his and the sound of the crackling fire in front of them.

"She's grown much since last we saw her, don't you think?"

He hummed in agreement to Aimi's question. Haya's growth of skill and confidence overshadowed the young child he used to train. But there was still so much for her to improve on. Her reckless abandon for her own life was one of those things.

The genjutsu on her mind would see to that flaw first.

"My little sweet is no longer the cute little girl always asking us to train her. Still adorable, of course; nothing could ever change that. And my poor little sweet still hasn't hit her growth spurt." Itachi hummed amusedly, his heart warming at Aimi's precious laughter. "However, she has become a capable young kunoichi."

"Yes, she has."

Aimi removed her head from his shoulder and stared at him with a worried expression. Her eyes searched his for an answer to an unspoken question. Itachi could only focus on how beautiful she looked as the light and shadows created by the fire danced across her fair skin.

In her deep onyx eyes, he could see their history from the day they met to now playing before him. It was in those past moments where he could see her turn from cute child to capable young kunoichi to a striking S-rank shinobi.

These thoughts, however, led him to thoughts of Haya and his brother. Here he was with Aimi at the age of eighteen as S-rank criminals. How different his path turned out than what he once sought.

They had both grown from children to adults before they even hit fifteen. The reality of shinobi life destroyed the lives and dreams they once held without mercy.

So how much longer did the two young Uchiha have until they too grew from a boy and a girl to a man and a woman? One year? Two? Or could it be less than that because of what was set in motion?

It was impossible to say with any certainty. _Even geniuses cannot predict the future,_ he thought.

"You're being distant, 'Tachi. What's wrong?" Aimi asked.

"It's nothing," he responded and turned his gaze back into the fire.

Aimi's gentle fingers trailed over his cheek, cupping it so she could turn his head to meet her eyes again. "Please don't lie to me, 'Tachi," she whispered. The kunoichi resumed caressing his cheek with a feather light touch that easily melted away all of his tension. "What's wrong?"

With a reluctant sigh, Itachi explained in short his use of the Tsukuyomi on Haya. The mistakes he made with Sasuke. Fears and hopes for them. His recent thoughts of how quickly they would grow up in this harsh and unforgiving world.

By the end of it, Aimi's head lay back on his shoulder, her fingers interlaced with his again. Their breathing remained even while Aimi mulled over the thoughts he presented her. Itachi was patient. He could wait for her to gather all her thoughts, content to merely sit here with her for as long as they could. Together.

"They will follow their path, 'Tachi," Aimi whispered. "Like us, they have each other to rely on to prevent the Curse of Hatred from obscuring their path with shadows. Shisui's wisdom will stay with Haya. She will heed his guidance and yours, and through her, Sasuke will learn to live for something more than hatred.

"Haya is meant to light the way, for the future generations and the Uchiha. It's in her blood. But she won't walk this path alone. She has others she can rely on; she has the Wills of her family in her heart, we saw that. And she has our faith, 'Tachi. That's all she needs from us. She'll make us all proud, I know it."

He hummed in agreement.

Her head began to shift on his shoulder, followed by warm lips pressing a butterfly kiss at his jawline. "Don't worry so much. Everything will be okay."

Itachi pivoted his head to meet her eyes. Again he found himself admiring the woman he loved.

So long as they had each other, they would be okay.

Itachi cupped her cheek, bringing forth the pretty smile that entranced him when they were children. The smile illuminated his world, no matter how bleak and dark it happened to be.

 _Aimi…words will never express how thankful I am to have you at my side on this path we must walk. For your undying trust, support and love, I will forever be in your debt._

He smiled genuinely and kissed the tip of her nose, earning a small giggle for his effort.

"My lips are here, 'Tachi. You prude."

Aimi leaned forward and met his lips in a slow, passionate kiss. One that revived his spirits and brushed away all thoughts not pertaining to this present moment.

His lover broke from the kiss first but only so she could switch positions. Aimi straddled him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she engaged him in a deeper, tender kiss.

Itachi's hands glided slowly up her thighs, up her hips and over the curves of her mesh covered sides. Hands roamed, threading into soft hair, meeting palm to palm as they rested foreheads together to breathe in the moment and each other; their lips and tongues danced together, unrestrained in their passion and tenderness.

Here there was no Akatsuki. No horrible past. No perilous future. There was only the present second. Here they could forget about their burdens and _be_. Be together. Be in love. Be safe and secure, even if it was only for a little while.

Here with Aimi he could feel warmth pierce through this dark, cold world they lived in.

Again they broke off their kiss but settled to rest their foreheads against one another. Affection and love brimmed in their eyes as they held each other's gaze.

"I love you, 'Tachi," Aimi exhaled.

"And I love you, Aimi."

They sat there for a few long minutes sharing in blissful kisses or simple touches, never encroaching on borders they kept when Kisame was around.

It was better this way for all involved. Kisame did not have to return to an awkward situation and the two Uchiha's would not have to listen to him tease them mercilessly the entire walk back to their base.

Eventually it came to an end.

"Didn't I ask you two not to get too frisky?" Kisame's teasing voice entered the camp with a chuckle following.

Itachi frowned in the darkness. He knew it was inevitable, but he wished the inevitable could have waited a little longer.

Aimi's smile remained on her face despite the interruption. She pressed a peck on Itachi's lips as reassurance that everything would be okay before pivoting her head to face their teammate.

"Come now, Kisame, you can hardly call this frisky. My top is still on," she quipped.

Even with the interruption, there was still one thing Itachi knew in his heart.

 _I will forever be yours, Aimi._

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: Shippuden era Amari will probably have a few different outfits. One will consist of the purple high-collar tank top she found in the Uchiha District when she found her tanto, necklace, summoning contract and journals. The Clan crests are fused together on the back of that one._

 _Amari and Mimi are definitely more friends/sisters than rivals out of battle, but in battle they'll always be fighting each other to be the best._

 _Weapons Sage, Mistress of all Ninja Tools, I think Tenten would love that nickname._

 _Kosuke will show up later on. Yugao has a role to play in this story, I just can't go into detail yet._

 _Thank you for the review! Hope you enjoy the new update!_


	64. Chapter 63: An Oath to a Friend

Chapter 63

An Oath to a Friend: Never Quit and Never Go Back on Your Word!

Naruto collapsed back first into the hard dirt with a dull _thud_. His lungs expanded and contracted without rhythm, without control, mouth open as he desperately sucked in air.

 _I just need to catch my breath…then I'll get back to it_.

No matter how painful his muscle spasms were, he promised himself to stand up again. Even though his legs felt laden with lead, even though his right hand was burning like he stuck it into a boiling pot of water, he wouldn't stop training until he nailed this jutsu.

Sure he was tired. Sure he was soaked in sweat. Hot, too; he already tore off his jacket and tied it around his waist just to _breathe_ and get some air to his upper body. And sure he was training in the pitch dark. Didn't matter. His bet with that old hag Tsunade ended tomorrow, and though he was at his absolute limit, Naruto believed—no, he _knew_ he was within reach of completion.

This fire in his belly demanding him to push harder burst to life after he and the Pervy Sage set off to find Tsunade—Naruto refused to call her Lady Tsunade. Her skills as a warrior and a medic deserved respect, he truly believed that, but as a person? Get real. She lost that respect from him already. Insulting the honored dead. Insulting his friends and Sensei.

"Tch!" he hissed out an irritated, uneven breath.

Anyway, the encounter with the Akatsuki, Amari's sacrifice, the entire situation kept playing through his mind on an infinite loop. Over and over. Over and over and over again. During brief respites from training. As he tried to sleep. He couldn't escape it.

The things those other two Uchiha said, especially Itachi's words, kept eating at him. More specifically, he couldn't figure out _why_ they wanted to capture him so badly.

 _"Naruto is the prize the Akatsuki seeks, and we will have him."_

Why was he their prize? Why did they go so far to kidnap him, doing all that damage to Amari and going so far to use her as a bargaining chip? Maybe they didn't intend to leave her behind. Maybe he'd have been a fool to believe them. But…why? Why him?

 _"Don't get the wrong idea, kid. It's not you they're actually after. It's what you hold within you,"_ Jiraiya had explained.

Those three and this Akatsuki group, they didn't care about him. They just wanted the Nine-Tails and its power. Naruto couldn't understand it. Why would they be after this…this _monster_ inside him? This demon spirit that terrorized the Leaf Village; everyone in the Leaf feared it…and in turn feared him, too. All for something he never asked for.

" _The fox spirit that killed Iruka's parents and destroyed our village has taken over your body. You are the Nine-Tailed Fox!"_

Sucking in a controlled breath, Naruto gazed up at the full moon shimmering in the sky above him. It didn't add up. If people feared it so much, why would those three and their organization want to get their hands on it?

The Pervy Sage wasn't keen to their plans either. Perhaps they wanted to seize control of the power and use it for some ill purpose or something of that sort. Or maybe they had a more nefarious plot. Neither of them knew, not really. All they had were guesses and theories.

In the end, knowing _why_ they wanted the Nine-Tails didn't really matter. Understanding their reasons didn't change his reality: the Akatsuki would continue to hunt him until they captured the Nine-Tails or they were stopped.

It should have scared him. It should have made him feel like an enormous weight was bearing down on his shoulders. But it didn't. How could he complain when Amari had been bearing a similar weight for as long as he had known her?

From the day she unlocked her Sharingan and gained the Byakugan, his best friend lived with the knowledge that others would _kill_ to take those from her. Shinobi with greater power than her. Shinobi with more experience. Possibly even friends.

Fear of her own powerlessness stalked Amari's every step. What if a power hungry Leaf shinobi learned her secret? What if one of the other Villages found out? What if she wasn't strong enough to defend herself? What if another friend betrayed her to take her eyes?

But Naruto never heard her whine about it. He couldn't even remember ever seeing how afraid it really made her. Amari faced her fate courageously, using it as her motivation to become stronger.

If she could do it, then he could too.

These Akatsuki guys weren't going to stop so he could prepare. One of these days they'd be back to capture him, which was why Naruto started doubling his efforts. He had to face this just like Amari faced them: without fear, fighting until the bitter end.

Next time he wouldn't just stand by as his truest friend fought to protect him. He swore to never fail her like that ever again.

So these last few weeks of tracking down Tsunade had been chock full of intense training. The kind of intensity that left him an aching mess, to the point sleeping was almost impossible because of how much pain his hands were in.

Naruto squinted at the sky, causing the twinkling stars to blur. Kami, he was tired. And sore. And really out of breath, to top it off. And…he was stalling. Complaining. Trying to find the strength to stand up again to win this stupid bet.

They'd traveled so far to finally find a lead on the Granny, and what was their reward? Not an acceptance to return to the Leaf; she didn't even seem to care there were people who needed her help, in fact she made a point to insult those who needed her legendary talents.

No. The so-called Legendary Sannin, the woman apparently capable of medical miracles was just a cynical, old woman who loved to gamble while hiding her age with a Transformation Jutsu.

 _I don't know what I was expecting_ , Naruto thought. _The way Mimi was so excited, I suppose I thought she'd be this really nice and super compassionate medic. I thought she'd have that same spark Mimi has when it comes to helping people._

He rolled his head on the ground to shake it. _But that's not the case at all. She's the exact opposite of Mimi._

Mimi was full of energy. Full of passion. Full of fire. Mimi _cared_. Deeply. She _wanted_ to help people, and when she couldn't be of any help, it hurt her. Just like it hurt her to not be able to fix Lee. Just like it hurt her to be unable to heal Amari's injury.

But she didn't quit when things got tough. She didn't tap out and walk away; Mimi stuck to her guns and trained to become better and stronger.

Naruto really admired that about her.

 _If that Granny ever had any passion or any fire in her eyes, it's gone now_ , he thought. When he glared into those brown eyes, he didn't see anything. Just cold emptiness and old wounds.

Still, he wouldn't stop this hellish training until he completed this jutsu. He _would_ win this bet, that way she had no choice but to acknowledge she was wrong and come back to the Leaf to heal his friends. Her necklace—the First Hokage's necklace to be exact— was also a part of their bet, but the piece of jewelry was barely a thought in his mind.

First thing was completing this jutsu.

 _Learning the Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu was nothing compared to this_. He sucked in more air, desperate for the cool oxygen for his internally and externally warm body.

This A-rank jutsu—the Rasengan—was nothing to sniff at. It was similar to the Chidori in a way, or at least he thought it was. The Chidori was like holding a whole bunch of focused chakra in your hand, plus Lightning Nature added into it. The Rasengan required him to create a rapidly spiraling sphere purely made out of chakra in his hand, compressing the chakra into a focused area while simultaneously keeping it spinning.

He didn't even want to think about what kind of skill adding a Nature to it required. It was already ridiculously difficult.

 _The level of chakra control this takes…it's insane._ Naruto shut his eyes and sighed internally. _I don't know if I'd have even gotten this far if Amari and Kakashi-sensei didn't always try to get me to practice my chakra control. Amari probably would have gotten this down by now._

The Pervy Sage didn't think so.

" _Don't look so down, kid. You know, I doubt even your friend Amaririsu could get as far as you have in this short amount of time."_

" _Are you kidding? Amari can shape her chakra into dragon wings and even do that Rotation move Neji does. Creating a sphere would be no big deal for her."_

" _Hey, I'm not saying your little girlfriend doesn't have chakra shaping talents. She does, and those feats you mentioned are impressive. But, listen Naruto, did you ever really look when Amaririsu performed those techniques? I bet there are imperfections the normal eye doesn't catch in it."_

Later, when he thought more about it, he remembered more clearly the imperfections he saw. Against Gaara, Amari's chakra wing may have left her externally unscathed, but internally the recoil hit her hard. And even though she countered Mimi's huge attack in the Finals with the Rotation, she didn't escape all damage.

" _For this technique to work there can be no imperfections," Jiraiya continued. "I'm not saying Amaririsu couldn't do it; she does show a lot of promise. But don't forget it took the Fourth Hokage three years to create this jutsu, and he was a genius._

" _Remember, Naruto, there is no easy road to learning this technique. Not for her and not for you."_

The Pervy Sage was _definitely_ right about its difficulty. There hadn't been a single moment of training where it became a piece of cake.

The first step was popping a water balloon by rotating his chakra in every direction, which was utterly exhausting.

Then came the next step: Power.

He changed from training with a flimsy water balloon to a rubber ball, once again attempting to blow it up with only his chakra. To do so required him to use all of his strength to increase the volume and density of the chakra he was spinning.

Like his current situation, the intensity of his chakra burned his hands and made his entire body ache. Honestly, somedays he felt like he'd been caught beneath a rockslide. Shooting pains incapacitated him daily. Eventually, though, he pulled it off.

Now he was on the final step. His training was no longer about trying to pop a water balloon or explode a rubber ball, which seemed so much simpler now than ever before. His current goal was to contain his power and rotation in a tight sphere inside a regular, fragile air balloon so it _wouldn't_ pop.

Control. He had to control it. If the balloon moved at all then he was messing it up completely.

 _No matter how hard I try, I just can't seem to focus on maintaining the rotation and power without it losing its shape._

It was frustrating. Absolutely frustrating. And it was only made worse by Tsunade disrespecting the Third Hokage, Kakashi and his friends.

As a cool breeze rolled over his sweat covered body, he was brought back to the night in the tavern.

* * *

One Week Ago

* * *

Naruto could only gawk at the Pervy Sage and the two women sitting opposite of them in their booth.

The Leaf chose Tsunade as the Fifth Hokage? When? Why her? He may not have figured out the trait the Pervy Sage told him Amari and the past Hokage possessed, but he could tell this lady certainly didn't have it.

Directly across from Naruto at the entrance of the booth was a woman of fair skin and average height named Shizune. Apprehensive and deeply saddened black eyes momentarily lowered at the news of the Third Hokage's death. The black strands of her shoulder length hair swayed over her bluish-black kimono as her head pivoted slightly to trade looks between the two Sannin, uncertain about the tense silence.

Shizune didn't seem that bad. So far she was the mirror opposite of her master; respectable, nice, and actually cared the Third Hokage died. Tsunade showed no emotion. Not even the slightest inkling of remorse or sorrow.

 _She hasn't seen the Old Man since she left the Leaf, and this is how she reacts to the news?_ _Maybe they parted on bad terms, but this is no way to react to the news of her old sensei!_

He was fuming within. Ready to burst at any moment. But he kept his anger leashed. For now.

Tsunade sat across from Jiraiya in the booth. They both wielded cards in their hands, courtesy of the kunoichi member of the Sannin. The pink flush coating her fair cheeks revealed her tipsy state.

The older woman's long, straight blonde hair brushed against the middle of her sleeveless kimono-style grey blouse in the style of two loose ponytails. Her top was held close by a dark bluish-grey obi that matched her pants, although 'closed' didn't mean the enormous expanse of cleavage she wielded was concealed. Like, at all.

 _No wonder the Pervy Sage likes her so much_ , he rolled his eyes.

Around her neck, dangling into said cleavage, was the First Hokage's necklace. However, what Naruto found stranger than all of this—besides her apparently being selected as the Fifth Hokage without anyone asking his opinion—was the small blue mark on her forehead, shaped like a diamond. Was it some sort of birth mark? Or a Seal of some kind?

Naruto's impatience got the better of him.

"Arghh! Will someone please tell me what's going on?!" Naruto groaned in confused annoyance.

He turned to Jiraiya, who stared at his cards with a smile. Naruto fought back a second annoyed groan. This wasn't the time for some stupid game! They had serious business to take care of!

"You told me we were coming to get her because she could heal Amari, Kakashi-sensei and Lee!" he accused. "But now you're pulling this Fifth Hokage business out of nowhere!" He pivoted his head back to Tsunade, who looked at her discarded cards with an irritated frown. "And then she goes and refuses it? But then…how can we help everyone? I promised Kurenai-sensei and the others…"

Naruto's solemn eyes lowered to the table. _I promised I'd bring her back no matter what so she could heal Amari, Kakashi-sensei and Lee._

Amari's lifeless face flashed into his mind.

The cerulean eyed boy grated his teeth and squeezed his hands into fists. _Amari…_

"No…that's not a good enough answer," he spoke in a low voice. Wonder, confusion or simple disinterest crossed the features of the three adults. "You don't get to sit here and say 'no' like the title of Hokage and the people back in Konoha, your _home_ , mean nothing.

"Mimi and Kurenai-sensei believed you could help the people we care about. I made them a promise that I'd bring you back to do it." Naruto lifted his head and met Tsunade's glazed over, unimpressed brown eyes with a hard glare. "I won't take no for an answer."

"Relax, Naruto," Jiraiya soothed. "Tsunade is well aware that she cannot refuse. There can be no one else who takes the mantle of Hokage. There was no single shinobi who contributed more to the Leaf's victory in the Great War. She combines immense skill as a warrior with a renowned ability to heal. I'd bet that's why your friend Mimi looks up to her so much."

Naruto raised his eyebrows at the Pervy Sage. _Contributed to the Leaf's victory in the Great War with the ability to fight and heal?_

"What's more," Jiraiya continued, "she's the granddaughter of the First Hokage. In heritage and abilities, she is the clear and only choice as the Fifth Hokage. Once she accepts her destiny, which she will, then she'll have to come back with us to Konoha and then heal Amaririsu, Kakashi and your friend Lee."

The Sage shut his eyes. "It's been all carefully thought out by the highest councils of the Village. No offense, but it's not something an adolescent Genin like you is meant to understand."

 _Not something I'm meant to understand?_ He frowned. _I wasn't even told about ninety percent of this stuff before we sat down with these two. And on that note, if I'm the adolescent Genin, why does it feel like I've been the one babysitting him since we left Konoha?_

There was the time in the outpost when he ran off with that woman under the influence of a genjutsu. Then there was the other time in the first town they searched where the Pervy Sage stole his hard earned money and ended up using it on alcohol and women—two of the three Ninja Prohibitions the pervert had warned him about.

"Heh, you're losing your touch Jiraiya," Tsunade taunted with a sneer on her face. "This little student of yours is nothing like the last one. He's a fool with a big mouth, and funny looking too."

Naruto furrowed his brow in agitation. "Oh yeah!" he challenged.

Jiraiya chuckled and rested his right forearm onto the table as he looked at the boy. "Well, to be fair, it's hard for anyone to match up to that standard. The Fourth Hokage had all the signs of becoming the greatest shinobi in generations. He was _brimming_ with talent and natural ability. Brilliant, popular and, to top it off, he was nearly as handsome as his teacher," the older shinobi added with a sly grin.

 _Oh yeah, I forgot. The Pervy Sage mentioned the Fourth being his disciple back on the road before we ran into those Akatsuki guys._ With all the ridiculous and perverted antics he had witnessed from his teacher, it was sometimes hard to remember he actually taught the Fourth Hokage—Naruto's idol.

"Oh sure, but that didn't stop him from dying young." Tsunade's low, deadly and cynical voice severed the amicable atmosphere.

Everyone at the table turned to the kunoichi. Shizune and Naruto reflected bewilderment and disbelief. Jiraiya's grin vanished, replaced by a stern expression.

Tsunade equipped a new set of cards in her hand, all held in a solid row so she could only see the first card. "Deciding to throw his life away all for the sake of the Village?" she continued harshly. She moved the cards so the second would be revealed. "Money is one thing, but a life is another. To risk everything against all the odds," Tsunade glared at her fellow Sannin, "that's a suckers bet!"

The chopsticks in Naruto's hands suddenly snapped. _A suckers bet?!_

She glanced at him and her cynical smile returned before she looked back to Jiraiya. "My grandfather and his successor were all so willing to die for the Village." Tsunade looked back down at her cards. "Well they're dead all right, and Konoha isn't any safer."

"Sounds to me like you've changed, Tsunade," Jiraiya replied. He sounded so disappointed. "I don't know what has happened to make you like this, but to say such things out loud?"

It was wrong. So wrong. Naruto would never be the one to teach classes in respect; he _did_ paint graffiti on the faces of the Hokage, but to speak so lowly of the First, Second and Fourth Hokage? To disrespect the honored dead? It was like dancing and spitting on the graves of holy monks.

Maybe he had said and done some stupid things to his teachers, the Third Hokage and to the Hokage Mountain, but it was all just adolescent actions and pranks. Attempts to get people to stop pretending he didn't exist. Deep down he held the greatest respect for the past Hokage's and Iruka-sensei.

Tsunade moved the third card into her view, chuckling lightly at her fellow Sannin's words. Her eyes fell shut as she rested her chin on the back of her propped up right hand. "Don't forget, I'm not as young as I look. All of these years have taught me a great deal."

She shifted a fourth card into view. "Kakashi should have learned the same lesson by now. How many more people do you think he needs to lose before he gives up his ridiculous crusade at redemption?"

" _This stone is a memorial for all those who sacrificed their lives for the village… The names of my closest friends are engraved here."_

Naruto snarled. The broken chopsticks began to stab into his palm.

"It's obvious he's still throwing himself into deadly situations over and over again, and for what? To protect Konoha? To make up for his past?" She lifted her chin up in the blond's direction. "To protect the next generation of Genin who are foolish enough to need _my_ level of Medical Ninjutsu? He's a bigger fool than I realized."

"What did you say?!" Naruto growled. He had to fight against the urge to dive across the table and pound the woman's face in. Slowly but surely he was losing that fight.

Kakashi, Lee, Amari, they all fought to the bitter end to protect what they held precious. They followed their nindos and never gave up, even when defeat seemed certain. Who the hell was this old hag to disrespect them?!

Tsunade smirked vindictively at him. "You heard me, brat. Your little pals who need my help are fools, the same as your Sensei. Do you know what happens to reckless Genin on the battlefield?" Her eyes darkened as her smirk became a flat frown. "They're usually the first ones to die, all so filled with the belief they're invincible as they try to prove themselves for some pointless cause."

"Lady Tsunade…" Shizune whispered in shock.

Naruto barely heard her. He could feel his body trembling as it tried to jolt him forward. _Pointless cause?!_

"Don't you dare talk about them that way!" he snarled as the harmless chopsticks continued to feel his inner rage.

"Or what, brat?" She met his silent glare head-on with dark eyes. "Being a shinobi is still a little game to you, isn't it? You probably think you're invincible. But guess what? You're not. Nobody is. One of these days all you'll be able to do is watch as your comrades fall in front of you."

He'd seen that one time too many already.

"Jōnin like Kakashi should quit while they still can," she lectured. "Nothing he does will change the fact his teammates and his sensei are already _dead_. Let me guess: His severe injuries were gained trying to protect one of your teammates, right?"

The disgusted curl of Naruto's lips turned hers into a smirk. "Thought so. Probably this Amari girl you're clearly protective about. But he wasn't able to save her, was he? She was critically injured regardless. Just goes to show you he's still a foolish brat who hasn't grown up. He still thinks he can make up for the deaths of Obito, Rin and Minato by throwing his life away, just like they did."

"That's enough, Tsunade." Jiraiya's tone was bladed and threatening. Scary, even. Like Tsunade had become one of those Akatsuki guys.

Her brown eyes flitted back over to the Toad Sage, brow furrowing in mounting agitation. "Sarutobi-sensei, too. He should have known better than to try playing the hero role at his age."

That struck a particular chord in Jiraiya. A chord Naruto decided he _never_ wanted to touch. Something about the glare turned him from the perverted fool into the legendary shinobi.

At the same time, Naruto's left hand trembled beneath the table. Anger tightened his chest. It begged to be released.

Tsunade merely glanced at the boy before snorting and turning her eyes back to her cards. She shifted the final card out then released a sigh, placing them face down on the table and sitting back into the seat. "Huh, playing at Hokage? Count me out. It's a fool's game."

Naruto snapped. Bowls, cups and plates clattered, bounced and shifted as his hands slammed against the table. "That's it!"

He couldn't stand one more second of this woman's disrespect!

The boy launched onto the table and attempted to dash across the short distance to pound her face in. Unfortunately, a hand gripped the back of his jacket, keeping him in place as he struggled to punch or kick the woman.

"Let me go!" he growled. "Let me go! Let me just—"

"That's enough. People are watching," Jiraiya scolded tiredly.

He was dragged back towards his seat and given a stare that told him to settle down. He couldn't. Not when she was blatantly and callously disrespecting the people he cared about.

Naruto stamped both feet firm on the table as he readied himself to give her a piece of his mind. "I'm not going to let her sit there and disrespect the Old Man, Kakashi-sensei or my friends! No way! I don't give a damn if she is a woman!" The blond slammed his left fist into his right palm. "I'll beat that cynical sneer off her face!"

The kunoichi member of the Sannin merely stared at him. Flat. Disinterested. Like he wasn't even there. Shizune watched on in awe of his passion and concern for the crumbling situation.

Suddenly Tsunade's lip turned up into a smirk. The kunoichi bolted up in her seat and placed her left foot on the table, resting her left hand on her knee to be face to face with him.

"Are you challenging me, boy? You've got guts, if nothing else." The boy didn't back down from his glare or anger. "Let's take this outside!"

"No, no!" Shizune begged the older woman.

Neither would hear it. All four—five including the pet pig named Tonton—moved outside. Tsunade stood on one side of the street with her hands on her hips while Naruto stood at the other end. Shizune, Tonton and Jiraiya took their positions off to the side with their respective companions.

The light of the tavern painted artificial squares of light onto the dark street. Clouds covered the sky, concealing the moonlight behind a thick blanket.

Naruto wasn't sure what chance, if any, he had against this woman. His dislike of her aside, she was still a member of the Legendary Sannin; Orochimaru annihilated his team, and Jiraiya nearly killed all three of those Akatsuki members. What was this hag capable of then?

 _Doesn't matter._ He wouldn't back down. She crossed too many lines, insulted too many people he cared about.

 _If her skills aren't exaggerated, I'll have a hard time landing a solid blow on her…but she is under the influence of alcohol. That should increase my chances here._

It was a longshot, but a shot nonetheless. He wouldn't let her get away with insulting the Old Man, Kakashi and the others.

"One of the Legendary Sannin taking on a snot-nosed Genin?" Tsunade shut her eyes and smiled to herself. "I should be ashamed of myself."

"Who you calling snotty?!" was his intelligent retort. He hated how stupid it sounded. Hated how he had nothing better to say.

The Sannin member lifted her right hand up and extended only her index finger.

"Huh?" he breathed out in question.

"Oh, stop trying to show off," the Toad Sage chastised.

"You see this? One finger. This is all I'm going to need to beat you."

"Please, don't," Shizune tried to stop them again.

Tsunade turned her hand around and motioned him to attack with the same finger. "Well? Come on, kid."

The knucklehead of Team Seven growled again. "Don't…ever underestimate me!"

He dashed forward and grabbed at his ninja tool box for a kunai and a set of shurikens. Once in his hand, he grabbed the shurikens with his left hand and tossed them at the woman. She dodged her head to the side with her eyes arrogantly closed, simultaneously giving him the opening he needed.

 _Now!_ The boy lunged forward with the blade of his kunai seeking to hit its target. This would show her!

Swiftly, Tsunade ducked out of the way and got her solitary finger in the hole of his kunai's grip. The legendary shinobi stole the blade from him instantly, swinging it straight up before he could even comprehend he had lost his kunai.

The kunai hit his forehead protector with a loud clang, sending both the weapon and his headband flying up into the air. His head recoiled back from the strike. Naruto tried to regain balance, tried to plant his feet to counter, but suddenly she was in his face with her pointer finger and thumb in range to flick his forehead.

Her pointer finger ripped forward and collided against his skull. It felt like someone had punched him in the face with a metal glove.

The power of the strike sent him flying backwards through the air. Then his back slammed against the ground, sending him tumbling head over foot until he rolled back onto his feet.

Naruto grimaced. He brought his left hand to his forehead. _Did Sakura appear when I blinked to punch me in the face?_ Sakura was nowhere to be found. Which meant the flick did all this. _Ow._

His vision was becoming all foggy. He could hardly focus on Tsunade anymore.

 _I feel a huge headache coming on. It's so bad my ears are ringing…and all she did was flick me in the forehead? I know Mimi can knock someone out with pressure points, but this? It's unreal._

He touched the spot of contact and winced. _My forehead is already bruised._

Gritting his teeth, he stood up to his full height. "I'm not done yet!"

Suddenly his kunai impaled in the ground right in front of his feet, exactly where he planned to step. Naruto's eyes bulged as his forehead protector clattered to the ground a few steps away from the blade.

 _Whoa…Pervy Sage wasn't kidding. She's the real deal even when she's drunk._

"Hey kid!" the woman slurred. Naruto's cerulean eyes met her brown ones as the gravity of the fight was beginning to hit him. "One question before you pass out."

 _Pass out? From a flick to the forehead?_ This was bad.

"Tell me, what makes you so touchy about the title of Hokage."

"Unlike you, my dream is to become Hokage," he retorted heatedly. "Just you watch, one day I will become Hokage! That's my dream!"

Something about his words affected the Granny. Despondence overcame her eyes. Her gaze fell to the ground.

 _Hey, she lowered her guard!_ This was the one opening he was going to get and he wasn't going to waste this chance. _There's no way I can take her head-on_. He lifted his right hand up with his palm facing him. _Now is the time to use_ _ **that**_ _jutsu._ _Focus!_

Determined to win, Naruto began focusing his chakra to his hands. He placed his right palm over his left and created an imperfect blue sphere between them.

The sound of the swirling chakra garnered the attention of all three elder ninja. Tsunade gawked in surprise at him. The Pervy Sage beamed with pride.

Not wasting a single second, Naruto dashed forward with the spiraling sphere of blue chakra between his hands and a wordless war cry.

He reached his right hand forward, hoping to connect the swirling chakra with his opponent. However, the kunoichi hastily slammed her index finger into the ground, splitting the ground beneath him to form a small ravine. What started as a war cry quickly shifted into a wail of surprise.

Instead of connecting his attack with Tsunade, the jutsu impacted into the rift; the recoil of the unstable power sent him flying backwards into the crevice. Naruto could only wiggle around like a turtle stuck on its back, wedged between the split earth.

"Ah! I'm stuck!" Naruto groaned as he scratched and clawed at the air in an attempt to get out.

Talk about power. Splitting the ground with a single finger? What kind of crazy strength did the Granny have?

Shizune was quick to come to his aid and help him out of the crack within. She rested a comforting hand on his back as he began coughing on all-fours. _Her strength is insane._

"Naruto, are you all right?" Shizune asked in worry.

"Jiraiya! Are you the one that taught this little brat the Rasengan?" Tsunade accused.

 _Rasengan?_ It was the first time he had ever heard the name of the jutsu. The Toad Sage had never bothered to mention the name or had simply forgotten to tell him. _I'd bet on the latter when it comes to Pervy Sage._

"Of course I did! I'm his teacher, aren't I? What about it?"

"Ha! Some teacher! What's the point of teaching it to someone who could never learn it, you old fool! Giving him false hopes like that, filling his little mind with stupid ideas, making him believe he could actually become Hokage someday!"

The knucklehead growled, stood up and swiped his left hand through the air. "Oh yeah! I'll show you who's an idiot! Just you wait!" He created a three with his fingers. "Give me three days and I'll have that jutsu down flat!"

At first the woman was taken aback, only to smile and breathe out a laugh. "Watch what you say, kid. I might just hold you to it."

"Heh, I said it and I never go back on my word. That's my nindo, my ninja way!"

"Well then, how about a bet…"

* * *

Naruto's eyes shot open, startled awake. Exhaustion immediately weighed his eyelids down again. The Siren of sleep called to him, begged him to let his eyes close for one moment. Just one little moment…

His eyes snapped open again. They felt heavier than before, but he couldn't sleep now. Not when he was so close to completing this jutsu.

 _There's no more time to rest._

Against the pleas of his body, Naruto struggled up from his supine position to stand on his quivering legs. He gripped his right wrist with his left hand and shut his eyes. _Concentrate. Concentrate._

" _Now listen up: In the third step you have to draw up one hundred percent of what you have learned thus far, and then maintain it,"_ Jiraiya's lesson echoed in his mind.

Naruto opened his eyes as he summoned the chakra to his hand. It burned. Stung like a swarm of bees were stinging every inch of his hand. He ignored the pain as best he could, watching as a blue sphere began to build in the palm of his hand.

The more he concentrated the chakra, the more it hurt. His hands felt toast. Over trained with this heavy and powerful concentration of chakra his body still wasn't acclimatized to using.

 _Come on! Concentrate. Concentrate!_

The power was all but impossible to contain. He may as well be trying to use a paper dome to contain a fire! Gritting his teeth and grunting in a mixture of frustration and pain, Naruto prepared to slam the Rasengan into the dead tree in front of him.

"Hahhh!" he screamed.

Upon impact, the Rasengan created a swirl pattern in the bark, but nothing else.

 _Damn!_

This jutsu, when completed, could cut through a tree without exploding like his always did. The Pervy Sage maintained it perfectly when he showed him, sawing a tree in half without ever losing the shape or the power of the Rasengan.

Warm beads of sweat slid down his face, dripping off his chin. His upper body, slouched by exhaustion, heaved with heavy breaths he couldn't control. The black undershirt he wore stuck to his skin.

" _In other words, you have to keep the rotation and strength at their maximum the entire time."_

 _I get it_ , he panted. _I can see it in my head…but no matter how hard I try, I can't focus all of my chakra into a neat little ball._

Naruto shut his eyes and grit his teeth. He only had until tomorrow to get this jutsu down. The hours were ticking by; every wasted second was another second of guaranteed failure. His body could only take so much more abuse before it inevitably gave out on him, and if he failed…

" _There's nothing worse than watching your students fall in battle. It's like…losing little pieces of your soul,"_ Guy-sensei's words sounded off.

 _Bushy Brows._ He had watched Lee in awe during his battle against Gaara. Even though he was rendered unconscious, even though his arm and leg were broken by Gaara's sand, Lee's Will made him stand up again. Ready to fight to the death for the sake of his ninja way.

Lee's condition ate away at Mimi's heart and soul. Naruto saw it. She was a medic who couldn't help her own teammate. Her friend. But the Inuzuka believed in Tsunade's ability to fix him. She believed they could bring her back.

" _Look at her! Do you realize the kind of emotional anguish an Uchiha must go through to unlock the Mangekyō Sharingan? Why don't you stop thinking about yourself and consider for a moment the heartbreak she went through in the last few hours._

" _And despite that pain, despite being heavily beaten, exhausted of her chakra and captured, she still used the last of her strength to save_ _ **you**_ _! To protect_ _ **you**_ _from the Akatsuki!"_

 _Amari…_

Since he first met her, since she started excelling, Amari always seemed invincible to him. He knew she wasn't. He saw the damage the Lightning Blade did to her. He remembered her in that frighteningly empty state after the Sound Genin ambushed them.

Hearing her agonizing cries when Hisashi poisoned her was his least favorite before Itachi took her down, but…Amari kept pushing. She kept fighting. No matter how much pain she was in. Even when all she wanted to do was quit, her Will kept pushing her until the final drop of her strength was expended.

Even…even when he was too scared to do anything, Amari didn't even flinch to act. She sacrificed herself to save him and Sasuke, to spare _them_ from pain when she was already shouldering so much.

Because that's just who Amari was. She was so strong. Smart, too. Stubborn and passionate, even if she didn't show it outwardly all the time.

She was his best friend, and he _refused_ to fail her again!

Naruto channeled his chakra to his hands, steadying it with his stilled right hand and applying chakra with his left in a pawing motion to help create the sphere shape. Once the sphere was created, he held it between both hands and prepared to strike again.

Then his knees buckled. Naruto grimaced.

 _My body…_

Supporting his own weight was the new impossibility he was faced with. The concentrated chakra was burning his hands even worse than before. He squinted his eyes against the screaming pain. His pain receptors cursed him. Clawed at his brain to make him end the jutsu.

 _I..._

" _What's the point of teaching it to someone who could never learn it, you old fool! Giving him false hopes like that, filling his little mind with stupid ideas, making him believe he could actually become Hokage someday!"_

" _Your little pals who need my help are fools, the same as your sensei. Jōnin like Kakashi should quit while they still can._ _Nothing he does will change the fact his teammates and his sensei are already_ _ **dead**_ _. Let me guess: His severe injuries were gained trying to protect one of your teammates, right?"_

" _But he wasn't able to save her, was he? She was critically injured regardless. Just goes to show you he's still a foolish brat who hasn't grown up. He still thinks he can make up for the deaths of Obito, Rin and Minato by throwing his life away, just like they did."_

 _Kakashi-sensei…_

His teacher had lost so much. More than he ever realized. Well, he never really asked about it after the bell test talk, so it was his own fault. But his teacher lost his teammates and his sensei.

Naruto couldn't imagine how hard it was to be the last one left. He didn't want to think of how he would feel if Amari, Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi all died. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to keep moving forward, honestly.

Kakashi found a way, though. He may have hit a lot of rough patches along the way. Maybe he even lost sight of himself during it; Naruto couldn't blame him if he did, definitely after losing so much. But his teacher kept moving forward. He didn't quit like that old Granny did.

Naruto realized at that moment that Kakashi was pushing forward through his suffering to see a better future for his fallen friends, just like Amari was for Ryu. No, he wasn't just trying to see it. He was trying to _make_ the future better. That's why he went so far to protect Amari against the Akatsuki. That's why he was training Team Seven.

Kakashi lost a lot, but he also gained new bonds in them. Bonds his teacher was willing to sacrifice his life for.

What kind of student would he be if he didn't follow his teacher's example?

 _I…refuse to quit now._ Face scrunched in pain, Naruto pushed himself to stand up once more. Just like Lee. Like Amari. Like his teacher.

"Arrrgghhh!"

The Rasengan began to saw through the tree, but that was all Naruto witnessed before the recoil of the power sent his weakened body rolling through the dirt. He slid to a halt on his stomach. Burns attacked his hands; they trembled in agony, every little twitch only making the pain so much worse.

"It's…no use," he panted. He tried valiantly in futility to stand again. The result of his efforts was a face full of dirt. "Why can't…I do it?

Darkness overcame his senses. His eyes fell shut on this moonlit night, and there was absolutely nothing that could stop them.

"It's too late… Running out of time…"

 _If only I had an extra hand, I could contain it better._

His eyes shut and the darkness consumed him.

Little did he know the tree he attacked lay on the ground, sawed in half just like the Pervy Sage had done. And all the nearby brethren of dead trees in the path were shredded by the sheer power of the Rasengan.

* * *

The Next Day

* * *

Standing on a broken leg _really_ hurt. Naruto was learning that firsthand as he tried to stand firmly, placing the majority of his weight on his good leg instead of the newly broken one.

Connected with his forehead was a bloody fist belonging to none other than Kabuto Yakushi—that snake. But the force of the blow didn't budge the young Genin. He stood strong—sort of—and held his ground.

A lot had transpired between passing out while training and this moment. To be honest, he was still having trouble wrapping his head around the succession of events.

Everything happened so fast. One moment he woke up in a room that wasn't his own; Shizune was out cold on the hotel room floor and barely stirred when he tried to wake her up. And apparently Tsunade drugged the Pervy Sage to weaken him, all because she had met with Orochimaru the day they made their bet.

The week timeframe she gave him to learn the jutsu was really to give her time to think on the Snake Sannin's proposal: Heal his arms, damaged by the Third Hokage, and in return he would somehow revive her little brother and lost lover.

Afterwards the trio set off to stop the madness, only to find craters in the ground and destroyed walls around the castle where they had chosen to meet. Seriously, it looked like someone with super strength had a massive temper tantrum, which could only mean the Granny refused the deal.

Lucky for her. He'd have found a way to pummel her into the ground if she took a deal from that rotten snake.

Again they set off to track her to their current location—a grassy plain with a wide horizon in all directions.

Last time they met, Orochimaru was disguised as a woman. Today he took his true form. He was exceptionally pale; white clouds looked tan compared to him, if they were being honest. Purple markings surrounded his golden eyes, the pupils of which were slit like a snakes. His black hair reached all the way down to his waist, although his garbs were the same as those he wore as the Grass woman.

His arms hung like wet noodles at his sides at all times, no doubt because of the Third Hokage's final act. _Serves him right._

Kabuto was finally showing his true colors too. The whole act in the Exams was exactly that—an act. A show. He played them for fools, earning their trust so he could get close to gather information on them for his bastard master. He was the lackey of the man responsible for the Third Hokage's death.

It made Naruto feel like such an idiot for trusting him. Or a bigger one than usual as Sasuke or Shikamaru would say. Jerks.

However, although Kabuto was a no-good traitor, he was still a smart and skilled traitor. He had no chance of defeating Tsunade in hand to hand combat, so he used her hemophobia—her fear of blood—against her by cutting his own hand and splashing the blood on her.

That left the fight to Shizune and the weakened Pervy Sage against Kabuto and Orochimaru. The two Sound shinobis summoned giant snakes again, one of which tried swallowing Naruto— _again_.

What had he ever done to deserve the wrath of these snakes? Why did they always try to eat him?

Anyway, with the help of a murder of Crows attacking the summoning serpent from out of nowhere, Naruto escaped being made into a snake's dinner. Unfortunately, his escape wasn't perfect. The snake attacked the ground he landed on, sending him flying into a nearby boulder.

That's when his leg broke. And boy was it hurting badly. He could only watch as Shizune and Kabuto battled one another from his grounded position while the Pervy Sage, backed up by the Crows, battled against Orochimaru.

Naruto wasn't sure what the birds were doing here; he mistakenly thought Amari showed up to help. His heart soared for the smallest moment, but when he looked around and couldn't find her anywhere, it sank again.

He wished she were here. Wished she wasn't injured.

Either way, the extra help seemed to be helping the Pervy Sage fight against his former comrade.

While their battle intensified, Shizune's reached its end when Kabuto used some sort of Medical Ninjutsu attack to disable her legs.

Rather than finish the job, he left the kunoichi alone to go after Tsunade. The bastard kicked and punched her while she was down. Her terrified screams from the blood rolled over the grassy plains, sparking anger in Naruto.

Whether or not he had a bone to pick with the Granny didn't matter; she was an ally and Kabuto was a traitor. Broken leg or not, he would not stand for this… _bastard's_ treatment of the old lady or his betrayal of trust.

And so, he was here. Standing on one broken leg and one good one, glaring through gritted teeth at Kabuto. Warm blood from Kabuto's hand slid down his face.

"Back off," he growled. Kabuto's face relayed the shock he was feeling at his sudden appearance. "That's enough already, you traitor!" The boy quickly channeled his chakra to his hands and began creating the Rasengan. The blue sphere wasn't perfect, but it would be enough to send this traitor flying.

"Haaaaa!" he yelled and jumped forward with the sphere aimed right at his opponent.

Kabuto reacted quickly. Quicker than the boy could move given his injuries. He summoned a blue blade of chakra to surround his hand and dodged past him, tapping his right leg as he went by with the chakra blade.

Instantly the pain of his broken left leg was forgotten, replaced by tearing muscles in his right. Naruto let out a short agony filled cry. His Rasengan faded as his hands snapped to grab his newly injured leg. Chest first he slammed into the grass.

 _Gah! My leg!_ He shut his eyes and focused on pushing himself up onto his hands, trying in futility to ignore the white-hot pain. It was no use. His left leg was throbbing with its own pulse and his right felt as if someone was waxing his skin off. _It's no use. I can't hit a moving target like this!_

"Grgh! Aah! Damn it!"

 _And I still can't contain all of the chakra yet!_ Not on command like he tried. There was barely enough time to even concentrate on controlling it. Had he landed the jutsu, it would have been a quick blast of power to hurt both of them.

This was bad, and it didn't appear his luck was about to change any time soon. His legs were pretty much useless. No running. No kicks. Just enough to maybe stand, if he grit his teeth enough and pretended he was in perfect health.

Naruto shook his head. _I've…just got find some way to do this…but how?_ _Think like Amari, think like Amari._

"It looks like you fractured the thigh bone in your left leg during your tussle with the snake," Kabuto spoke up in his condescending voice.

Sweat slithered down the boy's face as he did his best not to act rashly. _I have to use my head like Amari would if I'm going to beat him._ It was the only way. He had to fight smarter, not harder. He had to think, not react. He had to fight every reactionary instinct in his body and look at this tactically.

He could do that. Not like he could go running off anyway.

The bad joke didn't alleviate his spirits as much as he hoped.

Kabuto seemed content to talk down to him. Irritating, sure, but at least he was giving him time to think.

"If it were only the bone, you could still stand, but it's gone beyond that now. I also severed you're lateral vastus muscle in your right leg."

Whatever that meant. Obviously something serious if the pain was anything to go by.

 _What do I do? This jutsu takes both of my hands. If he even gets one of my arms like he did my leg, it's all over._

He looked back over his shoulder to stare at the ash-grey haired ninja. _If I had Amari's Shadow Possession Jutsu, I could just use that then hit him with the Rasengan. But I don't and there's no way I'm suddenly going to learn how to use it._

 _I've already tried getting him with clones, but it was just a waste of my chakra. He's too fast and skilled for me to pin down with mere clones_. The boy glanced down at his legs. _And even if they did, I'm in no shape to close this distance._

"What's the matter? Are you scared? I hope you don't feel like running away!" Kabuto taunted.

Naruto could only glare in silence. He had to figure out some way to get this momentum back in his favor.

His opponent pulled out an orange card, one of his Info Cards if the boy could remember correctly through the noise of screaming pain receptors.

"Naruto, as I recall you were nothing but big talk in the first round of the Chūnin Exams."

" _Don't underestimate me! I don't quit and I don't run!"_

If it hadn't been for Amari taking over his body he would have never had a chance at filling out any of the questions. Her words of confidence to not give up and her promise to not let him fail had given him that final boost of confidence in the fear of failing the final question.

 _Without her I…_

"Don't underestimate me. I don't run away. I don't care if I'm a Genin for the rest of my life. You guys aren't going to scare me off. I'll still be Hokage," Kabuto mocked him with his own words. "So, where is all your tough talk now?"

Naruto growled.

"Unlike Sasuke, Amaririsu and Mimi, you don't have the skill to back up your words. You're not a kid anymore. You're a ninja, so you might want to stop shooting your mouth off like a child. It's okay to admit when you're over your head; sometimes running away is the best option."

The blond only continued to scowl in silence. _Run away? Not going to happen. If I don't do anything here, who will? People are depending on me…my friends need me._

His brow was set in his glare. _And now you're standing between me and my goal. I'm gonna wipe that smug smile right off your face._

Kabuto closed his eyes and smiled as he lifted his hands in a placating motion. "Come now, what's with the scowl? If I kill you, you can kiss your dreams goodbye."

His smile faded for grit teeth and an angered stare as he began stalking closer. "Little kids like you think life is so easy, that's why they always go on and on about their stupid little dreams. _That's_ why they never give up."

His opponent reached him and landed a kick square in his back, knocking the wind out of him. He ate a face full of grass again.

The kicks began to rain down on him. Blow after blow; his ribs, his legs, his face, his ribs again. Over and over, one after another each kick and stamp landed on him sending waves of agony through his body.

"They go chasing after ridiculous ideas, and then they die!"

" _Do you know what happens to reckless Genin on the battlefield? They're usually the first ones to die, all so filled with the belief they are invincible as they try to prove themselves for some pointless cause._

" _Being a shinobi is still a little game to you, isn't it? You probably think you're invincible. But guess what? You're not. Nobody is. One of these days all you'll be able to do is watch as your comrades fall in front of you."_

Naruto caught Kabuto's foot. "Shut up, you bastard!" He pushed the foot away then placed his hands on the ground. Again he tried to force his body to stand. "I don't care what you say. I'm not going to give up. I never go back on my word!"

 _I think…I think I know what I have to do._ He struggled his way up onto his weak legs, ignoring the ripping, tearing and throbbing pains within them as well as his other wounds.

"That's my nindo, my ninja way!"

Finally, he made it onto his two feet. It hurt. Everything hurt. But he was here, and he had a plan. That was an improvement, right?

 _I know…how to beat him. I just…I need to get him to come right at me._

Kabuto gave him an unimpressed stare then smiled evilly. He lifted up his right hand and created his chakra blade again. The Genin hoped he didn't go for either arm.

"You should have just stayed down, Naruto," he said menacingly.

His enemy swung his hand back and backhanded him across the face, sending him sliding back towards the kunoichi member of the Sannin.

The blond ninja let out a short cry of pain but nevertheless remained conscious despite the insurmountable amount of throbbing agony surging through his left leg from the landing.

 _My body…_ he grunted and trembled. _I'm still conscious and that means I still can fight. Amari wouldn't give up here. She wouldn't give up when there's a chance to pull this off…and right now there is a chance._

Small, maybe, but that didn't matter. Amari, Lee, Kakashi, none of them backed down when the odds were stacked against them. Neither did the Hokage's of the past. They all stood up in the face of death and prepared to sacrifice everything to protect their nindos, their precious people and the future.

Naruto's eyes widened. _That's it! I figured out the trait Pervy Sage wanted me to learn!_

The rational side of his mind begged him to stay down. No one ever accused him of being rational, though.

Naruto pushed himself up onto all-fours with shaky arms and legs.

"Why?" the quiet voice of Tsunade reached his ears. Naruto continued to push his way through the pain onto both of his legs. "What…what are you doing?"

Blood dripped from one of his wounds onto the blades of green grass below him. Ragged breaths shook his body. _I can do this. My friends…they need me to succeed here. Kakashi-sensei. Sasuke and Sakura. Bushy Brows and Mimi. Kurenai-sensei and Amari._

This was his chance to pay them all back for believing in him. For trusting in him. For giving him a reason to keep on living.

"I made a promise, Granny," he spoke in a tired and pain filled voice. "To all of those friends you called fools." His battered body swayed. "A promise to bring you back to Konoha so you could heal the people we care about. They've entrusted their hopes and their faith to me, the number one knuckleheaded ninja."

"Still haven't had enough," Kabuto growled in annoyance.

Naruto slowly lifted his hands up. "I didn't get it before. Pervy Sage told me to think really hard about what trait every past Hokage has possessed beyond strength and intelligence, and I have. I spent this entire trip thinking about it, because it's a trait my best friend showed when she sacrificed herself to keep me safe.

"I admit, it took me a while to figure it out. But I finally get it. That's why…" He moved his hands into the Clone seal. "You better get ready to come back to Konoha to heal us fools, because the people of Konoha are entrusting their hopes and their dreams into you too—the Fifth Hokage. Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A single clone appeared next to him.

 _All right you traitor, it's time for you to get what's coming to you._ The pair lowered their arms and stared at their opponent. _He has to make the first move. Once he does, he'll be right in my trap._

"Enough! Naruto, you don't have to protect me! Go, get out of here!" Tsunade pleaded to get him to run away.

Even if he could run away—which he couldn't—he wouldn't. He wouldn't run and leave her to fight off Kabuto when she was trembling like a leaf caught in a heavy wind. She would die if he did.

"It's my dream to become Hokage, Granny. I told you that already. Which means I have to inherit the trait Lord Third and my idol the Fourth Hokage possessed. And deep down, Granny, I think you have it as well. Because your little brother and your lover dreamed of becoming Hokage too, and their Wills are with you now."

Just like Amari's will was with him right now.

Kabuto's lips curled in a disgusted snarl. "What utter nonsense." He pulled out a kunai and charged forward. "I told you to stay down, didn't I?! Now you're _dead_! You just threw it all away! Dreams have no meaning if you're dead!"

"Just get out of the way, Naruto!" Tsunade cried out. Kabuto moved his arm back then stabbed the blade right for him. "No, look out!"

"Do you know what that trait is, Granny?"

Blood sprayed into the air as it met his flesh, but it was all according to the plan. Mostly.

Naruto felt the blade slice between the interspace of his pointer and middle finger, drawing warm crimson blood to pour across his hand and onto the blade. The hand behind the blade found his palm. Immediately he clenched it with an iron grip.

Perfect.

"It's self-sacrifice!" he yelled for the Pervy Sage to hear.

Naruto never saw the nod and smile of pride Jiraiya gave at his declaration.

His opponent tried desperately to free his grip by trying to tug the blade back, but it wouldn't budge, and Naruto had no intention of letting go. Kabuto fell face first into his trap.

"So no, Granny. I'm not running away. Even if I have to risk my life to protect you, I will!"

Just like Amari risked her life to save him. Just like Kakashi risked his life to protect her.

Kabuto tugged again unsuccessfully. "What's the matter? Can't go anywhere?" he taunted through grit teeth.

 _I can't control the power and rotation with only two hands right now, but that's fine!_

He put his right hand out, palm facing up, and began summoning his chakra to it. His clone began to rotate the chakra and create a shell to contain the power for him. _With my clone I can manage all three steps with three hands instead of two!_

The result of his plan was a perfect, glowing blue sphere of chakra in his palm, spiraling rapidly in a contained sphere.

"Compress the chakra…" he coached himself as his clone dispelled. He braced his body for the recoil of the technique. "Keep it going..." The young ninja brought his hand back and then jabbed it forward right into the midsection of Kabuto. "Rasengan!"

"AHHHHHHHH!" Kabuto screamed.

The energy of the technique shredded the area of contact and kicked up dirt in all directions. Pure power. That's what this jutsu was.

Bright blue light blinded the boy. Waves of energy crashed against him like a giant squall in a hurricane.

Naruto didn't let his strength waver; he pushed his hand further into his opponent. "Take this, you traitorous bastard!"

The Rasengan shot Kabuto in the opposite direction inside a giant white swirling ball of energy. Dirt and grass shredded in its wake, leaving behind a gravelly crater. Dust covered the area. Coated it really. He could barely see through it all.

Naruto let his hands fall to his sides, his heavy breathing returning.

 _That…should do it…I hope. I don't…have much else left._

As the dust began to settle, he finally saw Kabuto within a giant circular crater of a boulder he had collided with. His shirt was ripped to shreds and his body was bent forward at the waist like a hinge. Red, discolored and bruised skin marked the point of impact. Blood dripped from the shredded fabric.

Kabuto, too, panted up a storm but somehow managed to stay on his feet.

 _I…can't believe it. I put everything…I had into that jutsu._ Naruto exhaled a breath then felt a stinging pain form in his heart. Suddenly he coughed up blood. The taste of iron filled his mouth as the warm liquid trailed down both sides of his mouth.

Everything was starting to spin. Breathing was becoming too hard to do.

 _What the…hell is going…on?_ _This…isn't…just exhaustion._

Something was wrong….something was undeniably wrong.

His vision was blurring. His legs felt so weak. Naruto tried to fight whatever this was, tried to ignore the building pain in his chest, but his vision of Kabuto faded. Soon blue sky and white clouds took over his vision.

 _How'd…that get there?_

Even as sleep was claiming him, the blond could feel the pain of each breath and the throbbing in his chest. Each breath shuddered in agony and the last of his strength was disappearing.

 _Just a little nap…that's all I need. Then I'll be…ready for anything._

Voices submerged in water tried to call to him. At the same time, darkness was closing in all around him.

Was this the end?

Was he…dying?

Something warm and wet dripped onto his face. Cracking his left eye open, he was met by almost blinding light. Then he saw Tsunade kneeling over him, tears pouring down her cheeks. She was crying? For him? He was so certain she couldn't stand him. Being snot-nosed and all.

He could make out the faint green glow of Medical Ninjutsu on her hands. Applied to his chest—his heart, where Kabuto struck him with a chakra blade in the middle of the Rasengan.

Naruto struggled to keep his eyes open. In the fog he honed in on the necklace that was a part of their bet. It dangled in sight above him.

 _No…I'm not going to die yet. I have promises to keep._

He reached up and grasped the pendent in his left hand with a feeble grip. Tsunade's teary brown eyes widened at him. Her sadness and sorrow was always so easy to see in her eyes. He hated it. Hated that it made someone so admired by the likes of Mimi and Pervy Sage give up. Hated that she couldn't escape it, no matter how hard she tried.

Maybe, though, things could change. He hoped. For her sake. Maybe someone could reignite the fire and passion she once had. Maybe, if she stopped closing herself off, she could find new bonds to make the burden easier to bear. Just like Kakashi. Like Mimi. Like Amari.

Naruto smiled tiredly at her. "Told you…I'd do it. You're…stuck with us…fools…now."

With the last of his strength gone, his eyes fell shut and his arm collapsed back towards the earth. He was unconscious a moment later, and did not feel Tsunade catch his hand or her warm words of faith. Nor did he see that Kabuto had collapsed face first into the dirt, the damage of the Rasengan too much for his Medical Ninjutsu.

" _Take a breather. You've earned it. Leave the rest to us."_ Amari's voice soothed him into a peaceful slumber.

 _You've got it, Sis. I'll see you…when I get back._

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: When Itachi said reporting to the Leader he meant Pain/Nagato. I just doubt learning three intelligent and powerful shinobi of the Akatsuki being thwarted by a thirteen year old Genin would go over well. Probably not a death sentence, but it was also Itachi's way of keeping Amari/Haya a secret a little longer from the Akatsuki by sounding so certain it'd mean death for them, that way Kisame believed it too._

 _Yep, we're approaching steadily towards where Team Seven started to be split apart in the manga and anime. We'll have to wait and see how that turns out in this story. More on Mist Village soon. The movies will be incorporated into this story, not a separate one. I've been trying to make it happen as naturally as I can. So, for instance, the Land of Snow will be a mission given to Team Seven by the Fifth Hokage, which is how it technically happened in the movie. But it'll happen prior to the Land of Tea arc from the anime._

 _Personally, I feel like everyone should have gotten a power boost as a natural progress through the anime. I love the Naruto series, and I know it was named after Naruto and was meant to show his journey as well as Sasuke's, but I feel we were introduced to this cool cast of characters in Part 1...and then they just all faded into the background except Naruto and Sasuke. Granted, they are the protagonist and deuteragonist, so it makes sense it focused on them. But instead of building up the others, they just sort of faded into obscurity. Again, that's just my personal opinion._

 _As for Six Paths power for Tenten and Hinata, Hinata definitely makes the most sense given what happened in the Last movie and how the Byakugan is connected to the Otsutsuki. I wouldn't have been against it. Tenten I'd be on the fence with, just because as far as we know she has no connection to that bloodline in anyway. Would it have been awesome for her to get a power upgrade so she could use those weapons without issue? Absolutely. But without further knowledge on her lineage, it'd be hard for me to say yes she definitely should have Six Paths power within the canon world._

 _We'll learn about Amari's training in time._

 _Thank you for the review!_


	65. Chapter 64: An Ally or Bird of Prey?

Chapter 64

Necessary Caution: An Ally or a Bird of Prey?

"Pick up the pace already you old Pervert! You too, Granny! We're still not even halfway home yet!" Naruto shouted from up the road.

"Calm down, kid. Your little girlfriend isn't going anywhere," Jiraiya reprimanded wearily for what felt like the hundredth time in three days.

Impatience had consumed Naruto ever since they began their trek home. He would walk at their pace for a little while, tame as a lazy Nara on a day off. Then he'd start getting antsy, lips pulling down in a tight frown as he hummed irritably to himself, inevitably leading him to bolt meters ahead of them while yelling about how slow they walked.

Today was no different. Naruto, while not out of eyesight, already waited in the distance on this sunny, cloudless day. Truth was they passed the halfway marker back to Konoha a while ago. For an "old pervert" and a "Granny" they were making good time.

The kid was just impatient. _Wonder what side of the family tree he got that from_ , he thought sarcastically. Could it be the easy-going, intellectual father? Or the red-hot habanero mother?

" _Are you insinuating I'm not an intellectual, Master Jiraiya?"_

A shudder of self-created fear shot down his spine. The thought was his own; he was just theorizing what Naruto's mother might've said. Yet the voice of the thought…the sweet voice and sweet smile that betrayed the lashing red hair, it belonged to _her_.

 _Red…Reeeddd!_ Wails of terror echoed in his mind.

The Toad Sage quickly banished the thought. _At least he didn't inherit her legendary temper. I'm not sure how I would have handled that._

Naruto tapped his foot impatiently with crossed arms, but Jiraiya's weary response practically caused steam to shoot out his ears. "That's my point! Amari and Kakashi-sensei have been in the hospital for like a month!" He scrunched his face. "And stop calling her my girlfriend, Pervy Sage! It's nothing like that!"

 _Heh_ ,the Sannin smirked. _Touchy today, isn't he?_

"So you say, but the way you go on and on about her tells me otherwise," he prodded.

"Grrr! Of course I'm worried about her! She's my best friend! Not everyone thinks of girls the way _you_ do, Pervy Sage! And you should talk with all the peeping you did on her!"

Tsunade's heel screeched violently to a halt on the dirt road. Jiraiya's eyes enlarged to match dinner plates, his jaw nearly dropping off; gasping wordlessly in fear, his gaze darted over to his fellow Sannin. Did that brat realize what he just _said_?! Could he not see the furious aura building around Tsunade?

Oh no! No no no no! This couldn't be worse!

"Jiraiya, you have ten seconds to explain yourself," Tsunade seethed.

He laughed nervously, desperate to defuse the volatile temper. "Tsunade, just ignore the kid. It was nothing like that, honest," he tried to reassure.

"One." Tsunade closed her hand into a fist.

Absolute terror flooded his veins. He could already feel horrified sweat already building on his brow from the memories of those terrible and frighteningly powerful fists.

There were few shinobi he outright feared. Fewer still who could, with a single gesture, make him tremble in his sandals. Tsunade happened to be at the top of that specific list.

He had to explain! Yeah, he could explain this whole misunderstanding! Prove he hadn't committed such a vile and appalling misdeed. If he didn't…If he didn't…

A side glance to the tight fist containing all of Tsunade's fury made him gulp.

Oh Kami!

Jiraiya lifted his hands in front of himself as if it would calm her down or protect him. It wouldn't. "I- I- I wasn't peeping, really! I was just trying to research who she was!"

Tsunade, who stood closest to the edge of the road, punched a nearby tree. Bark disintegrated on contact; the tree toppled over and quaked the earth as it landed.

"Aiiiiiiieeee!" Shizune wailed, hugging Tonton to her chest.

"Oinkkkk!"

"Research huh? I remember you trying to do the same to me." She turned her head just enough to paralyze him beneath a murderous brown eye. Jiraiya stumbled a step backwards; warm beads of nervous sweat began to pour down his face like a waterfall. "Do you remember the consequences?"

He gulped again then nodded rapidly. How could he forget? She nearly _killed_ him!

"If you don't explain what you were doing, you won't live to regret it!"

Beyond Tsunade, standing with his arms crossed over his chest, Naruto watched the scene with a triumphant grin.

 _Why you little! You have no idea what you've just done, Naruto!_

This was really bad. No, it was worse than bad! If he didn't prove his innocence right now he was a dead man. Dead! The gallant Jiraiya and all his awesomeness broken down into a pile of ruptured organs and bones ground into dust. Betrayed by his own student, no less! What a cruel fate!

"She's an Uchiha!" he blurted out.

Tsunade paused for a brief moment along with Shizune, the latter staring at him in wonder.

 _Did I- did I calm her down?_

A vein suddenly bulged on his fellow Sannin's forehead. "So you peep on her!"

Jiraiya wailed in terror, feet reflexively carrying him back a step. "No! No! That's not what I meant! She's a Nara too!"

Tsunade turned red with rage. She took an aggressive step forward. "And what does that have to do with it, you lecherous fool!"

"Think for a moment, please! I beg you!" Jiraiya cried. "In the aftermath of the Uchiha Massacre, it was reported only Itachi Uchiha and his little brother survived. Remember? Yet this girl is without a doubt a child of Uchiha and Nara blood. How many Uchiha do you remember having children with the Nara Clan?"

A tense moment where Jiraiya forgot to breathe elapsed. Then, to his relief, his words appeared to begin to sink in. The bulging vein disappeared, replaced by a thoughtful expression as Tsunade digested the gravity of his statement.

"A child of Uchiha and Nara blood," she repeated in thought. As Jiraiya took in a breath she figured it out. "This girl, she's _their_ child?"

He nodded and lowered his voice from a wail of terror to sober seriousness. "Yes. Shikaku confirmed it. Her name is currently Amaririsu Yūhi; Kurenai Yūhi adopted her, but she is biologically the daughter of—"

"Come on you three! Talk about it on the road! We're wasting time!" Naruto called to them.

Jiraiya's frustration exploded. That cheeky kid nearly caused him to face the legendary strength of Tsunade; now he wanted to act like it was _their_ fault they weren't still on the move?

"You're the one who fed her misinformation, you insolent brat!" he shouted back, shaking his fist at the boy.

"Oh, I'm sorry! How am I supposed to know the difference between 'research' and ' _research_ ' you old coot!"

"I don't peep on little girls!"

"Enough!" Tsunade raised her voice above them both. "Argh, you're both giving me a headache." She rubbed her temple for a few moments then let out a sigh. "Naruto's right. We'll be wasting time if we just stand here and talk. Let's go."

The Fifth Hokage had spoken and Jiraiya held no intention of arguing. He instead released a sigh of relief. At least Tsunade wasn't going to beat him like a tribal drum for a second time in his life. Talk about a colossal success.

The three adults caught up to Naruto, who decided to walk at their pace again. Seeing his old friend and the kid on friendlier, while still a bit combative, terms was still a little strange. Then again, he was also surprised it took so long.

Naruto shared the same dream as Nawaki—Tsunade's little brother—and her late lover Dan. Naruto was even about the same age as Nawaki was when he died, and he had the same stubbornly courageous attitude. Maybe that's what made it so difficult for Tsunade.

There were still differences between the two boys, and mountainous differences between Naruto and Dan, but Jiraiya was happy Tsunade finally came around. The dreams of her loved ones and the previous Hokage, they all still lived on in them. It was in their hands to preserve it.

 _She'll be a fine Hokage_. He looked down at the blond boy in front of him. _And one day he'll make an even better one._

Tsunade believed it too, he knew. Naruto won their bet and earned both the necklace and her fondness, as well as that kiss on the forehead she gave the little squirt. Lucky snot.

"Master Jiraiya, who is this Amaririsu Yūhi exactly?" Shizune asked at length, breaking him out of his thoughts on the future.

"The daughter of two of the Leaf's greatest guardians in recent decades," Tsunade answered before he could.

That got Naruto's attention. "Whoa, if you're saying that then Amari's parents were super awesome, huh?"

Jiraiya nodded in agreement. "Tsunade's not exaggerating. Amaririsu's parents were phenomenal shinobi who carried a passionate love for the Leaf. Her mother was a Hokage Guard for both the Fourth Hokage and the Third Hokage after the Fourth's sacrifice.

"And her father," Jiraiya sighed. "He's the man who should be Hokage right now. No offense, Tsunade."

Tsunade waved him off. "You're absolutely right. He should be."

"Wait!" Naruto whirled around and began to walk backwards, cerulean eyes wide with wonder. "You mean…if Itachi and Aimi never murdered their own Clan, Amari's dad would be the Fifth Hokage? He was that powerful?"

Jiraiya nodded. "Yes. His battlefield prowess was unmatched; by the end of the last Great War the Stone and Cloud referred to him as the Reincarnation of Madara Uchiha—one of the Leaf's Founders and hailed as the strongest Uchiha to ever exist—among other titles."

Kiyoshi preferred the title of The Burning Light of the Leaf over the comparison to Madara Uchiha.

Jiraiya couldn't blame him; he wouldn't want to be compared to a man who attempted to destroy the Leaf either, but the similarities between the two men were uncanny.

He continued. "In the closing months of the Great War, Cloud shinobi penetrated one of our weakest areas of defense with a battalion, capturing any injured Leaf shinobi they didn't outright kill. Some of them were children younger than you."

Should another Great War occur— _Kami, I hope one doesn't_ —Jiraiya prayed the Leaf never had to resort to sending inexperienced children to war ever again; too many lost their young lives in the last, far too many.

"We sent people to save them though, right?" Naruto asked. Begged, really, to believe they hadn't abandoned the hostages to death.

Jiraiya inhaled a deep, long breath. "It was argued to sacrifice their lives instead of giving into the demands made by the Cloud. Ruthless calculus of war, they said."

One particular man was adamant on it.

"Amaririsu's father wouldn't hear any of it," Jiraiya said with a shake of his head. "He demanded the Hokage to send him to rescue the hostages, even if he had to go alone.

"With his eyes, he argued, he could spot any Cloud shinobi hidden among the hostages, preventing any further breach in the Leaf itself. He was told it was a suicide mission; the Council argued there was too much risk of his eyes falling into the hands of the enemies, claimed he was 'too valuable' to lose.

"'If you believe my power alone is somehow of greater value than the lives of Konoha's children then Konoha has no future,' is what he told them, according to the Old Man. The Hokage granted his wish, although he didn't send him alone. Amaririsu's mother volunteered to accompany her husband on this mission, as well as a small squad meant only to carry or guide the injured to safety if Amaririsu's parents were able to rescue them."

The Burning Light of Konoha and Konoha's Mistress of Shadows; they certainly made a terrifying pair in combat, and their daughter seemed to be on the path to carry on their namesakes. Jiraiya wasn't sure if that made him hopeful for the future, or horrified of Miyako's unique sense of humor being passed on.

 _Both_ , he decided.

Kami save her peers; they had no idea what a Nara intellect and a sadistic sense of humor could conjure up.

"So, what happened?" Naruto asked curiously, feet still carrying him backwards.

"According to the reports, they launched the operation under the cover of darkness and, using his Sharingan and her keen Sensory Abilities, infiltrated the Cloud's base in search of the hostages. Two at a time they pulled the hostages out without raising a single alarm. However, for Amaririsu's parents rescuing the hostages wasn't the end of their personal mission.

"With the Crows of the Leaf transporting the small squad and injured back to the Leaf, their official mission was over, but to their eyes the threat still remained—a correct assessment, I might add. The Cloud gained a tactical position that interrupted a trading route _and_ offered a strategic staging ground for assaults on the Land of Fire. With it, the war could have raged on for another year, with more of our comrades losing their lives in the constant battles."

That was something Kiyoshi and Miyako concluded as they considered their options. Their enemies were unprepared and unaware of their position, but the Leaf couple weren't arrogant about their power or fool enough to believe an entire battalion couldn't overwhelm them.

No one would blame them for retreating. Their mission was complete; the hostages were safe and they were uninjured on a mission they were told was suicide. Honor and gratitude were theirs to claim. But honor and gratitude wouldn't save the lives of their comrades in an ongoing war. Honor and gratitude wouldn't protect the children being sent into the war.

"Together they prepared to eliminate the battalion, waiting until the battlefield was ripe with early morning Shadows for Amaririsu's mother to exploit. I'm not sure how large the battalion was; those who weren't there claim it was closer to five hundred shinobi while those present placed the number closer to a thousand. Her parents never said. They didn't think it was important."

Naruto's eyes shone with astonishment. "They took down the entire battalion?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "It was a hard-fought battle, they said, but in the end they defeated the battalion of Cloud shinobi and reclaimed the base. Still, Amaririsu's father wasn't considered as a candidate for Hokage for the sole reason of his power, or for his contributions in the Great War, Naruto. You learned what trait all previous Hokage have possessed; Amaririsu's father, too, possessed the trait of self-sacrifice."

He wondered if the man sacrificed his life for his daughter in that moment, but let it go. For now.

"But Amaririsu's father wielded more than power; he possessed wisdom far beyond his years. And had an election for Hokage happened, he would have won by a landslide. He earned the trust and adoration of the Leaf through his actions, in the war and out of it."

However, those of his own Clan preferred to follow a different man. How different the world would be had the Third Hokage been able to pass the torch to Kiyoshi Uchiha. Or if the Fourth never perished.

Given more time Jiraiya truly believed the Fourth and Kiyoshi could have solved the rift between the Uchiha and the Leaf.

"Naruto mentioned someone named Aimi before? Who is that? Another Uchiha?" Tsunade questioned.

Ah, he almost forgot she didn't yet know of their recent encounter with the Akatsuki. Jiraiya went on to explain all the information he currently possessed about the two other Uchiha survivors, glossing over everything from where Amaririsu was found to the skirmish with the Akatsuki.

During his explanation Naruto took off and started yelling again.

 _Too bad learning the Rasengan didn't teach him patience too_. He sighed. _Not too bad, though. Some of what we have to talk about is information he doesn't need to know._

"Amaririsu must be really important to Naruto," Shizune observed.

"Yes, though not of the romantic kind of importance as far as I can tell," he explained. "Amaririsu is more of a sister to him. She was the first to accept Naruto with open arms."

"Mm," the younger woman nodded. She then cast a curious look his way. "Who were Amaririsu's real parents, Master Jiraiya? I noticed you talked around their names when Naruto was in earshot."

"Their names were Miyako Nara and Kiyoshi Uchiha," he answered.

"Oh!" Realization struck the younger kunoichi.

"Tsunade, there's something I need to tell you about this girl."

"What is it?" she asked cautiously.

"Amaririsu suffers from an abnormal form of amnesia."

She cocked an eyebrow up. "Abnormal?"

"Itachi Uchiha placed a powerful genjutsu on her that has locked away every memory of her pre-massacre life. At the slightest mention of her family, it reacts, causing her immense pain. There's a concern it could wipe her mind clean if pushed too far."

A breeze brushed up against their bodies as the two women stared at him in awe.

"That's some genjutsu," Tsunade murmured at length. "Has Kurenai or a Yamanaka tried to break it?"

He shook his head. "No, and for good reason."

"That being?"

"If her mind will truly be wiped, she'll forget everything and everyone she knows. She could be molded into anyone at that point." Like a blank canvas, Itachi or anyone else with nefarious intentions could paint her into whoever they desired. "There's a possibility it could be a trick to keep others from finding information locked within her memories, and if that's the case then pushing her to remember could mean pushing her into Itachi's hands."

"You think the genjutsu or what is locked away within her mind could turn her against the Leaf?" she asked.

"It's a possibility I don't want to risk. What's worse is that the situation is even more complicated now."

"How so?"

"As you've undoubtedly guessed by all of Naruto's yapping, she was injured badly." She nodded. "The battle that caused her injuries was against none other than Itachi Uchiha."

Shizune gasped. Tsunade inhaled a sharp breath. Impatient shouts from Naruto kept them moving even when the shock made them want to stop.

"That kid tried to take on Itachi Uchiha? What the hell was she thinking?" Tsunade responded, clearly bewildered.

"I don't know the whole story. Not yet. As soon as we get back I intend to learn everything I can from Shikaku." He glanced over to her. "You should join me."

She nodded but waited for him to continue.

"But Amaririsu joined in during that battle I mentioned between the Akatsuki and the Leaf. I can only assume she hoped to buy time for reinforcements after Kakashi was incapacitated by that Mangekyō Sharingan genjutsu."

"So she stood her ground and tried to fight three S-rank shinobi," his fellow Sannin stated.

"Yes, and she did it while painting a target on herself by claiming she intended to spread the secrets of the Akatsuki to the rest of the world. Since they couldn't let her escape, Itachi used the genjutsu on her mind to capture her, said so himself. It backfired and…" Jiraiya trailed off.

He couldn't help but think of Itachi's words again.

" _I used the genjutsu to render her unconscious; however the pain she experienced kept her awake, and in turn unlocked the Mangekyō Sharingan, prolonging our battle." He made a motion to his injured arm. "The power she gained did this to me."_

 _"You can't be serious."_

" _I am. She unlocked her father's power and almost killed us both with it."_

"And what, Master Jiraiya?" Shizune's worried voice reached his ears.

 _Power like that in a Genin's hands?_ He still didn't like it, not one bit. Her father's power could devastate the Village if she unleashed it on them. But that's why he was bringing this up.

With a glance to Tsunade, who watched him with an intense stare, he decided to continue.

"She unlocked the Mangekyō Sharingan because of it. One of the abilities she gained was her father's, and it nearly killed Itachi. I'd say luck and quick reaction is the only reason they're both still alive right now."

"Wh- what?" Tsunade sputtered.

"Her power nearly killed an S-rank shinobi?" Shizune followed her master's surprise.

"That's what Itachi claimed, and I'm willing to believe him. An entire sleeve of his cloak was missing, and the severe burns on his arms looked incredibly painful."

"You're worried this girl is going to wake up and kill us all with her father's power," Tsunade stated.

Jiraiya hummed in agreement. "That's half my fear."

"And the other half?"

"She was hit with the same genjutsu Kakashi was. It happened in a mere second before I could react, but as soon as that second passed tears poured from her eyes." He shook his head. "I don't know what Itachi did to her in there, but I'm worried he tweaked his other genjutsu to turn her against the Village the minute she wakes up."

"Or Naruto."

"Precisely. If her Mangekyō Sharingan is powerful enough to kill an S-rank shinobi, it may even be powerful enough to ensnare the Nine-Tailed Fox. Even if there is no threat we need to be prepared just in case Itachi plans to use that power to devastate Konoha or capture Naruto for the Akatsuki," Jiraiya explained.

"So I have a kunoichi with both Sharingan and Byakugan I'm supposed to heal, and she may just wake up and incinerate us all with a Mangekyō Sharingan technique." Tsunade aimed a teasing smile at him. "Couldn't have picked a better 'welcome home' gift for me, Jiraiya?"

"Heh," he smirked, "blame the kid. He's the one who promised his friends and her mother that he'd bring you back."

They continued their trek back towards home, sparing conversation here and there about the state of the Village and other goings he had to catch the new Hokage up on.

For the most part Jiraiya was his usual self on the walk back. Little to no concerning thoughts gnawed at his mind. With his worries on Amaririsu aired out he allowed himself to relax; they'd cross that particular rickety bridge when they got home.

As they were approaching a nearby town where they planned to rest, his thoughts dragged him back into the final concern he had neglected to mention to Tsunade just yet. He and Orochimaru had spared few words to one another during their fight, but one of their conversations stuck with him.

" _Sasuke and Amaririsu will never come to you for power, not even to kill Itachi and Aimi," Jiraiya stated._

" _Hehehehehe, do you really believe those two Uchiha's are so above the desire of power and revenge?" his former friend responded with a snake-like grin. "The Uchiha Clan has always fallen prey to their lust of power._

" _I admit, in the Forest of Death I may have slightly misjudged the girl's influence over Sasuke. But now I see that she is far more than a simple pawn. She is both the Bishop and the Rook that is preventing me from capturing the King. Yet if I were to turn her to my side, then Sasuke would indeed follow her right into my hands."_

" _You'll never turn her."_

" _We shall see about that, old friend."_

Jiraiya frowned, a troubled knot forming between his brow.

 _The confidence he held in his words…it was as if he knew exactly how to turn Amaririsu over to his side. That worries me. Orochimaru hit the nail right on the head when it comes to Amaririsu's influence over Sasuke. If he really does have some way to turn her then Sasuke would undoubtedly follow._

He crossed his arms. _And his words about the Uchiha's history of falling prey to their lust for power… Amaririsu isn't infallible to it, Kurenai said so herself._

" _Before her family died, Amari's mother created a high level space-time fūinjutsu that would activate when or if she ever unlocked the Mangekyō Sharingan. She also sealed a portion of Shisui's chakra into the seal so he could explain a great many things to her, and so they could have some time together._

" _He was able to stop Amari from falling into the Curse of Hatred. It's…it's hard to explain, but for what he did for Amari and the things he said, I will believe in him."_

The Sannin hummed. _The Curse of Hatred lays dormant now within both Sasuke and Amaririsu. The only thing preventing Sasuke from falling into it may be Amaririsu instead of all of his team, and the only thing stopping her from succumbing to it is her bonds._

 _…Yet those were apparently not enough to stop it during her fight with Itachi._ _Was it caused by the memories of her cousin being reawakened or something else entirely?_

There were still missing pieces to this puzzle and he intended to sort it out before Orochimaru or the Akatsuki made their next move.

 _One thing is for certain: Naruto, Sasuke and Amaririsu each need to grow stronger so they can defend themselves against the threats they will eventually have to face._

"Hey! Pervy Sage! Hellooooo!"

Jiraiya looked down at Naruto, who stared at him with confusion written all over his face. "Yeah, kid?"

"You completely spaced out on us. What's the deal?"

He smiled at Naruto. "Oh, nothing. Just thinking about soaking at the bathhouse at our next stop. It'll be great to finally relax." He grinned lecherously. "And if it's coed bathing then it'll be even better! Ha ha ha!"

Mild annoyance replaced confusion. "Of course you were," Naruto drawled. "You know, for a moment I actually thought you might have been thinking about something serious."

"Oh Naruto, when you're older you'll realize how important the ladies really are," he brushed off his comment with his carefree attitude and marched forward confidently again.

"Naruto, do yourself a favor and try to avoid becoming either of your teachers when it comes to women," Tsunade advised.

"You mean a lecherous old man and a sensei who reads pervy books in public?"

Jiraiya froze in his footsteps, confidence evaporating faster than a bucket of water thrown into a volcano. His shoulders began to slump. _Why am I always the butt of every joke?_

"Exactly." His shoulders slumped further as depression fell over trio passed him by as he stood paralyzed in sadness. "Be sure to treat women with respect. Also, never fall into any of the primitive urges Jiraiya has. You should find a different role model when it comes to everyday life."

His fellow Sannin's words only furthered his depression.

"I hope you don't mean you because you're not much better," Naruto retorted as he threw his hands behind his head. Tsunade's heels screeched to a halt again while he continued forward. "I mean, you're not a giant pervert like Pervy Sage, as far as I know at least, but you're still a crusty old broad who clearly has both a gambling problem and an alcoholic one too."

Jiraiya soon found himself joined in his depression by Tsunade, whose shoulders slumped down low at each insult.

"And I still don't get why you continue to gamble. Everybody knows you're the Legendary Sucker. It seems a bit stupid that you continue to gamble even though you never win. I suppose if I had to pick a role model from you guys, I'd probably pick Shizune or Tonton if she wasn't available."

Both Sannin felt the wind knocked out of them. Naruto, oblivious, continued forward with his sledgehammer infused words.

 _He'd pick a pig over me?_ Jiraiya cried. The two Sannin lifted their depressed gazes to Shizune and Tonton.

Shizune stiffened then laughed nervously, slowly beginning to tiptoe her way to catch up to Naruto. "I'm sure he's just teasing you two, really. You two are the Legendary Sannin after all, hahaha!"

"Then there's also Kurenai-sensei, who is really kind and compassionate to us. She's also really good at cards. I thought she was using genjutsu or something once to beat us, but Sasuke, Amari and Kakashi-sensei used their Sharingans to watch her every move. Turns out she's just really good at it. Definitely a lot better than you are, Granny.

"Oh, she's also is really good at cooking! Then there's Guy-sensei. His taijutsu is crazy, and apparently he has the lead over Kakashi-sensei in their challenges. And Asuma-sensei plays shogi with Amari and Shikamaru. He never beats them, but the fact he can play longer than the rest of us against them means he's really smart. Unlike two people I know."

After a few beats of silence, Naruto turned around and noticed the two Sannin in their slumped over positions, the male of the two with tears flooding down his cheeks and the female with a vein bulged in her forehead.

 _Now he'd pick Guy over me? But I taught him the Rasengan!_

"Hey, why you two just standing there? You two didn't just throw your backs out while walking did you?"

"Naruto! Come on, let's go check into our hotel!" Shizune said in an overly cheerful voice, dragging him down the road at a run. "I'm sure Master Jiraiya and Lady Tsunade will be just fine! We'll see you two in town!" the kunoichi called back to them.

And that's how two of the Legendary Sannin found themselves defeated by the words of a young boy.

* * *

Meanwhile in the Hidden Mist Village

* * *

Mei Terumī exhaled a deep sigh as she exited the Mizukage Office. Yet another day of constant verbal wars contesting her attempts to reform the policies of her predecessor. Another day of mending her fractured home.

When she took the mantle as the Fifth Mizukage Mei held no illusions over the difficulty of accomplishing her dream. The successful act of lifting her home out of the darkness and bloodshed had been and would continue to be an arduous struggle, even with the power granted to her as Mizukage.

The system was broken. Outdated ideals poisoned their Nation. Betrayal, manipulation and greed tore them apart from the inside.

Killing the Fourth Mizukage was never going to solve all of their problems, she had known that. The death of Yagura did not rebuild their crumbling infrastructure. His death did not eliminate the ideals he, or the person controlling him, spread throughout Kiri.

However, it ignited a spark of hope. _Hope_. _Real_ hope. Mei almost forgot how it felt. Kiri had been absent of hope for too long. Far too long. The citizens of Kiri were made to bend to a lifeless existence, stricken by a life of poverty and fear as those in control gorged on their power.

Life in Kiri for the average citizen was a life without warmth or love or hope. It was a life of constant struggle. Would they be able to eat today? Would their children be caught between a sudden bloody brawl between shinobi? Did they have enough money to keep their business open? Would their wares be stolen by bandits?

Her heart ached for her people. But it also burned with the resolve to change the present for a better future.

Mei glanced down the hall to her left. Dim lights illuminated the cracked and damaged tiles—one day she'd need to make this building reflect the prestige it once held—that led away from her office, towards more administrative parts of the tower at some junctions. One particular junction, the one she imagined in her head, led straight to a private balcony.

 _I need some fresh air_ , she decided.

The auburn-haired kunoichi strolled down the quiet hall. Only the clicks of her high-heeled sandals accompanied her on this much needed physical and mental distancing from work.

Leading her resistance couldn't match the size or scope of leading a poverty stricken village. Mei was amazed she found time for a few hours of sleep each day.

She was not alone, however. Her inner circle kept her focused. Even if they did not always agree with her decisions, that was fine. In fact, she wanted them to speak their minds. Yagura was surrounded by people who simply agreed to his every request; there was no accountability, not when they were enriching themselves.

 _For years my home has waded through a sea of blood, waging wars we could not win and selling our own secrets to the highest bidder before running away. Our hunter-nin program in the Anbu is but one symbol that shows how far our Village had fallen._

 _So many disillusioned and deserters. To need an entire branch to hunt them all down, the Kiri of old must weep for how far we've fallen._

Mei stepped out onto the balcony. The cool breeze brushed up against her skin, threading its fingers into her auburn tresses and caressing exposed flesh. Mei hummed in approval; fresh air, how she yearned to no longer be glued to a desk at almost all hours of the day. So stuffy. So cramped. And the paper work!

 _Perhaps that is why Yagura chose tyranny_ , she thought in dark humor. _Far less paper work._

Ah, but she could never follow his path. Or the path the mastermind behind the genjutsu chose for him. Whichever it happened to be, tyranny was not her way. Not after witnessing the suffering of her people. Not after what _she_ lost.

Perhaps when everything settled out she could spend a little more time in the fresh air. And, if she were really lucky, perhaps she would be able to feel more than the gentle, cool caress of the wind. Perhaps she may be able to feel the warmth of another's hands holding hers or performing other acts of intimacy.

Mei smiled absentmindedly at the thought as she rested her left hand on the railing. The view from the balcony of the Mizukage tower—the tallest tower in the Village—encompassed a wide portion of her home. Mountainous peaks shielded them from the horizon beyond it; the thick lingering mist Kiri was named after hung snugly around the peaks, thinning as it climbed down the mountain, blinding prying eyes in its fog.

Such natural defenses were likely the reason their founders chose this location. Mist shinobi knew the lay of the land far better than any invading force; while invaders lost their way or stumbled through obscuring mist, the native shinobis could ambush and eliminate threats before they ever reached their citizens.

At least, that was how it should have been. These past years their natural defenses were used only to aid the escape of rogue shinobi and, admittedly, to hide her resistance forces.

Hidden among the valley of the mountains was Mist Village. Cylinder shaped buildings comprised their architecture, on top of which green gardens of vegetation were meant to grow. Few buildings still showed such signs of life—another improvement to make in time.

Down in the streets below her people went about their lives, surrounded by the muck of poverty that they had all been drowning in. No one wore shackles, yet poverty was its own prison. Mei hoped to free them all.

 _It's strange to be looking down on the village from here. I spent years staring up at this tower, dreaming of the day the Fourth would no longer be in power._

Pain and nostalgia knotted together on her face. _As a child, before I took the Exam, I used to think the Mizukage cared for us. That he would do anything to protect our people and our Village. Propaganda, of course…and then the Exam came._

A shudder tickled down her spine. Memories of that day broke through the dam she had erected long ago. The Fifth Mizukage peered down to her right palm, noticing small twitches and trembles while seeing crimson blood that did not exist.

She could still feel the breaths of her last kill against her neck. Feel the sobs racking her body as she cried apologies into their ear for what she had to do.

Mei shut her eyes and let her hand fall down. _I did not want to kill any of them, least of all my own sister…but she begged me to do it._ Familiar green eyes, auburn hair and a fond smile flashed into her mind; her left hand clenched the railing in a vice grip, trying to hold her down in the present before she floated off into the past.

 _We promised each other that we wouldn't do it… I promised I would protect her, but we were separated during a battle and when I found her…_

Haunted eyes gazed emptily at her. Blood was splattered over her freckled face. Ninja tools stuck out of almost every inch of her body and her clothes were soaked in the blood of her enemies as she trembled viciously.

A young boy, younger than they were, laid at her feet with his throat slit while another three of varying ages were smoldering nearby. The downpour soaked her with an icy chill, but it was the sight of her sister turned into a pincushion, the crimson blood streaming out of her wounds fusing with the river of raindrops trailing down her skin that truly made her blood run cold.

Her sister was dying. Slowly. Painfully. No one would heal her and Mei did not know Medical Ninjutsu. As she knelt before her dying sibling, panicking, making promises she had no hope of keeping, her sister begged to be given a merciful death.

With shaky hands, burning tears stinging her eyes and sobbed apologies on her salty lips, she fulfilled her sister's wish. She granted her the only thing she could at that point.

" _I…love you…Mei."_

" _I- I love you too! I'm so sorry," she sobbed._

" _Stay…alive…for me…please. No matter…what. Stay…Alive."_

" _I will."_

Mei inhaled deeply to ease the swell of emotions.

Rain storms still gave her shivers twenty years later.

 _When my sister drew her last breath, I knew what I had to do. Kiri had to change, and I would ensure that one day the children of our village would not have to kill the people they cherished._

So she laid in wait. Gained allies. Trained to obtain the power to melt the Mizukage where he stood. The man responsible for all the suffering in Kiri. The man who killed her sister by creating such an Exam in the first place.

And when the time finally came to fulfill her plan, she destroyed the man with all of her strength for every child who experienced the burden of agony she carried in her heart.

The auburn-haired kunoichi opened her eyes once more with a heavy sigh escaping her. _I'm sorry I was unable to protect you, dear sister. I'll do my best to protect these people and ensure people like the old Councilors never reinstate anything like the Blood Mist Exam again._

 _For you._

Although the solutions to an assortment of their problems felt like they were kilometers away, she would lift Kiri up and carry them as far as she could.

 _There is much to do, but for now I will not fret over what is to come._ She was here to breathe in the fresh air, after all. To decompress.

The peaceful misty mountains, the cool breeze teasing her oh so playfully, she could finally feel the spool of tension unwinding. This little break was doing the trick. Like being at the tender mercy of a lover's massage, her mind and muscles began to ease into a meditative relaxation.

Soon she would return back to her work. Continue working on the much needed reforms and rebuilding efforts across all Kiri—defenses, businesses, homes, etc. She'd need to send out shinobi on missions and read reports on recently completed missions; so far their completion ratio was high, which was encouraging.

Incrementally the activity at the mission desk was rising, but each new client and their payments left her more optimistic about the future.

The Feudal Lord also seemed pleased by her results thus far—a good sign as any.

Work could wait another few minutes, though. She would soon return to the arguments of the Councilors and banter of her inner circle, but not yet. Not yet. This fresh air was helping clear her mind. It aided in maintaining an internal peace.

Without it she may melt the Councilors where they stood, and that would be unbecoming of a Mizukage.

Many long minutes passed. Mei soaked up every second of peace she could knowing eventually, inevitably, Natsumi would seek her out. Her assistant did not relish interrupting these small moments; she could prove rather stubborn and unwilling to go seek out the Mizukage when asked, according to the Councilors.

Mei believed them. Natsumi was the definition of stubbornness. When the Mizukage first met the kunoichi she was a brash, hardheaded nine year old.

 _I was always amazed such a level of stubbornness and that fiery temper of hers could fit in such a small body_. She smiled fondly at the memory.

Natsumi, like Haku, was orphaned during the kekkei genkai purges. Running the streets, surviving by any means necessary, that was the kind of life she lived. It didn't always end well for her, she would say, but she survived. That was better than the less fortunate orphans.

Sassy, perceptive, stubborn; Natsumi learned to gather and sell information for a "fair" price to survive. And one piece of information she happened to sell was Mei's location while the kunoichi hunted for recruits within the Land of Water.

The assassins sent to kill her met their end swiftly, but not before telling her _who_ helped them track her down.

Oh, when she confronted Natsumi in her rickety shelter, the terrified curses to come out of her mouth left Mei smiling in sheer, unadulterated amusement. Who knew a nine year old could swear so colorfully. Quite the creative combinations, too.

Mei held no ill intentions for the child; to her mind, for this tiny, malnourished girl to track her down even when she was covering her tracks meant she possessed skills that could be refined—if she wanted training, that is.

To Mei's offer of joining her at their base of operations near Kiri, Natsumi spat fire—figuratively. Vehemently swearing to kill her or die trying than return to Kiri itself.

Later, when she restrained the child after Natsumi attempted to kill her with impressive fūinjutsu, Mei learned from the girl herself that Kiri sought to use her special Sealing Arts for themselves. It's why she used a Transformation Jutsu to hide her identity in public, transforming from a crimson-haired and turquoise eyed child into a dark-haired, dark-eyed girl who blended into the background.

" _Red hair like mine sticks out too much,"_ she explained. _"People in this Land don't have crimson hair. They just don't. So I hide in plain sight and sell secrets so I can get the hell out of this place."_

 _"I see. Well, I'm no friend of the Fourth Mizukage or his regime. You have no fear of me selling your secret to them."_

Mei left her with a pouch of money. _"This should buy you passage to the Land of Fire. I hope you find a better life there, Natsumi. Truly."_

She left without another word. Only motivation to end the Fourth's reign for yet another child in this world suffering because of him.

Natsumi chased after her. Tracked up into the snowy mountains to her temporary camp.

The child shivered in her ratty shirt, hugging her arms around her trembling frame.

" _Natsumi? What on earth are you doing here?"_

" _Take me with you."_ The demand came out quiet and meek. A plea for help and mercy.

 _"What?"_

Boldness returned to the shivering child. _"You're leading a resistance, right? Against the Fourth? I'm a Sensory Type. I tracked you all the way here, and I know how to gather information better than anyone. You saw my fūinjutsu. You know I can help. You can use me. So take me with you."_

Mei couldn't respond at first. Not to her demand, at least. First she needed to get the girl wrapped up in warmer clothing before she froze to death. Then they could talk about her demands.

" _I thought you wanted to leave," she asked to the bundled up child._

 _Natsumi scoffed. "Leave where? To a Land I don't know? Where rogue shinobi aren't being hunted constantly?" Natsumi shook her head, eyes lowering to the snow. "It was just something I said to keep myself going. A stupid dream to give me a reason to keep living. I was never gonna leave."_

 _Her eyes locked onto Mei's. "You could've killed me. Could've sold me to the Fourth. Could've kidnapped me to steal my fūinjutsu for yourself."_

 _"I would never do any of that," Mei replied fiercely._

 _"Which is why I'm asking—ah, to hell with my stupid pride! I'm_ _ **begging**_ _you to take me with you! Please. You're the only person who has ever shown me kindness in this valley of hell we call home. Train me. Turn me into a soldier. Use my fūinjutsu for whatever you want. Just don't leave me here. And if you do try to leave me then I'm gonna follow you and annoy you until you either kill me or take me in."_

 _Mei cocked an amused eyebrow up. "Sounds like you aren't giving me a choice in the matter."_

 _The child grinned weakly. "Nope."_

Natsumi had been under Mei's tutelage ever since, and with time, refinement and better resources her skills flourished. Now sixteen, Natsumi served as both her intelligence gatherer and as an assistant.

 _I feel like a proud mother_. Maybe she was.

While still headstrong and blunt when it came to speaking her mind Natsumi's passionate temper and brashness did even out in the years since. She, like Chōjūrō and Haku, would bring a brighter light to Kiri so it could continue shining long after Mei stepped down.

"Lady Mei, I did not wish to disturb you, but a matter that needs your immediate attention has come up," the calm, silky voice of her assistant came from behind her.

 _There she is_ ,the green eyed woman smiled to herself.

It was only been a matter of time, but she was okay. In fact, she felt refreshed and ready to tackle the problems head-on again. Taking in one last breath of fresh air, Mei turned to face her assistant.

Natsumi wore her usual outfit; form-fitting black pants and matching open toed high-heeled shinobi sandals and a wine red tunic with open shoulders that revealed the skin from the top of her shoulder down to the middle of her bicep. The tunic was loose on her slender but feminine frame; the hem flowed down to the middle of her thighs while the sleeves snugly hugged her forearms down to her wrists.

Standing at just above five feet, the fair skinned woman kept her long crimson hair tied up in a loose bun, a few strands of which rested over the left side of her forehead protector, brushing across the small crescent shaped scar under her left eye. The only other scar on her face cut diagonally through the middle of her right eyebrow, which was set in stubborn resolve.

The way her brow was set, paired with her tranquil yet earnest turquoise eyes made it clear to Mei that her interruption was warranted.

 _Hmm, I wonder what has happened in my brief absence._

"Zabuza hasn't killed the Councilors while I was gone, has he? Such an action would dampen my revitalized spirit," she responded in jest.

Her assistant shook her head but remained serious. "Not while I was in there, though if those morons continue making their demands the Demon may add a new coat of blood to the floor. That or Haku will turn them into ice statues, which would at least be a neat decoration for your office."

Mei cocked an auburn eyebrow up. "The Councilors have _demands_? And dearest Haku may lose his temper? What are those foolish Councilors trying to do now?"

"Kaito has returned with a peculiar guest, Lady Mei. Peculiar, but fascinating."

 _Kaito has returned with a guest?_ Excitement pulsed through her veins. _That means the Leaf must have sent a response._

The Fifth Mizukage wasted no time in striding towards the door. "Let's go, Natsumi. You may fill me in on what you know on the way."

 _I hope the news from the Leaf is good._

* * *

Atsuko could not recall the last time she felt so winded. Internally she felt too warm. So warm she was panting with quickened breaths—her body's natural reaction to dissipate heat. Crossing from Konoha to Kiri in a week, such long distance flights used to be a fledglings game.

 _I must be out of shape._ A problem to rectify in the coming days, months and years. Age would not slow her down. It could not. Not until her duty was complete.

 _Although I cannot be too ashamed_. She glanced to Kaito. The hawk lay flat on his chest, wings spread to their full length as he desperately sought to catch his breath. _I do not look ready to pop like Kaito does._

"I…apologize, Kaito, for pushing you…so hard," she apologized through tired breaths. The exhausted bird cast an exhausted and suspicious eye to the Crow. "But we must be…ready for more strenuous…journeys."

" _You're…kidding…right?_ " he whined.

"I…fear not. I too…need to grow stronger. I will not accept anything less from you."

He rolled his eyes at her. " _Wonderful._ "

"I will ignore your tone and take that…as acceptance."

 _Given the proper training, he would learn discipline and earn his arrogance._

At the sound of nearing footsteps, the Head of the Crows looked up to see the boy named Haku returning with a small bowl of water. Young Haya's description of him was quite accurate.

" _Haku has these really pretty dark-brown eyes and long black hair that looks silky. He kept it up in a white bun holder when we saw him. He has very soft, kind features normally, but when he's angry it's noticeable."_

" _Hmm, it appears to me that you have a crush on the boy."_

The blush that had formed on Young Haya's face and her stuttered denial had been the only answer she needed. Such a priceless expression still made the Crow chuckle even in the present moment, if not a bit breathlessly.

 _I remember when I learned of Lady Miyako's interrogation over the girl Shisui fancied. Lady Miyako possessed such a sublime sense of humor; she had me in stitches, as humans like to say._

Atsuko turned her attention from her inner musings back to the young boy currently standing in front of her. _So, this is the boy Young Haya is so fond of. I must say he is aesthetically pleasing, for a human that is. I shall see if his heart is true or not by the time I am done here._

Thus far he had been exceptionally polite in the short time they had spoken; he immediately went to their aid when Kaito crash landed onto the large, circular meeting table they currently occupied. At her behest he retrieved the bowl of water without question.

"Will this water be enough?" he asked as he set the bowl down.

"Ah…yes. Thank you." Atsuko turned to her companion. "Drink, Kaito."

The messenger bird didn't respond verbally. He merely dragged himself chest first across the table to the bowl to drink.

"Will you two be okay?" Haku asked, sincere in his concern.

Atsuko exhaled a laugh and nodded. His sincerity earned him another approving point. After a deep breath meant to ease her labored breathing and racing heart, she spoke.

"Yes. The only thing I fear I injured is my pride. Once I flew such distances with ease." She chuckled wryly. "I fear I have gotten old and lazy as I waited for my masters summoning."

"Your master?" the gruff voice of Zabuza Momochi questioned.

She refrained from speaking Young Haya's name in this situation full of unknowns. Zabuza and Haku were trustworthy, for no other reason than their connection to Young Haya. These others who occupied this room, however; she could see among them those who suffered through Blood Mist and those who orchestrated it.

Already two of the latter called for her capture and interrogation. The third of the latter demanded they kill her. Quite rude. Also expected. The new Mizukage eliminated the Fourth, but those who enabled and enforced his will still yet lived. Old men such as them rarely changed their ways; the Leaf's personal warmongers taught her that lesson well.

The other two occupying the room was a nervous looking boy—he remained undecided on the situation—and a veteran shinobi wearing an eye-patch over his left eye and sealing tags from his ears. His penetrating gaze never left her, but he did not join the other three in their opinion.

The last occupant had been a young woman with crimson hair—crimson hair that did not belong to the Land of Water. _How intriguing._ She excused herself to retrieve the Mizukage.

Haku and Zabuza patiently waited at her side to learn the situation. However, they also stood as protection from the rash actions of their fellow Mist natives, who surely would have attempted to eliminate her and Kaito had the Demon and his apprentice not stood as a deterrent from violence.

Zabuza crossed his muscular arms over his large chest, eyes alert as he scrutinized the body language of the others in search for the slightest aggressive twitch towards the two birds.

Even as Kaito humorously drowned his beak in blessed water, Atsuko could feel the eyes of the room bearing down on her. Killing intent lay beneath the surface layer, like magma contained to a single chamber, building in pressure towards an inevitable explosion.

A dull knife could have cut the tension.

Atsuko sighed internally as her heart rate began to fall. _I hope it does not come to a fight; it would make a poor first impression to slay these old warmongers._

She cast a gaze around the room, examining the entire space. _Strange times. To think a Crow of the Leaf has infiltrated the Mist Village after all this time, and yet I am here to encourage peace._

Kurenai was very specific in her words, asking her to reverse summon herself to avoid a trap or a battle instead of engaging an enemy. There was no trap, otherwise it certainly would have sprung by now; and should a battle not happen there was much she hoped to accomplish while here for the Genjutsu Master and her own personal interests.

First and foremost was explaining in no specific detail her purpose here and identity of her summoner. A veil of secrecy was needed. At least until she was in the sole company of the two next to her and the Mizukage.

She turned her head to face the Demon of the Hidden Mist, who also appeared exactly as Young Haya had described. _"Zabuza is menacing looking; he has no eyebrows and was a lot taller than all of us. He wore bandages around his face from his nose to the bottom of his neck and has spiky black hair. He also wore his forehead protector sideways for some reason. Maybe the grumpy old man thought it was stylish."_

" _Grumpy old man?"_

" _Well, not really grumpy. He calls me little girl so I call him old man. I guess it was how we bonded."_

Everything was the same about the man from what the young girl had described save for the difference of outfit. His bandages remained but now he wore the dark colored Anbu uniform and grey flak jacket Mist Village was known for.

 _It seems he may be in charge of the Anbu once more; a logical position and one I hope he doesn't use for any ill means._

Atsuko took one more deep breath then released it. "Yes, I believe she calls you an old man."

Zabuza snorted humorously at her words. Haku's eyes lit up with intrigue. "Your master is Amari?" the boy questioned.

She turned her head to the boy and nodded. "Yes. I have heard much about you both from Young Amari. All good, I assure you, for I knew of your legend long before she spoke of you, Zabuza Momochi."

"Even the Crows of the Leaf Village knew of me, eh?" The smirk on his lips was clear in his voice.

"Of course. We know all, see all, hear all," Atsuko responded with mirth gleaming in her eyes. Zabuza chuckled deeply in his chest. "It is our duty to know those entered into the bingo book. If we do not then we will be unable to properly protect Konoha or our companions from domestic and foreign threats."

"Wise."

"Practical. Good information is a key to shinobi life. It is the same within the Anbu."

"Mm," the Demon acknowledged her words with a nod.

"If I may ask, how is Amari?" Haku queried.

Atsuko kept her true feelings hidden in the shadows and pushed her self-loathing to the side. She would explain the state of Kakashi and Haya in due time, but not while the others were nearby.

"Times have been exceptionally challenging for all of us since we lost our Hokage in the Invasion."

"Good riddance," a councilor grumbled.

A fire within the Crow was sparked instantaneously. She set her glare upon the impudent man who dared speak ill of the fallen Hokage. Should peace be impossible, Atsuko decided she would slay him first.

Eyes diverted to her target, Atsuko did not see the scornful and dark glares Zabuza and Haku shot the men.

"I respectfully request you refrain from speaking ill of Lord Hokage in my presence."

"Or what?"

"Or I'll kill you," Zabuza spoke the words before she could.

The killing intent once restrained slowly began flooding the room, sourced by the Demon of the Hidden Mist himself. Atsuko glanced his way. _Such conviction in his words. And the deadly look in his eyes… It would seem there is a rift between these men and Zabuza._

She flicked her eyes over to Haku. While far calmer, an aggressive aura built around him. _Yes, you are right, Young Haya. Fury is quite noticeable on the face of such a kind boy._

"Are you suddenly an ally of the Leaf Village?" a different councilor prodded angrily.

"Doesn't matter. The Third Hokage sacrificed his life to defend his people. The honor he died with exceeds any you will ever attain," Zabuza responded.

He earned growls and aggressive stances for his truthful words.

"I never thought my disgust for you three councilors could sink any further, but to stoop so low to disrespect the dead?" Zabuza hissed an aggressive breath. "I ought to end your miserable lives here and now," he growled viciously.

"Please restrain yourself, Zabuza," a serene, feminine voice entered the room. "Bloodstains are so terribly difficult to clean up, and there is much else I must do today. Getting on my hands and knees to clean up blood or having Natsumi do it would ruin our day thoroughly."

"'Ruin' is an understatement, Lady Mei," the younger kunoichi stated flatly.

Zabuza and Haku both relaxed their stances but remained vigilant, guarded and primed to strike down these men they did not trust. The Councilors merely scowled to themselves at the new voices.

Atsuko pivoted her head to the entrance of the office, insatiably curious to meet the Fifth Mizukage who claimed to desire peace. Kaito, meanwhile, finished drinking and let himself lay flat out again in exhaustion.

The crimson-haired kunoichi, Natsumi, stood next to a taller woman with long auburn hair and emerald eyes. She carried herself with an air of strength and a presence that demanded to be heard and respected.

 _The Mizukage has finally arrived._

Her visible emerald eye scanned over the room, easily picking Atsuko out of the group. They both silently and secretly examined one another, neither yet forming a full opinion on appearance alone. Appearances could be deceiving in the shinobi world.

After a brief moment, the Mizukage offered a genuine and apologetic smile to her; it eased the Crow's nerves only slightly but did not lower her guard.

Mei turned her attention back to her fellow Mist natives. "It would be rude of us to act like such barbarians in front of a guest. I would hope we have raised ourselves above the low bar our previous leadership left us."

Her words seemed to do the trick. The Demon reined in his killing intent.

"Right."

"Thank you, Zabuza," she thanked then let her eye fall onto the Head of the Crows. "I understand you have come with Kaito with a response to my letter."

"Wait, you invited this Leaf Crow into our Village?" the third councilor accused.

Mei sauntered forward to the table without even flinching at the accusation. They barked loudly, but compared to the power irradiating off the Mizukage, the Councilors bite had no teeth.

"I already told you that I would find a way to begin peaceful discussions with the Leaf Village," she answered with ease. "I sent a letter in hopes to start a dialogue between our Villages. I did not, however, invite this Crow to Kiri. Yet I also do not see any issue with the arrival either."

"This Crow is dangerous, Lady Mizukage," the eye-patch wearing ninja pointed out.

 _Hmm?_ Atsuko tilted her head. _Have we met before in battle?_ She couldn't deny that she felt a familiarity with him. _But where would I have met him?_

"Have you met before, Ao?"

"Years ago. She was on the shoulder of a very powerful member of the Uchiha Clan."

 _Ao?_ Ah. _Ah_. Atsuko hummed humorously. How could she forget the retreating backs of the Mist shinobi as their comrades screamed in terror.

"Is something funny?"

"Only the coincidence of meeting you again. You were wise to call a full retreat that day, Ao. My previous master would have ended your lives with ease."

Ao did not growl or show any resentment to her truthful statement. Pride mattered little when faced against a superior enemy.

 _Ao is fortunate Shisui did not believe in killing when it was unnecessary._

"Retreating? That doesn't sound like you at all, Ao," Zabuza prodded with a sadistic chuckle.

"Had you known who my enemy was, you would have made the same decision, Zabuza," Ao responded calmly. "The genjutsu he placed on my men had them screaming for hours. We would have stood no chance against him."

The older shinobi turned to the Mizukage. "The Crows of the Leaf are not to be underestimated, Lady Mizukage. This one has been their leader for years now. She could be a spy or something far worse."

Atsuko puffed her chest with pride.

The Fifth Mizukage nodded her head slightly as she approached the table. Natsumi hovered close by.

"True, your concern is warranted, Ao. So let us lay all our cards down on the table and speak honestly with one another." Her emerald eye met Atsuko's black eyes again. "My name is Mei Terumī. In years past I worked to overthrow the Fourth Mizukage to end his bloody reign of terror. I am pleased to say I succeeded in my endeavor."

She dipped her head in the direction of her assistant. "This is Natsumi, my assistant. She is in charge of my intelligence team."

The Head of the Crows nodded in greeting to the pair then followed the eye of the Mizukage to Ao and the boy. "Over there is Ao and Chōjūrō, my bodyguards and advisers. Ao has served Mist Village for years now, as you well know, and served in my resistance. Chōjūrō is one of our Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist; he wields Hiramekarei and is quite skilled."

Again she nodded as Chōjūrō ducked his head down in an attempt to shrink away. _He's quite shy for a member of the Swordsmen. The opposite of Zabuza and Kisame._ Confidence and sadistic arrogance irradiated off of the veteran Swordsmen, unlike this young man a cat skittering between his legs might startle.

"Zabuza Momochi is the leader of my Anbu with Haku as his second-in-command; both also serve as advisers. Finally," she motioned to the trio, "Ichirou, Kenta and Daichi, the Council of our village who served under the previous Mizukage."

"I am Atsuko, Head of the Crows of the Leaf who have served our home and the Uchiha Clan prior to its downfall. I now serve under Amaririsu Yūhi and guide her on the path of being a shinobi. My reasons for being here are not to spy or harm Kiri. In fact my intentions are of a peaceful nature regarding your letter to Young Amari's team captain."

"I understand. Was there an issue regarding my letter?" Mei queried.

Atsuko shook her head. "Not on your behalf, Lady Mizukage. There is an immense complication that I have been ordered to only speak to you, Zabuza, and Haku about. I will understand if you desire to have others you deem trustworthy here, but I will ask you to dismiss your Councilors, for they have already threatened my well-being and disrespected our fallen Hokage."

Dissatisfaction crossed the Mizukage's face. Her emerald eye slowly trailed to the three Councilors, pinning them under a chilling gaze. "I see. Your request is understandable, and I do not wish to waste time arguing with the Councilors over dismissing all of my advisers. Ao, Chōjūrō, Natsumi, you will all stay with us. Ichirou, Kenta, Daichi, please see yourselves out."

Kenta opened his mouth to argue, but Mei was faster. "That was not a request. That was an order from your Mizukage. Please see yourselves out. _Now_."

Frustration bubbled to the surface in the Councilors. Arguments formed on the tips of their tongues. But in the end they bowed and dismissed themselves accordingly.

All who remained in the room kept silent for a few moments until they were sure the three Councilors were gone. Natsumi was the first to speak up.

"Remember to breathe, Lady Mei. They aren't worth melting."

Mei appeared calmer than an untouched lake on the outside. Inside, though, fury of a raging storm brewed in her eye.

She followed her assistant's request, breathing in then exhaling out. "Right." Her features became apologetic as she returned her attention back to Atsuko. "I apologize for the less than welcome reception you have received, Atsuko."

"There is nothing to apologize for. I received generous hospitality from Haku and Zabuza," Atsuko assured then bowed her head. "I apologize for causing the tension with my presence."

As she came up from her bow she found a smile on the Fifth Mizukage's face. "As you said, there is nothing to apologize for. I am afraid to say that the tension you witnessed is a daily occurrence as of late."

She waved her hand dismissively through the air. "But enough of that. You have traveled a long way with a message of importance. Tell me, what was the immense complication?"

Atsuko took a breath then spoke. "Days after the Invasion, three S-rank ninjas infiltrated Konoha and met in battle with Kakashi Hatake and Young Amari… It did not end well for them."

Her words were met with stunned silence from the two ninjas closest to her and shock from the Mizukage. The others remained between wonder of what happened and indifference.

"The night your letter arrived, I was with Young Amari's mother as we sat in her hospital room. Due to the circumstances, and because Lady Kurenai is one of the Leaf's elite, Kaito entrusted the reading of your letter to her. She believes your desire for peace is an honest endeavor."

"What happened?" Haku whispered in shock.

The Head of the Crows looked to the worried boy with saddened features. She hated being the bearer of bad news. Too many times had she witnessed similar shock and pain Haku was experiencing.

"She and Kakashi were struck with a powerful genjutsu that has left them incapacitated completely."

"…What about Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura? Are they okay?"

She nodded solemnly. "Yes… Young Amari used the last of her strength to protect them and buy enough time for others to finish the battle."

A ghost of a smile formed on the boy's face. It was a reminiscent smile full of care and pain. "Sounds like her." The smile fell. "Will they come out of it?"

"Yes, I believe they will. When I left there was a plan to heal their trauma, but I cannot say when they will awaken. It is another reason I am here." Atsuko returned her attention to the Mizukage. "I am to ask for your permission to stay in Kiri for the time being."

"I have no issue with such an arrangement, although I am curious why you wish to stay. Wouldn't you much rather return home to watch after Amaririsu?" Mei asked.

Her heart did desire such, but for now she would relent against it and go through with Lady Kurenai's wishes. She left a legion of crows watching after Young Haya anyways—she would be safe.

"I would, but I am here to begin a dialogue with you until Kakashi and Young Amari awaken. I sense your honesty, Lady Mizukage. There is an opportunity here for our Villages to leave behind the sins of our past for a prosperous future."

The Fifth Mizukage smiled and nodded. "Agreed."

"I get it," Natsumi said. "This Amaririsu will summon Atsuko back to the Leaf when she wakes up, which will signal us to resend our letters. You can give Kakashi more current information and Haku gets to ask his girlfriend more up-to-date questions."

"Natsumi," Haku warned, blushing lightly.

The kunoichi shot him a toothy grin then continued more seriously. "In the meantime Lady Mei and Atsuko can begin a dialogue of peace; she gets to see firsthand your reforms and the state of our Village while also speaking honestly about the state of the Leaf. And since the Crows are held in high regard back in the Leaf, her opinion will hold serious weight."

Natsumi nodded. "No one loses, and it pisses off those cantankerous councilors."

"We should still keep an eye on her, Lady Mizukage, for her sake and Kiri's," Ao stated firmly.

Mei hummed in understanding then turned her attention to the young Swordsman. "What do you think, Chōjūrō?"

"I- I agree with Lord Ao and Natsumi. Sh- she seems trustworthy an- and there's no harm in being extra careful."

"If it pleases all, I would stay under the guard of Haku and Zabuza during my time here," Atsuko offered.

"Is such an arrangement okay with the two of you?" Mei asked the pair.

"It's fine with me," Zabuza said.

"Absolutely, Lady Mizukage," Haku answered.

The auburn-haired kunoichi smiled and clapped her hands together. "Splendid! It's settled then." She turned back to Atsuko. "I look forward to speaking more with you, Atsuko."

"As do I, Lady Mizukage. For now I would like to rest from my journey. I am sure you have other matters to attend to."

"I can bring you and Kaito to my room if you would like," Haku offered.

She nodded. "I would be grateful."

Haku placed his arm out so she hopped up it and onto his shoulder. He then picked up the passed out Kaito and dismissed himself with a bow before leaving for his room.

There was still much she had to do, but for now she needed to rest. The journey was catching up with the Crow. A nap would help to revitalize her energy for the remainder of her stay here in Kiri.

 _I can only hope it is not a long stay._

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: Although Genma and the Hokage did believe Mimi and Amari, as well as Shikamaru in canon, were ready to be Chunin, there has been no official promotion given to either. When the Invasion began, Genma's remark that they were Chunin was more of an acknowledgement of their skill level. They're still Genin in rank but, had the Exams formally ended without the Third Hokage dying they would have been officially promoted. Since the Exams never technically finished, and since there was no Hokage, no one has been promoted._

 _Kabuto does respect Amari; he sees her potential as a shinobi and recognizes her intelligence and prowess on a battlefield. She was the one he worried would see through his facade when they first met, and blames her inability to do so because of her lack of experience with the darker side of the shinobi world. He also draws a connections between them because of Orochimaru's interest in their talents as well as the pain they both have suffered in life. In his words from when he tried to kill her in the hospital, they're like siblings._

 _And to him, she's far more mature than Sasuke, who he sees as a petulant child obsessed with revenge. More development on their relationship will happen in the future._

 _Minato did teach the Hokage Guards a variation of it called the Flying Thunder Formation, but I think it required all three of them to do it. Amari is learning fuinjutsu, and her mother did create the space-time seal that ensnared everyone, so who knows what Amari will be capable of._

 _I have a few time-travel, alternate world ideas. So that will be fun to explore._

 _We'll learn more about Kasai in the future. Safe to say anything regarding him will be big._

 _She'd be able to read whatever parts of the tablet the Mangekyo grants her, but I think Rinnegan is necessary to read the whole thing. I may be wrong._

 _Amari's Mangekyo pattern is described as four straight and sharp triangles jutting out like the four cardinal directions of a compass, or a four-pointed star with a red pupil in the center of her right eye and fuchsia pupil in her left._

 _Thanks for the review!_


	66. Chapter 65: Kakashi's Warning

Chapter 65

Long Time No See: Kakashi's Warning

 _Frontal lobe_. Mimi shifted her hand, covered by a green hue, over her skull. _Parietal lobe. Occipital lobe. Temporal lobe. Cerebellum. Brain stem._

Sighing, the medic-nin lowered her hand and picked up her pencil, scribbling out a past reminder to fine tune her Diagnostic Jutsu. _Great_ , she drawled sarcastically, _I can sense the individual areas of the brain. But diagnosing damage I already know is there doesn't help me._

Might as well tell someone they have a broken leg when the bone is sticking out of their flesh. It'd be about as useful.

 _If Amari and Kakashi were knocked out by a physical force jarring their brains I'd be able to heal it, no sweat_. She pursed her lips in a frustrated frown. _But this isn't physical trauma. Itachi's genjutsu is like an invisible scalpel. He went in, cut them down and left without a trace._

Mimi's blue eyes drifted over the mess of notes and medical books spread over her desk. What was her next move then? How did she heal a non-physical trauma to the brain? Were there cells that needed to be revitalized? Did Itachi "sever" important wiring? How did she repair the wiring then?

Always more questions and fewer answers. No matter how Mimi sliced it, the complexity of the brain and psychological trauma outmatched her current skill set.

 _Just feeding regular Medical Ninjutsu into the lobes won't do anything. If it did, they'd already be healed._

Mimi twirled the pencil between her fingers and ran her free hand through her wild mane. It'd be so much better if Medical Ninjutsu worked like miracles. Just apply it to any wound then _boom_! Problem solved. No refinement required.

 _The brain can usually recover on its own from small amounts of damage, and with the skull protecting it humans aren't knocked unconscious by the tiniest of bumps or shakes of our head._

 _A blow that knocks someone out has to cause a level of damage that the brain cannot regenerate from quickly. Which is an oversimplified explanation of what Itachi's genjutsu did._

She squeezed her eyes shut against a mounting headache and exhaled a sigh. _And even if I could pinpoint the exact areas of damage, my level of Medical Ninjutsu won't cut it._

"Leaving me back at square one," she growled under her breath. "I've been running this maze for the last month and I _still_ haven't made a breakthrough."

" _You're being too hard on yourself, Mimi,"_ Aoko soothed from her lap. _"Lady Tsunade did not become an expert medic in a day or a month. It takes time to learn the complexities of Medical Ninjutsu."_

"I know, I know," she sighed. "It's just…frustrating that I can't get over this damn hurdle." Mimi rested her face into her open palm. "I really hate that Uchiha bastard."

" _Really? I thought you were his number one fangirl,"_ her ninken retorted cheekily.

"Ha. Ha. You're hilarious, Aoko," Mimi replied dryly, a smirk pulling at her lips. She ruffled her faithful friend's fur gently. "It would have been nice to heal one of them before the Goofball got back. It'd be like a welcome home gift."

" _True, but that's your pride talking, Mimi. Stop holding yourself accountable for their current states. You have limits right now, many of which you have broken through in this last month. Be proud of how far you've come. Most Genin lack both the knowledge and the ability you have."_

Her words gave the Inuzuka pause. She wanted to argue, to say it wasn't enough to be proud of breaking a few limits when Amari, Kakashi and Lee weren't even able to leave the hospital, but…

Aoko was right. Most kids her age were barely beginning to scratch the surface of Medical Ninjutsu; some were only starting to find interest in it, while others lacked the chakra control altogether to perform it.

…And she was grumbling about the complexities of psychological trauma, like she alone was responsible for the health of Amari and Kakashi. Like there weren't other doctors and medics who wanted to help them, but couldn't. Like she was the only one who cared.

It was childish. Selfish, really. Somehow she found a way to make this about _her_ inabilities. _Her_ lack of skill. Healing them became her cross to bear…when it wasn't.

Being so laser focused on her studies made it harder to see the bigger picture, blinding her to the world and the people around her, each effected in some way by the recent events. She owed Aoko for bringing her back down to earth.

"…Thank you, Aoko."

" _My pleasure, Mimi."_ Her ninken stood on all four paws and stretched out her back, releasing a small yawn as she did. _"Let's go out and get some fresh air. We've been cooped for the last day."_

"Right." She picked up her pitch black ninken and set her down on the floor. "I suppose we could go for a run to stretch our legs," she decided as she stood up and stretched out her back. A pleasant series of _pops_ rolled up the middle of her spine. Mimi groaned.

 _Definitely been sitting at this desk too long._

Unzipping and shrugging off her blue sweater, Mimi tied the article of clothing around her waist while heading out her room for the front door. Aoko padded along next to her until the front door opened, and then she was gone, sprinting into the yard to dash in every direction.

The Inuzuka sat down outside the front door, where she began to slip her sandals on. For a good minute Mimi watched Aoko dash at a full sprint, smiling affectionately at her ninken, savoring the look of pure glee on her furry features.

Yeah. Some fresh air would do them good. Any longer in her room and she might forget what the sky looked like.

"Mimi!" Mimi's eyes immediately darted to the source of the voice: Tenten. Her kunoichi teammate was running over with a bright light in her brown eyes and a giddy bounce in her step.

Mimi titled her head to the side, confused, although her affectionate smile found new fuel. Excited Tenten was too adorable.

"Tenten? What are you doing here?"

Tenten halted in front of Mimi, bending forward to brace on her knees. Sweat beaded on her forehead and her breaths were a bit uneven, but those symptoms were all related to the non-stop sprint she embarked on.

Before Tenten could answer her inquiry, Aoko jumped up onto her back and climbed up to rest on her head.

"Aoko!" Tenten whined playfully.

" _What?"_ she rumbled back teasingly.

Mimi chuckled at her companion and stood up, picking Aoko up. "Leave her be this time, Aoko. We haven't run like she has. Not yet, at least."

Aoko wasted no time climbing up onto Mimi's head instead, letting out a triumphant bark from her new position.

Mimi and Tenten shared a smile. "Is everything okay, Tenten? I don't mind the company, but something clearly brought you out here."

"So you haven't heard the news?" She took a breath then stood up straight. A teasing smirk took over her smile. "I should have known since you've been nose deep in those books of yours. I'm surprised you still know there's an outside world."

The Inuzuka grinned. "I assure you they aren't nearly as exciting as you."

"Uh-huh, sure," her teammate teased.

"It's true. They don't fuss over me or anything."

" _She is far more remarkable than those stale books."_

"Exactly, Aoko."

Her teammate rolled her eyes. "Anyways, guess whose back!" she said breathlessly.

"Uh...the Goofball and Master Jiraiya?" Mimi guessed.

"Yep, and guess who they have with them!"

Mimi's eyebrows rose in surprise. "He brought Lady Tsunade back?" Tenten nodded enthusiastically. "…He did it."

When she first met Naruto before the first Exam, when he tried to act tough by telling her he wouldn't go easy on her because she was a girl, Mimi took him for a fool. All talk and no substance.

The more she saw of him, though, the more her opinion began to change. Watching Kiba lose to him in the prelims was just the beginning; Neji's defeat at his hands and then his victory over Gaara made her understand why Amari looked so fondly at him.

While she still considered him a goofy kid, Naruto had earned her trust and respect time and again through his actions on the battlefield and his interactions with others. Sure he was a goofball and a loudmouth, but he was a goofball and a loudmouth who stuck by his word and his friends.

 _It's no wonder Amari admires him. Hell, I'm beginning to admire the little Goofball myself._

 _Thank you, Naruto, for proving to me once again that in this dark world there are bright lights waiting to be found._

A grin formed on Mimi's face. "That Goofball, he's just full of surprises."

" _I told you he would be fine,"_ Aoko barked.

"I still have to go tell Neji and Guy-sensei. Do you want to come with me?" Tenten asked.

Although spending time with Tenten was always a delight, Mimi wanted to head straight for the hospital to see Lady Tsunade work.

 _But I also don't want to force Tenten to search high and low for Guy-sensei. He's bound to want to hear this news, and bound to be doing something incredibly ridiculous like walking through the village on his hands again._

"Do you know where Neji and Guy-sensei are?" she asked.

"I know Neji is training at our usual grounds, but I have no idea where Guy-sensei could be," Tenten answered.

"Hmm. How about we split up? You go to Neji and I'll find Guy-sensei. We'd be able to clear twice as much ground and meet up at the hospital."

Her teammate nodded. "Good plan. I'll see you at the hospital then?"

"Count on it." Tenten smiled and nodded one last time before departing. Mimi looked up in the direction of her companion. "Ready to go, Aoko?" she asked.

" _Ready! Try not to let your bouncing excitement show when we're in the presence of Lady Tsunade. You don't want to be a raving fan girl; that would just be embarrassing for us both,"_ Aoko jested.

Mimi grinned and rolled her eyes. "I'll do my best to keep my raving fan girlism down to a dull roar just because you asked."

" _Thank you."_

With no more to say, Mimi left to inform her sensei of the news that would get his hot-blooded youth boiling in unbridled joy.

* * *

Meanwhile

* * *

"Thank you for coming with me today, Sasuke," Sakura thanked as she replaced the wilted flowers in Kakashi's room.

"I was on my way here anyways," Sasuke replied cooly from the sterile white wall he chose to lean against.

Well, in truth, he meant to train. But after running into Sakura and learning she was going to visit the hospital he decided to take a detour.

Sasuke stopped outright avoiding Sakura after his conversations with Shikamaru; he actually asked her to be his sparring partner, which surprised her nearly as much as it surprised Sasuke himself. It hadn't been planned. The offer just…came out during a conversation—a subconscious idea his mouth turned into reality without permission.

Training gave them an opportunity to stick together, to rely on each other as they worked through their personal dilemmas of weakness, guilt and grief. Teamwork, right?

Sakura didn't wield the Sharingan, and she hadn't reached Amari's skill yet, but she definitely surpassed the old Sakura—the annoying fan girl who could have never landed a blow on him. He learned that lesson the hard way when he chose not to take her seriously, leading to her fist meeting his face. Hard.

 _Sent me flying a few feet with that punch_ , he recalled, the tiniest of upward twitch tugging at the corner of his lip. _I should have known better after watching her train with Amari's clone and Amari herself. My arrogance got the better of me._

A mistake he quickly corrected.

Sparring with Sakura did help with both their training and the feelings left behind by the Akatsuki incident. Sasuke hadn't entirely forgiven himself, he wasn't sure he could. Maybe when Amari was healed.

Maybe.

But Shikamaru was right. Sasuke wasn't the only one feeling it. This guilt and pain wasn't his and his alone to bear. Sakura felt it, too—a point she tried to make the day of the incident. He hadn't been of the mind to listen then, too consumed by his own feelings to care how anyone else felt.

Having each other to rely on made the struggle of waiting for Naruto to return with Tsunade easier to bear. Their spars and the conversations they shared afterwards helped them bond as teammates and friends.

 _I guess I have to thank Shikamaru for getting through to me._

The struggle within his heart subsided significantly after their talk. No longer were the threads of his sanity being pulled apart in every direction; it lingered beneath the calm surface, he could feel it, but it wasn't physically debilitating or making him irrational enough to threaten the life of his clan-sister.

" _The only way you could ever understand how I feel is if I struck Amari down right now."_

Sasuke shut his eyes and shook his head internally. _I still can't believe I said something like that to Shikamaru._ He could blame the heat of the moment or the internal struggle ravaging his heart and mind at the time—easy excuses to rely on. How easy it was to make excuses for mistakes, and yet so impossible to forgive yourself when you recognized wrongdoing.

Sasuke shoved the excuses aside. He wouldn't be a coward. He owned his words—his threat.

" _If you ever threaten 'Risu's life again or turn your back on her bond, I will make you regret it. You get me?"_

He couldn't blame Shikamaru for making that foreboding promise.

A light smirk returned to Sasuke's lips. _Heh, never thought I'd see Shikamaru look so dangerous. Then again, I shouldn't be surprised; he did threaten Amari's bullies back in the Academy. Seeing the conviction in his eyes makes me understand why they stopped._

"Hey, what are you smirking about?" Sakura questioned curiously.

The Uchiha snorted slightly and opened his eyes. "Nothing important."

There hadn't been an argument or stink eye since that day between them, but he could feel the Nara was watching him carefully, even when he didn't seem to be paying attention.

Shikamaru didn't trust him. Not anymore. Had their positions been flipped, he wouldn't have trusted Shikamaru either.

Time would tell if he would ever regain his trust again.

"Liar," Sakura retorted. "Come on, what's so funny?

Answering, ' _Shikamaru promising to make me regret threatening Amari's life or turning my back on her,_ ' wouldn't go well for obvious reasons. Sasuke harbored no intention of repeating their conversation, let alone his rage filled threat to their teammate's well-being. Not only did he not want to lose the trust of his team, he also didn't want Kurenai to ever catch wind of it.

 _I'd rather not end up horribly mutilated in some genjutsu until I'm left comatose beyond repair._

Sasuke chose a better path. He looked up to meet the emerald eyes of his teammate, his smirk still in place. "I was just remembering the bell test and you wailing in terror at seeing my head sticking out of the ground…" He paused to watch Sakura's shoulders begin to slump in depression. "And then how you punched me in the face and sent me flying," he continued. "It's hard to believe you're that same shrieking fangirl sometimes."

Her shoulders stopped their slump, confidence renewed and a tint of pink on her cheeks.

 _Hmph,_ he smiled internally, _that worked like a charm._

"Admit it, that punch hurt more than your pride."

"Heh, I'll admit nothing of that sort."

True or not, his pride was still very much intact, and _very_ unwilling to admit again how good her punch got him.

"Besides, I said ' _sometimes_.' Put me in a room with you and Ino and it's practically the Academy all over again," Sasuke retorted honestly but good-naturedly.

And it was true. Just today he went through the _pleasant_ experience of being stuck between them at the flower shop. It didn't take more than thirty seconds for the blonde to start trying to flirt with him or for the possessive nails in Sakura to come out.

 _Then Ino started batting eyelashes at me and hugging my arm to pull me over to explain some type of flower._ He honestly tuned her out the moment she started talking. _Took Sakura all of five seconds to butt in and for them to devolve into bickering._

It hadn't been all bad. Their bickering allowed him to slip away and pick out the daffodils she wanted for Kakashi and the amaryllis flowers she wanted for Amari.

By bringing the flowers to Sakura and asking if they were the kind she wanted he effectively led their escape from the flower shop. A successful mission all-around, if he said so himself.

 _I wonder if they'll ever stop fighting over me_ , he pondered while Sakura's blush intensified. _I mean it can't go on forever, right? Even Amari managed to escape her fangirls and she had it worse than I did._

Surely fate wouldn't put him as the rope of their tug-of-war battle forever.

"Old habits die hard, I guess," she muttered as she grabbed her left bicep from behind her back. Her gaze shifted to her toes. "I've been trying to set things right. Ino…she used to be my best friend."

The tone of Sakura's voice sobered the mood instantly. "I caused a lot of the tension between us…probably all of it, but I really do miss our friendship."

"Are things really that bad between you two?"

She shook her head. "Not as bad as they were. Ever since our preliminary fight in the Chūnin Exams, and then training together, we've started to move forward a little." Sakura sighed. "But like you said, we can slip into those Academy days very easily."

"If you two really were friends, you'll figure it out," he assured. His smile returned as he crossed his arms and looked to the door. "If Naruto and I can live together without fighting and killing each other, I doubt you and Ino will have much to worry about."

Sakura giggled. "I almost forgot you two were sharing an apartment. I'm impressed you two haven't brawled through the walls."

Honestly, he was too, yet they actually did well together. There were arguments sure, but that was their usual comradery rather than heated battles. They respected each other's space and privacy when either was needed.

Deep in their hearts though, in a place they would never admit to having or speak about, they were happy to no longer be alone.

Perhaps that was what Sakura felt when it came to Ino. The Uchiha couldn't claim to know their history, but he saw in her eyes the pain left behind by their fractured friendship.

 _Maybe there was a time when she knew loneliness just as Amari, Naruto and I have._

"Yeah, it's been quiet since he left," Sasuke said thoughtfully.

"I hope he's okay. A month has gone by since he left with Master Jiraiya."

Sasuke hummed in agreement. The door sliding open cut him off before he could offer a reassurance of any kind. A blonde-haired woman with brown eyes, dressed in a grass-green haori, a grey sleeveless kimono-styled blouse and dark blue her pants strutted in. Another visitor? Since when?

 _I've never seen her around here before._ The boy glanced to his unconscious sensei. _Is she some secret admirer of his?_

"May I come in?" the woman asked, a kind smile on her face.

"Um, sure…but who are you?" Sakura asked.

The woman didn't answer. She was followed by another woman with black hair carrying a pig. Then a blur of orange bolted into the room. "Sasuke, Sakura!"

Both Team Seven members perked up at the sound of that voice.

"Naruto?" Sakura questioned in surprised.

Their teammate grinned and nodded as he stopped in front of them. "Yep! Long time no see, huh?"

"Yeah," the pair agreed in unison with smiles.

"It was almost peaceful," Sasuke jested.

"Oh, ha ha, very funny, Sasuke," Naruto drawled, smirking and rolling his eyes as he did. "Anyways, this is Granny Tsunade! She's going to make everything better and heal Kakashi-sensei, Amari and Bushy Brows!"

The pair raised their eyebrows then returned their attention to the blonde woman.

 _So she's a part of the Legendary Sannin, the master of healing arts._ She appeared younger than he expected.

Jiraiya entered the room last and leaned against the wall near the door, features neutral. Tsunade moved to the side of Kakashi's bed, examining him with experienced and scrutinizing eyes.

Sakura bowed to Tsunade. "Oh please, if you can save our Sensei and friends…"

Tsunade gave them a genuine smile. "Well, I'll see what I can do."

Naruto rested his hands behind his head, relaxing fully as the woman turned back to their unconscious sensei, placing a green glowing hand on his forehead.

"Hey, Naruto," Sasuke spoke up. His teammate glanced over to him. "Good work."

Naruto smiled and nodded. "Thanks."

* * *

 _"There's something I have to do. Neither of you are going to like it, but it's what has to be done."_

 _Amari moved to stand, but using the remaining strength he had left, Kakashi snatched hold of her arm. "Don't be stupid," he chastised. "You know you're no match…for them. And with the genjutsu…he placed on you…who knows what he could do to you."_

 _She nodded in solemn agreement. "You're right. But this is the only way I can ensure you guys survive this. You can't fight anymore, and the risk of the Mangekyō Sharingan means Asuma-sensei and Mom have to keep their eyes closed."_

 _Another weak smile crossed Amari's face. "I'm the only one who can break free of his special genjutsu, or fight with my eye closed." Minimal effort was all she needed to break free of his grasp. "I'm sorry, but if I leave now, you all die. I can't do that."_

 _Pain squeezed Kakashi's heart. His student was abandoning her life to fight a battle she knew was hopeless. A battle she knew would end in her death._

 _Amari was leaving, and there was nothing he could do. Nothing except helplessly watch it unfold as he had done too many times before._

 _She wrapped him up in a hug. "Thank you for teaching me and your support over the years. I'll make them fight for every inch. I promise."_

 _No physical blade could hurt as much as that goodbye did._

 _ **Please…don't do this**_ _. Kakashi's plea wouldn't stop her. He knew that._

 _She shared another smile with them. Warmer. Meant to soothe. "Don't look so worried you two. I'll be okay. After all, you guys are the ones who trained me. And I've got back up from my cousin today."_

 _He hoped beyond all hope it would be enough._

" _I hope you're ready, because I'm going to go all-out, Itachi!"_

 _The battle between his student and Itachi raged on. Step by step the elder Uchiha whittled Amari's defenses and plans down. This wasn't a fight. It was a game. A diversion. And Itachi maintained control of it at every moment._

 _Inevitably, he had Amari right where he wanted her._

" _The genjutsu I placed on you, it was created by your cousin in order to protect you. But I changed its purpose." Itachi lifted up his finger and pointed at her. "The jutsu I casted on you wasn't to protect you, it was to torture you."_

" _Amari, get out of here now!" Kakashi ordered in panic. She didn't budge in the slightest. "Amari!"_

 _"I…can't move."_

 _Shisui Uchiha. The name triggered the genjutsu instantaneously, and with its activation came screams and sobs of agony Kakashi never wanted to hear again. Screams and sobs that tore his heart apart with a rusted and jagged knife._

 _He was helpless. Helpless to protect her. Helpless to save her. What a cruel running gag the fates placed upon him._

 _The black chakra spurred him to act, as it did Kurenai and Asuma. He was in no shape for battle, but he couldn't let Itachi's malicious actions twist Amari into a child of darkness._

" _I will kill you for what you've done!"_

 _She was getting farther and farther away, slipping through their fingers in seconds. He tried his best to run, to cut off her charge at Itachi, but his body could barely function. Kakashi considered it a miracle he made it into the barrier of the fūinjutsu._

" _You bastard! I'll make you_ _ **suffer**_ _! I'll break every bone in your body! And then I'll continue to break you over and over and over again until you are begging for my mercy!" the darkness within his student screamed at Itachi. "But you'll find no mercy! None! Because you don't deserve it! You- you," her voice wavered, more tears spilling over, "how could you kill him?! How could you?!"_

 _"Amari…" Kurenai murmured._

 _"You stole my family from me!" she wept. "Why am I still alive? Huh?! Why didn't you kill me too?! Did you just want me to suffer?!"_

 _Itachi said nothing. Kakashi wanted to speak, to support her, but he didn't even know where to begin. What could he even say when he struggled for so long with those same questions?_

" _Answer me, you bastard! Stop standing there in silence! Say_ _ **something**_ _!"_

" _This has gone far enough."_

 _Those five words and the owner of them changed everything. Shisui Uchiha, or the chakra manifestation of him, swooped in to save his precious cousin when she needed him most._

 _Kakashi was grateful. Drowning in guilt, but still wholly grateful._

 _"Beware of the Foundation."_

 _He should have known. He should have seen through that man's lies all those years ago, yet he didn't. The shock of the Massacre left him blind to the truth, and as he looked at Itachi and Aimi—his former comrades—he began to piece together the reality hidden behind a fantastic illusion._

 _Shisui's departure left the battle to continue. Second by second, though, the Leaf shinobis were losing ground. Kurenai's injury, Asuma's drained chakra due to Samehada, Amari's Mangekyō Sharingan; where were their reinforcements? How much longer would it take?_

 _Hana Inuzuka's arrival settled his nerves, only for horror to strike his heart._

 _Blinding red light exploded at the epicenter of Itachi and Amari, spanning several meters in width and length in the shape of a dome, stretching almost to the top of the nearby tree canopies in height._

 _Shockwaves rattled his bones and shot his heart into his throat. Torrents of hot wind burned his flesh as the gusts ripped past the gathered shinobi. Choppy waves swelled on the once calm river as an implosion of water shot high into the sky, only for the displaced hot water to rain down upon all the bewildered and speechless shinobi._

 _Fog obscured where the two shinobi once stood._

"' _Tachi!" Aimi cried out in fear._

" _Little one!" Kurenai did the same in almost unison._

 _ **No…**_

 _Guy's, Mimi's and Atsuko's arrival did not ease his thundering heart._

 _Amari's body floated lifelessly in the water. Blood streaked down both of her cheeks. Then Itachi placed his blade to her throat._

" _On the contrary, you will either let us leave peacefully, or I will kill her right in front of all of you."_

 _"Amari!" Kurenai cried out for her daughter._

 _There was no fight left in Amari's body. No spirit. No fire._

" _Spare me your bravado," he cut off Mimi's fury. "I'm through playing games and entertaining foolish impulses. Try to attack us and I_ _ **will**_ _kill her. Or do you think you'll be faster than my blade?"_

 _He was met with silence._

" _As I thought. Kisame. Aimi."_

Kakashi bolted upright with a struggled gasp, and immediately regretted it. Aches across his entire body left him wincing. Searing white light blinded his vision.

His last memories were so vivid. Agonizingly vivid.

 _Amari…_

Kakashi squeezed his eyes shut to try to focus. Body check. His fingers and toes flexed at his command; he rolled his ankles and wrists, feeling the muscles in his calves and forearms react accordingly; the act of breathing was no longer hampered by the feeling of punctured lungs—all good signs.

Right. Soreness and lightheadedness aside, he was good to go.

Soon as the thick fog hindering his mind cleared he'd get on the move and find whatever trail was left behind by the Akatsuki.

"Hey, calm down. You're safe," a feminine voice soothed.

A gentle hand rested on his shoulder. Kakashi opened his eyes and blinked repeatedly to clear the Hidden Mist Jutsu obscuring his vision. Sterile white walls surrounded him—the hospital then. The general forms of human beings filled the room, but nothing distinct enough for him to identify yet.

 _I'm safe, but Amari isn't,_ was how he wanted to reply. All he managed was a struggled, intelligible sound. Then a grimace.

 _I feel so stiff. How long have I been in this bed for?_

Too long. Exacts mattered, though. How far ahead were Itachi, Kisame and Aimi? How much ground did he have to make up? A day? Two?

 _I have to pick up their trail. I won't let her die too._

"Kakashi-sensei, you're okay!"

Naruto. Drawn to the voice, he recognized the distinct silhouettes of three of his students—the fourth was missing.

 _Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura are safe. That's some good news at least._

He blinked. Swallowed saliva down his desert dry throat. Gah, it felt horrible.

Finally his vision began to return, allowing him to take in the familiar legendary beauty known throughout the whole shinobi world.

"Lady…Tsunade?" he croaked.

Hovering close by was a black-haired woman—Shizune, he believed. Near the exit stood Master Jiraiya, arms crossed over his chest as he watched the entire scene.

"In the flesh," she replied with a friendly—and charming—smile.

No one could accuse Master Jiraiya of poor taste in women.

The friendly smile was felled by a disappointed frown.

"Taken down by a few punks, Kakashi? It's just—"

He probably should have listened to being scolded. That was probably the respectful thing to do given her status. However, her words flew in one ear and out the other.

Amari didn't have time to spare. But…if Lady Tsunade was here then he'd been in this hospital for more than a day or two. At minimum he guessed at least a week. Maximum? Well, years definitely hadn't passed. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura looked exactly as he remembered them.

Months then?

 _Has she already been found? Or is she still captured?_

He refused to acknowledge the possibility of her death.

Amari was alive.

"—you're one of our elite."

 _So were Itachi and Aimi once. They've grown tremendously since our days in the Anbu._

He couldn't dwell on it or let Lady Tsunade continue. Couldn't they see how desperate he was for answers?

"…That's a really nice speech and all, but…" Kakashi turned his head to look at his three students, hope and fear equally mixed in his open eye. "Guys, how long have I been out? What happened to Amari?"

Sullen features overcame them; guilt and failure were prominent, cracking his glass heart audibly in his ears. _No…please, don't tell me she's…_

"You've been out for a month, Kakashi-sensei." His eye bulged. "And Amari…she was badly wounded. She used the last of her strength to save me and Sasuke," Naruto answered solemnly.

More cracks cut through his ears.

 _Amari…you sacrificed yourself again to protect your comrades._

It sounded like her…

"Itachi used the same genjutsu on her that he used on you," Sasuke continued.

The glass heart shattered, destroyed by too much guilt to bear. _Amari…I'm so sorry._

How much pain did Itachi put her through before he decided it was enough? How long had she endured before breaking from the continuous torment?

"She was put into the same state as you. She's in the next room."

Hope overwhelmed Kakashi. "So she's still alive?" They all nodded. He released a sigh that wasn't full of relief but wasn't entirely full of sorrow. "Well…that counts for something then. At least you're all safe."

Hurricane force winds and storm surge battered and submerged his barely stitched together heart with guilt, but his urgency to leave this bed dissipated.

Amari was alive. Safe within the walls of Konoha. Injured by a terrible genjutsu, but at least she was no longer in the hands of the Akatsuki. No longer out of reach or in danger of death.

"We're all really glad you're okay Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said.

Kakashi managed a tired closed eyed smile at the trio. "Sorry for worrying you all."

The bright and inviting daffodils settled next to his bed caught his attention as he opened his eyes. _Fresh flowers? Sakura must have been visiting often._

"You picked lovely flowers, Sakura."

She smiled and blushed faintly at the compliment. "Thank you, Sensei."

"Kakashi."

Jiraiya's voice drew Kakashi's attention immediately—a voice easily associated with an imminent invasion, or a fated battle between a paragon of good and the incarnation of evil.

"I know you've just woken up, but there's something you need to know regarding Amaririsu."

Tsunade moved to stand next to her fellow Sannin; their features were sharp as blades of lightning.

Kakashi sighed. "You mean the Mangekyō Sharingan, right?"

"So you know."

A small, tired nod was his answer. "Amari broke me out of Itachi's Tsukuyomi after two days of torture. Had I gone through the third, I doubt I could have managed staying conscious as long as I did." He turned a curious look their way. "How did you find out?"

"Itachi told me himself when he tried to kidnap Naruto."

Kakashi hummed in acknowledgment but said nothing.

 _They must have followed through with using Amari to find Naruto_ , he pieced together. _And somewhere during that she sacrificed herself again to rescue Naruto and Sasuke. After rescuing Amari, Naruto and Master Jiraiya probably set out to find Tsunade, likely to take up the mantle as the Fifth Hokage and to heal us._

Kakashi grimaced internally. _And I dismissed her like that? Smooth, Kakashi, real smooth._

The events of the last month were falling into place—all except one.

"I get the feeling you didn't bring this up just to tell me that Amari unlocked the Mangekyō Sharingan. What's on your mind?" Kakashi prodded for more information.

Jiraiya flicked his eye over to him, likely to gauge the honesty in his words to whatever his next question was. "The power she unlocked, did it appear like an exploding red star?"

Suspicion dripped in his voice. It left Kakashi with an uneasy feeling in his gut.

Regardless, he nodded. "Yes."

Jiraiya's lips remained in a flat frown, eyes returning to the window across from him—a silent sign of disapproval.

Silence befitting a meeting of old friends who parted on bad terms deafened the room. Naruto noticeably shifted on his feet, uncomfortable by the sudden change of mood.

 _He can't be thinking about sealing her eyes like the Hyūga Clan, could he?_

True the power Amari unlocked was dangerous to enemies and allies equally, but to lock away her eyes right out the gate? Did Jiraiya doubt Amari's loyalty that much? Why?

"What are you planning to do?" he asked cautiously.

"We're going to wake Amaririsu up and prepare for the possibility she might attack," Jiraiya answered honestly.

"What?!" Naruto shrieked in surprise.

"Amari isn't Itachi or Aimi, Master Jiraiya," Kakashi assured firmly.

"Maybe not, but caution is appropriate given the circumstance. That power could easily destroy this entire hospital in a blink of an eye," the Toad Sage pointed out. "We don't know if Itachi tweaked the genjutsu on her mind. For all we know, he could have turned her."

Arguments formed at the tip of Kakashi's tongue…yet none found a voice. What Jiraiya said of her power and of Itachi's genjutsu were too valid to ignore; he _felt_ that devastating raw power firsthand, and Itachi's prowess with genjutsu far surpassed theirs.

 _But in my heart I can't allow myself to believe that Amari is now our enemy._

"Whoa, hold on!" Naruto took a forceful step forward, indignation tensing every muscle in his body. "Treating Amari like a threat wasn't part of the deal, Pervy Sage! She risked everything to save me and Sasuke, you saw it yourself! And now you think she might be an enemy because of that Itachi Uchiha guy?!"

"Cool it down, kid. This is a hospital. Show respect for the other patients," Jiraiya scolded. "Don't forget, Naruto, Itachi Uchiha is a master of genjutsu. Look at what he did to Kakashi and Amaririsu; they've been in a coma-like state for a full month, requiring a level of Medical Ninjutsu only Tsunade could apply."

Jiraiya's brow deepened. "In all my years as a shinobi, I've witnessed only a handful of jutsus of such enormous power like the power Amaririsu now wields. We must be careful. Itachi could have planted a suggestion to bring you to the Akatsuki or to destroy the Leaf."

"Amari would never do that," Naruto argued.

"You're right. Amaririsu wouldn't. But we're not talking about Amaririsu in control of herself," Jiraiya countered. "We're talking about Itachi Uchiha controlling her. This is just as much for her safety as it is for the Leaf,"

Naruto opened his mouth to argue but Kakashi cut him off. "Naruto, relax. Amari will be fine."

Something about the genjutsu on her mind didn't add up anymore. _The way Shisui acted towards Itachi and Aimi, his warnings and the path he left her…_

No. It didn't add up. Not at all. There was more hidden beneath the surface. _Purposefully_ hidden from all of them, even the eyes of veterans like Jiraiya and Shikaku.

 _Patience_ , Kakashi reminded himself. Acting rashly or alone were the mistakes he'd be cautioned against. Later he'd speak to Shikaku, Jiraiya and Tsunade about Shisui's warnings, when they were in a more secure location and his senses weren't clouded.

For now, he had a line to draw in this argument. "I understand your caution and I won't argue against it, Master Jiraiya" Kakashi said.

"Not that you're in much of a position to argue," Jiraiya replied cheekily.

"I wasn't finished." The statement earned him a confused expression. "I understand your caution and won't argue against it, but I will not permit you to needlessly seal away her eyes. If Itachi tweaked the genjutsu then I _will_ find a way to fix it."

Kakashi eye smiled at the Sannin. "Trust me, the repercussions of Kurenai learning you placed a fūinjutsu on her daughter's eyes will be more substantial than anything Amari could do."

"Was that an order, Kakashi?" Jiraiya asked, the smile on his lips and lightness to his voice betrayed by the serious aura around him.

Kakashi wasted no time meeting his gaze with a sharpened eye. "Yeah, it was."

Jiraiya frowned, doing away with his lighthearted façade.

This was one subject they were going to be at ends on.

"Listen, I get that you have your reasons for being cautious with Amari." Namely the blond-haired boy occupying this room and her Uchiha heritage. "I understand what this power can do, and it concerns me what might happen if it ever fell into the wrong hands. But treating Amari like a ticking time bomb won't do anything good. She's going to be extremely fragile when she wakes up."

"Fragile?" Tsunade asked.

Kakashi nodded and met her brown eyes. "We can't forget how the Mangekyō Sharingan is awakened: the severing of a bond. Amari regained memories of her cousin, was able to spend time with him and hold him in her arms again, but at the end of the day she has suffered the severing of that very precious bond."

He cast his look around the room. "For all of you it has been a month since the Akatsuki infiltrated, and since Lord Third died in battle. For us, it hasn't even been more than a week. The wounds we received physically, emotionally and mentally, they're still fresh."

None of them saw the pure elation she felt with Shisui, or how the severing of that bond truly affected her. They didn't hear her heartrending sobs. They didn't have to watch her say goodbye to him.

Kakashi couldn't do anything about it from here, but if he could at least stop Jiraiya from interrogating her intensely, he would consider it a victory.

 _It's the only thing I can do right now. Later, when no one is watching me, I'll try to check in on her._

He turned his eye back Jiraiya. "Amari is a docile deer normally, but she's not an idiot. She'll sniff out your suspicion in a heartbeat, possibly will even understand it. However, if you poke and prod her in this state you will learn that a Mangekyō Sharingan ability is the least of your worries. You won't see her attack coming."

"And what kind of attack will it be?"

A darkly amused chuckle escaped Kakashi at the question. "You'll know it if you see it." The silver-haired Jōnin dipped his head towards the door. "If you have any more questions then I'll be here, but I'd prefer you to at least wake Amari up first." He smiled at Tsunade. "And I'm sure our new Hokage has much more to do after healing us."

"True," Tsunade agreed and started towards the door. "Come on, Jiraiya. The sooner we get this done, the sooner I can heal the others in this hospital."

Tsunade, Jiraiya and Shizune departed. Kakashi turned to his students with an eye smile. "He's going to learn the hard way." The trio giggled and chuckled respectively. "Go on and tell Amari I said to take it easy."

"We will, Kakashi-sensei. Make sure you do the same," Sakura told him.

"I will," he promised. _For a little while anyways._

"Once you get out of here I'll have to show you the super-cool new jutsu I learned, Kakashi-sensei. It'll blow you away I bet," Naruto boasted.

"Heh, with a bloody nose probably," Sasuke wisecracked as he pushed off the wall and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"No way! It's not anything like the Sexy Jutsu!" Naruto argued, following Sasuke out the door with Sakura.

"It's probably even more perverted," Sakura stated.

"What?! Not you too! Come on! Can't you take my side this time?"

"You were with a man you call Pervy Sage for an entire month. What am I to expect?" she retorted as they left the room.

… _I think I should be offended that they each believed I would fall for that jutsu._ He smiled softly and chuckled to himself. _It's nice to see things haven't changed one bit._

"Interesting students you have there, Kakashi."

 _Huh? That voice._ Kakashi turned his head to the window, where a man now leaned on the windowsill in full Anbu gear. The cat stylized mask sparked realization and rose his eyebrows in shock.

"I haven't seen you in a while. What are you doing here, Tenzō?"

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: No, Shisui wasn't in the Police Force. And Lady Tsunade definitely has her work cut out for her when she gets back._

 _More on Natsumi later._

 _We'll have to wait and see what kind of power Amari can unlock and if she has the potential to match Madara Uchiha at all. Interesting theories nonetheless, in regards to both Natsumi's and Amari's heritage._

 _Her right eye will have the normal appearance, the Sharingan and then the Mangekyo. Her left eye will have the normal lavender appearance when deactivated, the vein bulging and intense look of an activated Byakugan and then, when she uses the Mangekyo, the eye will show its new hybrid state by turning fuchsia with her Mangekyo design within it. It'll also glow in the dark like Sharingan at that point, while also retaining the original abilities of the Byakugan._

 _Sorry about the missing update last week. Life sort of got out of hand last week, but things have finally calmed down. Should be back on my usual schedule._

 _Thanks for the review!_


	67. Chapter 66: Hidden Sorrow

Chapter 66

Hidden Sorrow: A Heart Full of Pain

Tenzō monitored Amaririsu's teammates with keen eyes, his body a barricade between the young kunoichi's door and the three Genin desiring to enter. From what he gathered, Master Jiraiya stood on the razors edge of caution and suspicion of Amaririsu Yūhi's allegiance; a complicated and unfortunate situation, worsened by a…difference of opinions.

These children were emphatically displeased by the suspicion, especially the blond one—Naruto Uzumaki. He paced back and forth, steps short and hurried, impatience all but vibrating off of him. Cerulean eyes stalked the stilled Anbu agent, squinting in distrust, saying everything bottled inside without a word ever being spoken between them.

Glaring at him wouldn't change anything. This was the way things were, regardless of how unfair it seemed to Naruto. Could he confirm Amaririsu wasn't compromised by Itachi? Could he defend against a power Master Jiraiya and Kakashi rightfully seemed shaken by?

No. He couldn't, and so here they were.

Leaning against the wall opposite of Tenzō were Naruto's teammates, neither any less displeased than him, though respectful enough to conceal it beneath neutral expressions. Concern flickered in the emerald eyes of the kunoichi. Annoyance in the Uchiha's.

Tenzō sympathized, but he had his orders: No one, especially Naruto, was allowed to enter. Master Jiraiya, Lady Tsunade, her assistant and Shikaku Nara—who arrived several minutes earlier—were the only people permitted inside until further notice.

 _I'm sure this will go smoothly._

Surely these kids weren't foolish enough to attempt anything against him.

* * *

Clashing and sharp _clangs_ of steel disturbed the timeless and peaceful realm of Amari's mindscape. Blades of grass, still and harmless, were bent and crushed beneath quick feet dashing and dancing in an endless duel.

How long had they been fighting for? Weeks? Months? Years? Amari didn't know. Couldn't know. Time didn't exist here; the sun never set behind a horizon so the stars could sparkle and dazzle a black canvas; her body didn't require sleep or hydration or any other needs fulfilled, stealing any excuse she may have thought of to take a break.

So the duel and training continued. Endless. Painfully endless.

Amari parried a series of strikes from Itachi then slid back in a retreat, tantō held up in preparation for his incoming strike. Sweat slicked her skin, flying off with every strike she made; she could feel her grip threatening to fail.

There was no time to think about her sore muscles or to doubt her ability to win. Itachi was already on her, sword seeking flesh to end this battle definitively.

"Damn it," she hissed.

Her tantō barely made the proper block in time. Again, for what was certainly the hundredth time, she was reminded her eyes alone weren't enough to win a battle. She saw his movements clearly, the perception of her Byakugan and Sharingan as sharp as ever, but with her body entangled by vines of exhaustion and aching from cuts, bruises and minor burns she couldn't _react_ fast enough.

"Cursing won't help you," Itachi drawled, striking again.

Amari blocked and growled, frustrated and annoyed by the taunt. Troublesome jerk. But she bit her tongue. Engaging in a verbal jousting battle would only muddle her already dulled reflexes.

She spun on her toes, throwing a kunai mid-spin in hopes of putting Itachi off balance. It didn't. He dodged the kunai and caught her blade with another strike.

Her grip faltered for the last time. Itachi, with superior skill and deftness, disarmed her in an instant with his sword. Then the tip of the blade sat against her throat, her tantō lying harmlessly in the grass next to her and her Shadow connecting them.

"Didn't I say you were _forbidden_ from using ninjutsu?" he asked, tone dry and answer already in his possession.

The Nara didn't have enough air in her lungs to retort. She shot him a mild glare through quick breaths that matched the rapid tempo of her heart.

 _In a real battle you'd be dead_ , the quiet voice of her mind informed.

Even without the 'no ninjutsu' stipulation the voice was right. Her Shadow was a second too slow to capture Itachi, and then even too weak to maintain a hold. Had this been a real battle, her head would be rolling around in the grass.

Fun.

Amari released her Shadow and let her body collapse backwards without a care. She was already sore. What was one more bruise and lost air in her lungs? She couldn't breathe anyways.

Itachi's hands caught hers before she could land and steadily lowered her until she was lying flat.

"Thanks," she whispered between breaths.

Itachi hummed and knelt down next to her, resting his hand on her forehead. Amari had grown used to this process. Slowly, steadily, as if being magically pulled out of her body, the exhaustion and aches disappeared. Any moment now she'd be recovered, and then it'd be back to the grindstone.

"So," she exhaled a far calmer breath. The minor burns and cuts were almost gone. "What's next? Another new technique? More dueling? Or a different kind of spar?"

"Your training is complete, for now," Itachi replied stoically, removing his hand from her head.

Amari sat up, eyebrows at their peak. "Complete? What do you mean?"

He offered her his hand and hefted her onto her feet when she took it. The fire of his Sharingan cooled back to onyx. "The trauma of the Tsukuyomi is finally being healed. You will wake up momentarily."

"Oh…"

Amari deactivated her dōjutsu and lowered her eyes.

Itachi hadn't gone easy on her since they started training. This latest bout of collapsing via exhaustion wasn't even the worst of it; he showed her no mercy, all to prepare her for the coming days, months and years.

Yet despite the severity of his training, she was eager to keep at it because training provided a distraction from the pain gnawing at her heart.

Granted she wanted to see her friends and family again. She wanted to hug her mother tightly and never let her go…but out there, back in the real world where time existed, ignoring the absence of Shisui was impossible. Out there she couldn't train endlessly to block out the agonizing sorrow his death left her. There'd be no choice but to confront it…and Amari worried she wouldn't be able to. Not in front of anyone at least.

A poke to the forehead returned her attention to Itachi. "You've progressed well, but you mustn't forget everything you have learned. Your memories of Shisui, the truth we've entrusted to you, while it is a heavier burden to bear, do not allow your grief to isolate you. Even in the darkness Shisui never lost his heart. See you do not lose yours."

"I'll…try."

Itachi smiled down at her, genuinely. Warmly. It made her miss him more. "You will be fine, Haya. Shisui, Aimi and I believe in you. Stay true to yourself and follow the path you've chosen." She nodded. "Now, it's time for you to wake up."

He poked her forehead one last time and the mindscape faded to darkness.

A tired and broken groan escaped Amari's lips, eyes squinting and blinking against the burning white light she recognized all too well. The hospital. It seemed this place was becoming a secondary residency, unfortunately. Maybe they could give her a discount for being a repeat customer.

Lukewarm Medical Ninjutsu flowed through her body—soothing, like a warm bath, or a bowl of ice cream after a week in a desert.

As Amari's vision refocused, the figure of a blonde-haired woman hovering over her came into view. Gorgeous. Even in her hazy state the word rang true. Her brown eyes were intense, young in appearance and yet somehow older. Wiser. Scarred. Entrancing.

The second of this stranger's greatest features, from Amari's waking examination, was her buxom bust. All she had to do was lean over Amari and the burning light would have been hidden behind an eclipse of bulging cleavage.

Not a bad way to die, Amari supposed. A pleasant sight and then death by a heart attack. She could have handled that. Shisui would never let her live it down…but at least they'd be together.

The thought sent a volcanic eruption of aches to burn her heart.

 _Shisui…_

Tears stung Amari's eyes. Yearning for her cousin's presence, for his comfort and troublesome teasing left her on the verge of breaking down before even sitting up. It still felt so fresh. So harsh and painful.

 _Breathe_ , she coached herself. _Breathe. Grieve later. Cry later. Don't do it here._

Amari buckled down her sorrow into a containment room, where she knew it would fester, and struggled to sit up. But there was no other choice, not to her mind or her pride.

"Easy there." The beautiful stranger's voice was its own kind of medicine. Her gentle hands helped guide the groggy girl into a seated position. "You're safe now."

Amari nodded, slowly processing the words. _I'm safe…_

But were the others? Her heart jumped and stomach churned with anxiety. During the heat of the moment it never occurred to her that she failed. That her attempts to buy time only delayed the deaths or severe injuries of her loved ones.

 _Mom, Kakashi-sensei, Asuma-sensei…_ Panic dug its nails into Amari's already fragile heart. _Did they survive? What about Naruto and Sasuke?_

Oxygen refused to fill her lungs. Every breath came faster than the last, her eyes beginning to dart around the room in search for familiar faces. The beautiful stranger kept a warm, gentle, supportive hand on her shoulder. Never did Amari consider the threat it posed to her life.

A black-haired woman with a pet pig stood in the room, accompanied by Master Jiraiya.

"'Risu," the familiar voice snapped her panicked eyes to her uncle, now sitting on the edge of her bed. He took her small, unscarred hand into his and held her gaze with relief and comfort in his eyes. "Breathe."

Breathe? How could she breathe? No Team Seven. No comforting and scolding red eyes. No Asuma. Where were they? Did she fail? Did Itachi and Aimi have no choice but to fulfill their mission? Did Kisame kill them?

The words to ask the questions escaped her. She couldn't breathe. Her stomach kept churning violently, as if she were stuck on a boat in the middle of raging storm. Kami, she felt sick.

Realization flashed in Shikaku's eyes. "They're safe, 'Risu. They're all safe," her uncle soothed. "Everyone. Kurenai, Asuma, Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke are all safe and alive. Osamu, too. He made a full recovery."

Again she was nearly brought to tears, this time in joy. They pricked at her eyes, struggling so desperately to break down the containment room door. Choked down sobs worked their way between gasps for air.

She wanted a hug, and she sensed her uncle relenting against his desire to embrace her. Amari appreciated his measured control, because if he were to hug her right now she'd crumble. Neither wanted that.

"Hana, Guy and Mimi arrived at the first battlefield, and after you unleashed that jutsu, Itachi used you to discourage further battle or pursuit. At the second battlefield, after Itachi used the Tsukuyomi on you, Master Jiraiya protected all of you and almost killed all three of the Akatsuki."

Which meant Itachi and Aimi were still alive. Relief replaced anxiety, calming her heart and mind, yet leaving Amari emotionally and physically exhausted.

Everyone was safe. Even Itachi and Aimi. What a relief.

"…At least I wasn't completely useless," she muttered.

"No, you're not. You're reckless," Jiraiya started in on a lecture.

Amari didn't care to listen. Everything he wanted to say Itachi already beat into her.

 _I…remember_ , she thought, shock hidden behind exhaustion. _Last time I couldn't even remember who it was, but now…_

Perhaps the genjutsu saw no sense in beating the lessons into her only for her to forget. Or because of the new knowledge she possessed it no longer needed to hide itself from her. Amari couldn't say, and she was too tired to care. Too tired to listen to Jiraiya, too.

The scolding was well-deserved, Amari knew, but Itachi hammered the same points in already. Had it been literally anyone else, even just Kisame, she would be dead. It was only because Itachi and Aimi called the shots that she didn't meet her end.

 _"You would be dead if you had faced anyone else," Itachi chastised as he dodged her attack and landed a knee into her gut. "What is the purpose of protecting the people you love if you throw your life away so foolishly?"_

 _"At least they'll be alive! At least then I will have been able to defend them!" she argued._

 _A hard punch to her face sent her flying across the mindscape, followed by a knee planting itself against her back, pinning her into the dirt. "You would throw away the sacrifice Shisui made, the sacrifice your parents made and destroy your loved ones from within for such a selfish reason?"_

 _The knee lifted and then slammed back into her back causing her to cry out in pain. "After everything you have been through, after everything you have been taught, you are still but a child!" His hand gripped her head and lifted her face out of the dirt to see his searing red eyes. "You disgrace your family."_

 _"Then maybe you should have spared them instead of me—"_

Her face promptly met the ground after that particular comment.

Pain and heartache made a volatile combination. It brought out the worst in her. But Itachi didn't stop the beating until she recognized his point: she walked with such reckless abandon for her own life, not caring whether she lived or died so long as it meant saving her loved ones…yet never stopping to wonder how much pain it would cause them if she did die.

She needed to fight smarter. Use every skill she possessed to bring everyone home safely—herself included.

Itachi taught her a lot in their time together. He passed on further knowledge regarding the Mangekyō Sharingan and the abilities she now possessed, their limitations and a reminder to not use them as a crutch. He taught her a new technique, trained her in their endless spars to battle more intelligently and even provided life lessons to help her on the journey ahead.

"Are you even listening to me?"

Amari startled awake. _Oops, forgot he was there._

Jiraiya could wait, though. There was another important question on her mind.

"Your speech was lovely, but…" she turned her attention to Shikaku. "Uncle Shikaku, how long have I been out of it?"

The Toad Sage sighed. "Like teacher like student."

"One month."

A single month wasn't too bad. Could have easily been worse. Fatally worse.

"Certainly felt that way," Amari muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"I've been training in the genjutsu ever since I was rendered unconscious. I don't know if it'll translate it into real results immediately, but the knowledge is there. I suppose that counts for something…" she trailed off.

If only her uncle was here, Amari would have told him _who_ was training her without hesitation. But she sensed the distrust and caution irradiating off of Jiraiya, and even a little from the woman next to her.

The dōjutsu wielder took a deep breath then let out a sigh. The tension in the room was going to give her another anxiety attack if she didn't cut it soon. This wasn't a party or 'happy-you-recovered' meeting; this was a light interrogation to ensure she wasn't a threat.

Nostalgia and déjà vu touched at her heart. _It's almost like the first time I ever woke up in this hospital._

History repeating itself was such a drag.

" _Of everything I ever accomplished, of everything I ever did, being your hero will always be my greatest achievement. I'm so happy I could be your cousin, little sis,"_ Shisui's voice broke through her barrier, making the young Uchiha flinch internally.

 _Shisui…I miss you. I wish you were here._ Amari inhaled a deep, shaky breath. _But you can't save me from every struggle I face. I would never learn anything or grow if you did._

"Let's get this over with, okay? I know you have questions, Master Jiraiya." She chuckled roughly. "Can't say I blame you. If you want Mr. Ibiki or Mr. Inoichi to check me over, fine. I get that. Just get it over with. The suspense is killing me."

" _'Risu_ ," her uncle chided.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. Thinking about Shisui, about the mountainous struggle of bearing the burden of his death… "I just…"

" _You will always mean everything to me, Haya. Never forget that."_

Another stitch of pain. Another pulsing ache no amount of Medical Ninjutsu could heal.

"Shisui is off limits," she dictated in a weak voice. "I…I need time."

Her uncle inclined his head in understanding. "Okay."

Jiraiya wasted no time starting in with the questions. Everything from the moment she first caught Osamu, to Aimi finding her—Kami, why did they have to be enemies?—and her reasons for blatantly ignoring the orders of her superiors to fight a hopeless battle came up. When he brought up how she lost herself, Amari flinched.

Why did he have to know about that? Why did he have to ask about the catalyst of it all?

Yes, she lost herself to the Curse of Hatred. Yes, all she wanted was the death of Itachi and Aimi in that moment, because they were the ones she saw as responsible for Shisui's death.

She hated the doubt in his eyes. Hated how her honesty only expanded his suspicion.

"Judge me if you want," she wanted to say, "but Shisui was everything to me."

Amari didn't say it, though. She held her tongue and detailed everything like she was reading a list of someone else's groceries.

When Shisui's return and the truth of his death came up she became tight-lipped, much to Jiraiya's displeasure.

"We need you to tell us everything he said," Jiraiya prodded.

Amari tried to snort. It came out as more of a sniffle. "In an insecure hospital? With two people I don't even know standing in here and a stranger just outside that door?"

"Listen, Amaririsu—"

"No, you listen!" Amari hissed. "It may have been a month for all of you, and years since the massacre happened, but it hasn't been for me, all right!

"I just lost my big brother! I just held him in my arms! Do you have any idea how it feels to spend limited time with the person you loved most, _knowing_ they are already _dead_? Knowing the laughs and smiles and hugs you share together will be the last ones you will ever have?"

Jiraiya answered with silence.

The gentle squeeze of her uncle's hands doused the fire in Amari's heart. Grounded her back in reality as tears threatened to spill over.

Amari grit her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut. "I am _barely_ holding it together here," she whispered weakly. "Don't demand me to show more strength. I am all out of it."

"'Risu's right," her uncle inserted as Jiraiya opened his mouth to speak. "This isn't the place to talk about the information Shisui entrusted to her and the others. I can debrief you both on everything later; it's imperative I do, for her safety, the Leaf's safety," he drew his eyes to the blonde woman, "and yours, Lady Hokage."

Amari's wide eyes flew to the beautiful stranger. "Lady…Hokage?"

The woman offered her a kind smile. "Well, not officially yet. For now I'm still just Tsunade Senju, granddaughter of the First Hokage."

… _I ogled Lady Tsunade of the Legendary Sannin._

Still not a bad way to die.

Amari bowed her head to her Hokage. "…If you need to hear this now, I'll—"

"No." The resolute answer of the Hokage lifted her gaze back to the woman. Sympathy colored her brown eyes and lifted her lips into a smile that told a long, grief stricken story.

 _I understand._

Brown eyes left her for the elder Nara. "Shikaku, do you have all the information I need to hear?"

"I do."

She nodded. The single gesture decided the matter for everyone. "Then we can move on."

And they did.

Amari explained her Mangekyō techniques next: Ōkuninushi and Amenominakanushi. Not only could she manipulate the Shadow of her enemies as long as they were in her line of sight, but she could create a corporeal Shadow copy of them that mimicked their strength and techniques perfectly.

Her uncle was impressed. She could already see him thinking of new tactics for the ability if and when she would be forced to use it again.

No one appeared surprised by Amenominakanushi. According to Itachi her father had wielded the power, too, and considering the age of Jiraiya and Tsunade—as well as her mother's relation to Shikaku—it made sense they recognized it.

The pensive knot to form between Jiraiya's brow pinged Amari. _So_ , she thought, _that's the power your most afraid of. You don't trust me to wield it, do you, Master Jiraiya? Or you're worried Itachi may manipulate me into unleashing it on the Leaf._

If they only knew. Could she even tell them the truth without earning further distrust? Would they even believe it?

 _I have to find some way to make them believe. Even if it takes me years, I_ _ **will**_ _find a way to clear Itachi's and Aimi's names so they can come home. Not as villainous rogue shinobi to be prosecuted, but the heroes they are for the sacrifices they've made for all of us._

"I should be dead," Amari stated quietly.

"Amaririsu…" the black-haired woman—Shizune, she learned from her uncle—sounded heartbroken at the admission.

"You got lucky" Jiraiya agreed. "But that doesn't take away from what you accomplished."

Amari shook her head. No. They didn't understand what she meant at all. "I'm not saying 'I should be dead' in a philosophical way of talking about a brush with death, or even in reference to the Massacre. I mean I drained myself of _all_ my chakra."

 _Even if I'm only planting small seeds now…_

"Itachi saved me." In more ways than she ever realized until recently. "The chakra I used with Ōkuninushi left me so close to absolute zero, I could barely keep myself on the surface of the water. The last scraps of chakra I had left went into Amenominakanushi. I should be dead."

"That's an interesting way of putting your situation."

"It's the truth, Master Jiraiya. Only Itachi could have given me chakra to survive at that point."

"You did have information he wanted," Tsunade pointed out. A logical conclusion, based on an ignorant idea Amari was responsible for.

This time she did manage a snort. "Itachi and Aimi didn't need me to find Naruto. And they aren't fools. They undoubtedly saw through my lies about the Akatsuki; where would I get that information from? I'm not a spy of the Leaf. I don't have connections to the other Villages to spread the word. I'm only a Genin."

Amari shifted on her bed, seeking a more comfortable position. "And if I posed a threat to the Akatsuki," she continued, "why not just let me die then? Why drag me along? To take Naruto?" Another snort. "One genjutsu would be all it took to capture Naruto, yet neither of them bothered to try."

The suspicion in Jiraiya flourished into a forest of distrust. He crossed his arms and kept his eyes on her. "What are you trying to say, Amaririsu?"

 _"This is our path. For Shisui, for you, for Sasuke, we must keep walking it."_

Her courage faltered. "It's nothing," she dodged, eye falling away.

They wouldn't understand. Maybe not even after everything her uncle told them. It was easier to judge Itachi and Aimi as criminals than it was to admit the situation was more complex than that.

"No, it's not. You clearly know or believe something about Itachi and Aimi. What is it?" he pressed.

"You won't understand until Uncle Shikaku tells you the other stuff," she dodged again. "…Can we please be done? I've told you everything I can."

"This is important, Amaririsu," Jiraiya didn't relent. "This is the last thing we'll ask you, but you need to tell us what you were trying to say."

Amari had enough. Her heart was hurting. She felt overwhelmed and ready to explode into tears at any moment.

The kid gloves slipped off, replaced by a blade that would end this verbal battle in a single blow.

"Considering it doesn't involve peeping on a—at the time—twelve year old girl and a bunch of women in swimwear playing around in a stream, I doubt my thoughts will interest you," she replied.

A noticeable vein bulged in Tsunade's forehead, followed by killing intent flooding off of her.

Game. Set. Match.

"Checkmate," her uncle said humorously under his breath.

" _Jiraiya_ ," Tsunade seethed, hands curling into fists.

Jiraiya's jaw dropped off. He shot a look of disbelief to his fellow Sannin. "You can't seriously be taking her word?! We discussed this on the road!"

"And yet this time I'm hearing from the girl herself that you were peeping on her as she and other women were in their swimwear."

 _Hmm, didn't expect her to take it that way_ , Amari thought, face blank. _Not that I'm complaining. She played into my hands even better than I could have planned._

As Amari was marveling over how well her plan had worked, Jiraiya continued his fit of disbelief and fear. "You can't be serious!"

Tsunade turned on her heel, no longer interested in the Nara child, and jabbed her finger at him. Fury exploded onto her face and bellowed out of her throat. "Do I look like I'm joking!"

The finger alone coaxed Jiraiya to take a step back towards the window, physically backpedaling as he did so verbally. "Come on, Tsunade. You know me. You—"

"You're damn right I know you!" she cut him off. "You and your _urges_ can never be kept in line." She pointed her finger to Amari. "And if a little girl happens to get caught in your cross-hairs then it's just a _misunderstanding_ and an _accident_."

Jiraiya appeared appalled at the accusation. Then a flicker of realization crossed his features. "This is exactly what Kakashi was warning me about."

Amari cocked her eyebrow up, curious about what he meant, which made Jiraiya jab his finger at her. "You! You're using your words to play Tsunade like a fool!"

"Who's a fool?!" Tsunade barked.

Amari believed her ability to keep a straight face deserved a reward. Perhaps celebratory ice cream. Did the hospital serve celebratory ice cream?

Jiraiya yelped and took another step back. "Listen to me, Tsunade. This is the attack Kakashi was talking about her using. She's turning us against each other! I never, in all my years, have ever peeped on a child! I admit to peeping on those women, but she wasn't ever among them. She's the enemy here, not me!"

Desperation consumed his voice. Unfortunately for Jiraiya, Tsunade's knowledge of his peeping had worked the legendary medic right into Amari's corner.

 _Looks like I win this round, Master Jiraiya. Retreat and forfeiting this battle is the best option you have._

"Oh no, you're not putting all the blame on this kid for your perverted tendencies." Tsunade took a threatening step forward. "Tell me, Amaririsu, how young were those women in swimwear?"

"Hmm…" The Nara brought her hand to her chin. "Early twenties, probably. Guy-sensei would say they were full of youthful energy the way they were splashing around and giggling."

"You've got to be joking," Jiraiya groaned. "How can she remember that so clearly?"

Amari smiled inwardly at the declining fate of the perverted shinobi but managed to keep it all hidden.

"I have near eidetic memory despite my forced amnesia. Pretty much everything I encounter, I remember," she informed.

 _Unluckily for you right now._

* * *

Meanwhile

* * *

Tenzō was watching Naruto carefully. As soon as the raised voices started, the trio straightened to attention. They were only hearing one side of a…complex conversation, and the parts they were hearing weren't making his job any easier.

 _That girl really played Lady Tsunade right into her hands with one statement. Impressive, if not a bit underhanded._

"You! You're using your words to play Tsunade like a fool!" Jiraiya accused.

Naruto growled and clenched his hands into fists. "That Pervy Sage better leave Amari alone."

"Who's a fool?!" Tsunade barked.

 _Oh boy._

"She's turning us against each other! She's the enemy here, not me!"

Naruto snarled. "That's it! I'm done letting him accuse and interrogate Amari! She's not our enemy." He took an aggressive stance. Tenzō narrowed his eyes behind his mask; this kid couldn't seriously think he stood a fighting chance against him, could he?

"You two just stand back. I'm going to blow right through this guy."

"Heh, whatever you say, loser." The Uchiha shrugged and motioned with a nod of his head for his kunoichi teammate to relax.

"You're getting the wrong idea, kid," Tenzō tried to diffuse the situation. _How to explain the conversation they're having?_ It was…well, it was embarrassing to hear secondhand about Master Jiraiya's perverted exploits. Explaining it? He wasn't sure he could. But he had to try, at least to avoid any damage to the hospital from this reckless boy.

"They aren't questioning—"

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Tenzō felt his eyes widen at the sea of orange charging towards him.

 _That's a lot of clones…_

* * *

Step by step, Tsunade stalked closer to Jiraiya, her heels clicking sharply against the floor. Jiraiya, cornered like a toad about to croak for the last time, was almost pressed fully against the wall and window behind him, sweating bullets of terror as Tsunade inched closer. And closer. And closer.

The poor fool, but he brought this upon himself, Amari rationalized. She gave him a chance to drop the subject, and apparently Kakashi warned him not to push his luck. But he ignored them both. Now it was time for his punishment.

Shikaku shot his niece a knowing smirk, nearly breaking her perfectly expressionless face. She could feel an amused snort threatening to escape, with a fit of giggles prepared to follow afterwards because of him, the troublesome adult. But Amari resolved to keep a straight face.

Shizune was on to her, too; however she seemed to want no part in this quarrel between the Fifth Hokage and white-haired Sannin.

It was as Jiraiya was on the verge of wailing that the sounds of a rowdy scuffle severed the tension. Shouts and cries belonging to a familiar voice, muffled by the door and wall separating the hall from her room, grew in intensity, as did a surge of chakra.

"Take this! Rasengan!"

 _Rasengan?_

The door suddenly ripped open; the loud sound startled Amari, much to her embarrassment. She caught the glimpse of a man in Anbu gear sidestepping Naruto, all the while a horde of Naruto clones clambered to hold him in place. They failed, miserably from the look of it, and weren't being shown any sign of mercy by the Anbu agent.

The real Naruto, caught off guard by the sudden absence of his target, stumbled into the room with a sphere of blue chakra in his hand.

 _Lightning Blade?_ Amari shook her head after a quick examination. _No, it has no Chakra Nature. It's pure chakra he's managed to shape into a small ball, like a handheld Rotation. The amount of chakra control needed for such a technique…and the power behind it…_

A fond smile worked its way onto her lips. _You just never stop growing, Naruto._

With his intended target gone, though, he began tripping towards Tsunade.

"Aiiiieeeee!" Shizune summed up the entire situation perfectly.

"Eh…eh…eh," the knucklehead stuttered, desperately attempting to slow down his forward momentum.

 _But you're still just as troublesome as you were before, thankfully. I'm glad you haven't changed since I've been gone._

"What a drag," Shikaku murmured. A black tendril lunged over the floor and ensnared Naruto, paralyzing him in place. The swirling power of the jutsu ruffled the clothes of the Hokage but did not damage her.

"Phew," Naruto breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, Jiraiya slid the window open and moved to escape, silent as any veteran shinobi should be.

 _Smart move. Using Naruto's distraction to escape the ire of Lady Tsunade is his best idea yet._

Tsunade bristled at the sight of Naruto and his jutsu, a second bulging vein joining the first. "You little fool!" She reached forward and grabbed his wrist. Amari couldn't hide her snort at Naruto's horrified expression. "This is a hospital, not a training ground!"

Shikaku's Shadow receded back to him in an instant, a muttered, "Sorry, kid, you're on your own now," beneath his breath.

Tsunade threw Naruto towards the window.

Right at the Toad Sage crouched in the open portal.

"And you're not escaping me that easily, Jiraiya!"

Jiraiya peered over his shoulder and gaped in pure fear. A light squeal of terror broke from his lips. "Naruto! Disengage the jutsu!" he cried.

The plea came too late.

The Rasengan, as Naruto called it, nailed the man right in the rump, ripped his pants apart at the point of impact then propelled him forward towards the horizon.

"YOOOOOOOWWWWWW!" Jiraiya's scream echoed in the room long after he was gone.

Naruto, on the other hand, fell out the second floor window; Amari swore she heard the ground quake when he landed.

"Nice to see you too, Naruto," she jested to herself. Shikaku chuckled with her.

Multiple clones yelping in pain and popping echoed in the hallway, the Anbu making short work of those that remained. Joining it was an explosion of familiar mad cackling from the hallway.

 _Mimi…_ Amari smiled from the warmth her sister's cackling gave her.

Tsunade turned to face the cat-masked Anbu agent, who bowed his head apologetically. "My apologies, Lady Hokage. I didn't expect that child to use such a powerful jutsu in the hospital."

Tsunade waved him off. "That's Naruto for you. He's a real handful. You can let her teammates in. Amaririsu's fine."

He nodded and moved out of the doorway, vanishing into the shadows when the eyes were off of him.

Sakura and Sasuke filed in first followed by Mimi, Aoko and Guy. Tsunade eyed the bushy-browed shinobi. "Well well, if it isn't Might Guy." Her brown eyes moved to the Inuzuka. "And is it safe to assume you're the Mimi Inuzuka Naruto has talked about?"

Both bowed. "Yes ma'am," Mimi answered. She came up from her bow with her sensei. "Would you be willing to come look at my teammate, Rock Lee?"

The Sannin smiled. "Of course. He's one of the reasons I'm here." She looked over to her assistant. "Come, Shizune. We have one last friend of Naruto's to heal before I check in with the others."

"Yes, milady."

"He's right this way, Lady Tsunade," Guy said, gesturing with his arm while taking the lead.

Sakura tackle hugged Amari before she could greet or say goodbye to Mimi.

"You stubborn idiot! What were you thinking fighting three S-Rank ninjas!" she scolded, voice cracking with emotion. "Do you have any idea how worried about you we've been?"

The hug and pain in her teammate's voice was enough to break down more of the safeguards the Nara built to prevent tears. Amari shut her eyes and wrapped an arm around Sakura. "I'm…sorry," she apologized weakly.

"I'll give you and your team privacy." Her uncle's hand ruffled her hair. "Rest easy while you can, little shadow. Shikamaru and Yoshino will come by to visit later."

 _Aunt Yoshino is going to crush me._ With her bare hands or a bear hug remained to be seen. Amari wasn't sure which was worse at this point. However, there was something she needed to ask her uncle, far more important than her fear of being crushed.

"Uncle Shikaku…can we talk privately later?"

"Of course," his answer came without hesitation or suspicion. For that, Amari was grateful. "Whenever you feel ready, 'Risu, I'll listen."

"Thank you."

A different, smaller hand took her unscarred hand into their warm embrace. Sasuke, she sensed without opening her eyes. But the small gesture transmitted the same feelings Sakura's hug gave her. Pain. Unspoken apologies. Fear she'd never come back.

Amari gripped it and held on tightly to reassure him she was alive, and to stave off her tears.

 _Damn it…I don't want to cry in front of them. Not after all the pain I've put them through._

" _What is the purpose of your desire to protect the people you love if you throw your life away so foolishly?"_

 _"You would throw away the sacrifice Shisui made, the sacrifice you parents made and destroy your loved ones from within for such a selfish reason."_

The words of Itachi hit her hard. Amari squeezed her eyes tighter and buckled down her resolve to fight the tears threatening to spill over. Not here, not in front of them, she swore.

"Try not to get into any trouble in the hospital without me, Amari. You can't keep hogging all the good fights to yourself," Mimi quipped.

Amari could feel the warm grin irradiating off her friend, causing her to chuckle and nod again. "I'll do my best, Mimi. See you later?"

"Yeah, I'll stop in. See you later, and try not to crush her, Broody. That hug you give is incredibly strong."

"Ha. Ha," Sasuke drawled.

Amari gave the boy's hand a comforting squeeze. "You are crushing me a little, Sakura," she admitted.

"Deal with it," her teammate returned.

 _Feisty as ever._ It was familiar. Comfortable. Despite her world getting flipped around again, to have this familiar ground to hold onto gave her a sense of stability from the spiraling storm of hell awoken within her.

When she was awake last there was no solid ground. A sinkhole opened beneath her and swallowed her entire fortress while an earthquake devastated the surrounding area the survivors fled to. Even with the guidance of her beloved cousin, she felt lost in an unbearably lonely and desolate darkness.

Fighting had distracted her. Itachi's training kept her too busy to think…but now there was no distraction. No place to hide from the pain. Within her heart, Amari could feel the culmination of every emotion she suffocated trying burst forth from their cage.

Yet she held it in through sheer willpower. While the hug and hand held relayed her teammate's feelings, it also gave her the sanctuary of solid ground. It was just enough to force the tears of anguish down and pretend everything would be okay. That nothing within her changed.

Even if that was a lie.

She wasn't okay. Like the scars left behind by the Land of Waves, this last battle left permanent marks underneath her skin, unseen as long as she maintained the illusion of normalcy.

"Man…that old lady sure can throw hard." A dull _thud_ followed Naruto's voice; her poor friend must have fallen on the floor after his climb. "Ugh. That guy in the mask would have been toast if he didn't open the door!"

Sakura and Sasuke relinquished their holds to look at Naruto. Amari caught Sakura wiping at her teary eyes; it left her with yet another pang of guilt. Turning her attention to Naruto, she found him lying on his back, staring up at the ceiling; splotches of dirt stained his orange jacket and pants, as if he'd been crawling around in a garden, planting fresh roses.

"You really know how to make an entrance, Naruto," Amari teased in a tired voice.

The sound of her voice acting like a bolt of lightning, or a caffeine rush. Naruto shot up onto his feet and charged over to her bed to practically tackle her off it.

Amari swayed towards the edge, eyes going wide, muscles tensing and heart racing. _What a drag!_ Her hands scrambled to grab the bed anywhere for a grip. But whether too weak or too stunned, her hands failed to maintain any significant hold.

Sakura, fortunately, caught and braced her before she could fall off the bed, sighing in mild annoyance at the knucklehead responsible.

"I- I was so worried about you!" Naruto's voice trembled.

"I…"

Forming that single word was an immense struggle. Not because Naruto was holding onto her too tightly, but because her voice wavered with her fragile heart. The feelings pouring off of Naruto was the paper bomb to her fortresses weak point, the tsunami wave to devastate a poor fishing village.

 _Stay strong. I have to be strong_ , Amari coached herself. She squeezed her eyes tightly and sought any willpower that remained in her already broken heart to keep the tears at bay.

"I'm sorry."

Naruto released her to rest his hands on her shoulders. Glossy, urgent cerulean eyes gazed into her soul. "Promise me, us, that you will _never_ trade your life for ours again."

Amari's eye strayed away. She couldn't make that promise. While she planned to be less reckless with her life, she couldn't promise she would never exchange her life for her friends.

In the end, if death was certain for one of them, she'd sacrifice herself for them.

 _If…if I had a choice to save their lives with my own or would have to witness them sacrifice their lives for me…I would always chose to save them. Right now it would destroy them. I'm their balancing point…but I can't promise I'll be here always. With the Foundation, this masked man who could be Madara Uchiha, Orochimaru and Kasai out there…_

She couldn't guarantee anything.

Naruto shook her body, snapping her attention back to his cerulean eyes. "Promise, Amari."

"I…promise I will be less reckless with my life and try my hardest not to ever die."

It was as close as she could get without lying.

 _I'm not you, Naruto. I can't make impossible promises possible. If there was any way I could, I would…but I can't. I wish I could say it to make you all feel better. I wish I could tell you that I will always be strong enough to protect everyone or myself without the possibility of death…but I can't._

Amari quickly changed the subject after the silence settled, hoping to learn how much she had missed since she was unconscious. Obviously a lot. New Hokage. Naruto had a new jutsu. What else, though?

Naruto told them about his adventure to find Tsunade first. It sound like most of his journey was spent training to learn the Rasengan, while ending on a battle between the three Legendary Sannin, plus Kabuto. Amari hoped it would be the last time she had to hear about Orochimaru and Kabuto.

As for Sasuke and Sakura, they had been training together and working to help Konoha for the last month. Sakura was quick to gloat teasingly about punching Sasuke in the face, which left Naruto and Amari in stitches at their teammate's expense.

Talking to her teammates, experiencing their comradery again, it was nice…yet Amari realized she was only putting on a tough face for them. It was…well, it wasn't _easy_ to pretend nothing happened, like she didn't know the truth about Itachi and Aimi…or that she wasn't slowly dying inside because Shisui was…

Simple things like smiles, laughter and jests reminded her again and again of the time she shared with Shisui…and that she couldn't share anymore smiles, laughter and jests with him. Old memories flashed before her eyes in the middle of their conversation or banter, intensifying the struggle to pretend.

Although Amari was glad to share time with them, when her team excused themselves for missions around the Village, and meeting up with Iruka in Naruto's case, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Amari hugged her legs close to her body and rested her forehead into them, shutting her eyes to the world around her. She wanted to curl up into a ball and cry, but she couldn't. Not yet. Her uncle warned her about Yoshino and Shikamaru visiting later, and Mimi promised to stop by as well, which meant holding it in a little longer. To have someone walk in on her balling her eyes out would be mortifying.

 _I just have to make it through the day._

A demanding task that grew harder every minute.

Her aunt, as expected, nearly crushed her in a hug and refused to let go for a long while. It about broke her.

"I'm okay, Aunt Yoshino," she reassured quietly.

Shikamaru was his usual self, hiding his fears behind a lazy, relaxed attitude.

Yoshino departed before her son to handle other business while the pair played a game of shogi. Her cousin tried to go easy on her, she could tell, but even then she lost.

"Don't worry about it. You're just distracted," Shikamaru pointed out but didn't prod further.

Even as her heart was deciding to play the part of a wood house in the middle of tornado, Shikamaru proved to be a fortress of impenetrable defense. He didn't prod her with questions; he didn't push against her crumbling barriers or smother her. Her Shika could see the storm raging within; he knew she was one more hug, comment or thought away from her illusion collapsing.

She was grateful to have him.

At the end of their game, Shikamaru got up and rested his hand on hers in silent comfort.

 _I'm here for you, whenever you need me,_ the gesture relayed to her.

Amari turned her hand over and squeezed his back to acknowledge and thank him for his support.

"I've got to go train with Asuma-sensei. Him and mom have been on me constantly about keeping up my training. Dad, too." He breathed out a sigh. "It's been a real drag."

Amari managed a tired giggle then nodded to him. "Good luck, Shika. Train extra hard for me." He nodded and, after a brief reluctant pause, released her hand.

As he reached the door, she spoke up again. "Shika?" Her cousin stopped and turned his head to meet her eye. "I…"

She paused in her apology and desire to tell him that she loved him. The words were caught in her throat. Caught by a sob that wanted so desperately to breathe. Her eyes watered.

"I know, 'Risu," Shikamaru soothed. "Take it easy, all right?"

" _Not like I can train in this troublesome place,"_ was what she wanted to jest back with. But her voice wouldn't come up and all she could manage was a nod to avoid falling into tears. Her cousin respectfully took his leave.

Again Amari hugged her legs close to her body and hid her face in them, wiping away the one sole tear that managed to sneak past her barricades as soon as it started to fall.

 _Thank you, Shika._

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: She's back! :) I'm still debating with myself on Sage Mode. And as for Orochimaru, well he has a few tricks up his slithering sleeves._

 _Thank you for the review!_


	68. Chapter 67: Down, but Never Out

Chapter 67

Shattered Hopes and Broken Walls: Down, but Never Out

Marshmallow white clouds crawled across the sunset painted sky, carried farther inland on the shinobi continent by a westward breeze.

Concealed beneath the shade of a tree canopy, Mimi watched the clouds pass her by, brooding over Lee's situation, envying the simplicity of clouds, for once. She wasn't a lazy Nara, unlike the Slacker. She _loved_ the thrill of a fight, of being challenged, and the gratification of overcoming a difficult task.

This once she wanted things to be simple. Screw her pride. Screw her desire to figure out advanced procedures. She'd be okay as long as Amari, Kakashi and Lee were healed. No, she'd be better than okay. Hot-blooded joy would have flooded Mimi's veins. She would have buzzed with boundless excitement, to the point of bouncing on her toes for hours on end, rendering sleep impossible tonight.

No hot-blooded joy ever found her. No bouncing excitement tickled her skin or left her cheeks hurting from grinning. Even her high regard for the legendary Lady Tsunade found itself extinguished.

In a span of less than ten minutes Tsunade went from everything she thought she'd be—unbelievably beautiful and the greatest medic-nin to ever walk the shinobi world—to someone she couldn't believe she admired.

" _It's best if you give up your career as a shinobi. Find a different path."_

Mimi shut her eyes tightly and suppressed the growl rumbling in her throat. _Damn Old Hag, telling him to give up like that. She didn't even consider the possibility of increasing the chances of the procedure…_

" _You can go to hell!"_ had been her fiery retort.

They still felt right.

" _Don't you even dare consider giving up!"_ she had demanded of Lee. _"There's a way to increase your chances with the procedure, Lee. I've been working on this jutsu that will help. All I need is a little more time to perfect it."_

" _Mimi…"_

The way he had said her name, like _he_ was a doctor delivering the unfortunate news of a loved one's passing, it killed a piece of her heart. Lee was quitting; he heard her sweet promise as just another false hope. Another vague promise he couldn't bring himself to believe.

Mimi refused to stand for it. She couldn't. Lee was too important to her and to Team Guy. When Neji insulted her, Lee stood up in her defense. When she felt the cold talons of isolation digging themselves into her skin again, Lee's warm purity melted it all away. Lee was the spirit of Team Guy. Without him…

No, Mimi refused to accept that reality. She _would_ heal Lee, damn whatever the Old Hag had to say!

" _Don't. Give. Up. I'm going to fix this."_

Mimi had strode through the adults and managed to slide the door open before Tsunade spoke up again.

" _The procedure is a fifty-fifty chance, kid. There isn't anything you can do about it, not at your age."_

She felt herself bristle. It took every _molecule_ of willpower to not string together venomous curses no apology could fix. The Old Hag was still her Hokage, whether she liked it or not.

With slit pupils she glared over her shoulder at the Hokage.

" _Watch me."_

Mimi went home after that. Fury and attitude irradiated off her; it made her skin tingle, tensed her jaw, made her nails dig into her palms; her rising body temperature added to the discomfort, irritating her further.

Amari didn't need to deal with her attitude. Whenever she cooled off then she'd visit her friend, she promised herself, but until then her best decision was to head home to work.

Sitting still wasn't possible, though. Mimi tried. She reminded herself again and again that figuring out this jutsu was more important than her boiling rage. Lee's future couldn't wait for her to cool off. But her heart refused to calm. Her mind raced around pointless things she wanted to say to the Old Hag, curses she wanted to spit her way for telling Lee to give up on the one thing he dreamed about.

Inevitably Mimi decided to walk away from her desk. Away from these problems, at least until her fury simmered down. In this state of mind she'd make mistakes, mistakes that would cost Lee his life, and she couldn't afford failure now. Not when she was the only one left willing to heal him.

After sealing away her notes, books, a towel and an extra pair of clothes into a storage scroll, Mimi set off on a walk with Aoko to find a secluded stream.

Bodies of water, large or small, had always provided a sense of relief to her. The soothing sounds of a calm stream or the untamable and never-ending roar of a waterfall were nature's music; the feel of the current over her skin, fish racing past her legs were a salve to her soul.

When she dunked her head beneath the water and shut her eyes, the outside world ceased to exist. No bullies. No suspicious eyes questioning her loyalty. No issues with Neji. No Akatsuki. And now no Old Hag.

Just…peace.

Eventually, after an hour of respite, Mimi exited the stream to strip out of her soaked clothes, dry off and replace them with a fresh set; her waterlogged clothing hung nearby, dripping onto the grass. Aoko had curled up on the Inuzuka's stomach as she laid next to the bank, eyes shut in deep thought.

There was so much to do to prove the Old Hag wrong. This would probably be her last break for a very long time, at least until she figured out how to increase the success rate of her Cell Activation Jutsu.

Maybe the seclusion of a library could help her study. _Hana will probably be mad at me again, but she'll understand. She'll know why I had to do this._

Tsunade had given up without looking for some way to aid Lee. Maybe she didn't care or maybe she did. It didn't matter. Mimi cared, and she wasn't about to let anyone—not even the legendary Tsunade—tell her what was and wasn't possible.

 _It's our duty as medical-ninja's to do everything in our power to heal others. I know there are some injuries and conditions that can't be healed. I understand I can't heal everyone, but I will not give up on anyone until I've pursued every avenue possible._

Telling her it was impossible only intensified her resolve.

 _I'll show her_ , Mimi promised herself.

But that would have to wait until tomorrow. Her mind still wasn't right, and she had a promise to keep to Amari. Which brought Mimi back to her current position: hidden in the shade of a tree canopy, dressed in a ash grey one-shoulder long sleeve—revealing her left shoulder from her neck to the top of her bicep—black shorts with her blue sweater tied around her waist.

Mimi flicked her eye to the right, sniffed the air and listened closely to the sound of retreating footsteps followed by a sliding door. "Hmm. Sounds like the nurse is finally leaving," she said.

" _And they left the window open for Amari. How nice of them to provide us an easy entrance,"_ Aoko quipped with a toothy grin.

Mimi grinned in return and raised her eyes towards the top of her head, where her ninken lounged. "Heh, my sentiments exactly, Aoko." She readjusted from a relaxed seated position into a crouch. "Let's go see how she's doing."

It took all of two jumps to make it to the windowsill of Amari's room—one down and one up. And as soon as she landed on the windowsill—

"Hey Mimi," Amari greeted in a soft voice.

The Nara sat upright in her bed, an open book held in hand—a novel, from the look of it. The positioning of the book and Amari's hands made it impossible to tell what the title was, though she appeared to be at the beginning.

" _So much for surprising her_. _"_

Mimi grinned and hopped down into the room, sandals clapping on the floor. "How'd you know?"

"Sensory Type, remember?"

Heh, right. She'd forgotten about that without her friend around this last month.

Amari turned the page of her book. "It helps you were just outside, too. My range is pretty limited in my current state. Lady Tsunade healed the trauma of the Tsukuyomi, but my body and mind feel…hm."

The Nara pursed her lips in consideration of her current condition. When she began to speak again, Mimi felt herself almost leaning in to listen, curious to learn any side effects Amari was experiencing, and what she may be able to do to help alleviate them.

"It feels like I used an enhanced Food Pill to fight for three straight days without a single break. Reading is challenging. There's a haze overwhelming my senses, making it hard to focus. I'm beyond exhausted.

"I feel like this character, actually. She's a soldier who's been fighting a long, terrible war as the tip of the spear. Her armor is broken. Her legs can barely carry her forward. She can't even remember when the last time she sat down was. But people are counting on her, so she keeps trudging forward as best she can."

Amari's appearance matched her description perfectly. At a quick glance she appeared as if this recent incident never happened, and they never fought on the front-lines of the Invasion. Just normal Amari, rested and reserved as she always was.

But a closer examination released the genjutsu; the illusion collapsed and exposed the slouched shoulders bearing a burden of grief and loss, the drained eye struggling to focus on the words in front of her, the worn down features that made Amari appear two or three years older than she actually was.

Remarkable what the pain of loss could do to a person, inside and out.

"A month of sleep wasn't enough for you?" Mimi jested, approaching the bed with a grin. "Don't tell me that Slacker is starting to influence you. Do you know how utterly _dull_ that'd be? Here I was preparing for a historic rematch! Who's gonna keep me on my toes if you stop training and start napping more?"

Amari's lip twitched up into an amused smirk, her eye finally leaving the pages of her book to meet Mimi's. "You better stay on your toes. I'm still going to beat you one of these days."

"Challenge accepted, Amari," Mimi grinned.

 _She's still got some fire in her_ , she noted. Embers, sure, but embers were more than enough. Amari had proven that against the three Sound shinobi, through their fight, the Invasion and the Akatsuki incident.

"Anyway," Amari continued, "sleep was never an option available to me. Apparently the genjutsu on my mind decided I needed to be trained into the ground by a Jōnin leveled opponent; I've pretty much spent this last month stuck in my mindscape being pummeled. It was such a drag," she sighed.

The Inuzuka raised her eyebrows. "Damn. That had to be one hell of a month."

"If you only knew," the Nara replied, wearing a smile that hinted at so much more than she let on.

Amari scanned the page of her book then shut it, setting it down opposite of the Inuzuka. Then she patted the bed. "You can sit up here with Aoko. Doctors and nurses won't be around for a while."

Mimi dipped her head in gratitude and took the offered seat. Aoko hopped off her head, onto the bed and then sprang into the Uchiha's lap, dive bombing her with all the exuberance of an excited puppy.

Amari giggled pleasantly and patted the ninken on her head. "Nice to see you too, Aoko."

" _I am pleased to see you well again,"_ she murmured back.

"She's pleased to see you well again," Mimi translated. "You gave us all a scare back there."

To put it mildly. Watching Amari's life threatened by Itachi before being whisked away; racing against the clock, not knowing if they'd even reach Amari in time, it was one of the most stressful and frightening moments of Mimi's shinobi career so far.

She hoped it'd be the last.

"I'm sorry," Amari apologized sincerely. Her eye drifted to the side for a brief second—guilt—then returned to Aoko. "I can't say I didn't know it wouldn't end well, or that I wouldn't do it again…but I didn't mean to hurt everyone."

 _Which is why you're trying to hide your pain from us_ , Mimi analyzed. _You're pretending you're okay for our sake. To spare us all from more pain._

 _While you're suffering inside._

Unconsciously, Mimi sighed. So, this was how it felt to be on the other side of a mask. To be put at arms distance by someone she cared about. She didn't like it. Not one bit.

It had taken her years and a stubborn older sister to realize it was okay to let her walls down, that it didn't make her weak to talk honestly to Hana about how she felt. Hana listened to everything; how confused and hurt it made her when people cast their suspicious gazes her way; how angry she was inside, and how ready she was to just…hurt people in retribution.

How some days she just wanted to cry because she missed her parents so much.

Hana never judged her for her feelings; she showed sympathy and helped her to find the rays of sunlight breaking through the cumulonimbus clouds over her head…and when it became impossible to hold back tears, Hana held her close and never let her go.

Maybe she could be that for Amari. Maybe she could be a solid foundation for her to hold onto, as the older sister Amari saw her as.

"What you did was honorable. Courageous, too," Mimi spoke up, voice quieted by the serious nature of the subject. "Without your interference, Kakashi-sensei, Asuma-sensei and Kurenai-sensei may not even be here right now. You saved them, Amari, whether by inspiring them to fight through injuries to protect you, or by sacrificing yourself in their place. Your actions and your will saved everyone.

"Yeah, you scared us. Yeah, it hurt to lose you this last month." Mimi reached forward and took Amari's hand into her own. "We all missed you. But you're back now, and that's what matters. None of our drama is yours to bear, so don't shell up and act like you're in perfect health. It won't help you."

"I'll be fine," Amari deflected, hand slipping out from hers.

The small distancing hurt. But this fight wasn't over. Denial and deflection were old friends, and Mimi wasn't at all happy to see them rooming with Amari now.

Hopefully they hadn't gotten too comfortable, because she was about to evict their asses.

Settling into her resolve, Mimi crossed her right leg under her left, turned towards Amari and met her exhausted eye with unwavering intensity. "Drop the mask, Amari. You're not fooling me."

" _Mimi,"_ Aoko chided her.

Mimi flicked her eyes to her ninken. "You know what she's doing isn't healthy. You saw _me_ go through it, Aoko, and you _know_ how bad it got," she argued.

A deep exhale of defeat left Aoko. She did know. She'd been there right beside Mimi through it all, witnessing the pain she inflicted on others over the pain she harbored in her heart, as well as the days when she just felt numb inside.

They couldn't let Amari go down that path. _Mimi_ couldn't let her.

Turning her fierce blue eyes back to the Nara, Mimi refused to relent. "Listen Amari, you need to lose the mask. Wearing it does nothing good, believe me."

"…I'll lose my mask when you get rid of yours." The counter stunned Mimi. Off balance, she inhaled sharply and opened her mouth to retort, but the Uchiha was quicker on the follow-up blow. "I know Lee wasn't healed."

The words she wanted to say were slain by that simple sentence, the porcelain mask she'd chosen to wear all but shattering off her.

Sensing the weakness, the Nara capitalized to finish her off. "Tenten stopped by looking for you earlier; she's worried about you, you know. I understand why, since you apparently stormed out of the hospital and disappeared for the last several hours. And now you suddenly show up out of the blue after visiting hours are over, acting like everything is fine?"

Amari shook her head. "Whatever happened with Lee and Tsunade set you off, so much you went to a place where people close to you couldn't find you." Amari's solitary eye met hers with matched intensity. "So drop your mask and I may drop mine."

A frown creased Mimi's lips. "Damn Nara's. Too smart for your own good," she grumbled.

How the tables had turned. She expected Amari to be too tired to debate or argue. Instead she was the one called out on the carpet, left in a position where dropping her mask was the only way she'd get Amari to open up too. Clever of her, Mimi couldn't deny, and fair.

How could she expect Amari to be honest about how she felt if she wasn't willing to be honest either?

" _It's going to be entertaining to see you face Tenten's wrath,"_ Aoko teased.

Mimi knitted her brows and stared at her companion. "Laugh it up while you can, Aoko. If I'm facing her wrath, you're going under the wagon with me."

" _But I'm an innocent puppy. How could I possibly know what you were doing?"_

"Oh, don't you play the 'I'm an innocent puppy' card on me."

" _I don't know what you're talking about. You sound like a crazy person talking to a puppy,"_ Aoko replied cheekily.

Mimi rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the backup, Aoko," she said, her tone dryer than the Land of Wind's desert.

The little traitor.

 _I can't blame you for avoiding Tenten's wrath._ The Inuzuka sighed. _Still, I'm sorry for abandoning and worrying you, Tenten…but it was better that I went off alone. You didn't need to deal with my mood._

She'd have to apologize later. Right now there were other matters to settle.

Mimi turned her head to stare out at the window she had entered in, remaining silent as her mood fell. No masks. No defenses. It was still difficult for her to do, even with Amari, who had seen her best and worst moments through that strange connection they shared in their fight.

Vulnerability, her inability to show it was one of her major flaws, joined by her quick temper and her innate desire to repay an eye for an eye when she felt wronged.

…But for Amari, she'd try her best.

"She wouldn't heal Lee," she stated, defeated by the reality she couldn't escape.

"Wouldn't or couldn't?" Amari asked.

Another sigh, heavier than the last. Her entire body slouched beneath the weight of Lee's condition, a weight now resting completely on her shoulders.

"The procedure to heal Lee with Lady Tsunade performing it is a fifty-fifty shot. Those odds are too low for anyone to perform it, even someone of her skill," Mimi explained.

"I'm assuming there is a 'but' coming?"

"But there's a way to increase the odds."

The Inuzuka reached into her back pouch and grabbed her sealing scroll containing all of her notes. She unsealed her notes on the Cell Activation Jutsu and handed it over to the Nara.

"Check this out. I know you haven't studied Medical Ninjutsu, but it's the general concept you'll get."

Amari took a moment to read over the paper in its entirety, humming now and then as she pieced together the information. "You want to activate all the cells in the body so it heals itself while a medical-ninja is operating. The jutsu would, in theory, turn a life threatening procedure into something not nearly as life threatening."

"Right," Mimi nodded.

"Interesting. I'm not sure about a lot of the in depth medical stuff, but the amount of chakra control required is beyond me. Chakra reserves, however…" Amari handed the paper back over. "Our chakra reserves combined could suffice."

"I…didn't think about that," she admitted, taking the paper.

She focused so hard on doing it all on her own. _But with Amari feeding me her chakra, plus my own, I'd probably have enough chakra to complete it._ She bit her lip. _But it still comes down to the skill to perform the procedure. That's where my weakest point is currently, and getting my chakra control even more refined is a necessity as well._

All in all, even if Amari did help her, she wasn't close enough yet to pulling off the procedure successfully.

 _Better than turning to the Old Hag for help. At least this way I'm relying on people who actually care and are willing to help._

"Can I count on your help when I figure this out?" she asked, as she sealed her notes away.

"Do you really need to ask, Mimi?"

No, she supposed she didn't. If there was one person she knew she could always count on outside of her team and family, it was Amari.

"Thanks." Amari nodded. "Your turn to drop your mask."

"I…can't. Not all the way."

"You don't have to drop it all the way. Not in front of me, at least." Mimi understood. Sisters or not, pride was a flaw they shared. "Just don't pretend everything is sunshine and rainbows for everyone else. You have every right to show your pain, and if they can't accept that then they need to get over themselves."

 _And I'll knock some sense into them with my bare hands when you're not around if they don't_ , she promised. If anyone tried to minimize what Amari was going through because of their own drama, she'd rip them to shreds, no questions asked. No second chances.

Mimi reached her hand forward again to hold Amari's again. She was relieved when the Nara didn't yank it away a second time.

"Listen," she started, voice soft, "I'm not going to say I know what you're going through right now. My parents died on a mission, and I've had years to cope with that reality. You've barely had a day to process everything that happened.

"But you saw what I turned into. I became someone I'm not proud of because I held everything in until it exploded. Learn from my mistakes, please." Mimi squeezed her sister's hand. "I went down a lot of wrong roads. I thought that letting Hana help me would make me a burden." She shook her head. "We are not burdens to the people who cherish us. They want to help. Let them in, even if it's only one step at a time."

Silence fell between them. In Amari's eye, though, she could see walls beginning to crumble. Amari's hand began to tighten around hers. "…I…don't know how much longer I can keep up this tough front, Mimi," Amari spoke in a whisper. "I am _barely_ holding myself together. I can still see him. Feel him. Hear his voice."

Mimi's heart squeezed hard at the sight of tears welling in Amari's eye. "I can feel my last hug with him and his love…and it hurts so much."

The broken waver of her voice nearly brought Mimi to tears. It made every fiber of her soul demand to pull Amari into a warm hug, where none of this pain could hurt her. Internally and externally she struggled against the urge; she felt herself leaning forward and scooting closer, only to immediately pull back when on the verge of embracing her.

She couldn't do it, for Amari's sake. Hugging her now would shatter the last of her defenses and leave her a sobbing mess.

Even though the older sibling in her wanted to be the pillar of strength, sympathy and support, Mimi realized the sensitivity of this situation reserved that spot for one of three people—her uncle, her teacher or her mother.

"Which is why you can't hold this in," Mimi said, still fighting _not_ to hug Amari. She was almost squirming, body twitching and leaning forward then back in a visible tug-of-war.

Mimi took a breath to settle the rattled nerves in her. "You don't have to let this out in front of me or your teammates, but you need to with Kurenai-sensei or you'll destroy yourself."

Amari nodded in silent understanding. Neither spoke a word for a long while; no words felt appropriate. Mimi just held onto her hand, rubbing her thumb along the back of it in a silent show of support while Amari battled to slip her crumbling mask back on.

Eventually, the Nara spoke again. "Any good missions lately?"

The change of subject was necessary, if only as a distraction from the heavy emotions choking them.

"Besides fighting a roaming group of rogue ninjas? Nope," Mimi wisecracked.

Amari's lips quirked up into a small smile. "Care to share?"

The rogue team they tracked down, Mimi explained, was comprised of three Chūnin led by one Jōnin, all previously from Konoha. Their knowledge of the landscape aided their banditry while their skill kept them untouchable against the average security of towns beyond Konoha's walls.

When they finally met in their final battle, Guy separated the leader from his cronies, leaving Neji, Tenten and Mimi to battle the three Chūnin together. A hard fight, but with a creative plan and some brute force they overcame their opponents and captured them.

"Guy-sensei's punch hit the leader so hard, the guy crashed through a tree trunk and imprinted his body on a boulder. Had to heal his internal injuries so he wouldn't die on the walk back."

"Ouch," Amari giggled.

"As for the other three goons, we lured them to a nearby lake they'd taken shelter by. One of the arrogant pricks taunted me the whole way, almost got far enough under my skin that I considered ditching my plan to drill him into the ground with a Fang over Fang."

"So you, Tenten and Neji all converged on the lake like trapped rats in their eyes when in reality you were right in your element," Amari stated.

"Yep. Blindsided those bastards with three smaller Water Dragons but only managed to nail two out of the three. The third was so distracted he got caught by the extended chain of Tenten's Kusarigama. She had him perfectly wrapped up for Neji's Gentle Fist attacks."

"One down."

The Inuzuka nodded. "And two to go. I created a small army of Water Clones to overwhelm them, then Neji, Tenten, Aoko and I launched our final assault. The chumps never stood a chance."

And had Lee been there, they'd have beaten the rogue shinobis even quicker. _He'll be back. I'll make sure of it._

"Sounds like a good mission. Guess I'll have to beat your story next time I get out there," Amari said, smiling softly as she did.

Mimi grinned. "Heh, good luck."

She glanced out the window; the sun was practically set, the warm colors almost faded to darkness. _Hmm, didn't realize how late it had gotten. Time flies._

"I should get back home. Aunty Tsume and Hana are probably gonna give me an ear full for disappearing." Which she _wasn't_ looking forward to in the slightest.

"I don't blame you. I heard your aunt shout down our sensei's. I wouldn't want to be on her bad side."

Mimi's lips tugged up into a smile. It had been an odd start to their friendship, but she wouldn't change it for anything.

"Aunty Tsume can be pretty damn scary when she wants to be," she agreed, nodding slightly. Mimi hopped off the bed and turned back to face Amari. "Well, I'll see you around, Amari."

" _Hopefully soon in a spar,"_ Aoko added, nuzzling Amari one last time. _"It would be nice to get a good exercise again."_

"In a spar for a nice exercise would be nice," the Inuzuka translated before leaning forward to pick up her ninken and place her on her head.

As Aoko settled on her head, Mimi placed her fist out for a fist bump; it wasn't a hug, but it was the next best thing she could think of. Amari smiled warmly and lightly bumped her fist against it.

"You need anything, just ask. I'll do what I can to help," Mimi promised.

"Thank you. Same goes for you though. See you both later."

"See you."

Mimi strolled to the window and hopped onto the windowsill, only to pause. She turned her head to look back at Amari. "And don't forget what we talked about. I mean it. Don't be afraid to let it out."

"…I'll try. You can leave the window open."

With a final nod, Mimi jumped out of the window back down to the ground and then up into the trees.

" _I think we made head room with Amaririsu,"_ Aoko rumbled from her head. _"What she has endured will not go away with our words or the words of another. But you did good, Mimi."_

"Thanks, Aoko." Mimi pushed off a branch and continued on her way. "She'll get through it. She's a tough one."

" _Reminds me of a dear companion of mine,"_ Aoko said in a heartfelt manor.

The Inuzuka smiled. "I guess you're right about that…and thank you."

" _You're welcome, Mimi."_

The pair of kunoichi were down on odds today. But they weren't out of the fight yet. They'd both push forward and get stronger from it. That's what ninjas did.

 _And we'll give each other support when it's needed._

That's what sisters were for.

* * *

The black tapestry of night, sewed with magnificent twinkling stars and a glowing half-moon, covered Konoha. Within the Village, ninja patrolled the streets and walls, the curfew in effect keeping the civilian population and off-duty shinobi tucked in the safety of their homes.

Kakashi wondered how long the curfew would last. Months? A year? Until Lady Tsunade's inauguration? He supposed it'd come down to future circumstances; another incident with the Akatsuki or one of the other Nations could change a lot, and likely not for the better.

Fragile times were always the hardest to predict. Too much pressure here or there and the glass could shatter in a way they did not expect, usually into a worse situation than previously assumed, and then the edge they currently lived on would become the crumbling edge of a cliff.

At least that's how it happened in his experience.

The Akatsuki incident was proof of it. It had been a bad situation, one that could have ended in any number of terrible ways for him, Kurenai and Asuma; death at the hands of either Uchiha could have been as swift or as painful as they desired, while Kisame could have grotesquely shredded their fragile bodies apart with Samehada.

Yet Kakashi hadn't seen Amari's interference coming, or how the culmination of events would lead to everything that occurred.

Tenzō had caught him up on everything he could, which helped Kakashi begin to figure a plan out for his inevitable departure from the hospital.

Most important was learning Amari's situation; apparently Jiraiya hadn't heeded his warning completely, a decision that clearly ended poorly for him if his loud scream of _"YOOOOOOOWWWWWW!"_ was anything to go by.

Otherwise, when he asked, the news around Amari wasn't reassuring.

"' _Risu's fighting to keep her composure, but it's a battle she_ _ **will**_ _lose,"_ Shikaku informed on his visit.

Kakashi's pained sigh broke the silence in his moonlit room. He shut his right eye to enter complete darkness.

 _I can't say I'm surprised. Amari's always been one to suffer in silence. She goes out of her way to be strong for others, even when she's the one hurting the most. It's just who she is._

Kakashi followed a similar path. After all the pain and death he had suffered through, from his father's suicide, through the war and beyond, he tried to bury his pain. To be aloof and disconnected from his emotions and others. He became a by-the-book shinobi first, where only the mission mattered and nothing else, and then he fell headfirst into darkness after the death of his teammates and teacher.

 _Is that the path she's on now because I couldn't protect her?_

Would she follow the same path he had to become cold and distant? He could already imagine her standing at Ryu's headstone or the Memorial Stone for hours on end, eyes absent of the fire and spirit Amari was known for.

Kakashi feared that the most; in fact, he dreaded it more than another battle against Itachi, Aimi and Kisame.

Exhaling through his nose, Kakashi opened his eye, determined to do whatever was necessary to prevent that reality. He wasn't able to protect her from Itachi, but he could stop her from plunging into that familiar hell; he could take her hand and guide her back towards the light before she lost her way.

It was time to leave this bed and check on his student. Mimi already laid the groundwork for him, according to Tenzō, by helping Amari realize she couldn't keep holding it all in; it'd destroy her, as it had destroyed him in the past.

For Amari's sake, he had to act now before she fell out of his reach again.

Kakashi slipped his legs out from under the bed sheet and turned to sit on the edge of the bed. His bare feet touched the cold floor, giving his nerves a small jolt. _If I wasn't awake already, that would have done it._

He placed pressure on his feet and hands but didn't immediately get off the bed. A frown creased his lips. His legs, they didn't feel strong enough to support his weight, let alone strong enough to carry him to Amari's room. He was liable to collapse faster than a horse tripped mid-gallop if he tried to stand now.

"Going somewhere, Kakashi?" Tenzō's voice called from the door, where he hadn't been previously.

"You know where," he answered, trying to gather the strength to walk.

His old friend hummed in agreement but said nothing. Odd. Just the nature of the response pinged his suspicion; it seemed too easy, when he was certain an argument would ensue.

Kakashi cast a guarded glance his way. What was he up to? What was he thinking behind that cat-motif mask?

Tenzō's body barred passage through the door, his arms stubbornly crossed over his chest.

Kakashi's brow fell. "Do you intend to stop me?"

"As strong as you are, you're not entirely in a state to fight me if I was."

"It sounds like you're underestimating me, Tenzō." He kept his voice even, yet layered with a threatening tone beneath the surface. "Surely you haven't forgotten how our last encounter as enemies went."

Tenzō was a fantastic ninja, there was no doubt about it, but Kakashi had defeated plenty of fantastic shinobis without all of his strength at hand.

His old friend should remember that vividly.

Tenzō snorted, amused, but didn't budge. "Not a chance, Kakashi. I won't stop you if your mind is set on this, but you should consider something."

"And that is?"

"That you can't hold her hand forever." Kakashi's silent stare coaxed his old friend to continue. "Listen, I understand that she's your student, and that you're rightfully worried about her well-being, especially after she was put through the Tsukuyomi. From what you explained…well, I don't envy either of you.

"It's not wrong for you to care, but she's a shinobi, Kakashi. With Orochimaru and Itachi and Aimi seeking something from her, she is bound to endure more pain like this."

"You want me to let Amari get through this on her own," Kakashi stated.

" _Consider_ letting her get through this on her own," Tenzō corrected. "One day she may be on a mission where she endures torture, escapes and has to fight her way home. She won't have someone to comfort her, to smile and tell her they'll protect her no matter what and get her home. She won't have you with her at all times. If she breaks down in the field—"

"She wouldn't," Kakashi stated firmly, but the conviction behind his words faltered.

Twice he bore witness to his student shattering in battle; first in the Land of Waves after the Lightning Blade, and more recently against Itachi.

Those moments had been the extreme, his mind tried to debate…but that was exactly what Tenzō meant. And he hated that he was right.

"What Amaririsu experienced was terrible; it says something about her willpower that she was still capable of fighting in spite of the intense grief and torture she sustained. But what she endured isn't the worst that can happen to a captured shinobi. Especially as a kunoichi."

Fire boiled Kakashi's blood instantly. Just the mere thought of what Tenzō was alluding to… His fingers curled into the edge of the bed, his heart pumped the fire through the rest of his body. The tile no longer felt cold.

No gods or jutsu would be able to save a person who even _tried_ to perform such a heinous act to his students.

"She needs to be able to overcome this grief on her own," Tenzō continued while Kakashi fumed internally. "As a shinobi, she can't have a breakdown in the field when things get tough. She needs to be strong enough to fight her own battles without you holding her hand."

Tenzō sounded harsh; however, he was coming from a pure place. And he was right, as much as Kakashi hated it.

Eventually Team Seven would grow up and begin taking on missions alone or on different team's altogether. He wouldn't be able to arrive just in the nick of time to save them from their toughest enemies forever. They'd need to be able to hold their own, and their hearts would have to be strong enough to endure the realities of shinobi life without him.

"I know," Kakashi conceded, sighing. "I get what you're saying, Tenzō. I do. But now isn't that time."

"What makes you say that?" Honest curiosity. At least he was willing to hear him out.

"Because this is the turning point."

Tenzō tilted his head to the side, the vague and ominous nature of his statement putting him off balance.

"Turning point? For what?"

"Who Amari will become in the future."

Amari had found her nindo and a dream to hold onto, but her future was something that others continued to meddle in. If she didn't have someone to solidify her foundation at this crucial moment, her course could change drastically.

Amari could embrace the Curse of Hatred…and then she'd become someone none of them would recognize.

It was a harsh reality he understood better now than ever before. A harsh reality he wished was only an illusion. But it wasn't an illusion. There was darkness within his student, constantly fighting to get a foothold in her heart, seeking to douse her Will of Fire so it could consume her very soul.

"Amari needs guidance, now more than ever," he argued. "She's been given memories of a past life where everyone she loved is dead. She needs to know she still has family who care about her well-being."

"And if she doesn't?"

"Best case scenario?" Tenzō nodded. "She hides her pain, becomes colder and more vindictive in her actions and doesn't care if she lives or dies."

 _Just like I did._

"Hm," his friend hummed in discomfort. Kakashi could sense the thoughtful frown beneath his mask. "And the worst case scenario?" he asked with a gesture of his hand.

"The despair in her heart will consume her…and from there she'll fall down a path of darkness that there is no turning back from."

It sounded overly dramatic, but Kakashi knew it to be true. The black chakra and tormented feelings of hatred and despair to irradiate off her…that consumed her…

He shut his eye and repressed a shudder.

"It's a place where everything around her is so dark, friends and family cannot be seen."

Tenzō was quiet for thoughtful beat. Then he heaved a sigh and let his arms fall down to his sides. "In that case, I won't argue. You know your student better than I do."

He reached behind his back and revealed a pair of wooden crutches he'd been hiding, no doubt crafted by his kekkei genkai. "You were always too stubborn to talk down when your mind was already made," Tenzō added lightly, as he approached.

Kakashi breathed out a laugh and took the crutches gratefully. "Guess so." Bracing his weight on them, he crutched his way to the door with Tenzō at his side. "Thank you for understanding, Tenzō."

"Don't mention it, Kakashi." He slid the door open for Kakashi and let him crutch a few steps away before speaking again. "She's sitting on her bed with her back to the door. I'll give you two some privacy."

Kakashi dipped his head in appreciation then crossed the short distance to the door. After steadying himself on the crutches he was able to slide the door open, revealing Amari sitting on the side of her bed, back turned to him and body slouched forward by the invisible weight bearing down on her.

The veil of fabric over the window rustled, caught by the breeze to drift into the moonlit room.

"Hi, Kakashi-sensei." Amari's voice was quiet—quieter than the normally soft-spoken child was. Meek, even.

Kakashi didn't speak. Sliding the door shut, he crutched forward at a pace his admittedly weak body was comfortable with. Each _thunk_ of wood on the hospital floor disturbed the silence.

What a hectic mess they'd survived, Kakashi thought. Hectic and overwhelming, for both of them.

Things he wanted to say escaped him. Things he wished he'd been able to do to prevent all of this weighed on his heart. If only he'd been stronger, faster, smarter. Less arrogant in his belief wielding the Sharingan was enough to combat a true heir of the dōjutsu.

"I…understand if you're here to chastise or scold me for what I did. I know it was reckless and I could have died…would have died if it were anyone else," Amari said, her voice wavering. "I disobeyed a direct order from you and mom…and without Shisui I'd have lost myself to the Curse of Hatred. I hurt everyone…because I'm…because I'm a reckless idiot."

Kakashi said nothing. Reckless? Sure. But he'd been that way too. He was young once, believe it or not, and he had made countless mistakes. _Greater_ mistakes than Amari had because it cost him the lives of the people he was meant to protect. First Obito, and then Rin.

If only he'd been stronger, faster, smarter.

If only…

" _My greatest mistake was trying to do too much on my own, even when I had friends and family who were trying to help. It cost me my life."_

If only it had cost Kakashi his own life, not the lives of others. But it hadn't. He couldn't save them, no matter how hard he tried, because he was too weak, too arrogant, too slow…

However…although he failed to protect Amari from the Akatsuki, she hadn't died.

Amari was still here, sitting before him, in need of someone to reach their hand out to her to bring her in from the storm.

Maybe he hadn't been able to protect her, but he could be here _now_. Isn't that what Obito and Rin would do? Support her and bring her in instead of drowning in guilt over an event he could no longer change?

Obito would have sat on the bed beside Amari, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and found a way to make her smile or laugh while being supportive. Rin would have held her in her arms until Amari was ready to be let go.

What could he do?

Kakashi rounded the bed with that question in mind and stood in front of his student. Amari kept eye pinned on her lap, as if absorbed by a fantastic painting, but he could see the tears glistening in her eye and the beginnings of trembles from holding everything in.

He should have thought of something to say before deciding to come here, Kakashi realized. Oh well. Far too late to plan now.

In his silence, Amari's hands gripped the edge of her bed tighter, her trembles increasing. "Please…say something. Anything… I can't bear the silence."

Kakashi shifted his weight to his left side and placed his right crutch under his left arm. With his right hand freed, he rested his hand on his student's shoulder.

"Amari." Her eye hesitantly lifted to meet his, a glassy shimmer even in the darkened room. "It's okay."

Two words, as simple as could be. Yet they were more than enough.

A single tear cascaded out of her eye, and as the tears fell, her walls crumbled. "I'm…so sorry, Kakashi-sensei," she wept in a whisper. More tears smashed through the dam meant to hold them back. Her body began to shake and quiver with silent, choked sobs.

Amari shut her eye and shook her head violently. "I- I didn't mean for any of this to happen!"

Kakashi couldn't say why, but he remembered Amari's sobs in the Land of Waves at that moment. How she screamed at Zabuza for everything he had done to Haku, and then begged the memory of her cousin—Shisui—to take away all this pain she was feeling.

His heart fell at the sight of his sobbing student. _How much more pain will you have to endure? How long will it take for you to find your peace?_

The striking similarities between their lives were almost frightening. They'd both had their precious people torn from them time and again, and now it was up to them to keep walking forward, to see a future for the ones who could not.

Again he saw the vivid image of an older Amari standing over the same memorial stone, head hung in guilt, grief and mourning for those already lost, and those she may still yet lose.

What could he do? What _should_ he do? Not as a shinobi following the rules, but as a person who cared for this small child?

Kakashi didn't think—he acted, wrapping his arm around her back to gently pull her into a hug.

"You don't have to apologize for anything, Amari. _You_ saved _us_ ," he murmured soothingly.

"I- I almost lost myself."

"But with Shisui's help you didn't." He began rubbing his hand over her clothed back, hoping to ease her pain with the gesture as much as he could. "You used what power and leverage you had to protect all of us, just like Shisui asked you to. Don't be sorry. We're all alive because of your bravery. You did good. I'm proud of you."

Amari's sobs intensified. Slowly, hesitantly, her small arms wrapped around his body, returning the embrace. Kakashi didn't mind, nor did he plan to remove himself from this embrace. Even when his legs began to ache, he held his ground to provide whatever words or physical comfort he could for this gentle student of his whose world had been torn apart.

There was no way to shelter her from pain, the chance for that had long passed, but he could be here to support Amari through the struggles she faced. Motivate her to stand back up when she was knocked down.

This was what he could do now. What he was _meant_ to do.

The sound of the door sliding open brought Kakashi to attention. Concerned and hopeful red eyes met his—Kurenai. A small scratch marked her left cheek, undoubtedly from the mission she was returning from, but otherwise she appeared as she always did. Moonlight glimmered off the metal plate of Amari's forehead protector, hung snugly around her mother's neck.

It didn't take her more than a second to register her daughter's current state.

"Little one," she whispered as her legs carried her briskly into the room.

"Looks like you're popular tonight, Amari," Kakashi jested. He received a choked laugh mixed with a sob for his effort.

Kurenai made it to his side in an instant, so he did his best to gently pry himself from Amari's grasp, hopeful it didn't appear as if he wanted to leave. He didn't. But he couldn't imagine the swell of emotion Kurenai was feeling right now; it'd be rude of him to intrude on the reunion between mother and daughter.

"Sorry about your shirt," Amari sniffled.

Kakashi chuckled and ruffled her hair gently. "It's just a shirt, Amari. Don't stay up too late. We only have tomorrow off before we're back into missions and training."

He moved his right crutch back under his right arm and made to leave. Kurenai stopped him by resting her hand on his shoulder, red, tearful eyes shimmering with gratitude. "Make sure you get some rest as well, Kakashi. Itachi did a number on you, too."

The _thank you_ within her wise words went unspoken, but he heard it loud and clear.

"I will," he replied with a nod.

He crutched his way to the door while the mother and daughter embraced one another and whispered quiet apologies and words of comfort to each other. Kakashi didn't need to look back to know both had tears streaming down their cheeks.

Amari was finding her solid ground slowly but surely. It wouldn't fix everything, but it was a start in the right direction.

 _For Amari, that's usually all she needs._ She would take her new scars and, in time, would grow stronger for them. That was absolute.

This wasn't just a turning point for Amari's future or start in the right direction of recovery; it was his restarting line on bettering himself as a sensei. His last start had been ended by Itachi, but he wasn't going to give up on his goal so easily.

 _One day, I know I won't be able to hold her hand, but it won't be due to my absence._

 _I won't be able to hold her hand because Amari will surpass me._


	69. Chapter 68: Reigniting the Fire

Chapter 68

Taking Steps Forward: Reigniting the Fire

Rays of mid-afternoon sunlight, absent of all clouds, poured over every corner of Konoha, from the Great Stone Faces of the past Hokage's to the populated streets below.

Among the busy crowds of people, Amari strolled casually alongside Shikamaru, observing the recovering Village she'd been absent from for the last month. Hammers pounding away at nails seemed to echo from every direction, even when she couldn't see the source; the sawing of wood to rebuild businesses and homes harmonized with the hammer, joined together by the chatter of workers and everyday folk alike.

Continuous repairs, work and missions, such was life in a post-invasion Village. It'd be another year or two before they reached something that felt like the old norms, but it wouldn't be the same. Not for Amari, at least.

Too much changed. Or perhaps she was the one who changed. Inside and out.

For a late September in Konoha, the temperature was quite mild; not unbearably hot, not ear freezing cold. Yet. Winter was only two more months away, and the first snowfall wouldn't be far behind. Amari yearned for that day—snow angels were waiting to be made, and though recent events left her off-kilter, her personal promise to flop back in the snow to make a snow angel hadn't been forgotten.

Shisui would want her to do it, after all.

"Doesn't look like we'll be able to watch any clouds today," she murmured, dropping her gaze from the blue sky back to the street ahead of her.

Her cousin glanced up from his mission scroll—designating errands he was meant to run—to examine the cloudless sky. Then he exhaled a defeated sigh.

"Yeah, looks that way. Still, after I complete these errands it'd be nice to just lie in the grass and relax a little. Don't know why I agreed to train extra hard for you; I've got aches and pains I've never had before. It's so troublesome."

Amari giggled at his complaint. Her poor Shika, putting forth extra effort into training on her behalf; she was proud of him. He'd become a shinobi of his father's caliber if he kept at it.

"You love me for it," she teased, poking him gently in the side.

"I think I need to reconsider my life choices," Shikamaru deadpanned.

"Aunt Yoshino won't have that."

Her cousin groaned. "I _know_. It's such a drag."

A light giggle kept a smile on Amari's face. She missed…well, she missed Shikamaru. Laughter, too. And this feeling of happiness and ease she lost recently, it was like an application of Medical Ninjutsu; the warmth of happiness and laughter washed over her wounded heart and soul, not fully healing the damage, but relieving it _just enough_ to feel good for a change.

"To be fair," she spoke up, "I'd take lying down in the grass over lying in a hospital bed any day of the week."

Shikamaru snorted at her. "Could've fooled me. I'm beginning to think you secretly enjoy staying at the hospital. You don't have a crush on one of the doctors or nurses, do you?"

Amari rolled her eyes, a smirk tugging at her lips, before bumping her cousin's shoulder with her own. "Shut up, troublesome boy."

He hummed humorously. "Honestly I'm surprised you actually take the time to check-out."

"I've thought about sneaking out." Amari shrugged. "I just don't want to make their jobs harder…or get dragged back."

The Nara boy hummed again, acknowledging the logic of her statement before turning his eyes back to his scroll.

It was only yesterday Lady Tsunade healed her, so she was fortunate to already be free. Most ninja would have taken their time to recover from the traumatic ordeal she suffered through, but not Amari. She wanted out of the cage and back out into life as soon as possible.

 _Like teacher like student_ , she thought as she stuffed her hands into her pockets.

Kakashi made his exit with her despite their shared feeling of stiffness. It wasn't nearly as bad anymore; they could support their weight and move around without collapsing, but training and missions were out of the question.

Amari attempted to break the rules to train. It didn't begin or end well. Even a mild warm-up by her standards left her winded and on the verge of collapsing, and earned her a mom glare from Kurenai when she found her.

" _Little one."_ Two words and a chastising tone silenced any argument she may have made. It hammered the final, definitive nail in the coffin of her training plan.

" _I…it just feels like I was finally taking steps forward before the Akatsuki incident, and now I'm…"_

She felt a hundred steps back. She could see the lessons Itachi taught her, feel the muscle memory, but her body…it lacked the strength to perform it. Too stiff. Too slow. There was no fluidity in her movements, no steel behind her strikes… Hardly even a fire in her heart.

Kurenai had sat beside her in the grass, arm wrapped around her daughter's small frame. _"Everyone still looks at me like I'm the same kunoichi who went toe to toe with Mimi. The same fearless Genin who recklessly battled against the Akatsuki. I'm happy they're inspired to become stronger," Amari gestured to herself, "but I don't_ _ **feel**_ _like that kunoichi anymore. She was strong. She refused to lose. I…feel weak."_

" _Mm. And you expected to jump out of bed and back into training?" Her mother rubbed her arm. "Little one, you've been in a coma-like state for a month now. Your body is guaranteed to feel weaker."_

" _But it's not just my body," she argued weakly, lifting up her hands to look at them. "My spirit feels sapped, too, Mom. I feel…broken inside, just like I did after Ryu died."_

" _If that's how you feel then we know what to do: We'll rebuild your foundation, one piece at a time—together." Amari shifted her teary gaze to meet her mother's red eyes, full of warmth and support. "You are not broken, little one. You are strong, with no short supply of stubbornness."_

 _The lightness of her mother's voice coaxed a sniffle and a giggle out of Amari. "Today is the first day of your recovery. It's okay to feel weak, physically and emotionally. It's okay to_ _ **grieve**_ _, Amari." Kurenai pulled her closer. "We'll get through this together. I promise."_

 _Amari hugged her mother tightly and buried her tear stained face into her shirt. Always when the storm she was weathering became too much to bear, whether it was the loss of Ryu or the terrible nightmares that made her left arm burn, Kurenai rescued her. Her unconditional love and support was the first brick she needed in her new foundation._

" _I love you, Mom."_

" _And I love you. Always."_

Next to Amari, Shikamaru rolled up the scroll, breathing out a complaint about how much of a drag this all was. His words made her smile softly before she returned back to her thoughts.

 _When I cried last night, it felt…good to release some of that emotion I had knotted up inside me. I doubt I would have been able to hold it much longer anyways, but Kakashi-sensei and Mom being there helped a lot._

Prior to her sensei's arrival, she had been fighting her tears. Everything was hurting within her, and flashes of memories from her past life were surfacing…memories of Shisui and the time they spent together before the massacre. Before his death. Before she carried the pain of loss in her heart.

It was all a jumbled mess, incoherent at times, but the _feelings_ of those days were forever tattooed on her soul…and to feel them again broke her down. Little by little.

She loved Shisui. Missed him. Wanted him to hold her in his arms again…but they couldn't. A life of growing up together, of becoming the wise dragons protecting the Leaf, had been stolen from them. Stolen by a sinister shadow.

Those final moments they shared together, though… She'd cherish them for the rest of her life.

Shisui expressed how proud he was of her. Everything he had done, from the day she was born to his final hours, was to protect her. She was his world, his top priority, his anchor from all the storms that surrounded him…and now she was all that remained of his Will, his dreams, and his hopes.

It made her miss him more.

At that late hour in the night, it was all too much to take in. Doubt crept into her mind like the Perverted Sage creeping into a bathhouse.

Old friends like _'I'll never be good enough'_ and _'You let the people you cherish get hurt because you're weak'_ came crawling back out from the dark hole she had buried them within.

 _"You disobeyed a direct order from your sensei and your mother,"_ she mentally chastised herself. _"And then you gave into the Curse of Hatred. Had it not been for Shisui, you could have and would have harmed the people precious to you. Think about it, Amenominakanushi would have incinerated them all in a blink._

" _You would have destroyed them because you're an idiot. A foolish little girl who fails everyone she loves. Wait until Kakashi-sensei and Mom finally come by; imagine how much hurt they feel because of your recklessness. Shisui should have been disappointed in you."_

Tears of guilt had burned at her eyes. When Kakashi showed up, she tried to fight it by saying the words she was telling herself out loud. Tried to show him why he had every right to be angry and disappointed in her

… _But then…_

 _"Amari."_

 _She didn't want to meet his eye. Whatever was there, it was bound to crush the last of her barriers and bring her to tears. It would be a pathetic show and he'd only feel even more disappointed than he already did…yet the Nara dared it. She raised her eye to meet her sensei's, preparing to find every terrible emotion she felt in his eye._

 _Instead she found immense comfort staring right into her soul._

" _It's okay."_

 _The simple phrase made everything crumble because of the several meanings it held. It was okay to feel this pain. It was okay to shed tears for the loss that was tearing her heart apart. They were okay, alive and without anger or judgment over what she had done and what she wished to do._

 _So, as Mimi advised her, she let it out._

Amari wasn't sure how long she had cried into Kakashi's shirt, or how long she had cried in her mother's arms. Long enough she eventually fell asleep during it; she woke to tear stained pillows and her mother sitting up on the bed next to her, eyes shut and hand holding hers.

Sorrow remained in her heart, even now as she walked with Shikamaru, but Amari no longer felt on the brink of imploding. That counted for something…right?

 _I'm going to miss Shisui with every step I take on my path, but I'll keep him in my thoughts and my heart, and I'll follow my nindo and dreams. It's what he wanted for me._

She'd try her hardest to keep moving forward as a kunoichi and to fulfill his final wishes, that way when the day came for them to meet again, he could be proud of her.

 _"You already have, Haya."_ Amari's heart ached at the memory of the words. _"Of everything I ever accomplished, of everything I ever did, being your hero will always be my greatest achievement. I'm so happy I could be your cousin, little sis."_

 _I was happy to be yours too, big brother. I love you with all my heart_ , she thought, tears returning to her eyes.

" _And I love you with all of mine, little sis. Thank you…for everything."_

Amari hadn't realized she stopped walking until she exhaled a shaky breath and felt a single warm tear roll down her cheek. Embarrassment and anger instantly swarmed her.

"Damn it, not again," she cursed, bringing her hand up to wipe it away.

Shikamaru stood close by, a tender look on his face. "You okay, 'Risu?"

She began to nod but stopped halfway through. Where was the sense in lying to about it?

"No, I'm not…but I'm trying. It's…it's all I can do, Shika." She wiped another stupid tear away and inhaled what was meant to be a calming breath. How embarrassing. Tears in the middle of the street, in front of anyone who was paying attention.

"Not sure I can do anything, but I'll listen if you ever need an ear to hear you out."

"Thank you, Shika." When she would be ready to talk about it, Amari couldn't say—too fresh and too raw for her to handle right now. But knowing Shikamaru and her mom were always ready to support her meant the world to her. "I don't know if it means anything to you, but Shisui was happy I had you, as am I."

Shikamaru nodded. "Me too, 'Risu. From what little I know, he sounds like a pretty cool guy. Would've been nice to meet him."

Heart warmed, Amari stepped forward and wrapped him in tight embrace in the middle of the crowded street, among the noise of hammers, saws and chatter. Her cousin wrapped a solitary arm around her back.

She'd always be grateful to have Shikamaru in her life. Always.

After they parted, he lifted his chin to gesture down the road. "Come on, let's keep moving."

"You would have thought Shisui was troublesome," she responded, smiling softly while falling in step with Shikamaru.

"Heh, if he was anything like you than you're probably right."

"You know you love how troublesome I can be."

"Yeah, yeah. But troublesome or not, he was your cousin and cared about you more than anything else. As far as I'm concerned, he's family."

"Technically, Shisui _is_ family to you through marriage."

Her cousin rolled his eyes. "Don't be troublesome. You know what I mean."

True, she did. But it was a lot more fun to tease him, if only to get her mind off the pain in her heart.

 _Shisui would have teased you for being so lazy, but he would have called you family too._ She kept the thought to herself, not desiring to prolong their conversation and bring herself to tears again.

Shikamaru's mission didn't officially include her, but with training out of the question, that left her here.

Lying around at home, alone, was the exact _opposite_ thing she needed right now. Her mother eventually had to leave to meet with her team—her duties as a squad leader didn't end because of Amari's emotional state—Team Seven were busy with their own missions and she had no idea where Mimi was. Probably a library or at home working on her Cell Activation Jutsu.

That left her Shika, the one person who wouldn't treat her like a porcelain doll or probe her about things she didn't want to talk about. On that note, she hadn't seen or sensed Jiraiya's presence since Naruto hit him with the Rasengan. Had he returned to his perverted ways? Or had the Rasengan blasted him all the way to the Land of Water?

 _Maybe he can talk to Atsuko while he's there and let me know when she'll be coming back._ She had tried to summon her back this morning.

An egg appeared again.

 _It's so embarrassing!_

This was probably Atsuko's way of punishing her, the troublesome bird!

Her second attempt brought forth Osamu. After apologies were spoken by both of them, and Amari hugged her dear feathered friend, joyful and relieved he'd made a full recovery, Osamu informed her that Atsuko was 'in the middle of something' and would return as soon as she was done.

 _I hope she isn't angry with me._

"Excuse me! Pardon me! Sorry!" a familiar voice apologized from behind the two Nara's, drawing both of them to turn around.

"Is that—"

"Naruto? Amari questioned.

The blond rushed through the crowds of people with Moegi and Udon hot on his tail. The absence of Konohamaru was strange. Stranger still was the boy and kids zooming by the two Nara's without even glancing at them.

Amari shared a confused look with her cousin. "Odd. Naruto!" she shouted to the boy.

The knucklehead turned around but continued to run in place. "Sorry Amari! Gotta go!"

"Where's the fire?" her cousin asked.

"Hokage Tower! No time to explain, but Konohamaru is going to be in big trouble if I don't get there soon!"

And with that the boy and the kids took off again through the people, leaving two puzzled Nara's behind.

"That doesn't sound good," she noted.

"Yeah. You heading to check it out?"

"Will you be okay if I do?"

He gave a short nod. "Yeah. It'll be a drag, but that's running errands for you." He lifted his chin in the direction of the Tower. "Go on. I've got this."

"Okay. See you later to watch clouds or relax under the sky?"

"Yeah. See you later."

With the approval from her cousin, Amari disappeared via the Body Flicker, and promptly landed on her hands and knees on the roof of a nearby building.

 _Damn legs are still giving me trouble._ She lifted her eye up in the direction of Naruto's inevitable destination and settled her brow into determination. _I'm not going to get better if I just baby myself. Time for a little exercise._

She got her feet under her and began Body Flickering across the rooftops at a relatively slower speed than before. It was a good exercise, and she managed to reach the Hokage Tower before Naruto with only a sheen of sweat beginning to form and unsteady breaths for her effort.

 _Not so bad_ , she thought between breaths, sitting down on the railing outside of the door leading inside. _I could be gasping for air or have fallen off a rooftop or even impacted against a wall from a bad jump._

It wasn't a high bar of victory, but it was good enough. For now, anyways.

 _I wonder what's going on with Konohamaru._ She could have easily entered the tower and found out for herself, but she had no idea what she was looking for or what kind of trouble it was. For all she knew, the trouble could be caused by a prank or the use of the Sexy Jutsu.

 _I'm not taking the heat for their shenanigans, especially if it's the Sexy Jutsu._

If this trouble was caused by the Sexy Jutsu, she was inclined to punish the boys herself for still using it.

Naruto, Moegi and Udon arrived up the stairs a few minutes later, looks of surprise on their faces.

"Amari? But didn't I see you back—"

"Body Flicker Technique," she answered easily. "I wanted to figure out what the problem was and if I could help." She hopped off the railing and back onto her feet, sandals making a light _clap_ as she landed. She squinted her eyes at her teammate in suspicion. "This isn't some problem caused by a pervy ninjutsu, is it?"

Her teammate shook his head rapidly and spoke through his tired breathing. "No! Konohamaru has barricaded himself in the Hokage's room." He shook his head again. "We don't know why. But Granny Tsunade could do something really rash if we don't hurry."

"Let's go then."

Naruto took the lead again at a slower jog compared to his previous sprinting. Moegi and Udon followed close by. Amari took up the rear with slower strides; the room they were looking for wasn't that far past the doors.

They entered the cool temperature of the building and made their way around the curved hallway of the cylinder shaped tower. The raised voice of their new Hokage became prominent.

"From what I can tell, it might do the little brat good to get roughed up a little. Now get him out of there!"

 _Things have obviously deteriorated quickly._ Amari quickened her pace.

"Wait! Don't!" Naruto shouted ahead of their arrival.

They found Tsunade standing beside Shizune, the pet pig Tonton held in her arms and against her buxom chest— _still not a bad way to die_ —while two male shinobi Amari vaguely recognized stood in front of the door. The two men were in the midst of preparing to use a jutsu of some kind, but at the sight of the group of four they lowered their hands.

"Naruto?" Shizune questioned their presence.

Tsunade's eyes fell onto Naruto, who had to brace himself on his knees and take in a few breaths of oxygen. Her eyes roamed over to Amari, widening only slightly in surprise. "Hmm? Aren't you supposed to be resting at home today?"

Amari coughed awkwardly. "I, uh, might have been," she offered lamely. Her Hokage narrowed her eyes. "I got restless. Needed some fresh air."

The Hokage held her beneath a penetrating gaze that was _almost_ as scary as the mom glare Kurenai gave her. It broke for a disapproving sigh. "You're definitely Kakashi's student."

"That's…good, right?"

"Normally. I wouldn't want to be him today, though."

Amari winced. Oh no. She could read that look without dōjutsu. "Guy-sensei?"

"Yep."

"Oh boy…"

She could only wonder if Guy instigated the challenge, or if Kakashi went looking for it.

Naruto sucked in a deep breath than released and stood up. "Just…hold on," he panted. "I don't know everything that's going on, but don't be too rough on Konohamaru. Please, Grandma Tsunade."

Amari's eye widened. _Did he just call her Grandma Tsunade? Is he insane?!_

The Hokage's brow twitched in annoyance but she made no comment about the nickname. One of these days, her eyes read, she'd make him regret it.

"He's a friend of yours?" Tsunade asked in a flat voice.

Her teammate nodded. The Hokage looked at the door in consideration of her options—break it down now or let the squirts attempt a peaceful negotiation.

"Don't worry! I can get him out! Just let us talk to him; he'll listen to us."

The Hokage set her eyes back on the boy. Her decision was made. "I want him out of there by the end of the day!"

Without another word Tsunade walked right past the group towards the exit. Her assistant followed, a look of bewilderment on her face. "En- end of the day? Bu- Lady Tsunade! Wait!" she called as she ran to catch up.

 _Did our Hokage just leave so she didn't have to do any work?_

Honestly, Amari couldn't blame her. Paperwork was a drag.

Shrugging it off, she examined the two ninjas, left looking as bewildered as Shizune sounded, in an effort to figure out who they were. It took a moment, but the light bulb in her mind flickered on. "You're the two ninjas from the Chūnin Exams, right? The ones who pretended to be Genin and also were sentinels for the written portion of the exam. Izumo and Kotetsu?"

They both smiled in greeting. "Well, well," the one with the long cloth bandage on his nose spoke, "sniffed us out again, Amaririsu."

"I'm surprised you still remember our little trick from the first part of the exam. I don't think we were ever properly introduced though. I'm Izumo," the one with the full bandana forehead protector introduced himself then motioned to the other, "and this is my partner, Kotetsu."

She bowed her head in a short nod. "Amaririsu Yūhi. I learned your names from Genma-sensei. Said he'd been giving you two a hard time about us bursting your bubble."

"That he did," Izumo agreed with a smirk.

"Still hasn't let us live it down," Kotetsu followed.

"Sorry about that." The Nara motioned then to the others one by one as she continued to speak. "This is Udon, Moegi, and Naruto. We'll take care of this."

"Good luck and watch out." Izumo glanced at the top of the door. "That's a trap door full of pepper bombs and who knows what else. If it comes to brute force, be prepared for anything."

Amari nodded. "Okay. Thank you for the heads up. We'll try not to damage anything."

The pair dismissed themselves.

Naruto, ever the blunt instrument who saw everything as a nail, went to the door and rapped his knuckles against it. Hard enough Amari stealthily stepped to the side, out of range of any traps. She placed her right hand on the wall in front of her.

 _I need to see what kind of mess he's stirred up for us in there. Konohamaru is exceptionally stubborn, a quality he shares with Naruto. At a guess, I'd say this has something to do with the Third Hokage's death and the soon-to-be Fifth Hokage taking his place._

She couldn't be sure, which meant figuring out what was above and beyond the door to piece together a plan. _Only one way to do that._ Shutting her right eye, she pooled chakra into her left. _Byakugan!_

Through the inverted black and white vision, she began her examination, first focusing on the trap door above the double doors.

 _An intricate set of traps up there. I see little bombs, probably filled with pepper or something else entirely. Also a lot of giant pots._

As she turned her eye to the main room itself, Naruto attempted to bargain with ramen, in turn making Amari's stomach growl loudly. _Ramen…_

"Heh heh heh!" Naruto snickered at her.

Amari's cheeks tinted pink. "I haven't had ramen in a month. Cut me some slack."

Her stomach growled again at the sound of the word.

Clearing her throat, she focused back on locating traps. As her vision refocused, she couldn't help but raise her eyebrows in shock.

"Whoa. He really went all out," she whispered to herself.

Furniture from chairs to bookcases were stacked in front of the door as a blockade, and that wasn't even what caught her eye. _He has ninja wire strung all across the room with paper bombs attached to them. There's a…boulder? How the hell did he get that up in there? Ninja tool triggers are within the ninja wire as well._

"Aren't you going to at least say something?" Naruto asked when his bargaining was met with silence.

"Okay, how about 'shut up'!" Konohamaru shouted back like a brat.

 _Real mature_ , she rolled her eyes.

"No kid is going to talk to me like that!" Naruto growled.

Amari sighed. _Great. Now he's fired up._

"That does it! Get out of there or I'm going to drag you out!"

"Yeah, yeah! Just try it!" Konohamaru fired back.

"You little!"

"Don't try to charge the door," Amari warned. Naruto ignored her and charged shoulder first into it. The trap door above opened and released the large bundle of giant pots to crash onto Naruto, slamming him chest first into the ground.

Again the Nara sighed. "I would have grabbed you with my Shadow Possession, but then you wouldn't have learned."

"Are you okay, Naruto?" Moegi and Udon asked in unison.

"…Ow," he wheezed.

Amari deactivated her Byakugan and opened her right eye again. "You really are troublesome, Naruto."

After pulling the pots off of him and stacking them all in a neat pile off to the side of the door, she asked, "You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm okay. What kind of traps does he have in there?"

She crouched down onto one knee next to Naruto. "Besides more pepper bombs and giant pots above the door?" He nodded. "If this comes to brute force, we're going to have to be at our bests to get through there."

"How come?"

"From what I was able to see, he has a ridiculous amount of traps beyond that door. There's ninja wire everywhere, paper bombs or something like my Concussion Seals hang from them, _and_ he has ninja tools ready to open fire when the door is opened. On top of that, there's a boulder ready to swing down once a kunai slices it's wire, plus a bunch of furniture hanging above the door."

"Seriously?" Naruto sounded equally perplexed and worried.

"Yeah," she nodded. "I don't know what's gotten into him, but to go to this length to defend that room? It's like he's trying to make a last stand."

Her teammate and the kids behind her made varying sounds of worry because of her analysis. She couldn't sugar coat it. This was serious, far more serious than she actually thought it would be.

"He could get himself killed or someone else if he isn't careful." She looked up to Naruto. "We have to do this smart. Words will hopefully defuse this situation, but it may come down to you and me blasting through that door. If it does and we're not careful…it's not a happy scenario, for any of us."

Her teammate nodded once and turned his cerulean eyes back onto the door. "I know you're not at one hundred percent, but do you think you'll be able to come up with a plan to get through?"

"Just give me a few minutes to think, and try not to lose your cool. You don't want to keep triggering those traps."

"Right."

Amari shut her right eye again, brought her right hand into Tiger and activated her Byakugan so she could continue examining the traps. She hoped words would work, but deep down she realized they were far beyond that.

Konohamaru had no intentions of coming out. He planned to stay firmly planted in there until the unlikely scenario of everyone leaving the room alone happened or he was forced out.

Amari didn't want someone else handling his physical removal. They would take the situation extremely serious and, in the words of Tsunade, rough him up for acting so childishly. Konohamaru was only acting out of grief; it was a feeling she understood better than he might believe.

 _We're the only way he gets out without him getting hurt or in more trouble._ With that thought in mind, she began devising her plan. Doing so wasn't easy. There was only one way in and it was covered with traps followed by more traps beyond the door.

 _Between me and Naruto, I'm faster when I'm at one hundred percent. But if I face plant or trip because my legs are still stiff, that one moment could cause one of those bombs to go off or Naruto to get hit by a kunai._

There was no room for error here. No—

"Oh, Konohamaru!" a high-pitched sultry feminine voice sounded off from in front of her, drawing her eye to…to…to… "Won't you please come out?" the Sexy Jutsu version of Naruto asked while covered in nothing but a thin cloud smoke.

Smoke her Byakugan could see through. Red flushed Amari's face as the _very_ clear vision of a _stark naked woman_ was forever burned into her retinas.

Somewhere in the Leaf, Master Jiraiya felt a pinch of jealousy for a reason he couldn't understand.

Then Amari's embarrassment for accidently ogling a naked woman from head to toe shifted into rage. Because this wasn't just some naked woman. This was _Naruto_. This was his stupid Sexy Jutsu—a jutsu which he so clearly _researched_ in intricate _detail_!

Details he _shouldn't_ possess the knowledge of yet!

"Don't keep me—"

"You perverted knucklehead!" Amari slammed her fist onto the top of her teammates head, knocking him down into the floor, her face red as a tomato and fires burning in her eyes. Her wild blue hair began to lift on its own, lashing like the Nine-Tails tails as she clutched her hand into a tight fist.

The transformation dispelled and revealed her knuckleheaded teammate face first on the floor, a large bump already forming on his head.

"I said give me a few minutes to think, not use the Sexy Jutsu in front of two girls and another young boy!" She nailed the bump on his head again. "I ought to trap you inside a genjutsu for the rest of eternity!"

"I…was just…trying to get him to talk," he groaned.

"So you use the Sexy Jutsu when I'm _examining_ the room right behind you?!"

"Oh…" Realization and embarrassment colored his features. "…Sorry about that…"

Amari huffed, face still red, as she knelt back down in her spot. "You're lucky I love you Naruto. If I didn't, I'd make your little transformation sex change a reality for you within a genjutsu."

A shiver of fear was clearly visible on the blond boy as her threat sunk in.

She banished the previous… _incident_ from her mind and picked up in her plan. It was feasible for them to break down the door and disarm all the traps; they just had to stay right on target throughout the entire operation.

 _There's not going to be enough room for both of us to be disarming targets, and I can't break that door down without a really large Fire jutsu._ She shook her head mentally. _I don't want to set this place on fire. That'd be troublesome. Which leaves Naruto to break the door down with his new technique. The strength I sensed in his jutsu should easily wreck the entire door._

 _From there it will be up to me to react quickly. I should be able to use one clone and work around myself to disarm everything. The only way I'm going to react quickly enough will be the Body Flicker and my Sharingan and Byakugan._

That settled the plan for the brute force way, but she had to give it at least one try to get Konohamaru to talk. She lowered her hand and turned her gaze onto the door with both eyes.

"Konohamaru!" she projected her voice loud enough to be heard. "Please, just tell us why you're doing this! Moegi, Udon, Naruto and I are severely worried about you and we want to help! Don't push us away!"

If her mother could pull her in from the storm, then maybe she…

"This is the Third Hokage's room! Nobody uses it except him!" he shouted back.

 _So this_ _ **is**_ _about the new Hokage. Change is happening everywhere, and for him it must be like his grandfather is being swept under the rug to be forgotten._

"So that's what it's about," Naruto whispered.

"Can you blame him?" she asked quietly. "All of us lost a Hokage; he lost his grandfather. Now they're taking all of his stuff out and replacing him."

"But the Old Man wasn't just a Hokage to us," her teammate argued.

The Third had been more than just a village leader to them. For Naruto he was the one person who showed him any attention or compassion in the beginning. For Amari he was the man who had accepted her into the village when she had nothing.

For them, he was like a grandfather as well.

"And that's not what's happening. We need a Hokage for our Village, but that doesn't mean the Old Man is forgotten. We have the circle that binds us like Iruka-sensei said."

"I know, Naruto. But understand that a bond of family that is severed is not something that heals overnight or in a month," she explained. Amari brought her hand over her heart and curled her fingers into her shirt. "A bond like this being severed, you feel it every day, and in the immense grief we feel we think, speak or act in ways we don't want to or don't mean to."

 _Then maybe you should have spared them instead of me…_

The words tasted like ash on her tongue now.

 _I'm still only a child…_

"…I get that. I really do," Naruto responded softly. "I miss the Old Man every day. But if we stay in that pit of grief, it can get really dark…and then you can become someone like Gaara."

Someone surrounded by impenetrable darkness. Someone who turned away from the hands reaching out to them.

Someone like the person she became when consumed by the Curse of Hatred.

"…Yeah," she agreed in a quiet voice. "I…understand Gaara better than I did before. I accused him of so much, and spat so much venom because he turned his back on Hikari, but when _I_ was the one surrounded by darkness, I embraced it, too. I couldn't see anything except my desire to kill Itachi and Aimi for what they stole from me. I ran right past Mom, Kakashi-sensei and Asuma-sensei, and I never looked back."

Not until Shisui arrived.

 _I'm such a hypocrite._

"Heh," her teammate breathed out a rough laugh, "well I've got news for you, Sis, I'm not letting you go back there. I've felt that darkness before, too, and I won't let it consume you."

His confidence filled Amari's heart with too much warmth for her to bear. _Thank you, Naruto._

"And I'm certainly not letting him go there either. You hear that, Konohamaru! We're not letting you shut us out!"

"Oh yeah! Well bring it on! I'm the grandson of the Third Hokage! It's my duty to defend this room!"

Naruto took an aggressive step forward. "Listen up, you little runt! There isn't time for you to be doing this! Konoha is what needs to be protected!"

"This Village could burn for all I care!"

Both Genin's fires were lit instantly. Onyx shifted to crimson. "How dare you!" Amari seethed.

"What are you going to do about—"

"You shut your mouth right now, you brat!" Anger flooded through her veins, but not sourced by the Curse of Hatred. In a sudden explosion, her Will of Fire reignited into a raging inferno. "Your grandfather sacrificed his life for _you_ and this Village! And you _dare_ to spit on that sacrifice?!"

She knew the remedy for this kind of childish action. The genjutsu Itachi had beaten the hell out of her until she learned her lesson and that was exactly what she planned to do to the little brat beyond the door.

"You've just crossed one line too far, Konohamaru! Disrespecting the Village and the sacrifice the Old Man gave to defend all of us?! You should be ashamed of yourself!" He turned to her with fire in his ocean eyes. "Amari, what's your plan?"

"Rasengan that door down. I'll handle the rest." Her dōjutsu's were searing holes through the door at the insolent child behind it. She created a clone next to her and prepared to act.

"You got it." Naruto created a clone as well and put his right hand out. Air and chakra brushed against Amari as a blue swirl of chakra formed in his hand, but before either could act, a new chakra caught the attention of the Nara.

On her right, Tsunade approached at a casual pace, face blank.

"Lady Tsunade?"

The legendary Sannin lifted her hand, loading her index finger in a flick gesture. Then she released it against the Amari's clone's head as she walked by, never meeting her eyes.

The Clone popped instantly. _Ow_ , Amari winced internally at the memory. _That was like being punched by a brick._

Tsunade moved between the two Naruto's, loading a second flick. The Naruto clone dispelled on impact, while the Hokage knocked Naruto over with a shove.

"Ow. Huh? Grandma Tsunade?" The older woman reached forward towards the door. "Wait! Be careful!"

Pots came crashing down. None touched the kunoichi. Her fists flew faster than bolts of lighting, punching the metal pots out of the air and out of her way before Amari could finish blinking.

 _Whoa…_

Tsunade pushed the doors further open and her hands, again, blurred to the naked eye; only Amari's dōjutsu allowed her to see the Hokage move. She pulled down the paper bombs, crumpling them in her fists before cutting the wire with a downwards swipe of her hand. Trap engaged, Tsunade took one step back and let the furniture and books fall down in front of her. Then she slammed her fist forward—the furniture splintered and exploded, sending the books flying away and clearing the path ahead of her completely.

 _Kami. This woman is incredible._

She stepped up onto the fallen bookcase and right onto a paper bomb; with a turn of her foot she disarmed it, a cloud of smoke of extinguished flames rising beneath her heel.

Tsunade continued forward.

A set of kunai's were sprung next, but she merely tilted her head to the side to dodge them. One of the kunai cut the wire holding up the boulder, sending it on its course right for the Hokage's head. She lifted her arm up and slammed the back of her fist into it without looking.

 _…Damn._

That was the last of the traps. Konohamaru trembled on his feet in front of a bookshelf, gaping in fear of his methodically approaching fate. Tsunade sauntered towards the boy until she was right in front of him, at which point she bent over and reached forward.

 _If she nails him with a flick, it's all over for Konohamaru._

All the kids outside the door tensed in anticipation of attack from the badass kunoichi.

Tsunade slid a book out of the bookshelf and opened it, never speaking a word. Never acknowledging they were even there. She left as if nothing happened.

Amari watched the legendary kunoichi leave, bemused by the entire occurrence. _I wonder what that was about…_ She shrugged. _Oh well. I guess we won't be knocking some sense into Konohamaru. Not physically at least._

"Konohamaru, let's go," she ordered in a tone that would broker no argument.

"…um, where?" he asked as he exited the room nervously.

"You, Naruto and I are going to visit your grandfather to pay our respects." She met his eyes with an unblinking expression. "And that's not a request."

Amari turned her attention to Moegi and Udon with a genuine smile. "You two can head home or go hang out somewhere if you like. We need to do this alone." She poked the pair fondly in their foreheads. "Good work coming to get Naruto. Konohamaru is lucky to have friends who look after him when he isn't looking after himself."

Moegi and Udon both smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Amari. You too, Naruto," Moegi thanked.

"Yeah, thanks a lot," Udon followed.

"No problem. I'm just glad I could help," Naruto replied.

The pair headed off after a farewell to the trio, leaving Konohamaru to stare at his toes as the two Genin set their hardened gazes on him.

"…I'm in big trouble, aren't I?"

"Oh yeah," Naruto told him as he crossed his arms. "Don't think we're done after what you said about the Village."

"You're lucky Lady Tsunade showed up and gave me the few seconds I needed to cool off. Otherwise I would have smashed you into the ground inside a genjutsu before doing it physically."

Konohamaru gulped but remained silent.

"Let's go."

* * *

 _How the hell did that kid do it at her age?_

Tsunade had been going over duty rosters with Shizune at a tea shop when she had come across the roster of Guy's team. Seeing the picture of Rock Lee and his student Mimi Inuzuka brought back the memories of the day before and his condition.

" _You can go to hell!"_

No one, save for Naruto, ever talked back to her without fear. Shizune had done it a few times when it came to gambling, and then trying to stop her before the deal with Orochimaru, but every other ninja usually regarded her with respect.

 _Not that kid, and not Naruto, that's for sure._

His nickname did get under her skin a little— _who does he think he's calling a Granny_ —but for one reason or another she hadn't clocked him for it. Maybe she was just getting soft in her old age, or maybe it was because she was fond of the little brat.

Whatever the reason was wasn't important. She had been taken aback by being told to go to hell by the Inuzuka, but let it slide as she watched her make a foolish promise to Rock Lee.

" _Watch me."_

Tsunade hadn't known what to think about it then, but again she let it go and went on with getting to know her new duties.

After seeing their faces again, she had to take a walk for some fresh air. Clear her head. Locate the source of this gnawing feeling in her gut. Something about Mimi Inuzuka's confidence in there being a way to increase the procedures success rate…it bothered her. It nagged at her sense of duty as a medic and her desire to learn new knowledge of the art.

She didn't relish telling Rock Lee his career as a shinobi was over. She hated it. Moments where she wasn't there to prevent something terrible from happening—like with her little brother—or moments where even her great Medical Ninjutsu just wasn't enough to heal someone—like Dan—always hit her hard.

 _And that boys dream revolved around being a shinobi._ A shinobi losing their dream wasn't rare; Lee was just the most recent for her.

It took some time, but she found Mimi in the library, completely passed out from a mixture of lack of sleep and use of chakra. Her ninken slept in her lap while the secluded table in front of her was piled with papers and open books.

Tsunade had leaned over her shoulder and scanned through everything on the table, only to have her eyes bulge in shock at a column of percentages under the words:

 _Lee's procedure with Cell Activation Jutsu, Amari's chakra and a food pill._

 _0.378%_

 _1.942%_

 _7.858%_

 _18.274%_

 _28.691%_

 _40.503%_

 _49.999%_

 _50.001%_

 _50.003%_

The numbers stopped there. Other notes crammed into the margins, diagrams and thoughts were scribbled hastily elsewhere. But those percentages, it shouldn't have been possible. Yet her notes were so intricately detailed that Tsunade believed it.

Spurred by the sight, the Hokage decided she needed to learn what this Cell Activation Jutsu was, and how it allowed this little Genin to make an advanced procedure a fifty/fifty shot with the help of a food pill and chakra support from Amaririsu Yūhi.

She flipped through the notes and the books in silence, piecing together the foundational pieces of this jutsu before heading to the Hokage Tower to retrieve the book currently in her hands.

 _This Cell Activation Jutsu, it's remarkably similar to that Kabuto's regenerative abilities._ She flipped the page of her book and continued reading.

 _The only difference is her variation is applying those same regenerative abilities to a patient instead of herself. For a kid her age to be able to make this procedure a fifty/fifty chance, even if it is with the help of someone else, it's practically unheard of._

 _"Watch me."_

Tsunade was watching now and she had every intention of seeing how far Mimi could go on her own. It was the reason why she hadn't stolen the notes the young kunoichi worked so hard on. How high could Mimi push those percentages in the next few days?

How high could she herself raise them?

For now all Tsunade wanted was a nice quiet place to study the contents within this medical journal and a bottle of sake. Glancing up from her book, the Hokage scanned the nearby shops. There! Farther down the street, and it appeared to be empty.

 _Hmm. That place will do._

The Hokage thumbed the page for revitalizing the cellular structure and proceeded to the shop, picking a secluded table and asking for sake as soon as she reached it.

She wasted no time in diving right into the book and the alcohol—though the latter she took in smaller portions. Diagrams, theories, conclusions, she studied them all.

Even with her skills, the Cell Activation Jutsu was a challenging technique to crack. Activating every individual cell of the human body required precision, chakra control and enough chakra for it and the actual procedure. She hadn't had a medical challenge like this in…she wasn't even sure how long anymore.

The last war, probably.

No, she wouldn't be figuring this out in a couple hours. Given another day or two, though…

 _I'm not about to be out done by a teenage Genin_ ,she thought as she turned the page and continued reading.

The sun continued its descent, painting the Great Stone Faces of the past Hokages in golden light. Sunset was only a few hours away, she unconsciously noted while studying. Pieces were coming together; possessing the wealth of Medical Ninjutsu knowledge she acquired through the years made it easier.

 _I bet Mimi Inuzuka's time would have been cut beyond half if she was my age._

Still, starting from scratch and getting as far as she had in a month or two impressed the legendary kunoichi.

 _In a few years she'll match Shizune's current Medical Ninjutsu abilities. She might even reach my level eventually if she continues to advance._

The sound of the tavern door opening barely registered in the Hokage's ears as she flipped the page again and took a sip out of her sake cup.

Living this long, though, wasn't easy. Battles were tough, certainly, but the lives she couldn't save, the family, friends and comrades she lost were far harder to bear.

"Aha! There you are! We caught you," Shizune's voice penetrated the silence.

Tsunade glanced up at her to see the stern eyes of her assistant, who had yet to notice the work her Hokage was doing.

"Shh," Tsunade shushed her.

Shizune's eyes finally fell down to the book. The sight of muscle anatomy and spinal column diagrams on the right and left pages enlarged her eyes to an almost comical degree. "Aiiieee! Lady Tsunade, are you _actually_ studying?!"

"Oinkkkk!" Tonton squealed in shock.

"Quiet down, will you. I'm trying to concentrate here," she responded as she continued to read.

"Wh- what did you say?!" Shizune shrieked in a mixture of surprise and fear. "You've never concentrated on anything except gambling!"

Tsunade stared, bemused by her faithful assistant. _You'd think she'd be happy._ She sighed internally. _Oh well. I'm sure it'll pass._

"Oh, calm down already, Shizune." Tsunade set her sake cup off to the side and refocused her eyes on the book. "I was thinking about what Mimi Inuzuka had said."

Shizune let her shock take a trip outside the door, thankfully. "Oh, you mean increasing the chance of success for Rock Lee's procedure."

"Yeah. I found her asleep at the library today. With a food pill, someone providing chakra for support and the jutsu she was referring to, her chances of performing the procedure are now fifty/fifty as well."

"But…how?"

"Remember that medical-ninja Kabuto you fought against?"

"Yes. What about him?"

"Specifically his body's ability to regenerate new cells, like he did after Naruto hit him with the Rasengan."

 _It was the only reason he could stand up on his own after taking that technique head-on._

He had used his Medical Ninjutsu to heal the point of impact before the jutsu even hit him, thus, when it did, his body was already healing the damage, allowing him to recover instantly. Or, at least that was the case until the extensive damage of the Rasengan hit him after Naruto nearly died.

The regeneration hadn't been enough to deter the amount of damage done, but that was unimportant now. This was about the ability itself, not Kabuto.

"Mimi has figured out how to apply the same technique to a patient rather than for herself."

"That's…amazing," Shizune said as she moved around the wall separating her table from the door. "So _that's_ how she plans to increase the chances of the procedure for Rock Lee."

Tsunade dipped her head in a short nod. "Right. But she's still at fifty/fifty with it right now. If I was able to do it, though…" she trailed off.

It would heal Lee and give him back his dream. That was worth something more than money.

She lifted her eyes from the book to meet Shizune's. "Even if it raises his chances from fifty to fifty-one percent, I think it's worth a shot."

"Lady Tsunade, the success of a technique like this is so dependent on the user. It's doubtful Mimi Inuzuka would be able to pull it off in practice. Even you might not be able to do it."

 _I wouldn't count that kid out just yet_ , she thought as she smirked, grabbing the tall bottle of sake and swirling it around. _I don't think she's done proving me wrong. As for me…_

"There's only one way to find out, I mean, I am the Fifth Hokage after all," she replied.

 _Hey, wait a minute._ She frowned, lifted the bottle up to her ear and twirled it again. _Damn, there's nothing left._

Her assistant smiled and revealed a second bottle. "Just this once, I'll make an exception."

Tsunade smiled and set her bottle down so she could rest her head on her hand and shut her eyes. Outside she sensed the retreating chakra forms of Naruto, Amaririsu and Konohamaru, all of whom had been previously standing outside of the door for the last half of their conversation.

 _I guess that boy heard what he needed to hear. Things may change, but the Will of Fire and the wills of the people we hold dear never fade away. They keep burning and guiding us along our paths._

 _Right, Sarutobi-sensei?_

* * *

Two days later, masses upon masses of people gathered outside of the Hokage Tower for the official inauguration of the Fifth Hokage: Tsunade Senju.

To Amari's eyes, it seemed like the whole Village had shown up for the event. Civilians, workers, shinobi, they were all here, gathered to witness the beginning of a new chapter of the Leaf. Hopefully a prosperous chapter. And hopefully absent of war.

A trailing sea of conversation swam through the crowd of people; voices on top of voices chatted in varying ranges of emotion, fluctuating from excited banter of friends and children to passive discussion between comrades and Clan leaders.

The swirling sounds surrounding Amari made her think of Hikari. The Sand kunoichi would certainly be lost in this noise, unable to 'see' or coordinate her way through it. But part of the Nara still wished Hikari had returned to her, that way if she were here, she would be right at her side, warmly holding onto her arm or hand.

 _I hope you're safe, Hikari. And more than anything else, I hope you're happy._

Amari stood with her mother in the crowd, joined by Anko Mitarashi. The Snake Mistress wasted no time in teasing her. "Shortcake!" she had started, a grin in her voice. Her trench coat covered arm snaked tightly around Amari's neck so she couldn't go anywhere. "I heard about your little reunion party, and you didn't even bother to invite _me_! I think I'm offended."

"Hello to you too, Miss Anko," Amari choked out, too busy struggling to breathe to be annoyed by the nickname.

"Sounds like you attracted some real scumbags," Anko continued without loosening her grip, a bright grin still on her face. "And those jerks didn't even bother to stick around after all your hard work, sorta like a bad first date!" she laughed.

She'd already been turning red due to lack of air. _That_ comparison didn't help at all!

" _Anko_ ," Kurenai chided in a motherly tone.

"Can't…breathe…"

"Oh, don't whine," Anko teased, releasing the girl. Amari sucked in the largest breath of oxygen she could. "You may like it when you're older."

" _Anko_!"

The deadly tone of her mother's voice effectively eliminated Amari's curiosity. Maybe it was better she didn't know what Anko meant by that.

Nearby their group was Lord Hiashi, Hanabi and Neji Hyūga; she was glad Lord Hiashi hadn't returned to ignoring or scorning his nephew. _And hopefully he's forgotten that he wanted to talk to me._

Hopefully. But unlikely.

Closer still were Tenten, Mimi, Aoko, and her cousin Hana with the Three Haimaru brothers. Hana was pleasant as always, offering warm words and brushing off Amari's apologies for dragging her into the mess with Akatsuki. The elder Inuzuka even succeeded in embarrassing her little cousin for laughs; when talk of Mimi's Cell Activation Jutsu came up, Hana pulled Mimi into a crushing hug, letting everyone in earshot hear about how proud of her little cousin she was.

Mimi struggled to break free the whole time, blushing a shade of pink Amari had never seen on her, yelling at Hana to put her down and at Amari for laughing instead of helping. She couldn't. It was the duty of the younger sister to laugh at her older sister's expense, when the opportunity arose that is.

Hana placed her back on her feet and ruffled her hair, a triumphant grin on her face at the brooding expression and promises of vengeance Mimi swore beneath her breath.

Prior to the scene, she was explaining how Lee's procedure was, theoretically, at fifty-two percent, and that Lee intended to go through with it, only Mimi wouldn't be performing it.

"That Old Hag snuck into the library when I was asleep and rifled through my notes according to Aoko. Two days later, she has the procedure to fifty-eight percent." Mimi huffed. "I'm not mad that she's actually going to do it, but she could at least give me some damn credit. I worked my ass off to get it to work."

Hana sprang her attack a moment later.

Amari was glad to hear the news, for Lee's sake and Mimi's.

Earlier, around the time she arrived, she noticed Naruto, Hinata, Shino and Sakura make their way towards the front of the crowd, sticking together.

However, Anko hadn't been finished with her brand of humor. Within shouting distance was Asuma, Shikamaru, Ino, Chōji and Kiba with Akamaru. The adult of the group had been sneaking glances here and there with Kurenai, which neither Amari nor Anko could let go. Amari was just more subtle.

"You two are so cute when you're stealing glances. Just go kiss him already. No one will judge," she whispered, causing her mother to blush and poke her forehead.

Anko took the blunt approach. "Hey Asuma!" she shouted, waving when she caught the pair staring at each other. "Are you two meeting up later to _celebrate_ this occasion with as much passion as possible?"She waggled her eyebrows suggestively and grinned for added effect.

Asuma turned redder than a waterfall of blood. Practically everyone nearby looked on in confusion, blushed for them or snickered.

"I'm just asking for Shortcake's sake!" Anko didn't relent. "I don't want you two corrupting— gah! Mmphh!"

Kurenai appeared behind her friend and covered her mouth with one hand, while the other she wrapped her other arm around Anko's throat. The red eyed shinobi was blushing even brighter than Asuma, whispering what could only be horrifying threats if Anko's nervous laughter and muffled apologies were anything to go by.

Amari, Mimi and Hana, however, died laughing. Together. No kunoichi left standing. Side aching laughter left them hunched over and kneeling on the ground, tears streaming down their cheeks.

"Miss Anko, you're the most amazing person in the whole world," Amari said while wiping her tears away.

"Of course I am!" Anko placed her hands on her hips, puffed her chest out and grinned.

"Oh…kami…that was too good. Better than when Amari told Ino she was 'in love' with Sasuke and they had to reform their clan."

" _No_! She didn't!" Hana's mirthful eyes fell upon the blue-haired kunoichi.

"I did," she admitted, smiling.

Other than that, she had seen Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon together with Iruka closer to the front on her left. The boy had come to some realization after paying respects to his grandfather and overhearing the Fifth Hokage speaking to Shizune. Amari wasn't really sure what had sparked him to regain his positive outlook, but she was happy he was back on the path.

Seeing others preparing to embark on their paths towards their futures gave Amari confidence that she could, too. It wouldn't be easy, but this new pain she had would make her stronger.

 _Just like you would want it to, right Shisui?_

Tsunade took center stage on the Academy rooftop, wearing her Hokage hat with Jiraiya and the two Village elders.

Everyone went silent.

Tsunade took her hat off and placed it over her chest. "From this day forward," she projected her voice over the silent Village, "I shall protect the Hidden Leaf Village as the Fifth Hokage!"

The crowd erupted into roars of applause and cheers.

Amari remained composed, smiling softly and tilting her head to rest against her mother's arm. Kurenai wrapped her arm around her and held her close.

The inauguration carried on into a village-wide celebration, but once the initial part was over, Amari regrouped with her sensei and team for a brief meeting. She made herself at home on the tree branch above them, where she kicked her legs back in forth as Naruto and Sakura arrived.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto greeted as he strolled up with Sakura at his side.

"You're looking a lot better, Kakashi-sensei. You too, Amari," Sakura said.

"Thanks, Sakura," Kakashi thanked, eye smiling at the pair. "I'm sure you're all curious why I asked for this meeting, so I'll get right to the point. Amari and I are cleared for duty tomorrow which means Team Seven is back to work."

"All right!" Naruto cheered and pumped his fist into the air.

"So, when is our next mission?" Sasuke asked.

"Funny you should ask, Sasuke. Lady Tsunade has assigned some D-rank missions to get us back into the swing of things, but we'll be taking time to get some team training in as well. That way Naruto can show me his new technique, you and Sakura can show us what you've been working on and Amari can get to work on the fūinjutsu technique I want her to learn."

That wasn't so bad. Sure they had to do some boring D-rank missions, but it was easy to tell they were all eagerly looking forward to team training.

"Oh, and you can expect a C-rank escort or bodyguard mission by the end of the week." Kakashi waved and eye smiled. "Training starts at four in the morning tomorrow. Don't be late."

Kakashi disappeared. Together, the four Genin digested his words. Amari was excited about the missions and the training, regardless of how early in the morning they had to wake up. Then again, waking up early had never been a real issue.

Naruto, however, had a shout that echoed the others sentiments.

"Four in the morning?! Is he insane?!"

Amari couldn't help but giggle. _Good to know some things never change._

As her world was shifting around her and she was starting to take the first steps forward with these new scars, she found comfort in knowing that no matter how much did change, Team Seven would always be a place she could call home.

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: We'll have to wait and see if Anbu is in her future. Tenzo was probably on the verge of unleashing draconian methods onto Naruto and his clones. If only they weren't inside a public structure. More on Mist Village situation coming soon. Orochimaru has plans._

 _Thank you for the review!_


	70. Chapter 69: Cold Lands, Colder Hearts

Chapter 69

Cold Lands, Colder Hearts: Team Seven Back in the Thick of It

 _Hmm…maybe…_ Amari pursed her lips then shook her head. _No, that isn't right at all. The Seal would fail, or worse._ With a sigh, the Nara used her pencil to scratch out her recent notes.

Fūinjutsu was a real pain.

The afternoon sun was upon the Land of Fire already; the rays of warmth were, at often intervals, obstructed by clouds of varying sizes and shapes, each lazily drifting towards their destinations.

From a flat, hotel rooftop Amari observed the nomadic clouds, pondering on her notes while tapping the eraser of her pencil to her chin. Being challenged was good, she reminded herself. It ensured she had to _earn_ the knowledge on her path of growth… Even if it could be a big, stupid drag.

Down below, civilians went about their daily business, taking leisurely strolls, conversing with friends or family, or heading into a nearby restaurant for a bite to eat. She sniffed the air as a light breeze brought the fantastic aroma to her nostrils. _It's a barbecue shop_. Her stomach growled at her. _And it smells_ _ **soo**_ _good._

Chōji would have dragged Asuma in there to bankrupt him on an Akimichi-sized meal. The thought flickered a flare of amusement and sympathy for Asuma. Poor man. He probably took on triple the missions to keep money in his wallet.

Amari shook the amusing thought, and smile, off to refocus.

Nearly a full week had passed since being cleared for duty, and there had been no shortage of training or missions in that time. Currently, the fūinjutsu technique Genma was meant teach her consumed Amari's attention, while a Shadow Clone joined her team at a movie theater Kakashi sent them to.

The movie wasn't entirely for leisure—although, according to her pamphlet, it was one of the highest rated films this year and up for awards. Kakashi sent them there to learn more about their new mission, specifically the lead actress they'd be protecting when they regrouped.

A sense of urgency prevented Amari from joining her teammates personally. There'd be no way to continue progressing on the fūinjutsu inside a movie theater. Too loud. Too distracting. And after everything she learned from Shisui and Itachi, she _needed_ to figure this out.

No. She didn't have time to waste. Every day from her first day of recovery forward had to be productive. Her foundation needed to be set once more; she had to recapture her strength and inner warrior spirit for the coming battles. Until she could _feel_ like the kunoichi she wanted to be, training had to take priority.

Especially with this fūinjutsu technique. The complexities of it…

Amari paused the rhythmic tapping of her pencil, frowning. _It's no wonder the Hokage Guard are the only people who use a variation of this jutsu. It's such an advanced technique, created by the Second Hokage and perfected by the Fourth—two of the greatest shinobi the Leaf has ever seen._

 _And Kakashi-sensei and Genma-sensei believe_ _ **I**_ _can learn it?_

They either overestimated her abilities or underestimated the Second and Fourth Hokage.

The jutsu, she learned, was called the Flying Raijin—a space-time ninjutsu that earned the Fourth Hokage the nickname as the Yellow Flash. The lessons Genma taught her—storing objects within a separate space-time, remote detonation of Concussion Seals—were the very _basic_ fundamentals of this technique. Basic building blocks to lay a foundation, but not to walk among the plane of prodigious talent the Second and Fourth Hokage possessed.

A master of the Body Flicker Technique could _appear_ as if they were teleporting from point to point, while never actually doing so. The Flying Raijin was _literal_ teleportation. In theory, wherever she placed a Seal became a point she could teleport to at will, instantaneously. Faster than the human eye could blink.

To oversimplify it, the Flying Raijin was a Summoning Jutsu for herself, but that oversimplification lacked the many nuances of the technique. Through the use of the Flying Raijin, she'd enter a dimensional void, from which she could choose the location marked by her Seal she wished to teleport to.

 _Just the thought of that makes my head spin._ Amari shut her eyes. _Dimensional voids, teleportation, it sounds like a fantasy novel. Yet it's real._

The difficulty excited and terrified Amari equally. If she were to successfully perform this jutsu, so many doors could be opened to her in combat or on rescue missions. For example, had she possessed the ability during the Akatsuki incident, the fight with Itachi never would've occurred.

… _But would you really want that?_

No Shisui? No truth? Ignorant bliss to the Foundation, the Masked Man, Itachi's and Aimi's path… No, she didn't want that anymore. The burden of knowing was heavy, without a doubt. But to live a lie? To be sheltered from reality? She didn't want any part of that.

A better example, during the Sound and Sand Invasion she could have transported civilians and injured shinobi to safety, or directly to other medic's. The lives she might've saved…

Amari shook off the guilt and the terrible memories clawing at her. The terrified screams of innocent people. Fires, explosions and combat _everywhere_. Dead bodies and pools of blood in every sector…

She shivered then shook her head forcefully. The Invasion was over. There was nothing she could do now. She could only move forward.

Anyway, this technique relied wholly on her ability to create a working Seal—which was terrifying. _If I created a faulty Seal, I could end up dead, in an altered reality, the past, the future, or a different universe for all I know._

Which could be a one-way trip. Or worse, if she accidentally altered the past or future, the world as she knew it today would be different. A ripple effect of her actions could cause an entire Nation to be destroyed…or people she loved to be erased from history completely.

In other words, this was anxiety-inducing levels of troublesome. It made Amari wish she wielded a mastery over fūinjutsu already, that way she could feel even a scrap of confidence in her ability to perform this technique.

But there wasn't time to mess around with basic-leveled seals. The encounters with the Akatsuki and Orochimaru changed their reality; it subtracted what little time she thought she had to prepare for adult life as a shinobi and set her on a course there was no turning back from.

Powerful shinobi set their sights on her and her team, and none of them would wait for them to acquire new strength or mature. Baby steps weren't an option. She couldn't keep hiding on a raft to avoid learning to swim. People were counting on her, which meant it was time to dive right in and learn to swim as quickly as she could before she drowned.

Being thrown into the ocean to sink or swim didn't bother Amari. She woke up in the ocean after a rogue wave split her ship apart, stealing Ryu and Kasai from her slippery grasps.

She'd been learning to swim ever since. Right in the thick of trouble was Team Seven's natural state, after all. Here, the pressure left no choice but to advance or die.

When it came to this technique, Kakashi and Kurenai couldn't help her—they couldn't perform it. Genma couldn't help her either because, although the Hokage Guard used a variation of it, none of them could use it individually. It required a team effort.

" _What's more,"_ Genma had explained patiently, _"you won't be able to copy the formula we use and expect it to work for you."_

" _What do you mean?"_

" _A Summoning Contract binds you and the Crows through blood. It ensures no one, except another individual who has signed the contract, can summon the Crows without your blood. Remote detonation Seals are also bound to you, and only you, through the chakra you place into those special formulas."_

 _Genma tightened his teeth around his senbon, making it flick upwards. "The Flying Raijin and the Flying Thunder Formation the Hokage Guard use are no different. It will be a Seal only you have access to."_

 _"But…" Amari felt her confidence waning, her eyes falling to her toes. "…Where do I even start then? How do I even know if it's right?"_

 _"Those questions are the reasons only a handful of shinobi have ever used Space–Time Ninjutsu. I'll teach you what I can, but there'll be aspects of this I can't teach you. You'll have to surpass my understanding and knowledge to complete it. As for when you'll know it's right… You'll feel it. It's like having a door only you can see in the back of your mind."_

She had been seeking a starting point ever since, with no success.

Amari reached up to her chest, pulling the pendent of her necklace out from under her purple tank top so she could examine the combined crests of her Clans.

 _I wonder what you would all think of me taking this on._ A faint smile crossed her lips. _You would probably think I was troublesome, right Mama? But I got it from you, according to Uncle Shikaku._

 _What about you, Papa? Am I throwing myself too far into the deep end or do you think I can handle this?_

" _Stop underestimating yourself, Haya,"_ her cousin's voice called to her. Hearing him again, even in a memory, brought tears to her eyes. _"Remember what I said: Sometimes you need to come up for air from those books you get nose deep in and breathe some fresh air."_

 _I know, Shisui_ , she thought in response to the memory. _I'm not even close to giving up yet…_ Her eye fell to the side. _I just feel like if I take a break that I'll be wasting time. There's so much to do and so much more to learn with too little time to do it. The Akatsuki, Orochimaru, the Foundation, the Masked Man, they're all out there, and they all have to be stopped…and I'm not strong enough to stop them, or to save Itachi and Aimi._

She was still too weak. Too slow. Too…broken.

An invisible poke landed square in her forehead. _"If you maintain that kind of attitude, you'll never be able to sit still long enough to watch clouds."_

The Shadow user giggled softly to herself and shook her head _._ _I guess._

" _Relax, little cousin. You'll never figure it out if you stress yourself out too much. Remember what Pops told us: 'Wielding a strong bloodline means nothing if you live under so much pressure that you can never access your potential.' So take a breather for little while. It'll be here when we get back."_

 _Yeah, you're right. Troublesome boy…_ Amari exhaled a breath and looked back at her pendent, tears glistening in her visible eye. _Thank you._

A break sounded good. There was no guarantee when she came back that she would have an epiphany, but drowning herself in work would be troublesome.

 _It'll be here later. Not like I'm giving up. It will take more than a week with no progress for me to start to consider throwing in the towel._

Eventually she would begin to see results…hopefully.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei," Amari greeted as she continued staring at her pendent.

"Shouldn't you be with the others watching the movie?" Kakashi asked as he strolled up to her side and crouched down next to her.

"I sent a clone in my place so I could keep working on this." The Nara stuffed her pendent back under her shirt then stretched her arms up into the air, arching her back to stretch it out.

"Ah, I see. Any luck yet?"

Amari shook her head, arms still above her head. "No, but we both expected as much."

She lowered her arms and reached into her pouch to grab her storage scroll. After sealing away her notes and writing materials, she rolled it up and hopped onto her feet. Amari looked to her crouched mentor. "Are we heading out for our C-rank bodyguard mission?"

Were they finally heading to meet Yukie Fujikaze, the lead actress of the popular movie?

"Yes," Kakashi nodded and stood up to his full height, "but it's actually an A-rank mission."

Amari's eyebrows rose. "An A-rank mission for guarding an actress?"

It probably wasn't all that unordinary, considering how popular the movie was. Crazy fans could be, well, crazy. _But A-ranked? That seems like a bit much._

"Yeah. She's a celebrity, so people could be targeting her for any number of reasons. Fan worship can lead people to accidentally or purposefully hurting their idol. There could be threats of kidnapping, or even someone who wants to kill her to become famous." Kakashi shrugged. "Celebrities have a tendency to draw strange crowds."

"Strange enough to need shinobi for protection?" the Nara asked. It sounded suspicious to her. Celebrity life was as foreign to her as the Land of Lightning, and if she had any say it would remain that way. But hiring shinobi to protect an actress? Shinobi were a military force, trained to kill when necessary.

Wasn't that a bit much for protecting an actress?

"Worried?" her sensei asked, noticing the unease written in her eye and on her face.

"Honestly? Yes," she answered. "It's not like Mr. Tazuna didn't lie to us on our first bodyguard mission. In theory they could just be paying for the best without any real danger, or maybe she's stuck up and wants to be treated like her onscreen princess character.

"But they could also be planning for something else, like Mr. Tazuna did. Only instead of lying about the mission ranking, they're just lying about the kind of danger they're in."

Regardless of how paranoid it sounded, the possibility was there. The invasion of the Sand and Sound was international news. Clients seeking to hire them could use their precarious situation to conceal their true motives for one reason or another.

 _But this time they're paying the full price for protection, so cheaper labor isn't the answer here. They might have settled for Genin because they know our village was attacked and didn't want to ask for more, or Lady Hokage didn't have a higher ranked team to send._

Was it possible she was just a little extra jumpy or paranoid than she needed to be? Yes, it was, but they needed to expect the unexpected. Hesitation always led to disaster.

Besides, it felt…good to be thinking through these kinds of scenarios again. Her last two major encounters involved the Invasion and the Akatsuki. Considering the possibilities of a normal mission was like breathing in a field of roses in comparison.

"You have valid points, but let's not get ahead of ourselves yet. We'll gauge their motives during our meeting."

"Right," Amari agreed.

That was the best way to do it. Trying to gauge people without actually personally meeting them wasn't very effective, definitely when they lacked reputations like Gatō and Zabuza.

"By the way, are we running late?"

"Would _I_ of all people be running late?" He asked it _so_ innocently. _Too_ innocently.

"Yes," she sighed, shoulders sagging. "I knew I should have been keeping track of time. I _hate_ being late."

Kakashi ruffled her hair, chuckling at her expense. "It's nice to see some things never change." He inclined his chin up in the direction they had to go. "Come on, let's go meet up with the others. It's just about time that we'll be fashionably late."

"There's nothing fashionable about being late," Amari grumbled before departing at a ninja jump.

The meeting location was an unoccupied side street, where a large billboard advertising the _Princess Gale_ movie her team was sent to watch loomed above the dirt road. Kakashi and Amari landed on top of the billboard and examined the absent road.

"Well, this is strange. They should have been here."

"This place is a real mess," Amari murmured.

Hoof prints marked the dirt, the indentations deeper in some areas more than others; small bundles of dirt were thrown askew by what appeared to be a feverish gallop. Jumping down with her sensei, she knelt beside the tracks to examine them and look for anything human. Kakashi meandered over to the knocked down fence nearby.

"Hoof prints and lots of them," Amari analyzed out loud. Her eye roamed along to a set of distinct shinobi tracks. "These are definitely mine, Sakura's, Naruto's and Sasuke's sandals in both size and print. They're leading," she followed the trail down the street, "farther into this outpost. Looks like they were in pursuit of the horses."

"Seems that way. A horse, or several, knocked this gate down too, but why?" Amari looked back to her sensei. His thoughtful expression morphed into realization. "Oh no. She must have tried to run away again."

 _Great, this actress is an escape artist as well? What a pain._

"I suppose they'd hire ninjas that could track down a runaway actress too, huh? And why 'oh no' Kakashi-sensei?"

"Because the people chasing her are the bodyguards we're replacing, and I have a feeling the four of you might be taking her side. Not theirs."

Amari grimaced. "Oh…crap."

Four trained ninjas taking on professional bodyguards was the equivalent of asking a cat to fight a mouse. And her clone was going along with it.

Great.

 _No time to waste. Byakugan!_ Her vision extended in inverted black and white, leaving her to scan through the town for any sign of her teammates. _Now where did you guys go?_ She scanned through a building and down several streets, vision darting here and there for their chakra signatures. Then…

"Amari, try to see if you can find them with your Byakugan."

"One step ahead of you, Sensei. Sakura and Sasuke are already stopped directly southwest of this spot," she pointed in the direction of her teammates. "They're in the midst of tying up the bodyguards, but Naruto and the actress are that way," she pointed North, "and still on the move via horseback. My clone is on their tail." She had to strain to see it, but she had them all located.

"All right. I'll go to Sasuke and Sakura. You go after Naruto and Yukie. Bring them back as soon as you can."

"What if she won't come willingly?" Amari asked, looking over to her sensei. Yukie already ran away once. No doubt she'd try again, or just plant her feet like a stubborn horse and refuse to move.

Kakashi eye smiled at her. "I'm sure you'll think of something that doesn't leave bruising. Good luck."

With that, her mentor disappeared via the Body Flicker.

 _Was I just given permission to hit our client with a genjutsu if she doesn't cooperate?_ Maybe this wouldn't be so troublesome after all.

 _Time to chase that knucklehead._

Amari Body Flickered her way across the town and out beyond its walls, into the country where farms and green rolling hills surrounded her at every turn. Peaceful land. Amari liked it.

By the time she caught up, Yukie and Naruto made it to the next town over. Her clone was dispelled by pepper spray, shot directly from the actress's earring. Ingenious design. Also incredibly annoying.

The heap of new memories from her clone filled in a lot of the blanks to the situation; apparently Naruto wanted her autograph, which he continued to pursue her for, leading to them both being pepper sprayed.

 _That stuff burns something awful._ She rubbed her eyes, both now itching from the memories left behind. _Damn it. What a pain. I'd say she's lucky she's a great actress, and that I understand why she has it, but her rudeness to those little kids took away anything positive I can say._

She was a phenomenal actress and the movie was worth its praise, but yelling at kids who just wanted a simple autograph, to the point of making them all feel foolish and sad made the genjutsu option more agreeable.

Had the actress been in the middle of downtime or simply been busy, Amari would have been sympathetic. _But she wasn't. She was just running away from her job for whatever reason she has and giving those kids an unneeded attitude. They loved her as Princess Gale._

Amari shook her head. _I understand wanting privacy and wanting people to respect your personal space or time. Actors and actresses are just normal people, after all. But to act so callously to kids who loved your character?_

It didn't sit right with her.

The sun was setting when Amari entered the tavern Yukie and Naruto had entered minutes before her. She had given her knuckleheaded teammate time to get Yukie to leave, but that time was up. Now the actress had a choice: Come willingly or be taken by force.

 _Oh please make me take you by force. Please. I could use the small amount of satisfaction since we're going to be stuck with your attitude for who-knows-how-long._

As the young kunoichi entered the building, the thick, pungent smell of cigarette smoke and alcohol pelted her senses like a series of kunai as her eye adjusted to the low light room.

 _Ugh,_ she scrunched her nose up in disgust, _the smell sickens me._ She could barely stand Asuma's cigarettes. But to have cigarette smoke on top of cigarette smoke was just awful.

It didn't take more than a glance to find her teammate standing next to the sitting actress. Hard to miss a bright orange outfit in this dimly lit room. The woman was taller than them both, a waterfall of black hair with bangs that swept on each side of her face. Her glazed over eyes were almost a sky blue, and she dressed in a beige trench coat, a salmon colored blouse, a dark brown skirt and tan boots.

Yukie wobbled back in forth in her seat, as if she was trying to maintain balance as the whole world was shaking; a small nudge would probably be enough to knock her over.

The woman stunk of alcohol, and it grew stronger with each step Amari took towards them. _Lovely, she's drunk like Mr. Tazuna was too. I wonder if the grumpy old man is somewhere at the end of this journey waiting for a rematch or something._

"Well, well, if it isn't Princess Gale. Tsk, tsk, what would the kids think if they saw their hero so drunk that she's barely able to hold herself up at a bar?"

Naruto looked around the woman to see Amari sauntering over, her hands in her pockets and a flat stare firm on her face. Yukie turned to scowl at her.

 _Heh, if you keep that there your face will get stuck…oh wait, it did already._

"Hey, there you are. Where've you been?" her teammate asked.

"Studying. I wanted to see if I could get anywhere with that technique I was working on." Naruto nodded. "Sorry I'm late, and sorry you've had to deal with our lord and majesty here on your own."

"Tch, yeah. Lord and majesty," Naruto hissed bitterly.

"What do you want?" Yukie bit out with a slur, a light blush on her cheeks to compliment her glazed over eyes.

"For you to come back and do your job." Their client's scowl deepened at her words. "I'll give you two choices: you can either come back on your own willpower, or we'll do it my way. Do yourself a favor and don't be a drag. I'm not in the mood."

"Forget it, kid." Yuki turned back to her glass of alcohol. "I'm not doing it."

 _Have it your way._ The Nara waited for her to take a final sip before speaking up again. "Could you say that one more time? I want to be sure you've chosen to do this my way."

Yukie, full drunken scowl, turned her head back to face Amari; her light blue eyes met the Uchiha's single onyx eye, sealing her fate. "I'm not going back. I'm don—"

 _Sharingan!_ Onyx shifted into blazing red, the three tomoe's spinning within. The genjutsu was nothing special, or mentally damaging. Amari merely put Yukie to sleep then deactivated her Sharingan, catching the crumbling body of the actress before she could hit the ground.

Slinging the dead weight over her shoulder, Amari started towards the exit. "Let's go, Naruto. We have a _princess_ to deliver to her castle."

"Uh…did you just, you know, hit our client with a genjutsu?"

"Yep. Sensei told me to use whatever means necessary so long as I didn't physically harm her." It was a loophole she hoped to exploit on other troublesome clients in the future. "Come on. We've got some ground to make up, and she's not getting any lighter."

"All right. Let me know if you need me to carry her for a while."

Together they took off back towards the first town at a quick pace. A little past halfway there, they ran into their sensei, teammates and the one who hired them—a man named Sandayū Asama. Nice man. Dressed well in an expensive suit—being Yukie's manager clearly paid well. He had a short grey hair and well-kept beard; his small glasses also showed his age, despite all other appearances of good health.

Kakashi took Yukie from Amari and filled her and Naruto in on their mission. They were meant to board a ship to the Land of Snow, where the movie crew decided to film their newest addition to the _Princess Gale_ series.

 _No wonder Sensei told us to pack winter gear. I should have figured we were going to a place that could turn us into snow cones._

It was their job to guard the movie crew in its entirety. From what exactly? None of her team knew. Their real job seemed to be ensuring Yukie didn't escape or run away, but Amari wasn't ready to lower her guard yet.

Her sensei then asked why the actress reeked of alcohol, and how she ended up knocked out.

"She was looking for the answer to life at the bottom of a bottle and told us she wouldn't come back. I gave her a choice and a second chance to change her mind when she made that choice. She chose to take my way," Amari explained, shrugging casually.

"And what did you do to her in the genjutsu?" her sensei queried.

"Nothing serious. Just made her see her worst fear and then amplified it with a dragon," she jested.

" _Amari_ ," Kakashi chided.

"I'm kidding. I just put her to sleep. She'll be fine when she wakes up."

Even when the ship finally set sail to cross the ocean separating the main continent and faraway frozen island, Yukie was out cold and unaware of her current destination.

 _Heh, that'll be an entertaining wake up call._

There was no turning back for her now, and no place she could hide from Team Seven on this ship or in the Land of Snow.

But that was a problem for tomorrow. Right now the actress was asleep and Team Seven were in the process of calling it a night so they would be fully refreshed for the days at sea ahead of them. Amari was already lying on her top bunk, bandana tied around her wrist as she picked up where she left off in the novel she was reading in the hospital—a fluffy romance novel, taking place in a science fiction world between a redheaded commander and a thief at the end of a terrible war.

Below her, on the bottom bunk, was Naruto, already asleep and thankfully not snoring. Yet.

Across from them was Sakura on the top bunk and Sasuke on the bottom, both awake and organizing their pack and ninja pouch respectively. Behind the wall separating Amari's bunk from the next set of beds was Kakashi on the bottom cot, his _Make-Out Violence_ book in hand as he too read the night away.

All was quiet in their quarters save for the sound of the ocean water sloshing under them and the infrequent creaks and groans of the ship. For Amari, the rock of the ship soothed her into a trance as the words of the novel in front of her surrounded her being and brought her closer and closer to sleep.

By the time she was ready to set the book down and get some sleep, her other two teammates had already departed for the land of dreams while her sensei left to stretch his legs and do a silent patrol across the ship.

Sleep brought her into its warm embrace soon after.

* * *

Amari woke early the next morning. The sun was leveled with the horizon as she toured the large vessel from bow to stern, seeking out suspicious activity of any kind.

So far, so good. Clear sailing ahead, she was told by the captain, with a few days of warm weather left before the northern temperatures revealed themselves. Amari expressed her gratitude for the warning then departed for the bow, farthest away from the general movement of the movie crew—who were already preparing their equipment and set in the middle of the wide and long main deck.

She sat on the wooden railing at the very tip of the bow, legs crossed beneath her. Exhaling a calm breath, Amari shut her eyes and let her muscles go slack to begin morning meditation. The spray of the sea, the scent of the salt water, the sound of the water splitting below her, it was an odd change of scenery and environmental conditions for meditation, but she couldn't deny the sense of peace here.

The wind tousled her wild blue hair, yet the Nara showed no signs of disturbance.

All those aboard cast their eyes to the small child at the bow now and then, a hint of expectation in their lingering gazes, though what they expected to see or to occur differed from person to person. Some watched with mild curiosity over the kunoichi hired to protect them. Others worried they'd blink and she'd disappear overboard.

However, none dared to disturb the silent and unmoving child. Amari remained unaware of the director capitalizing on the picturesque moment with his movie camera: the silent warrior, meditating at sunrise, one with the world around her.

The only fracture ever to crack Amari's peace was the sound of the crew quarters door slamming open, followed by a piercing shriek of disbelief that left her grinning ear to ear.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Yukie screeched in a tone unpleasant to the ear.

Amari's eyes opened to morning blue sky, a quiet giggle on her lips.

 _Totally worth it_.

* * *

The Land of Snow couldn't be accurately described by words like 'cold' or 'freezing.' They were too bland, lacking accuracy of the true extent of suffering cold the land was plagued by.

A frozen wasteland only scratched the surface, but it would do for now. Amari couldn't bother to describe it further, far too focused on pretending she was on a nice sunny beach instead of being turned into an ice pop.

It wasn't working.

Any heat the sun could provide was whisked away by the cloud infested sky. She huddled as close as she could to one of the heat lamps—a metal construct almost her height, shaped like an oil lamp but more akin to a fireplace in purpose, providing a single bastion of heat in a land absent of it.

 _It could be worse_ , she tried to tell herself. A _tiny_ consolation, but true nonetheless. The wind did not rip past them, nor was it snowing or sleeting at the moment. Team Seven also dressed for these cold temperatures.

The four Genin wore beige, almost white, cloaks that wrapped fully around their upper bodies like winter armor, the hem reaching down to their shins. Gloves paired with shinobi sandal styled shoes maintained the heat for the appendages farthest away from their hearts.

Beyond that were personal choices. Amari wore a violet long sleeve on top of her tank top and mesh top, in addition to thermal purple leggings beneath her shorts and a purple beanie to protect the precious tops of her frozen ears.

Despite the layers, the cold weather found a way to penetrate into her core. Which was the reason she hogged a heat lantern like a dragon hoarding gold.

Naruto wore blue gloves and a black long sleeve under his orange jacket along with his cloak. Sasuke had a purple long sleeve under his blue high collared shirt and matching blue gloves, though he opted out of the leggings with his white shorts.

" _It's not that bad"_ he had said.

Amari had begged him to put more clothing on ever since, much to his and their team's amusement. So far he refused to cave.

As for Sakura and Kakashi, the kunoichi wore pinkish-red leg warmers and matching long sleeve arm warmers to compliment her pink sleeveless qipao-style coat; Kakashi remained in his usual ninja gear with an added scarf wrapped around his neck, hanging over his flak jacket.

Shinobi gear was built for multiple weather conditions, so Amari let him off easy.

So far, their _"Babysitting of a pampered actress"_ in Sasuke's words, consisted of them standing off set as she did her job and little else. It was strange to see her act, admittedly. In the scenes she seemed so caring, so compassionate, filled with fire and spirit…yet when the scenes ended, she became the mopey, apathetic woman Amari met.

Eyes always downcast or just absent of life, she never spent time with her cast members. Never shared in camaraderie. Never laughed or smiled.

Amari preferred Princess Gale over Yukie Fujikaze, if she were honest.

The trip here was uneventful, to the point Team Seven decided to spar on the water next to the boat to pass the time and keep up their training.

When the temperatures of the water and the air began to plummet they sought new ways to occupy themselves. Amari dove back into her studies on fūinjutsu or reading her book when she wasn't in the mood for it. Sometimes she and her team merely played cards; she even talked Sasuke into a few games of shogi. He was…less than stellar so far, but she hoped with more experience he'd prove himself a real challenger.

One morning they woke up with a start. The movie crew was yelling in apparent terror, dragging them all out of their peaceful slumbers to battle attention. The source of their terror? Their arrival to a distant island of the Land of Snow and all its glorious, uninhabited glaciers, snow and ice as far as Amari's Byakugan eye could see.

"This is the perfect place to shoot! Cherish this moment! The movie gods are smiling down on us!" Director Makino—an older, weathered man—declared.

Amari shivered and sent a glare the director's way. _If this is how they rate their gods smiling down on them, what are they like when they're angry? Crazy and troublesome old man._

"Still haven't created clones to sustain body heat?" Sasuke prodded teasingly, as he joined her. Sakura and Naruto shadowed him and huddled close to the heat lamp.

"I don't want to hear it from you, troublesome boy," she grumbled.

Her three teammates put their hands out to gather some warmth from the heat lamp, chuckling and giggling at her response as they did.

"Besides, knowing my clones I'd end up at the back of the line so _they_ could get heat."

"The way they act, it's sometimes hard to believe they're your exact clones," Sakura said, smiling as she did. "Remember the time back at the Academy when they did the group high five and group hug?" she asked the others.

Warmth flared at Amari's cheeks. "How can I forget?" she mumbled.

"Oh yeah!" Naruto snickered and bumped her side with his elbow. "You were _so_ red and kept staring down at your toes. Sort of like you are now."

The reminder brought her eye to her toes again. "My clones are so embarrassing when they're in large groups. That's why I stick with smaller numbers, besides for the obvious toll on my chakra—the more I create, the more they act out."

"That's why?" Sasuke questioned, the beginnings of a laugh in his voice.

She nodded faintly. "You three don't know the half of it."

"Sounds like a story. Spill it, Amari."

Amari shook her head rapidly. "No way! You have no idea how embarrassing they can be!"

"That's why we're asking," Sakura replied. To Amari's horror, all three of her teammate's eyes were alight with troublesome mischief. Oh man, why did she open her big mouth? "Come on, Amari! It can't be that bad."

"I was really hoping you would take my side this time, Sakura" she whined.

"Welcome to my world," Naruto said. Then he nudged her side again with his elbow. "You've gotta tell us, Amari. Come on, we won't judge you for the actions of your clones."

"Liar," Amari fired back. "You're all already thinking of ridiculous things my clones could have done, just like when you were saying things on our last mission about Kakashi-sensei having blimp lips or giant buckteeth under his mask. Which still literally makes no sense since his mask wouldn't be able to hide that."

Naruto's features shifted into a pout. "I can't believe he wears two masks. It's like he knew the three of us were trying to see what was under there," he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest at the reminder of his, Sasuke's and Sakura's failed attempt to see what was under their sensei's mask.

Amari had been too busy studying to help.

 _"Sensei obviously has his reasons for keeping his face private. It's not my place to pry,"_ she had told them when they begged her to use her Byakugan to see under his mask.

In her opinion, the only thing the mask could hide was a scar or two, but nothing deforming or ugly. They could see his general nose and lip shapes as it was, along with his jawline, so with a creative enough imagination it wasn't hard to picture what he might look like. He was probably a handsome man, even if he did bear more scars than the one over his Sharingan eye.

 _I'd like to ask him about how he received that one of these days. Maybe it ties into why he wears his mask._

"Don't change the subject, Amari," Sasuke called her out

Amari paled. _Oh man, I thought I was home free there. What a drag!_

"So, what did they do? Transform into Haku shirtless or something?"

Amari's heart stopped. Then… " _What_?! _No_!" she shrieked, shaking her head to equally drive her point of that never happening while attempting to shake the cherry color coating her cheeks away.

Now _that_ was an image she didn't want. Or did she?

 _No! No! No!_ The kunoichi shook her head mentally as well. _Don't go down that road of thought!_ Not here. Not now of all times!

"Hahahaha!" her best friend laughed hysterically at her expense. The big jerk. "You should see your face right now, Amari! You look like you've seen my Sexy Jutsu! You're as red as a tomato!"

Suddenly the Land of Snow didn't feel so cold. The heat produced from her cheeks alone was enough to cook a full course meal to perfection. Amari began to look for an escape.

 _There has to be some way out of this. Think Amari, think!_

"Did I miss a good joke?" A hand rested on her shoulder, causing the Nara's eye to snap up to the source of the voice.

Kakashi.

He eye smiled down at her; it ignited hope in her heart.

 _Sensei! You came to save me!_

"Kakashi-sensei," Sasuke greeted cooly, "Amari was just about to tell us about the embarrassing things large groups of her clones do, when I asked if they transformed into Haku shirtless," Sasuke reiterated.

"Oh. Well that explains why she's so red. It also sounds like a good story. Are you going to share, Amari?"

Amari's shoulders immediately sagged as all of her hope was replaced by despair.

 _He's taking their side…troublesome adult._ "Do I have to?" she mumbled.

"You know you can't leave a good story half finished, Amari," Kakashi said lightly.

She heaved a very heavy, long and deep sigh that lasted a few seconds. The red remained on her face at the memories playing through her mind.

"There was this one time…" she started in a barely audible mumble. Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura all leaned in closer to hear her. "They…" She gulped down as much embarrassment and nerves as she could. A mountain remained.

"They what? They what?" Naruto begged.

Too busy shrinking in embarrassment, Amari didn't notice Kakashi's head suddenly snap up, alerted. He vanished from her side, and before any of the Genin could react, a loud explosion tore through the open air. Echoes reverberated through the uninhabited glaciers, joined by the chorus of shattering ice collapsing down the mountain.

The Genin straightened to attention.

 _Saved by whatever danger that is. I don't know who is behind it, but I will have to thank them after we're done kicking their teeth in._

"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!" one of the staff yelled at Kakashi, who's paper bomb interrupted their filming.

"Everyone get back!" he ordered.

Smoke billowed from the site of the explosion. Out of the snow, a man with a slim but muscular frame and light purple hair in a high ponytail appeared. He dressed in a white and blue outfit; the right sleeve of the outfit was black, and a mechanism Amari had never seen before adorned his left shoulder and right forearm.

"Welcome, friends, to the Land of Snow!" the calm, low voice of the man greeted.

"One guy?" Naruto asked.

"No, there's four," Amari corrected, her Byakugan seeking out their chakra signatures. "Check it out, there," she pointed to a woman wearing a similar white and blue outfit to the first, but in the form of a dress standing on a tall pillar of ice. Her hair was spiky and light pink, fashioned into two pig-tails out of her helmet.

 _She has mechanisms too. One on her wrist and the other on her back._

"Greetings, Princess Koyuki!" the woman greeted. "I do hope you still have the Hex Crystal."

 _Hex Crystal? Princess Koyuki?_ She furrowed her brow. _What are these people on about?_

Kakashi spun to look at Yukie, his eye wide as if seeing a ghost. So, the actress was the intended target here. As for the Hex Crystal, that was an unknown, but now wasn't the time to put those pieces together.

Now was the time to defend their clients and get rid of these attackers.

"There," Amari pointed to the next man to appear from the snow. He was larger than the first in weight and size, but he wore a similar suit as the first two. His short-cropped hair was a dark-purple, and on his back he carried a red snowboard, while a stranger mechanism adorned his right arm.

 _It's like a giant robot arm with claw like fingers._ Her eye darted between the shinobi. _What is with these guys? Did they get their stuff from Orochi-jackass or just come up with it on their own?_

"You're as good as they say, Kakashi Hatake," the man spoke in a deep voice. "But not quite good enough."

"How interesting," the fourth one spoke in a higher pitched, airy voice from her seat on a glacier. She wore her long green hair in a high ponytail, her outfit the same as her female partner. Either they liked wearing matching outfits, or there was something special about them—Amari hoped the former.

This woman had the same mechanism as her kunoichi teammate.

"It would seem the great Kakashi Hatake brought four Genin here to die. I wonder if he'll run away on them too," she said.

"Grr, she better shut her mouth before I knock her teeth in," Sakura growled.

"Amari, Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto." Kakashi's voice grabbed all four of their attention. He looked at them with an intense eye. "Protect Yukie and remember your training. Teamwork above rash actions, got it?"

"Got it," they replied in unison.

He gave them a barely noticeable nod before turning his attention to the crew for the movie. "Everyone get back to the ship!" he ordered, slashing his arm through the air.

"Mizore, Fubuki, Kōri, I'll leave the Princess to you," the first man said.

"Very well. Mizore, Kōri, with me," the light pink haired kunoichi, Fubuki, said.

 _That means the big guy is Mizore and the other woman is Kōri._

They now knew the names of their enemies; all they had to do now was fight them and defeat them.

"Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, Manji Formation on Yukie," Amari ordered.

"Right," her teammates agreed.

It was the best tactic to start with. They had three opponents of unknown skill and strength, wielding unknown mechanisms on their body. With Team Seven in Manji Formation, they had three attack points covered at all times, allowing the fourth to join one of the three in defense if the need called for it.

Manji was only the start, though. These people advanced without concealing their approach, like Zabuza had. Smug arrogance blinded them. It made them believe the four Genin were helpless children, inexperienced in the reality of shinobi battle.

 _We…_ _ **I**_ _need to fight tactically, not like a blunt instrument trying to hammer everything I see._ This was her first real chance to put Itachi's lessons to use. To set down another piece of solid foundation in becoming the kunoichi Shisui believed her capable of becoming. She wouldn't waste it.

Amari calmed her mind as she and the rest of Team Seven surrounded Yukie; Naruto stood at the front, Sakura on her left, Sasuke on her right and Amari at her back, all with kunai's at the ready.

 _Teamwork is our best weapon here. Keep your mind sharp as the blade of your tantō and strikes faster. Remain one step ahead and see through your opponents techniques. Every jutsu and every opponent has a weakness. Now find it._

"I don't know what's in the script, but I've always wanted to be in the movies!" Naruto declared. "Don't you worry, Princess. Naruto Uzumaki and his three companions are here to protect you!"

"Such a loser."

"Don't come crying to us when you need to be bailed out again, Naruto. As _companions_ it's not our job to save the _hero_ ," Sakura fired off good-naturedly.

"The way he's already tossing us to the side to steal the spotlight practically makes him perfect for show business. Maybe he'll become a movie Hokage instead of a real one," Amari teased.

"Ha ha, very funny. I'll be such a great Hokage that they'll write stories and make films about me!"

"Heh, like anyone would ever want to read or watch something about you," Sasuke retorted.

"Because they'd want a story about you?" Naruto bit back.

"I doubt anyone could take that much brooding," Amari jested.

As much as Amari reveled in the familiar banter between her team…

"Time to get serious guys. Keep your guard up and watch each other's backs. These three have some strong chakra."

Stronger than she expected, but there was something inherently…odd about it. Unnatural, even. It was a question she intended to get an answer to.

"Team Seven back in trouble. Heh. Feels like forever since the last time we fought together!" Naruto said. Amari sensed the grin on his face without seeing it.

A smirk formed on her lips as Kōri began her approach. "Don't get too caught up in the nostalgia. Hearing you complain because Sasuke had to save you will be a drag." Her teammates chuckled at her comment then banished it for seriousness. "Ready?"

"Believe it," Naruto said.

"Let's show them what Team Seven is made of," Sakura followed.

"Ready," Sasuke finished.

"All right. Naruto, distract Mizore so Sasuke can hit him with some kunai. We need to test that armor." The man was gliding through the snow on his snowboard. Intelligent. He'd have greater mobility than them. "Sasuke, you'll need to be ready for Fubuki after you attack Mizore; she's sticking pretty close to him. Sakura, guide these people back to the ship then come back me up. We'll be taking on Kōri."

She received grunts of understanding from her teammates.

"Remember, look for openings and weaknesses while keeping yours covered. Now, let's go!"

Amari darted forward, two sets of triple kunais flinging rapidly from her hands at Kōri. As the final set left her hand, she began weaving handseals in rapid succession. Lungs, diaphragm and chest expanding with her inhale, she skidded to a halt on the snow and let loose her jutsu.

 _Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!_

A sharp orange torrent of fire erupted from her lips, passing over the snowy terrain, carving a trail of steam and melted snow in its wake. Her enemy's lips twitched up into a noticeable smirk. Kōri continued rushing headlong towards the fire.

 _What the hell?_ Amari narrowed her eyes in suspicion. _Does she want to die?_

The two sets of kunai then bounced off an invisible barrier to land in the snow. Amari felt her eyes begin to widen. How was that possible? How did she deflect her kunai without actually touching them?

Kōri vanished within the fire ball, only to dash out and beneath the stream completely unscathed.

 _Well…that's new._

The Nara didn't have the time to stand like a deer frozen in Shadow Paralysis Jutsu; her enemy was already on her, throwing strikes with plenty of force behind them. Amari dodged back then rolled her upper body beneath two separate strikes; she landed two jabs to her opponent's stomach while dodging then sent chakra to her feet, releasing it to send herself into the air in a retreat.

The unnatural chakra strength. The invisible shield. The ability to run through a Fire Ball Jutsu without a single scorch mark. What did it all mean? Where was this power coming from? The armor?

 _Only one way to find out._ Hands in Tiger, she inhaled another breath of harsh, cold air.

 _Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!_

Orange flames leapt from her lips and engulfed the woman within them. This time Kōri retreated back out of the flames, skipping gracefully over the icy terrain she was more accustomed to than the Land of Fire native.

Amari's eye narrowed. It had only been for a small instant, but she saw…

The cocky smirk was still on Kōri's lips. "Cute move, little flower. Now let me show you some real ninjutsu!" Her hands sped through handseals, and as she slid to a halt on the ice, she slammed her hand into the ground. "Ice Style: Ice Spear Trap!"

"Ice Style?" Amari gasped. The very ground she floated above began to shake, drawing her eye downward. Out of a nightmare, long spears of ice sprang out of the ground beneath her, stretching towards the kunoichi who couldn't fight gravity any more than she could pull the sun out from behind the clouds.

"Oh man, what a drag!" She brought her hands into the clone seal. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

A Shadow Clone appeared beneath her. The clone's back provided sudden solid ground Amari needed as the Ice Spear Trap grew to encompass more and more land beneath her.

Kōri's ninjutsu was _changing_ the physical battlefield. Such power…

"This level of jutsu is ins— gah!" Amari choked on her words as an arm casually tightened around her neck. Her eyes went wide. _She got behind me while I was focused on her jutsu._

"Why hello there, little flower," Kōri whispered sadistically into her ear. Her arm tightened it's hold, mimicking a python crushing its prey, suffocating her as they descended towards her icy spear hell.

Amari tried to pry the arm from around her neck all the while kicking and trying to slam the back of her head into the woman holding her. None of it worked.

"Let's take you up for a nice view. I hope the air isn't too thin for you."

In her Byakugan she could see a mechanical breather mask come out of the woman's helmet to cover her nose and mouth; the mechanism on her back expanded out into metal wings, and from them small rockets flared to life.

Inhaling as much air as she could as they ascended, Amari continued to struggle against the woman with all her might. No matter how hard she tried, though, her strength wasn't enough to break free. Kōri snatched one of her hands to restrain it while wrapping a leg around one of her captive's to keep her from squirming too much.

The need of oxygen was quickly becoming too great to ignore. _I…can't breathe._ She could feel herself fading. Dark spots crept into her vision, her face was turning purple. In a last ditch effort at fighting, Amari attempted to summon her chakra to solidify it and push this woman off of her. But her chakra wouldn't come forth.

 _What…the hell…is with…this armor? It's…cutting off…my chakra._

"That's it, little flower. It's time for you to wilt away into oblivion," the woman whispered into her ear.

Fire sparked in Amari's heart. _Like…hell…I am._ She refused to lose here. She _refused_ to die by this woman's hands.

With the lasts of her energy, Amari stretched her right hand behind her back, between their bodies, fingers barely slipping into her pouch. From it, she pulled out a kunai—a kunai with a paper seal attached to it.

"What's that?" Kōri's shock was palpable even in her state of near suffocation.

"If…I'm…wilting…you're…coming with me!" She bit Kōri's exposed wrist. The woman grunted, her grip loosening just enough for Amari to slip her left hand free. She brought them both into Snake to detonate the Seal.

"You're insane!" Kōri screeched. Out of fear or out instinct based self-preservation, Kōri released her hold, allowing Amari to gasp in a breath of even colder, thin air. The Snow shinobi slammed her arms into the Uchiha's back, sending the younger kunoichi plummeting back towards the ground.

Amari corkscrewed through the air and threw the kunai back at her enemy.

 _Concussion Seal!_

The seal exploded outwards to capture both shinobi within it, sending them both plunging to the deadly pit below. A void of silent darkness consumed Amari. She couldn't hear the air rushing past her body, couldn't smell the spray of sea water or feel the bitter air whipping across her body. She couldn't even hear herself think.

It was easily the most terrifying and longest five seconds of her life.

Slowly, her senses came back—blurred vision, muffled hearing, clogged nose, and distant touch flowing past her skin.

Realization of her current predicament came flooding back as the feeling of her acceleration towards the Ice Spears pelted her senses. Thinking quickly, she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, dabbed her gloved thumb in it and wiped it across her glove, immediately weaving handseals. The spears were close enough to squeeze her heart with panic.

Amari pressed her hand to her shoulder.

"Summoning Jutsu!"

Then her body burst into Crows. The black feathered avian creatures moved from a nose dive to a glide, narrowly passing over the spear pit. Amari reformed a moment later to skip and tumble through the snow with the grace of a polar bear doing a tango.

When she finally came to a halt, Amari was lying on her back with her hair, cloak and mind all frazzled by the recent events. The cloudy melancholic sky greeted her vision as she inhaled the sweet salty smelling oxygen she had been deprived of.

 _That landing could have gone better…_ She winced as she forced herself into a sitting position. _Could have gone a lot worse too._

"Amari!" Sakura appeared at her side, supporting her back with a gentle touch and worried emerald eyes scanning over her. "Are you okay?"

"I think so." She peered back up at the sky to see her faithful Crow flying down towards her with a companion at her side. The pair slowed their speed and landed in front of her. "Welcome to the Land of Snow, Atsuko and Kaito."

"This was not the welcome I was expecting. I apologize for the harsh landing, Young Haya; I was unprepared for the situation." The Head of the Crows glanced over her shoulder, observing the Snow ninja gliding effortlessly through the air. "A dangerous opponent?"

"Yes, but something isn't right. Her armor, it allowed her to run straight through a fire ball without even a scorch mark, and my kunai bounced right off of some force field."

"Sasuke and Naruto are having the same problem. Worse, Yukie isn't moving. She's paralyzed by fear," Sakura briefed her quickly on the situation.

Amari quickly took stock of the battlefield through her Byakugan; Sasuke was caught in battle against Fubuki, who also possessed the ability to use Ice Style, while Naruto stood back to back with Kakashi. The two men were attacking them.

The situation wasn't out of their control. Not yet. However…

"There's another problem," she began. "When I was in Kōri's chokehold I couldn't access my chakra. Their armor has some kind of nullifying effect, and the way she was able to withstand my fire ball… Whatever their armor is made from, it somehow makes them invulnerable to ninjutsu."

 _But how?_ Was it some sort of scientific creation? Or did the Land of Snow possess a mineral that negated ninjutsu entirely? Both possibilities unnerved the Nara.

 _And how can they both use Ice Style? Are they members of the Yuki Clan?_ Two members of the same Clan, who didn't even appear related in anyway, seemed too coincidental. So how? Another feature of the armor, perhaps?

"So wait, you're saying that armor prevents us from hurting them with ninjutsu?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, or at least that's my guess."

"You are correct, Young Haya," Atsuko said. She then turned look at the hawk. "Kaito, return to the ship. We will join you there as soon as we are able."

Kaito released a cry and took off. "Hmph. His manners need some work, but he will earn his arrogance in due time." Through a series of hops, Atsuko took her perch on Amari's shoulder. Ahead of them, Kōri swept down and landed in front of her Ice Spear Trap. She appeared quite pleased with herself, grinning sadistically despite her failure to kill Amari.

"You all must act with caution. This armor of theirs, it is called Chakra Armor."

"Your pet is right, little flower," Kōri jeered. Amari felt Atsuko bristle at the insult. "Our armor not only creates a shield of chakra to deflect all of your pathetic little jutsus, it also enhances the chakra within our bodies." Kōri spread her arms out, grinning arrogantly. "Ninjutsu and genjutsu are useless against us! We are gods among mortals, and I will pluck you from my garden like the weed you are!"

 _It protects you from ninjutsu and genjutsu, but not taijutsu_ , Amari analyzed the weakness.

"Your arrogance will be your greatest undoing, you delusional jester," Atsuko said.

Mizore shot forward on his snowboard, his trajectory aimed directly for the paralyzed form of Yukie. Naruto dashed to cut him off.

Amari and Sakura sprang to their feet. "Sakura, grab Yukie and drag her out of here. We'll cover you!" she ordered.

"Got it!" Sakura dashed away.

"Atsuko—"

"Shall we destroy her ego?"

"Heh," Amari chuckled, "took the words right out of my mouth. Take to the sky and look for an opening."

"At once," Atsuko said before her ascent.

Amari dashed at Kōri. The Snow kunoichi didn't move into a retreat, instead weaving a new set of handseals.

"Ice Style: Crushing Ravine!" Kōri slammed her hand into the ground again. Suddenly the very ground beneath Amari sank, dragging her down between two walls of ice on either side of her. Acting on instinct, Amari jumped onto the slick walls with chakra glowing at her feet; below her, freezing water raced up through the new ravine, chasing her as the walls began to close in on one another.

"Give it up, little flower! None of your techniques will ever work against me! Wilt away with the dignity and beauty you have!"

Amari's face scrunched in irritation. _We'll see who wilts away soon enough._

The Leaf kunoichi dashed swiftly along the walls, jumping between them towards the steadily disappearing light above her. The water continued to chase after her as the walls sought to become her new coffin.

As the ravine nearly closed, Amari flooded her body with chakra. _Time to go full blast!_ In a flash of speed, she vanished, reappearing once more in the air above the ravine, her hands firmly in Tiger.

Kōri's shock was only matched by her snarl.

 _Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!_

A barrage of fire balls pelted the green-haired kunoichi; none of the attacks damaged her, but Amari hadn't intended them to. Kōri jumped back once out of range of a second barrage. The Nara's eye sharpened.

 _I can see right through you now._

"I already told you, little flower! Your ninjutsu is useless!" Kōri taunted.

Amari's feet touched the snow covered ground. Then she was gone.

"How about some taijutsu then!"

Kōri gasped, body instinctively turning to face the voice directly behind her. It was a mistake. The physical form of Amari was already springing towards her, her solid fist slamming into the enemy kunoichi's cheek. The solid blow sent her opponent stumbling, but Amari kept as close to her as Kakashi with a new _Make-Out_ series book.

The Snow kunoichi tried to retreat, her futile attempt to create distance sharpening the Nara's eye farther.

 _As I thought. Taijutsu is your greatest weakness._

"Why are you trying to retreat?" Amari growled. "Wilt away with some dignity!"

The Uchiha sprang into the air, her speed breaking through Kōri's weak taijutsu defenses, and landed a powerful kick that sent her opponent careening away.

She charged in again when she landed, but Kōri was already on her feet and going through handseals. "Ice Styl— ah!"

Atsuko whizzed by the woman faster than an arrow, her beak holding one of Amari's kunai; the blade drew a long scratch across Kōri's cheek.

"Nice one, Atsuko!"

Now it was time to make it count. Amari brought her hands into the clone seal and created a clone next to her. The clone darted forward and landed two strikes then ducked down. The real Amari propelled herself off her clone's shoulder and into the air to land two swift kicks, using a third to push herself off of Kōri and into a backflip. As she fell she created the Tiger handseal and inhaled a large breath of cold air.

Kōri saw the handseal as she landed.

"This again?" she taunted despite the blood dripping down her cheek.

"Not quite," Amari's clone answered. Kōri went to move through her handseals again but stopped against her will. "Heh, Shadow Possession Jutsu for the win," the clone said with a smirk, as she was knelt down adjacent to the two kunoichi with her hands in Rat seal.

The roaring flames melted the snow between them and brushed glorious heat over Amari's body. The attack engulfed Kōri again. Again she came out unscathed. A hint of smugness flickered in her eyes, however she was intelligent enough to see this wasn't over.

Amari's hands were still in Tiger.

"How have you immobilized my armor?"

"I wasn't just firing off Fire Balls at you for no reason. I was watching how that armor works. After attacking your armor time and again with my Fire Ball Jutsu, I began to notice you were actively dodging out of it instead of arrogantly taking it head-on. I theorized that the negation of ninjutsu had limitations of some kind. It appears to have two.

"First is how much ninjutsu you can withstand. Although the armor still protects you, the shield can't hold up against a repeated onslaught for too long." Her opponent's hands visibly twitched as she fought to break free of the Shadow Possession. "The second weakness is your armor is designed to negate the five basic Natures: Fire, Water, Wind, Earth, and Lightning. My Shadow Possession Jutsu doesn't fit into those categories."

The flapping of wings preceded Atsuko landing on her shoulder. "Well done, Young Haya."

"Not finished yet. There was still one problem: the lack of good shadows on this battlefield. Capturing you with only my very faint shadow or my clones would have required me to be too close for any real use, and Shadow Strangle would have been ineffective with how much that armor bolsters your strength."

"But your Shadow is still too weak," Kōri pointed out, a smirk forming. Her fingers were beginning to twitch and strain was becoming evident on her clone. "I can already feel my strength overpowering it!"

"This battle is already over. I know you're chakra shield is at its limit, as do you. That's why you're struggling so much. When Atsuko amplifies my Fire Ball Jutsu with a Wind jutsu all that will remain of your 'godly' power is a useless pile of ash." Kōri growled nastily. "This is checkmate. Time for you to wilt away."

"Amari!" The Nara paused and peered over her shoulder to Kakashi. His forehead protector was no longer covering his Sharingan eye; the intense look on his face showed he was done playing games. "Retreat back to the ship, now!"

Sakura already had Yukie slung over her shoulder as Naruto used a series of clones to piggyback the remaining members of the movie crew back towards the ship, which was off shore. Sasuke was retreating with the others, launching fire balls to throw off Mizore and Fubuki.

An immediate retreat could only mean Kakashi had something big planned. Something she couldn't be on this glacier another second for.

"Hold her as long as you can," she told her clone.

"You got it. Now get going." The clone grimaced. "Not sure how much longer I can hold her like this."

Amari's body burst into a flock of Crows, reforming beside fellow Uchiha to join in launching a rapid series of Fire Ball Barrages at their enemies. Again the glacier they'd been fighting on began to rumble and crack. It was the only warning they had to the imminent collapse.

From beneath the glacier, two giant Ice Whales—one created by the man Kakashi had been battling, the other by Kakashi himself—crashed through the surface, spearing into one another and falling down onto what remained of the glacier. Everything began to fall apart. Ice shattering and crashing into the ocean filled the air. The icy landmass began to sink slowly into the depths of the ocean.

Team Seven hit the water at a sprint with waves of freezing cold water forming under them from the sinking ice bergs.

"So it's not the kekkei genkai," Amari noted out loud as she rushed up a wave with her teammates.

"What isn't?" Naruto questioned.

"Their version of Ice Style. We'll talk about it more later. To put it briefly, true Ice Style is a kekkei genkai using Wind and Water Chakra Natures together. Kakashi-sensei can't copy that kind because it's a bloodline limit, or kekkei genkai."

"But he just copied that Ice jutsu back there."

"Exactly," she replied, nodding once. "Their Ice Style isn't a kekkei genkai. Which means they are using it through some other means."

"Like the Chakra Armor," Sakura stated.

"Maybe, maybe not. It's possible they learned to use it some other way," Amari explained. "I've got some thoughts on it, but like I said, we'll talk more later. Right now our priority is getting these people on board and then getting out of here."

"She's right." Kakashi landed within the group and took the lead. "We'll discuss everything we've learned as soon as we're safe. Amari keep your eye open and let us know if they move in for an attack."

"Do you think they'll try to take the ship?" Sasuke asked.

"No, but I want to be certain. This mission just got a lot more complicated than I thought it would be."

He was right about that. Amari had a lot of questions, like what was the Hex Crystal they mentioned? Who was Yukie _really_? And why did the Snow ninja seem to know Kakashi? But now wasn't the time for them. They needed to get to safety before dissecting those questions.

It took a little longer than Amari expected, but Team Seven was right back to wading through waist high trouble.

 _Feels like home._

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: Yep, we're off to the Land of Snow. I'd say Anko is less pervy; I don't believe she goes and peeps on people in bathhouses. But a dirty mind? Definitely. Mist Village follow-up coming soon. And a meeting between Hiashi and Amari is inevitable._

 _Hm, I don't know if Danzo gave up and let darkness control him. It might be my bias against him, but if he was honorable in anyway, he lost it the moment Tobirama chose Hiruzen as Hokage. However, I do agree she'd believe he is dishonoring Hiruzen's memory._

 _You can bet they'll interact in the future. I can guarantee that._

 _Thank you for the review!_


	71. Chapter 70: A Reluctant Princess

Chapter 70

The Hopes of a People: A Reluctant Princess

 _Amari,_

 _Hello again. I hope you are recovering well. It…feels selfish to begin this letter on such a formal subject, given what you've experienced, but it is my responsibility to explain the matters Atsuko has likely familiarized you with, and reaffirm my intentions for sharing these letters with you._

Amari began to read Haku's letter for the tenth time, and still she was flabbergasted by the contents within.

 _With Kaito is a second letter, written by the Fifth Mizukage to Kakashi. I cannot blame you if you feel suspicious of this, or fear this is a cruel trick or trap orchestrated to eliminate your teacher. Kiri's history warrants suspicion of any olive branch it offers._

 _However, Lady Mei is a woman of peace. She is pursuing a future where Kiri will no longer be defined by its blood soaked past; she will not ignore it, and does not wish for it to be tucked under a rug, out of sight and out of mind. Instead she seeks to teach the future generations of the barbaric history our Nation shoulders, this way they can avoid repeating the same mistakes as we move towards a peaceful future._

 _Zabuza and I were both skeptical when she first approached us. Although my heart hoped it was true, it sounded too idealistic. I was fortunate to survive the kekkei genkai purges as a child. But my fortunate survival came at the price of my mother's life. I didn't realize the danger, of course. I was so excited to show her this fascinating ability I learned I possessed._

 _One mistake. One mistake I made cost my mother her life, at the hands of a man who claimed to love her. That same man, my own father, would have killed me as well, all for possessing a kekkei genkai used in a war I never fought._

Amari's heart twisted unpleasantly in her chest every time she read those words. Unhealed guilt and sorrow melded together with every pencil stroke. She could almost see the solemn features on his kind face as he wrote this. He'd been so pure. Full of the enthusiasm and fascination innocent children burned with.

But one mistake changed that. One betrayal changed him. Just as it had changed her. The sword of betrayal cut deep, especially when wielded by a loved one. It left a scar that never quite healed, for either of them.

 _I have witnessed the darkness of shinobi, through my own experiences and through Zabuza's eyes. I am not innocent of misdeeds, either. We, shinobi I mean, are trained in assassination, espionage and warfare; behind us is a sea of carnage and death, left by our predecessors as each Nation sought to build and sustain their power._

 _And ahead of us, what future is waiting? More war? More death? Will we break from this cycle? Or will we only grease the wheels with more blood? Can we truly change what we are? Can I be more than a tool, crafted to sever bonds and shed blood?_

 _Before, I was content to be Zabuza's tool. My purpose satisfied me. But now… In saving my life, you've granted me—us—the chance to choose a new path. I can find a dream of my own, though I must admit I'm not sure where to begin. Still, you've given me an invaluable gift I will be forever grateful for._

 _I apologize for rambling. Let me get straight to the point: Lady Mei wishes to extend a hand to your Village to aid your recovery. Her hope is, in time, Leaf and Mist will form an alliance founded on trust to usher in a new era of peace._

 _Her eyes remind me of yours. They reveal the suffering and hardships both of you have experienced._

And each time she read that, Amari remembered staring at her watery reflection in the fūinjutsu with Shisui; fuchsia was steadily replacing the lavender in her Byakugan eye, and the Mangekyō pattern persisted in taking form.

" _When…when I think back on my life thus far, I can't remember if there was ever a time when my eyes didn't show me the suffering I've been through. These eyes are like mirrors into my soul. Every time I see them I remember every scar, every tear, every loss, and every failure I've had."_

Her eye returned to the letter.

 _Yet this is not all I see in your eyes. Your eyes brim with warmth, passion, kindness and hope; your spirit draws people closer to you. Through your actions, you inspire the people around you to be their best, in combat and as individuals…and you inspire me, too._

It was written like a shy admission, as if it was a guarded secret of Mist Village. Warm, fuzziness tickled her heart and skin, while butterflies barrel rolled in her stomach—Amari hoped it wouldn't ever stop.

 _Lady Mei's eyes are the same. She's determined to lift Kiri out of the dark era it has lived through. I believe in her. So if placing your trust in her is difficult, then please trust me. I would never let her harm you or those you consider precious._

Amari paused, trying to wrap her head around this new reality. _I am in possession of a letter from the Fifth Mizukage, a Nation we're not currently allied with…and she wants to bring peace between our Villages._

Her head was spinning. Being told about the Mizukage's letter by her mother was one thing. To actually have it in her possession flipped her world around.

Amari was _so_ tempted to read it herself. What did the Mizukage have to say? What could she glean about her personality from what she wrote? It took willpower, but she relented against the temptation.

The second stage of the Exams was a training exercise for this exact circumstance: Deliver a document of high-importance to a superior _without_ reading the contents. Shaking her head to herself, Amari refused the temptation. Atsuko and Kakashi could handle this; she preferred Haku's letters, anyways.

 _I must admit_ , the letter continued, _opening this line of communication to Kakashi was my idea. It is not my intention to use you to achieve goals for Kiri—I only meant for us to write each other, please believe that. But when I learned Lady Mei sought to bring peace between our Villages, I was driven to make it possible, if only to ensure we would never meet as enemies again. I would rather take my own life than hurt you again._

The vow lacked exaggeration. It made her shiver uncomfortably for the tenth time. Take his own life? Didn't he realize how much more losing him would hurt her? He was a precious friend. Her kindred spirit. For him to die…a large piece of her heart would die right alongside him.

Amari couldn't stand the thought of it, so she continued reading, trying to distance herself from the thought.

 _Atsuko and Lady Mei spoke at great length during her stay here; she can answer any questions you may have. I will also answer any questions you have._

 _Anyway, that is enough formality for one letter. How are you, Amari? Truly? Atsuko explained what you've endured since our parting, so please…don't hide your wounds from me._

How could she hide them? Lying to Haku would be like lying to herself.

 _I know they may still feel raw. I know there isn't much I can offer, and I don't want you to feel pressured into writing if it makes you feel uncomfortable. But…I will always be willing to listen, Amari. You are…a very precious friend._

The pause in that sentence, she could almost see Haku's hand hovering over the paper, eyes shut and brow furrowed as he carefully considered every single word. There were signs he wrote more. Or tried to, anyway. But whatever it was had been scratched out so not even a dōjutsu could decipher it.

Curious. _I wonder what he originally wrote._

Amari shrugged and picked up on the next line.

 _How is the rest of Team Seven doing? Did all four of you see much combat during the invasion?_

 _We also heard about your Chūnin Exam finals match. Naruto did well defeating his skilled opponent. It's a shame Sasuke wasn't allowed to finish his match. I'm sorry you did not win your match, but from what I've heard, yours and Mimi Inuzuka's performance was impressive. You should be proud of yourself._

 _I'm running out of room so I will end this letter here. I hope you are recovering well and I look forward to hearing from you. Please be careful, Amari._

 _I'll try not to be troublesome so long as you do the same._

 _Haku_

"I'll do my best," she chuckled softly as she finished the letter for the final time.

Folding the letter closed, Amari sat up on her bunk, opened her pack and placed the letter within. _I wish I had the time to start writing him back, but I still have to deliver this other letter to Kakashi-sensei and then figure out what our plan is._ She turned to dangle her legs over the edge of her bed. _Not that I'd be able to send it right away anyways. Atsuko took Kaito back to the Crow's home to begin training him._

The creaking of the ship drew her attention towards the ceiling. _I also doubt he'd be happy to fly from the Land of Snow all the way to the Land of Water._

Their destination was a dock at the Land of Snow's port—a port, and Land, which rested far north of the Land of Fire. For Kaito to travel from here to the Land of Water, well, he wouldn't like it, that's for sure.

 _He already slapped me for bringing him to the Land of Snow. Or I assume that was his reason. Troublesome bird._ She frowned. _I'll just let Atsuko deal with him for now…although I have a feeling 'earning his arrogance' will only intensify this problem._

Not that she had any say in it. Atsuko was determined to teach him discipline, as well as strengthen him for the journeys ahead. Was it too much to hope she taught him manners and respect, too?

Birds were so troublesome.

"Amari." Sasuke's voice drew her gaze to the entryway, where he stood with his hands casually tucked in his pockets. Only his cloak was absent, as was hers. "We've just docked in the Land of Snow."

She hummed in understanding and nodded absently. Back to high alert status then. Only a single day separated them from their encounter with the Snow shinobis, and there had been neither sight nor sound of them since. It was almost as if they were swallowed whole by the icy cold ocean, never to be seen again.

Team Seven didn't believe that for a second. Somewhere out there, the Snow shinobi were waiting to strike. Only this time they'd be better prepared for them.

In her silence, Sasuke approached her bed. "Still thinking about the next fight?"

Amari nodded again. "We managed to pull through in that last fight, but their Chakra Armor took me by surprise. I want the next encounter to go flawlessly."

"We'll be able to handle it," Sasuke assured confidently. "Each Land uses it's own specialized weapons; we've encountered the Sand using puppets, Zabuza had Kubikiribōchō and curved kunai knives, Orochimaru's goons had those Sound gadgets and now the Snow has Chakra Armor." He shrugged. "Doesn't change anything. We'll adapt to their new tools and crush them."

"I suppose you're right."

Sasuke rested a hand on her bunk. "The only real problem is the movie crew. Fools filmed our entire encounter with the Snow shinobi for their movie."

"Yeah," Amari sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Our enemies won't be above killing them if they get in the way, or just to spite us. If they don't listen to our commands…" She heaved a deeper sigh. "A lot of blood will be spilled if they do something stupid."

Innocent blood. These people hadn't signed up to be caught between battling shinobis. So how did she keep them safe? What was the best plan?

Sasuke jabbed her thigh lightly, abruptly snapping her back to reality. "You worry too much."

A short, soft chuckle broke the tension in her. "Maybe."

"Come on," Sasuke motioned towards the door with a lift of his chin. "Kakashi's called a meeting in the Captain's Cabin. Maybe we'll finally figure out what mess we've been dragged into this time."

"All right." Amari hopped down from her bed, sandals audibly clapping on the wooden floor. "I hope Kakashi-sensei has more insight on their armor and Ice Style. It sounded like those guys knew him."

And they were definitely _not_ on friendly terms.

Together the two Uchiha left for the Captain's Cabin. The lower deck halls were completely abandoned and ghostly quiet, all save the sound of their footsteps padding along the solid wood. The dim light, cramped space and odd creaks of the ship were almost ominous.

"Honestly, I never thought I'd have to fight someone using Ice Style again," Sasuke said. "Even if it isn't the kekkei genkai, the terrain aids their jutsus significantly."

"Yeah. Kōri's ability to change the battlefield was amazing; the same with those Ice Whales Kakashi-sensei and that Nadare guy used. But it's a phony strength, you know? It's not so much 'their' strength; it's the Chakra Armor's. Without it they wouldn't be able to use jutsus like that so carelessly. But with it they are brute strength and arrogance incarnated."

So-called gods among mortals, in Kōri's ignorant belief. Amari rolled her eye. She couldn't wait to break the illusion and eviscerate her ego.

"Compared to them, Haku was faster, calculating, intelligent, with a level of finesse and skill our enemies don't have." Not to mention wielding a whole bunch of other positive qualities the Snow shinobis lacked. Like empathy. Compassion. Or just a heart to begin with.

"Can't argue with that," Sasuke nodded.

"Oh, he says 'hi' by the way. I'll have to fill you all in on what's going on with him and that grumpy old man when we're done with the meeting."

Sasuke cast a sidelong glance to her, lips forming into a smirk. "Haku sent you another love letter? Did it come with a flower?"

Heat rushed to her cheeks. "Don't be a drag, Sasuke," she whined.

He chuckled at her and let it be, thankfully.

The Captain's Cabin was already occupied by the rest of their team when they arrived. Sandayū, the assistant director and Director Makino all arrived shortly after. The group gathered around an old, well-worn rectangular table, positioned in middle of the cramped quarters.

In order of seating, Sasuke was closest to the door, followed by Sakura, Naruto then Amari on one side of the table. Opposite of them, in the same order, were Director Makino, the assistant director then Sandayū. Kakashi took no seat—he stood beside a map board, examining the known shinobi world in thoughtful, penetrating silence.

Sandayū fidgeted nervously. Head bowed. Swallowing roughly now and then. It told a familiar story—Team Seven, fooled by a client yet again. What a troublesome situation.

Amari crossed her legs beneath her as she maintained an impassive expression. Kakashi was in control now. Every action he took, every aspect of his body language, conveyed the point at hand—lying was unacceptable.

Honesty was a cornerstone for a foundation of trust. Although missions were a business transaction—money in exchange for a service—without trust the entire transaction fell apart. If they couldn't trust Sandayū's word, then why were they even here? To risk their lives for an unknown cause, on the chance they _may_ be compensated for their trouble?

Without trust they may as well expect to have their throats slit while they slept.

Sandayū seemed like a genuinely nice man. But, as her sensei was conveying through his silence, regardless of his reasons, purposefully withholding pertinent information to the dangers they faced was unacceptable. What if one of them had been critically injured? Or the movie crew slain?

 _You can't withhold information from the people meant to protect you_ , Amari thought, shaking her head. _It turned out fine, true. But a shinobi battle can spin out of control in the blink of an eye._

Bringing her hand to her throat, she recalled Zabuza's Demon Chakra and the blade pressed against her flesh. She shivered. Her throat tightened, heart quickening to an uneven skip. The mist covered bridge. The lashing, violent purples and reds irradiating off of him; it was darkness manifested. Even his dark laughter rang of murder and death.

 _Grumpy old man. It's almost like he was trying to kill me._ The light joke awoke a short, quiet chuckle out of her. She sensed a few eyes on her as her hand rested over the point of contact but ignored them. She'd be okay. In a minute. Probably.

Finally, Kakashi broke the silence.

"You've known this whole time, haven't you, Sandayū?"

"…Yes," he answered hesitantly.

Kakashi half turned to look at Sandayū. "Didn't you ever consider the risks of what might happen if she came back to the Land of Snow?"

Sandayū dipped his head in a faint nod. "You're right, of course. But…this was the only way I could think of to get the Princess to return."

"Ha-ha!" Naruto's ignorant laugh broke the uneasy tension built in the room. "Come on, Sandayū! You don't have to keep calling her that. I mean she's only royalty in the movies, right? It's not like she's _really_ a princess or anything."

"Oh, Naruto," Amari sighed quietly, lowering her hand finally.

Naruto looked at her oddly. "Huh? What? What'd I do?"

"Yukie Fujikaze is only an alias," Kakashi explained. "We're actually protecting Princess Koyuki Kazahana, the rightful heir to the Land of Snow's throne."

"Huh?!" Naruto and Sakura gasped in bewilderment.

"Yukie Fujikaze is a young actress; she hasn't even hit a quarter century yet. According to what I read, she's been active in the Land of Fire acting scene since she was a teenager," Amari noted. Focusing on the present mission made it easier to ignore the past. "If she's the rightful heir, the coup d'état must have happened when she was only a child."

"Yes," Sandayū nodded. "I first met her a long time ago. I was her aide when she was still a little girl."

Sandayū was a native of the Land of Snow, having served under Koyuki's father, Sōsetsu Kazahana, prior to the coup d'état. No one suspected the attack—the Land of Snow, a significantly smaller Land than the Five Shinobi Nations, once stood as a haven for peace, with a minor military force made up of samurai rather than shinobi.

Sōsetsu adored his daughter, as did his people. However, ten years ago, Sōsetsu's younger brother Dotō gathered the Snow shinobi under his banner. He moved in the shadows to usurp his unsuspecting older brother. When the time came to reveal his hand, he instigated a revolt, and burned Kazahana Castle to the ground.

Koyuki was feared dead. The samurai were eliminated or scattered to the winds, demoralized and defeated by the loss of their beloved ruler and his daughter.

Only Koyuki never perished. Kakashi, on a secret Anbu mission, had been in the Land of Snow that day, and when it became clear he alone could not eliminate the usurpers army, he rescued Koyuki and fled.

"There was no way we could defeat them." The way he spoke, it was clear he hadn't forgiven himself for running away. "We had to keep running. We had to get away."

He'd have only been a teenager at the time; maybe their age, or perhaps a year or two older. Alone, stuck in the middle of a coup d'état, bearing the burden of the collapsing peaceful nation he couldn't save. He could only save Koyuki.

But…she never went back. She never rallied her troops. Koyuki just kept running, farther and farther away from her home and her past.

"When I found out the Princess was still alive," Sandayū smiled as tears formed in his eyes, "I was practically beside myself with joy. She- she-" The man hunched forward, beginning to weep. "She was alive after all those years!"

Amari's heart went out to him. For ten years now the Land of Snow had lived under the rule of a greedy and murderous tyrant. Ten years of powerlessness. Any hope for normalcy had been dragged through a proverbial muck and left to freeze ever since Sōsetsu's callous assassination.

Learning their beloved princess lived rekindled hope. It set a fire within Sandayū to return Koyuki to her homeland, no matter how much it cost him. Even at the risk of withholding information from the shinobi he hired.

A risky move, all things considered.

"I should have died that day," Koyuki's emotionless voice cut through Sandayū's weeping.

The Princess leaned against the door-frame of the room, arms crossed over her stomach as she watched them all with apathetic eyes. She dressed in a pair of yellow pajamas with a purple coat resting only on her shoulders; a necklace she'd kept hidden now hung in the open, the only outstanding feature being a purple, crystallized, hexagonal shaped pendent dangling from it.

Naruto growled beneath his breath but said nothing. Amari merely met the apathetic gaze with an unimpressed look. Jeez, wasn't she a breath of fresh air this morning.

"Please, you mustn't speak like that, Princess! We feared the worst!" Sandayū pleaded. "You have no idea how frantic we were! We never stopped praying for your life!"

"My life was spared, but my heart is dead. After that day, any tears I had left all dried up."

Amari cocked an eyebrow up in disbelief. _Sheesh, talk about melodramatic and cold-hearted._ Were all princesses drama queens too? If so, another team could protect the next one.

Sandayū reached into the jetted pocket of his suit jacket and retrieved a handkerchief to wipe away his tears. Then, he continued. "And that's how I became the manager for Yukie Fujikaze. Since then I've bide my time until I would be able to escort her back to the Land of Snow."

"So, what are you saying? That this whole time you've just been using us?!" the assistant director accused.

"I apologize for deceiving you, but it was for the sake of the Land of Snow." Tucking his handkerchief away, Sandayū quickly exited his seat and rushed as best he could in the cramped space to Koyuki. There, he fell to his hands and knees to bow before her. "Princess Koyuki! Confront Dotō and assume you're rightful place as the leader of our Land. I would sacrifice my own life without hesitation to protect you! I beg you, take up arms and lead your people!"

Koyuki stood silent. Then…

"I don't think so." Her answer didn't surprise Amari, but Sandayū's gasp was heartbreaking. She pressed her lips together in a flat frown. Poor man. He still saw her as the beloved daughter of Sōsetsu, the little girl he was the aide to all those years ago, not the cynical and callous adult she'd grown into.

"Bu- but what about your people?" he begged.

Koyuki scoffed and turned her head away. "I couldn't care less about them. Just forget it."

"But…Princess—"

She snapped furious eyes back to Sandayū. "Will you give it up already? Don't be dumb! It doesn't matter what you do, you will never get rid of Dotō, okay?!"

The light tremble in her voice revealed her truest emotion: fear. Quite the effective poison. Left to linger in the scarred memories of a child who, quite frankly, never grew up.

Koyuki was like a cornered animal. She hissed and spat as much venom as she could to compensate for her defenselessness, hiding the real her. The one cowering inside.

Because deep down she was still the little girl whose father had been slain. The same child who watched her home burn down right before her eyes.

" _All of this stupid training is just a waste of time! Gatō has an entire army that will beat you down and destroy you! You all keep saying these cool things, but they don't mean anything at all! No matter what you do the strong always win and the weak always lose!"_

"You sound like a child," Amari stated flatly. Koyuki grit her teeth and glared at the kunoichi.

Naruto's hands slammed against the table, startling the room as he rose heatedly from his seat. Amari felt her heart jump at the sudden action. "So, what? He should just give up? Quit being so heartless!" He gestured to Sandayū. "Can't you see this man has given his entire life to see the realization of his dream! You keep insulting him like that and you'll be dealing with me lady!"

"Naruto…I…" Sandayū struggled to speak, shocked by the young boy's defense.

"So long as there is hope one may dream, and with those dreams, the future comes." Director Makino's old, steady cadence of speech drew the attention of the room to him. Amari observed him with curiosity and confusion. What was going on in this crazy old man's head?

A wide smile pulled onto his weathered features; the shimmer of life in his aged eyes that sparked was slightly unnerving. "I like it," he decided. "It's the perfect theme for our next Princess Gale movie."

He…wanted to use the themes of this real life encounter for their movie? _…He is one strange, crazy old man._

"But Director Makino, you're not really thinking about continuing to film with all that has happened…are you?" The assistant director seemed hesitant to even ask.

Director Makino turned his wide, wrinkled smile to his assistant director. "I told you, the movie is evolving! Just think of it, how often do you get to make a movie with a real Princess? We're looking at the chance of a lifetime here!"

All the hesitation vanished in an instant. The assistant director's face brightened and Amari swore she saw dollar signs appear in his eyes. "You're right! Even 'the making of' will be a hit. We're sitting on a surefire blockbuster!"

"Hey!" Koyuki attempted to protest.

Team Seven watched the exchange in awkward amusement. Money and fame had a strange effect on people, that's for sure.

"Unfortunately, there is only one course of action," Kakashi piped in, assertive and commanding. His serious demeanor demanded silence. "With Dotō on our trail, running isn't an option. We have to fight. It's the only way we'll get through this."

Amari dipped her head in a nod. "They'll hunt us down to the ends of the maps if they have to. Or, more specifically, they'll hunt you down, Princess." She looked to Koyuki. "They know you're alias now. On top of that, Yukie Fujikaze disappearing will draw the attention of the world; people _will_ look for you.

"You could hide your identity and run, but your fame makes it inevitable for a fan to recognize you. And I guarantee you they'd tell the world. Which means Dotō would then find you. I'd bet he was on your trail already before we showed up." She shrugged. "Whether you like it or not, you can't hide any longer."

"Right!" Naruto agreed. "That means we have to continue the mission! The Princess returns to the Land of Snow and shows that creep who's boss!

"Stop joking around!" Koyuki screeched, frightened. "The movies aren't like real life. There is _no_ such thing as a happy ending in this world!"

"Of course there is if you're willing to fight for it!" Mr. Makino declared.

 _Heh_ , Amari smiled. _For a crazy old man, he has a good attitude._

Kakashi brought a level head back to the tense room. "Normally, under these circumstances, I'd head back to Konoha for reinforcements, but…"

"It's a waste of time," Sasuke finally spoke up. "We're as fine as we can be. These Snow shinobi aren't anything we can't handle."

Kakashi nodded in agreement then turned his eye to the Nara. "Amari, you said you were considering some theories on how to bypass their Chakra Armor. How are they coming along?"

"Well, I think. Their Chakra Armor has two distinct limitations we can exploit, three if you include their reliance on ninjutsu instead of taijutsu."

"Limitations?" Naruto queried.

"Yes," she nodded. "At first glance their armor appears flawless. It grants them an almost limitless supply of chakra while also strengthening their jutsus. In a way, it's the ultimate weapon for shinobi. With unlimited chakra and a machine that bolsters our jutsu strength, well, let's just say the Shinobi Wars would have been even bloodier."

Amari shook her head. "But their armor isn't flawless. Nothing is flawless."

 _"Every jutsu, every tool and every weapon has a weakness,"_ the genjutsu Itachi had taught her. _"The Uchiha Clan mistakenly believed the Sharingan was an ultimate weapon, but the Sharingan is just another tool. A powerful tool, but a tool all the same._

" _Kurenai wisely steered you away from gaining an over-reliance on your dōjutsus. Through her teachings, you honed your strength and skills to cover your weaknesses. But it's in a shinobis best interest to learn the weaknesses of every tool they possess—for example, the Byakugan blindspot. A shinobi who thoroughly understands their personal weaknesses will always be prepared for an enemy to exploit it, and thus will know how to counter appropriately."_

The Snow shinobi understood the powers their armor gave them. They ignored their weaknesses.

"First," she continued, "the shield their armor creates. It has limitations in how long it can negate ninjutsu. Although the armor still provides them more protection than regular clothes or ninja gear, the shield itself can only hold up against a repeated onslaught of ninjutsu for so long. Think of it like a fortress wall: it's defensive properties can withstand a range of attacks, but hit a fortress wall in its weak spot enough times, or with a single powerful attack…"

"And the wall will crumble," Sakura said.

"Right. The second weakness is suited to me specifically. Their armor is designed to nullify the five basic Natures—Fire, Water, Wind, Earth and Lightning. Apparently even genjutsu is useless against them. However, my Shadow Possession Jutsu can affect them, although the strength of their armor makes it easy to break out of.

"Still, their over-reliance on ninjutsu has made their taijutsu weak. We can all exploit that."

"So if we can get up close and personal, we can prevent them from using their ninjutsu and defeat them?" Sakura asked.

"Exactly," Amari confirmed, nodding as she did. "It still won't be easy, though. That armor they use provides one hell of a force multiplier, and their glider wings and snowboard give them the greater mobility in the snow and the ability to fight from the air. But if we can damage or destroy the armor, we destroy the problem."

"How do we do that?" Naruto questioned.

"Strong enough ninjutsu that the armor can't negate like the Lightning Blade or Rasengan, paper bombs, and possibly a strong enough chakra fueled punch."

"You mean like Granny Tsunade?"

"No," Amari shook her head, "that would probably kill them if her flicks are anything to go by, and, as you can see, Lady Hokage isn't with us. But we do have a certain pink-haired kunoichi with a mean hook." Amari leaned forward to look down the table to her fellow Uchiha, a smirk on her lips. "Right, Sasuke?"

"Ha. Ha," he drawled. "I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

"Nope. Don't underestimate your kunoichi teammates is a lesson I want beaten into your thick head."

Sasuke sighed. "Great."

Naruto snickered at his teammate's expense as Sakura turned to Amari. "You think I could destroy their armor with a punch?"

"Not one of your regular variety, no. But if you channeled enough chakra into your fist and released it at just the right moment, you would definitely deal a blow that would crack the armor at the least and shatter it at the point of impact at most.

"The only problem you would run into is their armors ability to nullify our chakra. You would have to weaken the shield first, I think, and then attack in the brief moment that would grant."

Timing would be everything. Rush in too quickly and a shinobi like Kōri could use her Crushing Ravine or Ice Spear Trap to kill Sakura. Release the punch too late and it wouldn't do anything significant.

"I wouldn't try it unless I have them held in with my Shadows or you have them dazed so you can fully concentrate on your attack. You don't want to break your hand or have them counter your attack with their Ice Style."

"Right."

Seeing that she understood not to try it recklessly, Amari turned her attention back to Kakashi. "Those are just some of my thoughts. There's still their Ice Style that I'd like to talk to you about and any other insight you might have on them that we can use. Then there's also the unknown strength of Dotō or any of his other minions, as well as the changing circumstances of battle to account for, but I agree with Sasuke."

Amari made a motion to herself and her team. "We can do this. These guys aren't Zabuza or Haku, and we're not those same Genin that they crushed. We've all grown. There's no need to fight his entire army. Just him and his lieutenants. We sever the head of the snake and the body will die."

"True," he agreed. "You four have grown tremendously since our mission to the Land of Waves. We'll go over in-depth strategies after this meeting, but I'd say our decision to stand and fight is unanimous."

All four Genin dipped their heads in nods of agreement.

"Th- thank you all!" Sandayū thanked.

The group departed from the Captain's Cabin to begin preparations to mobilize the movie crew. After Team Seven grabbed their packs and cloaks, they stood guard over the crew in the fresh snowfall, watching for disturbances as the caravan of snow plows set to carry them through the rough environment were loaded up.

No suspicious movement yet.

The shinobi squad regrouped inside the warmth of their designated snow plow; the cabin was spacious, designed to carry the main necessities of a home, compartmentalized into one space. There was a small kitchen area, a sofa, a bed and enough space for all of Team Seven and Sandayū to sit comfortably without climbing on top of each other.

As the snow plow squadron carved their way through the dense, snowy land, Team Seven lounged in the warmth of the cabin, awaiting the arrival of the Snow Ninjas or their arrival to the next movie scene location. A subtle sense of relaxation passed over the team as they discussed the Snow Ninjas.

 _The calm before the storm._

Each of them knew that to be true, so they absorbed as much of the calm as they could while discussing strategies. Eat, rest and sleep while you can was sort of an unspoken shinobi rule.

Their Ice Style, as the Nara inferred, was not the kekkei genkai variation they had encountered with Haku. The kekkei genkai version of Ice Style consisted of the user manipulating both Wind and Water chakra natures to create their own ice. The Snow Ninjas did not possess the kekkei genkai, and their armor did not grant them the ability to use it.

Their Ice Style was used by manipulating preexisting ice to create their jutsu.

 _A shame we can't melt away all the ice so they don't have the ability to use their jutsu's. That would make this really easy. No ice, no problem._

That wasn't an option, unfortunately. They had to stick to practical strategies. But they could only plan out so much. Because they were on the move, they couldn't prepare a single battlefield for their enemies, layering traps within traps to reverse roles as the ambushers for a change. They didn't even know if they'd be facing the same group of four.

It was sort of a pain. Amari shrugged to herself. Oh well. They'd adapt and deal with their enemies when the time came.

Amari spent most of the discussion with two clones helping her create paper bombs her teammates could use. Sakura didn't have access to Lightning Blade or Rasengan, and Naruto couldn't use Fire Style to wear down the shield. If all went well, they wouldn't need to use them, but Amari felt better knowing they had extra tools to use.

With their talks on the battles to come over and her explosive tags done, Amari decided to pass on the Mizukage's letter to Kakashi and explain the situation. She kept it brief, believing he'd gain more answers through the letter itself.

Cautiously, Kakashi opened and read through it. At first he seemed to expect the paper to blow up in his hands. But steadily the expectation left him, replaced by bewilderment.

Team Seven sat in anticipating silence, practically on the edges of their seats, fighting the impatient desire to ask what the Mizukage wrote. Kakashi's eye read, re-read then read one more time the contents within the document.

As he finished his final read, Kakashi quietly lowered the document. "This is…unexpected," he said slowly.

The Nara breathed out a giggle. "On that we agree. I had to read Haku's letter ten times to wrap my head around it."

"What does it say, Sensei?" Sakura asked curiously.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand as he continued to stare at the letter. "A lot. She's laying all her cards on the table as a sign of trust, hopeful this can begin the groundwork of an alliance with our Village." He shook his head. "But she recognizes the bad blood between our Nations won't make it easy. That's why she wants to start with me, or us really."

"Why us?" Naruto questioned, furrowing his brow in clear confusion. "I mean, it's not like the four of us really have the power to do anything. We're just Genin."

"She chose us because of the bond between Amari and Haku," he stated plainly.

Amari straightened in surprise. Haku hadn't mentioned _that_ detail.

"There's political infighting within her administration," Kakashi explained. "The old warmongers from the Fourth Mizukage's reign want to keep things the way they used to be, unsurprisingly. After all, they profited from his tyrannical reign."

"How heartless." Sakura sounded as appalled as Amari felt.

The old warmongers profited off of Blood Mist Village? And they wanted to keep their Village that way? Steeped in blood so they could keep profiting from their people's suffering?

"Evil bastards," Amari cursed. "Why do they even get a voice in her administration?"

Kakashi raised his eye to meet hers. "It's true these individuals committed abhorrent crimes, and I have no doubt they'll eventually have to answer for those crimes. But remember the state Mist Village has been in, Amari. Mist shinobi have been killing each other for decades now. Blood Mist Exam, the kekkei genkai purges, the bloodshed has taken a massive toll on the morale, economy and health of its population."

Amari frowned. "I know that. It's just… These warmongers have caused so much pain. They profited from it." She spread her hands out. "Isn't that what we're out here trying to stop Dotō from doing? Shouldn't they pay for their crimes now before they can cause more damage?"

"Technically, yes. But there's more nuance to it than that." Kakashi kept a patient and calm cadence. "The Land of Snow has a rightful heir in Princess Koyuki. This is her kingdom. The Fifth Mizukage was properly elected into power, true, but to open the seat up for election she first had to overthrow the Fourth.

"It's a regime change, which tend to be messy. History shows us that regime changes can crumble a peaceful nation, start a civil war or replace one tyrant with another if people aren't careful." Kakashi gestured lightly with the letter. "The Fifth's administration has only held power for a handful of months. Even if these warmongers deserve to die, killing them wouldn't help her public image. She'd appear as another tyrant, silencing dissenting voices."

Amari's frown deepened. "I understand. I don't like it. But I understand."

"Don't forget, it's not just the warmongers who have a voice, though; Haku and his fellow young advisors have voices as well. The Fifth believes they represent the future of Mist leadership, just as you four represent the future of the Leaf."

His eye returned to the letter. "Here, let me read something she wrote. 'Before Zabuza and Haku joined me, I struggled to see how I could mend the bridge between our Nations. So much blood has been spilled. So many wounds have been left to fester. How can I heal wounds when I'm a survivor of Blood Mist Exam? When my hands are stained by blood I can never remove.

"'And then I look at the world we live in and I see a cycle of bloodshed. Seemingly inescapable. As children, we are taught to maintain the status quo. This is the way things are, so this is how they must be. It's a foolish and antiquated belief I fight every day in my office.

"'However, times are changing. The existence of this line of communication is proof of that. The bond between Haku and Amaririsu is proof Leaf and Mist shinobi can not only coexist, but trust and care for one another. Our Nations need not be enemies. The new era doesn't need to bear our grudges.

"'Dearest Haku and Amaririsu share a connection that transcends borders. I say, let's see how it blooms. Let's allow the new era to help guide our path forward,'" Kakashi finished.

Amari liked Lady Mei even more now. She sounded so thoughtful and open-minded. But not naïve or ignorant to the cruelty of the world. Lady Mei experienced it firsthand; she held onto those experiences, not with a grudge, but as lessons to learn from. To teach the new era.

"This won't end in an arranged marriage for peace, will it?" Sasuke asked sarcastically.

Amari flushed red. "Not funny!"

It's not that an arranged marriage to Haku would be _bad_ ; he was probably the best choice for an arranged marriage. So nice. So warm. So compassionate.

But that didn't mean she wanted her love life auctioned off for peace!

Kakashi chuckled and shook his head. "No. Nothing like that."

Amari visibly sighed in relief, much to the amusement of her team.

"But it's a good thing they want an alliance, right?" Naruto questioned.

"Yes and no." All four Genin made sounds of confusion as their sensei rolled the letter up and placed it in one of his flak jacket pockets.

Amari scrunched her brow. "But…why would peace be bad?"

"Peace between our Nations would, in theory, be great for both of us. It would open up new lines of trade, bring stability and maybe bring an end to conflict between both of our Nations for years. Maybe even for good. Prosperous all around, right?"

All four students nodded. "Yeah. I don't see what the down side is here, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto stated.

"Well, think about this. Let's say we did form an alliance with Mist, do you think the Stone would appreciate that? The hatred between Mist and Stone is toxic and goes back generations. Kiri is a long way from their border, surrounded by the sea—among other natural defenses."

"But we share a border with the Stone," Sakura followed his line of thought. "We'd be the ones on the front-lines of a falling out with the Stone."

"Right on point, Sakura. Let's say, though, a war didn't immediately break out. Perhaps Sand, Leaf and Mist flourish into a new age and our shinobi strength increases tenfold. How do you think the Cloud or Stone might react to that?"

Oh. _Oh_. "They'd either want in on the prosperity or would want to eliminate the alliance through subterfuge or war," Amari realized. "And it's possible one of their Kage's would feel the peace is forced upon them by the strength of our Nations, fueling resentment. We would be looking at another Great Ninja War somewhere down the line or right away, and Konoha and Suna are still recovering from our fight."

The cycle of bloodshed and hatred would continue. Endless. Impossible to escape.

Kakashi shut his eye and nodded. "Exactly. For as long as I have lived, peace between the Shinobi Nations has balanced on a very delicate edge. A small nudge in any way can have disastrous consequences. The Invasion is a prime example. It's not Cloud and Stone alone who have issues with Mist, either; the Leaf has had considerable quarrels with the Mist, as she mentioned."

Amari nodded solemnly. "That's why Mimi was ridiculed by her teachers and classmates. I don't imagine those people would appreciate allying with a Nation they see as the enemy."

"And if a rogue faction decided to assault a Mist shinobi or the Mizukage within our walls or during a meeting, the consequences could bring war between our Nations," Kakashi agreed. "That scenario can also be flipped onto us: a rogue Mist faction attacking Lady Tsunade or our comrades out of resentment."

"But…does that mean peace isn't possible?" Was there really no way to stop these endless conflicts?

"Hmm." Kakashi crossed his arms over his chest and opened his eye to stare down at the table in front of him. "Peace isn't impossible, Amari. I truly believe one day it can be achieved." He lifted his eye to her. "But it will take work. We live in a world where spilt blood is rarely forgiven and never forgotten."

Amari sighed. That was a reality she knew to be true in her heart. How could she expect others to forgive when she couldn't forgive Kasai?

"Regardless, I'll respond to the Mizukage. We'll never know if peace is possible if I just dismiss her letter outright."

Amari was grateful for his decision, and for the lesson he had taught them.

 _If I was the one the Mizukage was trying to contact, I wouldn't have even put a second thought into the ramifications this all could have. I would have been in a tunnel vision on peace with their village without considering how the other Shinobi Nations would react._ The Nara sighed. _It's such a pain that politics have to get dragged into this. Why can't it just be simple?_

The history between the Shinobi Nations was less of a rose garden for two young lovers to run through and more of a bleak, dank, swampy forest that was pillaged by weapons of war. The old war dogs who prowled the swamp liked it that way; they were willing to do anything to attain their idea of strength and prosperity, just like the Mist Council.

Just like the Foundation.

Amari pushed those thoughts off. This delicate dance of politics left her feeling tired. Concerned, too. But there wasn't time for distractions now. The mission came first. Later, when she had time to write Haku back, she'd think more about the future possibilities.

The snow plow squadron traveled for many hours through the hills of snow and ice. Eventually, they halted for a collective break—legs needed stretching.

Amari strolled towards the front of the caravan, Byakugan eye activated and roaming the mountain and nearby sloping edge they were tucked between. Ahead of them was a tunnel entrance, consumed in eternal darkness.

The resistance hideout, according to Sandayū, was on the other side of this tunnel. To the kunoichi, the tunnel itself pinged as a perfect ambush spot; drop the mountain on the caravan and they'd be screwed.

Which _really_ wasn't a happy thought before entering the tunnel.

The break lasted a few minutes. Then everyone loaded back up to head down the tunnel, headlights on the snow plows illuminating their path ahead. Sandayū regaled them with a story about the old railroad that used to travel through this tunnel, and the Land of Snow, a long time ago. Apparently the tracks still remained intact beneath the ice and snow.

There was joy in his eyes and voice as he spoke of his Land, of its rich history and the days before Dotō took control. Soon, she promised herself, he'd be able to see it restored to its former glory.

The vehicles exited the other end of the cave, where again they halted; Director Makino believed this spot to be the perfect place to shoot. The parcel of land he had chosen was a flat plain of snow, surrounded by a large peaking hill on one side and a sudden drop off on the other.

"This man's Gods are strange," Amari murmured.

Her team stifled their laughter behind their hands.

As the Nara of the group was arching her back in a stretch, monitoring the new location of the heat lamps, the panicking assistant director's voice caught her ear. "Yukie has gone missing again, Mr. Makino!"

 _Slippery woman_ , Amari hissed, spinning around to face the tunnel, Byakugan activated. _She must have bolted when my attention was on the tunnel._

"You've got to be kidding me," Sakura groaned under her breath.

"Amari?" Kakashi asked.

The Nara shook her head. "I can't see her. She's out of my range."

"Right," her sensei sighed. "Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, I want you three with me as we search for Yukie."

Amari tilted her head to the side. "You don't want me in the search party, Sensei?"

He shook his head. "No. Your eye will be more useful here, preparing for an attack. Dotō and his men won't wait forever. If anything happens when we're gone," Kakashi reached into one of his flak jacket pouches and pulled out a red tube, "I want you to shoot this flare into the sky."

Right. That made sense. If they all left to track down Yukie, the movie crew and Sandayū would be defenseless against an attack. "I understand."

Amari grabbed the tube, but Kakashi didn't relinquish his grip. His eye held hers, earnest and commanding. "Don't try to fight an overwhelming battle on your own."

"I won't," she promised.

Her sensei released the flare then passed out headsets to them all. They left a moment later in the only direction Yukie could have gone: back towards the port. The fool. Did she realize how far away it was now? She'd freeze to death before she reached it.

Sighing, Amari placed her ear piece in her ear and fastened the microphone around her neck before beginning to prepare for an attack. Clones under the guise of the Transformation Jutsu settled in with the crew, hidden in plain sight.

With her Byakugan activated, she watched, searched and laid in wait for any of their enemies to appear. Minutes passed. Nothing changed, save the movie crew spreading out and setting up their equipment.

Amari patrolled vigilantly, a kunai at the ready in the ninja tool box strapped to her right leg and her flare settled in her back pouch, the tip of it sticking out one end for a quick grab. Her mind was calm and clear of any superfluous thoughts, her body cold but ready for battle.

 _The silence here is useful,_ Amari thought. Any noise besides the movie crew would either be her team or their enemies. No one else populated this area. No traveling performers were going to come through here. Only allies or enemies.

Her sandals crunched across the pristine snow as she searched with both her eye and her cold ears for anything out of the ordinary. Nothing yet.

 _I haven't heard from the others in a while. Could Yukie have gotten so far?_ She brought her hand up to her neck. "Sensei, you read me?"

Crackling static entered her ear.

 _Their out of range. What a pain._

Amari snapped to attention, head drawn towards the cave. _What was that? I sense a large surge of chakra coming this way._

Suddenly, a portion of the ice rapidly began to melt, revealing the old railroad tracks in complete working condition from the mouth of the cave, all the way around the mountain. Purple chakra irradiated off of them. Someone was _feeding_ their chakra into the tracks.

Amari rushed forward and knelt down next to them. "What power," she murmured. Chakra Armor? Or another mechanism of some kind? Could Chakra Armor truly wield this much power?

Sandayū knelt down next to her. She glanced over. "The chakra is melting the ice around the tracks."

"It must be _him_!" Dotō. So the usurper decided to come to play.

Sandayū's expression shifted from surprise to silent determination. He suddenly stood up. "Everyone, quick, you have to hide! You can't let them find you! It is not safe!"

The man then took off towards the hill at a full sprint in the snow. Another source of chakra lifted her eyes to the sky. Amari's adrenaline kicked in. Ah, man. "Sandayū, wait!"

The kunoichi Body Flickered to his side, kunai jolting into action. Ice needles met the cold steel, deflected by her quick reflexes into the snow below.

In the distance Kōri was flying high in the sky, her lips pulled into a wild grin. She probably saw it as an opportunity to finish their last fight, this time without any interruptions.

Much to the Nara's dismay, Sandayū continued to run up the hill, never once looking back.

"Hey! Wait!" She tried to attach her Shadow to him, but the distance was too far. "Damn it," she hissed beneath her breath. Where the hell was he going? She couldn't protect him if he kept running away.

"Don't lose focus, little flower!" Amari skipped back to avoid the incoming rain of ice needles, forcing her to further distance herself from Sandayū. She glared at her enemy. Fine. Kōri wanted to settle this battle of theirs? She'd happily oblige and finish this in the second round.

Behind Amari, her clones were quickly hiding the movie crew out of sight.

"Now I'll finish you!"

Kōri zoomed down and tried to grab the younger kunoichi again. Amari vanished via the Body Flicker Technique then reappeared in the air behind her enemy, three paper bomb attached kunai in her right hand and the flare in her left. "Take this!" she yelled while tossing the kunai's.

The weapons cut through the air and exploded near her target, but out of the dark smoke the Snow Ninja appeared again, dashing through the air with kunai's of her own in both hands. Something was attached to them, like little round bombs.

Flare primed, Amari aimed it towards the sky. Kōri threw her kunai. A bright red light shot off into the air, and as it did, the kunai flying towards Amari exploded into barrages of ice spears.

What kind of bombs could do _that_?!

 _Crap!_ Again she Body Flickered. This time the Uchiha stumbled out of the technique, falling to a single hand and both knees, vision blurring as excruciating pain pulsated from her abdomen. Warm, crimson liquid pooled into her hand, dripping into the white snow.

"Hahahaha! Not so fast now, are you, little flower," Kōri taunted.

Amari glanced down, wincing at the sight of the ice spear protruding straight through her.

 _Damn…it._

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: There will definitely be better in depth stuff regarding Kakashi's time in Anbu later on. It didn't feel like the best place to have that discussion, in front of clients during a mission briefing. Definitely big info drop from the Mizukage and Haku, though the effects of said info drop won't be felt at this exact moment. As Kakashi pointed out in this chapter, it's a delicate situation to navigate. Who can say what overall effects it will have on the shinobi world as a whole._

 _As for Susanoo, it and her Mangekyo abilities were definitely up for discussion during her time in the genjutsu. She technically learned of the Susanoo from Shisui when he talked about manifesting it in his battle against the masked man, and Amari isn't one to forget a detail like that, so definitely learned more about it. That's all I can really say without spoiling anything._

 _Thanks again for the review!_


	72. Chapter 71: To Become Shinobi

Chapter 71

To Become Shinobi: No Mercy Left to Give

 _Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch._

Every crunch of compacted snow beneath the malicious approaching footsteps tightened anxiety around Amari's heart. Bad enough she could hardly see through the dense darkness overwhelming her vision. Now she had to _hear_ Kōri almost skipping in glee towards her? Amari struggled to keep her breathing even, hoping to not further agitate her wound any more than necessary.

 _Crunch, crunch, crunch, crunch._

Step by step, Kōri neared, ready to end her life with the ice spear she brandished in her left hand. Amari gritted her teeth and tried to move. She immediately regretted her stubbornness. Visibly wincing, no one would ever know the ripping pains to tear through her abdomen.

 _I…can't move._

Warm, crimson blood painted her gloved hand, resting just beneath the wound as it dripped off the ice spear protruding through her stomach and out her back. The icy chill of the spear made her shiver, increasing her pain. Being too slow in the snow cost her.

 _Looks like I'm true to form today._ The Uchiha chuckled then coughed, splattering blood onto the white snow. The warm blood dripped from her lips, long and stringy, slowly freezing as it encountered the frozen environment.

"Ugh," she grimaced. Her vision blurred as she blinked, and it took no small amount of willpower to open her eyes again. It was darker than before. The red patterns tainting the pure white snow continued to grow beneath her—a bad sign. "Hah. Hah. Geh!" Amari's body seized up before hacking up more blood.

Yeah. This was bad.

"Amari, we're on our way back. What's the trouble?" Kakashi's voice entered her ear.

 _Kakashi-sensei…_ Amari shut her eyes, this time to focus on delivering pertinent Intel. Even in this deteriorating state, she had a duty as a shinobi to prepare her team. Just…keep it short. To the point. She didn't have the strength for anything else.

"Dotō is…making his entrance via a train. Sandayū ran over the hill. Don't know why," she answered through pained breaths.

"Are you okay? What's your status?" The concern in his voice, she could almost feel him picking up his pace.

"Just a…flesh wound, Sensei. I'll be fine. Just hurry."

"They won't make it to save you, little flower." When Kōri's feet and shins appeared in her blurred vision, Amari struggled to lift her gaze to the grinning green-haired woman. Kōri looked exceptionally pleased with herself. It was annoying.

"I believe this is checkmate."

A bloody smirk graced the Nara's features. "No…it isn't. We're not even close to checkmate, you arrogant fool." Bravado was good. Comfortable. It kept her enemy locked onto her and not her surroundings.

It also irritated Kōri, which was a tremendous bonus. The Snow kunoichi growled nastily, hand clutching her ice spear tighter. "Annoying little pest." Lifting her ice spear back, she drove the spike through Amari's heart, out her back and into the snow beneath her. Her onyx eye widened.

Then the wounded Clone popped.

"What?!"

In an explosion of white, Amari emerged from the snow like a demon escaping the underworld directly on Kōri's left flank, the final painful moments of her clone tightening her chest and leaving behind ghostly aches that weren't hers.

Kōri's eyes bulged as Amari sprang out of the snow, paralyzed in shock by the sudden reincarnation of the kunoichi she believed dead. The pleased look was gone; her features contorted into a concoction of disbelief and frustration.

Kunai held tightly in her hand, she severed the spear with a single, powerful strike then leapt into the air, twirling to gain momentum before Kōri could react. She punctuated her attack with an exclamation point—that exclamation being her foot crashing sole first into Kōri's unprotected face.

The attack sent her enemy sprawling through the snow, rolling head over foot like a snowball rolled down a mountain. Amari felt herself shiver as slick, cold snow melted against her skin, sliding down her neck, back and chest. _Lying in wait in the snow, bad idea._

Being cold _had_ spared her from getting impaled, so she couldn't whine about it. It was better than bleeding out or dying.

Kōri rolled onto her feet and scowled at the Nara. How was she being beaten by this child? How was she, a god among mortals, unable to finish this fight with ease? These questions couldn't be clearer in her fierce eyes.

 _I need to close this distance_. Kōri preferred long-range fighting, and with those jutsus of hers she could change this scenery into another Ice Spear Trap or a ravine.

Unlike their battle on the glacier, they were at the foot of a mountain; Kōri's jutsus could bring an avalanche down right on top of them, something Amari was certain she'd do if the thought crossed her mind, likely out of spite. She couldn't allow that to occur. But there was another problem she had to deal with.

Tossing her kunai into her left hand, Amari equipped another in her right. _With each second that passes, I'm one second closer to being outnumbered by Dotō and his forces._ Time was her enemy just as much as Kōri was in this battle. There was only one option: Keep Kōri on her heels until Kakashi and her teammates arrived, and hope she wasn't outnumbered before that.

Amari jolted forward through the snow. Kōri created the Tiger seal. "Ice Style: Tsubame Blizzard!" A cool wind swirled around the Snow shinobi, picking up snow before launching directly at Amari.

Tsubame Blizzard, it was a jutsu Fubuki used against Sasuke. Kōri wasn't launching a few snow particles at her, carried on controlled wind; within the light cloud of snow were ice needles, shaped to mirror miniature swallows. Even with the Byakugan Amari struggled to see them.

Amari evaded to the side then pushed ahead. A second swirl of white wind gusted right for the Nara. At the same time, movement beneath her Byakugan blindspot snapped her head around. _Ah, man!_ The original swallows were charging at her from behind!

Quickly, she created a clone right in front of her. The clone weaved through handseals and expelled a stream of fire directly for the new set of swallows. Using her clones back, Amari launched into the sky, tossing both kunai's at her opponent. The weapons bounced uselessly off the invisible Chakra Armor barrier, but it also freed her hands to bring them into Tiger.

 _Fire Style…_

Amari corkscrewed through the air, twisting upside down to face the needles rapidly approaching behind her.

 _Fire Ball Jutsu!_

Tremendous heat erupted from her lips, burning away the ice needles in a flash of orange and temporarily warming her cold body. With acrobatic flourish, Amari righted herself to land feet first in the snow. Momentum still carrying her forward, she moved into a handspring, channeled chakra to her hands and released it to launch herself into the air again.

Amari dispelled her first clone and created another in midair that mirrored her movements, weaving the handseals for another Fire Ball Jutsu.

Kōri was moving through a new set of her own, her features intense and focused without an ounce of arrogance or fear in her eyes. Finally. Now they were fighting kunoichi to kunoichi. Not so-called god to mortal.

Together, the pair of Amari's unleashed a combined inferno just as Kōri slammed her hands into the ground.

"Ice Style: Ice Column!"

The ground quaked and shook. Chakra surged into the ice all around Kōri. Then, as if being erected by a god, a column of ice surged up beneath Snow shinobi to the height of Hokage Tower. The combined flames blasted the ice column and wrapped around it, but it failed to melt the ice. And it certainly didn't stop her forward momentum.

 _Crap! Wall!_

Amari barely managed to catch herself on the wall with chakra. Her clone was not so lucky; she crashed shoulder first and dispelled on impact. Immediately her feet began to slip on the slick ice. _This ice is too slippery for me to run up even with chakra at my feet._

This was becoming a real pain. Fishing into her pouch, Amari procured two kunai and stabbed them into the column, catching herself as gravity took hold. She jumped onto the hilts and turned her gaze upwards. This wasn't the end. Kōri had a plan of some sort, and it wouldn't do well to wait it out when she could change the battlefield like this.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Eight clones formed in midair around her. They immediately pushed off the wall, kunais flying from their hands to create a sturdy path of onyx blade stairs for Amari to climb.

"Ice Style: Ice Spear Trap!" The ice column creaked and cracked; Amari needed no other incentive to move. As she leapt to a higher kunai, icy spears exploded out of the column where she stood previously.

No time to stall. Amari swung herself up to another kunai, scrambling against the wall with chakra on her hands and feet while the murderous spears chased her. Every crack of the column made her heart leap. She had to keep moving. Keep evading. The alternative was a death sentence, and that wasn't acceptable.

"Just wilt away already you disgusting weed!"

 _A disgusting weed?_ Amari frowned. _That seems uncalled for._

"Ice Style: Tsubame Blizzard!"

From above, a flurry of ice needles flew down the column, intent of buffeting her. Amari, who had her hands full dodging the spears and maintaining her upward motion, could only brace for impact. The swallows cut past her, slicing through her clothing, drawing blood as they cut her to ribbons.

But she wasn't alone. While Kōri focused so single-mindedly on Amari, her clones ascended to the top of the column, and their arrival at the top ended the attacks. Aches wracked Amari's entire body. A passing breeze of frigid temperatures did little to help; the stinging attack on her newly open wounds left her wincing.

She could hear her clones fighting the kunoichi in an intense clash at the top of this summit. One Clone was sent careening off the column before popping. The others, she learned through their memories, were being taken down by Kōri's new ice spear.

It was a duel then.

It took a few more jumps, but Amari finally landed on the flat plane of ice at the top, right hand holding the hilt of her tantō. From the top of the column, her breath was momentarily stolen as the vast mountain range surrounding them greeted her vision. It was hard to see the beauty of this frozen land down below, ankle and sometimes knee deep in snow. But from up here…

 _What a wonderful world we live in._

She wished the circumstances were better. But down below was the train, and at the mouth of the cave were Naruto and Yukie lying just adjacent to the tracks in the snow.

Traces of Nine-Tails chakra lingered in his system; he must have channeled it to outrun the train. No sight of Kakashi, Sasuke or Sakura, though.

The Nara returned her narrowed eyes to her enemy. Kōri kept her final clone pinned back first to the ground beneath her boot, planted heavily on her chest. Her clone punched at the boot and squirmed, to no avail.

"You just don't know when to quit, little flower," Kōri fumed somewhat calmly. She stabbed the spear into her clone and brought her irritated gaze to the real Genin. "No matter how many times I pull you out from your roots, you persist in returning to my beautiful garden, bringing weeds that choke the life from it."

"Heh," Amari breathed out a laugh. "When are you going to realize I'm not some little pest you can easily get rid of? I'm a kunoichi from the Leaf Village and inheritor of my cousin's Will of Fire. Don't underestimate me!"

Kōri snarled viciously and lunged after the Leaf kunoichi. Steel and ice clashed. Unlike the previous spear, this one was sturdier, flowing with chakra and wielding an even sharper point at the end. Kōri stabbed repeatedly at Amari, but found only empty air as she evaded. Then she switched grips, doing a quick flourish of the spear before attacking with it as a staff.

The fancy gesture hadn't fooled Amari. Her eyes were sharper than her enemy's, and reflexes in close-quarters combat faster. However, Kōri's footwork was good. Not perfect, but good enough to reveal she once trained with weapons before the Chakra Armor. Before she believed herself an undefeatable god.

But her skills were rusty. Nowhere near as fluid as Amari's, and that was the price of her arrogance.

The Uchiha blocked a series of fast strikes then dodged back. Her heels slid to a stop at the very edge of the column, where she stopped her backwards momentum and took up a firm stance. Kōri slid her hand down the spear, gripping it at the bottom, then gracefully spun on the ice, extending her spear to its max length.

The Leaf kunoichi quickly crouched beneath the strike. She hissed. Kōri's second strike was already coming, seeking to impale her just like her clone. Amari sidestepped the attack, but grimaced as the point of the spear grazed through her clothes to the cold skin beneath.

 _She's using her position in the center of the column to keep me stuck on the outskirts, furthering her advantage by ensuring I never get close enough to strike_. Internally, she couldn't help but smirk. _I admit, I'm impressed. She's starting to use her head instead of relying on the Chakra Armor's power and her arrogance._

Of course it wasn't completely one-sided. Agility and flexibility were her greatest weapons here. Amari snatched the spear before Kōri could pull it back and vaulted over it, pushing the weapon away with a kick then dashing in. Her tantō struck the thickest part of the spear as Kōri managed a last second block; they were so close, the condensation of their heated breaths floated around their vision.

With a growl of effort, the Snow shinobi pushed back, but Amari predicted the action. Drawing on her one experience of ice skating, she channeled chakra to her left foot, imagining it like the blade of an ice skate.

By pushing with her right foot, firm on the ice, she glided like an ice dancer around Kōri, twirling low beneath her strike on one foot. At the end of her spin, she canceled the chakra at her foot, planted her legs and rose to her full height, swinging her tantō with the momentum of her body, cutting open a surface wound along her back.

Kōri arced her back and hissed in agony. "You pest!" she cursed as she swung around with a high staff strike.

 _It seems her Chakra Armor has another disadvantage_ , the Nara thought as she rolled her upper body under the attack. She came out of the dodge and caught Kōri's spear in a quick parry. Then she swiftly vanished in a Body Flickered to her enemy's opposite side. Again her strike met ice, but only narrowly. That was fine. She hadn't intended them to land, only to distract.

Kōri struck at her center mass, but the spear phased right through the Uchiha. "Wha— ahh!"

The afterimage faded as Amari cut a deeper wound into Kōri's side, between the gaps of her armor where it was weakest. The cut confirmed the Nara's theory. _The barrier is designed to deflect projectiles, not directed strikes of a sword._

The Snow shinobi grunted but recovered quickly, spinning the spear with finesse around her body after the Leaf kunoichi. Blade met the middle of the thick ice again, but the strength and sturdiness of the attack pushed her along the ice.

 _This armor of theirs is really suited for long-range overpowering destruction, not short-range combat where they are unable to use their jutsu. But…_

As she neared the edge of the column again, she created two clones, who rushed her enemy with their tantō's. Kōri shifted her spear to fend off the two clones, striking them both down and refocusing her attention on Amari as she charged back in for battle.

 _Despite not being made for short-range combat, they still enhance the strength and chakra of the wearer. This Column Jutsu and the Ice Spear Trap would take a toll on a normal ninja's chakra, but hers…it's still strong as ever._

Amari dodged two spear strikes aimed for her head, cold wind whistling past her ears, then went low to cut the thigh of the Snow shinobi. Fresh blood coated her blade. She slid behind Kōri, turned on the ice and landed a kick in her back. Kōri stumbled forward but recovered before reaching the edge. Amari leapt in but felt the air eject out her lungs as Kōri's foot caught her in the stomach.

Landing on the ice, she lifted her blade up quickly to block her enemy's strikes, sucking in cold air to replace the ejected air.

 _Which means the longer this battle continues the higher chance she has of overpowering me as I get tired. I can't let it come to that. I need to finish this._

Unfortunately, as if she didn't have enough on her plate, another problem emerged: Sandayū had returned with members of the resistance on the top of the hill overlooking the train, prepared to battle Dotō and the Snow shinobi he brought with him.

Amari parried two strikes then gracefully spun on the ice to dodge a stabbing attack. _What the hell is Sandayū doing?_ She couldn't hear him at this altitude or through the intensity of this battle. From what inflections of his voice she could pick up, it sounded like he was rallying his men to attack Dotō without the shinobi he hired.

 _It'll be a bloodbath. I need to get down there._ This fight no longer mattered as much as stopping Sandayū and the other men from making a terrible mistake. She kicked Kōri away and rushed to jump off the column in the direction of the train, but her opponent hastily moved right back in front of her.

Kōri's arrogant grin was back as she kept her weapon at the ready. "Going so soon? But the slaughter is about to begin!"

Amari let out an agitated growl and charged at the woman again. "Get out of my way!"

Her blade met the middle of the spear in a deadlock, one that Kōri intended to hold as long as possible. "Ah ah ah, little flower. It's time to watch the show."

The show? What was she talking about?

Against her better judgment, Amari's Byakugan pierced through the woman and down to the train, where Sandayū and his men were charging down the hill. Their war cry echoed across the mountainside and up to her ears. Naruto and Yukie were still at the mouth of the cave, out of the way, watching on in apparent awe at the scene of fifty-one men charging the train.

"Any second now you will witness a true massacre, and then you'll realize how hopeless this battle really is!"

The men reached halfway down the hill when Kōri's prediction came true. Hundreds of kunais, fired from hand cranked mechanisms of war, were launched from the sides of the train cars in large bursts. Right at the armored samurai. Armor which wasn't meant to protect from blades being hurtled at speeds humans couldn't throw at.

Amari felt her eyes bulge in horror. Blood flew in all directions as horrid screams reverberated over the mountainside, the men who once charged down the hill without fear now impaled by dozens of kunai.

One by one she watched their chakra signatures die out, some slower than others and some instantaneously. It was like watching the lights of a tower go out one floor at a time; only with each light that faded, someone was killed.

 _All those people…_

Kōri, who had begun to laugh, shoved the blade of the shell-shocked kunoichi away and used the blunt end of her spear to hit her right in the sternum. The air was taken from her as she fell to her knees.

 _All those people…dead._

Flashbacks of the Invasion peppered her mind. The horrible screams of terror. The fires. The smoke. The _death_.

Dotō and his men…they slaughtered Sandayū and his people without mercy. They were _laughing_ at their deaths. Because they saw themselves as gods who got to pick and choose who lived and who died.

Fire sparked in the Uchiha's heart. Black fire.

"Now you die!" Kōri's spear was instantly stopped by Amari's blade, now glowing with green chakra, black tips flickering on the ends. "What the?!"

"I…" The Uchiha child slowly lifted her head, the strands of her hair darkening her face. Then, from beneath the shadows, the red fire of the Sharingan beamed to life. "I'm going to _kill_ you!"

Kōri retracted her spear and went for another strike, but all she found was air. Amari reappeared standing to the side of her previous position. Her tantō cut straight through the spear. The red eye remained locked with Kōri's shocked pair; although protected from genjutsu by her armor, Kōri could see the visage of the demonic dragon behind Amari, hear its nostrils flaring with furious, sharp breaths.

And in the reflection of Kōri's eyes, Amari could see it, too.

She would kill them all. Every. Last. One.

Kōri hastily activated her wings and dove off the column in retreat, whether it was because of the killing intent or the explosions hitting the train, dropping an avalanche on her allies would never be known. It didn't matter.

Amari was right behind the Snow Ninja, sliding down the side of the column with chakra glowing on her hands and feet as she locked her eye on her new target.

 _I'm going to kill you, Dotō._

Amari hit the ground sprinting. The train had lost half of its cars due to the explosion, but Dotō and his comrades continued their retreat. It wouldn't matter how far they ran or where they hid themselves. She would find them and _obliterate_ them!

As she neared her prey, Kakashi appeared in front of her with his back to her and his arm extended out, stopping her from proceeding in her hunt. "Wait, Amari! Don't be so hasty."

She and her dragon snarled angrily. "They slaughtered them like cattle and laughed about it as they did! We can't just let them get away with that!" Amari argued.

"I know." Kakashi turned to her and met her Sharingan eye with his calm and commanding eye. "We will put an end to Dotō, but not here. Not now. We need to get the movie crew to safety, take care of the dead and handle your wounds first."

Amari breathed heavily for a tense set of seconds. Slowly, the rational side of her regained control. Crimson red cooled into onyx as she deactivated her dōjutsu, and as it faded the heat of her adrenaline faded, too, replaced by the chilled air and aches of her wounds. _So…cold._

Amari hugged her arms around her stomach to fight the cold and to cover the spear wound on her side, sullen features taking hold. Sandayū, his people…

"I was supposed to protect him," she said quietly as she stared out at the mountainside. "But all I could do was watch them fade away in my Byakugan. I…couldn't save them."

Just like the people in the Invasion. Those innocent people, they must have been so scared. So frightened by the destruction and war breaking out right in the center of their peaceful lives. And she, a Leaf shinobi, couldn't be there to protect them. She and Mimi could only listen to their terrified screams as they…

Kakashi closed the distance and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. His eye and voice became softer. "It's not your fault, Amari. Sandayū and his men would have made the same decision if Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura or I were left to guard them. Don't let their decision weigh heavy on your heart."

It was a sound rationalization of the circumstance she faced, but Amari wasn't sure she believed it. Her duty had been to protect their client, and she let him get out of sight. She let Kōri separate them.

Whether or not the same result would have happened with anyone else didn't matter. _She_ was the one left to guard Sandayū and the movie crew. And in her absence Sandayū, alongside fifty innocent people she would never know the names of, died. But she would remember their agony and horrified contorted faces, along with their fading chakra networks.

Amari nodded mutely regardless and followed him back to the others. Sasuke met them halfway to give an update on the situation. Besides the obvious tragedy, the movie crew managed to stay hidden without sustaining any casualties—a small bright note in this hell.

While the dead were collected, Sakura helped to treat her wounds.

Her immediate rage had been quelled by the end of the fight…yet Amari couldn't see any other way this ended without killing Kōri and Dotō. Unlike with Haku and then Zabuza, she felt no good in any of them.

" _You are right, though. I believe you and I share the same interests. I apologize for what I must do."_

Haku… Even before they entered full-fledged battled, they could sense they were two sides of the same coin. They both knew deep in their hearts they didn't want to hurt or kill each other. _You even apologized for what we both knew was inevitable…but even then you fought to spare us._

" _You managed to remain compassionate towards us and still mostly kept your dream of protecting Zabuza alive. You found a way to avoid killing us and would have fulfilled your mission had Kakashi-sensei and I not got Zabuza in such a sticky situation where my Sensei was using such a strong jutsu. I can only follow such an inspiring example."_

Haku's actions truly inspired her; they helped her to form her nindo. Shisui, too, sought to spare life when possible.

 _I want to be able to do the same, to spare life wherever and whenever I can…yet even if I spare these Snow shinobi, they'll just keep killing. They'll continue to bring pain to this Land and the world._

 _There is no getting through to them, not like with Zabuza or Gaara. There are no lights to bring them from the darkness. They relish in their power. They think themselves gods among mortals._

They were as bad as Gatō.

" _You don't have the heart to kill indiscriminately, not even to kill Gatō."_

" _Don't mistake what you can do when lost in your emotions for what you're capable of doing when you're in control of yourself. Don't assume because you have lost people you loved that you know what it means to take a life. You're not ready."_

Amari shut her eye and took a breath. Zabuza and Kakashi saw right through her back then. She talked tough, acted like a shinobi, believing herself capable of killing if ordered to…but she couldn't. She believed knowing loss meant she knew how to _take_ a life, but she didn't. Not back then.

However, things were different now. The Invasion changed her. The Akatsuki incident changed her reality. And now another change was happening: Amari was fighting someone she couldn't find the heart to spare. This massacre, her guilt, it pushed her to a line she hadn't ever found herself at.

 _"We will put an end to Dotō, but not here. Not now."_

Kakashi was right to steer her off. It was the call of a seasoned shinobi, wielding the experience to keep emotions from compromising the mission and the lives of his comrades. Other matters required immediate attention before ending Dotō and his regime of suffering.

Soon, though, soon they would put an end to them, permanently.

 _Enjoy what time you have left Kōri, Dotō, Nadare, Fubuki, and Mizore. By the end of the night you will no longer draw breath. That's a promise._

Privately, Sakura helped her bandage her severe wounds. The cold air on her bare abdomen stung nearly as much as the ointment she applied. Afterwards they joined Naruto to look upon the scene around them, sadness in their eyes.

"Hey, you okay?" Naruto asked softly.

"My outer wounds will be fine…but my heart will take time to stop hurting," she answered truthfully. "What about you two?"

Naruto lowered his eyes. "I…wish I would have been able to save them."

"Yeah…me too," Sakura agreed quietly.

Amari gave a mute nod and watched as Kakashi, Sasuke and a few of the movie crew loaded Sandayū—who barely clung to life—onto a stretcher. The Nara wanted to say there was hope for him, that he could pull through to give her teammates hope…but giving a false hope was cruel.

She grabbed her left arm under her cloak but kept her eyes forward. _I saw wounds like his during the Invasion. Mimi did her best to ease their pain…but every single shinobi we found like that left a scar on her heart…because she knew she couldn't save them._

"Reminds me of Konoha after the Invasion," Sakura muttered.

"Yeah, it's awful," Naruto agreed.

Amari couldn't find the voice to agree. She didn't have words to make this any less terrible than it was. _Each life extinguished is a set of dreams and futures taken from this world. The only thing the Leaf had holding us together is the circle Iruka-sensei talked about. Here they have—_

"This is what happens when you never give up."

Yukie's voice may as well have been nails on chalkboard. Amari bristled, teeth clenching together. _Here they have_ _ **her**_ _._

All three turned to face Yukie, who stood behind them, face blank and apathetic as ever. Of course she was. What more did she expect from a heartless coward. Part of Amari's heart wanted to blame her for this; if she hadn't run away, Team Seven as a whole would have been here to defend Sandayū and his people from Dotō.

But that was just the guilt gnawing at her heart. Trying to shove blame onto someone else and vent all these emotions tightening her chest.

"If they had never stood up to Dotō and his men then none of this bloodshed would have happened," she continued.

Amari's hands curled into fists. "Keep disrespecting the dead, Princess. See what it gets you."

Kakashi, Sasuke and the movie crew approached with the stretcher, setting it down in the snow close to Yukie. "My…Princess," Sandayū called weakly. Yukie knelt down next to him but showed no emotion. "Please forgive me. I should have…never gotten you involved in all this." The man took a few rapid inhales and swallowed hard. "It's just… We were able to keep believing in spite of everything because we knew you were alive."

Tears welled in Sandayū's eyes, his voice was ripe with his final emotions—emotions Yukie did not mirror. "When you were little…and even now, you have been—just as I, your loyal Sandayū believed, you too must believe—you have been our purest hope. Please, do not waste your tears on me," he pleaded through his pain.

Not a moment later his head fell limply to the side. Amari would never forget his final, peaceful breath.

"You are such a fool, Sandayū. I can't cry. You have my eye drops."

Heat flushed over Amari's skin. She could barely feel the cold air.

Her restraint was failing. Another push and she swore she'd…

Trudging forward in the snow, Amari knelt beside Sandayū's body, gently taking both of his limp hands into hers to lie them palm down on his chest before placing his sword between them.

"Find peace in the next life, Sandayū," she spoke. Someone with a heart ought to say some words for him, she felt. Yukie clearly didn't care. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you, but you still died fighting for what you believed in. For that, as well as your passionate love for the Land of Snow, I respect you."

She tugged her sleeve up over her hand and wiped the blood from his forehead and off his cheeks. "I will ensure the Land of Snow never forgets your sacrifice or the sacrifices of the other men who have died here."

"Are you all satisfied now?" Yukie asked in that same indifferent voice of hers.

Amari reacted. She didn't think. The _crack_ of her hand on Yukie's cheek echoed like a bolt of lightning over the mountainside. And it felt _good_.

The Princess's head was thrown to the side by the strike, hair whipping through the air. A red imprint was already forming on her pale cheek.

The entire movie crew gasped. Of course they did. They didn't have the _guts_ to say or do anything to upset the actress.

None of Team Seven shared their shock. It might have been her burning anger, but Amari swore she sensed their approval. Yukie stared wide eyed at the snow, hand slowly reaching up to touch the stinging flesh.

"You disgust me," Amari hissed, eye narrowed. She pointed to Sandayū. "This man lived every day of his life serving _you_. From the time you were awake to the time you went to sleep he was at your beck and call, proud to serve his Princess no matter what it was."

Slowly, Yukie's eyes rose to meet hers. Shock. Disbelief. Anger. Amari didn't flinch. Let her try something and see what little restraint she had left.

"He lived his life for you, dreaming of the day he could see you take up your rightful position as Princess of the Land of Snow." Her eye became a slit. "And you shrugged off his pleads, you stamped out his dreams, treated him like he was a pest and now you dare to spit on his sacrifice when he gave everything to make sure you were taken care of and safe?

"You may be a Princess, but all I see in you is a spoiled _brat_!" The Uchiha wound up for another slap but paused, curling her hand into a fist before lowering it. "But Sandayū believed there was a Princess worth following somewhere deep down in the pits of that place you call a heart. Out of respect for him and his sacrifice I won't give up on his dream."

With an angry huff, Yukie rose to her feet. "Let's get out of here," she said to Director Makino and the crew. "If you all stay here you'll die! Come on, let's go home," the Princess began walking towards the vehicles.

"Go ahead. Run away, Princess. It's what your best at."

Amari shut her eye and bowed her head in a respectful silence for Sandayū before getting back onto her feet. Whatever. These people deserved better than her anyway.

"Go home to _where_?" Naruto snarled. "I thought this was your home, wasn't it? What the heck is out there that you have to get back to? Your home is _here_! Now face Dotō and put your house in order!"

"You know absolutely nothing," Yukie replied. Her eyes moved over to Amari, squinting another glare at her. "Neither of you do."

"Grow up," Amari scoffed. "You're not the only person in this world to suffer loss."

With a hissed breath, she spun her back to them again. "Spring doesn't come to this country. Our tears are frozen over and our hearts are hardened with the cold!"

"But aren't you the one who is supposed to change that?" Sakura prodded. "I mean, that's what Sandayū believed. Are you really just going to walk away from your people when they need you?"

"I've had enough of this nonsense!"

Yukie stormed off but was quickly followed by Naruto. "Hey, wait a minute!"

The knucklehead snatched her wrist. Yukie spun on him, a snarl on her lips as she yanked her hand free. "Why don't you just leave me alone already?!"

"This is going nowhere," Sasuke said beneath his breath.

"Just let her go," Amari said hotly. "This Land deserves better than a spoiled actress."

Not a Princess. She didn't deserve that title anymore, if she ever deserved it to begin with.

Movement in her peripherals snapped Amari to attention. "What the…" A giant purple blimp was rising over the cliff. Mizore, who stood in the door way of the blimp, launched his mechanical arm at Yukie. The metal claws clutched around her upper body, then the wire began to reel back in—the prey finally captured.

Kōri and Fubuki dashed by through the air suddenly. A flurry of kunais raced to the icy earth. Amari's eye widened at the little balls dangling from the hilts. Hands flashing up into the Clone Seal, she yelled, "Everyone dodge!"

The largest horde of Shadow Clone's Amari had created in a while—a total of twenty—jolted into action, grabbing the movie crew and dashing them out of the way. Simultaneously, Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, Kakashi and Amari scattered to avoid the attack.

As each kunai landed, huge ice spikes exploded from the ground. Amari hopped back then to the side as two landed next to her. Snow and tiny shards of ice pelted her skin. _Damn it. This isn't good._ She jumped straight up as another landed right on her position, but she let herself fall onto the flat parts of the spikes.

The rain of kunai ended as quickly as it began. Their plan must've been to keep her team away from the blimp, and if one or more of them died in the attack, all the better. From one mess into another.

Great. Just great.

Rushing back to her teammates, Amari landed on a new ice spike next to Sakura and Sasuke. _Here they are. The movie crew and my clones made it unscathed. I see Kakashi-sensei over there._ But…

"Sakura, where's Naruto?" Sasuke asked before her.

"Huh?" Sakura looked to the blimp as the realization hit them all. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me! That idiot!"

Without any consideration to the fact he'd be on his own, Naruto tied a rope attached to a kunai to one of the railings of the blimp. And the blimp was only getting further and further away.

 _Damn it. You knucklehead._ Drawing fresh blood over her gloved palm, Amari weaved her handseals and slammed her hand onto the flat part of the spike. "Summoning Jutsu!"

Atsuko appeared from the plume of smoke. The Crow shivered. "Ah, Young Haya. I see you are still in the Land of Snow."

"Atsuko, are you up for a tracking mission?"

Atsuko nodded sharply. "Of course. How may I serve you?"

She pointed to the blimp in the distance. "That blimp has Naruto and Koyuki on it. Can you follow it and lead us to wherever it's going?"

"At once." Atsuko took off without question after the blimp.

 _Stay safe, Atsuko. You too, Naruto._

"Amari, Sasuke, Sakura," Kakashi landed in front of them. "Come on, we'll follow the blimp as far as we can. The movie crew will be safe here; Dotō has what he wants now." His eye hardened. "They aren't getting away with Naruto."

"Right," the trio agreed.

With Amari's Byakugan they were able to track the blimp over the hills and through mountain passes, but eventually their enemies exceeded her eyesight, slipping away. Thankfully, Kakashi had a general idea of where they were heading.

"Looks like they're heading for Kazahana Castle," he noted as they continued ninja jumping their way through the snow.

"Kazahana Castle? I thought it was destroyed?" Sakura pointed out.

"It was. Dotō has probably spent the last ten years rebuilding the throne." Kakashi sighed. "Which means it's probably prepared to defend against a ninja assault."

"Kakashi-sensei, I've been meaning to ask but haven't had the chance to: What is so important about this Hex Crystal those Snow shinobi mentioned in our first battle?" Amari asked.

"It's a key."

"A key? _That's_ what this is all about?" Sasuke questioned incredulously.

"What's so important about this key, Sensei?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know for certain what it unlocks, but I assume Dotō believes it will grant the Land of Snow power to rival the strength of the Five Great Shinobi Nations."

"Power to surpass the Five Great Nations?" Amari didn't like the sound of that at all. "That would have to be one incredible weapon. And if they started manufacturing their Chakra Armor in large quantities…"

"They'd be able to start a war. A lot of lives would be lost," Sasuke finished her statement.

"Exactly. Don't worry, though. He's pretty far away from the Hex Crystal."

Amari rose an eyebrow at that. "But doesn't he have the Princess?"

"Yep." Kakashi turned his head to back to look at the trio, eye smiling at them. He lifted the Hex Crystal necklace into view. "But I may have switched out the real Hex Crystal with a fake, just in case."

All three Team Seven members shared a smirk. "You really are sneaky, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura stated amusedly.

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

His forward thinking improved the chances of Naruto and Koyuki being spared until they arrived. _Just hang in there, Naruto. We're on our way._

* * *

 _This definitely was not my brightest plan_ , Naruto scolded himself. He was…somewhere. A building. Or, well, a prison actually. The air was cold even in here. Dank and dark, he hung from his handcuffed wrists, feet unable to touch the cold floor beneath him.

After his heroic attempt to storm the blimp alone failed, Dotō and his thugs pinned him down and latched some strange device to his stomach, right over the Nine-Tails seal. Metal wires rooted into his skin, leeching the chakra from his body. Worst of all, every time he tried to build up chakra, the device electrocuted him.

It didn't seem like he was going to be a shining white knight today. He should have thought this through, but he hadn't. He acted on instinct instead of listening to his brain, because of course he did! That was just how he operated.

 _I'm not giving up yet, and I know Amari, Sasuke, Sakura and Kakashi-sensei aren't giving up on me either. They'll be coming for me. But_ , he grunted as he struggled against his cuffs. _Those Snow shinobi know it too. They're probably fortifying this place right now. Which means I need to get myself out of this cell and get the Princess at least outside of wherever we are so they don't have to fight their way through a horde of ninjas._

He frowned in the dimly lit cell. _I also don't want to deal with Sasuke calling me an idiot for getting chained up. I am perfectly aware of how much of an idiot I am right now._

If his feet could touch the floor he would have been able to break free easier, but his shortness worked against him here. Amari would have hated it. The good news: The Princess was literally in the cell across from him. No wild search party necessary.

Apparently Dotō and his thugs weren't going to treat her like royalty. It had given the two time to discuss her previous statement about _"Spring doesn't come to this country."_

Her father used to tell her, _"You'll see it when the spring comes, Koyuki."_ _It_ being the warmth and joy of spring. He had told her that so long as she never gave up, she would one day see spring. But spring was not a season in the Land of Snow and her father died when she was still a child, so she fled and gave up hope on it.

Naruto felt bad that everything had happened the way it had to her, but that was no excuse for giving up.

He looked down at the floor after another failed attempt to break the cuffs with just his body strength. "I bet it's a lot easier. Giving up, I mean," he said lowly. "There was a time when I had no one who even cared I existed. I just tried to blow it off, ya know? But it was still pretty rough. I used to think there was no place in this world for me. I didn't know why I even got out of bed somedays. What point was there? But…"

" _Oh. My name is Amaririsu."_

Electricity surged out of the device on his stomach and attacked his body. Naruto cried out in agony but refused to let the pain stop his renewed struggles to break free.

His life had begun changing that day for the better; it was because he had never given up on finding someone like her.

"But I…still found friends!"

He thought of his best friend, sitting with a book in her hands as she smiled at him from beneath the shadow of the Academy tree swing they met at.

"Amari was the first to accept me for who I was. She was the first person who believed I, the no good loser, the dead last, could become Hokage. She was the first person to look at me and see right into my heart. She saved me from my darkness."

Yukie watched him with captivation.

"And through everything since that day, she has been at my side, encouraging me and inspiring me to be better! To be worthy of the title of Hokage!" he grunted as he struggled against the chains. "She sees right through your mask, too, ya know? You act like you don't care, like you don't feel anything at all, but it's a lie. I know it is!" He threw his weight downwards. "And so does Amari. She can see the hurt in your heart. She knows you're afraid to put your hope in anything or anyone."

Again he began lifting himself up. "Amari was afraid, too. Her most precious bonds have been severed again and again. She just lost someone really precious to her, but Amari keeps fighting!"

He threw his weight down against the handcuffs. A spike of pain attacked his wrists, but he battled to ignore it. "For them. For the future they couldn't see themselves. She could have given up easily, but she hasn't. And she won't. That's what makes her the strongest person I know!"

A surge of lightning made him yelp and squirm. He thought of Iruka then. _Iruka-sensei and I started out rough, and I own a lot of it for the trouble I caused him, but he's still someone I hold dear because he never gave up on me! He gave me this headband because he believes in me!_

Then there were his teammates. Sasuke, Sakura and him were as close as they'd ever been. They stood together to defend Amari from Gaara after she fought so hard, and they'd been training as a team to catch up to her strength ever since. The electricity faded briefly. Naruto renewed his efforts.

"Sakura, Sasuke and I didn't start on the same page, let alone the same book. But we're comrades, and as we fought battle after battle together we became friends who we know we can always count on!" He tugged strongly on the chains again. "Kakashi-sensei too! He's doing everything he can to help us grow, so that we can one day take our place as guardians of the Leaf!"

He thought of Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon. _Even those little runts became friends of mine._

"I kept at it!"

Shikamaru's team, Hinata's team and Mimi's team. _All of them. We may fight sometimes, but we're still friends and comrades!_ Even Lord Third, Pervy Sage, Granny Tsunade and Shizune.

Naruto grit his teeth in preparation; he felt the electricity beginning again. "I didn't give up! And good things started happening to me!" The electricity coursed through his body, tearing screams out of him, but he kept fighting against the cuffs. "When you give up, your dreams and everything else that matters to you, they're **gone**!" he shouted at her.

He could feel the metal bending to his strength. It spurred him to keep fighting.

 _I just need some chakra!_ Naruto summoned some up and immediately was hit by waves and waves of crackling lightning. Yelps and screams escaped him, but no matter what, he wouldn't quit. He'd break these damn chains if it was the last thing he did!

Koyuki watched him in awe. But the sight of his continued pain sprang her to her feet. "Stop!" she pleaded.

 _I'm not going to give up! I'm going to get out of here no matter what!_

"Your father. Sandayū." He pulled himself higher. "I'll prove it to you…that they weren't wrong!"

Using all of his strength, he slammed his weight down. The chain snapped! And he fell chest first into the solid ground.

Naruto grimaced. _Ow._ But he was free. He won this battle.

 _Time to get out of here._ Naruto struggled onto his feet. Then he braced his hands on the cell door—it was a mistake. A large surge of electricity flowed from the door and into his body.

"Ahhhhh!"

The jolt sent him falling backwards unconscious.

* * *

Meanwhile

* * *

Amari stood at the ready with Atsuko perched on her shoulder, waiting for the signal to breach Kazahana Castle. Just as Kakashi had predicted, the blimp had landed at the fortified castle. They had all regrouped with Atsuko and, as a team, decided to send in Atsuko with her fellow crows to scout the outside of the castle for breach points.

The reports were valuable. They discerned breaching points that were not as heavily guarded as others, and prepared them for their strike. One thing was clear from Atsuko's report: Dotō and his men were waiting for them.

The plan was simple: Use paper bombs to blow up five different breaching points—three for them and two as a distraction to scatter the Snow shinobi forces across more of the castle. At the same time, they'd blow up a fueling station for the blimp to create a chain reaction of explosions across the castle.

Kakashi would go in alone. Sasuke and Sakura were paired together while Amari would be supported by Atsuko; alongside them were three Amari clones transformed as different members of her team, ready to go through the other two breaching points to draw off guards.

Based on Kakashi's previous visit, they had a general idea of where the jail cells would be and, with luck, that's where they'd meet up to rescue Naruto and Koyuki before disappearing into the night.

 _Hmm,_ the Nara hummed as she looked up to the sky, _clouds are moving in near the full moon. They'll provide darkness for our escape, but hopefully they'll leave to provide me Shadows. If we take too much time, though, the sun will be up in the next few hours._

Their goal was to avoid confrontation with Dotō and his cronies during this battle—they couldn't risk Koyuki getting caught between them. It would also allow them to trap their enemies by using Koyuki as bait instead of marching into what was without a doubt a trap.

"Young Haya, you have been troubled for some time now," Atsuko stated instead of questioned. Her eyes were keen as ever.

"Yeah. You could say that."

"May I ask why?"

Amari sighed and dropped her head to stare at the castle. "I…wasn't able to protect Sandayū. He ran off as I was fighting Kōri. When he came back, I was stuck in heated combat with her; I could only watch as he and fifty of his men were eliminated in a matter of seconds. Kōri laughed about the massacre, and so did Dotō."

"You cannot blame yourself for the actions of others, Young Haya."

"It was my duty to protect him."

"And he chose to ignore you to rally his men in order to fight this Dotō." Atsuko looked her in the eye. "Do not burden yourself, Young Haya. You are not responsible for the actions of those men or their demise. They made their choice to fight for their country on their own accord, knowing what the consequences might be."

"I know…" she sighed and turned her head to look back at the castle. But it didn't make her feel better. It didn't eliminate the guilt in her heart, or extinguish the anger.

"There is more, yes?"

She nodded. "Yeah. During our battle in the Land of Waves, I talked about killing because I thought I was capable of doing it. But back then I wasn't. The grumpy old man told me I didn't have the heart to kill indiscriminately, and he was right. My peaceful nature led me to create a part in my nindo dedicated to sparing life when I can."

Her own words made her think of Haku and his kind smile, as well as Zabuza's cocky smirk and amused taunts at her size. She remembered Gaara giving up and Hikari hugging her.

"I have seen the benefits. I've witnessed people who were my enemies choose to leave behind the path of evil. I have even been able to call some of them friends. But…"

"But you cannot find a reason to spare them, yes?" A beat of reluctance followed. Then she nodded. "From what I have seen of these shinobi, I do not doubt that your judgment is accurate.

"There are some shinobi you will face, Young Haya, where to kill or be killed is your only choice. Some of them will be shinobi like your friend Haku—shinobi you wish you did not have to kill but have no other choice to in order to protect your loved ones, your Village or yourself. Then there will be others like this Kōri and Dotō whose only purpose in this world is to create pain and suffering. In either case there is only one thing I believe you can do, and it is something Shisui and your parents wished for you to learn."

Amari once again looked to the Crow, eager for any kind of wisdom she or her family could give. "What?"

What was it that her parents and her cousin would've wanted her to learn about a scenario like this? Did they or Atsuko have wisdom that could help her to deal with this without causing her heart further struggle or strife?

"You will be forced to kill another shinobi one day. Whether that day is today or a day far in the future, killing is an inevitability you and all your peers will have to face throughout your shinobi careers. Your heart is true just as Shisui's and your parents' were in your desire to spare lives when you can; that is a worthy goal we do not want you to abandon.

"But your father, your mother, your cousin and I have killed other shinobi out of necessity or because their evil would continue to taint this world, regardless of how many second chances they were given. You will one day face these same circumstances, but what is most important is you do not let every kill become personal," Atsuko explained.

"Don't let it get personal?"

The Head of the Crows nodded. "Yes. Let me explain it another way: If you allowed every shinobi you face become another Kasai, what do you think will happen?"

"…I would be consumed by the Curse of Hatred."

"Precisely," Atsuko dipped her beak in a nod. "Those who perceive everything as a personal attack on them or those they hold dear, even when it is not, drown in suffering, especially those of Uchiha blood. Too many shinobi, both of Uchiha blood and those not, find themselves steeped in blood and darkness because they let minor confrontations become personal vendettas against a person or another Village."

Amari could see her point. Her team had spoken earlier in the day about the struggle of peace between the Shinobi Nations strictly because of bad blood and vendettas held by other shinobi. But she was once again left wondering how to prevent herself and the future generations from following the same paths as the older generations.

How did they break this cycle of war and hatred?

"So…how do you handle something like killing another shinobi without it becoming personal?"

"It's not easy, even with the psychological training you receive as students. Even when your mother and Shisui joined the ranks of the Anbu, they spared lives when possible.

"The best advice I can give is this: Seek the light in your enemies and endeavor to have them embrace it, but when killing is the only option left to you against a shinobi you despise or one you wish you did not have to kill—do it and be done. Be merciful and end their lives quickly then leave their death behind you. The life of a shinobi is hard enough without carrying every kill on your conscious."

"Is that how Mama and Shisui kept their hearts even when they were in Anbu?"

Atsuko gave a sharp nod. "Yes, it was the same with your father. Your heart is sincere, Young Haya. Trust in it and your eyes to lead you through the darkness."

"Mm. Thank you, Atsuko."

"It is my pleasure and my duty to share what wisdom I can with you."

The pair fell into a comfortable silence for a minute or two. Then Kakashi's voice came over her headset.

"Amari. Do it."

"Right." She brought her hands into Snake and detonated every paper bomb they had placed. Flashes of bright orange fire lit up the darkened environment. The explosions penetrated the quiet night and echoed across the mountainous region.

"All right team, move in and be careful."

* * *

Inside Kazahana Castle a collection of four Snow shinobi were dashing to the location of a breach. When they arrived, they came upon another squadron of their allies standing in the center of the large storage room, heads swiveling around as they searched for the enemy.

"What's going on?" the leader asked.

"One of the Leaf shinobi is in here. We were about to launch our attack on her when a flock of Crows came out of nowhere."

"Crows?" one of his men questioned.

Suddenly the lights of the room burst, sheathing the room in impenetrable darkness. The four Snow shinobi remained just outside of the hall, still bathed in light with their kunais ready. A strike was coming, but from where?

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"Something just brushed by me!"

"Stop screwing around!"

"I'm not!"

"Ah!"

Panicked screams reverberated in the room. The four Snow shinobi took hesitant steps back.

"Something else is in here!"

"It's the Leaf Shinobi! Stop panicking— wait, what…what is this? Ahh, no! No! Get- Get off me! Get off me! Ahhhhhh! Ahhhh!"

"Re- retreat! Get out of this room! No, stay away from me! Stay away! Stay away- ahhhhhhh!"

Beads of sweat slid down the four Snow shinobis faces, their feet unconsciously carrying them back another step. _What…what is this?_

"Please, no! Noooo! Whatever I did, I'm sorry! Stop! Stop!"

The screams faded away. Then utter silence. It hung in the air for a beat or two, but the _claps_ of advancing sandals on the concrete floor replaced it. Step by step, slow and methodical in its approach.

 _Were…were they just slaughtered by a single Leaf shinobi?_

"What do we do?"

"Be ready for anything," he replied. They couldn't let whoever this was get past them. Their orders were to defend the castle from the invaders and repel their assault, and so they would do so no matter what it took.

From the darkness, four black tendrils shot across the ground at them, wrapping around the legs of two of his men. The leader and one comrade avoided the tendrils meant for them. Barely.

Cries of pain left his other two men as their feet were pulled out from under them and they were dragged into the darkness. _What manner of jutsu is this?_ He stared down at the two tendrils slowly receding. _Are those…dragons?_

Horrified screams pierced the silence again. Pleas for mercy wailed at piercing octaves, only to be silenced. The clapping of sandals started again.

"I…I think we should retreat, sir," his final comrade stuttered in fear.

The sandals stopped right at the edge of the darkness and light. All he could see of the individual annihilating them was their black sandals and their small silhouette.

 _This shinobi…who are they?_ His hand trembled. _ **What**_ _are they?_

"Running is no longer an option for you two," the voice of their end told them. A girl. Not even a woman. A _girl_ was responsible for all of this.

Suddenly, a red light flared in the eye of the Leaf Shinobi, glowing brightly in the shadows. His comrade wailed in terror then fell face first onto the floor as if struck down by a god.

The realization of what the red light was fell over him. His stomach dropped. _It…It has the Sharingan? We're…I'm…_

"No matter how many steps you take backwards, you will not escape your fate."

Every light in the hallway exploded, submerging him in darkness.

All he could do was scream in terror when the demonic being took form right in from of him.

* * *

Amari hurried out of the halls onto a short bridge leading to another hallway. Looking around, it seemed to be the center of construction in Kazahana Castle, if that yellow metal behemoth was anything to judge by.

 _This is the main junction of the castle according to Kakashi-sensei._ She moved over to the railing to look both up and down what seemed to be a bottomless pit and sky reaching height with her Byakugan activated. All right, she was making progress. Now to find Naruto.

"I must say, Young Haya, your display of genjutsu was as incredibly humorous as it was impressive." Atsuko's amused smile was clear in her voice.

"Thought you might like it," she replied with a smirk.

All of the Snow shinobi were taking a nice long nap now…well, _nice_ didn't accurately describe their experience. She shrugged mentally and turned her attention upward. _They shouldn't have joined Dotō._

"There's one of them!" a voice shouted at her.

The Nara jumped up onto the railing then leapt into a back flip; kunai and shuriken whizzed beneath her, pelting her previous position. Amari landed on the opposite railing of the bridge pathway. "These guys are everywhere," she hissed. "Atsuko, can you do another one of those swarm attacks you did in that last fight?"

"I can." Atsuko glided off down into the hall they arrived from to gain momentum.

In the meantime Amari's tantō jumped into her hand, clashing against the blade of one of her enemies as she balanced on the railing. She hopped to avoid a slash for her legs, quickly sidestepping on her toes along the rail as she parried and blocked.

Eye darting to her left, she immediately dropped down into a low, one footed side lunge, catching the blade of an enemy below her in a block as a second tried to sever her head from his new position on the rail.

A kunai flew from Amari's free hand, impaling her enemy in the stomach as they lifted their sword above their head. He stumbled off the rail, falling down off their bridge to one further below. He wasn't getting up again.

Second bought, she pushed the shinobi holding her in a deadlock back and jumped into a corkscrew to evade more flying ninja tools. She landed with her back facing the hall Atsuko vanished into, tantō sheathed and hands weaving handseals.

The lighting of the building and the yellow behemoth construction elevator casted a distinct shadow on the ground.

Before the other shinobi could attack, a flock of crows burst past the Uchiha in a sea of black feathers. Some of the poor souls were killed instantly as Atsuko drilled straight through them; others wailed in panic and pain as beaks and claws ripped at their skin, their attempts to retaliate proving fruitless.

 _My turn._ Her hands held in Rat, she prepared her strike. "Ninja Art: Shadow Dragons!" Four Shadow Dragon tendrils stretched over the floor in search of helpless prey. They spiraled up the legs of the Snow shinobis and opened their maws. "Now stay down!"

The audible crack of their bones was dwarfed by their screams of bloody murder reverberating up and down the castle walls. Every shinobi clawed at the intangible shadow responsible for their pain, trying so desperately to pry them off as they sunk their teeth tighter and tighter around their shattered bones. A few appeared to have tears in their eyes as they collapsed to the floor.

With a satisfied huff, Amari let her Shadows recede. No way they'd be walking anytime soon, or without a limp in the future. The flock of Crows swooped spiraled around her, cawing ominously, until Atsuko reformed on her shoulder.

The Snow shinobi stared at them in fear. True fear. Funny, they hadn't even seen her genjutsu.

"Shall we continue on our way to the jail cells?" Atsuko asked.

"Yea—" Amari cut herself off, head turning sharply to the construction elevator. Naruto's chakra! It was within the ascending car, accompanied by Yukie. "Found him. He's in that elevator with Yukie."

 _But something isn't right. His chakra…it's barely there._

"Then we must follow him."

"Right."

Amari summoned her chakra to her feet and jumped onto the nearby wall, dashing after the elevator. Her eye followed the chakra signature of a man dressed in Snow shinobi gear rappelling up to the same floor as the knucklehead. _Kakashi-sensei went all out with his disguise it seems. Probably didn't have as much problems as I did._

Her left eye moved to two more chakra signatures approaching the same bridge the elevator stopped on. Sakura and Sasuke were right on schedule, too. Judging on the nearby unconscious shinobi behind them they'd encountered the same resistance as Amari.

She reached the bridge and jumped onto the walkway. The group turned at her arrival. "Hope I'm not late. Got caught up by a few squads of Snow shinobi," she said, deactivating her Byakugan and dispelling her clones.

"Amari!" Naruto greeted in glee.

Amari's eye was immediately drawn to the circular device attached to his jacket; metal wires dug through the fabric into his skin, over the centered location of the Nine-Tails fūinjutsu seal. A Snow shinobi device, based on the design. It almost appeared similar to the devices powering their Chakra Armor, with a huge exception: This variation was _draining_ Naruto's chakra and sealing it into the device.

 _How do we get it off?_

"These Snow shinobi are everywhere! Where are we going next Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

The question spurred her to look towards Kakashi, who had already discarded his disguise and just finished returning the Hex Crystal to the actress. "This way!" Yukie said and took off down the end of the hall Amari was on.

Team Seven chased after her—this used to be her home, after all, so she hopefully had a better idea of escape routes. They ran through the poorly lit halls as the chain reactions started kicking in around the castle. Explosions rattled the stone structure, but it was unlikely it would bring the entire place down…or that was the hope of the Leaf shinobi, whose eyes nervously glanced up at the ceiling above them now and then.

They made their way into a darkened, vast chamber when Yukie halted. Bright lights suddenly flashed on. So bright, the entirety of Team Seven was temporarily blinded. Crap. This had the makings of a trap written all over it.

As their eyes finally readjusted to the change of light, they were able to see a man standing in front of a throne at the top of a tall set of stairs.

"Dotō," Kakashi cursed.

"Well done…Koyuki," Dotō stated.

Yukie suddenly took off in the direction of the stairs but both Kakashi and Amari were right on her tail. Not only a spoiled brat, but a traitor now too? Amari growled and tried to grab her. "Wait!" her sensei pleaded.

The pair halted when Nadare, Mizore, Fubuki and Kōri appeared in front of them, blocking their path. "You're all starting to piss me off," she snarled.

Yukie turned to look down from the stairs at all of them. "This shouldn't be a surprise to any of you!" she called. "I am an actress, remember?"

"Yes. Yet another brilliant performance by the fantastic Yukie Fujikaze." Dotō couldn't be more amused by their misfortune. He smiled an ugly smile and placed his hand out to be given the Hex Crystal.

Team Seven gave a mixture of hissed out breaths and growls at the condescension of their enemies. "After everything Sandayū did for you, you'll forfeit the fate of your Land to the man he was fighting?" Sakura questioned.

Enough of this. Amari wasn't about to stand here and let Koyuki turn this special key over to Dotō. "Atsuko."

"At once, Young Haya."

The body of Amari exploded into feathers and Crows, spearing straight through the Snow shinobi, up the stairs and directly for the actress. Her hand appeared out of the feathers first, snatching the Hex Crystal from Koyuki before landing beside her. The severe red eye of the pissed off Uchiha bore down on her.

"I will not allow you to toss your Land and its people to this monster like an unwanted toy. You are _their_ Princess!" Amari pushed Koyuki aside and ducked as Dotō swung a massive arm for them both. Twirling the rope, she swung the Hex Crystal necklace around her wrist, tightly.

"You're the person that's meant to bring spring to this Land! That's what Sandayū believed! That's what your father believed!" Dotō swung his massive arm down at her and crushed the cold concrete; Crows flew towards the ceiling, reforming as Amari planted her chakra enveloped feet against it. Ninja tools flew from her hands. "I get it. You've lost people you loved. Well, guess what? So have I! I lost my family. My friends. My entire Clan was massacred!"

Her ninja tools bounced uselessly off an invisible barrier. So, Dotō had Chakra Armor beneath his garb then. He eyed her but didn't yet make another move.

"This world, it's full of suffering and death because of people like Dotō. But that's why those of us who have suffered have to keep fighting, that way the future generations don't have to suffer like we have!"

"Rousing speech, little flower. But this is over." A flying ice spear impaled through the center mass of Amari. Again her body was replaced by Crows. "Her pet is beginning to annoy me."

"The feeling is mutual, I assure you, pet of Dotō."

The verbal blow touched a nerve, if the irate curl of Kōri's lips was anything to go by.

Amari appeared on the wall above the throne, red eye piercing into Koyuki's. The Princess stared at her wide eyed. "For once in your life, stop running away and become the Princess Sandayū believed you could be!" she roared.

"That's enough." Neither Atsuko nor Amari had time to react as Dotō appeared behind her. Amari didn't even feel the pain of his fist crashing into her back at first. But then it was there, intense and unforgiving as she sailed into the concrete floor at the foot of the throne; the force of the attack detached Atsuko from her shoulder.

Amari moved to scramble to her feet, but the pain intensified as Dotō crushed his boot into her back. Amari grunted and tried to squirm free. His damn Chakra Armor, it was cutting her off from her chakra. Damn it.

"Young Haya!"

"Amari!" she heard her teammates yell.

"Careful, Crow. Try to attack and I'll make sure she never walks again."

"Harm that child further and you will linger between life and death for as long as I see fit!"

Dotō chuckled darkly. "I'm sure you will. Koyuki, my darling niece, be a dear and retrieve what this Leaf kunoichi stole from you."

Koyuki plodded over and knelt down. The kunoichi snarled and thrashed against Dotō's boot, tightening her fist around the crystal. The Princess didn't even look at her as she untied the rope from her wrist.

"You're the worst kind of coward," Amari hissed. "Just because you've suffered doesn't give you the right to willfully inflict it onto others!" Koyuki winced but continued to retrieve the necklace.

The Hex Crystal was torn from her hand. Amari thrashed about and cursed vehemently as Koyuki stood up.

"Well done, Koyuki. You performed your part perfectly."

"Yes." Amari heard rather than saw the small blade unsheathe before it plunged into Dotō's stomach. "It was all an act! I told you, didn't I? I'm an actress!"

"You wretched!" Yuki gasped in pain as Dotō massive hand gripped around her throat.

"Princess!" Naruto cried out.

Amari could only stare at the Princess, bewildered. Their eyes met, and Koyuki smiled weakly.

"I always knew…Amaririsu" she tried to speak over the vice grip on her throat, "that if I returned to this country, I would die." The small actress pushed back against Dotō, twisting and turning the blade in his gut. Each twist, each push, all done to get Dotō's boot off her back. To give her access to her chakra again. "But at least I could…do this, for you.

"You were right about me. But…it's only thanks to you and Naruto that I could stop running here, at the end."

No. _No_. The Sharingan eye intensified. This was _not_ how this mission was going to end. The Princess was _not_ going to die by sacrificing herself. No one else she was meant to protect was going to die.

Fury bubbled in her stomach, and then, as her spirit was renewed, the boot left her back. Green chakra exploded off of Amari, dangerous black tips flickering at the ends, whipping and lashing as killing intent irradiated off her. Power. Raw, skin tingling power roared through her.

"What chakra!" Dotō gasped.

Koyuki pushed again, towards the edge.

Another explosion sounded off outside and shook the inside of the building. Small pieces of concrete fell to the floor from the ceiling. Slowly, Amari rose to her feet, body trembling, wild blue hair defying gravity as power surged off her.

One last push. Koyuki, alongside Dotō, tumbled off the platform. A flicker of green was all anyone saw of Amari.

She zipped along the stone, down the side of the platform, shooting off to catch the Princess in her arms before jumping between the two walls all the way down to the floor below. Amari settled the Princess onto the ground, eyes already set on Dotō as he pushed himself back onto his feet.

"Amaririsu…" Koyuki stared in open wonder at the chakra shrouded warrior.

Dotō pulled the blade out of his stomach without a single grimace. He tossed it aside with a scoff. "That little toy couldn't harm me. It was little more than the bite of a flea."

Amari said nothing. Her body trembled in fury. The power of the Mangekyō Sharingan simmered beneath the surface, ready to be unleashed. _Wanting_ to be unleashed.

" _It's a double-edged sword. That's why I want you to remember not to use this power as a crutch. The Mangekyō isn't meant to be abused or flaunted recklessly—it's a trump card meant to be used as a last resort. Only use it when your skill alone isn't enough to defend what you hold precious."_

Amari took a single breath to maintain a semblance of self-control and stepped towards Dotō. Right. She made a promise to Shisui, never to flaunt or abuse the power of the Mangekyō. Throwing it away for this _bastard_ would only disappoint him.

He wasn't worth the Mangekyō's power.

"I should warn you, I don't have a lot of control over my emotions right now," Amari said menacingly. "Don't blame me for what I do to you."

Dotō swung for her, but his arm phased right through her afterimage. Already the Uchiha was moving, feet pressed against the adjacent wall. Then she released the chakra at her feet, flickering away again and connecting a fist to his wide jaw as she shot past him. Like a ball being rebounded between the two walls, Amari flew back and forth at rapid speed, punching, kicking and cutting her enemy.

Wild, powerful arms swung at her afterimages; Dotō growled and grunted as his eyes failed to track the green bullet. _Faster. Faster. Faster_. Two Amari's shot between the walls, or so it seemed to the naked eye. Amari was alone. Chasing herself. Almost intangible at times.

She struck from below, but when Dotō would grab for her, the second Amari was already striking at the back of his neck with a hard kick. But by the time he could reach for them, they were afterimages, running a new circle as they prepared to strike again.

Koyuki watched the scene from the ground in awe. Finally, the two Amari's struck. One dashed in from his front, phasing through his counterstrike as the second appeared beneath Dotō. The first afterimage's foot cracked Dotō in his back, bringing about an intimate greeting between Amari's foot and his jaw.

His hand grabbed for her leg, but the Uchiha quickly retreated back a step.

Her tantō lunged into hand and twirled behind her back, blocking Kōri's ice sword as she kept low to the ground.

Kōri growled. "Why won't you die? Why can't I kill you?"

Amari's Sharingan locked onto the kunoichi. "I refuse to die."

They pushed off each other then, spinning around fully, Amari dashed into another clash of steel and ice. Chips of ice flung from the ice sword with each strike, a sign of weakness on her enemy's part.

Amari was the aggressor, her slashes and attacks pushing Kōri further away from Dotō and back into the main hall. Conversely, it drew Amari away from Koyuki, who Dotō had decided to pick up.

"Come, let us go, Koyuki, beyond the rainbow."

A rappel cord crashed through the ceiling and attached itself to Dotō's back, lifting him up to safety; the collapse of the ceiling started to bring the whole place down around them.

While Amari dueled, she saw Naruto rush past her towards Koyuki. Again, in his infinite wisdom, he threw his kunai attached to a rope at the man. Yukie reached out and let it tie around her arm, thus lifting Naruto off out of the collapsing building while everyone else was left behind. Damn knucklehead.

The duel ended abruptly when a slab of concrete slammed down next to Kōri and Amari. "This isn't over, little flower!" she said before joining her fellow Snow shinobi in using rappelling equipment to escape.

Amari's let her chakra shroud fade as Atsuko landed on her shoulder. "The next battle will be our last, Kōri," she promised.

What remained of Team Seven regrouped and evacuated by foot through the collapsing building. Halls passed by quickly. Everywhere they went, though, seemed to be on the verge of collapsing.

"I think we used _way_ too many paper bombs!" Amari spoke up as they ran.

"Who was in charge of that again?" Sakura teased.

"It's not my fault! I was told to make sure there were enough to create a chain reaction! How was I supposed to know that it would cause this?!" the Nara retorted as she gestured with her hand to the collapsing building.

"This way!" Kakashi ordered. Deafening explosions roared from every direction; the regular Snow shinobi forces didn't even seem to care about their enemies rushing through the halls as they, too, evacuated the premises.

The four Leaf shinobi exited from the closest breaching point and jumped out into the snow covered land. Amari missed the insulated warmth already.

"Sensei, when I was attacking Dotō, I noticed that his armor enhances his chakra more than the armor used by his cronies.

"We obviously need to take him down and get Naruto, but if we go straight there we'll only draw the others there as well. Five on five is an even fight, normally. But that armor of theirs will allow them to use powerful jutsu's over and over again while we're stuck fielding off their attacks. Our chances for offense will be minimal in that situation."

"Divide and conquer," he stated understandingly.

Amari nodded. "Fubuki and Kōri will be in the air searching for us. If we're separate when they see us, I bet they'll split up to come after all of us. Nadare will go after you without a doubt—it seems personal between you two. And Kōri will want to settle matters with me.

"That leaves Mizore and Fubuki going after Sasuke and Sakura. If we fall back to the traps we set, we can eliminate them and then have a five on one advantage for a change."

"I like the sound of that," Sasuke said.

"I agree, but where is this place that's 'beyond the rainbow' Sensei?" Sakura asked. Further down the in the valley, a bright white light shaped like a giant snowflake burst to life. "Never mind."

"We're running out of time," Kakashi said. "Sasuke, Sakura, you two head off to the east set of traps. Amari you keep going straight, I'll take off to the west. We'll meet up down there as soon as we're done with our battles."

"Right!"

Team Seven split up one final time. Following his orders, Amari continued straight down towards the valley. No matter what, she was going to rescue Naruto and the Princess. No one was going to stop her. _She was willing to risk her life to save me. I can't be willing to do anything less after everything I've said to her._

The dōjutsu wielder activated her Byakugan and pushed ahead as fast as she could run in the snow.

"Atsuko, use the trees for cover. I'll be the sole bait right now."

"I will attack from the shadows should you need me."

Atsuko lifted off and hid her flight pattern between the snow covered trees that littered the path down into the valley. It didn't take long for Kōri to appear in her Byakugan line of sight; she was flying fast, ensuring there was no chance Amari could outrun her.

 _This will be the last encounter we have, Kōri._ Her eyes hardened in determination. _And only one of us is walking away._

"I've got you now!"

In the moonlit shadows of the frozen forest, Amari smirked. Still so arrogant, even at the end.

Amari dropped into a slide, bending her body back to evade the almost invisible ninja wire stretching between the trees. Kōri never saw it, not until she crashed into the wire. Her wings were shredded in the tangle of ninja wire, and the kunoichi herself was sent tumbling through the snow past her prey.

Amari stopped and moved up onto her feet. "Looks like I've got you," she said with her smirk still in place.

Hastily, clumsily, Kōri got onto her feet, grabbing at the wires that were still attached to her, only for her body to halt as the Nara's Shadow ensnared her. The strain to maintain it was immediate, a fact Kōri was keenly aware of.

"No sunlight or fireballs to increase the strength of your shadows here, little flower!" she grinned.

"You're right, and with the other times I used it today it is even weaker than it should be. But I've got just enough strength to do this." She swiped her right foot across the snow in front of her. Kōri mirrored her action. "Take a look. I'll let you."

Let's see how she liked this. Amari lowered her head to let Kōri look at her predicament. The green-haired kunoichi's eyes bulged as she gasped. "Paper bombs!"

"Yep. Don't worry. Since you're a 'god,' I'm sure your armor will keep you alive. Probably."

The Shadow user brought her hands into Snake and detonated the paper bombs buried in the snow underneath her opponent. Tranquil silence was broken by the loud, large orange explosion to consume Kōri.

As she detonated the paper bombs, Amari detached her Shadow and jumped backwards onto the branch of a tree, out of range of the explosion. Heat brushed against her skin as the rush of air rustled her hair and cloak. From her position she examined her enemy through the cloud of smoke.

 _Still alive, as expected._

Slowly the smoke cleared, revealing Kōri, hair singed, armor cracked and broken and a dazed look on her face. Amari jumped down from the tree and took up her position opposite of the Snow ninja.

"You're finished, Kōri," she stated firmly. "Give up your career as a shinobi and go find somewhere uninhabited to die alone in some semblance of peace."

Her voice awoke her opponent from her daze. Kōri's lip curled up into a snarl and her eyes glared daggers at her. "I'm…not finished with you yet, little flower."

"If you don't give up, you'll leave me with no choice but to kill you. Be smart and just give this all up. Your armor is busted. It's not supplying you with the same strength it was before and your chakra levels are diminishing by the second."

Kōri brought her shaking hands up closer together; Amari brought her hand up to her tantō. "I promised I would kill you, but I'm giving you the chance to not let it come to that. Don't doubt my resolve in my promise."

Amari could feel her heartbeat starting to beat faster and harder against her chest as she watched the hands of her enemy. She chose to form the first handseal of her Ice Style: Ice Spear Trap.

 _So be it._

The Uchiha lifted her free hand up into Tiger to channel her chakra. If Kōri would not take the chance to walk away now, then the Nara had no other choice but to fulfill her promise and ensure this woman could never harm another person again.

 _"Your innate ability to increase the strength of your weapons with your chakra flow is impressive, Haya,"_ she recalled Itachi's lesson in the genjutsu. _"But chakra flow can be used for far more than that. Instead of merely channeling your chakra into the blade, I want you to imagine that your chakra is two stones on either side of your blade and your blade is a match."_

" _Two stones and a match. Okay. What then?"_

" _Strike the rocks together repeatedly to create a spark and ignite the match. The tantō you wield is made from a special metal that can be easily infused through chakra flow with your elemental chakra. The process I have told you will allow you to coat your blade in an intense flame."_

All right. Channeling her chakra into her sheathed tantō, she shifted the two separate flows on either side of the blade like they were two stones meant to start a fire.

"You will die, little flower, and then I will kill all of your little friends too! You will no longer destroy my beautiful garden! Ice Style:—"

"Uchiha Style: Halo Dance!"

* * *

 _Uchiha Style: Halo Dance?!_

Atsuko's black eyes bulged at the name of the jutsu to leave her companion's mouth.

Young Haya vanished via the Body Flicker, only to reappear in the air behind the woman with her blade coated in intense flames as she performed a diagonal downward strike. A large slashing flame left the blade and flew at the Snow shinobi, slicing across her back and through her armor. Severe burns were instantaneous as she cried out in pain and fell to one knee.

Haya reappeared on her side with her blade in another downward diagonal strike, sending yet another burst of flame at her opponent. The flames cut through her armor yet again and burned her. One final time Young Haya appeared in front of her enemy, letting loose another strike to cut and burn her torso.

The smell of charred flesh filled the air. Yet Haya chose not to strike again. She sheathed her tantō and stared at the severely wounded shinobi in front of her.

 _This battle is over, but_ _when did she learn Shisui's technique?_

It was something she intended to teach her personally, but to see it here and now…it brought back good memories. Young Haya mirrored Shisui's speed and movements perfectly. Her heart swelled with pride.

 _But what will you do now, Young Haya? Will you heed my words and eliminate your opponent mercifully, will you leave her behind or will you draw out her suffering?_

Atsuko would step in if it was the latter. Otherwise the choice fell to her companion. She had to be able to choose her path here and live with the consequences.

* * *

Amari stared at her opponent with both of her dōjutsu activated and her hand on her tantō. "This battle was over before it even began. You're finished, Kōri."

She expected another taunt. Another barb. More arrogance despite how utterly defeated Kōri was. But what she received instead stunned her…

"Mer…Mercy. Please…don't kill…me. Have…mercy."

The sound of her pleading voice made Amari pause. The images of the blood covered snow beneath the fifty samurais flashed through her mind, alongside Sandayū's final moments.

"Mercy?" she repeated the word.

" _Any second now you will witness a true massacre, and then you'll realize how hopeless this battle really is!"_ Kōri's grin appeared in her mind and her laughter rang in her ears.

Amari's brow furrowed deeply as she grit her teeth in a growl. "You dare beg me for mercy after you laughed at the merciless slaughter of fifty-one people? What mercy did you ever show anyone who asked you for it!" she demanded heatedly as she released her tantō and sliced her arm through the air.

"What mercy did you show Koyuki's father or the people of the Land of Snow as you plunged their lives into suffering and death?! And don't think for a second that I have forgotten a moment of our battles where you were grinning and laughing as you caused me pain or toyed with me like I was prey!

"You and Dotō and all of your comrades thrive off the suffering of others so long as it benefits _you_! And despite that I gave you a chance to walk away, and what did you do? You threatened to kill my friends in return! Why should I show you any semblance of mercy when you don't deserve it?!"

 _"There will be others like this Kōri and Dotō whose only purpose in this world is to create pain and suffering,"_ Atsuko's words entered her mind. _"Your father, your mother, your cousin and I have killed other shinobi out of necessity or because their evil would continue to taint this world, regardless of how many second chances they were given. You will one day face these same circumstances, but what is most important is you do not let every kill become personal._

" _Seek the light in your enemies and endeavor to have them embrace it, but when killing is the only option left to you against a shinobi you despise or one you wish you did not have to kill—do it and be done. Be merciful and end their lives quickly then leave their death behind you. The life of a shinobi is hard enough without carrying every kill on your conscious."_

Amari reached her hand back up to her tantō. "For people like you, I have no mercy left to give," she said lowly. She channeled chakra to her tantō again. "The only mercy I can give you is a quick death. I hope you have a beautiful garden to tend to in the next life."

She Body Flickered forward and delivered her final blow. Crimson blood sprayed over the snow as Kōri's body fell over like a falling tree.

Amari sheathed her blade and cast a long look at the dead body. "Goodbye, Kōri."

"Young Haya, we should hurry down to the valley," Atsuko reminded gently.

She nodded and moved around the body. "Let's get going then."

Amari, with Atsuko flying nearby, rushed down through the forest further down into the valley. Along the way she regrouped with Sasuke and Sakura, the latter of the pair was nursing a bloody and crooked looking right hand while the former held a device from their opponent's armor.

The broken hand was what caught her attention first. "Sakura, what happened to your hand?"

"I shattered Mizore's armor with a single punch. I think I also shattered my hand," she replied with pain laced in her voice.

"Uh…nice?"

"It was a solid blow. She would have crushed his ribcage if he didn't have the armor protecting him," Sasuke informed. There was a bit of amazement in his voice at what she accomplished and Amari noticed a hint of a blush on the pink-haired kunoichi's cheeks. "Her hand looks like that because she didn't release the chakra at the right moment."

"Ah. So the strength of the punch hit him and was reversed back onto you as well, huh?"

"Yeah." Sakura winced. "I'm trying not to move it too much, but that doesn't stop the pain always."

Amari nodded but kept her eye on the wound. _Sakura…you're chakra control has always been superb, but to enhance a punch enough to shatter that armor with one hit? It's an amazing talent you really need to learn how to control better. The only person I know that can do anything like that is Lady Hokage... I don't know if I can help you with this, but I'll do my best._

She turned her eye from her teammate's broken hand to the device in her fellow Uchiha's. "Sasuke, what's the device for?"

"When Sakura's punch sent Mizore flying into Fubuki, their armors reacted in an explosion. I think they kept their distance from each other because whatever powers their armor is reactive to the power of another set of armor. Chidori is powerful, but it isn't as concentrated as Kakashi-sensei's Lightning Blade." He shook his head. "I don't think it will break through that force field created by Dotō's prototype armor, but with this I might be able to breach the field then shatter the armor with Chidori."

Amari dipped her head in a nod. "Good plan. Sakura, do you think you'll be able to back him up with me?"

"Yes," she confirmed with a firm nod. "I still have one good hand and both feet ready to kick Dotō out of here."

 _Feisty as ever_ , Amari thought with a smirk. _Then again, I've been bloody and broken and still tried to fight so I can't say she didn't learn it from me._

"All right. Then let's go take him down."

The further they made it down the hill, the more the temperature of the air rose. "Do you guys feel that?" Amari asked, unsure if she was only imagining the change of temperature.

"Yeah. It's getting warmer the closer we get to whatever Dotō is using," Sasuke replied. He glanced to his two kunoichi teammates. "Amari, Sakura, get ready. We're almost there."

"Right. Sakura, I'm going to go in first with my tantō. Once I blast him with my fire jutsu, hit him hard in the back of the neck with a kick. That should daze him and leave him open for Sasuke's attack."

"Okay. I'll be ready."

They reached the bottom of the valley and were greeted by the sight of Dotō shattering an entire path of ice with a single punch, all to plunge their blond knucklehead into the freezing water below.

Amari took the lead and gripped her tantō in her hand. "You're finished, Dotō!" She Body Flickered and appeared to phase right through the burly man, cutting him across his back as she passed by. As her feet touched the snow again, she coated her blade in flames again and slashed it through the air.

The blast of fire hit the force field, but she wasn't done. She Body Flickered again and released two more slashes that were blocked by the force field before appearing in descent in front of him with her blade coated in flames. "Uchiha Style: Halo Dance!"

This time her flame covered blade cut right through the weakened force field from his shoulder, diagonal down to his waist.

Sakura appeared in the air behind him. "Take this! Chaaa!" Her leg connected hard against the back of his neck, yet before either kunoichi could react, Dotō swung both of his arms. One hit Sakura and sent the cherry blossom flying in the other direction as the other gripped the Nara by her throat and lifted her off the ground.

 _You can't be serious…_

"What the hell are you made of?" she choked out.

"Amaririsu!" Koyuki shouted in the distance.

The sound of a thousand birds chirping came up rapidly from behind her. _Sasuke…_ No time to waste. Amari grit her teeth and lifted her legs up to wrap them around Dotō's arm. He furrowed his brow in confusion, then her foot kicked him in the face. Over and over and over again.

"Why…won't…you…let…go!" she demanded with each kick.

"You little— gah!"

Her heel landed right under his jaw, forcing him to release her.

Amari hit the ice and rolled to the side out of the way just as Sasuke jumped forward and slammed the armor device right into the armor of Dotō. A purple light illuminated from the two pieces connecting, the result shattering the returning force field.

Sasuke, seeing his moment, jabbed his lightning covered hand forward right into the chest of their enemy, fracturing the power source of the armor and the armor around it. "Chidori!"

Dotō, somehow still unfazed by their attacks, landed a solid punch right in her teammate's gut. Sasuke sailed into a boulder shaped piece of ice; Amari heard Sasuke cough up blood as the ice shattered around him.

"Did you really think a tiny jutsu like that would have an effect on me?" A boot slammed right in Amari's ribs and sent her tumbling across the ice. She flopped onto her back at the end of her tumble and slid across the ice right into some snow.

 _That one is going to leave a massive bruise._ She coughed and felt warm blood begin to drip down the side of her mouth. _Ow._

Ignoring the pain, she struggled onto unsteady limbs and began walking back towards Dotō. The sight of her creased an irritated frown onto his lips. The feeling was mutual.

"Look at you, you can barely even stand. What do you alone hope to do against me?"

"Hehe," Amari chuckled roughly. "Doesn't matter how badly injured I am. I've still got enough strength to finish you off."

Casting her eyes about, she took stock of her comrade's situations. Sakura was standing up, wobbly like her but ready to fight. Sasuke made it into a kneeling position, but she could tell he wouldn't be moving from that spot. In the sky Atsuko was awaiting commands, and below… Amari smirked. She caught Sakura's and Sasuke's eyes; they nodded to her.

They were all ready.

"But you're wrong about one thing, Dotō."

"And what's that?"

"I'm not fighting alone."

A legion of Naruto clones shot out of the water. "It's payback time, pal! With interest!" the horde yelled from the air.

Amari didn't care to wonder how he got the device off; she'd ask him later.

Dotō snarled at the orange horde and thrust his fists at the sky. "Ice Style: Black Dragon Blizzard!" Two black snow dragons, eyes gleaming red, flew from his arms into the sky after the clones.

 _I don't have a lot of chakra left, but…_ Amari clenched her hands into fist and jolted forward. _I won't need it to pound his face in!_

"Sakura, let's go! Atsuko, Sasuke, prepare a double team attack for my signal!" she called out.

Sakura Body Flickered in with Amari. Dotō dodged his upper body back to evade a powerful punch from Sakura, stepping back simultaneously to avoid the Nara as she leapt over her teammate with her blade slicing for his chest. He swung his arms back again, but two Amari Clone's jolted in from behind Sakura's back and latched themselves onto his arms.

"What?!"

"Sakura, with me!" The duo of kunoichi released the chakra from their feet in synchronicity. Amari slid between Dotō's wide-stance legs, slicing his ankles with her tantō as she passed through.

"This is for Sandayū! CHAAA!"

Sakura slammed her good fist into Dotō's jaw. The man stumbled right into Amari, who kicked him square in the center of his back. Sakura slammed her foot into his gut. Amari slashed her blade over his back. Then, as Dotō was falling forward towards Sakura, the pink-haired kunoichi released the chakra from her feet again and launched into the air, slamming her knee into his jaw.

Amari heard something crack. She wasn't sure what, but she sensed the chakra surging off his armor. Sakura was caught in the open.

Acting quickly, Amari climbed Dotō's back and tackled herself into Sakura, using the chakra released from her feet to propel them away. A good thing, too. A massive black dragon erupted off of the man to eliminate her Clone's. Gales of wind ripped past them, even in the air.

Twisting in the air, Amari chose to take the brunt of the landing on her back. It hurt. She was left wheezing for air as they slid along the ice. But she did her best to recover quickly and shout, "Atsuko, Sasuke, now!"

Though it came out weaker than she intended, the order was still received, and from his kneeling position, Sasuke unleashed a burning torrent of fire directly on Dotō. From his shoulder, Atsuko unleashed a Wind Style: Air Bullet, intensifying the flames.

It took a moment to shake the fog from her head, left behind by the hard landing. But with it clear she noticed Sakura, who was lying on top of her while her arms were locked around her waist, grimacing in agony, cradling her broken hand against her chest. The landing hadn't done her injury any favors.

Amari detangled them as gently as she could, lying Sakura on her side, then moved into a kneeling position, panting as she looked at Dotō through the intense flames.

His damn armor, it was tough. But he wasn't getting out unscathed.

The flickering shadows on the ground, and the powerful chakra coming from Naruto, signaled their final move.

Amari weaved her handseals. Then… "Ninja Art: Shadow Dragons!"

The two tendrils stretched and thinned along the ground after Dotō. She barely had the chakra for this, but Naruto's attack required a standing still target at this point. She could provide that.

The dragons wrapped around his ankles, strengthened by the intense shadows, but weakened by her use of the jutsu in the recent battles. Amari strained to tighten them around his ankles, which was as far as she could get them to stretch.

Another blast of snow chakra erupted off of Dotō, canceling out the fire and wind jutsu attacking him. Sasuke and Atsuko both panted. Dotō's skin, clothes and armor were burned. Badly. But he was still alive, and still standing.

"It's over!" Dotō yelled. "This ridiculous fight is over!"

"You're right, it is." Amari tightened her Shadows around his ankles. "For you. Naruto! Finish this! Now!"

"You've got it, Sis!" Naruto's voice called. Dotō turned, surprised at the sight of Naruto standing beside his Clone, with a blue glow in his hand. "This battle is only over when justice prevails and evil is wiped out! Every good story has to have a happy ending!"

"Naruto! I believe in you!" Koyuki yelled. "You and Amaririsu are by far the strongest ninjas I have ever known!"

"Yeah, I know! We could have told you that!"

The pair of orange clad shinobi darted in after Dotō, and as they did the large ice pillars that surrounded the valley began melting, revealing mirrors that reflected the sunlight piercing through the clouds onto the snow covered land around them.

Her Shadow's strengthened, but she was panting heavier. Too much chakra expended. Damn it. If Naruto didn't hurry…

Sakura's hand rested on her bicep and chakra began to flow into her. "We won't let him win." The pain in her voice, it made Amari's heart ache, but renewed her Will to hold him in place.

Dotō wasn't going anywhere. Not this time.

The beams of light caught in Naruto's Rasengan, and from it rainbow spirals began to swirl around the jutsu and around himself.

Amari awed at the sight of beautiful colors bathing the previous moody grey lands.

Dotō swung his fist at the leading Naruto, popping the Clone and leaving himself open for the real one to extend his Rasengan right at him. "Take this! Rasengan!"

The initial swirls of rainbow grew in length and their speed increased as the jutsu connected against the man, who immediately screamed in agony. The strain against her Shadows increased a hundredfold and snapped them back to Amari. The Nara collapsed back onto her butt in a heap of sweat and heavy breaths.

The jutsu was held against Dotō's stomach, shredding his armor every second it was connected to his abdomen.

Finally, the jutsu exploded against him and sent a giant spiral of snow flying in the opposite direction of Naruto. Amari's eye bulged at the sight. She watched as Dotō appeared out of the snow, spinning and flailing rapidly until he slammed against one of the mirrors.

"Kami…" the Nara gasped. What power!

Dotō, if he wasn't dead already, then plummeted to the ground.

The tyrant finally slain.

"Sorry I'm late," Kakashi's voice rose their gazes to their teacher standing above them. "You might not believe it, but I had to outrun an avalanche."

"Uh-huh," Sakura drawled through a pain filled smirk.

"Sure you did, Kakashi-sensei," Amari followed.

The ice surrounding them suddenly melted, replaced by green grass and warm temperatures. Another gasp escaped Amari and those around her as they watched the Land of Snow turn into an abundantly green land.

It all clicked together at once for Amari. "It…wasn't a weapon," she realized.

"No. It wasn't. Seems Sōsetsu used all of his riches to create a generator that could bring spring to the Land of Snow," Kakashi observed. He looked around at the scene. "I've never seen anything like this before. It's…breathtaking."

"Amazing," Sakura awed.

Amari made her way onto her feet and hefted Sakura up, slinging her uninjured arm around her shoulders. She carried her over to Sasuke, who had laid himself onto his back to stare up at the blue sky now surrounding them. After setting Sakura down next to him, she moved to his opposite side to make sure he was okay.

"I'll be fine. Just need to rest," he told her.

Atsuko, too, was okay. She returned to the home of the Crows, parting on the amused, "I'm sure Kaito will be pleased with my return."

Finally, despite her desire to rest, too, Amari forced herself to walk over to Naruto, lying flat on his back after collapsing.

As she walked, a male voice she didn't recognize spoke from the air. "Believe in the future," it spoke. "If you do, the spring shall come." Drawn to the source, which appeared to be the center of the valley, Amari witnessed a ghostly visage of Koyuki as a child appear. "What will you do when it comes, Koyuki?" the voice asked.

"I'm going to become…a princess!" she declared.

"Oh? What sort of princess?" the man asked.

"Let's see. One who is strong, and kind, and most of all one who fights for justice!"

The man laughed warmly. "That's some dream! Well, so long as you believe in your dream, and never give up, one day you'll be that princess." A man entered the scene in a kimono, moving behind the little girl to place the Hex Crystal necklace around her neck.

"You can see it, can't you? There's a beautiful princess standing right there," he said. They were both staring in the direction of Koyuki. His kind eyes fell onto the woman his daughter had grown into. Tears flowed freely from Koyuki's eyes.

 _Sōsetsu…you always knew she would return here, no matter what._

"But, I sort of have a problem," the child said. "There's something else I want to be."

"Oh? What's that?" Sōsetsu asked his daughter.

"An actress!" she professed with a smile.

Amari smiled warmly as a hearty laugh left the man again. She reached her teammate and sat down next to him. "A happy ending, huh?"

"Heh heh heh," he laughed tiredly. "I knew we could do it the whole time," he said.

He passed out a moment later.

The Nara laid herself back into the warm green grass and watched a passing white cloud float by the rainbow arcing high above the giant mirrors.

 _What a day,_ she thought as she shut her eyes.


	73. Chapter 72: Farewell to the Land of Snow

Chapter 72

Recovery and Response: Farewell to the Land of Snow

A handful of days had passed since Dotō and his lieutenants were eliminated. In that time, Princess Koyuki had rallied her people under her banner and ordered the last of Dotō's forces to surrender themselves. Without their leader, and with their forces decimated in the assault on Kazahana Castle, the Snow shinobi wisely surrendered themselves to the rightful heir.

The battles were over. Peace had been won. And the Land of Snow was no longer submerged beneath layers upon layers of ice. Rolling green hills, snow-capped mountains and clear blue skies were the new norm; even the air was warmer, though long sleeves were still preferable to tank tops.

 _Kakashi-sensei was right. This Land is breathtaking._

Amari marveled at the picturesque environment, observing it from her seat on the opened window of her temporary quarters. Rich and warm colors, in nature, in the royal tapestries and flags hung to celebrate the return of Princess Koyuki; the people she could see below in the main town square seemed livelier, joyful, bright and teeming with life, just like the hills and mountains of this Land.

If she hadn't seen Sōsetsu's generator for herself, Amari wasn't sure she'd believe any of this was real. How could it be? The Land of Snow revealed itself to be a bitter, frozen Land. The few natives she saw at the port looked miserable in the cold, covered in enough layers to make a polar bear envious.

Personally, Amari spent so much time hugging heat lanterns she didn't bother to look up or around beyond her immediate surroundings, because there wasn't anything to look at. No endless blue sky. No sun. Hardly any trees. Sure there were mountains, but they were made of cold snow, not vanilla ice cream and sprinkles.

Now the Land of Snow stood as an awe-inspiring kingdom of color and warmth. _And with a princess to boot._ She felt like she'd walked out of reality into the pages of a fairy-tale. There was almost too much breathtaking beauty. It was almost too radiant to be real.

Yet it was. Real, tangible and one of the most beautiful places Amari had ever seen.

She wished Sandayū could have seen it.

The Nara breathed out a sigh and shut her eyes. This place, she could find peace here. It was so far away from the chaos of the shinobi world, now that Dotō was dead anyway. Maybe one day…

Of the members of Team Seven, Naruto and Sakura ended up in the worst shape. A little off-duty rest had been all she and Sasuke needed to recover. The cuts she received from Kōri were still a bit sore to touch, they stung when she cleaned them, but beyond that Amari physically felt fine. Sasuke, too, nursed heavy bruising at first, but he was quick to get back on his own feet.

Kakashi walked away from his battle with Nadare without a single injury.

Sakura and Naruto weren't so lucky. They spent the days since the battle stuck in one of the Snow's premium hospitals; Naruto almost looked like he was being mummified while he slept, but the passive regenerative ability he wielded as the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails ensured his recovery to full health.

It was Sakura who truly bore the worst injury. The punch she unleashed on Mizore fractured several of the bones in her hand. Badly. And since the Snow lacked medical-ninjas, they couldn't use Medical Ninjutsu to speed along the recovery.

To their credit, the doctors did everything they could to help put her on the road of recovery, all free of charge.

Despite being in a cast and sling, Sakura was in high spirits. She wore her injury like a badge of honor, and her feat of shattering Mizore's armor impressed the entirety of Team Seven. She just had to learn how and when to use it properly. Breaking her hand every time would be a drag.

Amari was proud of her. Kakashi, too. She'd come so far since the Land of Waves, as a shinobi and in personal growth. But she needed to learn to control her new strength better before letting it loose in a battle.

 _I really need to talk to Mimi. She possesses more knowledge on Lady Tsunade than I do, and I have a favor to ask._

That was a thought for when they returned.

So far there had been no discussions around their first kills. Naruto and Sasuke seemed to already be moving forward without a single glance back, though that didn't surprise her. Those two always kept their eyes on the next mission and training. And Sasuke…he'd been subjected to death and tragic loss just like she had.

Sakura seemed unfazed by it. Maybe it was their psychological training. Or just recent events in general; the Invasion and the Akatsuki incident left their mark on everyone, after all.

Maybe, though, all of her teammates were privately thinking about it, just as she was. She hadn't asked and didn't want to pry if they were. This was something they all had to deal with in their own ways so they could move forward, if her teammates hadn't already.

Amari struggled to grasp _what_ she felt. No nightmares haunted her; her dreams lingered in other painful places. And there had yet to be a moment where she second-guessed her decision.

What she felt about the final battle with Kōri…it was hard to explain. She didn't regret killing her. Kōri wouldn't have stopped hurting people. She would have continued to bring pain and suffering to everyone she encountered, all for the sake of her vision of a beautiful garden.

Yet…her heart felt strange. She knew it was necessary, knew it was the best option…but she also knew she was rationalizing it.

Opening her eyes and looking down at her hand, she thought of what the Mizukage wrote to Kakashi. About how her hands were stained by blood she could never wash off.

Did killing Kōri taint her hands, too? She couldn't see the blood, but it was there. And it made her wonder: If she had let Kōri linger a little longer, if Kōri had been able to see what the Land of Snow could become thanks to Sōsetsu's generator, would she have been able to change her ways?

Amari didn't know.

Her first kill was inevitable. Maybe not Kōri, but someone would've forced her hand eventually. Her parents, Shisui, Atsuko, Kakashi, her mother, her uncle, probably even her aunt Yoshino, too, they all killed enemy shinobi. Even Haku killed. This was the world they lived in, the cruel and merciless world of shinobi.

Yet…that didn't make taking a life _right_. The world they lived in was flawed.

"Is the world twisted? Or are we the ones who make it so twisted?" Amari muttered to herself, still examining her hand with a thoughtful frown. "Why was Kōri the way she was? Did she know suffering, too? Did this world steal away people she loved? Did she have anyone left? A lover? A friend? Did I even try to understand her, or was I too lost in my own guilt and anger to reach out to her?"

Did she end up just another pawn in the cycle of bloodshed?

"I don't know."

She'd have to try to heed Atsuko's advice and put it behind her. So far, no luck.

"Amaririsu."

"Hm?" Amari's attention was drawn away from the scenic mountain region, and her own hand, to her sudden guest, currently standing in the open doorway.

Princess Koyuki.

The once unsmiling, cold woman greeted her with a warm and wonderful smile. She dressed in a colorful regal kimono, made of the finest fabric, full of bright blues and lavish purples. She accessorized with jewelry befitting of a princess.

Stunning. Elegant. Regal. Koyuki was like a storybook princess any warrior dream of falling for.

…And she was staring. Captivated by the enchanting presence Koyuki now carried.

"Oh, Princess. I didn't sense you arrive."

Koyuki smiled and made a gesture to the room. "May I come in?"

"Uh, sure," she fumbled.

Koyuki strode in. Even her walk was elegant. The Princess stopped in the center of the room as Amari hopped down from the windowsill to meet her. Then they sort of stood there, looking at each other, looking around at the room, silent as a shinobi maneuvering through the shadows.

"Is there something wrong?" Amari tried to start conversation.

Small talk was never her greatest skill. But this…this was just _weird_. A tense, awkward air filled the small confines of her room to peak capacity. They hadn't really spoken since the fight against Dotō; Koyuki had important political business to handle…and the last conversations they had weren't what anyone would call friendly.

Most consisted of Amari yelling or seething at her.

"No, nothing is wrong. I only wanted to speak to you."

And again the silence filled the space. Amari shifted awkwardly on her feet. Heated words could never be taken back, and she wouldn't change what she said. At the time it was appropriate, and she wasn't sorry for yelling at Koyuki for disrespecting the dead.

Still, as a shinobi it was unprofessional to yell at a client. She'd been full of guilt and white-hot rage; Koyuki was just an easy target to lash out at. Sure, Koyuki made it easy, but that didn't make it right.

"I'm sorry," Amari said before she could think about it. "I said a lot of hurtful things to you, on top of slapping you. At the time I was consumed by guilt and anger." Her eye fell. "I wasn't able to save Sandayū or his men. I let my fight with Kōri draw me away from him—I let it become personal. And hearing them laugh at the massacre…I lost sight of myself. You became an easy target to vent my emotions out on, and I'm sorry."

There. Apology said. Maybe now the awkward air would clear.

Koyuki looked down at her, mouth hung slightly open. She lifted a hand up towards the Nara. Then she rushed forward and wrapped the Nara in a hug. Amari stiffened, a light blush beginning to tint her cheeks.

This…wasn't what she was expecting.

"You have nothing to apologize for, Amaririsu," Koyuki replied softly. "I'm the one who should apologize. You were right about me. I _did_ act like a spoiled brat. All I ever did was run away from my problems. From my people. I was a coward who nearly let Dotō do what he wanted with my people and my Land, because I was afraid to fight. And Sandayū…" Koyuki's hold tightened around Amari. "Please, don't allow his spirit to be another burden you carry. Remember him with joy."

Koyuki released her embraced, rested her hands on Amari's biceps and looked her in the eye. Her sky blue orbs were far prettier with the life of her warm heart behind them.

"Forgive me. I know I made your jobs harder. I put your lives in greater danger because I wasn't as strong as you."

Amari lifted a hand up between them and poked the Princess in the nose—it was all she could reach. "I'll forgive you if you forgive me."

The look on Koyuki's face could have brightened a world of eternal darkness. "Deal." She wrapped her in a quick embrace then stood up to her full height. "I— Thank you, Amaririsu. For everything you've done. It's because of you and Naruto I was able to find the strength to stand."

"You don't need to thank me, Princess. The spirit was in you the whole time. We just helped nudge you in the right direction."

"I'm not so sure," Koyuki shook her head.

"I am."

"Huh?"

Amari half-turned to look out at the window, beyond the mountains as her heart and mind returned to Kazahana Castle. "I told you in the throne room that I've lost people precious to me. My parents, my big brother and my two closest friends have all been taken from me. But even though they perished, we are still bound together by our love and our bonds. Their dreams, hopes and love remain in my heart; they give me strength when I feel weak."

She turned to look Koyuki in her eyes. "The same can be said for you. You inherited your father's and Sandayū's Wills. We just helped illuminate the road to finding them and your true self. Once you did, from that point on, that was your strength. Your Will."

Amari shook her head. "Don't give us too much credit. You're the one who risked your life to save me when Dotō had me at his mercy."

Koyuki's smile made her feel butterflies in her stomach. "Thank you, Amaririsu. I wish you and your team could stay longer. I feel like there's so much I could still learn from all of you."

"I'd honestly love to stay just to explore this Land, but unless you take my hand in marriage I'll have to go home." Koyuki's eyebrows rose in surprise. Then the horror hit Amari. She felt her face flush burning red as she immediately slapped her hands over her mouth.

 _Not again!_ She shrieked in the confines of her own mind.

Stupid brain and mouth! This was just like that time with Haku. No! It was totally worse than that! Koyuki was a client. An adult! A _Princess_!

How embarrassing! Maybe she should just jump out the window and never return. It'd be preferable to this situation. A situation she caused. Oh, Kami. She was going to die of embarrassment. Right here. Felled by her own hand! What a travesty!

She could almost hear Shisui and her Mama dying of laughter in the afterlife.

Then Koyuki giggled, a light blush on her cheeks. "If that's all it takes, maybe I'll consider it."

Amari nearly fainted. "I'm sorry!" she apologized from behind her hands. Although it didn't really sound like the words. Just a muffled, high pitched wordless noise, really.

Koyuki laughed even harder, waving her hand dismissively in the air. "There's nothing to be sorry for, Amaririsu. I think we both know you're a little underage for me." The Princess smirked. "Although a politically arranged marriage might work, though I've heard you may have one already set up with the Mist."

Her head _may_ have exploded. A Princess was teasing her about marriage! _Their_ arranged marriage!

" _What_?! _No_!" Amari waved her hands wildly through the air. "I'm not getting _married_! I'm only thirteen! I mean, you're really pretty, but we hardly know each other! And I have no romantic experience! I wouldn't even know how to court you or how to be courted!"

Koyuki hid her grin and laugh behind her hand. Amari was too busy being mortified to see it.

"Besides, aren't arranged marriages for political gain? I'm sure the Leaf will want to be an ally regardless! I- I mean, I'm not saying that like you'd be a bad romantic partner or anything! But you're a Princess! I'm just a shinobi! A Genin, at that! I hardly have anything to offer!"

Oh, Kami. Her mouth wasn't stopping. Her brain had gone haywire and nothing was going through the appropriate filters anymore. What a drag!

"And…please don't tell anyone this happened. I'll never hear the end of it if you do."

"It'll be our secret," Koyuki winked.

Before Koyuki departed, she decided they'd take two pictures together, just as she had done for Naruto while he was unconscious. One picture would be for Amari to take home, while the other would be a keepsake for Koyuki.

She called a photographer in, who wore an amused smile— _oh man, he heard that exchange!_ —then kneeled down next to Amari, resting a hand on her right shoulder. They both smiled for the camera and then, right as the photographer was about to take the picture, Amari felt the Princess's lips press against her cheek.

"Thank you," Koyuki whispered then pressed her lips to her cheek again for the second picture.

Pictures were capable of saying a thousand words without anyone having to say anything at all. These pictures were no different.

The first captured the moment before the kiss registered in the Nara's mind. Her lips were pulled in a normal smile with Koyuki's lips pressed against her cheek, almost as if being kissed by a Princess was an everyday occurrence for Amari. The second showed the reality. A blush coated her cheeks and her smile had become timid as her right eye shyly drifted down to the side, away from Koyuki and the camera.

In the end, she received two gifts from Koyuki. First was the autographed picture of her blushing as she was given a peck from the Princess. The second was receiving two kisses from a Princess—a bragging right Amari's shy disposition was denying her from bragging about.

It took her a long few hours after Koyuki left to stop blushing.

And smiling.

* * *

The festival for Koyuki's official inauguration was underway. Team Seven collectively decided against taking part in the actual festivities and ceremony, for good reason—their ship was setting sail today for the Land of Fire. Their gear was packed and the movie crew was prepared for the journey; apparently they filmed an entire movie worth of film.

Home called to Team Seven. Their home was still on the mend from the Invasion, and this mission's paycheck, along with their physical labor, would help alleviate some of the stress. Not a lot, but still enough.

On top of all of that, a week boat trip awaited them, plus the walk back to Konoha from there. A long journey all around.

 _And then who knows what will be waiting for us when we get back. For all we know Lady Hokage may send us on another mission immediately._

Their work here in the Land of Snow was done, but their work as shinobi was far from over.

Still, Team Seven had no intention of simply disappearing without saying goodbye to Koyuki. They had prepared their things then headed to the ceremony to bid farewell to the Princess.

They stood together off to the side of the festivities, with Sakura on the far end of their line, her arm still in the cast and sling, now decorated by the autographs of the entire cast of the Princess Gale movie. Amari stood beside her, followed by Naruto, Sasuke then Kakashi standing behind his group of Genin.

Koyuki had spotted them almost immediately. After talking with a few others in her attempt to reach them, she finally made it through the crowd over to the squad of shinobi. Again she was the definition of beautiful princess, dressed in some of the finest garments and jewelry Amari had ever seen.

"Heading home?" she asked on approach, smile as warm and beautiful as her kingdom.

"Yeah. Dotō's thugs either died in the assault of Kazahana Castle or surrendered to those loyal to you and your father. As nice as it would be to take time to recover here and explore, our Village needs us," Kakashi answered.

Amari glanced away in slight embarrassment at the reminder of the destruction of Kazahana Castle. A destruction she inadvertently caused. _I'm going to have to learn how to measure the explosive power of my paper bombs better._

"I understand. I had some researchers look into the generator my father built. They tell me it wasn't even fully developed yet."

"Guess it'll be back to winter soon," Sakura said.

"Not really. If we continue the research my father started, the Land of Snow will one day become the Land of Spring," Koyuki informed, enthused by the prospect.

"I hope we'll be able to see that. This place is beautiful without all that snow covering everything," Amari commented.

Koyuki smiled down at her. "You all are always welcome to come back and visit whenever you have time off."

In another life, if she were older…marriage would have been lovely.

"The Land of Snow will never forget what you have done for us."

"Yeah but, it's kind of a shame. You're such a big star. Are you really going to retire from acting?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Who said I have to retire?" Koyuki laughed. "Ruling the Land of Snow and acting? I think I can handle it." She revealed to them a booklet, probably a screenplay. Though, the more Amari looked at it, the title and cover art seemed so familiar…

 _Is that…a Make-Out Series movie?_ A familiar orange book appeared in her mind and realization settled in. _She's…going to act in a film adaption of the Make-Out series?_

Amari had never read a single page of the book or heard anything particular about it. What she did know, however, was her sensei giggled and blushed while reading it sometimes. She also knew the author, and what he liked to call his "research" as well as the source of _his_ giggling.

These facts, combined with being an avid reader of purely fluffy romantic novels, allowed the Nara in Amari—as well as the teenage girl in her—put together a decent idea of what _exactly_ lingered between the covers.

Needless to say, she blushed. Feverishly. _I'm going to strangle Master Jiraiya when I see him again!_ The legion of perverted men who would pre-order tickets to such a movie, it'd be ridiculous. And they'd ogle the Princess as she acted out their greatest fantasies.

The nerve!

"I'd have to be out of my mind to give it up," Koyuki said, her smile still in place.

"That script!" Kakashi gasped in quiet awe. Amari glanced back at her sensei. His bulged eye illustrated every emotion he felt.

Amari merely shook her head and turned back around. _I usually try to give him credit for not being as openly perverted as Master Jiraiya, but this is just sad._

"Well, be seeing you." Koyuki smiled and waved to the group of young shinobi before departing back to the festivities.

The four Genin waved, smiled or nodded in farewell. They briefly watched as a crowd of children surrounded her and asked for autographs, to which Koyuki smiled fondly at them all and began signing without question.

 _Farewell, Princess Koyuki. Hopefully our paths will cross again without any sort of danger or freezing temperatures._

"That script! That script! She's _perfect_!" Kakashi's normally cool voice peaked a couple octaves higher, his hand outstretched as if he wanted to stop Koyuki from leaving.

"Awww!" Naruto suddenly shouted and brought his hands to the sides of his head. "I feel so stupid. I should have gotten an autograph!"

"Don't worry. Amari and I took care of it." Sasuke replied coolly and pulled out the envelope containing the photograph and autograph from Koyuki.

Naruto took the envelope from his teammate and opened it. Sakura peered over his shoulder to see the contents within. In the meantime, Amari set her onyx eye on her sensei, who was still staring off into the distance.

 _Did he have a brain hemorrhage or what?_

"Ah man, look at me!" Naruto wailed at the sight of himself unconscious in the bed, bandages covering his head and chest while Koyuki placed a kiss on his cheek. "Couldn't you have gotten a better picture or something?"

"Sensei, we need to go." Amari waved her hand in front of the man's eye but received no response. "Seriously, why are men from our Village so strange about women? Iruka-sensei, Ebisu the closeted pervert, Master Jiraiya, even Asuma-sensei. But his isn't perversion. He just attempts to act like I don't know him and mom are together. I don't get it."

Amari shook her head again and glanced to her two boy teammates. "Don't either of you _ever_ read the _Make-Out_ series or turn into perverts or I'll make you regret it."

Onyx shifted red as it locked back onto Kakashi. _Sharingan!_ The man crumpled immediately. Amari caught him and slung him over her shoulder. _Such a drag._

Sharingan fading, she turned to her teammates. "Let's get going. The boat is waiting for us."

Bewildered looks crossed all three of her teammates faces, with the boys of the group showing varying levels of fear.

"What?" she asked, innocently.

"Did you…just knock out Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura found her words first.

"Yep. Had he been actually paying attention to his surroundings, he wouldn't have let himself fall into my Sharingan Genjutsu. Unfortunately for him he decided to read perverted novels and get distracted by a pretty woman, and unfortunately for me I underestimated how heavy Kakashi-sensei really is."

Amari shifted him on her shoulder in an attempt to get comfortable, but his dead weight ended any notion of that happening.

She released a sigh and lifted her chin in the direction of the boat then started walking towards it alone. "Come on. He's not getting any lighter."

"Sasuke…if we…" Naruto's gulp was audible even at a distance.

"We're dead," Sasuke finished his teammate's sentence in a whisper.

"Less whispering about your fates if you become perverts and more walking, boys. I don't want to expend more chakra strapping you two under genjutsu and having my clones carry you."

Their quickening pace made the Nara smirk. Death was a little bit of an exaggeration, but at least her teammates were keenly aware of the fate awaiting them if they became anything remotely like Master Jiraiya.

 _I hope they never forget, because I know I won't._

Her teammates would never know it for sure, but the boys could almost feel her giggling madly within her own thoughts.

* * *

 _Dead bodies surrounded Amari. Some face down in the thick layer of snow. Others stared at her with unblinking eyes, blood staining the innocent and untainted snow beneath them. It was her fault. She'd been too slow. She tried to run to them, tried to stop it all from happening, but the snow was too thick. Her legs too heavy._

 _Despite knowing in her heart they were all dead, she trudged from body to body, checking them for any sign of life. Turning their bodies over in the snow and bearing witness to those unblinking eyes silently blaming her for all this._

 _Her fault. Her fault. Her fault. She failed to protect them. She failed them._

 _"I'm sorry." Oh yes, because an apology would fix them. Sorry would be able to put all the blood back in their bodies and mend the wounds. No. They were empty words born of selfishness. She just wanted to be forgiven and absolved of her sins, but no apology would_ _ **ever**_ _wash this away._

 _"Hahahaha! Not so fast now, are you, little flower!"_

 _Amari reacted before she even realized what she was doing. Spinning around faster than she'd been able to run previously, her flaming tantō in hand, she screamed in wordless rage, slashing the blade across Kōri's throat._

 _The green-haired kunoichi's body toppled over into the snow. Blood splattered onto Amari's face and over the pure white snow, coating the length of her blade in crimson. She breathed heavily as she stared at the unblinking corpse of Kōri._

 _Then the corpse's lips pulled into a fiendish grin. The dead eyes locked onto Amari; the dead kunoichi began to laugh. Maliciously. Madly. Amari gasped and stumbled back. Her tantō slipped out of her hand as she fell into the snow._

 _Kōri's corpse kept laughing. And laughing. Eyes never leaving Amari. Taunting her._

 _Suddenly, the flesh of her left arm began to burn. Amari cried out in agony, hunching forwards as the scars on her left arm tore themselves open. Ripping, shredding. In a matter of seconds her arm was slicked with blood, and her screams were steadily becoming sobs._

 _Searing, white-hot pain stole the vision from her left eye, the old scar left by Kasai opening itself, too, pouring more blood over her face._

 _Kōri kept laughing._

 _It hurt. Everything hurt. Warm blood poured down her face and dripped off her fingertips. Why was this happening? Why wouldn't this pain stop?_

 _"Gah! Argh! Ahhhhhhh!" Amari's entire body trembled. Teeth grit, tears flowing down her cheeks, all she could taste was blood. And Kōri refused to stop laughing at her. Still gazing at her with those unblinking, blame filled eyes._

 _Amari tried to stand. Cold hands latched onto her legs, arms, torso—the cold dead hands of the samurai._

 _They tugged her further and further into the snow. Her wails of pain and terror echoed over the mountain, her struggles to break free weak and ineffective. They were pulling her beneath the snow. Drowning her in their blood and her own._

 _Kōri's face appeared right in front of her, grinning madly. Blood poured from the ugly gash in her neck, her dead eyes stared into her soul._

 _"It's time for you to wilt away, little flower."_

 _Amari could only scream._

* * *

Sakura tossed and turned on her cot throughout the night. The sling and cast alone made it hard to find a comfortable place to lie; she usually slept on her right side, but her broken hand rendered that impossible. Any little nudge to her elbow awoke her pain receptors from their slumber.

They also awoke her. After a few more attempts to lie still, Sakura gave up with a frustrated huff. This was useless. She wasn't going to get any sleep at all lying down. Maybe instead if she sat up…

Sitting up, Sakura turned and grabbed her pillow, standing it straight up to brace her back against the wall. As silently as she could manage, in hopes to not stir Sasuke below her or the rest of her team, she scooted back into it, sighing as she rested her head back. Not the comfiest position to sleep in, but if it allowed even a few hours of sleep, Sakura would consider it a win.

As she sat there in the dark, alone but surrounded by her team, Sakura came to an annoying conclusion: She was wide awake. Almost caffeine levels of awake. This must be her body's way of incentivizing her _not_ to break her hand ever again. Or punishing her for breaking it in the first place.

Sakura exhaled a quietly exasperated breath and rose her eyes to the dark, void-like ceiling. They were only a day away from the Land of Snow; with the walk home still to come, it'd be at least a week before she stepped foot in the Konoha hospital.

 _To borrow yours and Shikamaru's saying, Amari, this is such a pain._

Admittedly, this whole experience was so strange, being the one with the biggest injury. Usually, much to Amari's chagrin each time, Amari ended up renting a room at the hospital after a mission thanks to some terrible injury. Naruto's natural, or unnatural, healing abilities took care of the knucklehead more often than not. And Sasuke, his worst experiences so far were the suspended state Haku placed him in the Land of Waves and Orochimaru's Curse Mark.

Not her, though. She made it unscathed through every mission, as she lingered in the background. Useless. This mission changed that.

 _I finally did it._ Sakura glanced down at her injury. _I was able to step out of the background and stand with my team._

With Amari's paper bombs, she damaged Mizore's Chakra Armor to no longer negate her chakra. Then, while he was dazed, she unleashed the attack that broke her hand and led to the chain reaction that killed him and Fubuki.

Sakura tried to ignore the strange feeling in her stomach when she thought of her first kill. It… They heartlessly _massacred_ their client and his comrades. They laughed at people dying, like they weren't even human. There was nothing to redeem in them, not like Zabuza, Haku or Gaara.

But those were just rationalizations. And…maybe she was okay with that.

 _Regardless_ , Sakura steered her mind away from it, _it's because of Amari I've come so far. When I needed support, she was the first to step forward, despite how I treated her in the Academy._ _I owe her—_

Unconsciously, her head had begun turning to look through the dark shadows at Amari's bunk, but what she saw abruptly ended her thoughts. Her breath left her.

 _Amari…_

She could just make out the silhouette of her fellow kunoichi, hunched forward, gripping her left arm tightly in her hand. Sakura hadn't noticed before, too absorbed in her thoughts as she listened to the waves beneath the ship, but her ears caught quiet whimpers.

Her left arm… Sakura's emerald eyes widened in realization. The Lightning Blade! It felt like so long since that day, but…it wasn't that way for Amari, was it? They all walked away relatively unscathed, but not Amari. She gained scars that permanently altered her, in appearance and psychologically.

Sakura squeezed her eyes shut. Kakashi and Kurenai probably knew about this already; they were both experienced shinobi, knowing full well the price Amari would pay for her sacrifice. But getting it past the rest of them, that was easy. Like complete idiots, they never suspected any psychological scars were left from the incident.

 _Amari never showed it_ , her brain tried to rationalize. But Sakura winced. What a stupid thing to think. Of course Amari didn't show it! This was _Amari_. She mastered wearing a brave face long before they were teammates.

How could she be so naïve? Had none of them ever even bothered to ask? No, of course they hadn't. She'd be so focused back then on her own shortcomings and feelings of inadequacy to see through Amari's walls. And Naruto and Sasuke were tense with each other, wounded egos and pride, before the second phase of the Exam.

After that the fears revolved around Orochimaru and the damage he had done to their team. Amari's nearly lifeless state of exhaustion. The nefarious fūinjutsu Orochimaru placed on Sasuke and Naruto. The threat of other Exam participants.

Then the Invasion happened. Sakura winced again. _Amari and Mimi, they were on the front-lines._ She'd seen the wear and tear in their eyes when their final clones popped; Sakura remembered it clearly, how defeated and emotionally drained they looked, but they all felt it in some way, so she didn't probe any further.

And with the Akatsuki incident, Naruto was gone with Master Jiraiya and Sasuke for a time sank into his own place of darkness. At the coaxing of Shikamaru, she focused on training, dragging Ino into it with her so they could keep moving forward, like Amari would have wanted her to.

Ever since Amari recovered, everything was almost normal. Or…maybe she'd just been trying to pretend—hoping, dreaming—things could go back to the way they were before the recent chain of events. Because it was so much easier to pretend everything was fine instead of acknowledging they almost lost Amari.

 _You always try to carry the burdens on your own_ , Sakura thought. _It's just your way. But we're a team, Amari. You helped guide me towards becoming someone I could be proud of. Someone who could actually look herself in the mirror. You've been supporting me and this team since Team Seven was formed. This time…_

Sakura slid her legs out from beneath her blanket to hang over the edge. She lowered herself silently to the floor and grabbed her pillow before setting off towards Amari.

 _This time I'll support you. Even if it's only a little._

The wood of the ship was cold beneath her bare feet. It prickled her soles a little, at least for the first few steps. Before she knew it, she was at Amari's bunk, settling her pillow against the wall next to Amari, who appeared to be in too much pain to even sense her presence.

Getting down from her bunk was easy. Getting up into Amari's was a challenge with one arm.

After a light hop off of Naruto's cot, she managed to settle onto the small cot. It was a tight fit, even with Amari's smaller frame, but Sakura wouldn't complain. It'd be like a cramped slumber party. As long as she… Sakura flinched and grit her teeth as she adjusted the sling so her forearm rested over her stomach.

Okay. Now to support Amari. Being this close, she could hear the whimpers and heavy breaths even clearer than before. She could feel the cot shuddering with her trembling body. It made her chest feel tight. Made her feel guilty and stupid for never even…

No. She was doing it again. She couldn't be selfish. This wasn't about her or what she was feeling; this was about Amari, who desperately needed someone to support her.

Reaching over, she gently detached Amari's right hand from her arm and took her trembling left hand warmly into her own. _She's sweating_ , Sakura analyzed clinically and worriedly. The entire length of her left arm was damp. Not soaked or dripping, but just damp enough to reveal the power nightmares possessed.

The ship interior was still cold. And heat irradiated off Amari's body like a heat lantern.

Amari's lavender and onyx eye looked at her from behind curtains of frazzled, damp blue hair. They glistened in the shadows but no tears fell. She almost didn't even seem to see Sakura, lost wherever her mind had taken her to, far away from this ship.

Sakura wanted to offer words of some kind. Something that may soothe her friend's wounds, but she wasn't sure any words could help. Words wouldn't take away the pain. It wouldn't heal the scars or mend the fractured pieces of her heart and soul.

Speaking also risked waking up someone else, and she didn't want to put Amari in that uncomfortable position; in her place, it'd be mortifying to have everyone wake up when she was so vulnerable and so lost in past pain.

So, Sakura chose silent gestures over words. Actions were meant to speak louder, right? She offered a warm smile she hoped Amari could see and placed Amari's hand on her thigh, resting hers on top as she rubbed her thumb gently over the back of it.

She leaned closer and tilted her head to rest on Amari's shoulder. _I'm here_ was the message she conveyed. _They_ were here. Safe and sound. Attached by this little physical anchor of held hands. Attached by their bond.

Amari's hand tightened around her thigh at odd intervals. No real pattern, but always in pain. Always with choked down whimpers. Sakura kept her thumb rubbing the back of her hand. Kept her breathing soft, even and calm to entice the same from her friend. She used her sense of touch and hearing as a means to monitor her condition.

When she first took Amari's hand into her own, the entirety of her arm was tenser than the air when Zabuza exuded his killing intent. The muscles stiff and contracted, to the point of trembling. Her breathing sharp, uneven and heavy. Skin slick with terrified sweat.

But, as the minutes ticked by, Amari's breathing began to fall in synch with hers. The vice grip on her thigh no longer happened as frequently. Her tense arm no longer trembled or felt like a solid slab of concrete.

Sakura relinquished her hold on Amari's hand and glided the tips of her fingers slowly up and down her bare forearm. Drawing circles and indistinguishable shapes, following along the lines of muscles and scars, down back to her fingers, drawing over the knuckles and nails with a feather touch. Then tracing up her arm again.

Her skin was soft. The texture of her scars were unnaturally smooth. There were more than Sakura realized. More than they ever really saw on a day to day basis, since Amari kept them hidden beneath her mesh long sleeve.

The soft touches coaxed Amari to lean back and settle next to her, shoulder to shoulder, hand still on her thigh as Sakura's fingers descended down the length of her forearm.

Amari's hand captured hers in a weak hold. Emerald eyes met onyx and lavender; the gentle squeeze on her hand expressed her gratitude while her vulnerable eyes entranced Sakura.

How long did they sit there, silent as stone statues, hands held and eyes locked? Seconds? Minutes?

It felt longer. They felt closer than they ever had been before. Physically, obviously; she could feel their shoulders touching at every given moment. But emotionally, too. And…it felt…

Sakura smiled in the darkness. Amari mirrored it, shyer. She could see the dimples on Amari's cheeks. The lingering vulnerability and returning strength—the same strength she was inspired by. She could feel the light brush of air on her skin every time Amari exhaled.

It felt…

A buzz saw snore roared below them. Naruto. Somehow, even when asleep, he found a way to break the pair into smiles and stifled giggles.

But their hands never left the embrace, and Sakura felt herself shift centered, out of Amari's personal bubble she unconsciously invaded.

For a moment she considered returning to her bed, but then Amari's head rested on her shoulder. She nuzzled into Sakura and entwined their fingers.

And her decision was made. Instantly. Without a single doubt.

Sakura rested her cheek against Amari's soft blue hair and shut her eyes. Amari drifted into sleep sometime later.

It was one of the best nights of sleep Sakura had the whole trip.

* * *

 _Haku,_

 _It's wonderful to hear from you again. I had hoped you two could return to the Mist, but I can't say I expected all of this. I read your letter ten times just to wrap my head around it._

 _Thank you for your well-wishes. I've made a full recovery and have returned back into the field, thankfully. The hospital is a real drag. My cousin Shika teased me about my consistent returns; he said he's beginning to suspect I secretly enjoy my stays there. Like I have a crush on nurse or doctor. Troublesome boy._

 _Anyway, there hasn't been any lasting damage from the jutsu I was hit by. They were able to heal my physical and psychological damage, but…well, broken hearts aren't in the realm of Medical Ninjutsu to fix. I suppose time is what will make it ache less, or so they say. I don't know if time can really heal wounds like this, but it's still fresh. We'll see._

Amari rested her left arm behind her head as she shifted on her cot, eyes trailing over her letter.

 _You don't need to apologize for rambling, Haku. I'd rather you ramble than hold me at arms distance. To be honest, I'm not sure what future is waiting for us. Lately I've thought about it a lot. Because you're right, the history of shinobi is a sea of carnage and death, created by the individualistic desires of each Nation to build and sustain their power._

 _But we aren't bound to this cycle, Haku. We don't have to be callous, unnamed tools to destiny. You are Haku, a descendant of the Yuki Clan, a boy with a wonderful heart who cares about the future of this world and his precious people. And you're my precious friend._

 _See? You're already more than a tool._

 _And don't worry about opening this line of communication between Kakashi-sensei and Lady Mei. I know it isn't and has never been your intention to use me to achieve goals for Kiri. I was happy to read about it. Shocked, certainly. But also happy. In your position, I'd have done the same thing so we wouldn't be enemies ever again._

 _But please, never say you'd take your own life again. No matter what happens between our Villages, don't think that way. Your life isn't disposable. If you died…my heart is aching just trying to write these words. You are my friend, Haku. You're precious to me. I don't want to lose you, so please, don't say something like that again._

 _From what you've said, Lady Mei sounds like a remarkable woman. The fact she's suffered in the past yet still seeks peace without bloodshed makes her a rare breed in our world of shinobi._

Lady Mei was a shinobi who survived the Blood Mist Exam, by her own admission. Zabuza had told them plainly what the final exam was: to kill the people you called friend and shared your dreams with.

Yet the Fifth Mizukage sought to change their ways.

 _The quest she is taking on is honorable_ , the letter continued. _I'll do my best to help however I can, but I know it'll be complicated no matter what, so wish her luck for me. And good luck to you and anyone else helping her change the ways of Mist Village._

 _I am flattered by what you see in my eye. If you intended to get me to blush, you were successful, troublesome boy. Don't tell Zabuza. That old man will never let me live it down, and probably won't let you live it down either. If he does find out and teases you, punch him really hard and let him know it was from me._

 _I trust you._

She appreciated his reassurances of his pure intentions, but they were also unnecessary. She knew the kind of person Haku was. He wouldn't twist a tale to stab someone in the back. His heart was too pure.

 _I'm not sure I have many questions on this attempt to move towards peace. You and Atsuko managed to explain everything so I could understand. But how are you handling the return to Kiri? From our conversations back in the Land of Waves, and what you said in your letter, I know the Land of Water holds few fond memories for you. So how are you handling everything?_

 _I assume the Mizukage treats you well. What about Zabuza? How is he adjusting to the Mizukage and the situation? I mean, everyone seems to have had a grudge against the last Mizukage, but what about this new Mizukage?_

 _You said he has joined her quest, and Atsuko told me he's back in charge of your Anbu with you as second-in-command, so does he respect her or fear her enough to fall in line? She sounds really nice, but her assassination of the last Mizukage makes her someone I wouldn't want to be the enemy of._

 _By the way, Atsuko has nothing but praises for you. Kaito is…pretty mad at me, to put it mildly. Atsuko took him to the home of the Crows to train under their tutelage, or tyranny in his eyes I'm sure. I kind of feel bad for him._

 _I hope Atsuko didn't quiz you too hard on anything, and I only say that based on the mischievous glint she had in her eyes when she dodged a few questions of mine. She isn't usually troublesome so I'm not really sure what she is up to._

But it _definitely_ revolved around the bond between them. Amari couldn't help but feel nervous.

 _Anyways, as I said at the beginning of this letter I did make a full recovery from the genjutsu attack. Overall, I am back to normal. Perfect health. But…the amnesia forced upon me by a genjutsu was used to unleash the memories of my cousin…_

 _It's…it's killing me inside. Without my memories I had no connection to my past, no bonds tying me to the family I once had. The only pain I felt was wondering why I was left at an orphanage…but now… My heart hurts, Haku. Every day._

 _I nearly lost myself to all the pain and hatred, and when I was nearing the brink I couldn't tell the difference between allies or enemies and…and then this amazing fūinjutsu activated. My Mama created a Seal that placed us in a different space-time and sealed his chakra into it. I was able to hold him in my arms again, to hear his voice, see him smile and tease me about anything and everything he could._

 _He answered questions I had and warned me of threats on the horizon. And then…and then the fūinjutsu ended. I watched him fade away._

Amari had to look away from the letter and take a breath as the scenes played out in her mind. It took a few moments, but she finally continued to read.

 _I still feel it now. Every day after has been an uphill battle on tired legs. I want to see him again, to have him back alive instead of only having these memories. I won't ever stop wanting to have him back in my life. He was my big brother and meant everything to me…_

 _But I have to push forward for him because that's what he would want. I don't…I don't want to throw all of these feelings I have on you. Besides, if I was to tell you about him I would need several sheets of paper to express how amazing he was._

Even in his final moments, he did his best to impart his wisdom, his care, and a new power to his two best friends in hopes they would keep his little cousin, their Clan and the Village safe. He did everything he could to bolster her spirit as they spent their last moments together.

There were too few people in the shinobi world like him. Amari hoped she could one day count herself among them.

As Amari began to read again, she had to shut her eyes for a moment. Kami, she hated writing this part.

 _You and the Mizukage need to know there is a group called the Akatsuki. They cannot be trusted for anything. They wear black cloaks with red clouds on them and fill their ranks with S-rank rogue shinobi; Atsuko said they total at nine or more members._

 _The three I met are Kisame Hoshigaki, he's a former Mist Swordsman and his chakra is off the charts. There's also Itachi Uchiha and Aimi Uchiha. They are extremely dangerous and won't hesitate to eliminate anyone who gets in their way. I know it's difficult, but if you ever encounter Itachi and Aimi, don't meet their eyes._

It felt like a betrayal. She wanted to save them and clear their names. But…she had to prepare her allies, right? This was all she could do right now.

 _Outside of that, the rest of Team Seven is doing well. Or, mostly well. The Invasion and Akatsuki incident have taken an obvious toll on us. Between the fights and the clean-up efforts we've all seen a fair share of violence and death we hadn't experienced._

 _Lord Third's death was also hard to swallow. Still is. We're all just trying to do our best to take everything we experienced and turn it into a way to grow and advance ourselves so we can do better._

 _Our latest A-rank mission actually took us to the Land of Snow. We had to escort the heir to the throne back to the land and take out the bastard that killed her father. Granted, we did not actually know that particular detail until we got there, but we hung on anyways like we did in the Land of Waves._

 _The mission overall was a success, but…one of our clients died alongside fifty other samurai. Sandayū, the one who hired us, ran off to rally his men while I battled with one of the Snow shinobi named Kōri Yukihana. A train arrived and had these machines of war that fired kunai in insane numbers at impossible speeds. The samurai were all killed in an instant._

 _It hit me pretty hard. I was supposed to protect him and I failed…but I'm trying not to let it consume me. Kakashi-sensei and Atsuko told me he would have made the choice regardless and the moment he ignored my order was when his fate was in his own hands._

 _I understand what they mean, but I still wish I could have saved him. He was a nice person and had a burning love for his home and wanted so badly to witness the Princess return to her throne._

 _All four of us ended up killing at least one of the top lieutenants. The one I killed was Kōri…and I don't really know how to explain how I feel about taking a life for the first time. She laughed at the massacre of the samurai and found enjoyment in the pain of others…yet I feel no satisfaction in her death. I don't feel nauseous when I think about what I did or an overwhelming feeling of regret. I just…I don't know._

 _Maybe it's all of our training or recent events that makes this easier to deal with. I wish I could explain it better. Perhaps I'll have a better handle on it when I hear from you next._

 _Sorry if I threw a lot of my personal problems on you. Please be as careful as you can._

 _I can't promise trouble won't find me, but I'll do my best not to be troublesome just because you asked._

 _Amari_

Satisfied with her work, Amari sat up to place it in her pack before lying back down again. There were still a few days left until they reached land. So far the journey was completely uneventful; no storms, no drunken sailors, no random ninjas passing by on a ship, and no complaints from any of Team Seven about the lack of happening.

Best to use this as a small vacation to recharge their batteries and let their bodies heal from the latest mission.

Currently the rest of her team was fast asleep in their cots. Amari wanted to join them, but she also needed to write her response to Haku while she had a chance.

With the Village in a state of recovery, she had no doubt they would find either hordes of D-rank missions or another A- or B-rank mission awaiting them on return. More work meant less down time, and these latest letters weren't ones to sit on for a month without replying.

Her response had taken a few hours to write and then read through, but now it was done. Now she could shut her eyes in hope of finding a good night of rest tonight. Unlike the night before.

But if they did, she knew she wouldn't be alone.

And perhaps sharing the cramped space of her cot with Sakura again wouldn't be so bad.


	74. Chapter 73: Cursed Blood Boils Over!

Chapter 73

One Line Too Far: Cursed Blood Boils Over!

"Mom! I'm home!" Amari called as she stepped into her home.

Silence greeted her and, after shutting and locking the door and slipping her sandals off, Amari cast her tired senses out in search of her mother's chakra. She found no one. A mission, no doubt.

Stifling a yawn behind her hand, Amari sluggishly sauntered through the house, up the stairs and to her room to unpack her gear and prepare fresh clothes. The quiet, peaceful aura of her home remained untouched since her departure, soothing the home sickness the last leg of the trip built in her stomach. But better to be homesick then seasick, in her humble opinion.

Seasickness would be a total drag.

It took her longer to unpack than it should have. Afflicted by yawns and lethargic limbs, her movements were inefficient and slow. She forgot what she was doing at times; the long days at sea, followed by days of travel on foot, wore down the kunoichi. Fortunately, the Hokage gifted them the rest of the day off to recuperate.

Seeing as it was only the afternoon and her ability to function properly was significantly impaired, Amari considered it a blessing. The Nara shook the cobwebs from her head and looked at her closet. Then back at her bed where her fresh clothes already waited.

 _I knew something felt weird about this_. She stifled another yawn. _I really need a nap._

First a shower. Preferably before auto-pilot zombie mode kicked in.

The debrief went quick. Lady Tsunade congratulated them on a job well done; with the dethroning of Dotō and return of the rightful Princess, the Land of Snow—which could one day be known as the Land of Spring—would return to the haven of peace it once was. And they could count Princess Koyuki as an ally.

Considering what their original mission seemed to be, the change of events—and return of Princess Koyuki—was a fascinating and encouraging sign for the Leaf. News of the Land of Snows regime change, and a Leaf's squad involvement in it, would reach the ears of anyone who believed them a weak target ripe for elimination, discouraging an attack.

But, with that thought, Amari reached her absolute limit of political talk. She grabbed her two sizes too big fuchsia V-neck, fresh shorts and undergarments then headed for the shower.

The shower freshened her up, made her feel clean and revitalized her spirits enough to make the walk to the kitchen for a warm meal seem feasible. After getting dressed, Amari made it back down the stairs and into the domain of the kitchen to prepare a meal. She considered ice cream for a _long_ time; she stood at the freezer, eyes fixed on the images of glorious sweets on the carton, imagining how it would look in a bowl, and how it would taste.

It'd be a sweet treat. A perfect welcome home gift to herself, but her mother wouldn't have approved of ice cream as a meal.

Besides, she wanted something warm and tasty. Ichiraku Ramen fit those bills, but it was too far. _Way_ too far. There wasn't enough energy in her body for that trip, even for the mouthwatering ramen Teuchi and Ayame cooked.

Eyeing the loaf of bread on the counter and the cheese and butter in the fridge, Amari nodded sharply to herself. Grilled cheese sandwich, a relatively quick meal to cook, with enough warmth and tastiness to satisfy her stomach. Perfect.

It took Amari until after she finished cooking, cleaning and eating to find her mother's letter, explaining the general details of her mission, the date she left and the date she expected to be back. She'd only left the evening before, and she assumed to be gone for a little more than a week.

Admittedly, the news disheartened Amari. She…she wanted to see her. To hug her. To talk about the mission, hear her mother thoughts in regards to the events that took place, ask about her first kill and how it made her feel. If she still remembered it. If she still thought about it. If it haunted her dreams, too, and if it ever stopped.

At the same time, she didn't want to speak on such heavy topics. Amari wanted to describe the Land of Snow without all the snow, to shyly confide and show the picture of Princess Koyuki kissing her cheek and express her pride in her team's final showdown with Dotō.

There was also the almost kiss between her and Sakura on her mind.

But Kurenai wasn't here, and wouldn't be for another week. Still, at least she had the words of love she left behind in her letter.

As long as she wasn't sent out of the Leaf on another mission, Amari would be waiting.

Amari returned to her room to nap—hibernate—after her meal.

It was a peaceful sleep.

* * *

The next morning was an early one, as they tended to be for Amari. She went through her morning routine and left for the training grounds to start her day off productively.

Little did she know what the Hokage had in mind for her and her teammates.

Amari finished a good morning spar with her clone when Kakashi appeared. He kept the meeting brief; he came to inform the kunoichi of his departure for a new mission, and to hand over his finished letter for the Mizukage.

"Try to keep the other's in line while I'm gone," he parted on.

"I'll do my best, but you know what I'm working with," she replied lightly.

Kakashi chuckled knowingly and waved as he departed.

By the time she sent Kaito on his way, she, Sasuke and Naruto were summoned by the Hokage to her office for their new set of marching orders.

The trio stood side by side in a line; Amari stood in-between the two boys, with Sasuke on her right and Naruto on her left. Amari kept herself at attention, while Naruto and Sasuke took more relaxed postures, the former of the pair clasping his hands behind his head and the latter stuffing his into his pockets.

In front of them, Lady Tsunade sat behind her desk, which clearly had seen endless traffic in recent days; Shizune stood on her flank, Tonton held in her arms.

"Due to her injuries," the Hokage began, hands resting in her lap, "Sakura will be off duty for the next week. It's the only way her hand will be able to heal properly, given the severity of the fractures she received."

They'd all assumed as much. Still, Amari didn't envy her kunoichi teammate. Being restrained to the hospital on bedrest was always a drag.

"Does that mean Team Seven is off duty, too?" Naruto asked curiously.

"No." Tsunade shook her head. "You all know the kind of situation we're in right now; with an exception to the injured, every capable shinobi has to pitch in to aid the recovery, which means taking your entire squad off duty beyond a single day of mandatory rest is not only impossible, but unacceptable, given the circumstances.

"So, while Sakura is recovering, you will all be completing these." Amari felt her eyes, and the eyes of her teammates, bulge in horror as the Hokage set three giant stacks of paper onto her desk. "We've accumulated plenty of D-rank missions to keep you Genin busy."

"You've got to be joking," Sasuke swore beneath his breath.

"Ah, man. What a draggg," Amari groaned quietly, body sagging.

Naruto was less quiet with his displeasure. His hands flailed through the air as he yelled, "What's all that?! Haven't the other teams been doing any work while we were gone?! I bet Shikamaru's been slacking off, that lazy little—"

"They've all been busy, believe me. And this is non-negotiable, Naruto," Tsunade kept her voice steady and to the point.

Team Seven as a collective unit deflated.

They had a long week ahead of them.

* * *

In a field of green grass, littered by stones etched with the names of lost loved ones, Amari sat alone. She spoke in quiet undertones.

"It's been a while, huh, Ryu. I've had a pretty eventful few months since I last came by, though I'm sure you already know that. You've seen it with your own eye, the amount of troublesome situations I've been involved in. Invasions, Akatsuki, regime changes; you'd think I'd be a hermit by now, hidden in the mountains where trouble can't find me. But the trouble is fine. I'm a troublesome girl, after all.

"I think of you a lot. You and Shisui. Sometimes its little things, like how you two would react to this or that, like me knocking out Kakashi-sensei or…how I got a kiss from a Princess. Shisui would've teased me endlessly about the kiss until I burned myself into a puddle of goo, troublesome boy. And you, I think you would have sighed in disapproval at me knocking out Kakashi-sensei, but only to hide your amusement.

"Lately, though, I've been thinking of how you two would have handled yourselves on my last mission. Would you have made the same mistakes as me, or would you two have done better?

"I don't know. I tried my best to put the training from the genjutsu into practice. I tried to fight smarter, not harder. I tried to use all my skills to the best of my abilities…but even then I wasn't able to save Sandayū or his people. I still screwed up. I still let my emotions get the better of me. I felt that darkness emerge again, and I let it take hold for the briefest of moments…

"But me and my team saved the Princess. That counts, right? We saved the Land of Snow from Dotō and his thugs. They have a future now. That's what Sandayū and his people fought for… It's what they died for. The possibility of a better future, it drives us to risk our lives, to take on heavy burdens, to sacrifice our lives or our happiness for others… It's what drives us to protect what we hold precious, even if it means killing.

"I recognize the hypocrisy of seeking peace while wielding a sword in my hands. Of saying I want to end the cycle of hatred and bloodshed this world is steeped in…while bearing the blood of another life on my hands. It'd be easy to blame the warmongers who helped create this cycle for it. But _I_ chose to kill her. _I_ made that call, not them.

"But how do you end a cycle with peaceful intentions and pretty words when the people you're trying to stop will continue to kill and hurt people? If we all laid our weapons down and chose to demilitarize, the other Nations would laugh at us as they slaughtered our people and split the Land of Fire into new territories. Peaceful intentions alone aren't enough.

"The world we live in, the one you asked me to seek a better future in, it's twisted. Did you see that back then? Did you see the twistedness of this world? Wars are waged over stupid, petty reasons. And the people who orchestrate them never fight on the frontlines.

"They send others to die; the young, the inspired, the duty bound, the old and everyone in-between, and because of them innocent people are always caught in the middle of it all. People who didn't chose this life. People who just want to live their lives and raise their families.

"And there are people who enjoy the suffering that is caused. People who relish in the bloodshed. People who _love_ war. How can peace be achieved with twisted monsters like them in the world?

"The warmongers would then say the only path forward is to gain enough power to subjugate the other Nations into our vision of peace. But that wouldn't last. It'd breed more hatred, and the blood spilled to complete that goal would be irreversible. Eventually the cycle would continue, just in a different form. With different people. Same war, different faces.

"So I need weapons to defend myself, I have to gain strength and inspire my peers to be strong enough to defeat these threats, yet I also seek peace without subjugating the other Nations. Peace through force, that's exactly what the man who killed Shisui wanted. What a twisted man he must be, to believe such nonsense. Then again, I suppose he'd call me a naïve girl for my beliefs.

"Is that person right and I'm wrong? Am I still too naïve? But if I am, then why hasn't his ideal worked? How many wars have been waged, and we're still no closer to peace. How many people has he sacrificed, and yet the shinobi world is still clashing over the bad blood.

"I wish I knew what the right answer was. I wish I knew if the path I want to travel will bring a better future, but I just don't know…

"Atsuko and Shisui told me to trust in my heart and eyes to guide me. Maybe that's all I can do, and whatever happens, happens. If I screw something up, I'll just keep trying.

"Still… I don't regret killing Kōri, Ryu. I've thought about it a lot since then; hard not to when even my nightmares are affected by it… I've had this strange feeling in my heart ever since, and I think I figured it out. I don't regret killing her, I regret there being no other option left.

"There's a part of me that wanted to be able to reach out to her and save her from the darkness, like Haku. Like Naruto did with Gaara. I wish I could have. I wish there'd been a chance at redemption for her, because I…want to believe there is good in everyone. Which makes me a hypocrite again, I guess, because I also don't believe Dotō or Kasai have any good in them.

"But Kōri wasn't born to royalty like Dotō. Kōri may not have known people who genuinely loved and cared for her like we did for Kasai. So what pushed her to darkness? Who was she before Dotō? Did he use her vulnerabilities to twist her into the person I battled? And could I have pulled her away if I tried harder? She…she begged me for mercy. And all I could do was shun her. Scream at her. Then kill her.

"What if I tried harder, though? What if I left her alive so she could see what the Land of Snow became? Would it have changed her? Could it have changed her? Hope is powerful; it can be our greatest strength and become our ultimate undoing when time erodes our belief in a better future.

"I've thought about it a lot. In my heart, I wanted to believe I could always find a way to spare someone's life and change their path, but the more I think about it, the more I realize I can't. No matter how much I wish it could be different. Some people can't be saved. Some don't want to be saved. Some are just plain evil.

"I'll try my best to resolve battles peacefully. I'll keep reaching out to people who need help, but for twisted people like Dotō and Kōri, people who flaunt their power and use it to make others suffer, I think the world will be better off without them.

"Thank you for listening, Ryu. I miss you. But I'll keep walking forward to see a better future for us. Keep a close eye."

* * *

"So, not only one kiss from a princess, but _two_ , huh?" Mimi teased, grinning as they walked through the streets of the Leaf.

Steam was rising from Amari's red face. Why did she do this to herself? She'd been recounting her last mission to Mimi, speaking openly and honestly about her feelings over the massacre of the samurai and Kōri's death, about how Princess Koyuki changed and the regal attire she wore. Then the little fact slipped out. A tiny confession, in a quiet voice.

Mimi hadn't relinquished hold of it since.

"Please stop," she pleaded for mercy.

"I'm just amazed you didn't melt then and there," Mimi didn't relent. "I mean, most people _dream_ of being kissed by a princess. Entire books are written about the dashing knight who charges into battle, prepared to heroically battle through legions of the evil, dastardly villains who kidnapped the beautiful princess, where they then earn her kiss and her hand in marriage."

Mimi clapped her hand onto Amari's shoulder, grinning from ear to ear. "But you overachieved! You got _two_ kisses from a princess! And a gorgeous one at that! You're the envy of the shinobi world, Amari. How does it feel?"

How did the kiss make her feel? Warm and fuzzy. Tingly. Lighter than air. Like a teenage girl who'd finally been kissed by her greatest crush.

How did it feel to be the apparent envy of the shinobi world?

"I told you this in confidence!" she hissed back.

"I haven't told anyone," Mimi grinned, spreading her hands out.

"Except anyone eavesdropping on you!"

Aoko chortled at her from Mimi's head.

"Let them listen," the Inuzuka shrugged. "We're all envying you, Amari. First kiss from a beautiful princess, and almost an arranged marriage to boot! Hahaha!"

" _Mimi_!" Amari buried her red face into her hands and groaned. "It was a kiss on the cheek. That doesn't count as a first kiss."

"But you wouldn't have minded if it was on the lips."

"I'll hire Hana to smother you while you sleep!"

Mimi cackled at the threat and red faced kunoichi.

But she wasn't wrong, nor would Amari deny it.

However, her first real kiss was almost with someone else entirely. Almost. But Naruto's snore broke whatever spell she and Sakura had been possessed by. Or perhaps it hadn't broken a spell, but stole their courage.

In that moment, Amari felt herself leaning in. Sakura mirrored her. Slowly, steadily, they inched closer, closer, closer. She was hyper-aware of everything. Of their touching shoulders. Of Sakura's delicate and strong hand holding hers. How her eyes resembled the finest of emerald gems and almost glowed in the darkness; the closer she leaned, the better she could see them, and within the emerald orbs were feelings that made her wonder, that drew her in to answer with her own feelings, that made strange warmth wiggle through her body.

The brush of air caressing her skin as Sakura exhaled, the scent of the berry scented shampoo from the Land of Snow on each inhale, their hands slowly tightening their hold in anticipation; she could feel strands of Sakura's hair tickle her shoulder.

Amari comprehended what they doing, of how close their lips were to meeting, yet she didn't _think_. There weren't intricate thoughts on her mind, just feelings. Natural, vulnerable, scary and wonderful feelings.

Her heart still fluttered at the thought of it all. Of Sakura's warm smile in the darkness. Of her comfort. Of her confident and inviting emerald eyes. Her near eidetic memory made it all so vivid.

Sakura was pretty. Always had been. But her attitude before the Land of Waves left them at ends, for obvious reasons. Their friendship had blossomed since then…

… _More than I realized._

In the shadowed privacy of the crew quarters, on her top bunk as waves sloshed beneath the ship and her nightmares faded in the wake of Sakura's gentle touch, for that single moment they drifted past the boundaries of friendship into something more. Only to then retreat back to the known, the familiar, the comfortable.

Neither spoke of it the entire trip back. It lingered in shadows around them, surprisingly without an awkward air.

Things were different, though. Amari noticed she and Sakura gravitated closer together throughout the trip back; their close physical proximity, at times, led to hands lightly resting on backs or shoulders, announcing their presence through the gesture rather than words; fingertips would brush gently along hands or forearms, unannounced but not undesired.

At times, the contact made Amari feel like a restless bird was trying to break out of her chest.

These little innocent affections, these gestures, to Amari's mind it meant neither of them thought of the almost kiss as a mistake. But she avoided reading too much into it. In the end, Sakura found her at her most vulnerable, finally bearing witness to something only a handful of people knew about. It wasn't as if Naruto and Sasuke knew about her nightmares.

So, in a way, it was only natural for them to be closer, not in any romantic way, but because of this secret Sakura was keeping for her without being asked.

Still, she wondered…

"Hey, Mimi? Can I ask you a question and ask a favor?" Amari asked, banishing her blush for a serious matter.

"Of course."

"Are there any pointers you can give Sakura on Lady Tsunade's monstrous strength?"

"Nothing you don't already know," Mimi shook her head. "I was more into her feats in Medical Ninjutsu. Don't get me wrong, I can talk your ear off about the Old Hags legacy, but you know as much as I do when it comes to her strength. It's all about chakra control at the end of the day. Beyond that I can't help you. No doubt she'd be able to break it down to an anatomical level if you really wanted to know."

Amari nodded. "Okay."

"What's the favor?"

"Would you be willing to give Sakura some basic places to start with Medical Ninjutsu whenever we're all free from missions?"

With her intelligence and chakra control, Medical Ninjutsu seemed like the next and best step for her to move towards.

 _It'll also give us an edge to have a medic in the squad._

Medical-ninja were a rare breed, and Sakura had the potential to become a great medical-ninja. All she needed was a push in the right direction and someone to give her ground work to lay a foundation. Amari couldn't, not for this.

Mimi's answer was immediate. "Of course. It'll be tough, even with her chakra control and intelligence, but Sakura possesses all the right ingredients to be a medical-ninja." She grinned. "Now if you asked me to teach the Goofball, I would decline and check if you are suffering from a head injury."

Amari giggled before thanking Mimi. The pair touched on Lee's surgery after that. A lot of preparations were going into it to raise the percent of success as high as it could go. Add in scheduling it around the Hokage's already busy schedule and it would be another week or two before he would actually be able to get the surgery.

Both kunoichi were optimistic about it, as were Lee and Guy.

 _Seems I'll actually have to start dealing with the whole rivalry business soon._

Normally she wouldn't have minded it, but Lee was coming out from being on bed rest since the preliminaries of the Chūnin Exams. Ninjas did not do well on bed rest, and Lee had suffered through it for two full months and change.

"The amount of pent up energy he'll have is going to be such a drag when it's turned in my direction," she muttered.

"Don't worry," Mimi chuckled. "I'll heal whatever damage he does to you."

"Gee, thanks," Amari drawled, rolling her eyes with a smirk on her lips.

"Or I could send for that princess and ask her to kiss it all better."

Red flushed Amari's face, feet halting. It also turned onyx into crimson. "Mimi. You better start running," she warned.

The Inuzuka noticed the flash of red, grinned then bolted off, cackling the whole way.

Amari gave chase with threats flying from her lips.

Having an older sibling could be a real drag.

* * *

Amari sat beneath a tree on Team Seven's usual training field, back braced against the trunk, pencil in hand and notes on the Flying Raijin in front of her. A cool rush of air rustled the trees around her, carrying fallen leaves to the grassy floor below.

 _Wind is picking up_ , she thought, gently capturing a few strands of hair the wind blew into her face to tuck them behind her ear. Dark clouds built and circled around Konoha, ready to unleash a flurry of rain and lightning on the dormant Village. Distant rumbles of thunder steadily grew louder. The closer the storm advanced, the colder the air became, though nothing that required cloaks or long-sleeves.

Amari dressed in her usual gear—purple tank top, mesh long sleeve, black shorts—with her forehead protector tied around her neck and bandana over her left eye. Comfortable. Relaxed, despite the incoming storm.

It had taken her a week to complete all but three of the missions Lady Tsunade had tasked her with. Why were three relatively mundane and non-priority missions left in her pile?

Pure, unapologetic laziness.

Of course the recovery was on her mind; missions helped fund it, no matter how small or mundane they were. But she also wasn't a moron. The Hokage had several stacks of those D-rank missions; if she finished her stack before Sakura returned to active duty, the Hokage would shoulder her with another stack of missions—a lesson Naruto and Sasuke learned the hard way.

Babysitting, delivering lunches and other mundane tasks could kill through sheer boredom. Sure, her Genin rank technically designated these specific missions, but it wasn't like she or her team were fresh out of the Academy anymore. She had participated in the finals of the Chūnin Exams with Mimi Inuzuka, a kunoichi with a year more of experience than her, and they earned a standing ovation for their performance.

Didn't that count for anything?

 _All of these intense missions have spoiled me_ , Amari mused. _Now D-ranks are too tame for me to enjoy. Then again, even back when we first chased Tora and had to walk dogs I was bored out of my mind._

The Nara shrugged to herself and continued working. She would finish her missions either later today or tomorrow. Today Sakura officially returned to active duty; all four of them decided to have a group training session, both as a means of reprieve from the D-rank missions and so Sakura could detangle the kinks of restlessness she'd been ensnared by.

For now, while she waited for her team to arrive, this space-time ninjutsu stood as Amari's real challenge. The Nara in her appreciated the difficulty level. Overall, it entertained her mind the same way shogi did; it also fueled the same frustration she experienced when losing a game to her cousin and uncle.

The path forward remained obscured. Layers upon layers of intricacies buried the use of this jutsu far beyond the piercing vision of any dōjutsu. It danced out of sight and out of reach, cloaked by an illusion that could, at times, make it seem like the answer was right _there_ , but when she reached for it, she only grasped threads of air.

Today, with the help of Atsuko, she brushed away the dead and decayed leaves concealing the first cobblestone on the road ahead.

Since they returned, Atsuko had been teaching her how to use the Crows more effectively. From a purely objective standpoint, she relied on Osamu and Atsuko to use their techniques _for her_ rather than accessing their power in synchronicity, which Dotō showed her the weakness of. Once she was separated from Atsuko, she was at his mercy, unable to do anything except wait until he killed or paralyzed her, or, luckily, be rescued.

She treated the Crows power as a separate entity, when she and Atsuko, Osamu or any other Crow needed to work as a single unit. The same way Mimi and Aoko worked together as one, the same way they coordinated seamlessly, that's what she needed to achieve with the Crows. It's what Itachi had achieved, and Shisui before him, and her father before him.

Anyway, over the week they'd discussed many important subjects, such as where she learned Uchiha Style: Halo Dance—Shisui's signature technique, according to Atsuko—and everything Shisui spoke of in the fūinjutsu, as well as her conversation with Itachi in the Tsukuyomi.

 _"In the Tsukuyomi, Itachi revealed pieces of the truth to me; I know Aimi and Itachi aren't our real enemies, that they were forced onto this path by the Foundation leader. He also showed me Shisui's final moments, right before he threw himself off the cliff into Nakano River. His death was meant to allow them to unlock the Mangekyō Sharingan. Is that how it really happened, Atsuko?"_

 _"Yes… Forgive me, Young Haya."_

" _For what?"_ she had asked in confusion.

" _For my inability to protect Shisui the one time he truly needed me, and the suffering it has forced upon us all,"_ was Atsuko's solemn answer.

 _"It's not your fault, Atsuko. Shisui wouldn't want you to blame yourself for what happened, and I don't blame you either. The real people at fault are this Foundation group; them and that Masked Man are the ones responsible for all of this, they're the ones who forced this suffering onto all of us. We'll put it right one day. That's the path Shisui left behind for us, right?"_

 _"Yes, you are right, Young Haya. We absolutely will put an end to those who caused every single one of us this pain. Until then we must become stronger."_

 _"Right."_

Today, as she worked, Atsuko had peered from her shoulder at the notes scrawled over the page. Unannounced she reversed summoned herself, then returned a few minutes later with a small sheet of paper, onto which notes were written in a familiar yet foreign penmanship on one side, while the back was marked by a fūinjutsu seal of some sort.

 _"Atsuko, what is all this? I…I know this handwriting…" She drew her finger along the old paper, over the neat script, as if it were her favorite childhood toy she hadn't seen in years._

" _As you should. It's your mother's, after all." Her hand froze, chest suddenly tight. "When your mother was pregnant with you, she used her temporary leave of absence to study and learn the complexities of the Flying Raijin Jutsu. Your mother's work continued even after you were born. Her hope was for you to one day learn it so you would surpass her and your father."_

 _"These notes,"_ Atsuko had motioned to the paper with her wing, _"should aid you in learning how to create the seal for the Flying Raijin. As you know, we lack the years for you to start from scratch; our enemies will not wait for us to gather our power, we must take hold of it while they lurk in the shadows, so we may eradicate them when they finally emerge._

" _Of course, Kakashi and Genma cannot be entirely blamed, for this jutsu is not common place among shinobi. The masters of this jutsu have long since passed, and with them, their knowledge. Or so the world believed, at least. Your mother left these notes in my care for you to finish her work."_

 _"You'll also enjoy the look of surprise on Kakashi-sensei and Genma-sensei faces when I use this long before they expect me to,"_ Amari pointed out while smirking.

 _"There is that, yes. Consider it as a belated birthday gift from myself and from your mother as well."_

Amari had been studying the notes her mother wrote ever since and incorporating what she could into her own work. Atsuko left her to it.

Brushing a few strands of her hair back behind her ear again, Amari tapped the eraser end of her pencil against her chin. _I'm starting to see patterns where they didn't exist before…_

A frown pulled her lips down as she noticed a mistake in her work, forcing the kunoichi to erase it. _But I don't quite have it yet. There's still a lot of time and work ahead of me._

 _At least I have a starting point._

The starting point was only one step on this journey to learn the technique, but it was a solid step she would not have to retract. Amari had her footing. All she had to do now was keep moving forward. One day she would perform the Flying Raijin. One day she would match her mother's strides.

 _One day._

* * *

Sasuke approached the training field at a steady pace, hands in his pockets. He could see Amari sitting under a tree working on that difficult fūinjutsu technique Kakashi had her learning. Her onyx eye was pinned to a sheet of paper, leaving only momentarily to scan another sheet of notes before returning to the original.

 _Early as always,_ he thought with a brief smirk. It fell as quickly as it arrived.

Amari's obsession with arriving on time made it easy to predict where she would be, especially if she was meant to meet anyone at a specific time and place. Nine times out of ten she would be there waiting several minutes early; the one time she wouldn't be was either due to circumstances out of her control—a bad omen in most cases—or were times she arrived exactly on time.

Today her obsession proved useful for Sasuke. While he was nowhere near as early for their team training as she was, he was still early today for a reason. But it wasn't to have a one-on-one battle with her or because he wanted to sit around at the field waiting for the others.

The arriving storm, in his opinion, would end up canceling their training today anyways.

Sasuke's purpose for arriving was to have a one-on-one talk with his clan-sister. He needed to talk to her, had needed to since Itachi incapacitated her. His conversation with Shikamaru had applied a salve to the burning guilt in his gut; it kept the lingering questions from tearing apart his sanity, but none of it had ever truly went away.

They were only subdued, restrained while he waited for his clan-sister to recover more. He knew she needed time. He had gone through the same hell long ago, and no matter how hard she tried to hide it at the start, he knew she was suffering a loss her tender heart could barely withstand.

In the time since, he kept his mouth shut regarding Shisui, Aimi and Itachi. Those three names were all too interconnected for him to not talk about one without bringing in the other two. One mention of Aimi could easily remind Amari of Shisui. Asking about her cousin was impossible for him to do without bringing up his murderer of a brother.

If he pushed the conversation he'd only end up hurting the already shattered kunoichi, so he bit his tongue and bid his time for her strength to return.

Today he could no longer remain silent. His inability to protect her because of his own idiotic move ate away at his conscious more than killing the Snow Ninjas did. Outside of being impressed, and slightly worried, by Sakura's punch, the deaths of Mizore and Fubuki weren't in his thoughts.

Amari's sacrifice still haunted his dreams to the same extent finding his parents dead had. The paralyzing helplessness, the blinding hatred, the suffocating fear, the burning guilt, those feelings persisted in maintaining their presence within his mind and heart.

He needed to talk to her like they needed oxygen to live. What could she remember now? Did Shisui try to stop Aimi and Itachi? Had he left any way to help them grow stronger so they could bring down Itachi and Aimi's insanity together? What were the full details of what his brother had shown her? Was she okay? Did she have any resentment towards him for his brother's actions?

Sasuke needed answers. He needed to know if she would be able to fight by his side to take down his brother or if the genjutsu would prevent her. He needed to know if his brother's actions or his inability to protect her fractured their bond in any way.

Some of those answers were blindingly obvious to anyone who could see straight. Amari's attitude towards him hadn't changed at all. If anything they were closer, but he could also feel distance between Amari and the rest of them, undoubtedly the result of the scars left behind by the Tsukuyomi and then Sandayū's demise.

 _I should have stayed with her. At least then she wouldn't have to carry the burden alone._

Amari was fighting, struggling, clawing to move forward as the shadow of recent events continued to linger behind her and grow in size, impossible to outrun.

Sasuke hoped talking about the incident with his brother would shrink the size of the shadow following both of them.

Right now, when their teammates weren't around and there were no new missions on the horizon, was the best opportunity to discuss such a deeply private and personal matter to them both.

Sasuke had thought long and hard on what he wanted to ask and say since the day she was knocked unconscious. Now the chance had finally arrived to go through with it and, hopefully, ease their burdens just a little.

"Hey Sasuke," Amari greeted him once he was in speaking distance without looking up from her work. Her hand continued jotting down whatever intricate thought pattern moved through her mind.

Sasuke scanned the sheets of paper from his standing position with scrutinizing eyes. From top to bottom, each sheet was filled with words and fūinjutsu sketches, and no matter how hard he tried to understand the information written and sketched out, none of it made an ounce of sense to him.

 _Those are some intricate notes on fūinjutsu._ His eyes moved from page to page one last time. "Shikamaru's right. You really are going to work yourself to death."

"Heh," Amari breathed out a short laugh and shook her head. "Don't tell me you're going to start taking after my lazy cousin. My hands are already full keeping him motivated. I don't know if I can manage the both of you."

Sasuke smirked once more as he too released a short chuckle.

"Want to talk?" she asked.

It was more of an invitation of conversation than a question. He still provided an answer, to be polite. "Yeah."

She nodded. "Okay, just give me one second." Amari finished a few lines of notes in silence before she sealed all of the notes away into a single scroll. When the Nara was done, she stood up, shut her eye and raised her hands to the sky as she stretched out her back. "What's on your mind, Sasuke?" she asked as she stretched.

"I wanted to talk to you about Itachi, Aimi and Shisui," he went straight to the point.

Amari's body stilled in the stretch, almost as if someone used a Paralysis Jutsu on her the moment he spoke. Her right eye remained closed as she released a soft breath through her nose and lowered her arms back down to her sides.

When she opened her eye, it did not meet his; it was set down away from him, the sadness and reluctant understanding clear in the window to her soul.

 _She's still feeling it._

Sasuke wasn't surprised; in fact, he anticipated it. Even years after the massacre, the death of his parents and Clan at the hands of his brother remained nearly as painful as the day it happened.

It had barely been two months now for Amari. One of her strongest bonds had finally been remembered, and then immediately severed in the same moment, creating enough pain in her heart to unlock the Mangekyō Sharingan.

 _She might as well have lost Kurenai and Team Seven._

Part of Sasuke realized he should simply drop the subject completely. It didn't take Sharingan to see she needed more than a few months to recover, but he was too focused on his objective to hear wisdom.

"Yeah… I've been meaning to talk to you…just never found the right time or the right way to bring it up," she said quietly.

She refused to meet his eyes. She continued to stare at the grassy floor as she brought her right hand up to grab her left arm. Sasuke knew the tell. She was nervous. Honestly, he was a bit nervous himself. The last time he had tried asking her questions about her past, he cursed his brother's name and accidentally triggered the genjutsu on her mind.

The screams of agony followed by the lifeless eye were a reminder to tread lightly.

 _She's already suffered enough mental anguish thanks to me and my brother. I don't want to hurt her more._

Before he could ask a question or say anything else, Amari spoke up. "Your brother…Itachi… He used to be someone I called my friend. My self-esteem was…well, even saying it was at rock bottom is gracious.

"When I met Itachi face to face for the first time, I wasn't the _me_ you've known and know. I wasn't strong-willed. I didn't have strength. My self-esteem was nonexistent. The berating's, the bullying, the suspicious and disgusted stares from the rest of the Clan, all because I was a half-breed…it hurt, really bad." Her voice broke a little.

"I felt worthless…like no matter how hard I tried I would never and could never be anything except useless. My parents and Shisui tried to show me none of what was said was true, and for a while I believed them…but eventually their words felt hollow. Not because of them, but because everyone else made me believe I was worthless."

Sasuke shut his eyes, a tight frown pulling onto his face at his Clan's cruelty. _They had no idea what they were talking about._

When she spoke again, he opened his eyes. "Prior to that, I never met your brother, not face to face at least. I had seen him train with Shisui and Aimi, but I never approached them. I always waited behind trees or bushes for them to leave because I was afraid of what they would say to me. Eventually, though, we met and he told me something no one outside of my family ever did."

"What?" Sasuke asked.

Amari finally looked at him with reminiscent happiness shimmering within her onyx eye. "He told me I belonged. The son of the Head of the Clan told me, the lowly half-breed everyone else treated like dirt, that I belonged, that being a half-breed didn't matter because this heart of mine," she placed her right hand over her heart and shut her eye, "was true and pure. Those words and the feeling of belonging they gave me…I'll never forget them."

She lowered her hand and opened her eye again. "It was because of him that I saw past the opinions of people who didn't matter and finally saw the truth in my family's words. But more than that…thanks to him, Aimi and Shisui training me, I began to believe in myself and my abilities. I found my strength. I was finally able to be happy with myself.

"Although those two walk in darkness now, I will always be grateful to them and look back on those days with fondness."

To hear such heartfelt words about his brother made Sasuke's chest feel tight. They reminded him of the brother he once looked up to, the one he had loved dearly and wished never turned to the insanity he now pursued…the brother he missed terribly.

At the same time, a sting of jealously also reverberated in his heart. His brother had rarely ever trained him. Any time he asked he would receive a poke to the forehead and a "maybe next time" from Itachi. Sometimes it made him feel like a pest and eventually, before his brother killed everyone, he resented the shadow casted on him by his genius brother.

Finding out that his brother had taken the time to train her instead…it hurt in a way Sasuke didn't expect to hurt after everything that had happened.

He had to move beyond this childish jealousy he was feeling about a brother that no longer existed. The Itachi who trained her and made her believe in herself was dead. Fighting her for his approval and attention was pointless and below him.

He had to stay focused on his purpose for this conversation—the questions he needed answers to.

"What else do you remember about your past?" he questioned.

"Most of the memories I've gained are of happier times. Personal moments. Even just spending time with Shisui, Aimi and Itachi when they were together." A nostalgic smile pulled onto her lips as she looked away from him to the nearby river running along the training field. Then she looked at him and dipped her head towards it.

"Walk with me?"

He gave a nod and followed at her side. She grabbed her mesh covered arm again as they walked. "Aimi used to bring us sweets when I trained with Itachi or Shisui—I can still smell and taste them if I close my eyes and try. Aimi was like an older sister to me; she called me her little sweet."

Sasuke snorted at the nickname. "Her little sweet?"

"Don't tease!" she whined, playfully pushing his shoulder. "I was small as a child and I have an insatiable sweet tooth. The nickname was endearing!"

He considered reminding her of her small size, but decided against it. Some subjects were too dangerous to touch, even for an Uchiha. So he chuckled and let it go.

"Anyway," she huffed, "when Shisui and Itachi would spar, I can remember her braiding my hair while I cheered for Shisui to beat him. I remember her healing Itachi and Shisui after their spars, shaking her head and rolling her eyes at some of the injuries they received from one another.

"I remember Itachi's troublesome riddles in the middle of training, always right before my inevitable defeat. His constant pushing to become better, the proud smile on his face as my skills improved."

They made it to the riverbank and continued to walk alongside it, the gusts of wind pushing up against their backs and dancing along the surface of the water. "I can remember Shisui teasing Itachi and Aimi about being in love. They'd either frown at him or hit him, always while blushing. I loved watching all three of their interactions with one another. I loved the jests, the happiness, the feeling of family outside of family they had. I wished to be a part of it, never realizing I already was."

"How did we never meet?" Sasuke asked, stunned.

Some of those interactions, he remembered them, too. Vaguely. Impossible to recall without assistance since they were buried six feet beneath festering hatred. And the way she was speaking, surely he should have run into her at one point or another. Yet somehow they hadn't. Not until after everything had been torn from them.

"We almost did. I was just too shy to come out from my hiding place." Amari giggled to herself. "Shisui teased me for days for that. He wanted me to meet new people and make friends just like he could. He was so certain you and I would get along."

"He was right," Sasuke pointed out.

They had gotten off on the wrong foot back in the Academy, mostly because he couldn't stand losing to the new girl, but he saw her as a comrade and a sister now. Had they met back then…he wasn't sure things would have been all too different than they were now, but her return to the Village would have been a bigger shock, to say the least.

She shook her head at his statement. "You have no idea how wrong you are."

Sasuke gazed openly at her with his eyebrow raised in utter confusion. _Where did that come from?_ Why didn't she think they would have gotten along as they did now?

His confusion only made her giggle again. "I was shyer than Hinata back then, and on top of that you believed Itachi was better than Shisui. I would have argued the greatness of my cousin until the end of time. Still would."

Sasuke snorted and shook his head at her genuine desire to argue on Shisui's behalf. It was a fair point, he couldn't deny that.

 _If she had the same fiercely stubborn attitude she has now back then, we probably would have come to blows._

"We would have been rivals," he admitted.

No way would he have accepted her side of the argument back before his brother killed everyone.

Amari grinned in challenge. "Shisui was stronger, faster and smarter than Itachi," she declared.

Sasuke merely rolled his eyes and let the argument go. In his childhood he would have argued with her until he was a decrepit old man, valiantly in defense of his brother. But that was in the past. Now his eyes were set on destroying Itachi; he no longer desired to defend him in any form…even if part of him was certain his brother was better.

 _Definitely would have been rivals,_ he mused.

The pair fell into silence and strolled along the riverbank for several strides, their silence comfortable with a sense of gloom underneath it. Amari was the first one to stop. She turned to the river and knelt down next to it, resting her left arm on her knee as she reached her right hand out to glide the tips of her fingers along the water.

"I miss those days," she said, her voice softening with a longing for the past he knew all too well.

"…Yeah."

He had done his best to focus on killing his brother after the massacre, but buried deep beneath his hatred was the same yearning for the life they lost. A life where his parents and big brother were still at his side. He missed his mother and father deeply. There were things he wished to have had a chance to say to them, things he wished they could have seen from him.

Distant thoughts of what life could have been like caused him a great deal of pain. Sasuke could see family moments he wished to have shared in, moments captured in his mind like pictures for him to look at as if they had actually happened.

 _Things would have been so different._ He knew it to be true in his heart. And, selfishly, stupidly, he envied the fūinjutsu Amari's mother created for her. He envied Amari's chance to hold Shisui in her arms again, and he hated that he felt that way.

Despite the shadow his brother's success casted on him back then, Sasuke missed the brother he once looked up to. He missed him a lot. He wished his brother never would have jumped on the runaway train of insanity he was now in charge of. The bond they had, or the bond he thought they had, meant so much to him.

Now they were bound by a bond of hatred, unlike Amari and Shisui who were bound by a bond of love.

The memories of his old bond and the family taken from him only fueled Sasuke to kill the man behind it all.

Thinking about the good of the past hurt too much. He blocked it out of his mind every day to keep them from penetrating the walls of his heart. Focus on his goal was all he needed. He needed to stay focused on his path to kill his brother and not let those good memories blind him. Not that they could.

The memory of his brother standing over their parents' corpses could never be forgotten or forgiven.

The thought of his dead parents led to the reminder that Amari, too, had lost hers to his brother. She hadn't walked in on their dead bodies, but those precious people were stolen from her just as his were stolen from him.

He watched her for a few silent moments as she glided her fingers across the water, melancholy written in her onyx eye. _We've both suffered because of my brother. I have to make it right._

"I'm sorry," Sasuke apologized.

Amari's eye was drawn away from her reflection to his, the melancholy being replaced by honest confusion. "For what?"

"For what pain my brother has caused you. He killed Shisui and your parents, and then put you through the hell of watching him do it." Sasuke shook his head at the thought of what his brother did to her and the events leading up to it. "If I had just used my head instead of attacking him head-on like an idiot, you wouldn't have been out of it for a month."

"You aren't responsible for what happened to me, Sasuke. I would have made the same choice even if you weren't injured. As for Shisui…"

Amari dragged her index finger through the water, creating ripples to be carried off by the current. Her eye fell away from his as she directed her focus across the water. "You didn't kill him, and neither did Itachi or Aimi."

Sasuke furrowed his brow and stared at her ripple reflection. "What are you talking about? Itachi told me on the night of the massacre that he killed Shisui. The Police Force even asked him about it."

 _And he beat the hell out of them._ Sasuke could still recall the beating his brother gave the three members of the Police Force. The level of anger his brother showed, he had never seen anything like it before. _But it was all a ruse. He said he killed Shisui to unlock the Mangekyō…he told me that because he expected me to kill my best friend to unlock it._

A lie he had held on to until their reunion.

"Itachi lied to you," Amari stated. "I saw Shisui's death with my own eyes in the Tsukuyomi, and before through the genjutsu on my mind."

Amari's features began to fall further into sorrow as she continued to recount the events she believed were true. "Someone stole his eye and poisoned him. Said whoever it was didn't trust what he was trying to do. He…plucked his other eye out and gave it to Itachi so I would one day inherit it. Gave him a scroll of items I was meant to inherit before leaving my well-being, and the well-being of the Village and Clan in his and Aimi's hands.

"They swore to carry on his Will and keep me safe…and then Shisui tossed himself off the cliff into the Nakano River. They tried to stop him at the last moment, but they didn't reach him."

A dark spark ignited in Sasuke. It was a lie. It had to be a lie his brother crafted for her. His brother had murdered Shisui, Aimi probably helped him, too, and then they murdered the entire Clan. Nothing else made sense.

If Shisui really committed suicide and his brother and Aimi swore to carry on his will and protect the Clan and Amari, why the hell did they murder everyone? Shisui wouldn't have wanted that. And if she was telling the truth, which he doubted, then that meant his brother and Aimi lied straight to their dying friend's face and were now in possession of one of his eyes.

Frustration and anger built in his stomach. "If that's true, then why the hell did they massacre everyone and leave us alive?" he demanded.

"There's more going on than we know." Amari stood up. "I have vague memories of my parents, Shisui, Itachi and Aimi silently talking about stuff together, only to always change the subject when I would get near. Atsuko once said to me that the Uchiha had lost their way; I asked Shisui, too, when we were together and he said the Uchiha Clan gave into the Curse of Hatred."

The stupid, selfish sting of envy hit him again.

"All the way up to his final moments, Shisui said Aimi and Itachi were true friends. They were all trying to stop…something or someone. And had the person that took Shisui's eye not interfered, they would have succeeded."

Lies, all lies. Fake memories planted by the genjutsu on her mind so she wouldn't ever see the truth for what it was. The fact that it was working on someone as intelligent as Amari and turning her away from the path of destroying his brother only infuriated him more.

 _How can she be so naïve?_

"This person or group to interfere, they forced Itachi and Aimi into a position where there were no good options left," she continued in her ignorance. "Everything spiraled out of control is what Shisui told me. The day of the massacre then came, my Mama brought me out to the Nara forest and must've told Itachi where I was so he could take me some place safe.

"Leaving me in the Village was too dangerous, but my return was inevitable. I was to become a Leaf shinobi, inherit his tantō and meet Atsuko so she could guide me on the path Shisui left—"

"Stop! Just, stop."

Sasuke couldn't take it anymore. How could she believe something so ridiculous? She was essentially saying his brother and Aimi murdered their parents and the rest of the Clan so they wouldn't have to kill them. It wasn't true. It couldn't be!

His brother and Aimi were out for power and left them alive merely to test their skills and take their eyes if they weren't good enough.

"Do you have any idea what you're even saying or how it sounds?" he asked her pointedly.

Amari raised her eyebrow at his sudden shift of emotions. "I know what I'm saying and I know it sounds crazy, but there's too much evidence pointing towards it to ignore."

"There is no evidence, Amari," he stated firmly, his body beginning to shake with barely contained rage. "These…delusions you're having about the massacre—"

"Delusions?" Amari sounded offended.

"—they're ridiculous. My brother showed me what he did to our Clan and my parents; he told me he killed Shisui to gain the Mangekyō Sharingan. The Police Force even suspected him of it and he beat the living hell out of them. What he did, there is no logic behind it, no promise he is fulfilling, no excuse for his actions. None!"

"I don't doubt he did slaughter everyone," Amari's voice was steady but her eye set in a severe glare. "But he wasn't alone and you weren't the only survivor, that's proof he's lied to you before. He even confessed to his lies when we were in that hallway."

Sasuke grunted in irritation at the evidence he couldn't deny.

"I saw your brother the night of the massacre. He's the one who placed the genjutsu on me, but before he did I saw tears streaming down his face; he was in pain, Sasuke, maybe not physically, but emotionally. Shisui and Atsuko have also confirmed to me personally that Itachi and Aimi weren't responsible for his death. You may not like it, but it _is_ the truth."

Crying? Hurting? Now he knew it was lies. His brother's Tsukuyomi had somehow convinced her of all of these ridiculous notions only someone with the soft heart and naiveté of Amari could believe.

"You actually believe all of this? How can you be so naïve after all the pain he's caused us?" Sasuke questioned incredulously.

The fire in Amari's eye was growing, yet he couldn't see any of it. All he could see was the work of his brother turning his clan-sister down a winding road of lies and half-truths.

"I don't know what's worse," she started, her calm voice steadily falling into irritation, "you calling me naïve when you're still believing the lies Itachi fed you, or the fact you think Atsuko and Shisui both lied to me."

Sasuke let out a growl. She was calling him naïve when she was the one believing fairy tales were real? He couldn't find a proper response to it. Her words were stripping away every rational argument and thought he had, and that annoyed him.

Amari merely shook her head at him then turned her back to him. "Your brother and Aimi will walk their paths just as we will walk ours. If you continue on your path, you'll only meet him in a battle to the death, but you'll be a fool if you think your brother and Aimi are the sole perpetrators of the pain we both carry in our hearts."

Sasuke's entire body was quaking with held back rage. His hands curled into fists, jaw tight and teeth clenched. She was speaking like she knew everything, but she had no idea what she was talking about or any understanding of the true depth of his pain.

This entire conversation had been one button push after another and he could barely stand here and listen to such ignorance and be told he was the fool.

The Nara crossed her arms over her chest and moved her right hand to the side of her right eye. "Someone stopped Shisui from completing his plan, poisoned him so he'd die no matter what happened. They made him feel a level of regret I pray I never have to feel by forcing him to break his promise to me, and they will pay for it. Whoever is behind his pain and the pain I now suffer will wish they had never crossed my family."

"It was Itachi."

Amari turned around and met his furious eyes with her frustrated stare. "No, it wasn't," she responded as evenly as she could. "I understand this is personal to you, but try to open your mind to other avenues of thought. Itachi lied to you about Shisui, about how the Mangekyō is unlocked, about you two being the only survivors. I'm not saying he didn't kill your parents, and you have every right to hate him for it, but Itachi and Aimi didn't have a choice.

"Shisui and Atsuko both entrusted these truths to me, so I would appreciate it if you stopped taking me for a delusional fool and an ignorant child who doesn't know one from two.

"The Clan lost their way. Whether or not you agree doesn't change the simple fact that the evidence I have fits together better than Itachi and Aimi suddenly going insane before murdering everyone besides us so they could fight us later."

"I would stop taking you for a delusional fool if you stopped acting like one," he retorted heatedly. Amari's eye became a slit at the insult hurled her way. "You have no idea what you're talking about. I watched my parents and everyone I cared about die over and over and over again because of him!"

He began taking aggressive steps forward. "And yet you say he had no other choice but to kill them." Sasuke pointed at himself and stopped mere inches from her. "I saw him kill helpless people without remorse! Young, old, it didn't matter! He just slaughtered them without hesitation!"

"I'm not denying that. But look at the evidence—"

"What evidence?!" Sasuke shouted into her face. How could she continue such ridiculous arguments?! _Damn it! Why is she so stubborn!_ "You're reaching out for explanations that don't exist, Amari! There is no sane reason for what he did. He had no reason to kill our parents!"

"That's my point!" Amari fired back, raising her voice to match his rising volume. "Think about who Itachi and Aimi are. They never acted without cause. They weren't simpleminded idiots incapable of higher thought. Everything they ever did with me when we trained had a calculated purpose, a reason."

There she went again, seeking out reasons for insanity all the while shoving in his face the fact his brother trained her and not him, his own flesh and blood. _She's so infuriating!_

She gestured heatedly towards him with her hand. "You said Itachi beat the crap out of the Police Force for accusing him of killing Shisui. Why the hell do you think he would do that?"

"I'm sure you're about to tell me," he answered sarcastically.

It touched a nerve, he could tell by the twitch of her eyebrow. Amari continued nonetheless. "If someone accused you of killing me days after you witnessed me kill myself to give you the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan as my final wish, how would you take it? Would you stand idly by and take their accusations or would you beat them into the ground for their insolence?"

"That's not the same."

"Yes it is. Itachi and Shisui were brothers in everything but blood, and Aimi was a sister to Shisui and more to Itachi. Just like we consider each other brother and sister."

Now she was saying they were just like those two murdering psychopaths? Sasuke let out a snarl and swiped his hand through the air. "Stop talking like you know everything about this!"

"I don't know everything! And that's what pisses me off the most!" she returned, louder and angrier than he was. "I don't know why it happened or how it happened or the identity of the person behind it all! Someone took Shisui from me and I have no idea who it is! To remember him, the bond we had and feel the love he had for me, the pain it causes me…" She gripped her head tighter, nearly covering her right eye with her hand. "I just…I just want…"

The pain laced voice and faraway look consuming her eye went unnoticed by the Uchiha.

Sasuke's temper had too much control over him. He couldn't see straight. Couldn't think. The Curse Mark itched, and its whispers kept rebounding loudly through his brain. If he could only shut them up…

Sasuke's mouth kept moving with a mind of its own. "You keep talking 'pain this' and 'pain that' like you know the true extent of pain I have suffered! I lost everyone I cared about and have lived with it for years! You've barely lived with your memories of Shisui and you can't even recall who your parents were! Don't talk to me about pain, not when you're just a—"

At that moment, Sasuke nearly bit his tongue off as he snapped his mouth shut, the sudden screams of rationality slamming his anger out of the driver seat.

 _What the hell am I doing?_ _What I was about to say…_

He could hardly believe his own mouth, his own traitorous thoughts, and by the look of betrayal on Amari's face she knew _exactly_ what he was about to say, too.

Utter silence fell between them. Deafening silence. Sasuke felt his heart striking slowly, heavily against his chest and nothing else. Nothing except shock and horror over his actions.

This was just like in the hospital with Shikamaru, where his raging emotions made it impossible to think straight, bringing him to say something he still regretted even now. Even more now that his hatred-addled mind dropped him _here_ of all places.

Through the gaps of Amari's fingers he could see her onyx eye staring back at him, the faraway look gone, replaced by hurt and anger raging within.

Like a bolt of lightning, the onyx color burst into red without preamble, the eye once only staring at him now seared right into his soul. A gust of wind pushed against his back at the same time a wave of killing intent brushed up against him. Thick, suffocating. Horror slowly began twisting itself into terror. Chills shot down his spine.

"Go ahead, say it," Amari goaded, her voice low and threatening.

"Amari—"

"Don't back down now. Say it. All of the other Uchiha did, might as well add you to the list of people who look down on me because of my heritage."

"I didn't mean—"

"Say it, Sasuke," she demanded in a quiet, menacing voice. "Finish your sentence. Call me a half-breed. Stoop down low into the pit of bastards who treated me like dirt, just like all the other high and mighty full-blooded Uchiha's I could never be."

It was Amari's turn to take an aggressive step forward, her hand remaining at her eye. Crimson glowed between the gaps of her fingers.

"Tell me how much of a piece of trash I am. Call me worthless. Call me a weak-minded fool with delusions of truth. Or tell me how soft of a heart I have, how it makes me a weakling not worthy of Uchiha blood."

Her eye shifted again, only this time black lines took form as four straight and sharp triangles. The points of the pinwheel jutted out in like a black four-pointed star, centered like the cardinal directions of a compass.

The Mangekyō Sharingan. The sight made Sasuke take a step back as his clan-sister's pure hurt, rage and darkness branded itself onto his soul.

Then, and only then, did he realize _why_ their enemies _feared_ Amari when she lost control. His body refused to respond to his commands, a paralytic shock caused by demonic chakra—invisible to the eye—wrapping, tangling, coiling darkness itself around him. It chilled his core temperature. It made him shudder involuntarily. He could barely breathe. Sweat formed on his brow.

And her eye, her eye wasn't that of a child or a little girl; it was the eye of a merciless shinobi, a demon locked away finally broken free of its cage, prepared to inflict the suffering simmering in her eye onto _him_. The visage of a demonic dragon took form behind her, it's nostrils flared, barring it's teeth as it snarled hungrily for his flesh.

With the activation of the Mangekyō, he could _feel_ power irradiate off Amari. Dangerous power. Uncontrolled. Volatile. It pricked at his skin, a threat—no, a promise of death.

"Better yet, tell me how I know nothing of the pain you feel!" Amari continued in her rage. "Tell me how my memories of Shisui haven't been around long enough for me to know the depth of pain you have! Or how I can't possibly know your pain because I can't remember my parents!"

Sasuke took another fearful step back, inviting another aggressive step forward from Amari. "You and all the other full-blooded bastards could never see beyond yourselves! You're all so narrow-minded! They probably all wanted to have the Curse of Hatred because then they could all play the victim and be justified for it!"

Another step forward, another step back. "Then at the same time, like the hypocrites you all are, you treat others like **dirt**! You blame them for your problems. Tell them they're worthless because you think Sharingan and Uchiha blood makes you so damn better than everyone else! What's so special about your blood, huh?! What makes me so different than _you_?!

"The Clan would be better off without me, the Clan is tainted by weakling blood like mine, the Clan shouldn't have to suffer the sight of a lowly half-breed," Amari growled phrases Sasuke had no doubt were spat at her. The dragon snarled with her.

"Well, you know what I think? I think the Uchiha Clan can go to hell! Every single one of you don't deserve peace in the next life. All of you selfish, narcissistic, simpleminded, self-victimization, ego-maniacal bastards could never see what was most important in life. The Clan this, the Clan that. The Clan doesn't want half-breeds. Half-breeds only lower our status!"

Amari pushed him with her left hand; the force of the blow was nothing special, but with the accented, piercing roar of the dragon, Sasuke lost balance and stumbled several steps back.

"I hope they're all _burning_! I hope all of the torment they put me and all the other kids just like me through is thrown back on them one hundred fold!"

 _Where the hell is some of this coming from?_ He understood his mistakes, but some of her fury wasn't aligning with anything he had said or went to say. _It's almost like she relived a memory from her childhood._

The faraway look in her eye flashed back into his memory.

 _Did my words activate some sort of trigger again?_

This wasn't good, especially with the Mangekyō staring him down.

 _What the hell am I going to do? I can't get through to her. If Master Jiraiya was worried about her Mangekyō Sharingan, what chance do I have?_

None was the simple answer. This was the darkness he pushed her into. The demon he'd accidentally awoke from its slumber.

"Hey! Stop, both of you!"

Sasuke spun at Sakura's voice. Salvation? Or more victims? He wished he knew. Wished he could feel more than the permeating darkness seizing his heart and soul in its grim reaper-like grasps.

Sakura and Naruto rushed towards them, their features consumed by worry over whatever part of the argument they had heard.

Amari glanced in the direction of their teammates then pinned her eye back on Sasuke. Slowly, reluctantly, Sasuke met her eyes again and saw the spinning three tomoe Sharingan staring right back at him. The dragon was gone. The Mangekyō, too. But the horror and terror he felt remained.

Amaririsu Yūhi the kunoichi was worth fearing.

Amari's eye widened slightly, not in realization but in instinctive reaction to using genjutsu via Sharingan.

Before he could react or attempt a counter, flashes of memories not belonging to him pelted his senses, paralyzing him in place with a sense of dread he hadn't felt since their first encounter with Orochimaru.

Without speaking another word, Amari disappeared via the Body Flicker. Vanished without a trace.

"Amari!" their teammates shouted in hopes she would stop, but even as his mind recoiled from all the memories Amari imparted on him, Sasuke knew she wouldn't stop.

Despite his original intentions being pure, he still ended up hurting his clan-sister in a way he had hoped to never hurt her.

 _What the hell have I done?_

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: They've returned to a recovering home and...well, this happened. The clash of clansmen. We'll definitely be seeing Kosuke in the future, so I'm looking forward to that. He was a cool side character, even though his role was so small. Amari has to be careful with that charm of hers, definitely if it continues to end up with her mouth saying things she means to keep private. Otherwise, at this rate, I'm afraid she'll die of embarrassment._

 _Anything regarding Anbu is still a handful of arcs away, so we'll have to hang on tight for that._

 _As for time travel, I've seen snippets of the Boruto stuff; I haven't had much time to really watch or look up anything with it, so I'm not completely in tune with what's going on. But, regardless, as for time travel in this story, I've already decided on a few ideas involving time travel, multi-verse, alternate reality sort of arcs for the future, both in Part 1 of Naruto and Shippuden. I can't say what without spoilers, but you can expect it._

 _Thank you for the review!_

 _Review response to Guest: I can't go into specifics, as I mentioned in the above review, but you can definitely expect time travel, multi-verse and alternate reality sort of arcs in the future. I've always liked the idea of either current Amari going to a possible future, or a future Amari or possible children of Amari's ending up in the current timeline. Also other ideas. In general, time travel, multi-verse and alternate realities are something I find interesting as a subject._

 _Anyway, thank you for the review!_


	75. Chapter 74: Worthless

Chapter 74

Worthless: A Cousin in Need

 _Shisui, where are you?_

Young Haya Uchiha dashed through the backstreets of the Uchiha District, school books clutched to her chest, terrified. Her eyes burned with welled tears she struggled to hold back, her sense of smell consumed by the sweet smell of tomatoes, which soaked her wild blue hair and clothes.

She could feel herself steadily beginning to hyperventilate. Panic strangled her. Tightened her chest. She could barely breathe.

 _He'll come. He'll save me_ , Haya told herself with her last bastion of confidence.

Shisui meant to walk her home from school, but he hadn't arrived at their usual meeting spot. Still, she knew it in her heart he'd find her. He'd saved her from these—

Haya skidded to a panicked stop on the street when one of her pursuers cut off her planned exit.

"Where do you think you're going, half-breed?" He wore a vile smile. Vile and crazed.

Every instinct in her body demanded her to curl into a ball and scream Shisui's name to the heavens, as if it would summon him to her location. But what little fragments of sense she had left fought against it. It'd only waste her breath, anyway.

She had to keep running. Keep letting them toy with her. Every second they wasted bought Shisui time to find her, inevitably turning this cruel game into their ultimate undoing.

 _It's just a training exercise in evasion. It's just a training exercise in evasion._

A lie. One that her mind crafted and perpetuated so her body did not seize up.

For now it worked. She ducked down into another backstreet, hoping against hopelessness that she might lose her pursuers. Best case scenario, they would tire of watching her run away and go home on their own.

Another lie. A hopeful fallacy her fear intoxicated mind whispered harshly into her ears over the loud, eardrum rupturing beat of her heart.

 _Why won't this nightmare end?_ She blinked, and a tear cascaded down her cheek. _I just want to go home to my family._

* * *

Shisui's heart smashed his chest rapidly, the strength of the blows enough to crack a Susanoo ribcage. Eyes wide and hyper alert to every detail in front of him, concern tightened his chest. Guilt punched him in the gut, making the effort to stand all the more difficult.

 _Haya, where are you?_

He hadn't intended to be late today; in fact, he planned to arrive early so he could scout the people harassing his cousin, determine their identity's and motives then deal with them.

Stupidly, inanely, he lost sight of the time while discussing the state of the Clan and the Village with Itachi and Aimi. He didn't and couldn't blame his two best friends; this was his fault and his alone. He shouldn't have let thoughts of the Clan consume his mind and distract him.

When he realized how late he was, Shisui Body Flickered all the way here, yet Haya was nowhere to be found. Under normal circumstances it wouldn't be odd. Sometimes missions came up for him or their parents and they'd have no choice but to leave; Haya walked home alone those days with no issues.

They always made up their sudden absences to her when they returned.

The scene around their usual meeting spot, however, painted a different picture—a nefarious picture. One colored with menacing brush strokes, influenced by the Curse of Hatred.

Itachi and Aimi stood ahead of him, dressed in casual clothes—a black high-collared shirt for Itachi and a sleeveless, royal blue variation for Aimi—examining the tomato painted fences and ground, where a few sheets of school work and unbroken tomatoes lay.

They, too, appeared concerned for Haya's safety.

 _If those people lay a finger on Haya…_ Shisui closed his right hand into a fist and dug his nails into his palm.

He should have been here early like he planned. Haya confided the existence of these bullies to him the night before, and he promised her that she wouldn't have to worry about a thing. But he let himself get distracted by the Clan and their hidden agenda.

Now Haya was on the run, somewhere within the walls of the vast and populated Uchiha District, hounded by individuals with malicious intent.

The Body Flicker master released a breath and shook his head. There'd be time for guilt later. He couldn't waste another moment. They needed to locate Haya before those pursuing her did something he'd make them regret for a thousand lifetimes.

"I count seven sets of different footprints, eight including Haya," Itachi stated as he approached him. Shisui lifted his eyes to meet Itachi's, noticing the severe frown pulled onto his lips. "Based on the size of their feet, I believe the ones targeting her this time are between our ages."

Shisui gave an acknowledging nod to his best friend but otherwise remained silent.

These people were of the Uchiha Clan, based on what Haya had told him. Members who erroneously believed being a "half-breed" made Haya weak. That she was some sort of plague on the Clan. That she didn't deserve to bear the Uchiha name.

Arrogant and blind fools. If only they could _see_ her heart, how pure it was. If only they weren't blinded by this pointless hatred of theirs, this superiority complex they paired with self-victimization.

If only they realized Haya's heritage left her a grander destiny to fulfill. A destiny Miyako, Kiyoshi and Shisui all believed would not only change the legacy of the Uchiha Clan, but would change the whole shinobi world.

However, the flames of hatred refused to be snuffed out. It kept worsening, intensifying as the days went on. The darkness continued to flourish, to thrive and lead his clansmen astray.

Seven teenagers against a single child? Haya specifically?

 _This isn't just a group of bullies; this is a planned assault on Haya._

Shisui shut his eyes and took a deep breath, attempting to sedate the guilt growing in his heart.

 _Haya…you're probably frightened out of your wits right now._

The weight of a hand resting on his shoulder made him open his eyes. Itachi looked at him with determined and reassuring eyes. "It will be all right, Shisui."

Shisui nodded and let his hand unclench from a fist. "Yeah."

Whoever led this shameful and cowardly attack would regret their actions, he would ensure that. But his priority remained pinpointing Haya's location. Running around in search of her, even with Sharingan, would take away what precious seconds his cousin had.

With that thought in mind, Shisui turned to the sensor of their trio. "Aimi, can you sense Haya's chakra?"

"Let me try." The kunoichi knelt down and laid the palm of her hand on the ground, shutting her eyes as she sought out the chakra of his little cousin. A few seconds of silence passed. Tense seconds. He shifted on his feet, uncomfortable, feeling like a compressed spring, unable to loosen or jump into action.

Then her eyes shot open, the onyx gone, replaced by furious red. "I found them. Those bastards have her cornered in a back alley close to your home, near the dango shop."

Shisui disappeared in a blur of speed that not even his friends could trace.

No one would lay a finger on Haya. Any who did would _wish_ they were dead.

 _I'm sorry I wasn't there today, Haya, but…_

Onyx shifted red in swelling anger.

 _I swear they will_ _ **never**_ _hurt you again._

* * *

"No one's coming to save you, half-breed," one of Haya's seven tormentors taunted.

Haya's feet carried her backwards further into the dead end alley, her entire body quivered in terror.

 _Shisui…Mama…Papa._

Her heel and back hit the far end fence—the end of the line. She was trapped in a cage with hungry lions.

 _There's…there's no way out._

The seven Uchiha clansmen grinned or laughed as the shocked, terrified realization of her situation crossed her features.

"Why- why are you all doin- doing thi- this? I- I haven't done anything to you."

"You're presence in this Clan is sin enough," one of the others sneered.

"Half-breeds like you shouldn't be allowed to exist," another, the leader she deduced earlier, stated as if it was written law. "Your father disgraced himself and his lineage the moment he took that Nara woman as his wife; the two of you taint our prestigious Clan with every breath you take.

"Look at you, you're pathetic. It sickens me that a weakling like you, someone who will never unlock our kekkei genkai, is allowed to bear the Uchiha name. You're not an Uchiha. You're an outsider. You don't belong here. The Clan would be better off without a worthless half-breed like you."

Haya flinched at the verbal lashing. What…what was so wrong with her? Why did her blood make her so different than these other people? Was it so bad to be only part Uchiha and part Nara?

The young girl shut her eyes tightly to stave off the tears she felt coming.

 _I…I'm so pathetic. I…I can't even defend myself. All I ever do is stand here and take it and hope that my parents or big brother will come swoop in and save the day for me._

Tears escaped her. _I'm- I'm worthless._

"More tears? You really are a disgusting waste of air. Come on boys, let's finish this and get home."

 _Are…are they going to kill me?_ Haya hugged her school books tighter against her chest. _I…I don't want to die!_

She exhaled a shaky breath. _Not yet…Not like this. Not as some pathetic wimp, quivering like a leaf. It would only prove their point._

The small girl searched her heart for whatever scraps of courage she could find to ease her shakes. She opened her eyes and tried to stand taller, firmer despite her weak knees and tear streaked cheeks.

"Leave…Leave me alone. I'm- I'm warning yo- you," she tried to threaten, but her voice was weak and shook. And she hated she couldn't stop it.

All seven Uchiha stopped their forward strides at the sound of her voice, only to then all burst into laughter. "Or what? You'll use your tears to make us slip and fall," the leader mocked then fell into louder laughter with his lackeys.

Their laughter previously only made her shrink away, but now it served as a foundation for her foolish courage. She planted her feet and stiffened her legs to stop them from shaking. _Be strong…like big brother._

"I'm- I'm warning you. Leave me alone and I won't hurt you." She saw a small ember among the shadows and did everything she could to set it ablaze. "My Papa is the strongest of all Uchiha's. Even stronger than the Clan Head." That earned her snarls, but she continued. "My Mama is a proud member of the Nara Clan. She leads the Hokage Guard, which means she has to be strong enough to protect the Hokage—the strongest person in all the Leaf.

"And my name is Haya Uchiha, their daughter. I may not be as strong as them yet…" She gulped down her terror and took her firmest stance. "But neither are any of you. Compared to them, you're just as weak as me. Just as pathetic. Just as worthless."

The silence made her heart race. Their sneers and furious, crazed eyes bore down on her, making her feel smaller than she was. But Haya also sensed a weakness, so she went in for the kill. "You said no one is coming to save me, but you're wrong. Because my big brother Shisui Uchiha will come for me. He'll find me and save me from all of you, because he's the strongest Uchiha of his generation. He's the fastest, too! Faster, stronger and smarter than all of you combined! You'll see. He'll make you remember his name!"

The leader of the group appeared ready to explode. He glowered down at her, striding forward menacingly. "Is that so?" His shadow climbed higher, higher and higher over her. "Little half-breed brat. Think you're so clever, insulting me like that. Saying I'm some kind of weakling like you. Weaker than that Nara woman. Tch!"

Despite the size difference, Haya stood her ground. She kept her features defiant rather than fearful, a fight to maintain an illusion of courage against the reality of panic. Hearing her Mama insulted again, however, moved her mouth before she could think.

"You _are_ weaker than my Mama. You're not even in the same league. If she were here, she'd crush all of you without breaking a sweat."

Crazed hatred consumed his Sharingan eyes. He raised his fist back. "Shut your mouth, you half-breed scum!"

The wild look in his red eyes, it broke her courage. Shutting her eyes and hugging herself tightly, she let out a scream.

"Shisui!"

The attack happened quickly. A fist slapped against flesh. Then another crushed against an abdomen. The cry of pain drew gasps from the crowd. Then silence.

Haya clutched her books tightly, quivering, refusing to open her eyes as she waited for pain. Yet no pain came. Still she kept her eyes closed. If she didn't move then maybe she would become invisible.

"Don't you _ever_ raise a fist at my little cousin!"

Haya's eyes snapped open.

There, standing before her with the Uchiha crest displayed on the back of his high-collared shirt, was Shisui Uchiha—her savior. Her cousin. Her protective and furious big brother.

He stuffed his fist far enough into the sternum of the man, Haya swore her cousin could have checked his internal organs better than a doctor. In his other hand was the fist of her attacker, gripped tightly. The strike itself made the leader's eyes almost bulge out of his skull. Coughed up saliva ran down the side of his mouth.

Haya stood rooted in her spot against the fence, happiness blooming into unrivaled joy.

"Shisui," she whispered the name of her hero, a thrilled smile tugging on her lips as happy tears cascaded down her cheek.

At that moment, her vision blurred and her eyes began to itch, but Haya didn't care. Shisui had come for her; he hadn't abandoned her to whatever fate these people had in mind.

 _Thank you, big brother._

* * *

 _I made it._

Just barely. Shisui only saw Haya in the distance when her cry of terror spurred him to travel faster than he ever had before. The scene he saw here, though, the words this man screamed at Haya, infuriated him to a level he hadn't known he possessed.

From head to toe, these disgraceful people caked his precious cousin in tomatoes. And they had the _audacity_ to corner Haya so they could hurt her.

 _This is what is wrong with our Clan, these people right here._

They forsake common sense and honor for misguided arrogance and a self-centered ideology of hatred. They were all so blind. So lost in narrow-minded, selfish goals. Consumed by the Curse of Hatred that they couldn't see what damage they were doing, not only to others, but themselves.

A lecture couldn't reach them. For this latest transgression, words wouldn't be enough to convey his feelings.

The man—teenager—to attempt to harm his most precious person would be the first to learn. He couldn't breathe at the moment; he gasped greedily for any air he could get, weakly bracing his weight on Shisui's arm.

Shisui didn't recognize him or any of his friends. The divide between the Uchiha Clan, it was growing.

"It's Shisui Uchiha!" one of the lackeys sounded defeated already.

"The half-breed was right!"

 _Half-breed?_ Shisui bristled. The gall of these people.

"You all disgust me," he hissed.

He retracted his fist, relinquishing his hold on the leader's fist, only to uppercut him even harder, sending him sprawling backwards towards his followers.

"I'll deal with all of you soon enough."

 _But first…_

Shisui turned around to examine Haya. She sat in the dirt, back braced against the fence as she rubbed at her eyes. Her cheeks were stained with old and new tears. Her hair and body were soaked by tomato juice, with some of the pieces of tomato stuck in her already knotting hair.

Outside of the tomatoes and the tears, there was no sign of damage left by these men—if you could call them that.

Kneeling down to her level, Shisui rested his hand on her shoulder, shame and guilt swelling in his soul. Haya… They pelted her with tomatoes. Made her cry. Called her a derogatory slang to put her down, all while he was absent.

 _I should've been here._

Shisui opened his mouth to apologize, but he never got a word out.

"I knew you would come! I knew you would save me," she cried in joy.

He wanted to smile and make a jest about being awesome just to get an adorable giggle out of her. He wanted to beg her for forgiveness. But then she lowered her hands from her eyes and smiled at him, and his words and breath were stolen from him.

Red eyes with single tomoes stared back at him.

Shisui felt himself recoil. _She unlocked her Sharingan?_

How? What caused it? The extreme terror they put her through? Did their clansmen make her kind heart hurt so much with their insults to unlock it?

 _No_ , Shisui dismissed the thought as he regained his breath. No. Pain and terror weren't responsible for this. Those bright, shimmering eyes of Haya's, her Sharingan amplified her emotions and removed all illusions so he could see perfectly what she felt.

Haya beamed at him despite everything; her happiness erased the fear, the sorrow, the pain.

Shisui's lips twitched up into a brief smile. _Pops…I think Haya has just proven our theories right._

Recently they discussed the possibilities of strong _positive_ emotions unlocking the Sharingan, but there were no instances recorded. None they could find, anyway. This moment here, however, planted a foundation to their theory.

 _I don't need any more evidence than her. It's not just pain, hatred and sorrow that can unlock the Sharingan. Pure emotions like love and happiness can do it, too._

"What?" his cousin giggled at his staring and smile.

"You really are an amazing kid, Haya. Not even seven years old yet and you already unlocked your Sharingan," he said, pride filling his voice. _You really are special, Haya._

The other clansmen vocalized their disbelief to one another, but the cousins ignored them.

Haya's surprise at his revelation couldn't be hidden. She lifted her hands up to her eyes. "I…unlocked the Sharingan? Is that why they are so itchy?"

He gave her a nod but let his smile fall as his eyes roamed over her tomato covered body.

 _Even though her positive emotions unlocked it, the extreme nature of the situation beforehand played its role. She must have truly felt like she was going to die._

" _I knew you would come! I knew you would save me."_

The emotion behind those words reinforced his belief one hundred fold.

His seething rage was only matched by his ballooning guilt. What they had done to her—the tomatoes, the outright terror, the Sharingan—this was his fault. None of this should have happened.

He had to make this right.

"Haya…I am so sorry. I should have been here. I should have been faster."

Haya placed her hand on his and gave it a comforting squeeze. "You are here, Shisui. And you're the fastest person in the whole Village."

The heartfelt words, after a moment, lifted his lips into a smile. Part of him had expected her to be angry with him, or perhaps that part only _wanted_ her to be angry at him. She had every right to be. Every reason to curse and scream at him. But that wasn't Haya's way. Haya was a kind, pure, gentle and loving person; being her cousin, her hero, it was his greatest privilege and accolade.

"Whole Village, huh?" he asked, smiling.

She smiled back and nodded confidently. "Mmhm. Probably the whole shinobi world." Her smile and eyes widened in sudden excitement. "And now I can catch up to you because I have the Sharingan too!"

"This is— it's impossible! How did that half-breed do it? How did someone without the full blood of an Uchiha unlock our powerful dōjutsu?" one of the lackeys sputtered.

Shisui bristled at the word again. _They never learn_. Not yet anyways. He would show them the error of their ways soon enough.

"No, no, no. I refuse to accept it. I— That half-breed taints our Clan further by bastardizing its legacy! I will not stand for it!" the leader screeched.

Haya's shifted her eyes downward, depression replacing her previous happiness. "I…I didn't…"

"Just ignore them," Shisui told her firmly. He would not let the scum of their Clan infect her with their darkness any longer.

Giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze, he continued. "You haven't tainted any legacy or this Clan. You're pure as starlight, Haya. You make this Clan and this Village brighter just by existing. Be proud. You've unlocked a gift in a special way they'll never understand."

Even with red tomatoes splattered all over her he could see her blush. She shyly hugged herself. "I…I was just so happy you were here."

"I know."

What was more, he knew that it was their bond that helped unlock her Sharingan. _Just like how it helped me reawaken the Mangekyō._ That made their bond all the more special. Their bond, their connection, it was more than a blood tie; it was a tie of love that would keep their spirits bound together no matter how far apart they were.

"Shisui…They're going to try to hurt you because of me."

Shisui placed his fingers under her chin and tilted her head up. Once their eyes met he gave her a meaningful look. "None of this is your fault, Haya. None of it. They're not going to hurt me or you, not now or ever again." He smiled reassuringly at her. "I promise."

And he meant it. These seven men would become the example to anyone who considered targeting his cousin.

Haya offered a weak smile in return and nodded. "Okay."

Shisui gave Haya a final smile paired with a poke directly to the center of her forehead. She giggled lightly and gave him a closed eyed smile in return. _I will protect you, Haya. No matter what._

"Trust me," he said, standing up to his full height and turning around to face the men across from them. His features and voice returned to determination and anger. "They'll never do this again."

Shisui's eyes drifted over each member of the group of bullies, memorizing their faces and determining their strength before making his move.

Just as Itachi predicted, they were all near in age to the three Anbu members. Only two, however, actually wielded the Sharingan. And only the leader of the group matured it to three tomoes.

 _Evolving his Sharingan to its full maturity must be the reason he's in charge, though I'd bet he doesn't have the Mangekyō Sharingan._

From what Kiyoshi said, the final evolution of the Sharingan was an endangered species on the verge of extinction in their Clan. Only a handful of clansmen actually possessed it, and those who did kept it secret as long as they could.

Just the knowledge of someone wielding the power of the Mangekyō Sharingan seemed to corrupt those without a strong Will of Fire. Beyond saving, unfortunately. Another problem: Some members of his clan were willing to kill their precious people in a desperate and dishonorable bid to gain the evolved dōjutsu.

Insanity best described them.

Pushing the thoughts from his mind, Shisui's eyes moved to the other Sharingan wielder among the bullies. _He must be the second-in-command of this little gang_ , he concluded.

Shisui let his eyes wander to the other members of the group as he strategized.

 _No doubt they all follow them because they wield Sharingan. They're only sheep, wills easily broken if they lose their foolish shepherds. And based on their words, the leader and his second must believe they are the purest members of the Uchiha Clan. All because they wield our dōjutsu._

Shisui wasn't surprised by this, he was disappointed. Their clan had become too obsessive about their kekkei genkai. Too narrow-minded. In the years he had been alive, the obsession and clear misguided desire for power seemed to only grow worse.

 _I'll stop it before it gets out of hand_ , he promised himself.

For the sake of his family and friends, he would stop the Clan before they made a mistake there was no turning back from.

Again, he pushed the thoughts of the Clan away. Today wasn't about stopping the Clan. Today he'd teach these seven bullies why they would never look at, go near or speak to Haya again.

Deep down, in a place he didn't like to admit to having, he wanted to unleash a Sharingan genjutsu on them—revenge for the terror they forced Haya to suffer through. That darkness in him, it desired to make them quiver and beg for mercy.

 _You feel that way because they hurt Haya_ , Shisui accepted the feelings. _It's okay to be angry. It's natural to feel angry when someone you love is hurt; it'd be worse to not feel anything at all. However, don't lose sight of yourself. Don't let anger twist your love into hatred._

Shisui inhaled a breath from his diaphragm. As he exhaled, he felt himself relax. His Will of Fire burned stronger for it, eradicating the darkness of the Curse of Hatred.

If his clansmen hadn't soaked her with tomatoes and attempted to strike Haya, Shisui would've picked her up and left without another word. They wouldn't have been worth his time, though that wasn't to say he wouldn't have…spoken to them later.

But they _had_ soaked her with tomatoes. They made his precious cousin cry. That was something he couldn't let slide.

Although Shisui was confident in his abilities to fight them all, he wasn't arrogant enough to believe he was invincible.

This was a seven on one fight against shinobi that were either Genin or Chūnin. While unlikely they had as much experience as he did, even a veteran shinobi could be overwhelmed by sheer numbers; that chance increased further when the shinobi had to protect a non-combatant.

Still, his opponents were arrogant in their power, believing their Sharingan would win them this brawl.

Their arrogance would lead them to their downfall.

 _The best way to end this fight quickly is by taking out the leader and his second. Without them the morale of the group will fall and doubt will consume them, leaving them open for attack before they are able to realize they need to run._

Plan set. Now it was time to begin.

"You should all be ashamed of yourselves," he scolded. "Attacking a child is unforgivable."

"I'm just doing our Clan a favor by taking out the trash," the leader responded as he took a step forward. "It's seven against one, Shisui. Do you really want to test those odds?"

Shisui opened his mouth to respond. Then a blur of red caught his eyes. The leader didn't see it coming. The thrown tomato burst on impact, splattering its red juices across his face while the force of the impact and suddenness of it all knocked him off of his feet.

"Your assumption that he fights alone is humorous," a threatening female voice entered the fray.

 _That voice…_ Shisui's Sharingan eyes snapped to his left to see Aimi casually tossing a tomato up and down as she balanced perfectly on the fence closing in the alley. Her features were etched with scorn, intensified by the furious crimson of her Sharingan, glowing in the shadow casted over her face.

"It is also false."

The second-in-command of the gang of bullies moved to help his leader. He, too, failed to see Aimi throw the tomato, at least until it struck his face and bowled him over.

"And your misguided belief that you stand above Haya only shows how far beneath her you really are," Itachi's serious voice cut through the air. Itachi stood beside Aimi, arms crossed with a disapproving frown on his face.

Hesitant whispers began to spread among the bullies about the new arrivals. Three of the strongest Uchiha of their generation protecting this one child? They couldn't believe it. Why were they so invested in her protection? Why weren't they on their side?

The three Anbu members offered no answer. The arriving pair jumped down to join their friend and took up defensive stances.

 _The tides have turned_ , Shisui thought, smiling.

"Heh, what took you two so long?" he jested.

"Traffic," Itachi retorted dryly.

Shisui chuckled lightly at the joke and shook his head. Leave it to Itachi's dry wit to make him laugh at a time like this. Aimi, however, showed no sign of amusement. Not even the slightest hint of a smile. She glanced back at Haya, examining her from head to toe, then shot her eyes forward with an incinerating glare.

"They've got a lot of nerve to do that to my little sweet," she snarled.

The leader of the bullies and his second both made it back onto their feet, their faces stained red by tomatoes and fury.

"Ho- how dare you." The leader's voice shook with rage.

"No, how dare all of you," Aimi fired back evenly. "Picking on an innocent child and caking her in tomatoes. Haya and children like her are not stains on this Clan; that is the belief of your foolish and ignorant parents, who feed you their prejudice and poison the future with their outdated ideals."

"Grr! Half-breeds don't deserve a place in our Clan, and they certainly don't deserve to wield our kekkei genkai!" His lackeys backed him up with nods and aggressive stances. "It's all of you who should be ashamed for protecting such a weakling."

Aimi balled up her left hand, her dominant hand, into a fist at the word _half-breed_. "Ignorant fool," she said with a shake of her head. "Its people like you who don't deserve the power of our kekkei genkai. Your kind has only ever held the Uchiha back."

Scowls or growls flourished among the seven bullies. " _Our_ _kind_? And what _kind_ are we?" the leader asked, rage laced in his voice at the insult given to him.

"Ignorant, power seeking sheep that cannot see what is truly important in life," Aimi fired back then took an aggressive step forward. "You do not understand the significance of friendship, of comradery, of love."

She took a few more dangerous steps forward then halted and pointed her finger at them—none of them realized how deadly that was. Aimi's eyebrows fell deeper and deeper as her silent rage took over. "Your kind only cares about power, about banishing everything that makes us stronger."

"Oh yeah," the leader retorted. "And what besides power makes us stronger?"

Shisui felt rather than saw the intense glare his friend leveled the bully with. He could almost feel the lightning beginning to crackle at the tip of her finger.

"Why should I waste my breath further on a fool who will never grasp the concept of true strength?"

A growl left the man, body language turning hostile. "You think you're stronger than me, Aimi Uchiha?"

"Ah, but you've answered your own question. You and these little followers you've amassed know me by name. While you…" Aimi tilted her head to the side, a calculated, vindictive action. "Who are you again? I'm afraid I've never heard of you."

"Why you—"

"Spare me your witless insults, they are quite boring," Aimi's voice was a menacing tease. "If your eyes cannot see the vast gap of power between us, allow me to show you."

Itachi strode forward suddenly and rested his hand on Aimi's upper bicep, before the concentrated lightning could crackle into existence. Crimson met onyx. No words were spared between them, only the single look—a plea to calm down and clear her mind before the fight.

After a brief moment, Aimi's body language relaxed. Itachi lowered his hand.

Shisui mentally noted to tease them later.

Itachi immediately turned his attention back to the group of bullies and spoke calmly and to the point. "I suggest you all apologize to Haya now, leave with what little dignity you have left and never approach her again." Then he activated his Sharingan. "Choose your path carefully. Our patience for anything less than an apology is already exhausted."

It was their final warning. A final chance to choose a path that did not include physical violence, but Shisui knew they wouldn't take it. They were too arrogant to see how outclassed they were in skill, not that the Body Flicker master cared.

If they scoped their power wrong that was their problem and his asset.

"The only way she'll get an apology is if you force it out of me."

 _That was all I needed to hear._ Shisui walked in front of his friends and stopped. _It's time to fight._

He slammed his fist into his hand to show his intentions, causing all seven of the bullies to take on defensive stances. "You'll regret those words," he told them all. "Itachi, Aimi, let's go."

"Yeah."

"Right behind you, Shisui."

After they finished with them, these seven would never attempt to assault his cousin ever again.

That was absolute.

* * *

 _Damn it, why won't that memory stop playing through my head?_ Amari thought, teeth grit. The unstable concoction of emotions brewing within her heart, she could barely take it anymore.

Now she was running; running from her team, running from the agony, running in search of some semblance of solid ground. Something to hold onto. Something that might mend a broken heart.

The rooftops of Konoha became the pavement on her road to nowhere. The kunoichi lacked all direction. There was no grand plan here, only the flight response. Only this phantom pain left behind by the bond severed from her heart.

Below, the almost empty streets and alleyways—darkened by the swelling storm above—raced by. Every leap, every Body Flicker added more distance. Yet no matter how far she ran, she came no closer to regaining control of her chaotic emotions.

Every emotion her past self and Shisui felt collided within her; terror, shame, hurt, concern, fury, guilt, they all meshed together, swallowing her fragile heart in a storm no shelter could protect her from.

Above, in the moody, cumulonimbus clouds, lightning flashed. Wind whipped viciously against her chest, tousled her hair. She could smell the musky, earthy smell that always came before the rain.

Flashes of the memory persisted to encompass her senses. The scent of fresh tomatoes overwhelmed her nostrils. Over the wind she could hear the whispers of distant voices; Shisui, Itachi, Aimi, the taunts of her clansmen. She could see them. Almost reach out and touch Shisui.

Amari tried to block it out, to stop the memories and emotions from crashing through her fortress walls, but she was fighting to save the walls while the inner keep burned.

 _Why won't it stop? Why won't this pain just end!_

Hadn't the memory done enough damage already? She already lashed out at her thickheaded teammate. Did it have to torment her further by showing the severed bond she'd never get back?

The desperate need to release a wordless scream simmered through her entire body. It begged to be released from the containment cell in a painful yell those in the highest of heavens and those in the deepest bowls of hell could hear. Her other primal instinct was to punch something until her knuckles bled and her body collapsed.

But the kunoichi refused those instincts. These feelings she harbored within her heart and soul were _hers_ to suffer through. No one needed to hear it, no one needed to see it.

This was her fight, no one else's.

Amari held it all in, tears off frustration and sorrow welled in her eyes.

 _I knew I shouldn't have tried to tell him the truth_ , she chastised herself. _Itachi warned me about how he would react, and I knew it in my heart that he was right, but I still tried. I ignored my better judgement because I thought for a moment that he might actually be rational._

It was a foolish belief. Sasuke didn't have the mind to listen, and their last encounter with Itachi only reinforced that thickheaded nonsense of his.

 _I should have never let the conversation happen. I should have just told him I didn't want to talk about it yet._

It wasn't like he didn't realize before their fight that Shisui was still a tender subject for her. He wouldn't have liked it, but he would have respected her decision to not speak on it.

 _Or maybe not since I haven't had time to_ _ **really**_ _feel what kind of pain losing someone I cherished would give_ , she thought bitterly.

Guilt over the conversation spiraling out of control gave way to anger. The audacity of that boy. To go so far to say she was delusional and naïve to believe the truth entrusted to her by Shisui, Atsuko and Itachi, and to then tell her she didn't understand the pain he felt.

 _He even went to call me a half-breed._

Lightning flashed. Bellowing thunder roared through the Village, reverberating through her skeleton, through her muscles and making her gritted teeth tingle.

Damn him and his stupid emotional attitude. Everything up to that point was forgivable, but to go there? To go to call her a half-breed after everything they had been through together?

No, she couldn't and wouldn't let that slide.

Half-breed wasn't just an insult of her heritage; it was a word used to put her back down in "her place." The outsider. The trash. The scum.

Worthless, that's what people really meant when they called her a half-breed.

The Haya of the past took the verbal abuse without a fight. She had let them terrorize her until she truly believed she was worthless. She was weak, lacking any and all backbone.

No more! Amaririsu Yūhi and Haya Uchiha were not worthless. She was not weak and she was certainly as hell not going to sit back and take being called a half-breed as an insult ever again.

 _And the audacity he had to call me delusional when he believes everything Itachi told him in the past_ ,she thought heatedly. _Itachi_ _ **told**_ _him he lied. He has_ _ **proof**_ _of Itachi's lies through my survival and Aimi's. But who cares about rational thought. Who cares about truth when he prefers to live the lie!_

His ignorance was so irritating. How could someone as intelligent as Sasuke be such an idiot? Someone as levelheaded and collected as him shouldn't have let his ridiculous emotions get the better of him when facts were presented to him.

A little doubt would have been okay; it would have allowed her to explain how she came to her conclusions and would have brought them to the same understanding. But to go on the attack and say she was _delusional_?

That wasn't right. That was the reaction of a little child throwing a tantrum because he didn't like being told he was wrong.

Amari had seen beyond the illusion. She'd heard the truth from the mouths of Atsuko, Shisui and Itachi. Yet that wasn't good enough. Her unbiased analytical way of approaching the subject wasn't right because Sasuke preferred to be blinded by his hatred, just like all the other full-blooded fools of the Uchiha Clan.

 _Damn them all. All so blinded by hatred that they could never see what damage they were doing to others._

As thunder rumbled above, anger at her teammate and friend faded away, replaced by overwhelming sorrow. Her walls finally collapsed. The fortress she had been steadily rebuilding after waking up once again found itself razed. The dam holding back her tears overflowed, cascading out to create a familiar river she was tired of floating on.

 _I can't believe he was actually going to call me a half-breed._

It hurt, badly. Betrayal was the closest word she could find for the aching throb in her chest.

Is that all he saw when he looked at her? A delusional half-breed who knew nothing about what his pain was like? Did he not see a teammate, a friend or a clan-sister in her?

Amari didn't know anymore. The storm of emotions raging through her made it impossible to see beyond the pain his words gave her.

She just wanted to go home. To her mom. To her parents and Shisui.

Kurenai wasn't home, though. And her family…they were gone. Her team would look for her at her home, too. Naruto and Sakura would want to try to fix what happened, but Amari couldn't see them now. She was too emotional. Too hurt by the words of her friend.

For that reason, she would put distance between them and continue to hide her pain so they wouldn't have to see how out of balance their balancing point really was.

* * *

 _Looks like that storm is about to hit. What a pain._

Shikamaru released a long, mildly annoyed sigh as he frowned at the dark clouds hanging overhead. He had hoped to be home _before_ the storm hit; in fact, he planned accordingly so he could avoid this storm altogether, but delays he couldn't anticipate left him here, about to get down poured on. Now, despite all those plans, he was destined to be soaked to the bone even if he rushed home.

This was all such a drag.

He considered taking shelter in a nearby store. At least he'd stay dry and avoid the chores waiting for him at home, which were two major incentives, in his lazy opinion.

Unfortunately for the lazy Nara, one tremendous negative removed all the allure of that decision: His mother would explode if he wasn't home before the worst of the storm hit.

Forget the chores. The lecture he'd get for worrying his mother… She'd be scarier than death itself. His mother's ire was like a tornado straight out of a nightmare, one that gained strength for every second she had to worry.

Looking at this storm, and the forecasts he heard earlier, it'd last anywhere between a half an hour to several hours without breaks between the torrential rainfall.

 _If it lasts longer than that I could be looking at arriving home after dinner._

His mother would kill him with a frying pan if he did that. Probably the one she used to cook, too.

Of course, his mother also wouldn't want him running through a lightning storm. She'd lecture him for that, too.

Talk about a no-win situation. Sheesh. Either way he was in big trouble. So, what was the best option? How did he receive the shortest and least terrifying lecture?

Shikamaru brought his hands together to create his thinking seal and shut his eyes as he considered all possible conclusions. Running home was the worst of them all, he decided.

Getting drenched and earning the ire of his mother was an unhealthy combination.

 _I could always go to 'Risu's place and bunker down there until the storm passes._

Not like his cousin or Kurenai would mind if he stopped by. They enjoyed his company, and it wasn't like he was high maintenance or anything. He'd just lie around or play shogi if 'Risu was up for it.

Yeah, bunkering down at the Yūhi household would be an acceptable compromise in the eyes of his mother. By not doing anything severely idiotic he'd steal the majority of her lecture.

There was also Chōji's place or Ino's to consider. But, if he were being honest, he wasn't at all enthused at the idea of staying at the Yamanaka or Akimichi households. Don't get him wrong, he cared deeply about his teammates; Chōji was his best friend, after all, but there were two distinct cons to their houses.

With the Akimichi's he would have to deal with Chōji's mom. Chōji's mother was a very kindhearted woman—the nicest woman he knew besides Kurenai. Unfortunately, she seemed to always think he was too skinny.

 _If I go there, I'll end up eating way too much out of obligation to how much she cooks._

A huge dinner was the last thing he needed, especially with morning training scheduled for tomorrow by his mother.

 _With my luck, she'll push me until I puke if I go there._

Puking took too much energy, so that meant the Akimichi house was off the table.

The Yamanaka house was a whole new problem. Ino's parents wouldn't be too much trouble, but the girl herself would be. Ino could be high maintenance, like really high maintenance. She'd want to talk gossip or would want him to help around the flower shop, when all he wanted to do was get off his feet and relax. Then, at some point, she'd complain about his laziness.

It would be a total drag.

 _Guess I'll be heading to Kurenai's house_ , Shikamaru concluded as he dropped his hands.

He hoped they were home. If they weren't he'd find himself in the rain regardless, and that would just be troublesome.

With a shrug, Shikamaru turned around to head for the Yūhi household. As he began to walk, a flash of blue hair flying between the buildings caught his eye. His attention snapped up immediately.

 _'Risu?_ He knew that wild blue hair anywhere. Yet, in the brief seconds she was visible, something else, something more important about her appearance, ensnared him.

Tears. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

It would have been easy for any regular passerby to ignore it, to say the glistening tear he saw falling towards the earth was just a raindrop then continue on their way.

Shikamaru couldn't. He knew it was a tear. He knew she was in pain even without knowing why she would be or how it happened. He also knew 'Risu was heading farther away from her home and deeper into the storm.

On instinct he jumped up onto the buildings and began chasing after his cousin.

 _I'm not sure what's going on or where you're going 'Risu, but I know you. You suffer in silence because you don't want others to see you as a weakling._

Shikamaru frowned. _Troublesome girl, why don't you get it? Relying on others to help you doesn't make you weak. It's just another form of teamwork._

He'd have to set her straight with that later. First and foremost was catching up to her and deducing what the problem was.

 _I wonder if another memory of her cousin hit her._

It stood as the likeliest of possibilities. Shikamaru couldn't say he understood what she was enduring through. Couldn't offer the same old platitudes people often said to those who grieved.

What 'Risu was dealing with… She was suffering. Always. Ever since she woke up from the Tsukuyomi, he could see the lingering pain in her eye. The broken heart hidden behind the bravest face he'd ever seen.

The days after were a continuation of her ordeal—an ordeal she didn't always have the strength to fight through.

 _I'm not sure many people would be able to overcome what she's going through_ , he thought as he trailed behind her. _But 'Risu will get through this in time. I just wish she wasn't so damn fast._

'Risu was one of the fastest shinobi of their generation, so it was no surprise he couldn't make any damn head room in this chase.

 _I should try to figure out where she is going. If I can figure that out then I'll be able to follow her even if I lose her._

They definitely weren't heading towards her house or the houses of any of her teammates. The training fields were in the opposite direction and his house wasn't along their trajectory either, which left the already small list of locations she could go pretty much empty.

 _What's even over there?_ Shikamaru went over the layout of the entire village in his head, trying to remember if there was anything connected to Amari out this way.

As a lightning bolt crackled in the sky and the first raindrops began to fall, a bolt of realization hit the Nara.

 _The Uchiha District._

Ah, man. If it didn't fill him with so much dread, he'd be able to appreciate the genius of her plan. No one would think to look for her there. No one. They'd have a better chance at getting struck by lightning.

Genius as it was, the dread he felt made his stomach drop.

 _No doubt about it. She had to have relived some sort of memory to send her there of all places._ Shikamaru deliberated on shouting her name in attempt to gain her attention, but quickly dismissed it. Shouting at her wouldn't get her to stop; it'd only make her actually try to lose him.

He needed to bite his tongue and tail her for now. Soon this storm would unleash a torrential downpour, dimming his sense of sight and sense of hearing, which were critical to non-Sensory Types like him. If he acted on emotion and yelled to her then he'd only end up wandering the large district aimlessly in the middle of a storm.

So, Shikamaru kept his mouth shut against emotional instinct and continued to tail her across rooftops to the abandoned district.

The farther he followed her, the heavier the rain fell. Pattering rain no longer accurately described the assault on his hearing; it sounded like hundreds of thousands shinobi charging in to war. Not only did the rain come down sideways in sheets, the wind gusted roughly, turning drops of rain into senbons pelting every inch of his body.

The unending shroud of rain covered the entire Uchiha District. A chill penetrated Shikamaru's body, whether it was caused by the cold rain and wind or the ominous aura of the district was hard to say.

Shikamaru had never seen a place so….empty. He had been out at night in the Leaf when there were few people strolling about, but there was always a sign of life—a light on in a house, a patrol, a street lamp—somewhere.

This district had no signs of life whatsoever. No lights, no patrols, nothing. The buildings showed signs of wear and tear from lack of upkeep; mold stained some of the outdoor walls, outdoor plants were either over grown or dead.

It was as haunting as it was disheartening to see.

 _I get why it's like this, but it makes me feel even more uneasy than I already felt about all of this._ He landed on what used to be someone's home and jumped again to another house; as he floated between buildings he couldn't help but look around as far as his eyes could penetrate through the rain.

 _The last moments of this district were lived in terror._ Shikamaru shook his head. _Man, I don't know if I'm just being superstitious or not, but it's like the terror still lives on here._

He shook his head again to shake the chill off unsuccessfully and pinned his eyes to the soaked kunoichi he was tailing.

 _Just have to stay focused on 'Risu._

From what he could see of her, which wasn't much, the natural wild hair she was gifted with had its life stolen by the rain. Now the wild tresses stuck to her skin, straight as dry noodles, ironically.

Shikamaru wasn't in any better condition. The rain thoroughly drenched him from his head to his toes. The pony-tailed portion of his hair had fallen and now stuck to the back of his neck, which would've annoyed him the most if his mesh shirt wasn't suctioned to his torso. Each step he took was accented by the squelching sound of his waterlogged sandals.

Needless to say, any chance of _not_ getting wet had the same success ratio as using tissue paper to absorb a flood. Normally he would call it troublesome, but not this time. His 'Risu needed him right now; for her he'd ignore the shiver inducing needle-like rain until he was able to bring her home.

The chase led them away from the unpopulated buildings and towards a large hill that overlooked the Nakano River. Amari disappeared in a burst of speed that his eyes couldn't track, but he didn't need to see her to know where she went.

 _She's going to the top of the hill, for what reason though? Is 'Risu planning on staying out for the entirety of this storm?_

That just wasn't going to fly. 'Risu only recently returned from the Land of Snow; there was no way he'd let her get sick after making it back from her mission unscathed. _Talk about troublesome._

As he carefully proceeded up the hill so he didn't slip on the slick grass and get a face full of mud, Shikamaru considered the possibilities of _why_ 'Risu chose here off all places to go.

 _Maybe her memory has some connection to this place or something._

Amari's past was a giant mystery to all of them. Well, everyone except certain adults. There was no telling what kind of memories were locked within her mind or what could accidentally trigger her to remember something.

Could this place have something to do with the memory? Yes it could, but so could every corner of the Uchiha District or the rest of the Village.

There was something else bothering Shikamaru, though. Why had she been running away from the training fields? Why did she choose to hide where there was no shelter from the storm? Sure it'd be the perfect hiding place that no one would look, but once again it had the major flaw of falling ill thanks to the rain.

 _Obviously she didn't want her teammates to see her like this, but why go to this length to hide?_

Something was severely fishy here, and Shikamaru planned to find out. But only _after_ he got 'Risu back indoors and made sure she was okay.

He made it to the top of the hill and slowed his run down to a walk. Then a complete stop.

At the edge of the hill, Amari knelt on her knees, her right hand covering her eye as her left hands fingers curled around the edge of her shorts. Over the sound of the rain and through the darkness of the storm he could hear her broken sobs and see her body quiver and quake in emotional agony rather than physical.

' _Risu…_ A sorrowful frown pulled his lips downward as a wave of déjà vu hit him. He could still recall the first time seeing and hearing his cousin in pain; he could still remember holding her as she cried underneath that tree, bruised, cuts open on her face, right hand broken.

Back then he hadn't expected it could ever be any worse than that.

He was wrong, so wrong.

Each sob was like a solid blow straight to the heart, capable of bringing on physical pain. _Anyone who says heartache isn't real doesn't know what it's like to hear the pain of someone they love. This…_ His eyes drifted down to the ground. _This hurts more than any physical attack I've ever been hit by._

He…he had to make this stop. No one deserved to be burdened by such suffering. No one should ever bear something like this alone.

Shikamaru found his feet and approached her, each step forward announcing his presence with a louder squelch than the last.

If Amari heard or sensed his presence then she either didn't care or was waiting to take off like a scared deer as soon as he let his guard down.

Shikamaru doubted any plan of running; it was clear that her intense grief couldn't be held back any longer. It paralyzed her. Left her gasping for air while silently reaching out an invisible hand in the hope someone noticed she was drowning in an ocean of turmoil.

When he reached her, he placed a hand on her shoulder. He hoped it was comforting, that at the least she wouldn't feel alone. The action was met with no resistance or tensing. She just continued to let out all the pain she needed to let loose as he remained silent.

No words he could think of to say seemed appropriate; most seemed dumb, if he were honest. What good was asking "are you okay" at a time when he knew she wasn't? Why ask "what's wrong" when very little was still right? Why would he say anything like "I'm here for you" when she knew he was?

Maybe it didn't matter if they sounded stupid. Maybe consolation could be found in them. Maybe the words, hollow as they were, helped to give the sufferer something or someone to cling to in their time of need. Maybe he just wasn't good at the whole comforting gig; it wasn't like he was the most emotionally adept person.

He dealt in logic rather than emotion… Or maybe that was just an excuse to cover up the fact he actually did pay attention to how others felt and tried his best to help when he was needed.

" _You see a lot more than you let people believe, Shika. Even I know that."_

Maybe. Shikamaru didn't think much on it. 'Risu needed his support more than a tactical analysis of his own troublesome thought patterns.

So what was the best plan here? Should he offer some sort of words to try to help? Or was it better to let his actions speak louder than his words could? What was the best way to help the sobbing kunoichi so they could move into a shelter and continue soothing her breaking heart in the warmth of a house?

He rolled the questions around in his head for a minute or two, contemplating the best course of action that wouldn't cause 'Risu any extra suffering.

 _Hmm. What was it that Mimi said before 'Risu was out of the hospital?_

" _Shikamaru, you have keen eyes when it comes to Amari. Keep an eye on her when she's around."_

" _All right, but why?"_

" _There's no guarantee Kurenai-sensei and Kakashi-sensei will be around to help thanks to the state of our Village. She's going to need support to get through all of this, but she'll try to shoulder as much of it as she can."_

" _That's my 'Risu."_

" _I know you're not an idiot so don't try playing coy with me. You can see how different this is compared to anything else she's dealt with. This is the loss of someone precious to her, not some bullies or other crap."_

" _Yeah, I know," he admitted, although he wasn't happy about it._

 _Acknowledging that his cousin was taking on the largest emotional struggle she had yet to face only ever made him worry more._

" _That troublesome girl would hold it all in if she could to make sure no one saw her cry. She hates crying in front of people, makes her think others will see her as a weakling."_

" _It's more than just being perceived as a weakling, Shikamaru. People like her don't let others see their pain because they don't want to be seen as a burden. She doesn't want to become a glass doll everyone has to tiptoe around out of fear she'll crack at the slightest pressure."_

" _Sounds like something she would believe. But how do you know how she feels?"_

" _Because I've been there before. You don't want her to delve into that bottomless pit of pain, trust me. I know what it's like. I know how dark and lonely it gets down there and I refuse to let her go through the same hell I went through. That's why I'm telling you to pay attention when you're around her."_

" _All right. I'll keep an eye on her. And Mimi?"_

" _Yeah?"_

" _Thanks for looking out for 'Risu."_

" _No need to thank me, Slacker. I'm just looking out for my sister."_

Shikamaru shut his eyes and let out a breath through his mouth. _I wonder how long she's been holding all of this in. Has it been since before the Land of Snow, or was this caused by an intense memory._

He let out another breath and opened his eyes to peer down at his sobbing cousin. _Either way, my silent presence will make 'Risu believe I'll start treating her like she's made of glass just like Mimi said. So what's the plan? What do I say to help her get through this?_

He tried to think of something meaningful to say, but no matter how hard he thought about it, the words that came to mind never felt right. They still felt hollow, like he was just saying them to say them.

The problem was silence wasn't the answer to this situation. He had to say something. Even if his words were clumsy or corny, he had to speak from his heart to help her. _It's what she would do._

With his heart in control, his mouth opened to form clumsy words his mind didn't have the time to analyze. "I've never been the best at expressing how I feel," he started slowly, attempting to find his footing in this speech. "In fact, I don't think I've ever actually told you that I loved you out loud."

His words gained the attention of his crying cousin. She turned her head just enough to see his conflicted features, dripping with rain as he stumbled through his emotions. "I…I guess I never thought it was necessary. You and I have always able to convey how we felt through gestures and looks. It made words seem pointless."

 _Stop rambling, idiot. Get to the point of what you're trying to say_ , Shikamaru reprimanded. He needed to stop fumbling around and say what he felt. If he didn't then his words really would be pointless.

"I wish you didn't have to bear this burden of suffering, but there's nothing I can say that will ever take away the pain of losing your family, no matter how much I wish I could."

And boy did he wish he could take away every ounce of pain she had gone through. He wished he could make it so she didn't suffer from the memories of what she lost or the pain of an attack she continued to relive.

Unfortunately he was just a lazy boy with too much intelligence and an ability to control shadows.

 _I'm not exactly a shining white knight by any stretch of the imagination, but…_

"But even though I don't have the power to take away your pain," he continued out loud, "I want you to know that I'm here for you whenever you need me. Always have been, always will be. You're my cousin, after all. But— hey!"

'Risu's body crashing into his knocked the breath from Shikamaru. He stumbled back a step before bracing himself. Then, with a bewildered look on his face, he looked down at the girl who had attached her soaking wet body to his and buried her face into his chest.

 _Was it something I said?_ Shikamaru wondered. Mentally he shrugged it off and sighed. _And I didn't even get to finish everything I wanted to say._ He sighed again and wrapped his arms around his cousin. _Oh well, I guess I can still say it now._

"You don't have to be afraid of showing what you feel, 'Risu. You're the strongest person I know. No tears will ever make me think anything less of you," he told her truthfully.

"The way you endure through this pain takes real strength. What you've gone through would have destroyed lesser men and women, but not you. You never give up, no matter what. It's why I know with one hundred percent certainty that you'll get through this, that you'll always bounce back."

She held him tighter, a sign that he was reaching her heart with his words. Now it was time to drive the point home, to get her to understand that she didn't have to be a lone warrior fighting against an army.

"But you don't need to do it alone. There are people around you that would fight side by side with you through hell and back all for the sole reason that they care whether or not you make it home safe. You just have to let us help, even if it is only a little bit, all right?"

Amari nodded into his chest but said nothing. That was okay. Shikamaru could tell from the nod alone and the shaky sobs that he got through to her.

 _I'm not sure why Shisui chose a slacker like me to take care of her, but…_ Shikamaru shut his eyes and held her a little tighter, determined to stand with her until she was ready to go. _You won't regret it. I promise._

Several minutes passed by with the cousins standing there in the rain, one crying while the other offered what silent support he could as the clouds above them lit up with flashes of lightning. When the rain momentarily lightened up, Shikamaru opened his eyes.

 _We should head back before the storm picks up again._ This storm was probably going to last long into the night.

"Let's head to my house. Our mothers will kill us if we catch a cold."

Amari gave a short nod and reluctantly released him. Before she could go anywhere on her own, he turned around and bent forward. "Come on, I'll carry you."

"Shika…"

"It'll be easier for you to get your thoughts straight if you don't have to focus on running in this storm," he deflated her weak attempt to argue. He put his arms out in preparation to carry her. "Come on, don't be troublesome. We're already going to have to deal with my mother, and that's going to be a drag."

'Risu climbed onto his back without any other debate. After bracing her properly, Shikamaru took off towards his home. His words hadn't solved everything, but he was content knowing he'd provided his cousin some solid ground to stand on.

 _I'll always be here for you 'Risu, whenever you need me._

* * *

"Shisui?"

Shisui hummed and turned his head to look back at Haya. She was still stained with tomatoes, but despite that her mood had improved dramatically since they left the bullies behind them and grabbed some dango.

Itachi and Aimi shadowed him on both sides, the kunoichi of the pair with Haya's school books under one arm and an empty stick clenched between her teeth while Itachi savored the final pieces on his.

Not a single bruise or scratch marked them.

Shisui carried Haya on his back, who was both emotionally drained and physically from keeping her Sharingan active for so long. She rested her head on his shoulder, onyx eyes revealing her exhaustion as well as the question sitting at the tip of her tongue.

"You okay?" he asked, wondering if she was uncomfortable, hungry, or deep in thought about what had transpired minutes before.

"…I was just wondering if you guys meant what you said," she said in a shy whisper.

He smiled back at her and gave her a teasing look for speaking in such a quiet voice. His look made her blush and dart her eyes away. Seeing it kept his smile alive.

"You'll have to be a little more specific than that, little sis." He lowered his voice to a conspiring whisper, "And raise your voice so Itachi and Aimi can hear you. You know how they are when they're near each other; their heads are up in the clouds as they daydream about each other."

Haya's giggle made the slap and punch to his arms totally worth it. Shisui joined her giggle with his own snicker. Itachi and Aimi rolled their eyes and shook their heads at him.

 _They never said they didn't do it_ , he thought but decided not to say. He didn't want to accidentally drop Haya because his best friends attacked him while in a fit of flustered embarrassment.

Once their laughter died down, his cousin spoke again. "I meant about the whole training stuff…and the thing you said about me surpassing you." Again she lowered her voice into a whisper at the end of her restated question.

Shisui smiled back at her then turned his head to look at his friends. "I don't know, let's ask them. Are you two going to help me train Haya? Or will you—"

"If you insinuate we'll be too busy with our heads in the clouds again or something else of that sort, I will steal Haya off your back and then show her how to pummel you, Shisui," Aimi warned.

Shisui grinned. Oh he was so going to tease them later. "I think that's a yes."

Aimi looked back at the pair and offered a kind smile to the young girl. "Of course we will, my little sweet. We will help as long as you need us to."

Itachi offered a smile and a nod of agreement to the kunoichi's statement then turned his attention back to his final piece of dango. Sweets and Aimi would always be Itachi's greatest weaknesses.

"…Thank you," Haya thanked shyly. "I…I don't want to be a…a weakling anymore. I wouldn't have been able to defend myself if you three didn't save me."

Shisui's smile fell as he looked down at the ground, the guilt hitting him again. _If I was even one second later…_

He didn't want to finish the thought.

It had been Aimi who told the second-in-command of the bullies they'd train Haya, while she had him planted beneath her foot. It was a promise they'd all go through with. Until they were able to calm the Clan down, Haya needed to be able to defend herself.

 _I just want her to be safe. If tension within the Clan continues to rise, someone else might get bold again and target her_. It was a sad reality, but not one he would ignore because of optimism. _We'll train her, but until then I'll ask Atsuko to have some crows start shadowing her._

"You're not a weakling," he assured her. "Don't forget what Aimi said back there. There is more to strength than the power you gain through training." He looked back at his cousin again with a meaningful stare. "You already have that strength within you, Haya. It's buried beneath your self-doubt, hidden from your own eyes. We'll help guide you to it, and when you find it, you'll be amazed at the power you possess."

"…I hope so," she replied as she kept her eyes pointed away from him in shyness. "…Did you really mean what you said about me surpassing you?"

Shisui smiled as he recalled his own words.

 _Shisui had the leader pinned against the fence, the fabric of his shirt held tightly in his hands. They had just finished their…friendly discussion on what would happen if he even looked aggressively in Haya's direction._

 _Now their conversation was coming to a close, but not without the leader managing one last attempt at an insult through his labored breaths._

" _You're…protecting a weakling. She'll never…be as strong as you."_

 _"You're right, she won't be as strong as me," Shisui started. He let his lips curl into a confident smirk. "Haya will surpass me in every way. I guarantee it."_

He let him collapse into the dirt after that. There was no need for other words between them, not if he intended to continue insulting his dear cousin.

"Of course I meant it," he replied to Haya's shy inquiry. She buried her face further into his back to hide her blush, the sight of which made him laugh lightly. _She's too cute._ "You'll surpass me, Pops and Mama Nara, I know it. But I need you to promise me one thing."

"…What?" she mumbled into his back.

Although she wasn't meeting his eyes, his features shifted serious. "Never allow arrogance or hatred blind you." Haya raised her shy and curious eyes enough to meet his. "Everything we do has an effect on the people we care for. Our hearts can be sincere and yet still hurt others, or even hurt ourselves without ever realizing it.

"When hatred and arrogance blinds you, you can't see if what you're saying or doing is hurting the people you love most. So promise me you won't ever become too arrogant or let your hatred guide you."

Haya nodded into his back. "I promise."

"Good. Now let's go get you home so we can get you all cleaned up."

"…I smell like a tomato, don't I?"

The three older Uchiha shared a hearty laugh at the innocence of her question. Their laughter only made Haya bury her face further into his back and groan.

"Don't worry, little sis," Shisui said, chuckling as he did. "We'll get you cleaned up and Aimi will make sure your hair is taken care of."

"That I will. Don't worry, my little sweet, your hair will make all the girls at the Academy jealous after I am done with it."

Haya mumbled a shy thank you and the group continued on their way.

As they neared their house, Haya nuzzled into the crook of Shisui's neck. "…Shisui?" He hummed in response to her quiet voice. "I love you."

He nuzzled her back, grinning as he did. "I love you too, little sis."

* * *

As the ending of the memory faded from her mind for the first time, Amari nuzzled into her cousin and hugged him tighter. "Shika?"

He hummed in reply.

The words meant to tell him how much she cared for him, how much his previous words meant to her and how thankful she was for him coming after her faltered in her throat, almost making her fall back into the tears she had managed to stop.

"I love you too, 'Risu," Shikamaru told her after her prolonged silence.

Hearing the words brought on happy tears as a smile curled onto her lips.

 _I love you, Shika. Thank you._

* * *

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: Luckily for Amari, her loyal Shikamaru swooped in to pull her away from the darkness, and through her memory, Shisui imparted more wisdom onto her to reflect upon. As well as his love._

 _We'll see how everything plays out between the other three members of Team Seven in the next update, and how the memories Amari imparted onto Sasuke affect his outlook as the story continues forward._

 _Those are definitely going to be interesting debates, for the reasons you mention and Amari's beliefs. I look forward to posting those chapters._

 _And good old Obito/Madara/Tobi without a doubt knows her existence. One of these days they'll meet._

 _Thank you for the review!_


	76. Chapter 75: A Lost Shadow

Chapter 75

Through the Eyes of Another: A Lost Shadow

Sakura walked alongside Naruto towards the training field, healed, an excited bounce in her step.

Finally, after an eternity of bed-rest, she was free. The cast that restrained her right arm no longer immobilized her. The hospital walls that served as her prison and the _sharp_ aroma of disinfectant were replaced by the open Village and the earthy smell that preceded a rainstorm.

But more important than the removal of the cast, more important than the open—if not storm cloud ridden—sky and fresh air, Sakura was officially on the active duty roster again.

It'd been a long week. Long and introspective. In the moments between recovery and physical therapy, when she sat alone within the walls, looking out at Konoha from her window, Sakura reflected heavily on herself, her role in Team Seven and their time as a team. She barely recognized the long-haired, love obsessed, naïve girl she used to be; she looked like a stranger in the mirror—a twin who resembled her physical appearance, but wielded a misplaced ego and childish attitude that made Sakura cringe.

The Land of Waves broke that girl down, shattered her ridiculous ego, overbearing attitude and naiveté into indistinguishable pieces, forcing her to confront reality: Being book smart did not translate into anything remarkable when compared to the talent and skill of Sasuke and Amari, or the true courage and conviction Naruto and Amari possessed.

Without Amari picking up the shattered pieces of the not-so-great or talented Sakura Haruno, she may not have ever recovered. But Amari helped remold her into someone new. _No, Amari would never say that_ , Sakura ducked her head to hide her affectionate smile. _She'd say she only guided me in the right direction, while I walked the path._

Either way, it was thanks to Amari she began on a path towards becoming someone stronger in spirit and physicality. Someone she could be proud of.

But through all the tough battles, through the harsh realities of shinobi life confronting and deconstructing their naïve perspectives of the world, through the emotional peaks and valleys, she never received a single debilitating injury. Not until the Land of Snow—their _third_ A-rank mission.

Prior to the Forest of Death, her place on the battlefield was the background, away from the worst of danger while her teammates and sensei fought for their lives, and she stood uselessly behind them.

The others protected her, sheltered her from harm like a newborn. They had to. Her lack of strength rendered her useless in battle; she became a glorified cheerleader while her teammates threw themselves into danger again and again, receiving injuries and risking death as she remained unharmed.

Upon reflection, she felt guilty. How many times did they have to stick their necks out for her? How many injuries could have been avoided if she had been of any use at all?

Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi and Amari exhausted themselves of chakra or earned a serious injury at some point since their team formation—especially Amari. Yet she, the sole shinobi not pulling her weight, remained physically unharmed. It was unfair to them.

That's what made her broken hand so important. It was a badge of honor, a symbol that proved she wasn't a just a cheerleader in the background anymore. She was growing. Maturing from the useless girl who pretended she was already a shinobi into someone who actively worked towards earning that title.

" _Tell me, do you brats think wearing that headband really makes you a shinobi? Don't be ridiculous. When you've hovered between life and death so many times it doesn't faze you then you_ _ **may**_ _be called a shinobi. When you've become so deadly your profile is entered into my bingo book then you_ _ **may**_ _have earned the title of shinobi. But to call upstarts like you shinobi is a bad joke."_

"He wasn't wrong," Sakura murmured.

"Hm? What'd you say, Sakura?" Naruto asked.

The kunoichi looked at her teammate and his curious expression. She offered a bashful smile. "Oh, uh, I was…just thinking about something Zabuza said, back when you guys first fought him."

"Hm." Naruto hummed and looked up to the sky. "We've encountered a lot of tough people since then like Orochimaru, Gaara and Hikari and those Akatsuki guys. But when I think back on it, there's something about our fights with Zabuza and Haku. Something different. Orochimaru is just evil, treating people like they are just dolls he can experiment on and throw away when he gets bored. Gaara and Hikari were… It's hard to explain."

Hard to explain, maybe, but Sakura understood.

"And those Akatsuki guys were obviously stronger than Zabuza and Haku if they could take on Kakashi-sensei, Kurenai-sensei and Asuma-sensei at the same time. But that fight on the bridge… I think… I _feel_ like we each lost something that day, even if we didn't die." Naruto scratched at his chin. "I don't know. It sounds weird when I say it out loud. Or maybe I'm not explaining it right. I just… That battle changed _everything_ , you know?"

Sakura nodded. "It really did," she agreed. "I remember Amari saying something like what you just did to me once. She said, 'I sacrificed a piece of my heart and soul on that bridge. It's a part of the foundations now; no one can see it, no one will ever even know it's there, but that piece of me will always be there—out of my reach. But it's not alone, and what I gained in return is irreplaceable.'"

"Yeah!" Naruto nodded enthusiastically. "That's exactly it! I know that something in me changed that day; it'd be impossible to stay the same after everything Haku said to me, and after what Amari did to save him. I just never knew how to word it right to express that there was something else besides losing that piece. We all gained something, too."

Again, Sakura nodded in agreement. The battle tore away the veil of their self-assured egos and blinded hypocrisies to face reality. To see their reflections and the world around them with cleared eyes.

Through the battle and its aftermath, they awoke to a world where a man's soul struggled against the demon created by the cruelty of Blood Mist Village and the human heart beneath the surface. They witnessed a young boy whose heart was torn between his duty to his purpose and his heart begging him to stop hurting his kindred spirit.

A kindred spirit who shattered when pushed to the brink. Who reached out with a bloody, trembling, scarred hand as she cried _for_ him in a final plea to stop the fight.

Naruto was absolutely right: The battle against Zabuza and Haku changed _everything_. It altered every single one of them, opened their eyes to the grey area in their world of shinobi.

Still, this injury she gained in the Land of Snow proved another fact: She wasn't finished maturing yet. She needed to refine this power. Needed to keep her skills sharp so she could continue to grow.

Staying at the hospital became an inconvenience. While there, Sakura did everything she could to avoid literally climbing the walls of her hospital room with chakra on her feet to pass the time. Meditation, physical therapy, she even did one armed push-ups once just to settle her fidgeting muscles, which earned her a scolding from the nurse who found her.

The whole experience frustrated her. Left her restless. _And I was only there for a week. Lee must be stir-crazy._ He'd been there since the conclusion of the preliminary rounds. His team, his friends, everyone was continuing on their paths as shinobi, training to become stronger, and yet he was stuck in the sterile prison, wasting away as days passed without care to his dreams or his goals.

His dreams sat in an indefinite holding formation while others dashed past them, chasing their own dreams.

Thankfully, his goals and dreams would not be swept out from under them by an injury, nor would Lee of all people ever dream of conceding to defeat. Within the next two weeks Lady Tsunade would perform the procedure on Lee, and then he'd be able to rejoin his team and return to following his ninja way.

Sakura was overjoyed for him. Lee's fate had been unknown even to his closest friends ever since the preliminary rounds. Would he be able to return to active duty? Would he ever truly be able to access his full potential again? What if he wasn't able to? What if he was forced to give up his life as a shinobi?

Only Mimi refused to see anything less than a full recovery as a possibility. Others had silent fears they never shared. Fears, Sakura assumed, were formed by their experiences with the merciless world they lived in.

 _I wonder if they've made their first kills too._

It was a possibility. Her own experience was…strange. In the end, her punch had only shattered Mizore's armor, not killed him. The volatile reaction of Mizore's and Fubuki's armor was truly what ended their lives.

Maybe that made it easier to rationalize their deaths. Sakura avoided dwelling on any of it.

Out of sight, out of mind, as the old proverb said.

Now that she was healed it was time to focus on her training.

 _If I can figure this out, my strikes could be as powerful as Lady Tsunade's._

Sakura lifted her hand up and stared down at the healed appendage. Back in the Academy she would have been naïve enough to think she was smart enough and strong enough to do it with ease, as if it wouldn't take any real training to achieve.

She knew better now. This new goal would require an intense devotion and some serious training if she ever wanted to be able to have strength like their Hokage. Sakura opened and closed her hand a few times, reassuring herself that she could still use it like she could before, then squeezed her hand into a tight fist, smiling as she did.

 _I'm ready for the challenge._

"Are you sure your hand is ready for training?" Naruto asked, watching her movements carefully.

She turned her smile to Naruto. "Yep. Between the Medical Ninjutsu and the physical therapy, I'm back at one hundred percent. But thank you for asking."

Naruto grinned brightly back at her and clasped his hands behind his head. "Looking out for each other is what teammates are for, right?"

"Right," she replied, smiling just a bit bigger because of him.

 _Naruto… I used to think so poorly of you. I treated you terribly, all while I acted so high and mighty. I never even tried to get to know the real you, because I was so certain I knew everything. But I was wrong._

 _I'll do my best to be a better teammate._

The pair made their way from the slightly populated streets of Konoha—civilians and shinobi alike entered and exited shops of all varieties, some rushing out and down the street hastily to avoid the incoming storm—and out to the training fields. The wind whistled through the trees and dashed playfully over the grassy fields, making the leaves dance and the blades of grass bend and bow. The air had a chill to it.

Sakura was certain they'd find Amari at the training field already. Sasuke, too. The storm presented an ominous threat, but she hoped—in futility—it might still break apart so they could train. If it didn't then they'd likely all head to the Yūhi household to hang out as a team, and to take shelter from the storm.

On the chance training was canceled, Sakura planned to ask Amari to join her in yoga so she could stretch out the kinks in her body; she felt stiff as a thousand year old stale loaf of bread.

While she could stretch alone, she preferred to have a partner, and Amari was the only practitioner of yoga among their team.

At least that's the reason she told herself.

"I still can't believe this storm had to choose today of all days to come," Naruto half stated, half whined. "I was really looking forward to finally getting some training in after all those D-rank missions Granny gave us."

Sakura giggled. She'd heard all about recent events from Amari, especially the stacks of missions they'd been given. Her fellow kunoichi tried to visit every day to catch her up on the latest or simply to hang out to ease Sakura's boredom, though that wasn't always possible.

Amari always apologized. Sakura always waved it off and verbalized her appreciation.

And every time she left, Sakura would wonder about that night on the ship. About what they'd almost done. How she wanted to discuss it with Amari, to figure out what it all meant and what these feelings she still felt were…but failed to, always with a promise of " _next_ time."

There'd been several "next times" so far.

What about Sasuke, who she still felt strongly for? What about Haku, who Amari shared such a deep, personal connection with? What about…them. Their feelings. Their bond. What did this all mean?

Sakura shook the thought off. Next time. Next time she'd bring it up.

"How is that _second_ stack coming?" she asked to Naruto, amused.

The boy let out a startled whine. "Ahhh, don't tell me Amari told you about that?" Again she giggled. "You don't understand, Sakura, the missions are _soooo_ boring, and they never end!"

He began flailing his arms about as he spoke. "It's like Grandma Tsunade is punishing us for doing so well in the Land of Snow! I've had to deliver meals, mail, lost pets, and on one delivery I had to listen to an old grandma talk about _and_ show me her bunions!" Naruto shuddered visibly. "I don't think I'll ever look at feet the same way again."

At the sight of him shuddering again, Sakura spared him a sympathetic look while trying to hide her smile. If it could get that much of a reaction out of him, she didn't want to imagine it.

"Just be happy you haven't been cooped up inside the hospital with only one hand this whole time," she said.

"Yeah, I guess you're righ—"

"Well, you know what I think? I think the Uchiha Clan can go to hell!"

Sakura and Naruto both halted, features tugging into shock at the furious voice.

"That sounded like Amari," she said.

"But why does she sound so angry?" Naruto questioned.

Their casual stroll changed into a haste filled walk, quickly turning into a run.

"Every single one of you don't deserve peace in the next life. All of you selfish, narcissistic, simpleminded, self-victimization, ego-maniacal bastards could never see what was most important in life. The Clan this, the Clan that. The Clan doesn't want half-breeds. Half-breeds only lower our status!"

The pair was at a full sprint by that time. They broke through the surrounding trees, where they found their other two teammates facing off near the river bank.

Sasuke stumbled away from what appeared to be a push. "I hope they're all _burning_! I hope all of the torment they put me and all the other kids just like me through is thrown back on them one hundred fold!"

 _Why are they fighting? What happened?_

Worry sewed itself into the kunoichi's heart. For Amari to verbally lash out at Sasuke was bad, but it was her words that concerned Sakura the most. Spitting venom at the Uchiha Clan? Using the insult of "half-breed" as she did it?

Sakura didn't want to believe Sasuke actually stooped so low to call her that—she couldn't believe it. The two were too close for something like that. It would be like expecting Naruto to say it to her.

 _So why is she yelling at him and telling him the Uchiha Clan can go to hell? It's not like Amari to lash out for no reason. Only enemies and people acting like Neji and Koyuki have ever managed to get a reaction like that out of her,_ the voice of doubt whispered to her.

She tried to shut the voice out. Right now wasn't the time to think about it. She needed to get her to calm down so they could talk this out.

"Hey! Stop, both of you!" she shouted at the pair.

Amari glanced in their direction. An unnatural chill shot down Sakura's spine as the pinwheel eye stared right through her, glowing through the gaps of her fingers.

 _That eye…is that the Mangekyō Sharingan?_

It had to be. What else could it be? The normal Sharingan didn't look like a four-pointed star, sharpened to cut and kill anyone who came into contact with it. It was no wonder Sasuke looked over at them, fearful and rooted in his spot. Even at a distance, the sight of the eye, Sakura swore she saw a dark demon forming behind Amari.

Anger, hurt, grief, darkness, Sakura could see it all boiling within the churning red sea. Looking at her, it was Amari, but it wasn't. She was a stranger. Someone different.

Someone like Gaara. Someone lost to darkness.

This stranger frightened Sakura.

At that moment, while crimson locked with emerald, the person who wasn't Amari blinked, and her teammate appeared again, as if being startled awake. The Mangekyō receded into a normal Sharingan, the darkness vanished. Amari looked shocked. Still hurt. Still angry. Still consumed by grief, but she looked scared…of herself.

Then determination crossed her face, as if she had just decided to take fate into her own hands.

Amari pinned her gaze back onto Sasuke.

They were almost within arm's reach. Sakura and Naruto both reached their hands out to grab her, to pull her in, intent on soothing the pain before mending the tangible gap between her and Sasuke. Just a little closer…

Their hands grasped air.

"Amari!" they both shouted, hoping to stop her.

Sakura and Naruto began to hurriedly examine the surrounding area, trying to find any trail left behind by the Body Flicker user before…

She was gone.

"So fast," Sakura muttered to herself.

"Damn it! Where did she go? Where did she go?" Naruto said.

"Sasuke, what happened? Why did she—" Sakura paused as she looked at Sasuke again. His entire body appeared stiff, like he'd been frozen solid by crystalized ice. His eyes were glued to Amari's previous location, unfocused yet fearful, looking there but not seeing anything. A drop of sweat trailed down his brow.

The kunoichi approached him cautiously and reached her hand out to touch him.

"Sasuke?"

The touch of her hand on his shoulder seemed to send a bolt of electricity through Sasuke's body. He shook awake with a sharp intake of breath. Startled, Sakura pulled her hand away and took a step back in preparation of an attack that never came.

Sasuke stumbled away from her and collapsed onto his butt. His breathing was so erratic, as if he'd just run a hundred laps around the entire Village.

 _He must have been put under a genjutsu_ , she theorized as she unclenched the fists she had made unconsciously. _But why? Was Amari just trying to prevent him from following her, or did she use something like Demonic Illusion: Death Mirage Jutsu?_

Another thing she didn't want to believe.

Sakura crouched down beside Sasuke. Behind her, Naruto grunted in a mix of frustration and reluctant defeat.

"Sasuke, are you okay?" she asked.

His eyes, no longer unfocused, darted around the area, scanning for Amari or the threat of Amari. Sakura wasn't sure which, but she hoped for the former. The fear in his eyes, it was palpable, mirrored to the fear he'd shown when they first fought Zabuza and Orochimaru.

Sakura wished there was something she could say. Some little bit of reassurance or comfort, to at least make the wild look of fear in his eyes go away.

"Where's Amari? Where did she go?" he asked in return, worry thick in his voice.

Sakura shook her head. "We don't know. It's only been a few seconds since she disappeared."

Sasuke's eyes bulged in surprise as they locked onto hers. "A…few seconds? That's it?"

She reaffirmed her statement with a nod. Inside, however, she felt worry choking the life out of her optimism. He shouldn't have been surprised. He should have been fully aware of his surroundings and how much time had passed. Yet he wasn't.

It reaffirmed her genjutsu theory, but she couldn't give voice to it. Her optimism was struggling fiercely to stay afloat. How long could it last, though? How much longer could she willingly deny what was so clear in front of her?

She swallowed the answer she didn't want to believe and decided to voice a question that would give her no choice in the matter. "What happened, Sasuke?"

Sasuke brought his left hand to his head and shut his eyes. "I saw…Amari's memories. Different points in her life; some were before the massacre, others were recent memories. It was like standing on the sidelines as I watched moments in her life happen, but I was subjected to every emotion she felt."

He clenched his right hand into a fist. "I can still see these foreign memories. I can see Shisui in that fūinjutsu, talking to her about what happened to the Clan. I can see my brother inside the Tsukuyomi he cast on her…and hear the things he told her. What he entrusted to her, it's…"

Sakura watched Sasuke's conflict with an aching heart. He looked on the verge of tears, like he just wanted to scream.

"She showed me how our Clan used to treat her; I think I even saw Shisui's memories of that day," he continued. "And I can still feel every shred of fear, sorrow, regret, happiness and pain that she felt as if I lived them myself." Sasuke, without warning, slammed his fist into the grass. "Damn it!"

Being so close to Sasuke, Sakura could feel the frustration and turmoil he directed at himself. Whatever happened between them hadn't been a part of his plan. None of this had been a part of anyone's plan. Something went awry, something that was putting as much distance between the two Uchiha members as Amari was putting between herself and her team.

Time was of the essence. They needed to mend this gap as fast as they could before it could stretch beyond their reach.

"Whatever pain you might have felt in those memories won't be anything compared to what I'm going to do to you if you don't tell us what you said to hurt Amari," Naruto threatened.

" _Naruto_!" Sakura chastised.

His angry stare didn't waver in the slightest. The intensity of his cerulean eyes bewildered Sakura. _It's like he's seeing him as a threat rather than a friend._

"Did you call her a half-breed?" he asked.

Sasuke said nothing and lowered his eyes to the ground. Naruto snarled at the silence and approached the boy aggressively. He crouched down and gripped Sasuke's shirt by the collar.

Silence was not the correct answer, apparently.

"I asked you a question, Sasuke." Sasuke mumbled something incoherently; Sakura couldn't make heads or tails of it. With a growl, Naruto gripped his shirt tighter and pulled him forwards so they were face to face. "Stop mumbling and answer me!"

"I didn't say it…but I was about to. That was enough," he admitted despondently.

Disappointed silence swept over them. Sakura felt herself instinctively lean away from him. He…actually went to call Amari such a callous and demeaning word. How could he… Why…

This whole time she tried to ignore reality for a fantasy. A fantasy where everything was perfect between her team and nothing could ever come between them.

That fantasy had shattered. She held on so tightly to the hope that to have them snatched away left her speechless and heartbroken. None of this was right. None of it.

Naruto's fist curled further into his teammate's shirt. "Why?! Why would you even think of calling her that?! She's your teammate! Your friend!"

Sasuke flinched and looked away. "I…didn't want to say it. It just…in the heat of the moment…"

Naruto shook the boy roughly. "Don't give me that crap! That's just a pathetic excuse for saying something you knew would hurt her!"

"Shut- shut up, you loser," Sasuke responded weakly. "You have no idea what happened or what she was saying before."

"Maybe not. But I do know there's no excuse for calling someone you care about a name like that. Definitely when Amari has only ever been kind and supportive to you. So you can keep giving me your excuses all day long, but at the end of the day you're either trying to hide from the reality of what you've done, or you're an uncaring bastard who hurts the people closest to him because it makes you feel better than them."

This time it was Sasuke's turn to growl. "Shut up, Naruto."

"Not until you tell me which one you are. Are you one of those Clan bullies who treated her like a worthless piece of trash? Or are you the friend who let his emotions get the better of him and regrets saying something stupid and hurtful so much that he's trying to hide from it? Because one of those ends with my fist in your face, and I need to know if I have to protect Amari from someone she considered a brother and someone I considered my best friend!"

 _Naruto…_ A small part of Sakura wanted to try to calm him down, to tell him he was being irrationally angry at Sasuke. But the majority of her heart was behind him. Heat of the moment or not, there was no excuse for calling Amari a half-breed.

"I said shut up!" Sasuke went to push Naruto away but didn't get anywhere. "You think I wanted this to happen?! Is that what that tiny brain of yours thinks? All I wanted was to get some answers about our past and apologize for what my brother did to her family! That's what I wanted to do!"

"Then why did you try to call her a half-breed?"

"I. Don't. Know!" Sasuke snarled through grit teeth. "She started talking about how Shisui and Atsuko told her someone else besides my brother and Aimi are responsible for the massacre. That they were forced to do it!"

"So you lashed out at her for believing two people who would never lie to her?"

He pointed to himself. "My brother made me watch him slaughter our family over and over again. So yeah, when she told me they didn't have a choice, I snapped at her. What the hell would you do?!"

"I would have listened to her! And I definitely wouldn't have called her a half-breed!"

Sakura could only watch as her teammates argued back and forth, her head moving from one to the other like she was watching a ball passed between them. Inside, her heart was hurting. Why was everyone yelling at each other? They were supposed to be a team. Why couldn't they just stop and see that this was splitting them apart?

 _Why can't I stop them?_ Here she was again, standing in the background as she watched her teammates fighting each other. Useless. Completely useless.

Sakura lowered her eyes to her lap, resigning to defeat. Like always.

 _No matter how strong I get, I never seem to change. It's like there's a brick wall in front of me…and as the others climb over it easily, I'm stuck behind it, struggling to keep up_. She let her eyes wander until they fell onto her healed hand.

 _No_. No. Not this time. She refused to resign to defeat so easily. She refused to just stand in the background and let this continue. These thickheaded idiots, they were being selfish. They were making this about _them_ , about their stupid emotions and their guilt, just like she almost had that night on their return from the Land of Snow.

She wouldn't stand back and watch as her teammates tore themselves to shreds over this. No way. Amari wasn't here to be the balancing point or to remind her of her own strength. Amari had done everything she possibly could to show her the right path, to give her guidance and show her that she could walk side by side with them if she pushed herself.

Sakura had pushed herself harder than she ever had before to show Amari that her steadfast belief wasn't misplaced. But more than that, she pushed to prove it to herself that she could be strong. That she could be more than the weakest link.

Hours upon hour she trained, putting every ounce of her will into her goal to no longer stand in the background, but stand side by side with her teammates. She hadn't been able to be there to help her team against the three Akatsuki members. She was too slow, too late to be of any help.

 _Never again_ , she swore on the way back to Konoha as she looked at the defeated kunoichi and her mother.

Amari was still recovering from the culmination of remembering and losing her cousin as well as the massacre of the samurai. She'd seen it. Stayed with her and comforted her when she needed it most.

Right now, Amari needed her to be the balancing point. It was time for her to take the lead and take some of the weight off Amari's shoulders, that way she could focus on healing her heart.

"Oh right, because you're so perfect! How stupid of me to assume you would make a mistake!" Sasuke fired back.

"Both of you shut up!" Sakura shouted over them both.

They both flinched and shut their mouths. Immediately.

This was her chance to once again prove to herself and her team that she had a place among them, that she was strong enough to stand up for what she knew was right in her heart.

 _They're no different than me and Ino. So caught up in their stupid emotions that they don't see what they're doing to each other._

She stood up to gain the higher ground and glared down at them both. "The three of us nearly lost Amari and Kakashi-sensei to those rogue ninjas. Each of us made a vow to get stronger so we wouldn't ever have to stand idly by as our friends fight hopeless battles for us." Her glare intensified. "Yet here you two are, arguing like brats, being selfish when Amari needs us most."

Her eyes locked onto Sasuke first. "Sasuke, I may not know what happened or how it feels to go through what you did, but deep down you _know_ calling Amari a half-breed is wrong. You _know_ that word was used to make her feel worthless. I don't care if you were in the heat of the moment, you _will_ apologize to her and mean it, just like she will apologize for saying what she said to you."

Sasuke grunted and looked away. Sakura flicked her burning emerald eyes to Naruto. "Naruto, I get that you're protective over Amari. She's the first person who accepted you for who you are and that means the world to you. I understand that seeing her hurt makes you hurt inside, especially after what happened with the Akatsuki."

Naruto's eyes fell at her words. It motivated her to continue. "But has arguing with Sasuke done anything at all?" Her question was rhetorical. His silence proved he understood that.

"Team Seven was founded on the lesson of teamwork. In case you two have forgotten what that means, it means standing side by side with each other to take on difficult challenges, not lashing out at one another like a bunch of spoiled Academy students while one of our teammates is struggling to stay afloat. We are all in this together because we are one. We are a team. Start acting like it!"

A tense silence filled the air. Regardless, Sakura did not budge from her stance on the matter. She remained firm, unwavering in her commitment to be the one who fixed this. This is what it meant to be a part of the team, to pull her weight right now. If that meant she would have to physically pound this lesson back into her two boy teammates, she would do it.

"…Yeah. You're right, Sakura," Naruto said at length. He released Sasuke's shirt and stood up to his full height, the fire in his eyes replaced by disappointment towards himself. "I'm sorry, Sasuke. It's just…the last time Amari needed me, I just stood there like a frightened rabbit." He breathed out a humorless laugh. "In a way, I was jealous of you because you managed to actually fight those guys."

"Jealous of me failing like an idiot?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto shook his head. "No. Your attack may not have succeeded, but you had the courage to fight them. I…didn't. I was frightened of them and couldn't react until she was already taken down by Itachi." He clenched both of his hands into fists. "Pervy Sage said it himself. She was put through so much physical and emotional pain by those guys.

"Despite that, she still risked her life to save me from those same people who hurt her. She cared more about our lives than her own, was willing to die to save us. Yet I…didn't do anything for her. I let my friend fall in my place because I was too much of a coward to do anything at all." The struggle to say those words was clear in the tremble of his voice.

Sakura's eyes softened as she looked at Naruto. All this time she had felt alone in feeling useless. Had she known Naruto felt this way…well, she would have still said everything she had said. But she wouldn't have simply assumed that he was pushing on through everything without hanging onto the past. _I guess all of us have been hiding our own struggles._

"…You idiot." Naruto and Sakura both turned their gazes back to Sasuke. He was staring down at the grass, his body no longer as tense as it had been. "You think I was some courageous hero in that fight?" He shook his head. "I was so blinded by my hatred that I couldn't think straight. And so what I attacked them. All I did was force Amari to save me from my brother. In the end, you did more than all of us combined by finding Lady Tsunade and bringing her back to heal Kakashi-sensei and Amari."

"Yeah, but—"

"But what, Loser?" Sasuke lifted his head to look at Naruto. "Do you really think Amari holds what happened to her against you, me, Sakura, or the Jōnin? Have you sensed any animosity from her since then?"

"…No," Naruto admitted, sighing as he did.

"Then maybe it's time we all stop blaming ourselves for what happened and start focusing on supporting each other." Sasuke glanced over to her. "Like the team we're supposed to be."

Sakura smiled and ducked her head down to hide the blush tinting her cheeks. _At least I got them to stop fighting. Mission complete._

Naruto reached his hand down to Sasuke. "Come on. Let's go find Amari. You two need to apologize to each other."

Sasuke took his hand. "Yeah."

Naruto hefted him up and turned to Sakura. "I doubt she would go home," he said. "Amari may have been angry and hurting, but she would know that's where we would look for her first."

"True." Sakura brought her right hand to her mouth as she tried to think of where her teammate would go. "Amari doesn't exactly have a lot of hangouts outside of her home, Ichiraiku's and the training fields. So where would she go at a time like this with a storm so close?"

"Shikamaru's," Sasuke stated matter of factly.

Both of his teammates looked to him with their confusion at his certainty. He didn't waver, although there was something else in his eyes Sakura couldn't quite figure out. Reluctance maybe?

"She wouldn't go into a restaurant or to our places in the state she was in. So she's either going to run to Shikamaru's or she'll be a stubborn idiot and stay out in the storm under some tree."

Thunder echoed above them, bringing all of their attention up to the darkened sky. "There's no way we'll outrun this storm, and if Amari decides to stay out…" Naruto trailed off.

"We'll worry about that after we check Shikamaru's house," Sakura stated firmly, trying to hide her growing fear of Amari staying outside in the storm.

"Let's not waste time. Naruto, Sakura, let's go." All three of them nodded and took off at a ninja jump towards the Nara house. "…and hope Shikamaru doesn't kill me," Sasuke muttered.

Sakura furrowed her brow, unsure if she had heard him speak or not. If he had, he didn't feel like elaborating further. He remained silent and at the front of the group.

The clouds released its rain before they even made it back into the Village. Despite that, they continued forward, each hoping that when they reached the Nara household, drenched by the rain, they would find their missing team member there.

* * *

 _Hope everyone had a safe and happy holidays! Have a pleasant new year, too!_

 _Review Response to Mikan26: We'll begin to see how what Amari has imparted onto Sasuke will change him as the story goes. As for flashbacks, I can't say how many or how frequent they will be, but pre-massacre life with Shisui, Haya, her parents, Itachi and Aimi will appear throughout the story. I enjoy writing Shisui and his bond with Haya/Amari too much to just never show him again. So you can expect more. Glad you loved the last chapter!_

 _Thank you for the review!_

 _Review Response to la: I'm happy you are enjoying the story. There won't be any lemons in this story. That's just not something I plan to write._

 _Regardless, thank you for the review!_

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: I'd say that accurately describes how Sasuke feels about himself at the moment. We'll have to wait and see how this all plays out, now that he possesses truths he didn't learn until Obito/Madara/Tobi molded him into a tool. Also whether or not he survives the wrath of one Shikamaru Nara._

 _He was definitely a reckless idiot, and nearly blinded himself within such a short time frame of gaining the Mangekyo without thought or care. But then again, his best friend and teammate was also a reckless idiot, so they sort of played off each other there._

 _Dealing with any recognition will begin later down the line, but at the moment, even if she were showered with praise, Amari won't see herself for her past feats. Not fully. It's a battle between knowing how capable she was as a young shinobi pre-Akatsuki, with her fight against Mimi and Invasion bolstering her confidence, and the weakness she now feels afterwards, which the massacre of the samurai and her fragile emotional state feed into. More on this as we go forward._

 _But I'm pretty sure more requests for mission will be a huge drag. :)_

 _I can't really say much on encounters with Danzo without entering spoiler territory. Sorry._

 _Hehe, oh, I wish I could tell you more about Tobi/Madara/Obito. It's going to be so much fun when we get there, but not in the Tobi goofball way. That's all I can say._

 _There will definitely be some serious missions, not at all related to the original anime, later on. Also some of the filler arcs, mostly the serious ones that lasted more than a single episode. The only other thing I can say is that not everything will go according to canon, so bear that in mind. The world may be very different. Maybe. Or am I just misleading you? We'll have to wait and see._

 _Hm. I'd say, of the enemies out there, the strongest threats are definitely Pain/Nagato, Konan and Obito. Though the Akatsuki as a whole, with the Immortals, the artists, Kisame, Itachi and Aimi, could all be considered the strongest enemies, with their unique abilities or simply their immense strength. I'm also struggling to think of people off the top my head, so I could be missing someone at the moment._

 _Ah, the struggle of Uchiha Charm and being socially awkward. Poor girl._

 _Thank you for the reviews!_


	77. Chapter 76: A Protective Shadow

Chapter 76

Lack of Trust: A Protective Shadow

Shikamaru was _soaked_.

Rain poured off his drenched body, slicked his skin. Left him colder and wetter than a submerged glacier. But, despite his waterlogged sandals squelching with every step, despite his clothes and hair sticking awkwardly to his skin, two silver linings pierced through the storm clouds surrounding him.

First off, he hadn't suffered alone through the shiver inducing rain. His cousin clung to his back, or was possibly suctioned to him because of their soaked clothes; he really wasn't sure they could unstick themselves at this point.

He loved 'Risu, but it would be a total drag to be stuck together like this. She'd get all antsy not being able to train, and then he'd have to work twice as hard.

It would just be troublesome.

Regardless, 'Risu's presence gave him a buddy to ride out the storm with, even if he was technically the one here to save _her_. Which brought him to his second silver lining.

 _Finally made it_ , he thought, sighing in relief as he climbed onto the front porch of his home. Even here they were still too exposed to the storm, which alternated between calm and furious faster than practically every woman in his life. The unending sea of clouds darkened the sky, making it feel as if it were hours later than it truly was. Gusts of wind lashed at them with cold rain.

But they made it safe and sound. Not dry, but safe nonetheless.

Shikamaru approached the door of his house and used his knee to knock loudly; his mother wouldn't like that. However, with this raucous storm, he wanted to be certain she heard. Walking in unannounced, bringing the rain in with him, risked earning his mother's ire—no intelligent man _ever_ risked that.

She would already be angry he stayed out in the storm. Waltzing in with a waterfall of water pouring off of himself and his cousin would only take that fury to the hundredth degree.

Before his mother came to the door, Amari nuzzled into the crook of his neck. "…Thank you, Shika."

He didn't need an explanation for her gratitude. He looked back to her with a smile. "Couldn't just leave you in the rain, could I?" he offered lightly.

She offered a weak giggle and hugged him tighter. He may not look the part, but he was glad to be her pillar of support and comfort. Playing the support role was just his style. 'Risu was the fearless front-line fighter between the two of them; she fought to protect what she held dear with unmatched fierceness, but…

" _You have an exceptional grasp of tactics, Shikamaru, but you still look at real life combat too one-dimensionally,"_ he recalled an old lesson from his dad. _"You believe because you're greatest strength is support and tactics that it is all you will ever have to perform. Combat and war are not constrained by the rules of shogi. Shinobi do not wait patiently for you to think through a strategy then make your turn._

" _Don't look at me like that. Don't complain about this being troublesome. I want you to think about this seriously, Shikamaru. You will encounter allied shinobi who possess great strength, who you will see as front-line protectors. Chōji, for instance. 'Risu, as well._

" _However, ask yourself this: Who protects the protectors? If the Hokage faces an opponent who exploits their weakness, will you shout tactics at them from the sidelines because that's the role you believe yourself fit for? When the dust settles and the battle ends, when your front-line warriors have given all of their strength to protect you, will you ask them to pick themselves up? Or will you aid these fearless warriors in standing again?"_

At the time, Shikamaru hadn't really understood the point of the questions. He was still fresh from graduation, certain in his goal to be an average shinobi, stubbornly maintaining his position in the shadows while others fought on the front-lines. What was he supposed to do, right? He was a minor support piece, a tactician who relied on powerful comrades like Chōji and 'Risu to protect him as he gave commands.

 _But who protects the protectors when they need help_ , Shikamaru repeated the question, finally grasping what his father tried to teach him. _Who helps them stand up again when they fall down? Or when the burden they carry becomes too heavy to bear?_

People weren't shogi pieces. They weren't restricted to specific movements or roles in battle. And the wounds gained in battle did not fade away when the dust settled. People's hearts and minds didn't work that way.

Shikamaru had known that. He'd seen it in 'Risu and Mimi after the Invasion, how their minds lingered elsewhere sometimes, eyes lost in the past. Again, though, he had listened to the lesson, but hadn't heard it. Not immediately, anyway.

 _Better late than never, I guess. I may not ever be as strong as her. Still, I can do more than stand in the shadows on the battlefield and off of it._

It meant more work, but he could handle it.

Critical work still demanded his attention today, and on a tight schedule, too. But first he needed a warm shower and a dry pair of clothes.

The front door flew open without preamble. The suddenness and rough movement snapped Shikamaru to attention, startled by the _second_ giant storm about to blow him away. His body stiffened under a Shadow Paralysis Jutsu—a _really_ bad sign. His mother looked on the verge of popping several blood vessels; a few Shadow tendrils lashed violently at the air around her.

"Shikamaru!" Yoshino bellowed.

 _Here we go. Time to face the music._ He wished he could've braced himself better.

"Do you have any idea how worr—" His mother's lecture stopped short as she noticed the soaked girl on his back.

 _Perfect._ Her second of hesitation blessed him with an opening to turn the tables.

"Sorry I'm late."

Beginning with an apology was the best tactic. People—Ino, for instance—tended to switch into a defensive-attack strategy when a voice was raised at them, even when they _had_ made a mistake. By apologizing first and remaining calm he opened up his mother to reason, affording him the opportunity to steadily work towards his explanation and seal the victory.

"I planned to take shelter at 'Risu's, but we ran into a complication. Going to her house wasn't an option," he said with a shake of his head.

"It's my fault we're soaked, Aunt Yoshino. I…" Amari trailed off, her quiet voice barely being audible over the storm.

His mother's eyes examined them, seeking any information she could find from their current state, but Shikamaru noticed her eyes linger on 'Risu's sad, drenched form longer. He couldn't quite explain the premonition, but he sensed her somehow piecing together what happened without a word being spoken. Maybe it was a parent thing. The one's he knew seemed to have a sixth sense when it came to kids.

She met his eyes for a brief second, and in that brief second she communicated the discussion they'd have sooner rather than later. That was fine. He could handle explaining all that before his 'Risu was even out of the shower.

"You two will catch a cold if you stand out there any longer," she finally spoke, relinquishing her Shadow Paralysis. The tendrils slunk back to the floor into the natural state of her shadow. Shikamaru internalized his sigh of relief. Why did his mom have to be so scary? Sheesh.

Yoshino stepped out of the way and motioned for them to come in. "I'll get you both some dry clothes and towels while you're in the shower. When you're done with your showers, wrap your wet clothes in your towels and bring them to the washer. I'll take care of them."

"Are you sure you don't want to lay out towels or something?" he asked. "We'll drip over everything in our path."

Yoshino shook her head. "Don't worry about that, Shikamaru. I'll clean it up. Just get yourselves inside."

With a shrug, he entered his house with 'Risu still on his back. The cool temperature of his home exacerbated the chill racing through his body. The shivers increased. He could feel 'Risu trembling, too.

He quickly dropped his cousin off at the master bathroom then made his way to his bathroom. It was a struggle to get his sopping wet clothes off; they clung to his skin, fighting to stay on his body.

It was a real pain.

After his fight he jumped into the warm shower, got clean then hopped out to dry off with the towel his mother left on the counter. Shikamaru made quick work of brushing through his hair and getting dressed in a comfortable grey t-shirt and dark shorts.

He only paused to consider putting his hair back up into a ponytail. Of course leaving his hair down meant the inevitability of long strands brushing against his face now and then, which could be annoying. Honestly, though, he couldn't find the necessary motivation to tie it up again.

Raising his hands above his head was just too much of a drag right now. All he wanted to do was eat a quick snack before getting back to business. Taking all that extra time to tie his hair up meant forfeiting what could be a pivotal turn in this mental game of shogi.

Leaving the bathroom behind, Shikamaru entered into the kitchen where he found his mother in the midst of making tea. Before he could even announce his presence, she spoke. "Feeling better, Shikamaru?"

"Yeah. Nice not to be wet anymore." His hair was still a bit damp from being too lazy to dry it fully, but it was nothing compared to being soaked. The dry clothes were also a nice addition. "Anything you need help with, Mom?" he asked as he made his way to the pantry.

"No, just make sure you don't eat too much or you'll spoil your dinner."

He hummed in acknowledgment and opened the pantry. There were an assortment of snacks to pick from, but he chose to grab one of the health bars his mother had been nagging him to start eating. Quick and easy.

As he turned around, he found his mother diverting her attention away from the stove top to him with a compassionate look on her face. "How is she?" she asked.

Her question drew out a sigh.

How's Amari?

Is your cousin doing okay?

People had been asking him that a lot since the Akatsuki incident. Then again, he'd asked himself the same questions. Some days he could answer easier by lulling himself into a false sense of security. Other days he forced himself to face the reality that his cousin was no longer facing down hordes of fangirls or bullies; it usually left him with an uncertain feeling tying his intestines in knots.

What insanely powerful opponent would she face on the next mission? Would she be okay? Would she end up in the hospital? If so, what kind of injuries would it be from?

Most didn't realize how often he asked himself the same questions they all asked him. But the fact of the matter was he didn't have an answer. Not a concrete one. The questions sounded so simple, yet they were as complex as a game of shogi against his dad.

Was she okay? Yes and no. 'Risu's situation wasn't black and white. There were shades of gray that, if one didn't analyze carefully, could be passed off for a single block of color.

To understand her situation, one had to understand 'Risu at every level. They had to be able to see through the shadows she casted around herself and listen intently to everything she said, and analyze what she didn't say. They had to understand that underneath the armor she wore on the outside was a girl who had been betrayed, who had held loved ones in her arms as they died and to this day remained locked in a struggle with the nightmares and demons in her heart.

Few people would ever be able to grasp the complexity of her internal struggles. Most would never know. They would never understand how strongly she felt emotions like happiness, sorrow and anger or what family meant to her. They would never understand the burden she carried or the anxiety it caused her.

Luckily, his mom _did_ understand all of that. If he hadn't already calculated this conversation into his equation, it might have been an impassable brick wall between him and his plan. But he had known this was coming and prepared for it. He just had to stay focused, keep to the plan and everything would play out exactly how he needed it to.

"She's better now," he began. It wasn't a lie or even a half-truth. Although she wasn't at peak capacity, her emotional state had improved. The trip back had, as he hoped, given her time to get her thoughts straight. Eventually she opened up on all the details of the situation. "Before, though, was pretty bad," he finished.

"What happened?" Yoshino asked.

"Sasuke approached her to talk about the Uchiha Clan and their shared past. Everything was going fine until the massacre was brought up," he explained.

The mention of the Uchiha Clan massacre caused his mother to shut her eyes briefly and exhale a sad sigh.

"'Risu told him about things Atsuko and Shisui explained, the stuff we heard from Dad and Kurenai-sensei. About how things with the Uchiha Clan spiraled out of control. How Itachi and Aimi weren't responsible for Shisui's death. How someone else pushed them to decide from a path where nothing they loved was left or nothing they did was right."

He didn't know how to feel about all that yet. 'Risu had asked him which path he would've chosen…and it left him conflicted. It was an impossible scenario, a lose-lose.

" _I don't know. I'd like to think I could make my own path, but sometimes we don't have that option."_

"… _We can still try. We_ _ **should**_ _try."_

" _Yeah. I agree."_

His mother's eyes flashed dangerously for a moment. _She knows who it is. Or has a good assumption_ , Shikamaru noted. The look vanished as quickly as it came.

"Sasuke snapped at her, didn't he?" she half-stated, half-asked.

Shikamaru nodded despite the rhetorical nature of the question. "Yeah. It led to a pretty nasty fight from what she told me. It continued to escalate until Sasuke barely managed to stop himself from calling her a half-breed."

Instantly the aura around his mother changed. "He _what_?" Yoshino seethed.

Worried curiosity shifted into outright fury. Not that he blamed her. He was pissed off. More than pissed, honestly. He drew a very fine line in the sand for that idiot back at the hospital. He _warned_ him as a courtesy. Now this?

That hatred-addled idiot shoved her off the edge of a bottomless pit of darkness. Went to call her a derogatory slang. Sasuke made 'Risu _cry_.

Yet, although it'd be his pleasure to punch Sasuke in the face, Shikamaru kept his emotions in check. He couldn't allow them to impede higher thought. For 'Risu's sake, and the sake of Team Seven, he had to be the levelheaded one here.

Hence the plan he was concocting.

"Try not to be so angry," he pleaded. "I'm pretty sure he and the rest of Team Seven are on their way here now."

 _Or they better be._ Shikamaru could _maybe_ excuse the fight. Maybe. No guarantees. However, terrible storm be damned, he would not excuse letting their teammate run away without trying to find her.

"Angry? Oh, they haven't seen angry yet!" Yoshino declared passionately, hand clenching into a fist. "A half-breed, huh? He'll regret even _thinking_ of calling our little shadow that!"

 _Oh man, why does my mom have to be so hot-tempered? This is such a pain._

Shikamaru raised his hands, health bar included, to try to diffuse the situation. "I get how you feel, Mom. I do. But hear me out. After Sasuke said that, 'Risu went off. Badly. I think she was nearing the same level of hatred Kurenai-sensei mentioned when her chakra turned black."

Instantly, again, his mother's features switched from fury back to concern. "For her emotions to escape her control like that… It must've felt like the ultimate betrayal."

He nodded. "Yeah. I'm not entirely sure, or I don't have any single piece of evidence I can point to at least, but I think this entire argument is linked to that whole Curse of Hatred thing Dad and Kurenai-sensei were talking about. 'Risu's next evolution of Sharingan activated when she lost her temper, unconsciously. The way she described it, it makes me think it's like a blackout on their rationality."

 _Like when she unleashed that killing intent on Neji in the preliminaries, and when Sasuke snapped at me in the hospital._

He left the latter detail out. Managing to keep his mother calm after his latest revelation was a miracle. Informing her that this wasn't the first time Sasuke had done something incredibly stupid would end with his head caved in by a roller.

"When she saw her team arrive, the lights came back on. Mix in an awakened memory involving Shisui saving her from Uchiha members trying to hurt her with the hurtful things Sasuke said and she did the only logical thing she could think of—she ran. She didn't want them to see her break down into tears."

 _Or deal with the consequences of showing Sasuke those memories through a genjutsu._

"And that's when she ran into you?"

"Sort of. I saw her running so I chased after her. Followed her to the Uchiha District and a hill overlooking the Nakano River."

"Nakano River…" Yoshino repeated the name and lowered her eyes to the side.

Her response made him quirk an eyebrow up in surprise. "Is there something special about that place?"

He had wanted to ask 'Risu about it, but he didn't want to push and prod so soon. If his mother could explain why his cousin had chosen there of all places to go, then he could put the final piece of the puzzle together regarding her trip to the Uchiha District.

His mother gave a small, solemn nod. "Yes. Shisui spent his final moments there before his…death."

Shikamaru's eyes widened at the revelation. _So that's why 'Risu chose to go there. She was going to the last place her cousin was, maybe as an attempt to be closer to him?_ It was a possibility.

Whatever her reasons were, though, they were not his to pry into. He also sensed a lingering hesitation in his mother's voice to speak on the death of an extended family member, so he decided to drop the conversation and get back to the task at hand.

"Mom, can you keep an eye on 'Risu for the time being? I need to get ready for Sasuke and the others to arrive."

She nodded. "Of course. Make sure you prepare towels and dry clothes for them. I'll clean their clothes so they can wear them when they leave."

He gave a nod and opened the wrapping of his health bar. It wouldn't take too long to prepare everything. He ate his bar quickly and trashed the wrapper once he was done. With his stomach satisfied by the bland bar, it was time to execute his plan.

Shikamaru moved with haste around his house. He prepared several towels near the door then set out extra clothes he was sure would fit the three members of Team Seven. Finally, the Nara placed the shogi board out in the living room. During that time the rain increased and decreased in intensity at random intervals. Wind picked up now and then, but none of it distracted him from his tasks.

While listening intently for a knock on the door, he set each piece on the board. Of course there was a possibility that Team Seven would not arrive at all. The storm was pretty intense and they might have chosen to wait it out before searching for their teammate.

To Shikamaru, though, the possibility was too slim.

Each member of Team Seven was ridiculously hardheaded and stubborn. They would keep moving in a storm like this, and, as 'Risu's cousin, it was his duty to wait for them.

 _Thud! Thud! Thud!_

The corner of Shikamaru's lip pulled into a triumphant smirk as he placed the final piece on the board. _Right on time._ He didn't waste energy by shouting that he was on the way. Let them marinate in the suspense of whether or not someone was home as he strolled to the door. They were now on his turf, his battlefield, and he wasn't about to give them any sense of security.

Sakura and Naruto were just unfortunate casualties of a greater war this time, so he would have to go easy on them. They weren't his real target. No, his real target was the idiot who couldn't control his anger. The one who should have known better than to cross the line Shikamaru had drawn in the sand.

 _Thud! Thud!_

Shikamaru opened the door, forcing the soaking balled up fist of Naruto to hit nothing but air. "Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time," he greeted lazily.

All three members of Team Seven stood before him, soaked and panting from what was possibly a desperate rush to get here. Internally, Shikamaru smiled. _Good. They'll be off balance then._ "Oh, it's you three. What's up?"

He could have easily ushered them in and informed them he was aware of the current situation. But where was the fun in that when he could make them squirm a little bit. "Shika- Shikamaru. Is Amari here?" Naruto was the one to ask.

It made the Nara boy flick his irritated eyes to the Uchiha of the group flanking the blond a few steps back. As he saw it, it should have been Sasuke asking the question since he was involved in the conflict.

It was Sasuke's second strike today.

Shikamaru returned his eyes to Naruto. "Yeah, she's here."

The three brightened at the news, but again Naruto was the first to speak. "Is she okay? Can we talk to her?"

"She's in the shower right now. Don't know why you're asking if you can talk to her. She's your teammate."

Playing dumb would give them the illusion that they had more knowledge then him on the matter. He wanted to see what they did with that leverage. Would they come clean to her protective cousin? Or would they try to hide it for as long as possible?

He pretended not to notice the guilty silence that followed and shrugged outwardly to keep up the appearance of a lazy boy who didn't know or care about what was going on. "Anyway, I'll grab you three some towels and clothes. My mom would kill me if I just shoved you off back into that storm. Be right back."

Shikamaru went to grab the towels he prepared and gave the first to Sakura, informing her where the bathroom was and giving her the same instructions his mother had given him and 'Risu. While she was getting redressed, Sasuke and Naruto decided to start stripping themselves of their tops and sandals before drying off as best as they could right outside his front door.

He appreciated the gesture. They wrapped their still clothed lower halves with towels and were ushered in so he could shut the door. It didn't stop them from dripping on the floor, but he would deal with that soon.

Sakura came back out of the bathroom a little while later in the blue kimono he had set out for her, her pink hair still slightly damp and pretty disheveled. The kimono was one of his mom's from back when she was a kid, although he had no idea why she kept it. Maybe it was an adult thing to keep stuff from their past. He shrugged it off and gave Sasuke permission to go next so Sakura didn't get a nosebleed.

It also gave him a chance to single out the most honest member of the team to test out what he was willing to say. "Never hosted a team outside of my own here. Kind of weird if I'm honest," he said nonchalantly.

"Sorry for barging in like this, Shikamaru. But it's really important that we talk to Amari," Naruto said, his voice completely serious.

"Couldn't wait until the storm passed? I mean, you guys could have caught a cold out there, or worse."

Naruto shook his head. "No, it couldn't wait. This is important."

Playing the aloof, lazy role again, he shrugged and said, "All right. If you say so."

Had he pushed harder, he was sure Naruto would have spilled everything. He was too kind and honest to hide that sort of information when pressed. But he didn't want to force Naruto to do it. He wasn't responsible for this, and Shikamaru wanted to get everyone dry and comfortable before continuing.

Naruto left to get changed as soon as Sasuke returned. Shikamaru took the opportunity to start cleaning up all the water. As he went around with a towel cleaning the floors, his ear caught the distinct sound of the master bathroom shower shutting off. He frowned. Time was against him, but he could make do with what time he had. It wasn't like he had an hour long speech prepared for this. Talking that long would be a total drag.

By the time he finished, Naruto exited the bathroom and sat down on the couch with his team. Shikamaru noticed warm glasses of tea set out on the table set out for them as he made his final walk to the laundry room with a wet towel in hand. He had to admit, he was impressed by his mother's restraint in not threatening Sasuke when she had the opportunity.

As he passed through the room, he spoke up. "Hey, Sasuke. 'Risu told me she's trying to teach you shogi." Shikamaru dipped his head towards the shogi board. "Sit down. Let me teach you a thing or two so you don't get beaten so easily."

Fortunately for Sasuke, he realized it was less of a question and more of a demand. The Uchiha moved to get up, but not without a reluctant sigh. The uncomfortable sigh brought a smirk to Shikamaru's lips as soon as he was out of sight. _Uncomfortable is good. It means he knows he screwed up._

It was a good sign overall. Understanding you made a mistake was half the battle. The other half was owning the burdens that came with admitting it.

Shikamaru returned to the living room and sat on the opposite side of the shogi board from Sasuke with his legs crossed. Instead of sending a heated glare or an annoyed look at the boy, he kept his eyes on the shogi board as he decided his first move.

Should he start bold or start in the shadows? Both had their benefits and their disadvantages. _If 'Risu doesn't take long to get ready and I take too much time, I may not get the chance to make my move at all. But if I go in too bold, I may end up causing a fight. And that would be a drag. Especially with my mother listening in._

His mother wouldn't stand for there being raised voices in their house, regardless of the reason. Even if she was on his side, she would undoubtedly chew him out for it.

After rolling the thought around for a moment or two, he made his decision. "As the beginner, you can have the first move."

"Not like it'll change the outcome," Sasuke commented as he moved his piece.

Shikamaru chuckled and shook his head. "I thought you were smarter than that. Nothing is ever certain in shogi or on a battlefield. An underdog team can defeat overwhelming odds with enough training and the proper plan of action. It's why 'Risu hasn't given up on beating me and why I haven't given up on beating my dad."

Even though they continued to lose, each loss was another tactic to learn, another defeat to overcome. In a way, failing was one of the best ways to learn. By failing, a person could learn their faults and weaknesses. From there it was up to them to do everything in their power to better themselves as shogi players, as leaders, as shinobi or really anything.

"Then again," Shikamaru continued while deciding his next move. "I suppose I'm the fool for ignoring the facts right in front of my eyes."

A tense silence filled the void of conversation as rain pelted the windows. Shikamaru was unmoved by it as he frowned in thought. How fast did he really want to finish this? He could, in theory, make a complete fool of his opponent and end the game so quickly they'd rename him Shikamaru the Shogi Teleporter. Or he could go easy on him, give him a small handicap and end this without bruising too much of his ego.

"…And what facts are those?" Sasuke asked at length.

Choosing carefully, Shikamaru picked up his desired piece and set it down in the place he wanted it. The audible _click_ penetrated the silence, and with it he lifted his eyes and met Sasuke's with a penetrating stare. "You're an idiot," he stated, his voice firm.

Just like that, the group realized the knowledge he held. "Oh man," Naruto muttered.

Now was the time to mix up his tactics to keep them on their toes while remaining flexible so he could switch between attack and defense as smoothly as possible. "…Shikamaru—"

"Save it, Sasuke. She told me everything," Shikamaru interrupted, his voice revealing hints of his irritation. "Delusional, naïve, half-breed. Ignoring the first two is easy," his eyes set in a glare, "but that last one crosses a line I _warned_ you not to cross."

"Shikamaru, you don't have to—"

The Nara flicked his eyes over to the kunoichi sitting on the couch coming to the defense of her teammate. "Yes, I do, Sakura. I'm sure the two of you already said something to him; no way either of you would sit here and accept him calling 'Risu a half-breed without speaking your minds. But none of you witnessed what I did."

His sharpened eyes fell back onto Sasuke. "Count yourself lucky I'm being rational and levelheaded. But don't mistake it for weakness or fear. I don't give a damn if you're stronger than me or how powerful the Sharingan is. Make 'Risu cry again and I'll show you what happens when you hurt my family."

Sasuke winced as if struck. So, he hadn't seen her cry.

"But we—"

"Naruto, Sakura, stay out of this," Sasuke interrupted Naruto. "This is between us."

Damn right it was. At least the idiot had the guts to face it alone instead of relying on his teammates to bail him out.

Naruto and Sakura fell silent as Sasuke eyed the game. Shikamaru waited patiently in the silence. It was his move after all. After a minute, Sasuke finally moved his next piece. "You were waiting for us. That's why everything was already set out and ready for our arrival."

"Yep. Just had to wait for you three to finally knock on the door."

"You spent all that time setting this up, so why don't you get straight to the point and say what you're planning to say. We both know you want to get this done before Amari gets out here."

"Heh, fine." If he wanted this to be quick then Shikamaru would grant him his wish. "You better start walking lightly, Sasuke, because you're on eggshells with me. This time I'm letting you off easy because 'Risu told me everything, including her own screw ups. That stubborn girl should have known better than to talk about the massacre, and she should have never let her anger take control of her."

He narrowed his eyes at the Uchiha. "But don't think for a moment that I don't realize what caused her anger to spike like that in the first place. She could have handled your doubt, but then you resorted to childish name calling because she believed information from two sources she trusts with her life. Sources _you_ should trust more than your murderous, lying older brother."

Shikamaru made his turn and went silent as he waited for Sasuke to make his move. Sasuke's disinterest in the game was clear when he moved a piece without thought or reason. "It must be easy to berate me after the fact. But you weren't a part of that argument, Shikamaru. You don't know everything I was feeling. In that moment I didn't think—"

"And that's the problem, you idiot," Shikamaru fired back. "You didn't think. You reacted like a hotheaded moron. You verbally attacked her like she was an enemy. Then, in your infinite wisdom, you had the audacity to say she didn't understand how you felt because she was a half-breed."

"I didn't…want to say that. I don't see her as just a half-breed."

There was a pained honesty in his voice. Enough that Shikamaru actually was willing to believe he didn't mean it. Regardless, he continued to make his point. "Maybe you don't. But that doesn't excuse anything. She may forgive you and trust you again when you apologize, but you'll have to do more than that to earn my trust and forgiveness."

"I know," Sasuke admitted.

"Good. Consider this your one and only freebee with me. But if you _ever_ call her a half-breed again or hurt her the way you did today, I'll keep my promise. We clear?"

"Crystal."

"Shika…" The sound of Amari's voice made everyone turn their attention to the source standing in front of his mother.

 _Right on time._

* * *

 _Review Response to Killer: Hello, I'm still debating internally with whether or not I want Amari to gain a Rinnegan eye. Although you are correct to say she would need to gain the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan to avoid going permanently blind. The eye Shisui left with Itachi is one he plans/hopes will end up in Amari's possession so she may transplant with one of her eyes. The other eye is currently in Danzo's possession so she'll have to reclaim that if she has any hope of transplanting it. I can't say much else without spoilers._

 _Thank you for the review!_

 _Review Response to Guest: Hey, we'll have to wait and see how the discovery continues. I don't want spoil anything since it's an ongoing story thread. Naruto will probably learn of his father before canon. Maybe. If it happens before canon, I want to make sure it isn't just shoved in without reason. I want to make sure it's organic. It is likely Amari will talk to some of the other Tailed-Beasts. I don't know about learning the truth about them or their names, not yet anyways. But she might learn their names._

 _We haven't seen the last of Gaara, Hikari and the Sand siblings, so there will be a chance for her to speak to them about the Akatsuki._

 _Due to the amount of interactions so far between Hikari and Amari(in the upcoming arcs, to be specific) there hasn't been a need for them to exchange letters, due to how much they've seen each other since the Invasion. It is something I've thought of, though, so it isn't impossible for them to exchange letters in the future._

 _No worries about asking questions or your grammar. I appreciate the questions, though I may not always be able to give a satisfying answer, and your grammar is fine._

 _Thank you for the review!_


	78. Chapter 77: Reconciliation

Chapter 77

Reconciliation: Overcoming the Curse

Amari stood silently in the master bathroom of the Nara household.

She'd been in this exact spot, raining on the cold tile floor beneath her bare feet, staring at her reflection in search of…she wasn't even sure what anymore. A glimmer of light in her dull, exhausted eyes? An apparition of Shisui to embrace her? The kunoichi who had fought in the Invasion and against three rogue shinobi?

She hadn't found any of them.

So, she stood in a puddle of her own creation, only a few steps away from where Shikamaru dropped her off, gazing at the lost girl in the mirror. Her blue hair once wild with life rested lifelessly against her small, soaked and shivering frame. Her precious bandana, forehead protector and clothes stuck to her skin like honey, each appearing a shade darker due to the rain they absorbed.

The only pieces of her to glimmer were the amethyst gems on her silver hoop earrings—the graduation gift from her mother. Amari wished she was here. Wished she could just bury herself in her arms and torso until she felt strong enough to stand again.

 _I look terrible_.

Her reflection hadn't looked this damn pathetic since losing Ryu and Kasai.

 _I struggled for a long time, but with Mom's help I finally conquered many of my inner demons…only to end up back where I started._

How did she find herself here again, staring at her emotionally beaten down and defenseless reflection? Hadn't she done this enough after Ryu died? The mirror never answered her questions. It never told her if her path would turn her heart to stone or if she would be strong enough to fulfill Ryu's dying wish. It watched her in silence, which only ever inflamed the insecurities and doubts plaguing her heart.

 _Can I…ever be truly free from this burden of pain?_

 _Is it even possible to overcome this darkness lying dormant in my heart?_

She received no encouraging words from her memories. Only the sharp silence of a defeated mirror reflection looking emptily at her.

Amari let her eye fall away from the mirror. She wanted… She _hoped_ a memory of Shisui would burst forth to encourage her.

Shutting her eyes, Amari exhaled a shaky breath full of conflicted emotions. _I…have to manage without a memory. I can't… No, I won't turn back into that weak little girl who couldn't fend for herself. Shisui, Itachi and Aimi did everything in their power to help me become stronger. Now it's time for me to stand up and fight my own battles._

The speech sounded nice, but it didn't ignite a flame in her heart. Amari exhaled a sad sigh through her nostrils and felt her shoulders slouch in helpless defeat.

 _I…hate this feeling._

Sorrow and helplessness were like wearing cement shoes in an ocean; it dragged the victim down into the deepest, darkest depths as they drowned in dread.

Part of her wondered if feeling numb would be better. At least then she wouldn't feel anything, right? There would be no more hot pain to pierce her heart. No more cold sorrow to make her feel alone.

Yet…to live a life without pain and sorrow meant to live a life without love and happiness.

No more warmth.

No joy.

Just this…empty feeling and the loneliness it came with.

Feeling pain was part of being human. To feel nothing at all meant becoming a tool, a weapon without a heart or morals. Some _thing_ to be discarded at some _one's_ whim.

Amari hated that she even considered it as an option, no matter how brief and fleeting the idea was. She bit her lip in momentary frustration that passed with a deep sigh. Standing here wasn't helping. She needed a shower.

Her bandana, forehead protector and necklace were the easiest to remove; she wringed the two cloths out as best she could then laid them flat on the counter-top. The suction of her clothes to her skin made it a battle to strip them off, but inevitably they all ended up in the sink, freeing Amari to finally jump in the shower.

For several minutes she simply stood under the water, arms crossed over her goose bump covered flesh, blank gaze locked on the tile floor or eyes shut to escape into complete darkness. The warm water cascaded down her head, over her torso and down her small legs; she listened to the water flow down the drain as steam rose around her.

She thought about her team, about the _fear_ she'd seen in Sasuke's and Sakura's eyes when she looked at them with her Mangekyō Sharingan…how she hadn't even _realized_ she activated her Mangekyō until she looked into Sakura's frightened emerald eyes. How scared she'd been of herself, _again_.

The Curse of Hatred, it overwhelmed her Will of Fire through her hurt and anger. She _lost_ herself again. Instantaneously. Unlike Shisui, Amari didn't pause to breathe and rationalize why Sasuke's words hurt and infuriated her; she didn't try to accept the feelings for what they were. It wouldn't have been wrong to feel angry or hurt. The feelings were natural, given _what_ Sasuke meant to call her.

Instead of doing any of that, she exploded. She lashed out, and unconsciously activated her Mangekyō Sharingan in the process, for what? To show the darkness and hatred within her heart? To show him the true depth of her suffering? To make him feel small and defenseless, the same feelings the Uchiha Clan afflicted her with as foolish retribution?

Amari hugged herself tighter. _I broke two of my promises to Shisui. I promised I wouldn't let myself be blinded by hatred and arrogance. I promised I would use these eyes as he would. But…_ She squeezed her eyes shut. _I keep screwing up! In the Land of Snow I let my battle with Kōri get personal and it cost Sandayū and those samurais their lives. And then I stupidly tried to tell Sasuke the truth when I_ _ **knew**_ _he wasn't ready._

Then, without really thinking, she blasted Sasuke with her memories. She showed him the night Itachi was crying, the death of Shisui, their time together in the fūinjutsu, Itachi's truth in the Tsukuyomi and the newly awakened memory; she wanted him to _see_ and _hear_ and _feel_ everything she had, to disassemble the lies he held onto and empower him with truth.

But what kind of effect would it really have? She hadn't thought of any of the consequences or how it might push them farther apart. She reacted on her emotions, on a pure whim full of optimism and hope.

 _Itachi entrusted his future and safety to me_ …

" _Sasuke is not you, Haya. He doesn't hold your convictions or your individuality. It is up to you to open his mind after he has closed it for so long. It is up to you to guide him out of the darkness back into the light."_

 _"Itachi…"_

" _I'm entrusting Sasuke's future to you. All I ask is that you keep him on the right path. Keep him from the darkness by whatever means you must. Do not let Orochimaru mold him into a disposable tool."_

Amari's shoulders trembled. _But I keep acting recklessly, like it'd be impossible for me to push him towards the darkness. I'm so stupid! Sasuke was right. I keep acting like I know everything, like I'm somehow wiser and more mature than him when I'm_ _ **not**_ _. I'm still just a kid trying to walk around in sandals twice the size of my feet._

And what about Sakura and Naruto? She _frightened_ Sakura with a single look. Left them both to pick up the pieces when it was _her_ fault this all happened. When it was _her_ duty to keep her team in line.

" _Try to keep the other's in line while I'm gone."_

Kakashi's parting words made her wince.

Some balancing point she was.

Part of Amari hoped they all went home. That they avoided the storm completely. But Amari knew her team better than that. They wouldn't sit back and let the storm pass; they'd be stubborn and seek her out, even in this terrible weather. The thought left her with pang of guilt she couldn't shake.

Yoshino cracked the door open and put an extra towel on the counter for her with clothes neatly folded on top of it.

It was bad enough she screwed up with Sasuke, but the knowledge that her team was somewhere out in the rain, desperately searching for her only made her heart sink further.

 _Another mistake, another failure._

Why was it that every time she tried to do what she felt was right, everything always ended up going horribly wrong? With a fragile heart she tried to stop Ryu and Kasai from killing each other, but that had led to the death of her dearest friend. Had she just released Ryu instead things would've turned out completely different.

But she didn't. She held onto them both, unwilling to look at the situation without her swelling emotions because she was afraid of loneliness…and because of that she lost them both.

The sick irony did not go unnoticed by her.

 _And even with the knowledge Shisui gave me about the Curse of Hatred, I still failed to fight it off._

The terrible feelings threatened to swallow her whole, devour the light within. Amari flipped open her aunt's shampoo in an effort to distract herself.

Her thoughts trailed to Shikamaru as she lathered her hair. He was a halo of light in the shadows of her mind. His willingness to chase her through the storm, to stand with her in pouring rain as she cried for the family she lost, for the pain of their absence and the harsh words of her teammate… The overwhelming feeling of love his gesture bestowed onto her rendered her speechless; he left her heart swelled with purest love and enduring warmth.

" _I want you to know that I'm here for you whenever you need me. Always have been, always will be. You're my cousin, after all."_

Did he realize how he broke and reformed her heart with those thoughtful words? They were so close to Shisui's declarations of "I'll always be with you" and his encouraging "You're an Uchiha and my little cousin, after all" that it was painful in the most amazing way. She couldn't stop herself from tackle hugging Shikamaru for unknowingly saying exactly what she needed to hear.

His declaration of confidence that she would overcome her internal struggles and bounce back stronger than before made Amari believe she could do it. He made it seem possible. To know he would fight side by side with her through hell and back because of how much he cared made the Nara girl willing to ask for help, even if it was only a little bit.

She couldn't ask anyone to bear the entire weight of her burdens. Not her family, her friends or her team; it wouldn't be fair to them. There was only one way to put her past self behind her: Become strong enough to endure through hardships without collapsing into tears and crying out for someone else to save her.

Right now, Amari required time and help to push through her current struggles, even if her pride refused to let her say it out loud.

In her desire to hide it, though, she ensnared her teammates in an illusion so they couldn't see reality. She pretended everything was okay when she wasn't, afraid of how the truth might change her team's interactions with her. Sakura stumbled upon the truth and stayed at her side through it. Without judgement. Without pity.

But what if she had been honest from the start? What if she spoke openly about her nightmares, about the burden of Shisui's loss? What if she had chosen truth over lies?

 _We wouldn't be here, would we?_

It was just… Talking about this was scarier than fighting Kisame. What if they started treating her differently? How could she expect them to treat her normally while simultaneously telling them she needed time to regain some solid ground?

Amari pondered the thought for the rest of her shower. No answer presented itself by the time she shut the water off.

If she didn't phrase her words correctly they would start being over-protective to a ridiculous extent. It'd just be troublesome. She could already imagine it; minor cuts or bruises would be treated as life-threatening injuries, leading them to ask her to stay behind them; or they would have to split up on a mission and her teammates would ask for extra reinforcements to be placed with her.

Any one of these scenarios meant Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto saw her as a liability in the field. It annoyed her even thinking about it. Yes, her heart ached daily. But on missions her focus was unwavering and her skills sharp as everyone else, if not sharper.

Nothing about her skills changed despite what happened to her in the Tsukuyomi and with Sandayū. The kunoichi had to ensure she drove that point home. She refused to be seen as a liability, a weak link in their team structure or as anything less than a true kunoichi of the Leaf Village.

The person she had once been, the one in the memory who could only run away and pray Shisui would rescue her; the one who had cried and watched Ryu die; the girl she was before the Exams was not the one she would be seen as.

She was Amaririsu Yūhi and Haya Uchiha of the Leaf Village. No one, not even her team, was allowed to underestimate her.

Amari dried herself off and wrapped her hair in a towel. After moisturizing her skin, she threw on the black shorts and sleeveless dark blue kimono-styled blouse left behind by her aunt, tying off her top with a black sash that reached her knee even when tied off right under her ribs.

Once done, she looked at the mirror again. The steam left behind by her warm shower obscured her reflection, hiding her within a haze that matched the tug-of-war between doubt and confidence she was warring with internally.

Amari unwrapped her hair and reached forward with the towel to wipe away part of the haze to see herself, albeit still obscured. Two mismatched colored eyes stared back at her, reflecting the dormant pain she had hidden so well.

 _I hope one day I can look into a mirror and see my happiness instead of the suffering. Lately it feels like I've been in a never ending cycle of physical and emotional beatings._

 _I know that life as a shinobi won't change. This path I've chosen to walk was never going to be sunshine and witty one-liners. It'll do everything in its power to strip me of my humanity, to turn me into a jaded, emotionless tool._

Amari sighed deeply and looked away from the mirror again. The path to finishing Ryu's dying wish, to finishing the path Shisui left her and then following her own to become a Jōnin Sensei would be one uphill struggle after another.

 _It may come with a lot of struggle and uphill battles_ , she repeated the lesson her cousin taught her.

Back then, both when he first told her and when she recalled it again on the bridge with Zabuza and Haku, she never grasped the true depth of those words. She had known he was right, but she didn't _understand_ the emotional toll he spoke of, not until now at least.

The kunoichi glanced to her bandana and the warm words sewed into them. She eyed her Clan crests pendent and the Leaf symbol on her forehead protector.

 _But…I…_

" _But Haya Uchiha doesn't give up, no matter what she faces. She stands strong against any storm and carries the very best of her family and Clans on within her heart."_

A small smile began to form on her lips as tears pricked at her eyes. _And…even if…_

" _Even if the road is a hard one, she will always forge ahead because she doesn't know the word quit. But even if things get extremely rough she will always remain compassionate and follow her code of honor, love, respect and loyalty."_

Amari rested her hand on the bandana and squeezed it tight; water dripped from it. _Because that's who Amaririsu Yūhi and Haya Uchiha are, right, big brother?_

" _But then again, I don't have to tell you that, you already know!"_

A broken laugh bubbled out of her as two tears streamed from her eyes. _Because I have you with me, always._

" _Stay strong for me Amari. I'll be at your side to the end, I promise."_

The kunoichi cast her eyes to the forehead protector she earned for the same boy that promised to be at her side to the end. The boy she promised to become stronger for. Amari brushed her fingers across the cool metal and blinked more tears into existence. _And I have Ryu at my side, to wherever this path leads me._

" _You will never need to thank me, little one. Never. You_ _ **are**_ _my child and I love you."_

She sniffled, shoulders shuddering, and tightened her hand around her forehead protector but didn't bother to wipe away her tears. Why would she when she was smiling at the warm words gifted to her by her mother. A woman who had taken her in as her own when she had nothing except tears and gratitude to give her. _And I have mom in my heart._

" _I want you to know that I'm here for you whenever you need me. Always have been, always will be. You're my cousin after all."_

Amari released the forehead protector to grip her necklace in her hand tightly as she smiled through her tears. _And I have Shika here whenever I need him._

There were others, of course. Others who were precious to her, others who she loved and remained in her heart always. But it was the memories of Shisui, Ryu, Kurenai and Shikamaru that embraced her with love and the strength she was in desperate need of.

Amari put her necklace back on and proceeded to wrap all of her clothes—with exception to her bandana and forehead protector—in the two towels she used. She also made sure to clean up the floor, blow her nose and wipe her tears away before exiting the bathroom into the master bedroom. The fractures and fissures in her heart were not fully mended, but she staunched the bleeding and bandaged it enough to get her through the rest of the day.

That was enough for her, at least for now.

She approached the closed door and…

"…And what facts are those?" Sasuke's voice carried his unease.

The audible _click_ of a shogi piece being set penetrated the silence and was followed by Shikamaru's stern voice. "You're an idiot."

… _They're here._ Amari froze behind the door.

The hand reaching for the door slowly returned back to the bundled towel in her hands. Gloom shimmering eyes fell away from the door to the forehead protector and bandana lying on top of the towels.

"Save it, Sasuke. She told me everything." Shikamaru wasn't even attempting to hide his anger. "Delusional, naïve, half-breed. Ignoring the first two is easy, but that last one crosses a line I _warned_ you not to cross."

Guilt once again penetrated her crumbled fortress to strike a crushing blow to her heart.

This was her fault. All of this was. Another fight was happening because she screwed up, again…and she couldn't bring herself to face any of them. Hesitation and fear paralyzed her behind the door. What if by going out there she screwed something else up? What if nothing she could say or do would ever bring her team back into balance?

 _Damn it…why can't I—_

The opening of the bedroom door cut her thought off. Amari didn't need to look up to know who it was.

A gentle hand rested on her shoulder and guided her to take a few steps backwards. The door shut behind the newcomer and the bundle was removed from the young girl's hands, set on the floor next to them.

"…Aunt Yoshino…" _I need help._

Those three words were so simple, yet they remained lodged in her throat, unable to break free and be heard by another.

Silently, her aunt pulled her into a warm embrace. Amari initially remained frozen, unsure of herself, afraid of losing all composure. Hesitantly, she reciprocated the embrace.

Yoshino held her close. Strong and protective. Warm and gentle. Unwavering in support. The hug felt like she had finally come home after years of wandering, or drinking a cup of hot cocoa and eating cookies by a warm hearth after trudging through a blizzard. Amari held onto her aunt, defenses lowering, and accepted the comfort, the hiccupping tears, the fears and all it entailed.

"Everything will be okay, Amaririsu." Yoshino's soft, calm voice soothed the soul.

She could only nod into her belly, unable to speak, unable to express her undying gratitude for this bastion of shelter Yoshino provided. Knotted, tangled threads of tension unwound as her aunt, unhurried in her actions, massaged gentle circles along her sniffling, shuddering back. Stroked her slightly damp hair.

Amari squeezed her burning eyes shut and inhaled deeply; the scent of fresh jasmine overwhelmed her. Each breath slowly settled her rattled nerves.

Right. Enough tears. She could fix this. Just like a medic could mend a broken bone, she could mend the fractures in her team and her heart. That was why she had been put on this team, wasn't it? To be _the_ balancing point and watch after her team, that was the duty given to her by Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei. They believed in her and her ability to keep Team Seven on the right path.

She couldn't let them or herself down.

Only an apology and a willingness to forgive were required to move forward. Sasuke coming here on what appeared to be his own volition meant he sought to apologize. It would be easy to say this all fell on him. He had thrown several barbs at her, barbs that still hurt if she were honest… But Amari didn't see herself as innocent.

For every painful barb he threw, she threw one right back with added killing intent. Maybe she had a right to express her feelings about the rest of the Uchiha Clan; tormenting children, bullying them into tears and moving to physically harm them was unacceptable and unforgivable.

Sasuke wasn't responsible for their actions, though. Even if he did call her delusional, naïve and barely stopped before saying half-breed, he wasn't responsible for the pain the other Uchiha's inflicted on her. He wasn't the one who cornered her in a back alley to hurt her or threw tomatoes at her.

Sasuke had fought at her side through tough battles without hesitation. He was a clan-sibling and someone she trusted with her life. If they were to get past this and trust one another again, both of them had to apologize.

Amari took one more breath of jasmine then released Yoshino from her iron grip.

"Thank you, Aunt Yoshino," she thanked genuinely.

She had needed that hug more than she realized. _Next time I see Mimi, I'll have to ask her about prescribing me hugs. She'll get a good laugh out of that._

Yoshino smiled warmly at her and leaned down to kiss her on the top of her head. "You don't need to thank me, little shadow," she said. "Shikaku, Shikamaru and I all care deeply about you. You are a part of our family and are always welcome here." Happy and humbled, Amari hugged Yoshino again. "We already lost you once. I won't lose you again," her aunt murmured.

With the support of her memories and those around her, she would conquer this new struggle. Even if it took years, she would overcome.

That was a promise.

The aunt and niece released their embrace and shared smiles with each other. Amari moved to pick up her things but Yoshino beat her to it.

"I'll take care of this," she said as she picked up the bundle. "You and your team need to talk."

Amari nodded in agreement to the statement. Yes, they did need to talk. It would be difficult, but she would stay true to her nindo and walk the path ahead of her no matter how hard it was.

 _If I back down now, nothing will change. I'll remain the little girl who needs others to solve her problems, and the distance between me and Sasuke will only become larger._

Resolved to fix what happened, her eyes and brow set in unwavering determination. She would not let the Curse of Hatred hold sway over her or allow it to place a wedge between her and Sasuke.

A soft laugh made Amari awaken from her thoughts to Yoshino, who looked at her with nostalgic affection. "You look just like your mother in that outfit and with that determined look on your face."

Amari bashfully looked down at the kimono-styled blouse and began fiddling with the sash and the hem of it. "Is…this hers?"

"Yes. Shikaku and I were given permission to search for keepsakes within Mi… Within your mother's and father's home. Shikaku could never bring himself to throw it away. Small and insignificant as it may seem, it held memories he wasn't prepared to part with."

Amari nodded. "I understand."

"I wish you didn't," Yoshino admitted softly. "But your parents would be proud of you, for enduring as you have. As are Shikaku and I. If you would like to keep and wear it, I am sure Shikaku won't mind."

 _No offense to Uncle Shikaku, but that's because he wouldn't risk earning your ire. You have him wrapped around your finger, Aunt Yoshino. Even I can see that._

Amari kept the thought to herself and continued to fiddle with the top. She didn't mind the idea…but there was a distinct problem.

"It's…probably better if I don't."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"It's…" Heat flushed to her cheeks as the words used barrier ninjutsu to prevent themselves from leaving her throat. Amari swallowed as much of her embarrassment as she could and meekly voiced her plight. "…It's too big and loose…around my chest."

An amused smirk pulled onto her aunt's lips as mirth danced in her eyes. Her mouth never opened, but Amari could hear her laughter all the same. How embarrassing!

"You don't have to keep it if you will be uncomfortable wearing it." Yoshino pat her on the head and turned around to open the door. "But don't worry, Amaririsu. I'm sure you'll grow into it."

"That's what I'm afraid of," she muttered.

Without another word, they exited the bedroom and moved into the living room, where her team and Shikamaru were located. Sakura and Naruto sat on the couch, practically on the edge of the cushions from the tension. Sakura's attire was a simple blue kimono; her damp hair was a little messier than usual. Naruto dressed in one of her cousin's black shirts and shorts, his usual spiky blond hair lying flat on his head.

On the floor in front of them were Shikamaru and Sasuke sitting at a shogi board. Her cousin had his hair down—which was a little strange—and wore a simple grey t-shirt and shorts. Across from him was Sasuke in a similar getup as the other two boys, only his shirt was a darker grey than Shikamaru's.

Neither of the two boys sitting on the floor noticed her entrance, too focused on the small argument they were having. Naruto and Sakura did notice her though, and both brightened at the sight of her. Briefly their eyes shifted to her left arm, to the scars of the Lightning Blade displayed for all to see.

It was fitting, she supposed, that she would have to reveal all of her scars to them here and now, even the physical ones.

Nervously, she brought her right hand to her left elbow to cover up some of the scars. There was no way to cover them all; they were too vast in number and length, some curving this way and that.

Her team had all seen her scars at some point during the time together, but she preferred hiding them. They weren't pretty by any means, and they only served as a reminder to her and the others of the events that caused them.

"Good. Consider this your one and only freebee with me. But if you _ever_ call her a half-breed again or hurt her the way you did today, I'll keep my promise. We clear?" Shikamaru threatened calmly.

"Crystal."

Their argument seemed to be at its end. This was her chance to make her stand and confront this issue head-on before anything else happened. She was grateful for Shikamaru's defense, but now it was time for her to take charge of the situation.

"Shika…"

Her voice, quiet and meek as it was, may as well have been the sudden, spontaneous crack of a lightning bolt. Every action, down to even minor finger movements, stopped. Instantly. The tension in the air tightened, constricted. All eyes were on her.

Unwilling to let anxiety best her, and with a reassuring squeeze to her shoulder from Yoshino, she continued. "May I speak with my team, alone?"

She phrased it as a question, but hidden beneath the surface layer was a silent plea only he could hear; the plea to let her handle this.

"Sure," he answered without even a moment's hesitation, nodding once.

Shikamaru lazily climbed onto his feet and began to take his leave. Amari intercepted his path with quicker, purposeful strides, wrapping her arms around his neck and embracing him tightly. "Thank you," she whispered, nuzzling into him.

Shikamaru's arm snaked around her back, chin resting on the top of her head. "If you need anything, just let me know."

 _I'll be nearby if you need me_ was the message he silently passed her.

"I will."

 _I know, but I'll be okay._

Shikamaru departed towards the kitchen, although not without Amari squeezing his hand one last time as he passed by. _Trust me._

He squeezed her hand back. _I do._

The kunoichi didn't bother to watch him leave. He wouldn't hover in sight of everyone as they talked—too troublesome. He would pick a tactical position hidden from sight but in hearing distance, that way he could monitor the situation and jump in if need be.

 _Thank you, Shika._

An awkward air permeated in the silence left by Shikamaru's departure. Her teammates were struggling to figure out where to begin; even her talkative best friend was at a loss for words.

Amari did not share their disadvantage. Through the reassurance of her memories and the comfort of Yoshino, the blinding hurt and anger that dulled her rationality finally lifted. Grief lingered. Aches remained. But she could think and see clearly again.

Dragging this out would only make it even harder for Sasuke. She could see the regret in his slumping body language, in the guilt ridden onyx eyes that couldn't meet hers.

 _He also had Shika bearing down on him, and I don't wish that upon anyone._ The divide between her cousin and her clan-sibling was almost physically tangible.

Distrust. Anger. Disappointment. Protection.

Shame. Guilt. Confusion. Pride.

 _I can't worry about their emotions right now_. The relationship between Shikamaru and Sasuke wasn't hers to control. She couldn't make them like or dislike each other; their issues were theirs to solve, not hers.

Here and now, Amari could only iron out the tension between herself and Sasuke. That's what she had power over. That's what she could control.

Coming down hard on Sasuke served no purpose, and she didn't have it in her to berate or yell at him for what he had said. Like her, Sasuke fell prey to the Curse of Hatred. It had twisted their minds, sealed away all rationality in the darkest corners of their mind so they would only feel red hot anger.

 _We'll have to learn to control our emotions better, but I'll worry about that tomorrow._

"Sasuke." The boy reluctantly looked up at her from the shogi board. "I'm sorry for yelling at you, pushing you and hitting you with killing intent. Having that memory of being chased by the bullies awakened and then hearing you almost call me the same insult they did… I won't lie, it hurt. A lot."

Her admission of pain made his eyes shift away from hers, likely to hide the overwhelming guilt he felt. She had to be honest, though. If she acted like his words didn't hurt, it was possible he might say them again.

"But in that hurt I turned to my anger and lashed out at you." She shook her head. "You didn't deserve that. A lot of what I yelled at you is how I feel about the Uchiha Clan members who tormented me. The things they said and did to me…I don't think I can ever forgive them for it."

"…I know," Sasuke said. "I can't blame you for feeling that way. The fear and pain you felt because of them…it's unforgivable."

"But you aren't among that group," she assured firmly. "You're my teammate, friend and clan-sibling. Our argument hasn't changed that, not for me anyways."

Amari sauntered forward and sat across from him. His eyes returned to the shogi board in response to her apology. It was fine. His prideful nature and her apology obviously made words escape him. He probably expected her to be distant instead of letting all her walls down for her team.

She had to do it, though. If she wasn't completely honest with them now, how could she ever expect them to be honest with her when they needed her instead?

As she waited for him to find his words, she examined the shogi board to see how the game had progressed and to decide on the next move. All it took was a glance over to see that Shikamaru had been playing tactically while Sasuke wasn't.

 _I could finish this game in a few moves where Shika left it._

Instead of ending the game, she began resetting the board so they could play from the start. It would keep them busy as the storm continued to rage on outside.

"…Why are you so forgiving?" Sasuke asked at length.

A flaw in her personality perhaps? She had readily risked her life for Haku despite thinking he killed Sasuke. She had let Gaara go despite what he had done to Lee and Hikari and what his Village had done to the Leaf. She was even willing to forgive Itachi and Aimi.

Compared all of that, forgiving a friend over an argument was easy. "Because you're my friend and I know you didn't really mean to call me a half-breed," she answered without looking up. "If you did, you wouldn't have sat there and let Shikamaru threaten you. You wouldn't even be here now if you really thought of me that way."

In the grand scheme of everything, if Sasuke saw her as the other Uchiha's had, she would mean less to him than the dirt under his sandals.

Unlike the other Uchiha, he sat here with her, a cloak of sorrow and guilt draped over his bent shoulders after enduring through Shikamaru's verbal lashing.

"That doesn't excuse it," he admitted.

She shook her head again. "No, it doesn't. Everything we do has an effect on the people we care for. Our hearts can be sincere and yet still hurt others, or even hurt ourselves without ever realizing it," Amari repeated Shisui's words. "When we're blinded by our anger, we're unable to see if what we're saying or doing is hurting the people we love most."

Amari looked at Sasuke from beneath her eyelashes to see where on the emotional spectrum those words left him. During their argument she failed to even consider doing that. It was a mistake she wouldn't make twice.

His eyes still didn't meet hers; they remained on the board between them, but he appeared to be taking the words to heart.

It was an opening she wouldn't let go to waste. "I promised Shisui to never let hatred or arrogance blind me. People like the ones who tormented me were consumed by the Curse of Hatred. They let it guide their actions. They… Well, you saw what they did to me. What they said. How they looked at me with those crazed eyes of hatred.

"I _refuse_ to be like them. But that also means I've swore myself to a life of fighting against the Curse of Hatred and all it stands for. It's a struggle we'll both have to face every day of our lives."

"…Is it even possible to win that kind of fight?" Sasuke asked honestly.

Naruto opened his mouth to interject but was silenced by an elbow to the side from Sakura.

"I believe it's possible because of Shisui. He never lost his heart, not even when he was at the end of his life. He still felt anger, you saw that." Sasuke nodded. "But he accepted their existence instead of burying them. It helped him keep sight of himself.

"I'm not saying it will be easy, because it won't be. It's something we'll have to fight for the rest of our lives. But as long as we stick together, I believe we can beat it."

A beat of silence passed between them. Sasuke appeared to be contemplating her words and his own belief in them. Amari chose not to interrupt his thoughts. Either her words would reach him or they wouldn't. Speaking more wouldn't change the simple fact that Sasuke had to find the will to fight within himself and grab hold of it without someone handing it to him.

All she could hope for was that her words made the fire burn bright enough for him to see it.

While she waited, she busied herself with fixing the board. Upon nearing completion of resetting it, Sasuke nodded and said, "Yeah."

His response was simple, yet the conviction behind it was far stronger than she could have hoped for. Internally, she smiled triumphantly. She needed that win. It reaffirmed to Amari that her place as the balancing point still meant something.

 _I won't fail the duty Iruka-sensei gave me._

Finally Sasuke raised his eyes to meet hers with an apologetic look on his face. "I'm sorry for everything I said. I never meant to say anything to hurt you."

"I forgive you."

It was as easy as that. No drama, no long drawn out fights with her throwing the words he said back in his face. Just a simple apology to get them all back on the same page.

Half of her mission was complete. Now came the difficult part.

Amari set the final piece in place then inhaled deeply and exhaled through her mouth. "There's something else I want to talk to you about," she flicked her eyes over to her other two teammates, "all of you. It's something I need you all to understand for the sake of our team."

They all perked up at the seriousness in her voice. "We're all ears, Amari," Naruto responded eagerly. "Whatever you need, we're ready to do it."

Sakura and Sasuke dipped their heads in agreement to their knucklehead's statement.

"Thank you," she thanked. She shut her eyes and inhaled one last deep breath to calm her nerves. "Guys… I know ever since I was taken down by Itachi that you've all been severely worried about me. You've all made an extra effort to be as gentle with me as possible as I recovered, and I appreciate that more than you know."

When she opened her eyes, she looked between both Sasuke and the couch. "The truth is I have been struggling every day with what happened. At first a simple reminder of Shisui could bring me to tears because of how much I miss him."

Shikamaru witnessed her grief, as had Kurenai. Her team, on the other hand, hadn't seen it at all, because she hid it from them.

"I miss Shisui every day," she continued in a low voice. "Not a day goes by now that I don't think about him or our bond or our final moments together. Just talking about him now makes my heart ache something awful in my chest."

"Amari, you don't need to push this," Sakura tried to soothe.

Amari shook her head. "No, I need to talk about this. I feel if I had just been honest about all of this from the start, Sasuke and I never would have argued. That's why I need you to let me continue."

Reluctantly, all three of her teammates nodded in agreement.

"I suffer from nightmares, too. Mostly it's been the Lightning Blade. A few nights lately have been about Sandayū and the samurai being massacred."

The young girl lifted up her left hand and looked down at its still form and the scars scrawled across her forearm. She could almost see the blood, the violent twitches.

"Moments like those have haunted my dreams since they happened." She glanced over to Sakura. "Like how you found me on the boat ride back from the Land of Snow."

Both boys turned to Sakura in shock. "Wait, you knew about this?" Naruto accused.

"She didn't know until our trip back," Amari interjected in her defense. "And I appreciate you not telling them, Sakura. Truly. Thank you for everything you did that night and for keeping it secret."

"I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

Maybe one day they could discuss it in depth…

"Yeah but—"

Not tonight, though.

"Naruto, I haven't confessed all of this to make you all overly sensitive to my feelings," she cut him off again.

Naruto stared at her in open confusion.

"It…isn't easy for me to talk about these things I deal with. Only my mom, Kakashi-sensei and my family here know, in some capacity at least." Asuma, too, but explaining that would be awkward. "And I like it that way. I don't like people worrying about me."

Her best friend was quicker on his response. "But how are we supposed to help if you hide it?"

The girl released a soft breath through her nose and let her shoulders sag at his question. _I managed to get this far. I can't back down now._

"I have to fight my own internal battles, Naruto. No one can fight them for me." He went to argue, but was silenced by her raising her hand. "Listen, please," she pleaded. "The reason I hid it so long is because I knew each of you would grow over-protective in your own ways. I don't want that."

"Why not?" asked Sakura.

"Because I don't want you three doubting my abilities or treating me any different because of this," she stated firmly. "This pain I'm dealing with hasn't changed anything about my skills. I'm still a fully functional and capable kunoichi. I don't need you three foolishly throwing yourselves in front of me to protect me in a fight or asking to give me extra reinforcements while you're all handling situations like we always do.

"If that's what you think I need, it means you think I'm a liability on missions, and I will not accept that. I am _not_ a liability or a weakling. I can handle myself."

"Okay, so what do you want from us?" Sasuke questioned.

"If you three want to help me, just be yourselves. I'm not asking Shika to be Shisui for me. I just need him to be the lazy bones I know and love. The same goes for you three. You three don't need to change how you treat me or tiptoe around me. I'll get through this. I just need time to get my footing. Okay?"

"We can do that," Sakura agreed.

Sasuke nodded silently in agreement. Naruto was the last of them to respond, sighing heavily before he did. "All right. Just…just let us know if you need anything."

Amari smiled at him and nodded. "I will. Now," she turned her head back to face Sasuke, "this storm isn't letting up anytime soon, so let's see how much better you are at shogi."

The boy sighed. "This is punishment for earlier, isn't it?"

"You'll have to find out. If I thoroughly thrash you in a few minutes, you'll know I'm attempting to embarrass you."

He sighed again but submitted to playing the game with her.

Shikamaru rejoined them a few minutes after the main conversation ended, lounging lazily on the love seat as they discussed their missions as of late, all of which consisted of D-rank errand missions that none of them were entirely happy about.

The storm lasted for hours, raging on outside of the Nara household until night had fallen over the Leaf Village. Shikaku arrived when the storm finally settled down to a light rain; Amari noticed him do a double take when he noticed her outfit. He chuckled and murmured something under his breath she hadn't caught.

Yoshino was kind enough to wash and dry their clothes as well as cook them all dinner. Amari tried to help, but was immediately shooed out of the kitchen and told to go relax.

 _Troublesome adult._

By the time the storm lightened up to walk home safely and dry, all four members of Team Seven and Shikamaru were either passed out on the couches or barely clinging to wakefulness.

Amari fell into the latter group with Shikamaru, the pair still playing a game of shogi as Sasuke laid passed out on the couch with Sakura lying on the other half of it. Naruto sprawled out on the love-seat, his arm hanging off one side as a bit of drool trailed out of his mouth.

Each of the sleeping members had pillows and blankets thanks to Yoshino while Amari herself had wrapped a light blanket around her body. Exhaustion was creeping in, making it hard to keep her eyes open despite her interest in the game. It had been a long night for all of them in different ways, but there was one last thing she wanted to say to Shikamaru.

"Shika," she spoke quietly to not disturb the others.

"Mm."

"I love you."

"I love you too, 'Risu."

Hearing the words one last time allowed a peaceful sleep to finally claim her.

No matter how hard the fight was, as long as she had the love and support of her family and her team she would keep fighting. Her path ahead would be tough and she had no doubt there would be more pain along the way, but she would overcome the Curse of Hatred and walk her path to the end.

 _Because that's who I am._

* * *

 _Review Response to Guest: Amari wasn't able to hear everything between Sasuke and Shikamaru due to her interactions with Yoshino, but she heard enough and noticed through the tense air between them how at ends they are right now. It is likely she'll learn that piece of truth about the Tailed-Beasts later on, but I can't guarantee when it'll happen._

 _I can't comment much on how the Sasuke Retrieval arc without spoilers, but you are right to assume Shikamaru's opinion of Sasuke will deteriorate further if it plays out the same way._

 _Shikamaru was promoted I think right before the Retrieval arc, or at least that's how I remember it happening. There's a reason no one has been promoted yet, and the answer to that will come at the end of the next upcoming arc._

 _It's safe to say Tsunade has a very basic understanding of the dialogue with the Mist through discussions with Shikaku, who would have been informed by Atsuko about her stay in the Mist. There'll be more seen of this in the future._

 _Kisame's fate may very well change. I can't say more than that without spoilers._

 _I've considered giving Amari a Sage Mode with the Crows, but I haven't committed to the idea yet. I'm still debating with it._

 _Thank you for the review!_

 _Review Response to ChillinInKonoha: Although there were no continued discussions in this chapter of the truth and the theories Amari/Haya has, this is far from the last conversation Amari and Sasuke will have on the subject of their argument and the truth. Sasuke may have experienced the memories Amari imparted onto him and witnessed the information, but he's still processing it all. Amari, as seen in this chapter, was also still in an emotional flux. Neither wanted to push it when it could still so easily spiral out of hand again._

 _In the anime everything fell apart after the Land of Tea/Idate Morino arc, where the Rain shinobi who betrayed the Leaf and tortured Ibiki taunted Sasuke and attacked his pride and made him feel inferior, which led to the hospital rooftop fight with Naruto. We're edging closer to the eventual return of Orochimaru and the Sound Four, but I won't say when._

 _I wouldn't underestimate Shikamaru. He may not be a reincarnation of a divine one, but he is a crafty shinobi capable of coming up with a plan to defeat Hidan and Kakuzu, two guys who were basically immortal. Plus, he's actually taking his training seriously now, and when it comes to his 'Risu he gets extra protective, even if expending all that energy is a huge drag._

 _I know most of the serious filler arcs from Part 1, though I couldn't name them off the top of my head right now._

 _I don't think there's much she can do in term of teaching them summonings, plus it'd be pretty weird and hard to coordinate(for me) everyone having a summoning creature. As for their Chakra affinities, there is the possibility of that._

 _She'll definitely have some thoughts and feelings about how her peers have grown up._

 _Thank you for the review!_


	79. Chapter 78: Academic Consequences

Chapter 78

Academic Consequences: A Lesson They Will Never Forget

"This is such a pain."

Amari sighed heavily. Normally she would admonish Shikamaru for his whining, but…

"Why do I always end up in these troublesome situations? Did I do something terrible in a past life?" she mumbled. "I must've been a heartless criminal. A fiend. A deviant who relished in sin and debauchery."

And this was divine punishment for her past crimes.

A series of animalistic murmurs announced the third agreement to their plight.

"You could say that again, Aoko. Whose bright idea was it to send the four of us into this mission with no plan whatsoever?" Mimi growled.

Shikamaru threw his head backwards and let out a wordless groan of unadulterated frustration. He followed it with a sigh of resignation, shutting his eyes while standing as still as a statue, chin pointed to the ceiling. Finally, after a breath, he redirected his attention to his downtrodden cousin—who was certain she bore the responsibility of their current fate—and the irritated Inuzuka—who's fingers curled into her biceps as she clenched her jaw.

"I hate to say it, but we're stuck in this mess whether we like it or not. Since our superiors couldn't provide us with much, we'll just have to make it work however we can. It's the only way we get through this."

"Excellent in theory, Slacker. Not so great in practice. We literally have _zero_ experience for this kind of mission," Mimi pointed out, the rumble of irritation in her voice clear as the cloudless sky over Konoha.

Neither Nara could blame the Inuzuka for her attitude. The accuracy of her analysis matched Tenten's aim with ninja tools. Zero experience, under-prepared by their superiors; this whole mess could test a monk's patience.

"Then we'll use what we do have experience with to our advantage," Shikamaru declared. The sudden decision left both kunoichis and Aoko confused. "Although this is the first time the four of us have ever teamed up, it isn't like we don't know each other's strengths and weaknesses. I was able to watch the three of you go all out on each other, and you two worked side by side during the Invasion. My skill set isn't hard to figure out either.

"For now, we'll focus on our strengths. Our individual skills do differ, as do our application of them. But if we strip it down to a fundamental level, what skills are all three of us proficient in?"

"Chakra control," Amari offered. "Mimi's Medical Ninjutsu gives her the finest tuned chakra control of all three of us, but we're all proficient with it on some level. It's fundamental to each of our skills."

"All three of us also use ninjutsu in some fashion," Mimi followed, calmer as they prepared a strategy. "Nature Transformation, to be specific. Assuming your Shadow techniques fall into Yin or Yang Release, we all use it and we're all skilled with it."

Shikamaru bobbed his head in a nod and brought his right hand to his chin in thought. "All right. We can use that."

Amari could see the wheels turning in his brain. A plan was forming, piece by piece. She smiled and settled in to wait patiently. _Even though you're incredibly lazy, you always manage to come through when you need to._

When Shikamaru settled on a plan, he lowered his hand back to his side and raised his eyes to meet theirs. "Okay, here's the plan. I'm going to use the list we were given to learn the names of the people we're dealing with." He turned his attention to the Inuzuka first. "Mimi, I want you and Aoko to get all the information you can written down. A boring job, I know, but it's what we have to do."

"To steal your phrase, what a drag," the Inuzuka sighed, visibly deflating. She looked like the love of her life, who she had spent decades with, decided to leave her.

Shikamaru and Amari smirked at her reaction. Then refocused. "'Risu, you're on crowd control." He made a vague gesture to the targets in question. "I don't know how we're going to do it, but we need to gain control of the situation without physical violence. Honestly, I've given you the toughest job. Sorry about that. But you're the best suited for it between the four of us."

A necessary and decent plan, but there was a single flaw: He was sending her, the most reserved and quiet person here, to handle a restless crowd of people. Restricting violence only lowered her already limited pool of options.

"I'll do my best, but what if they won't listen?" she asked.

The corner of her cousin's lip pulled up into a vindictive smirk. "Then we'll get creative. Can you manage a genjutsu without your eye?"

Mimi snorted then immediately slapped a hand over her mouth to conceal her grin and laughter.

"Of course," she replied, smiling innocently. Now _that_ was a plan she could get behind.

"Resort to that if it becomes necessary, but try not to knock them out. Or terrify them to death. We need them awake and unharmed to complete this mission successfully."

The blue-haired kunoichi dipped her head in a nod. "You got it, Shika."

"I love the way you think, Slacker." Mimi was practically vibrating with excitement. Had she not restrained herself, Amari believed she would have been bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I hope you have to use genjutsu right away. It'll be hilarious!"

"All right, we have our plan. Now let's put it into action." Shikamaru extended his hand out into the space of their huddle. Mimi mirrored the action by settling her gloved hand on top of his, with Amari placing hers onto the Inuzuka's. Resting his other hand on the top, he continued, "Well, what can I say? This is a real drag, but I can't think of anyone else I'd rather be stuck doing this with." He made a fist with his top hand and tapped the top of Amari's hand. "Let's do this."

"Right," the two kunoichi responded. Aoko barked in solidarity.

Shikamaru sat at the desk adjacent to their position and picked up the chart of names provided to them. Mimi, with Aoko resting on her head, strode away to begin writing down the information. After swallowing her nerves, Amari walked to the front of the room, eye flicking around the horde of people she had to control.

"All right, everyone settle down," she attempted to command.

Twenty different voices all talking on top of each other answered her. Hikari would've hated this chaotic, earsplitting noise. Worse, some of the voices were shouting over others with their shrill child voices.

 _Ugh, I don't miss this part of the Academy whatsoever._

How she, Mimi and Shikamaru were volunteered to step in for Iruka-sensei's class was beyond her. And now she had to stand in front of a classroom of misbehaving children and…teach a class. This could only be divine punishment because of that swindler and deviant she used to be.

"Everyone, please take your seats so we can begin class," she tried again.

"There's no way you're our teacher!" one of the brats yelled, jabbing his finger rudely at her.

Amari rolled her eye. "We have our orders from Lady Hokage, so sit down and don't point. It's rude."

"I don't believe you! How can you be a shinobi when you're not even that much taller than me?"

Amari bristled. So, this little brat thought he was clever by targeting her height, huh? He should be so lucky to hit his growth spurt early, but she'd bring him down a size or two for that little insult. The nerve!

Shikamaru snorted but said nothing. Mimi and Aoko murmured a few prayers for the kid; someone ought to, they figured, since he signed up for pain worse than death.

Across the class, a boy with brown spiky hair and a pair of goggles shot up out of his seat. "Hey, don't talk to Big Sis that way! She earned her headband and she's smarter than you know!" Konohamaru shouted back.

"Yeah, she even took part in the Chūnin Exams!" Moegi joined her friend. "And she helped defend the Leaf during the Invasion!"

A condescending laugh echoed out of the brat and his group of friends. "Pfft, yeah right! Look at her! She doesn't look strong at all!"

"None of them do!" one of his lackeys backed him up.

"And they're pretty stupid looking!" echoed another lackey.

"Why you!" Konohamaru growled.

Diplomacy had failed, it seemed. _I can't say I'm surprised. Pretty much every generation has these same little brats who think they're stronger, smarter or cooler than the rest_.

Despite the Invasion they remained ignorant to how powerful shinobi could be, and the threats they would one day face when or if they earned their headbands.

 _The innocence of youth, I suppose_.

Soon, though, in another year or two, they'd face their squad leader's test, and if they didn't mature enough before that then Amari could guarantee they wouldn't become shinobi.

Silently, she looked back at Shikamaru and Mimi for advice—permission really. Shikamaru simply nodded. Mimi's eyes _begged_ her to shut them all up with a genjutsu.

With a shrug, she turned back to the class. _It can't be helped._

She brought her hands up and created the Snake handseal. "Here's why you're going to listen to us," she raised her voice over them. "You see, my teammate was injured during our recent A-rank mission—shattered her hand to defeat a tough enemy. So, as she recovered, me and my other two teammates were given a stack of D-rank errand missions meant to keep us busy.

"I had timed it _perfectly_ to finish my stack after she recovered. Imagine my despair, if you can, when instead of being given a break or a higher ranked mission with my team I ended up with _another_ relatively small stack of D-ranks—a stack I didn't finish until late last night."

The dōjutsu wielder moved her hands into Rat. "I ran around the _entire_ village and dealt with a few pompous jerks, all of whom cut away at my already thin thread of patience. I'm tired and frustrated. Then _you_ decided to call me too short to be a shinobi—a very poor choice of words, I might add. You could say I'm quite sensitive about my height, which makes your insult the igniting flame to the pool of rage I have contained."

 _Demonic Illusion: Demon Dragon._

Darkness, spreading from her feet like spilled oil, stretched over the floor of the classroom, up the walls, covered the windows so no light could enter and consumed the ceiling. The room went utterly silent. Instantly.

Then, as if the darkness didn't frighten them enough, Amari's wild hair transformed into dark blue scaled dragons, their razor sharp teeth ready to devour the souls of her enemies. The white of her right eye turned completely black before flames erupted from both eyes, each flame searing through the darkness in a menacing, flickering orange light.

As she spoke next, it was the voice of her demonic dragon.

" **Do not test me!** " she roared.

She heard Shikamaru snort again. The tapping of chalk continued on the board, but she sensed Mimi and Aoko's eyes on her, and the fiendish grins on their lips.

Satisfying wails of terror from the students encouraged her to go one step further. Steadily, she grew in height until she was looming menacingly over the entire classroom. The students shrank in their seats. Her dragon hair spread out wildly and began roaring and snapping their furious jaws in all directions.

" **You will do as instructed and listen to your substitutes or I will rain my fury upon you all! Understand?!** "

Sweat poured from the faces of the students as they nodded vigorously. Amari released the genjutsu and everything returned to its natural state. She smiled kindly at the class. "Great! Let's try to make this as painless as possible and have some fun while we're at it!"

Keen to see Mimi and Shikamaru's reactions, she turned away from the class back to them. The former's shoulders shook, the occasional snicker escaping her. Despite what was undoubtedly a tremendous struggle not to fall to her knees gasping for air from laughing, the Inuzuka continued to draw up their lesson plan around chakra control and Nature Transformation.

Amari was most impressed.

Shikamaru just stared at her with an amused smirk, shaking his head. _About as close as I'm going to get to dying of laughter with him. I'll take it as a victory._

"Time to check who is here and absent, right Shika?" she asked innocently.

"Right. When I call your name, raise your hand and announce yourself," he drawled lazily.

Shikamaru went through roll call without any further issues. As she waited, Amari monitored Mimi's progress. She was a quarter of the way done, and with how quick attendance was going she wouldn't be finished in time.

 _Guess I'll have to stall or teach what I know without a visual aid_. A sigh escaped her as she clasped her hands behind her back.

This was going to be a total drag.

Overall, despite what she had said and the strangeness of the mission at hand, Amari's spirits were high. There'd been no pompous jerks on her missions; in fact, everyone treated her with respect. Some recognized her from the Exams and the Invasion, offering congratulations on her performance and gratitude for hers and Mimi's actions to defend the Leaf. A few even knew about their efforts to stop Gaara, which caught her off guard.

" _But the more Haya excels, the more attention she draws to herself."_

Shisui was right, in more ways than she realized. Still, having this class believe she might snap without warning would provide superb entertainment.

It had been two days since her argument with Sasuke and things were relatively back to normal among her team, though she sensed cautiousness now and then lingering in their interactions. She expected as much and hoped it would fade in time.

"Seems everyone is here," Shikamaru said at the end of attendance. Amari turned back to face the class as he set the list of names down and stood up. "Okay, listen up. Iruka-sensei was called in for an important meeting this morning, and since we're short on shinobi the three of us Genin were tasked to take over his class for this period today."

"Sweet! Free period!" a boy declared, standing up and pumping his fist to accent his happiness. His cheer was joined in by others of the class.

"Sit down, you idiots," Shikamaru scolded tiredly. Being a teacher was clearly exhausting him, and they had barely even started. "Although the three of us would love nothing more than to sit around and relax as all of you went about your own business, we were strictly forbidden from doing so by the Hokage. So no free period."

Unhappy groans and murmurs echoed from the class as they slumped back into their chairs.

"Furthermore," Shikamaru continued, "we weren't given the proper lesson plan to teach your class. My guess is it slipped their mind with how sudden this all came up. Considering we can't just pretend we're teaching you, we've chosen two advanced lessons kids your age haven't even started on yet."

 _Which is a flaw if you ask me_ , Amari thought. _Learning chakra control earlier by practicing how to walk on water and climb trees without their hands would only help them in the long run. It certainly helped me._

"Before we get to that, we should do some introductions. My name is Shikamaru Nara. The one with the blue hair is Amaririsu Yūhi. And those two at the chalk board are Mimi Inuzuka and Aoko. Just don't be a drag and we'll get along fine."

"Aw, a puppy!" one of the girls squealed.

Mimi stopped halfway through a word to turn around and address the child. "She's not just a puppy. Aoko is my partner and has fought side by side with me during the Invasion and every battle I've had before that." Aoko barked, earning a grin from the Inuzuka. "I was getting to that. Don't be so impatient."

The ninken huffed at her partner, which only served to keep her grin in place. "She also has the special ability to sense internal and external injuries of our allies and enemies. In battle that helps me pinpoint places to attack on an enemy and keeps me updated on my team's health. After battles that ability can help me to know an allies injury before I have time to run a Diagnostic Jutsu, which can be the difference of life and death for those in critical condition."

"Whoa," the class awed.

 _They're an awesome team, that's for sure. Aoko's ability really comes in handy during intense situations, like during the Invasion._

"Now that introductions are out of the way," Shikamaru spoke up again, "the lesson we have in mind for you today is chakra control and Nature Transformation."

From that point on the three Genin spoke in tandem about the importance of chakra control and the concepts of Nature Transformation. For the most part Shikamaru remained true to his lazy nature and let his two kunoichi teammates do the majority of the talking. He probably thought adding a third agreement to every point made by his two teammates was pointless.

There were times where he would interrupt to ask a question to the class to keep himself and the class involved in the learning process. Otherwise he remained in his own thoughts or provided names to Mimi or Amari of someone wanting to ask a question.

None of the Genin expected the class to fully grasp their concepts or pass a test on their lesson. Their main goal was to fulfill their mission while providing some helpful information that would help the next generation later on. It was the least they could do.

 _I'm sure some will keep this information in mind or start training with it when they are able to._

"Ughhh. This is soooo boring!" one of the kids, a boy, groaned.

 _Others…not so much._ Amari sweat dropped as she noticed a vein bulge on Mimi's forehead at the interruption mid-lecture.

"Yeah, what's the point of learning chakra control?" another boy echoed. "It's just so lame. Why can't we learn more about taijutsu or more about Nature Transformation stuff? That stuff is so much cooler and has more practical use in the field."

Another vein bulged. Amari grimaced. _Uh-oh. Not only did they not listen to her latest point made about the importance of chakra control for the use of Medical Ninjutsu, but they just blatantly told her it has no use._ The Nara groaned internally. _Oh man. Talk about punching one of her buttons hard._

"Boring? No practical use in the field?" If steam could have shot out of Mimi's ears, it would have at that moment. Instead, the Inuzuka closed her left hand into a fist and crushed the piece of chalk she was holding. She opened her hand and let the white particles fall to the floor before brushing the residue off her gloves.

The entire class gulped in fear.

Quietly, Amari took a cautionary step away from her friend and tucked her right arm behind her back to clasp her left bicep.

"Interesting questions you have there," she spoke in a menacing whisper. "I must have been using too many big words for you to comprehend its importance, so let me dumb it down for you imbeciles."

Several more gulps of fear were audible in the silent classroom.

"Without precise chakra control, the entire Medical Corps doesn't exist. Without the Medical Corps, your career as a shinobi meets an untimely end."

"Untimely…end?" the first to interrupt questioned nervously.

Mimi met their nervous question with merciless sapphire eyes. "You die."

The words were left to hang in the room for an entire minute. Some of the kids lowered their heads in fear. Others had sweat build on their brow as they took in the honesty of the statement.

During the silence, Amari sat on the edge of the desk Shikamaru was sitting behind and cross her legs under her. _Mimi's not quite done yet._ She could have stepped in, as could Shikamaru, but both knew this point was valid.

Also neither wanted to have Mimi turn her anger towards them. That would be too troublesome.

 _Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick._ The arm of the wall clock ticking along was the only noise in the entire room. None of the kids had the guts to say anything else to disregard their lesson. Each were left to contemplate the harsh reality of what could happen to any shinobi in the line of battle.

Amari understood why Mimi was doing this. Both of them had been forced at a young age to face the terrible feelings of loss and death. Some among this class, like Konohamaru, had been hit by it as well. Others, possibly the majority of them, had yet to experience the same pain and sorrow they had.

Her friend was not forcing them to contemplate this because she wanted them to suffer the same pains. No, Mimi didn't want any kid to suffer like she had. One of the driving forces behind her passion behind being a medic was to prevent kids from having to lose their parents to war or any dangerous mission as she had.

But the Inuzuka was not one to sugar coat anything. She didn't beat around the bush or tiptoe around any subject if it needed to be said. These kids were the next generation. Soon their time would come where they would become shinobi just like the three Genin in the room.

 _Mimi, Shika and I all saw the devastation of the Invasion firsthand. Between our experiences during that and the Akatsuki incident, she isn't going to waste this opportunity to try to get them all to stop thinking like kids and start thinking like a shinobi_.

Amari couldn't blame her for trying and wouldn't stop her. There was no telling what kind of troubles the Leaf would face with the Akatsuki and Orochimaru still out there. It would only benefit these kids to start thinking, _really_ thinking, about what it took and what it meant to be a shinobi.

When a minute finally passed, the Inuzuka decided to speak again.

"Tch, practical use. You've proven your inexperience and ignorance to the reality of shinobi life by saying that. You want more _practical use_ for chakra control? Try that Nature Transformation _stuff_ you all think is so cool. Without it you'll end up expending all of your chakra within a few jutsu's, and then you'll be helpless to your enemy. You know what happens then?"

"You die," Amari stated this time.

She wouldn't stop Mimi, but she would help drive the point home. _As much as I don't want to, it's time to pull an Ibiki._ She slowly began to roll up her mesh sleeve to her elbow, lifting her arm up to reveal the scars of the Lightning Blade to the class.

Gasps of shock echoed out of all of them.

"Pretty nasty, huh? I received these on my first C-rank mission because our client lied about the dangers we'd face." _And because I jumped in front of a powerful jutsu to save a kindred spirit._ "They go all the way up my bicep and even across my shoulder. If you exhaust your chakra and manage not to die because an ally saves you, you'll end up with scars like these, and even worse scars that can't be seen on the body."

Amari rolled her sleeve back down before speaking again. "Some of you in here will have average chakra reserves like Shikamaru. Others will have large reserves and strong chakra like Mimi and myself. But the size of your reservoir and strength of your chakra means nothing if you wastefully expend your chakra.

"For instance, I may have a larger chakra supply to use, but if Shikamaru has better control of his chakra he can match the strength of my techniques with less of a toll on his total amount of chakra."

"I'll be able to outlast her and wait for the perfect opportunity to strike when she's unable to defend herself," Shikamaru joined in the lesson they were teaching. "That's why learning to control your chakra is fundamental to being a shinobi."

He shut his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "In theory, any shinobi that has fine control over their chakra has the ability to learn any jutsu and use it. A shinobi like that would be as great as the Hokage. I'd say that's pretty cool, wouldn't you?"

Before the class could answer, the door to the classroom slid open roughly, snapping the entire room to attention.

"Boss?" Konohamaru was the first to speak to the new interruption.

Naruto, hands on his hips, beamed from the doorway at them all.

"Goofball, about time they sent your ass back into the Academy," Mimi teased the boy.

His beaming attitude fell into horrified disbelief. "What?! No way! I'm not here as a student!"

"Then why are you here, idiot? We're in the middle of a mission," Shikamaru questioned, motioning to the class and the board for Naruto to take notice.

"A mission?" The blond walked further into the room to examine the chalkboard only to wail and recoil in pure terror. "Ahhh! It's Amari's lectures written down!"

Amari's felt her cheeks flush when Mimi shot a humored grin her way. _I'm not that bad…am I?_ She cleared her throat and banished her blush quickly. "Ahem…Naruto, what are you—"

"Boss!" Konohamaru interrupted. He jumped to the front of the class and took up a fighting stance. "I challenge you right here and now!"

Behind her, Shikamaru released an irritated sigh. "And it was going so well. We only had ten minutes left," he whined.

"Leave it to the Goofball to throw our mission into chaos at the last moment," Mimi said as she joined them at the desk. Aoko barked in agreement to her partner's statement.

"…Sorry?" Amari half-heartedly apologized on behalf of her teammate.

"Eh, not your fault, 'Risu. We'll figure something out."

In response to Konohamaru's challenge, Naruto crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. "Sorry, Konohamaru. But now isn't a good time. I'm actually here to get Amari." He looked up to his teammate. "Team Seven's been summoned by Granny Tsunade for a new mission."

"Any idea wha—"

"Awww, come on, Boss! We haven't seen each other since after the incident with the Fifth Hokage," Konohamaru pleaded. "And I've worked really hard on a new jutsu that I'm dying to show you."

"I don't know, Konohamaru. Maybe later?" Naruto tried again.

"No way! You see what we're dealing with!" the boy gestured dramatically to the board. "We've been lectured this entire time on chakra control, and it's been really boring. You've got to help me bail us out so we can get an early break."

 _Bail them out?_ Mimi, Amari and Shikamaru all exchanged glances then nodded to each other. No way were they going to sit back and let Naruto or Konohamaru spring an early release on their class. Doing so would only get them in trouble, and they weren't taking that fall.

"I'll keep the others in check. You two want to handle those idiots?" Shikamaru asked.

"Heh," Mimi breathed out a laugh and slammed her right hand into her left palm. "I've been waiting for a reason to cut loose."

"It's going to be troublesome, but I'll help you," Amari agreed as she hopped off the table. "He's my teammate and my responsibility after all."

"Uhh…well, I guess I can help," Naruto conceded. "I mean, as long as you guys actually paid attention. I know the lectures are boring. Trust me, I get that. But they are important. Amari, Mimi and Shikamaru—especially Shikamaru—wouldn't waste their time explaining this stuff if they didn't think it was important."

"We did listen, and we learned a lot," Konohamaru declared.

"Well, okay. I'll help."

"Fat chance of that, Goofball." Naruto and Konohamaru turned their surprised gazes to Amari and Mimi. The Inuzuka's eyes were wild in excitement for a fight while Amari remained externally docile but ready to strike. "You're not getting us in trouble in the last stretch of our mission. Even if that means I have to pummel you both and then heal you afterwards, don't think I won't do it."

"And don't think I won't unleash a genjutsu on you," the Uchiha warned. "Don't forget that I've knocked out a client and Kakashi-sensei with my genjutsu prowess."

Naruto let a daring smile pull onto his lips at their warnings. "Heh, don't underestimate us you two." He moved to stand side by side with Konohamaru so he was the one to stare down Amari while the boy was left to face Mimi. "All right, Konohamaru. Show me your new jutsu and I'll show you mine. You ready?"

Konohamaru grinned and took up his fighting stance again. "You bet, Boss!"

"I'll give you two credit for having a lot of guts," Mimi replied, readying herself to strike and grinning wildly. "But you also have no brains whatsoever!"

"We'll show you. Konohamaru, together!"

The pair of boys brought their hands into Ram, in turn making Amari's eyes bulge in fear. _Oh crap, not that handseal!_

"Transform!" the boys yelled in unison.

* * *

 _Those idiots can't seriously think the Transformation Technique will help them, can they?_ Shikamaru thought, bewildered by their stupid plan.

This was Mimi and 'Risu they were fighting, the two toughest shinobi of their generation. Two kunoichi he never wanted to face in combat. Their skill in battle and separate intellects were worth fearing as an enemy. Naruto knew that, he was 'Risu's teammate for kami's sake.

So why would he and Konohamaru use a simple Transformation Technique? It made no logical sense. Maybe he misjudged them. Maybe they were bigger idiots than he ever realized.

The two boys disappeared into plumes of smoke with Konohamaru appearing first out of it. What he transformed into made the Nara boy roll his eyes and shake his head in disbelief. _Morons._

The grandson of the Third Hokage's choice of transformation was ridiculous. The nude woman had clouds of steam surrounding her private areas as she provocatively hugged a staff between her giant busty bosom. Her brown hair was tied in two buns that reminded Shikamaru of Tenten's hairstyle, though he didn't think much of it.

"How do you like my new Jutsu?" the sultry transformation asked.

"Th- the hell…" Mimi stuttered in shock.

"Ohhh Amari," a soft-spoken voice called from behind the second plume of smoke. "I've longed to see you again." The smoke dissipated to reveal a shirtless man with long black hair and brown eyes. His hair was held in a white bun holder while two long locks of his hair framed his face, both bound with metal hair cuffs at the end. His skin tone was particularly pale, too. "How about a kiss?"

 _He…transformed into a teenage boy?_

"I- I- I- I-" his cousin stuttered heavily.

Shikamaru couldn't see Mimi or 'Risu's faces fully, but he could see hints of red coating the very edges of their cheeks. Their inaction left him dumbfounded. _You can't be serious. It's actually working?_

What was so special about these two transformations that the two kunoichi's who never backed down were left paralyzed?

Suddenly a light bulb flashed on in Shikamaru's mind. _Wait a minute._ With respectful and analytical intentions, he reexamined the woman first. _Her brown eyes, her hairstyle and even her facial features actually make her look like an adult version of Tenten. Plus that staff is something I imagine she might use._

Then his eyes took in the shirtless boy, fear slowly bubbling in his gut. _And I've never seen 'Risu react like that to any boy before. She cared a lot for Ryu, but none of us know what he looked like, and not even Naruto is stupid enough to do something like that. Plus his eyes don't match the Hyūga eyes. That must mean he's transformed into that boy who gave 'Risu that crystalized flower._

An unnatural chill tickled down Shikamaru's spine. Whether from a wave of killing intent starting to irradiate off the kunoichis or his own fear of what these two idiots just did, he couldn't say. But he knew Mimi and 'Risu. Their embarrassment never lasted, and the first thing they'd turn to was rage. An unquenchable rage that the two idiots would soon regret unleashing.

Part of him realized they deserved every moment of the beating coming their way for their stupid perverse jutsus. But he wasn't sure they'd be able to walk again if they were subjected to it. _I should at least warn them of their mistake and get them to start moving._ He'd do nothing more and nothing less than that.

No way was he sticking his neck out for those two idiots.

"You idiots!" he yelled, his panic of the imminent explosion clear in his voice. "Are you trying to get yourselves killed?!"

The transformations reverted with Konohamaru of the pair only staring quizzically at the pair. He hadn't sensed the danger to his life. "I don't get it. That should have worked. I researched your teammate and everything."

Mimi inhaled sharply but still had no words. Not yet.

Naruto, on the other hand, was suddenly realizing his mistake. Fear pulled onto his face at what was surely two hundred shades of embarrassment turning into two thousand shades of rage.

"Shika- Shikamaru. You've got to hold them back with your Shadow Possession Jutsu!"

Shikamaru shook his head vigorously at the request. "No way, Naruto! Do you have any idea of what they'll do to me if I step between them and you two idiots?"

He wouldn't be able to walk away unscathed. Naruto might have been a friend and comrade, but he feared the wrath of Mimi and 'Risu to same degree he feared any woman with a hot-temper.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll just stand there and take the beating like the idiots you are."

"To hell with that!"

"Naruto Uzumaki…" Another shiver raced down Shikamaru's spine at the sound of his cousin's voice cutting through the room. Naruto stiffened and paled, almost turning into a white marble statue.

"…Konohamaru Sarutobi," Mimi's feral growl followed.

Fear finally hit the younger boy of the two.

"Uh, Boss…what do we do?" Konohamaru's voice trembled as his feet slowly carried him in a retreat towards the exit.

"Run!" Naruto grabbed Konohamaru by his scarf and bolted out the door with the boy in tow.

"You're dead! You hear me! _Dead_!" Mimi shouted at their running forms. Aoko growled ferociously.

"There's no place you can hide that I won't find you!" Amari yelled, bolting into the hall where the boys had disappeared.

Shikamaru released a sigh and turned his attention to the rest of the class. "New lesson, class, especially for you boys. You're about to learn why you should _never_ under any circumstance _ever_ piss off your fellow kunoichi's."

 _Sorry Naruto, Konohamaru. But you did this to yourself._

* * *

Darkness. All consuming darkness stretched along the halls of the Academy halls, absorbing all light in its infinitesimal blackness, chasing Naruto and Konohamaru as they desperately tried to escape punishment. Nipping at their heels were Shadow Dragons, their sharp teeth seeking to drag them back to a fate worse than death.

On the walls, the shadows of two wolves chased them, their furious snarls dogging them every step of the way. And no matter how many turns they made, the darkness continued to consume the halls behind them.

"Ahh! Why am I such an idiot?!" Naruto wailed to himself.

He hadn't even thought about what happened the last time the Sexy Jutsu was used in front of Amari and how she chased him and Konohamaru across the Village. But could he really be blamed for forgetting? That was ages ago! They hadn't even been given a Genin team at that time. And this time he didn't use a naked woman.

 _I used Haku, and that was so much worse! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_

What made this entire terrible situation a catastrophe promising death was that it wasn't _just_ Amari coming after him; she alone was frightening enough. But because of Konohamaru's even stupider idea they had Mimi prepared to rip them to shreds.

 _Why did he have to use the word "research" back there?! Doesn't he understand what that word means to Amari? Mimi probably jumped to that same conclusion!_

If his young protégé was actually peeping on Tenten he would give him a stern talk when they escaped… _If_ they escaped.

"We really messed up this time, Boss!" Konohamaru pointed out the obvious.

"I can see that!"

" **You'll never escape!** " a demonic voice boomed. He was certain the walls shook.

Both boys wailed in terror and took an immediate left at a T-junction in the halls. "We just have to get out of the Academy and we'll lose them!" he told Konohamaru.

" **You'll be torn to shreds before you see the light of day again!** " the wolves bellowed.

Today was just not going his way.

* * *

"Are you two coming to pick up Amari for a new mission?" Iruka asked.

Sasuke gave a single nod as he and Sakura walked side by side with their former sensei. Admittedly, it was a bit strange to walk these halls as a graduate instead of a student. Everything seemed relatively the same from what he could tell, yet it all felt different. Same view, different perspective, he supposed.

"Yes. Lady Hokage summoned us for a mission, although I expected to meet Naruto outside of the Academy with Amari. He went rushing off to retrieve her as soon as we received the order," Sakura explained.

A detail Sasuke found incredibly strange. Naruto should have already picked up Amari and met them outside of the Academy. For one reason or another, though, he was nowhere to be found.

Their former sensei smiled at them. "He probably got distracted by Konohamaru. Those two are quite the troublemakers when they're together."

"True," Sakura agreed with a laugh.

"Make sure you're all careful on your next mission. The Village is still short on manpower, which means you may be sent on a mission above your rank."

"Don't worry, Iruka-sensei. We'll be careful and complete our mission," Sakura reassured.

Sasuke hummed in agreement. He was looking forward to getting a real mission again. He understood why they had to complete D-ranks. Still, they felt like a total waste of his talents and the talents of his team. Three out of the four made it to the finals of the Chūnin Exams, and all four had a role in stopping Suna's plan to release a tailed-beast on Konoha. They'd also taken on Zabuza and Haku, as well as toppled a tyrant in the Land of Snow on their latest A-rank mission.

Their list of accomplishments as Genin were growing with each mission. Shouldn't that designate them to have harder missions?

 _I hate to say it, but at least the Village is still short on manpower. It practically means we're guaranteed to go on tougher missions more now that Sakura is healed._

He looked forward to challenging missions. Each time they had a hard mission, each of them grew even stronger than before because they were forced to break past previous limits.

"I have the utmost confidence that you will," Iruka responded with a proud smile. "You may not need it, but I want to wish you all good luck."

"Thank you," Sakura thanked.

Sasuke dipped his head in a small nod. "Thanks."

As they made their way further into the Academy, a shrill wail of pure fear, piercing to the ear, made them all stop. Naruto and Konohamaru suddenly bolted around the corner with tears in their eyes. "Boss, it's getting closer!"

"Stop looking back at it and focus on running!"

"What on earth is going on?" Iruka was first to find words.

His question was answered by the wave of shadows and darkness entering from the previous hall, the all-consuming void seeking to consume the boys and sate its hunger. On the ground Shadow Dragons lurched at their heels while two wolves chased them on the walls.

"Shadow Dragons?" Sasuke whispered mostly to himself. _That can only be Amari._ His eyes bulged at the realization. _What the hell did that brain-dead idiot say to her?_

At that moment, Konohamaru tripped on his overly long blue scarf, stumbled a few steps then fell face first onto the floor. Naruto was quick to stop and turn back. "Konohamaru!" he shouted in shock.

Shadows surrounded the boy as he tried to get his bearings. The dragons sensed their opening and ensnared their prey. They maneuvered up both of his legs, coiling themselves all the way around them like serpents until they could wrap around his waist.

Konohamaru's daze was broken when he realized he was in the grasps of his enemy. "Boss! It's got me! Helppp!"

Naruto dove forward without hesitation and managed to grab his wrists before the dragons could drag him into the void of darkness no light could penetrate. Immediately Naruto began tugging him away from the shadows with all of his strength. "I've got you Konohamaru! I won't let you go!"

The shadows had to be gripping and pulling hard; Naruto looked like he was trying to pull a stubborn bull with a rope. His teeth were grit, neck muscles stressed. And with each inch he gained, the shadows pulled another foot of Konohamaru into the darkness.

"I…can't hold on!" Konohamaru announced in fear.

"I already told you I'm not letting you go and I never go back on my word!" Naruto struggled to keep his grip as he brought both of his hands closer together. Once they were close enough he created the clone seal and said, "Shadow Clone Jutsu."

A dozen clones appeared and sprang into action, each grabbing hold of the grandson of the Third Hokage to aid in pulling him away. Sasuke could only raise his eyebrows in surprise when he noticed progress being made.

"It's…not enough," Naruto grunted. Several more clones popped into existence and grabbed the other clones and the original. "You can't have him! I won't let you!"

" **You're fates are sealed! You'll never leave this place!** " a dragon-like voice roared back.

" **I will tear you both apart for what you did!** " the wolves growled from the walls.

 _That dragon voice and the phrasing the wolves used…_

"No doubt about it," he spoke up. "Those two really pissed off Amari and Mimi if they're going this far."

 _But what the hell did they do?_

* * *

"Do you have them yet, Amari?" Mimi growled as she paced furiously behind Amari in the hall.

Shikamaru had chosen to lean against the door-frame for two reasons. Firstly he wanted to see how this all turned out. Call it his inner sadist, but he was curious to see what exactly Amari and Mimi did to the two idiots. His other reason was to block the door for the other escape wannabes and block their view so his cousin could use her Sharingan without anyone seeing it.

Amari was crouched just outside of the hall with her hands set in the Rat handseal. Her Sharingan was ablaze and the entire hall in front of her was submerged in impenetrable, foreboding darkness. Just looking at it made his hair stand on end. Whether the cause of the darkness was genjutsu or something else entirely, Shikamaru couldn't say. He also wasn't about to ask either.

"I have Konohamaru in my grasps, but Naruto is fighting to keep me from pulling him back," Amari answered, her voice calm and cold. "But don't worry, I'm about to unleash a new jutsu to capture our first prey."

"New jutsu?" Shikamaru couldn't stop himself from asking.

His cousin gave a small nod as she moved too quickly through her handseals for him to see. She ended back on Rat and said, "Ninja Art: Shadow Tickle Jutsu."

Shikamaru snorted. _Only you can make that sound deadly, 'Risu._

* * *

Naruto and his clones were pulling with all their might to keep Konohamaru from being absorbed into the darkness. He could feel sweat building on his brow from this insane tug-of-war. "Damn it…I never realized how powerful her shadows were," he muttered mostly to himself.

The Shadow Dragons wrapped around Konohamaru's body all suddenly stood straight up. "Eh?" The heads shifted back into thin tendrils, slithering over Konohamaru's body towards his hands. Dread filled Naruto, his eyes going wide at the approaching shadows. "What…what is she doing?"

They split apart into more tendrils than he could count at a glance and slithered to the arms of every clone holding onto Konohamaru. Naruto could only gulp in fear and shut his eyes tightly as he waited for what came next. What else could he do? He couldn't wrestle the shadows and they were all already on his arms.

Then it happened. An action he feared more than any physical blow assaulted him in a way he was nowhere near prepared for.

Tickles.

Giggles burst forth from him and his clones. "No…no, stop it!" he laughed through his horror. "Stop! That tickles!"

"Boss, your hands are slipping!" Konohamaru wailed in terror.

"I…I know! But…hehehehehe. I…hehehe….I can't hold on!"

The tickles were unending in their torture. They continued and grew more vicious as his laughter continued to grow. With each new assault he lost grip. _I…can't…let go._ But he couldn't stop grinning and laughing either. Tears watered his eyes.

"Fight it, Boss! Don't let them have me!" Konohamaru tried to coach.

"I…hehehehehe. Ha! Hahahahaha!"

Every Naruto lost their grip simultaneously. With their grip completely gone, they all tumbled backwards, crashing onto their butts. The shadows previously tickling him retracted, fully wrapping themselves around Konohamaru's stiff and frightened body. Naruto barely managed to meet his terrified friend's eyes, his hand reached out, hopeful he might still be saved. "Boss!"

"Kono…Konohamaru!" Naruto dove for him.

" **He's mine now!** "

Their fingertips brushed, but then his protégé was gone.

"Boooossssssss!" The boy was sucked into the darkness with only his terrified cry reverberating through the halls as a sign he had been there.

Dead silence followed.

"Damn it!" Naruto slammed his fist into the ground. Why, why did he have to be so ticklish?! "I'm sorry Konohamaru!"

" **You'll be with him soon enough!** "

Suddenly the shadows on the ground lurched up in the form of a giant wave of darkness. Naruto did what any boy in his position would do.

"AHHHHHHHH!"

He screamed.

* * *

Sasuke's eyes bulged as the wave of darkness surged to life. _What did he_ _ **do**_ _to her?!_

Naruto and his clones all screamed in pure horror at the wave. Sasuke couldn't blame them for their fear. The original made a mad scramble onto his feet into a retreating sprint while his clones merely hugged each other and wailed. They were absorbed into the darkness.

A single Shadow Dragon shot across the floor in search of capturing the real target. His teammate was almost in arm distance when it caught his foot and forced him to trip and fall. " **You're mine!** "

"No way! I'm not done yet." Naruto created the clone seal again. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Several clones popped into existence and quickly laid themselves down head to foot to create a human ladder. The original Naruto wasted no time in using them to continue clawing his way towards escape. "I…won't give up! I won't!"

Sasuke finally had enough. He needed answers and he needed them now. "Naruto, what the hell is going on?"

His voice seemed to surprise Naruto, almost as if he hadn't even seen them standing in the hall this whole time. Happiness replaced confusion and a glint of hopeful tears shimmered in his eyes. "Sasuke, Sakura, Iruka-sensei! You've got to help me out."

"Not until you tell us what you did to get Amari like this," he shot back.

"I didn't do anything!"

" **Liar!** " the dragon bellowed.

"Ok- okay, maybe I might have done something," he amended fearfully. "But- but she's blowing it way out of proportion!" He clawed his way to his final clone, leaving him right at their feet. Naruto reached a hand up for one of them to grab with a hopeful smile on his lips. "Just help me and I'll tell you everything."

Sakura, with her foolish kind heart, sighed and reached out to him. "Fine, but don't think—"

Rapid movement caught Sasuke's eyes. "Sakura, watch out!" Sasuke wrapped his arm around her waist and retreated in a jump. Iruka mirrored his movements.

"Sasuke! What the hell?!" Naruto shouted at him, ignorant to the threat.

 _Too close_. He checked Sakura over quickly to make sure she didn't get hit. There were no wounds visible on her, only a severe blush coating her cheeks as they were almost nose to nose. Emerald eyes shyly looked away. _Way too close._

He meant it in reference to the near attack, but now that he was taking in their close proximity, it also fit for this situation.

Sasuke removed his grip and returned his eyes back to his knuckle-headed teammate, and the three other Shadow Dragons slowly retracting back into the shadows from whence they came.

"Naruto!" Iruka raised his voice. "What did you do to Amari?"

"Me and Konohamaru…may have used the Sexy Jutsu on her and Mimi," he explained. Iruka practically fell to the floor at the sheer idiocy of his former student and his ridiculous jutsu. "But…I may have used a new variation on Amari."

"You've got to be kidding," their former sensei groaned.

"What perverted idea did you have this time?" Sakura asked, disgust clear on her face along with the blush Sasuke was attempting to ignore. He fought the flush on his own cheeks.

Naruto laughed nervously. His eyes looked everywhere except at them. "Well, you guys remember that joke back in the Land of Snow…You know, the one about shirtless Haku?"

The entire hall fell silent. So silent, all three could have heard a pin being dropped on the other side of the Academy. Sasuke had always known Naruto was an idiot. He had seen it plenty of times throughout their days in the Academy and as a team.

This latest transgression was a new high, or low, for stupidity.

The Uchiha boy opened his mouth but no words came out. He opened and closed it several times, but no words seemed appropriate. He couldn't find the proper thing to say to express his utter disbelief at the pure thoughtless stupidity of his teammate.

Finally, he found something. "You…You…You brain-dead idiot! What the hell were you thinking?!"

"What do you mean what was I thinking?! You're the one who made the joke!" Naruto shouted back.

"That doesn't mean you should go and do something like that to her! It was just meant to be a joke!" How could his teammate be _that_ stupid?! "Did you even consider what her reaction might be?! _You_ of all people should know how she is with something like that!"

"I didn't think, okay?! Konohamaru was begging me to help bail him out and that was the first idea that came to mind!" Naruto argued as he squirmed restlessly on top of his clone. "It's partially his fault anyways! He used a transformation that looked like a grown-up version of Tenten!"

Sakura and Sasuke's jaws would have slammed against the floor had it been possible. "He did _what_?!" the kunoichi of the group shrieked.

Idiots. Complete and utter idiots.

"It doesn't matter!" the idiot tried to debate. "You've just got to help me! If she takes me back, I may never be able to eat ramen again!"

Sasuke shook his head. "No way, Loser. You earned their ire, now you have to deal with the consequences."

" **It's over, Narutoooo!** "

Several Shadow Dragons emerged from the darkness and shot forward, piercing through the clones until it was only the original left standing. "Wait! Wait!" Naruto cried as they started wrapping around him. "We can talk this out! I'll apologize! Yeah, yeah, I'll apologize and give you some of my tickets for Ichiraku Ramen!"

" **Bribery won't save you now! This is the end for you!** "

"Wait! Wait!" The shadows clutched his body tightly then tugged him back into the darkness. "I'll get you back for this, Sasukeeeeeeee!"

A few seconds passed. Finally the darkness surrounding the halls started to recede back to whatever the source was. The shadow wolves retreated as well.

Sasuke released a relieved breath he hadn't realized he had been holding in. _Sorry, Naruto. But I already faced her fury once this week. I have no intention of doing that again._

"Sasuke, do you think we made the right call?" Sakura asked.

He nodded firmly. "Yeah, with what that brain-dead idiot did, it's best we stay out of it."

"We should still go check on them," Iruka said.

All three briskly jogged their way through the halls until they reached the closed off classroom. Iruka was the one to open it and enter first with Sasuke and Sakura following behind.

"So class, what did we learn today," Shikamaru's lazy voice asked to the class. The grin on the Nara's face couldn't have been wider or more amused.

Sasuke cast his glance across the room and found Konohamaru and Naruto both at the chalkboard writing. Fear was clear in their postures and their shaky hands. Mimi paced angrily behind them while Amari stood watch with a ruler in hand. Even Aoko looked pissed.

"Chakra control is essential to being a shinobi," the class chorused.

"Exactly. And what did you boys learn?"

A sharp glance from Amari made all the boys of the class shoot up into straight postures out of fear alone. "Not to underestimate or anger our kunoichi teammates," the boys all stated.

"Exactly," Shikamaru agreed.

"Naruto, Konohamaru, are you two okay?" Iruka asked the pair.

The boys turned their heads to look at them. The three arriving shinobi cringed either in sympathy or a mixture of sympathy and amusement. Their eyes were colored by dark bruises and nearly shut from swelling. Both of their cheeks were puffed out with swelling and huge lumps protruded off of both of their heads.

"Who said you could stop writing?" Mimi growled.

They both yelped in fear and continued writing on the board. Sasuke examined their words. He couldn't help the humorous snort to escape him. It was the last lesson the class had learned from Mimi and Amari and a lesson he knew Naruto and Konohamaru would never forget.

 _I will never use pervy ninjutsu again._

 _I will never use pervy ninjutsu again._

 _I will never use pervy ninjutsu again._

* * *

 _Important Note: Just a forewarning, I'll be absent from posting for the next two Fridays. This isn't a permanent hiatus, so don't worry. This story won't be abandoned. But there are personal matters I have to take care of. I will be back on the seventh of February with the next chapter, where we will pick up in the next major arc._

 _I hope this latest chapter was able to make you all smile or laugh a little. Thank you all for the support, follows, favorites and reviews. I can't wait to return and hope to see you all on the seventh of February!_


	80. Chapter 79: A Race for Tea

Chapter 79

A Race for Tea: Team Sevens Temporary New Leader

After the classroom incident, Team Seven left behind the halls of the Academy, separating from Shikamaru and Mimi to ascend into the administrative section of the tower. The halls were busy, a little loud with random conversations, greetings and farewells. Shinobi from varying divisions of their forces walked briskly past one another, controlled and coordinated in the chaos.

Team Seven kept to themselves on their way to the Mission Assignment Desk. This was the new normal. Nothing to concern themselves with.

Amari observed her fellow shinobi, the hectic halls and recalled the first weeks of Team Seven's formation, when the administrative section was consistently active, but calm. Few shinobi, if any at all, raced through the halls to deliver reports, or to accept missions. A handful of months ago they'd been at peace. Almost wholly carefree.

Simpler times.

Now the halls were busier than an angry beehive, a consequence of the Invasion. Shinobi of all ranks and divisions rushed to and fro, restless, maneuvering around one another with courteous but rushed apologies. Several times Team Seven quickly stepped to the side, out of the way, so other shinobi could pass; they appeared too absorbed by their tasks or conversations to notice the four young Genin.

This was a sign of the times, she supposed. The curfew was still in effect, and she didn't see it ending anytime soon. The extensive damage meant laborers from beyond their walls were called in, which was a security nightmare if left unchecked. Kami knew what threats were currently being averted by their spies and the Anbu while they slept soundly at night.

Or if any of this unrest regarded their new assignment.

Inside the Mission Assignment office, the four Genin waited at ease in a row; Sasuke stood at the right end, followed by Amari, Naruto and finally Sakura on the left end. Silence reigned as they waited for the Fifth Hokage to arrive and begin the mission briefing.

This didn't appear to be another D-rank errand mission; far too many factors erased that particular possibility. First off, the assembly of Team Seven in its entirety—excluding Kakashi, who, like her mother, was still out on his mission. It made no logical sense to send an entire team of Genin on a D-rank errand mission, unless it was assumed the D-rank would turn into a C- or B-rank mission, which would be troublesome for any Genin to solo.

Lady Tsunade also had had her and the boys running around with D-rank missions for the last week. Surely they had done enough to sate the troublesome woman…

Right?

 _Who am I kidding?_ Amari groaned internally in depressed pessimism. _Lady Tsunade is presiding over the aftermath of a destructive invasion. We'll probably have entire stacks of D-rank missions piled up for us when we finish whatever this mission is_. _It's going to be a total drag._

Just another reason to hate Orochi-jackass and the rest of the Sound Village shinobi. _I'll add it to the growing tally._

Anyways, another point was their performance on higher ranked missions. From a purely statistical standpoint, their record on missions ranging from C-ranks to oh-my-kami-we're-in-over-our-heads was completely in their favor.

In their beginning days as a team it could be written off as Kakashi's leadership and power protecting them. However, through the Exams, the Invasion and the Land of Snow they had grown exponentially in skill, experience and strength. Amari learned just the other day their reputations were growing, whether they realized it or not.

People she had never met before recognized her. They congratulated her performance in the Exams. Told her she had a bright future ahead of her. Others expressed gratitude for hers and Mimi's efforts on the front-lines, with a few even knowing of their efforts to stop Gaara. On one occasion a member of the Hyūga Clan she didn't know thanked her for rescuing Hinata.

It made Amari feel awkward. Frightened when the Hyūga kunoichi initially stopped her in the street.

But those moments, usually after she was alone again, put into perspective how far she and her peers advanced since the Academy, and then pride flowed like an endless waterfall even as she wrestled with self-doubt.

Logically speaking, utilizing Team Seven as a whole for easy errand missions within their walls was a waste of their talents. You could argue that protecting them ensured their growth could be slowly nurtured. But that argument was weak. Oblivious to current events.

The Akatsuki's and Orochimaru's hearts harbored ill-intent for the members of Team Seven. There was no time to waste. They _needed_ strenuous missions to push beyond their limits, to gain experience on the battlefield and the strength necessary to defend themselves and the Leaf.

They'd never progress if everyone babied them. It was for that reason Kakashi and Kurenai pushed her to her absolute limits, to the point of collapsing, when she returned to Konoha. At the time, she was a malnourished child wielding two highly coveted dōjutsus, bearing a personal vendetta against the boy responsible for stealing the lives of her best friends. Amari had no choice except being thrown into the bottomless pits of hell to learn to survive.

Advance or die—those were the only two options any of them had.

For this mission, with Kakashi's absence, they'd either be on their own or paired with a temporary Chūnin or Jōnin squad leader. _Although it is possible Lady Hokage will just send a Genin team. We're still not fully recovered from the Invasion so our higher-ups will already be busy with tougher missions. Can't afford to appear weak._

Amari sighed. "What a pain."

Not that she wasn't looking forward to a possibly hard mission—she was. But their current situation guaranteed longer spans of time without seeing her mom. Missions had kept them separate lately, with Team Seven's last mission taking them to an entirely different Nation.

 _I know I shouldn't worry about her…but please be safe, Mom._

"Aw, come on Amari! Aren't you even the least bit excited for a new mission?" Naruto asked her.

"Not what I was commenting on, you troublesome boy," she retorted flatly. She lazily turned to look at him, her expression peeved. "And I don't want to hear anything about my lackluster mood from you right now."

His excitement was felled and replaced by bashfulness. A nervous chuckle escaped his lips, hand rubbing the back of his head. "Hehehe, right. Sorry about that."

"Sorry for doing it or that I caught you afterwards?"

"…A little bit of both."

"Mm. As I thought." Amari focused back on the empty desk, hoping to keep the thought of shirtless Haku out of her mind.

 _Better than I thought it'd be._

An incredibly difficult task, to say the least.

"How is your face feeling, Naruto?" Sakura asked, whether because she was genuinely concerned or amused was impossible to tell.

Based on Shikamaru's reactions, the wrath of the two kunoichis was as equally frightening as a decrepit, dilapidated haunted house and as humorous as a sidesplitting comedy act. For an outsider, anyway.

"Doesn't hurt one bit! Mimi must have felt really guilty with how much she healed me and Konohamaru!"

 _Guilty?_ Amari hummed in amusement and couldn't stop her lips from twitching into a smile. _No, not really. She was destroying the evidence of our attack, that way no one outside of that classroom would ever know what occurred._

"Heh, you brain-dead idiot," Sasuke chuckled from her side.

Seemed her fellow Uchiha understood Mimi's intentions far better than their resident knucklehead. It was either that or he was laughing at Naruto's expense for getting pummeled by two furious kunoichi's. _Or he thinks what happened to us was funny_.

Regardless, Amari hoped to put the embarrassment behind her and move on to the next mission. Secretly, she was happy Naruto and Konohamaru decided to pull that off, but not because of the jutsu itself! Definitely not that! Why would she even want to think about the cute boy from Mist Village or the busty woman Konohamaru had used against Mimi? It wasn't like she could have stirrings for an attractive boy or nearly nude woman.

Nope! Not one bit!

What she did secretly enjoy, because she obviously didn't enjoy seeing the possibility of Haku shirtless her current blush be damned, was the huge distraction the entire event provided from her recent emotional problems. Of course that distraction came at the expense of pummeling Naruto and Konohamaru, but sometimes two kunoichi's just needed to kick serious butt.

 _Their sacrifices were noble_ , Amari thought, giggling internally at the memory of their shrill screams of terror and pleas for mercy.

"What did you say?!"

"I called you a brain-dead idiot. Seriously, what'd you expect to happen? Did you really believe Amari wouldn't react to—"

"One more peep out of either of you regarding his… _transformation_ and I will strap you both in a genjutsu," Amari calmly warned them, cheeks flushed at the completely unwanted reminders of such a lovely sight to behold.

Yep, she totally had no stirrings whatsoever!

Their mouths snapped shut. Immediately. Sakura hid a giggle behind her hand.

"Well, seems like you four are raring to go. I take it your mission went well, Amaririsu?" The voice of their Hokage drew their eyes to the buxom woman entering. Shizune wasn't far behind, pet pig held in her arms.

"Yes ma'am. Shikamaru, Mimi and I taught the class about chakra control and Nature Transformations, as well as imparted a few life lessons onto them," Amari answered cooly.

"Oh? What kind of life lessons?"

Naruto shuddered visibly at the question.

"The importance of understanding what it means and takes to be a shinobi and practical use of our lessons in the field," she responded without flinching.

"Huh. It sounds like you three did well despite how under-prepared you were. My apologies, but there wasn't time to prepare you three due to everything else going on."

"No apology necessary, ma'am." _But I am curious as to what encompasses "everything else going on" as she put it._ Could it be their mission? Or was it just the general matters of rebuilding and protecting their village? She decided to let patience prevail, for now.

"Grandma Tsunade, what's up?" Naruto greeted.

The Hokage visibly exhaled an irritated breath as she pulled her chair out and sat down. "Would you stop calling me that already?"

She rested both of her forearms on the table in front of her and stared hard at the group.

 _Definitely something important going on._

"Lady Hokage," Amari decided to take a little initiative, "this mission we've been summoned for, will it just be the four of us or will a higher ranked shinobi be joining us as squad leader?"

The Hokage heaved a deep sigh that was far more troubled than irritated. She leaned forward, lifted her hands and interlaced her fingers together. "No, it'll only be the four of you. We're spread too thin right now. Our Chūnin's and Jōnin's have their hands full already with their missions. That's why, Amaririsu, you'll be leading Team Seven for this mission."

Amari had begun to nod, having expected the answer, only to immediately stop and widen her eye.

"…I'm sorry, what?"

Obviously there was some sort of mistake here. She wouldn't be leading her team, not when she failed to protect their client on their last mission. That had to be an automatic disqualification…Right?

Tsunade allowed a smile onto her lips. "You'll be leading Team Seven on this mission. Past reports show you hold a certain sway over your team already. A balancing point, I am told."

Ah…that was true, though the truth was bit more complicated presently. She wanted to correct the Hokage, but stopped herself. She hadn't expected this, but maybe this was exactly the kind of scenario she needed to set more of her foundation…though she still held doubts.

Was she really ready to lead her team without Kakashi there to turn her away from bad decisions? What happened if she was put into another scenario where their client was in danger and all she could do was watch them die again?

Nerves gripped the kunoichi underneath her schooled features.

Tsunade's smirk was replaced by a serious look. "However, it is also due to Kakashi's personal recommendation that I've chosen to put you in charge of this important mission. He was particularly adamant on it before he left. Kakashi usually plays his cards close to his chest; I expect you'll show me why he trusts you implicitly."

 _Kakashi-sensei recommended me to lead our team in his absence? He…trusts me…_

In all the flurry of doubts, where she wondered if she was too inexperienced or if she would make the wrong call, and questioned Kakashi's decision when he knew the struggle she endured daily between Shisui's death and the samurai massacre, Amari found something to hold onto. Something real. Something tangible that Kakashi knowingly and willingly gave her.

Trust. Absolute trust in her abilities as a kunoichi and a leader. Even though she failed to save Sandayū, even though he witnessed the terrible internalized war constantly shifting back and forth, Kakashi still believed in her. He believed she was capable of not only leading her team, but protecting them just as he would.

This recommendation, it was an intangible pat on the shoulder and silent whisper of, _"I know you can do this."_

The feeling that her mentor's wordless and absent display of faith gave her…Amari's heart felt warmer and her foundation felt sturdier.

 _Thank you, Sensei._

Amari straightened her posture, finding the strength within herself to accept this duty being given to her. "I won't let you down, Lady Hokage." _Or you Kakashi-sensei._

She gave a short nod. "Good." Tsunade dropped her hands and picked up the nearby scroll to unroll it. "This will be an important B-rank escort mission. Of course it could develop into an A-rank mission if you run into trouble."

Team Seven and bad luck went together like ice cream and cookies. _Which really sounds good right about now._

"So, who are we guarding?" Sasuke asked.

"I don't know."

Amari raised an eyebrow in silent confusion. Naruto decided to step forward and throw his arms out to air their squads' confusion loudly. "Wait a minute, what do you mean you don't know?"

"Every four years, the Land of Tea, our southern neighbor, holds a dedication ceremony at the Great Todoroki Shrine. And each time we are asked to escort a runner who will participate in the race that is a part of the ceremonies. This year the messengers bringing the request were attacked before they could get here."

"Who attacked them?" Naruto asked.

"Did the messengers mention if they were bandits or shinobi?" queried Amari.

"Boss Jirōchō will brief you on everything you need to know when you reach the Land of Tea."

The briefing lacked key information, but perhaps the Hokage didn't have any to give. There was, however, a familiarity in her voice when it came to their client's name, so that was something at least. _Means he's an ally we can trust._

"Boss Jirōchō? Ah! That's that gambler guy we met!"

Amari didn't have time to question Naruto. The Hokage stood up. "That's everything I know. Now there isn't time to waste. They're expecting you four to arrive by tomorrow evening. So get moving!"

"Right!" the four chorused in unison as they each straightened at the order.

"Don't worry, Granny. You can count on us!"

The group of four took off at a jog out of the office, though Amari swore she saw the Hokage's features shift into concern as they departed. Maybe she only imagined it.

"Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto, we'll meet at the gate in ten minutes. Don't be late," Amari ordered.

"You got it, _team leader_ ," Sakura teased good-naturedly.

The Nara groaned. "Don't be troublesome, Sakura. I'm just trying to make sure we make it to the Land of Tea in time."

"You're going to do great, Amari."

"You bet she is!" Naruto stated cheerfully.

Sasuke offered her a nod in silent solidarity.

Amari shut her eye to keep her heart from exploding.

"…Thanks guys."

Team Seven parted ways outside of the Academy building to their respective homes at a hastened ninja jump. The Land of Tea was geographically connected to the Land of Fire at its south eastern tip, several miles south of the Land of Waves.

Simply put, they had a _long_ road ahead of them and not a long time to cross it.

 _We have to reach our client by the evening tomorrow_. Amari glanced up at the blue sky above them. _And it's already past noon. Hmm_ , she hummed in discontent.

Time was not going to be on their side at all on this journey. If they had any hope of arriving in time for the race then they would have to move at pursuing speed for the next day and a half. No doubt this was the result of the messengers being attacked. Had they not been, the message would've arrived days earlier, allowing for an easier travel schedule.

 _Now we're left to basically sprint all the way there. How troublesome._

The good news: It was unlikely they'd be stalked or attacked by an enemy along the way. Unlike their trip to the Land of Waves and Land of Snow, they didn't have a client among them to paint a target on their backs.

Amari entered her home and rushed up to her room to pack her traveling pack and to equip herself with her tantō harness, tantō, ninja tool box and finally her pouch as quickly as she could without leaving a mess or tripping over her own feet. Once done she rushed back down to the kitchen with a piece of paper and pencil in hand, planning to write a letter for her mother, should she return before her team did.

Setting the paper down on the kitchen counter, she immediately began writing.

 _Hey Mom,_

 _I hope your mission went well. Me and the rest of Team Seven, minus Kakashi-sensei, were sent to the Land of Tea to guard the runner for the dedication ceremony at the Great Todoroki Shrine. Since Kakashi-sensei was gone I was put in charge of my team at his recommendation. If you happen to see him before I do, please tell him thank you for trusting me. It really means a lot to me. Personally, I'm kind of nervous about it. Might just be jitters, but, well, you know how I am about doubting myself. I do it too much, I know._

Amari let out a sigh and shook her head to try to shake off the doubts. She was unsuccessful, unfortunately.

 _Anyway, I hope I get to see you when we get back and tell you all about our mission and how successful it will end up. Hehehe, I guess I do have some confidence after all. If you get sent out on another mission, please be extra careful for me._

 _I love you._

 _Your little one,_

 _Amari_

 _P.S. Don't be afraid to use my absence for alone time with Asuma-sensei._

Amari giggled, already imaging her mother's reaction at her post script, and drew a heart under her note. She placed the paper on the dining table with the pencil on top of it then exited her home, locking the door behind her.

Traveling with the Body Flicker Technique, she dashed along the rooftops to the front gate. What kind of team leader would she be if she was the last one to arrive after telling everyone to meet at a specific time?

 _I guess that'd make me kind of like Kakashi-sensei._ Normally that would be a huge compliment. Who wouldn't want to be compared to the highly talented shinobi known throughout the entire shinobi world? But this was talking about his worst habit…or, technically second worst habit behind reading pervy books in public, but definitely one of his bad habits.

 _Nothing is fashionable about being late._

True to form, Amari was the first to arrive at the gates, but she was not alone.

"Mimi?"

She tilted her head to the side at the presence of the Inuzuka crouched in the shade of the tall wall protecting their home. Aoko rested lazily in her hood, her black fur contrasting the ocean of blue she was surrounded by.

"Hey, long time no see, huh?" the Inuzuka greeted with a wide grin as she stood up to her full height.

The Nara chuckled and bumped fists with Mimi. Aoko nuzzled against her hand as she lightly patted her on the head in greeting. "I'm flattered you've come to see me off, and a bit confused if I'm honest."

Mimi's eyes brightened, a glint of mischief in them, and her grin widened. "Who says I was here to see you? Pretty presumptuous of you, Amari."

"Heh," Amari breathed out an uneven laugh as her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "I suppose I am presuming much."

Her friend, snickering at her embarrassment, jabbed her arm lightly. Aoko rumbled humorously from her hood. "I'm just teasing you, Amari. I actually came here to give something to Sakura, but figured you'd be early. It's sort of your thing."

"Nothing is fashionable about being late."

"Eh, depends on the event," Mimi shrugged. "Anyway, obviously you're leaving the Village on a mission. Where you heading off to and when should we expect you back?"

"Land of Tea. We have to be there by the evening tomorrow, though I have no idea when we'll be back. Could be a few days depending on what kind of trouble we run into."

Mimi whistled at their misfortune. Aoko whined, making her companion nod. "You said it Aoko. That doesn't sound like a relaxing run at all."

Amari offered a weak laugh. _Talk about putting it mildly._ "You could say that again. We're supposed to guard some runner for the ceremony there…"

She paused, an attempt to keep her resurfacing doubts in check before telling Mimi her temporary leadership position. She failed, miserably, exhaling a troubled sigh before she could even restrain it. "…And Lady Tsunade ended up putting me in charge of my team at Kakashi-sensei's recommendation."

The Inuzuka furrowed her brow. "You don't sound excited about that when you really should be. Come on, cheer up! You're gonna lead your team on a mission. Most Genin dream of getting the chance to prove themselves."

"Yeah…" Her eye shifted away.

Mimi was right, of course. She really should be more excited for the chance to lead her team on this important mission… But how could she when she was so worried about a client running off against her orders again? Sandayū may have chosen his own fate, but at the end of the day she was still meant to keep him safe. She failed him and the fifty others who died needlessly.

What if something like that happened again? How many times could they just excuse it until it became clear it was really her fault? She shouldn't have let Kōri put distance between her and Sandayū. She should have just gotten out of the snow and grabbed him before he could escape sight.

"I…I know my team believes in me, and I appreciate their support. It makes me feel like I can actually do it. I just…I can't stop thinking about failing Sandayū… Those fifty samurai and Sandayū didn't have to die." She closed her hands into fists and shut her eye to stave off her rising anger. "I let Kōri drag me into a personal fight. If I just—"

The warmth of a gloved hand suddenly rested on her shoulder.

"Amari, stop it," Mimi commanded in a stern yet soothing voice. It sent a startled jolt through her body, snapping her eye open and making her hands fall slack. "You've got to stop attacking yourself over this. That Sandayū guy made his choice. He didn't listen to your commands. Instead, he chose to try to fight his oppressors on his own terms, with his own strength. Given the choice in his shoes, wouldn't you do the same?"

"I…" Amari fell silent.

Yes…yes she would, and had. She fought a hopeless battle despite the orders of her superiors and mother because she had seen it as the only way. Was it a good choice? Not tactically, no. Without the Mangekyō Sharingan or Itachi and Aimi's mercy she'd be dead. Yet…she still fought that battle for the people and home she loved without any regard for her own life.

"Sandayū and his warriors died with honor," Mimi said, her voice softened. "They died trying to fight for and protect what they considered far more precious than their own lives. Even if it could be avoided, that's the fate they chose. Just like Hinata and Lee did in the prelims… Just like you did against those Akatsuki bastards."

" _Please, don't allow his spirit to be another burden you carry. Remember him with joy."_

Koyuki's words softened her heart. She'd done exactly what the Princess asked her not to do: Turned Sandayū and the samurai into her personal burden.

"You're a great kunoichi, Amari. One of the best of our generation. Behind me, of course." The jest earned a genuine giggle out of the younger kunoichi. She raised her eye from the dirt to meet her sister's gaze, whose blue eyes were like oceans of comfort. "You're ready for this. You're smart and strong. Plus you've already led Sasuke and I during the Invasion. You kept us focused when everything around us was spiraling out of control. Because of you we were able to help Hikari and spare some life instead of taking it at the end of it all.

"Kakashi-sensei trusts you. Your team trusts you. _I_ trust you. You're going to kick some serious ass on this mission. So stop doubting yourself, you've got this."

Amari smiled warmly at her friend and gave her a firm nod. "Thanks Mimi."

Mimi grinned and let her hand return to her side. "You know I've got your back in any fight, even the internal ones you're fighting."

"And I've got both of your backs, too." She bowed her head to her fellow kunoichi, feeling it was the only way to express her gratitude, save forcing her into a bone crushing hug. "Thank you. You're an amazing sister, Mimi."

A hand ruffled her blue hair, bringing her gaze back up to her grinning friend. "What can I say? I am pretty awesome, you know."

Sakura arrived shortly after, prepared to go in her usual sleeveless outfit with her white single strapped pack already on. Curious, Amari eavesdropped. Mimi was passing notes on Medical Ninjutsu for Sakura to study as a sort of warm-up to the art.

Sakura, although confused, took the notes when Mimi told her, "You're sharp, Sakura, and according to Amari your chakra control is incredible. This will help you hone it further so you don't end up breaking your hand with your chakra fueled strikes. It'll also allow you to help heal your team since you four always seem to get into trouble. A win-win if you ask me."

"Thank you, Mimi."

"You don't need to thank me. Just read over it and see if it's something you want to try. When it comes to Medical Ninjutsu you're either all in or not at all. You can't half-ass it when people's lives are on the line. If you decide to go through with it, I'll gladly teach you more when I can."

"Okay."

Mimi took her leave before the boys arrived, but not without bidding farewell to the two kunoichi's and offering Amari another fist bump on her way out. Naruto and Sasuke arrived soon after.

As soon as Amari finished checking their mission equipment, she gave the order for her teammates to head out. Before she could join them, without any warning, Lady Tsunade appeared at the gate.

"Lady Hokage?" Amari looked up to her in confusion.

Her features were stony, destroying any sense of ease the young kunoichi might have felt from her strong presence. "Amaririsu, I want you to take this." The Hokage handed her a small plastic bottle and closed her hand over it. "I'm hoping you won't need it, but I don't want to take any chances."

"What is it?" she asked.

"An antidote." Tsunade released her hand. "Our examination of the messengers' wounds finished only a few moments ago. There was a trace of a very specific poison in their bloodstream. They were lucky to survive it."

"I see." Amari looked down at the bottle with a pensive expression on her face. "Any chance you can trace the poison to the attackers origins?"

"Yes. The poison is mainly used by the Hidden Rain, but that does not necessarily mean a shinobi from their Village used it. Selling poisons is quite the lucrative trade for those with the skill to produce them."

"Mm." Amari nodded and placed the bottle into her pouch. So still no solid leads on who their mysterious attackers were, or how many there were. She hoped it was a relatively small group of bandits…but… "Thank you, Lady Tsunade."

Tsunade gave her a small nod. "You're welcome. Stay alert, Amaririsu."

The young kunoichi offered a smirk. "I always am." She bowed her head. "Farewell."

Amari took off to catch up to her team, who had walked some way. Not long after they began ninja jumping their way to the Land of Tea. This mission was not only important for their village, but it was Amari's chance to prove to herself and those who believed in her that she could pick up the pieces and move forward.

 _I won't let them down, I swear it._

* * *

 _Seems this Boss Jirōchō is rather popular_ , Amari thought as she sauntered back to the tea house table her team rested at.

They'd run long into the night yesterday, crossing the majority of the Land of Fire and nearing the border of the Land of Tea in a taxing journey before Amari decided they needed to rest. They'd made camp, covered in a layer of sweat, at a loss of breath for several minutes after they sat down near a small stream, too high strung for sleep but too tired to stand or talk or do anything that required energy.

Although sweaty, disheveled and downright exhausted, they made good time crossing their home country. It only took them an hour to cross the border into the Land of Tea this morning and, after running for another two hours, she finally let her team slow their pace to a walk as she considered how to find their client and where to stop for lunch.

Their debriefing with the Hokage offered little in details, such as where to meet their client and who exactly he was. What information she managed to probe out of Naruto when they were camping hadn't been of any help; apparently Jirōchō was an older gentleman Naruto met on his journey back from finding Lady Tsunade.

Other than that she had nothing to go on, so when they came upon a tea house on one of the main roads she decided to kill two birds with one stone. The tea house would not only provide shade, food and drink for them to rest and recuperate in, it also provided a place to do some digging for information.

After getting their tea and food orders she left the table and approached the tea house owner—a middle-aged woman with dark-hair and wrinkles around her eyes—and asked her if she knew their clients name. Just the mention of Jirōchō brightened the woman. She discussed in detail the man himself, his clan—the Wasabi Family—how honorable he was and how she hoped they would regain power during the ceremony.

Fortunately, she also mentioned where to find him—ten miles south from them at a location called Degarashi Port. Based on what little she knew of the Land of Tea and what information she could piece together from her conversation, it seemed the port was of severe economic importance, handling almost all the imports and exports that came into the Land of Tea, as well as being the starting line for the ceremonial race.

"How'd it go?" Sasuke asked as she approached their table.

"Quite well," she answered, sitting down on the long bench across from him next to Naruto, who was seated across from Sakura. "Let me eat and then I'll explain everything."

Everyone else was either done or nearly done with their lunch while her food remained untouched. As soon as she finished, she set her bowl off to the side and pulled out a world map from her pack to lay across the table.

"We're approximately…here," she informed, placing her finger close to the center of the banana shaped piece of landmass known as the Land of Tea. "According to the owner, Boss Jirōchō and his Clan reside here," she traced her finger down to a black dot marking Degarashi Port.

"Degarashi Port, huh?" Naruto said. "I think I saw a sign for that a few miles ago. How much further do we have left then?"

"Ten miles," Sakura calculated their remaining distance with ease. "Which means we'll reach it in about three hours if we walk, less if we run it."

"More running…" Naruto groaned.

His groan echoed the feelings of the rest of the team, including Amari. They were all dreading the next hour or two of running ahead of them, plus whatever came next in their real mission. They were running to a race, after all.

Amari had already considered all of this, however, and used her walk back to calculate the best course of action.

"We'll walk it," Amari stated, earning a mix of sudden confused stares and sounds from her team. It was warranted, she supposed, since she pushed them so hard, but their initial run had been just as necessary as her plan to walk was.

Laziness honestly had nothing to do with her decision. If it was tactically sound to keep running then they would keep running until they reached Degarashi Port, but it wasn't tactically sound, not in their current situation at least.

"We don't know if this race is taking place late tonight or if it's starting tomorrow early in the morning. In case it's the former we need to be fully recovered, and sprinting there will leave us tired and vulnerable to the trouble we may encounter."

Trouble she was almost certain would show up. Caution had to be taken here otherwise they'd end up with a dead client, severe injuries or dead themselves.

She glanced to the wall clock then back to her team. "It's only a few minutes past noon. We have to reach them by the evening. Walking there won't prevent that."

"She's right," Sasuke agreed, nodding his head once. "Whoever attacked those messengers is still out there. Could be one guy, could be an entire team. We can't take chances if we're going to keep ourselves and our client safe."

"Exactly." Amari folded up the map and sat back down to place it in her pack. Currently they still lacked the proper intelligence on how many enemies they were dealing with and their total strength.

Good information was key to the success of a mission. In the stern words of Ibiki Morino, _"Information can be the most valuable weapon in battle. How well you gather information will determine if a mission is a failure or successful. Disinformation can be worse than no information at all. It can lead to the death of comrades or the loss of an entire village."_

Right now they were in the dark on far too much to just rush to Degarashi Port. Going in exhausted would only lead to absolute, unmerciful failure. At a time like this, it was best to show up just in the nick of time instead of early.

"Did you learn anything else about our client, Amari?" Sakura asked.

"He's an honorable man based on what the owner and Naruto said. I'm beginning to believe there's something more important about this race than tradition, though." Amari squinted down at the table and brought her left hand to her chin in thought. "Not only has someone already tried to prevent Boss Jirōchō from gaining bodyguards, but Degarashi Port is a huge economic source for the Land of Tea. Whoever controls it…" she trailed off, frowning in her deep thought.

"Would hold the most wealth and power in the entire land besides the Feudal Lord," Sasuke finished for her.

"Mmhm."

"Meaning our enemies must be motivated by power and money, not honor or tradition," Sakura stated.

"I wonder if this race decides who controls the port," Naruto added thoughtfully.

Amari nodded in agreement to both of her teammates. "Has to be the reason we were hired." She lowered her hand and let her eye roam across her teammates. "And I'd bet Jirōchō's opposition has hired shinobi as well."

A bold claim with only one solid piece of evidence and a bunch of speculation surrounding it, but there was definitely a high probability of enemy shinobi, rogue or otherwise, hired for the other racer.

"Sounds like we'll have our work cut out for us," Sakura noted.

Sasuke shut his eyes and crossed his arms. "You worry too much, Sakura. It won't be anything we haven't dealt with before."

Sakura dipped her head in a nod. "I suppose you're right."

"Can't be any worse than running into Zabuza and Haku on our first real mission. I mean, those guys were on a whole different level of power than we were," Naruto said, smiling widely in nostalgia.

The group shared in smiles and snorts of amusement at Naruto's ability to understate truly how outmatched they were back on their first real mission. Amari could still remember it with almost perfect clarity. She could still remember their first encounter with Zabuza, how Sasuke's hands shook with fear, how Zabuza spoke of Blood Mist and killing the students despite not being one himself.

She could remember Haku, how her heart ached at having to fight him because she could feel how similar they were, and how he fought with such tenacity yet still with enough compassion to spare them.

"We were so out of our depth against those two, so out of our league. Feels like years have passed since then…"

So much had happened in such a short time. _How much more will happen, I wonder._

Her teammates all nodded slowly, silently agreeing to the feeling that so much time had passed even though it hadn't. They had traveled on paths of growth since the Land of Waves, all in an effort to find their way forward towards their goals without forsaking themselves. For Amari, that path had given her a lot of pain so far.

 _But I will continue to forge ahead no matter what, because that's who I am. Right, Shisui?_

His voice didn't come to her, but she knew he would've agreed. He was the one who taught her how to follow her nindo after all.

"We sure have packed a lot of fighting, training and living into our first year as shinobi," Sakura said.

That they had, and there was certainly more to come…but…

Amari grabbed her tea glass and looked down into it. "We've hit some troublesome spots…a lot of troublesome spots if we're honest, but…" She raised her eye back to her team. "I wouldn't trade our time together for anything." She lifted her tea glass into the center of the table. "To Team Seven."

Her teammates followed her motion, lifting their glasses to be in the center of the table with hers. "To Team Seven," Sakura followed.

"Team Seven," Sasuke toasted.

"To the best team in all of Konoha!" Naruto cheered.

Amari and the others chuckled lightly at his quite loud declaration. "To our awesome, albeit troublesome, family. May the road ahead of us never keep us apart for too long," she added. The team clinked their glasses together and either took sips of their tea or placed their already empty glasses back down on the table. "All right, I suppose—"

"Just sitting around, wolfing down rice and tea and toasting to friendship, huh? Ninja life is so cushy," a new voice broke their moment and dragged all of their irritated glares to the other customer besides them in the entire tea house. He was a teenager from the look of him, and had a smug look on his face that matched his condescending tone.

"What'd you say?!" Naruto growled.

"It's a wonder how the Leaf is still standing with chumps like you protecting it."

"That's it—"

Amari's hand latched onto Naruto's arm and held it firmly to keep the boy from standing up to rightly punch this punk into next spring. "Naruto, enough. He's not worth the blood on your fists." She spoke calmly and to the point, yet with an unwavering threat underneath meant for their mysterious guest rather than her friend.

Just by holding his arm she could feel the wound up tension within his body, but having a brawl of any sort here would serve no purpose. They had to remain calm and focused on what was important.

 _Doesn't mean I'm letting this punk off easily._

Naruto grudgingly settled back into his seat, growling under his breath something she couldn't quite hear. She released Naruto's arm and turned her cold stare to meet the dark eyes of the standing teenager. He had a sharpened chopstick between his teeth and unruly long hair kept in a low ponytail. In his dark eyes she could see blatant resentment growing as his eyes lingered on her forehead protector. Seeing her moment, she struck.

"My eye is up here, pervert."

Her first strike had the exact reaction she expected, a scoff and head turn to hide the blush on his face. "Tch, whatever."

Now it was time for the second and final fatal one-two punch. "Some free advice from one shinobi to a street punk without any real strength…" The first verbal jab landed, earning her his undivided attention and a heated glare to go with it. "Us 'chumps' have fought enemies on our own with levels of strength a simpleton like you can't even begin to understand. So I suggest you take your attitude, your smug looking face and get lost before I decide to expend a small portion of my energy leveling you where you stand."

"Don't worry, I was just leaving." The teenager spat out his sharpened chopstick onto the table and turned his body and attitude to be squarely on her. "But don't think it's because I feel threatened by any of you. I can't stand your kind. _Shinobi_." Venomous disdain dripped from the word and flooded his tensing body. "You're just a bunch of low-life liars and thugs. I'll warn you this once to pack your crap and get out of here. No one here wants you around, so go back to your village otherwise there'll be trouble."

Naruto shot out of his seat at the threat with his fists clenched but not moving to strike their annoyance down where he stood. Not yet anyway. "Oh yeah? Bring it on!"

Amari rolled her eye at the threat and busied herself with making sure her pack was ready for the journey. _The punk doesn't know how to pick his fights, that's for sure._ If Naruto flattened him, so be it. But she was done giving him another second of her time. He was just a nuisance, a fly buzzing around their heads that they'd either have to swat or would eventually fly away.

"Relax, Naruto," Sakura tried to order him.

"Calm down, loser. The punk isn't even worth the effort. Besides, we don't have the time for it."

"No way! Where's your ninja pride, Sasuke!"

"He has plenty of pride, but wasting his time on—" The Shadow user snapped her mouth shut as she felt the presence of the teenager vanish from where it had been a moment before. _What the?_ She spun her head back to face him to see the spot completely vacant. _He's fast…Really fast._

She activated her Byakugan while Naruto proceeded to whine about him getting away, promising to pummel him if they ever met him again. The boy, however, was showing no intention of ever returning. He was sprinting away, putting as much distance between himself and the tea house as he could.

 _But why?_

The reason became known a second later when the owner of the tea house dropped off their bill…and his, calling him their friend who said they'd pay for it. Amari checked the bill and gaped. How could one person eat so much?!

"What is it? What's wrong?" Sakura asked.

She showed the others his bill. Horror struck them all.

"This means war," Amari muttered under her breath. He had poked and prodded a sleeping dragon in his arrogance; now it was time for him to deal with the consequences.

"That little…" Sakura grumbled. Veins bulged on her forehead.

"Oh he is so dead! What are we waiting for? Let's go make him regret skipping out on his bill!" Naruto declared.

Sasuke was passive as ever, but his eyebrow noticeably twitched in pure irritation.

Somehow the punk managed to piss off not one, but all four members of Team Seven. Still, Sasuke kept his head about him, as she expected of her clansman, and looked to her to see what their move was. "Amari?"

"Let's go kick some swindling butt."

He nodded and the entire team quickly got up, threw their packs on and left their money behind with the bill before taking off after the insulting little punk.

Amari led the team at a sprint, Byakugan eye honed in on the teenager. He was fast, but his strides were full of arrogance, so sure they had no chance of catching him.

An underestimation he would soon regret.

"Argh! I can't believe he just left us with his bill!" Naruto snarled from behind her.

"How far did he get Amari?" Sakura asked.

"Pretty far given the short time he had," Amari stoically informed. "Whatever training he has isn't normal. He's too quick for a normal civilian."

Which left her with many questions, though none that were too pressing considering she had no interest in learning more about the kid. All she had an interest in was punishing him for refusing to pay his own bill.

"I don't care what kind of training he has! I'll make him regret ever insulting us!"

"Follow me!" she ordered as she took to the trees.

He may have been fast with a good head start, but he was underestimating their speed and desire to pummel him into the dirt. They were gaining on him with each passing second, and when he tripped and fell because of a root sticking out of the ground that distance shortened in a matter of seconds.

"He's up here in this clearing. Circle him."

Her team needed no other order. Sasuke and Sakura veered off to block one side while Naruto and Amari took to the other to steal any hope of escape from his grasps. Amari and Naruto stopped on a tree branch above him, the boy of the pair crossing his arms over his chest as he smirked at the misfortune of their prey.

"Heh, serves you right!" Naruto jeered.

The teenager looked up to their tree branch, shocked by their presence. "Wha–"

"You've got a lot of nerve. Did you really believe you could get away with it? That we'd just let you walk away after pulling a stunt like that?" Sasuke questioned.

He obviously had, otherwise he wouldn't have tried it in the first place. But it was far too late now. He was trapped between them with no possible chance of escape; now he had to face the fate of a street punk.

The swindler cast his eyes nervously between them. Then, without preamble, he unceremoniously threw himself down onto his hands and knees in a bow. "I'm sorry!"

"Huh?"

The team shared confused glances before looking back down at the kid. _Where the hell did that come from?_ Where was all the bravado, the taunts, the fight? Where was the attitude he had previously shown? _I…guess he was just tough talk?_

Disappointing didn't even cover how she felt.

"I couldn't pay the bill! All of my money was stolen, and then you guys showed up…I know I shouldn't have done it…"

Okay, now _that_ made her feel bad. She would've been fine to beat up the punk from the tea house, but to lay hands on a kid pleading for mercy after he had his money stolen? _No wonder he was in such a bad mood._

The group again shared a silent look. They sighed and jumped down to the unfortunate teenager. "Jeez, then why didn't you just say something instead of acting like a complete jerk?" Amari asked. "We may have actually helped if you just said something."

Paying his bill wouldn't have been a problem; she may have even given him some money for the road if he asked.

"Yeah, seriously. All you had to do was- ow!"

Amari glanced over to Naruto to see a black shape falling to the ground after bouncing off his head. Once it settled on the ground she gave a quick examination and noticed it was a pocket knife with an ornate gold metal design outlining its grip. _Looks expensive._ Naruto reached down to pick it up, but the teenager snatched it off the ground before he could.

All four members of Team Seven took an involuntary step back on combat instinct and watched as he handspringed onto his feet to face them.

"This belongs to me," he said, his voice steeled with his previous hatred again as he placed the pocket knife presumably into a pocket on the inner side of his shirt.

 _This_ was more of what she had been expecting from him, not the pleads for mercy. Seeing it again, though, made something abundantly clear to the Nara.

"You weren't robbed, were you?" Amari probed, her eye setting in a glare again. "You were just playing on our compassion so we wouldn't kick your ass." The smirk on his face was the only answer she needed. "Tch, and you called us low-life's."

The teenager reached down to his leg warmers and unhooked the buckles holding them in place; he lifted them up to reveal the weights on the inside.

"Leg weights?" Sakura's voice was full of surprise.

"On your mark. Get set. Go!" He dropped the weights, the force of which created a large smoke cloud. He took off at a speed that rivaled some shinobi. By the time the smoke cleared he was already far beyond their reach.

"Kami…" _At that rate of speed…_ "Let's go!" Amari ordered before jolting up into the trees to try to catch up. She kept her Byakugan activated as they chased him, watching him get further and further away no matter how hard her team pushed to keep up.

"Amari, go on ahead!" Sasuke called from behind her. She looked back at him with a look of confusion. "There's no chance of us keeping up with him. He's too fast for us!"

 _But not for me_ , went unspoken. He knew she was holding back her true speed to remain with the team, but if she let loose she would be able to catch up in no time. Maybe she'd even be able to stop him before he got too far away.

Amari gave a small nod and began channeling chakra throughout her body in preparation for the Body Flicker Technique. The moment she was ready and her foot hit the tree branch, she flashed forward at untraceable speeds to the normal eye. Trees whipped by her as she disappeared and reappeared throughout the canopy, each time closing the distance between her and the teenager until she was only a few meters away from him, but several away from her team.

Through her Byakugan, she looked back to her team and their tiring forms as they tried to catch up to her. She frowned. _I…I shouldn't have just left them back there. That was a poor decision for a team leader._

While there was presently no danger to their lives, what if this kid had been leading her into an ambush? Or a group of bandits or shinobi came upon her teammates while she was focused on chasing this punk?

Amari's frown deepened. She should've known better than to just go off like this even if there was no immediate danger. As shinobi they didn't have time to let petty stuff like this get in the way of their mission. Chasing as they were was also hurting her plan to just casually walk the rest of the way to Degarashi Port so they could recuperate from the day before and morning today.

 _He's not worth my time or chakra. I have a team to take care of, and they mean far more to me than some punk I'll never see again. All I'll do is send a quick message to him so he knows not to cross us again._

Amari's sandal hit another tree branch and she disappeared again, flashing past the punk in the shadows of the trees. She reappeared on the final branch of a tree at the edge of the forest. She crouched down and whipped out three kunai, throwing them to the ground below so they created a line that crossed the entire path.

Now they had a finish line for their race.

When the teenager came rushing through the path their eyes met briefly, his filled with shock at her appearance and the kunais and hers devoid of all amusement as she stared right through him.

"I win," she said mostly to herself, but the glare he gave her made it clear he knew exactly what she said.

She let him go without hindering his movement. She deactivated her Byakugan and watched him become smaller and smaller on the hilly horizon after grabbing her three kunai. He knew he was only going on her blessing. Let him stew on that when he reached wherever he was going, let him understand that she didn't bring him any harm because a no-count like him wasn't of any importance to her.

For an arrogant punk like him that'd likely eat away at him for a long time. That in of itself was a victory for her.

Her team met her on the forest floor, all three winded with sweat forming on their brows as they watched what remained of the teenager's form disappear far in the distance.

"You let him go, didn't you?" Sasuke asked.

She nodded. "I did. Chasing after him was taking me too far from you three and any potential danger you guys might get into. Plus we still have a mission to complete and I don't want to compromise that by wasting chakra on him. Good news is he knows he only got away because I let him. That should eat away at him for a long time."

Sasuke and Sakura gave nods of understanding.

"That's fine, but if we ever see him again he better watch out," Naruto panted.

She was fine with that, mostly because it was highly unlikely they'd ever cross paths again. The ninja world was a big place, and they wouldn't be spending much time here in the Land of Tea on this mission. On the chance they did meet again, however, she would let Naruto get at least one punch in before pulling him away.

It was the least she could do for him.

 _Back to the mission._ Amari took a breath and nodded her head in the direction of the dirt path they'd be traveling.

"All right, we still have a long walk ahead of us and a client waiting for us. Let's not waste any more time."

* * *

 _Review Response to Guest: Nope, that wasn't a secret Chunnin test for the trio. It was mostly for comedic purposes they were placed together in that circumstance, but there will be more in regards to possible promotions in the near future. Besides comedic purposes, they were chosen because of their maturity, their insight and personal experiences, out of the hope they might rub some of it off on the students._

 _Without spoiling how the Sasuke retrieval arc goes, there will be arcs that follow it that elaborate on the paths taken. The entire timeskip won't be written, but there will be certain parts of it shown._

 _Yes, Shikaku knows who Naruto's father is._

 _I can't really answer who will learn elusive jutsus, or simply other techniques they didn't have in the canon version, at this point because it'll spoil those moments of surpassing limits and surprise reveals later on. But my hope is to advance the entire cast as the story progresses, so no one fades into the background as useless. Expect a few surprises along the way._

 _Sakura will train under Tsunade again. Mimi we'll have to wait and see._

 _Thank you for the review!_


	81. Chapter 80: The Race Begins!

Chapter 80

Intelligence Gathering: The Race Begins!

The Wasabi Family compound was, as the name suggests, quite large.

Located on the outskirts of the Port, the compound was well-fortified by civilian standards. Staunch guards patrolled the premises, attired in a combination of elegant cotton and linen garbs, light leather armor and the odd piece of steel armor; they were equipped with varying weapons, from samurai katanas and polearms, to small hatchets and a rare Masakari—a two-headed battle-axe about six feet in length. The man to wield it was exceptionally broad, grizzled and bearing a severe appearance that reminded Amari of Ibiki.

Intimidating.

The mood of the guards swayed between casual peace and vigilance. Few younger men kept their weapons in reaching distance, but the lack of action made their attentiveness wane. They spoke and laughed loudly, casually—too casually to be on duty. She could've infiltrated and ensnared more than a handful of these people in her Shadow Possession Jutsu, including the vigilant guards, due to their lapse of focus.

Amari's eye lingered on them long—it drew the attention of the grizzled man wielding the Masakari. His eyes followed hers to the group. What he saw wrinkled his weathered features with a severe frown. He strode purposefully towards the guards. The Nara didn't hear what he said, but whatever it was straightened them up instantly. The infiltration point closed.

The grizzled man met her eye. He nodded once.

Amari nodded back.

Beyond the guards were the sturdy, tall walls enclosing the compound, well-maintained at a glance and on closer inspection. Nothing as tall as Konoha's walls. But a simple breaching explosive wouldn't be enough to tear the wall down.

The Wasabi Family was well-prepared for a frontal assault.

Yet, despite the walls and guards, the compound offered an inviting air. A handful of trees sprouted within the compound, their green canopies standing higher than the walls. Birds nesting within chirped. She could hear a faint trickle of water from somewhere within—a water feature, she assumed. And, if she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, she could smell fresh flowers—a garden.

Green hills, rolling endlessly towards the horizon—common for the Land of Tea—cut off access to the back of the compound.

 _Pretty well scouted for a peaceful nation_ , Amari noted, nodding to herself in appreciation of their decision. She couldn't help but wonder if the guards were a new addition due to the current animosity with their rivals, or if the wealth of the Wasabi Family brought thugs, scoundrels and other scum looking for an easy hostage payout.

 _Not my business to pry._ From the look of things, the Wasabi's could handle their usual affairs without shinobi help, which only furthered Amari's suspicion of the Wagarashi Family hiring shinobi—rogue or otherwise.

She preferred it to be rogue shinobi over shinobi from one of the other four Shinobi Nations, odd as that was to say. A rogue held no affiliation or political power, and some might even have a bounty from their home Villages. In that situation, they could battle at full power then move on afterwards.

No mess. No fallout.

But battling a shinobi of one of the other Nations could escalate tension, bring them closer to war. This mission could end up like a rock being dropped in a lake; ripples would expand from it, extending outward in different directions of possibilities, some less sever while others possibly leading to further skirmishes and war.

 _Here's hoping we're dealing with thugs or rogue ninjas._

Despite the rude interruption at the tea shop, Team Seven still made good time in traveling. Their walk took around three hours, almost to the minute, without any further interactions with jerk locals. The peaceful walk let their encounter at the tea shop escape their minds on the blissful breeze of comradery and exchange of banter about whatever came to mind.

Except shirtless Haku. Shirtless Haku was off limits _forever_.

The non-strenuous walk aided in rejuvenating their expended energy. Another bonus was the cooler temperatures this far south in comparison to Konoha, though Amari attributed that to the breezy, coastal climate.

As the team waited outside the gate of the compound for clearance by the guards to meet Boss Jirōchō, Amari covertly checked over the state of her team— _sheesh, that's still weird to say_.

Naruto grinned as he jabbered on to Sakura and Sasuke about how easygoing Boss Jirōchō was. Sasuke and Sakura listened patiently.

 _Given how hard I pushed them and how tired we all were when we first settled into the tea house, I expected to see some fatigue in their eyes, but they don't even look like we sprinted across the Land of Fire._

Internally, she sighed in relief. She worried the walk and break at the tea house wouldn't be enough to help them recover. She pushed them to their stamina limits the night before, out of necessity, but she tossed and turned on the decision through the night and pondered it deeply throughout the morning.

What if they had to immediately protect their client in this race? Would they be able to withstand the strain already on their bodies to successfully complete their mission?

She wanted so much to ask Kakashi for his opinion on her decision making, see if he concurred or if he believed there was a better option. Ever since they became a team…no, ever since he started popping in to offer advice when she first started training, he was always willing to provide an ear to her ideas or thoughts.

That courtesy was extended into their field work to hear out plans or an opinion before he made a final decision. Amari appreciated that. It helped her to get her thoughts out and feel somewhat useful even if he decided there was a better way.

But even though she was used to making plans on missions, she always had Kakashi there to cushion her fall if her plan wouldn't work or to keep her in check when she wanted to react on emotion rather than analytical thinking. _Just like in the Land of Snow._

" _They slaughtered them like cattle and laughed about it as they did! We can't just let them get away with that!" she argued in seething rage._

" _I know. We will put an end to Dotō, but not here. Not now. We need to get the movie crew to safety, take care of the dead and handle your wounds first."_

She lost sight of everything. He hadn't. Kakashi's eyes remained on the mission, on the safety of those under their protection, including his students' safety. He didn't give in to raw emotion like she did—a decision which kept the movie crew safe _and_ toppled the tyrant. Had she gone off on her own for revenge, she'd likely have been ambushed, overwhelmed and captured by Dotō and his cronies.

But that was their last mission when she had Kakashi to keep her in line. On this mission she was alone with her plans and her decisions. When they debriefed on this mission, there would be no hiding from the responsibility of any failure or decision she ended up making.

" _Kakashi-sensei trusts you. Your team trusts you._ _ **I**_ _trust you. You're going to kick some serious ass on this mission. So stop doubting yourself, you've got this."_

A quiet sigh escaped Amari. _Mimi's right. We're going to do just fine._ She looked to her team again, smiling softly. _Despite my endless worrying we're all pretty much recovered and ready for anything this mission throws at us. Kakashi-sensei may not be here to let me bounce ideas off him, but he gave me something far better than that._

His silent support and belief in her abilities would get her through this, as would the support of her team and Mimi and Aoko. _No matter how much pain is going on in my heart_ , she thought, unconsciously bringing her left hand up to her heart, _I'm going to keep pushing through it all until I break through the clouds of darkness and see the light again._

That was a promise.

"Boss Jirōchō will see you now," the returning guard informed.

Amari gave a small bow of her head to the man. "Thank you." She looked to her team and nodded for them to follow her. "Come on, guys. Time to meet our client."

They were guided into the compounded, around a small pond, where a bamboo water decoration acting like a teeter-totter tapped a rock every time it overflowed.

 _Peaceful_ , Amari thought. _Maybe one day I'll have enough money to move me and Mom onto a larger property where we can have a garden and a pond and cherry blossom trees._

She loved their cozy home, but if Asuma and her mother decided to marry then they'd need space for two adults, one teenager and the possibility of a newborn. Or several.

 _Eep!_ Amari's feet tripped up under her as her heart stilled in response to a sudden realization. Luckily three hands snatched her and kept her from gaining an intimate relationship with the ground.

"Whoa, you okay, Amari?" Naruto asked worriedly.

"Kami," she breathed out in shock. All these years of teasing her mom and Asuma about their relationship, never once did she ever even consider that she…"I could end up a big sister…" she muttered under her breath, her eyes wide at the revelation.

"Uh, what?" Naruto's confusion was clear as the nearby pond.

"Kurenai-sensei is pregnant?!" Sakura all but squealed, her eyes becoming starry at the thought of Kurenai being with child.

Broken from her shock at the squeal, Amari shook her head quickly and raised her hands to slow her teammate down before she got ahead of herself. "No! No she's not pregnant, at least not to my knowledge…"

 _But I suppose she could be right now without knowing yet._ She wasn't stupid. She knew how babies were made, and obviously her mother and Asuma were intimate with one another when alone. And if they weren't using protection…

" _I'm too young to be a grandma,"_ she recalled her Mama's words to Shisui.

Could she be too young to be a big sister?

Again she shook her head rapidly. "Moving on!" she decided for everyone, turning on her heel to continue following the guard.

 _I could be a big sister someday!_ Amari wasn't sure if she was more excited or panicked about the prospect. Was both okay? She wouldn't mind if Asuma manned up to ask her mother for marriage at some point.

But what had her far more bubbly and frightened in equal measure was the addition of another member to her family. Could she handle being the older sibling? Was she even ready for that huge responsibility?

"Shisui…you were a great role model, but could I even hold a candle as an older sibling like you were to me?" she asked herself, bringing her hand up to her chin in thought without realizing her inside thoughts were being vocalized. "You were so protective and kind and supportive to me. I…I know I'd want to be the same as you if my mom eventually has a kid. I'd want to be their shining light just as you were to me. I'd want to be their hero, too."

A hand grabbing her shoulder startled her and brought her eye back to Sasuke and her team. "We're here," he informed, lifting his chin to the nearby door.

Looking over to his motion she realized he was right. Looking back to her team and their mixture of teasing and just downright confused looks made her acutely aware of the fact she was thinking out loud.

Amari felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment. "…I said that all out loud, didn't I?"

Maybe she hadn't spoken out loud. Maybe it was just her imagination.

"Yeah, you did," Sasuke shot the fallacy down without even blinking.

Heat swarmed her cheeks. _Crap…_ How did she always manage to end up embarrassing herself? And why did it have to happen when she was about to meet a very important client?! _Double crap!_

"…Can we pretend this never happened? I think my mom might faint if anyone asked her if she wants to have a child."

Honestly, the prospect of it made Amari herself a little faint.

Without giving her team a choice in the matter, she turned and climbed the two steps onto the porch just outside of the room they were meant to enter. As she stripped off her black sandals and set them neatly out of the way, she heard Naruto whisper, "I don't get it. Who would even get Kurenai-sensei pregnant?"

"Are you serious, Naruto?" Sakura's disbelief was palpable.

"Yeah. Why?"

"You really are a brain-dead idiot," Sasuke sighed.

"What? What did I do now? Guys, come on! What'd I miss?"

Sitting inside the room was an older gentleman, graying, but by no means frail or at deaths doorstep. He was healthy and strong, attentive and respectable. He dressed in a haori jacket, colored a light shade of blue, like the sky at dusk. Beneath his attire was simpler ashen-grey kimono. At the sight of the team, he offered a kind smile in greeting.

"Welcome. And thank you all for coming."

His voice was a honeyed baritone. Cadence smooth and articulate. She liked it.

Amari moved to step forward, bow and greet him back. Naruto suddenly stepped past her, hunched a little forward in an incredibly improper bow then spoke in a tone she couldn't decide was either purposefully forced respectful voice to be mocking, or truly his attempt to be respectful. If it was the latter, he _really_ needed etiquette lessons.

"I bid you greetings and offer you my services!"

The Nara deadpanned and quirked an annoyed eyebrow up at the back of her teammate. _He also needs to learn volume control._ Normally she wouldn't mind—she'd grown used to Naruto's loud and brash personality—but considering they were meant to be representing themselves as much as the Leaf, his introduction wasn't proving them as competent shinobi.

Between the sigh from Sakura and the arms crossed and irritated frown from Sasuke, she was confident the rest of her team stood in agreement.

"I have come from Konoha, which is also the place of my birth! I was raised on ramen and hard work and given the family name of Uzumaki! But I'm known to everyone as—"

"As the village knucklehead," Sasuke interjected, bored and irritated at their teammate's overzealous introduction.

"As the village knucklehead," Naruto repeated. Barely a second passed before he realized what he accidentally said. Their knucklehead groaned and began stamping his feet in horror. "Ah! Very funny, you jerk!"

Much to Amari's surprise, and relief, Boss Jirōchō laughed heartily at their very unprofessional introduction as a team. "You haven't changed at all, I see," he said, regarding Naruto with an appreciative gleam in his eyes.

Naruto smiled and clasped his hands behind his head. "Ha, well you haven't changed much either, big guy."

Amari deadpanned further, her shoulders sagging in despair at his use of such an informal nickname. _So this is how Kakashi-sensei feels. What a painnnn._

"Watch it, Naruto," Sakura scolded in a whisper.

Her teammate's attempt to silently warn him of his informality didn't get past their client at all. He chuckled and waved them off. "No, no, it's quite all right. The boy has spirit, I like that!"

 _Phew_ , Amari sighed in relief, _sounds like Naruto wasn't exaggerating in the slightest, nor was the tea house owner. This guy is pretty cool._

Clearing her throat to take charge, as was her responsibility, Amari spoke up. "Since you know Naruto already I'll quickly introduce the rest of the team so we can get to business. I'm Team Seven's acting leader, Amaririsu Yūhi. This is Sakura Haruno," she motioned to her fellow kunoichi and then to Sasuke, "and Sasuke Uchiha." She let her arm return to her side. "Lady Tsunade sent us to help, and said you would give us the details on our mission."

Jirōchō's look became neutral as he nodded to her. "Mm. All right then." He covered his mouth to conceal a cough before returning his attention to them. "Do you four know of the dedication ceremonies held at the Great Todoroki Shrine every four years?"

Collectively they shook their heads. "Not much, unfortunately," she answered.

He motioned for them to sit with a gesture of his hand. "Please, sit." They obeyed and sat on the tatami mats with him. "It all started long ago. Legends say in ancient times there came a powerful and terrible storm. In desperation to end the storm, the people dedicated the Ryuko Jewels to the Great Todoroki Shrine. It worked. The storm subsided, and now we repeat the ceremony every four years.

"At first, the event was held as a re-dedication of the jewels, but decades ago it became a festival and a race; the winner of this race would be hailed as a great hero." Their client's eyes darkened. "In recent years, however, what used to be a friendly race has taken on a far more troubling aspect," he explained. "For generations Port Degarashi has been split between two separate families: the Wasabi and the Wagarashi, two rival gambling organizations.

"Both families wanted control of the town and its port, leading to a never ending conflict that became increasingly violent over time—some of which ended in all-out battles in the streets."

"Oh man. The civilians…" Amari grimaced, her mind pulling her back to the Invasion of Konoha. Shinobi and civilians in the streets. Fires. Explosions. Screams of terror. Desperate calls for help. Cries for a loved one as they were slayed. Cruel laughter.

Jirōchō nodded grimly. "Yes. Many were injured. Some perished in the ensuing chaos. Finally, in an effort to end the cycle of violence, the Feudal Lord called on both sides to come together and come to an agreement. Hence forth, the town and port would no longer be decided by street brawls and violence, but by a competitive race."

"The dedication ceremony for the Great Todoroki Shrine then," Sasuke put together.

"Correct."

"So that means when the Wagarashi won the race four years ago they gained full control of the Port," Sakura said.

Jirōchō nodded. "Yes. We lost the race four years ago when the Wagarashi secretly hired a shinobi to aid their chosen competitor; we have learned that they have done the same this year."

 _Damn_ , Amari frowned. _I already figured they had hired a shinobi, but I hoped…_

Simple thugs had always been a fleeting hope, but it was better to nix it out of her calculations now rather than finding out in the middle of the race. Now the only question that remained was if the shinobi hired was a rogue or of one of the other Shinobi Nations.

"That is why we sent messengers to you in the Hidden Leaf to request help. It was our only way to level the playing field, but before they reached your Village they were attacked—ambushed." Jirōchō suddenly bent forward, placing his hands on the floor as he bowed his head to them. "I beg you! Please lend our family your strength."

The four Genin let out startled gasps in response to his bow. None of them expected the elder and leader of the Wasabi Family to bow and beg for their aid. _Desperation_ , Amari noted. He may have more influential ties than them, but at the moment he _needed_ them, direly. _Not just him, but all of Degarashi Port._

His next statement made that point clear.

"If the Wagarashi Family wins this race, it will be another four years of their control. Another four years of intimidation and extortion for the good people of this port."

 _In that case…_

"Not gonna happen!" Naruto declared.

"Fear not, Mr. Wasabi, we will not allow the Wagarashi Family to win this race," Amari agreed.

"So, who do we need to escort?" Sasuke asked.

Jirōchō raised his head, a wide smile of relief on his face. "That means you'll take the job?"

Amari dipped her head in a nod. "We will."

No way were they letting the Wagarashi continue to run the port through fear and intimidation.

"Excellent!" He clapped his hands twice to summon someone else.

Not a second later, a shadow in a respectful kneel appeared behind the shōji door they had entered. The individual slid the door open. "You wanted to see me, Boss?"

 _That voice…_ Amari fought to keep her eye from widening at the person they were meant to be guarding. His voice was missing the cocky snark and resentment she remembered, but the figure kneeling at the doorway was still the same boy as before.

A startled gasp escaped the new entrant when he saw the four of them sitting there. Sakura gasped, too, when she recognized him.

"Whaaa?!" Naruto cried in disbelief as he jabbed his finger at the punk.

"Great," Sasuke grunted in annoyance.

 _The person we're meant to protect is that punk?!_ Now she couldn't let Naruto lay him flat with a single punch! _What a drag!_

Naruto and the punk immediately broke from their shock to glare daggers at one another. Jirōchō, ignorant to their previous encounter with the punk and the glares, smiled and said, "Ah, so you already know each other! That makes everything far easier!"

"I wouldn't be so sure," Sakura grumbled under her breath.

 _Ugh, this is going to be such a pain._ But she couldn't outright deny their client over petty dislike. She was just going to have to suck it up and complete the mission whether she and her team liked the little punk or not.

"We've met, but we didn't get his name," Amari said, her voice flat and devoid of any emotion. It was the most she could do to keep herself from joining Naruto in his glare and anger. "He was far more interested in running away so we'd have to pay for his meal and tea, and then lying to us when we confronted him by saying he had all his money stolen."

The punks glare made its way to her, but she kept her features schooled against the satisfied smirk wanting to pull onto her lips. _I know I'm holding a tiny, childish grudge, but boy does it feel good to get some payback._

As she expected, Jirōchō frowned and let out a disappointed sigh, turning his gaze onto the runner. "Idate," he chastised.

The punk, Idate, withered under his look. A satisfied snort escaped Sasuke, no doubt accompanied by an unconcealed smirk she could feel without looking at him. She was far too busy keeping her face stone serious and her eye from gleaming in victory.

 _Ha, that's what you get for being a cheapskate. Don't mess with Team Seven, jerk!_

"…Sorry, Boss."

"We will discuss this later, Idate. First you owe these four an apology for lying and stealing from them."

"But—"

Jirōchō raised his hand to silence the boy. "Do not dishonor the Wasabi Family, Idate. These four shinobi have come to aid us. They did not need to agree to help, but they have, without hesitation."

Idate grit his teeth in frustration. He loathed the entire idea of apologizing to the shinobi he sneered at before. But then let it fall with a sigh. He bowed his head to them. "I'm sorry for what I did. Forgive me."

 _Not a chance_ , all of Team Seven thought simultaneously.

Forgiveness, definitely after everything he did, was not freely given. If he really wanted their forgiveness he'd have to earn it through his actions. Preferably by winning the race.

"You're forgiven," Amari lied on behalf of her team. "Holding a grudge is too troublesome anyways." She turned her eye back to their main client. "By the way, you picked an excellent runner, Mr. Wasabi." _Much as I despise admitting that._ "He's fast. Faster than my three teammates in a straight up sprint."

His smile returned as he gave a small nod. "Thank you. But you said your three teammates. Do you mean to say you can keep up with Idate?"

"On physical speed alone, no," she answered honestly. "Only one shinobi in our general age group would be able to. With chakra, however, myself and a friend of ours can keep up, but we're sort of the speedsters of our respective years." She glanced over to Idate with a measured, analytical gaze. "I do not know everything this race entails yet, but in a foot race he'll blast whoever his opponent is out of the water. Nothing escapes my eye, so I mean it when I say whatever training he's put himself through for this, he's doing it to win no matter what."

Returning her eye back to Jirōchō she noticed hope and pride beginning to irradiate off of him.

"We'll keep him safe so he can win the race. Count on it."

The meeting ended soon after. Jirōchō graciously offered them a spare room for the night, conveniently located adjacent to Idate's room, before the big race tomorrow morning. Amari considered turning him down and renting a room for her team; she didn't want to intrude upon the Wasabi Family or take advantage of their hospitality, but tactically it was unwise.

They needed to keep a close eye on Idate and the Wasabi compound in case the enemy shinobi, whoever they might be, tried to infiltrate and eliminate the competition before the race even began. She could not put it past the Wagarashi Family to play extremely dirty, especially when they made their money on extortion and intimidation.

Her team agreed when she explained her thoughts and they all dropped off their bags in the room and prepared it for eventual sleep.

When Idate decided to take a stroll through Degarashi Port, Naruto reluctantly went to be a bodyguard, grumbling the whole way after Amari warned him to not pulverize the client. Not even a little.

Sakura and Sasuke, too, left to scout the port and see if they could spot their enemies among the crowds. Amari urged them all to keep their guard up and their senses about them.

Not wanting to settle in just yet while her team went out for mission based reasons, Amari respectfully asked to speak to Jirōchō again to gather further Intel on their mission. She needed to know every detail about the race, what it would entail and…she wanted to reassure him that his men were on the road to recovery.

He deserved to know they weren't on deaths doorstep any longer.

He granted her another audience and agreed to a game of shogi while they spoke. Amari unsealed her board with the pieces already set and began her questioning.

According to their client, the first leg of the race was by boat, sailing out of Degarashi's harbor to Modoroki Shrine—the halfway point—on Nagi Island. Geographically, Nagi Island was due south of the Land of Water and Hidden Mist Village and east of the Land of Tea—somewhat northeast of Degarashi Port.

She spared a passing thought for Haku and Kaito, wondering if it were possible she'd see the troublesome bird and hear from Haku sooner because of this mission. _It'd sure make Kaito happy and be convenient for me to send a quick message back…if the Mizukage didn't send another._

The Shadow user let the thought go and continued to play her game and listen to her client.

The runners would take one of the Ryuko jewels from Modoroki Shrine and then have to run to Ouzu Island—an island connected to Nagi Island by a rope bridge—to the finish line where they would dedicate their jewel to the Great Todoroki Shrine.

As for rules, there were none. Shortcuts, obstructions—anything and everything was allowed.

"Hm. Troublesome," Amari murmured as she considered her next move in shogi and mulled over the race. Jirōchō was pretty good at shogi; nowhere near her level or that of Shikamaru or Shikaku, but definitely not an opponent to underestimate. _I suppose since this is a game he's probably played it in a gambling match._

It'd explain why he didn't fall for her simplest tactics.

"What troubles you?" he asked.

"I'm trying to piece together how best to protect Idate while not burdening his speed in anyway," she answered, far too deep in thought to consider if it was inappropriate or not to discuss this with their client. She brought her hand to her chin in thought. "The first leg is simple enough, in theory. All we have to do is get aboard the ship and sail to Modoroki Shrine. Of course I highly doubt the enemy shinobi will let us sail without a fight, which is where me and my team come in. But the fight isn't my greatest worry."

"Oh?"

Amari winced. "I…I didn't mean that to sound overly arrogant. My apologies."

Jirōchō let out a hearty laugh at her apology. "There's nothing to apologize for, Amaririsu. I can see the gears turning in your mind. Considering your aptitude in shogi, I'm confident in saying you are the tactician of your team."

 _Fight the blush. Fight it!_ "Ah, well, yes, though that's not to say my team is incapable of good plans or thinking for themselves." She made her move and tried to ignore the amused smile from her opponent. "Anyway, in the first leg I'm more worried about the weather than I am our enemies. Our odds of winning can change drastically if the wind is wrong or a storm comes, and no amount of skills we have can affect the sea or weather."

Weather could have a profound effect on a battle regardless of where it took place. A lightning storm could, in theory, help a Lightning Style user. A raging storm on the water could give a Water Style user everything they needed to destroy their enemy.

The unpredictability of Mother Nature could turn the tides of a battle instantaneously, and that worried her the most. She knew the Land of Fire weather because she was a native, but here? She didn't have a clue of what sailing conditions were like, what kind of storms they had this time of year or if they had monsoons or water spouts further out at sea.

"I don't know much about the weather in this region so that's one of my greatest blindspots in the first leg," she continued, her lips pursed in deep thought. "As for our enemies, I cannot doubt they might try to sink our ship to prevent our victory. It'd be a good move, definitely if they're Water Style users."

"And if they're not?"

"It would depend on how many shinobi they have that would dictate their plan of attack. Larger numbers might make them overconfident and still lead to an assault on our ship during the first leg. However, if I had the money the Wagarashi Family does, I'd hire enough shinobi for two groups."

Jirōchō made his move and Amari took one of his pieces an instant later. He frowned and went back into thought on his next move. "Why two teams, Amaririsu?"

"One team to serve as a shield for my runner, the other as a sword to take down my opponent. For instance, if I were to separate my team into teams of two, I'd pick Naruto and Sakura for the sword. Naruto would make up the bulk of the brute force, and Sakura would use her intelligence to act as support and find the opening needed to sink the ship. At the same time, Sasuke and I would be the shield. Sasuke would defend at a distance through offensive attacks to keep the enemy at bay while I remained at the runner's side to protect them with a mix of assault and defense."

A simple tactic overall, but sometimes simple was better than extravagant.

"Put into the first leg, the defense would stay on the ship while the sword attacked the opposing ship. Of course it's possible the Wagarashi could hire one powerful shinobi to be a sword and a shield, but then they'd risk you hiring several powerful shinobi that could overpower their single shinobi."

Amari shook her head with a frown in place on her lips. "In that scenario their defeat would be guaranteed. They might be gamblers, but that's too risky of a bet in my eye. Granted the Wagarashi's could be overconfident, but I can't risk lowering my guard on that risky of a whim."

Now her gears were really spinning. She could subconsciously feel it as her eye darted across the board, piecing together every move Jirōchō could do and thinking of several counterattacks to end the game.

 _So we're probably dealing with two teams of unknown size_ , she thought. _One will try to destroy our ship or delay us while the other stays close to the runner just in case we divert part of our team to attack their runner._ That was the Wagarashi's smartest bet and plan to go through with when the stakes of control over the port were on the table.

 _Which means we'll need to be ready for an immediate defense as soon as the race starts. From there, once we know the size of the force we're dealing with and their strength, we'll be able to judge if we should split up or stick together._

Jirōchō moved a piece. She responded an instant later.

"If the attack doesn't happen on the water, then whoever is in first place by that point has the advantage. As I said, Idate is quicker than my team, probably quicker than most shinobi in a straight sprint. So if he's in first then all my team has to focus on is keeping up, defense if it's close and setting traps to sabotage any chance the other runner has. He'll handle the rest."

If there was one thing she could depend on with Idate, it was his ability to run away. _All we have to do is get him to land first as quickly as we can and then he'll be on the fast track to victory._

Amari hummed and furrowed her brow as a new thought crossed her mind. _But, if the race destinations are known to the runners and their guards before the race then another smart move would be to plant a shinobi near Modoroki Shrine or near that wooden bridge connecting the two islands together._

She bit the inside of her lip and squinted down at the board, not seeing shogi pieces but the battlefield ahead of her. _There's no chance for us to set that kind of trap up because of how late we were, but they certainly had the time to._ That meant getting Idate to land first and faster than his opponent alone was not enough to seal victory.

The bridge was the best place to end the chance of an opponent winning if it hadn't been done by that point already. A rope bridge could be cut down with ease in comparison to a solid structure. _We'll need to be cautious when we reach the island. Even if we have a big lead, we can't assume we're out of the woods until Idate crosses that finish line._

Jirōchō moved. She took another piece, pushing the game closer to her victory.

"But if our trip to Modoroki Shrine is stalled by weather or shinobi, his opponent will not only have the lead, but the enemy shinobi will have the ability to set traps and make it even harder for us to regain the lead. As long as it's close, though, or we maintain a good lead then our real focus will be simple defense of Idate."

"You've given this some deep thought in a short time," Jirōchō said as he made another move.

Amari smashed through his defenses while shrugging. "Just how my mind works. But that's why the weather is my biggest worry. The first leg really dictates how the rest of the race goes and what kind of trouble we'll have. My hope is the Wagarashi Family either underestimated what kind of rank shinobi you'd hire or are overconfident enough to think it wouldn't matter in the end. Regardless, I won't be blinded by overconfidence or underestimate our enemy. My team will be prepared for anything." She made her final move. "Checkmate."

Jirōchō breathed out a laugh at his loss and crossed his arms across his chest. "Well done. Though I suppose I shouldn't expect anything less from a Nara."

Lightning might as well have struck her. Amari stilled, heart beginning to race. How could he know that? How could he… The Nara glanced down then exhaled. Of course. Her pendent had snuck out of her tank top and was on display for all to see.

"I guess I'm not doing a good job at keeping that secret," she said mostly to herself.

"May I ask why you hide your true heritage?"

His curiosity was innocent. But the question alone was enough to make her eye and heart fall. She grabbed her pendent. "…I'd rather not discuss it. It's…it's a raw wound for me."

His features became sympathetic and offered a nod. "Understood."

The Nara exhaled a heavy sigh and let her hand fall back into her lap. "Thank you."

With the game and information gathering over, it was time to pack up and see if her team had returned. Amari chose then to bring up his messengers.

"Before we left Konoha," she started, "Lady Tsunade informed me that your messengers were poisoned when they were attacked. I don't know how many you sent or how many made it to our Village, but she did say _they_ when she mentioned their survival. I believe she attended to them herself, so if they all made it to Konoha I have no doubt she saved them all."

Jirōchō's lips split into a joyful smile. "Ah, that's wonderful news! Thank you."

She gave a small bow of her head. "Happy to pass on any good news I can." Amari finished resetting the shogi board and sealed it away. "Thank you for your time and the game, Mr. Wasabi."

"You are welcome, Amaririsu."

Amari stood to leave, but when she neared the door a sudden question popped into her mind. She turned around to face the older gentleman, who was still sitting in the same spot and giving her a curious look.

"Four years ago when the Wagarashi hired shinobi, do you remember what Village they were hired from?"

"No, I do not," he answered, shaking his head. "But I believe they did not leave on good terms, so it is unlikely they would hire the same shinobi."

"Okay. Goodnight, Mr. Wasabi."

"Goodnight, Amaririsu."

After the door was shut behind her, Amari brought her hand to her chin as she walked through the halls with a pensive look on her face. _If he had known the current shinobi he would have mentioned it, and since the previous did not leave on good terms…_

"Still no leads on who we're dealing with. How troublesome," she muttered.

" _The poison is mainly used by the Hidden Rain, but that does not necessarily mean a shinobi from their Village used it."_

Lady Tsunade's assessment was accurate, but the mere possibility of their enemy origins being linked to the Hidden Rain unnerved her greatly. When it came to reclusive, closed off, Villages with violent histories, the Hidden Rain and Mist were tied for first.

Mist was known best for Blood Mist, of course, but the Hidden Rain could be considered far more troubling due to what they had experienced. The Hidden Rain Village was geographically located right between the Land of Fire, Earth and Wind, and that left them caught between the previous Great Shinobi Wars.

Repeatedly being the battlefield of other villages wars had to breed resentment and powerful shinobi, especially since they shut themselves off to the rest of the world.

Beyond that logical assumption, the Shadow user knew little about the Village as a whole, though that could be said for everyone from what Kurenai once told her. What she did know thanks to her mother was the type of missions they specialized in—assassinations.

 _If we're dealing with Rain ninja who use poisons…_ Amari let out a disgruntled hum. _I can't jump to that conclusion of who our enemy originates from, but I can still prepare for them, just in case._

An assassination team would act with stealth, which meant tonight she and her team needed to remain vigilant and rotate a constant watch so they were all protected and able to sleep at some point. Once they survived the night they'd need to keep their senses open in case they were dealing with an assassination team.

 _I need to keep that antidote Lady Tsunade gave me on hand at all times._ Amari opened the door to their room and entered, engrossed by her thoughts. _Our enemies could be using any assortment of weapons from smoke bombs made of poison to blades coated with it. They might even have a jutsu._

She would need to limit herself to maintaining a close proximity to her team and Idate. She couldn't risk getting caught in a close quarters duel again and risk one of her teammates or client getting poisoned when she was nowhere near them.

 _Hmm._

Amari put her scroll away and sat down on the floor crossed legged to think. So many scenarios to plan for, possibilities to consider and worries to mull over. Maybe a light meditation would help her get her thoughts straight. Releasing all the tension in her body, Amari shut her eyes and breathed slow, large breaths to clear the storm from her mind.

Sakura and Sasuke returned sometime later with Naruto following their arrival about ten minutes after, his mood soured by his few hours spent with Idate. By that point Amari reached a Zen-like state and was ready to hear of any information they might have to add it to her calculations and pass off what information she learned.

Their debriefing went well; Amari held the most information overall thanks to her meeting with Jirōchō, but that was okay. Sasuke and Sakura apparently entered into a small scuffle with members of the Wagarashi Family—thugs wrecking a man's store after he asked them to pay for their purchases.

It was only a small scuffle because the two shinobi pummeled the three men with ease and sent them home wailing in terror.

"Good work," she congratulated them. Scum like the Wagarashi Family were just like Gatō, and they all knew what she felt for that piece of trash.

 _Enough scorn to give his life to a Demon willingly_.

Besides that they didn't see or sense any shinobi during their scouting trip.

After she went over all of the information she gathered, they each prepared for sleep while Amari prepared for the first watch of the night. As she sat alone in the quiet of the room, her Byakugan scanning the perimeter and their client's quarters, she found herself gripping the pendent hanging from her necklace to try to ease her nerves.

 _Tomorrow is the day…_

The day of the race.

The day of the mission.

The day she would have to lead her team in battle.

Tracing her finger over the conjoined symbols, she did her best to breathe and calm her nerves.

 _Tomorrow…_

Hopefully this time her client wouldn't ignore her orders.

* * *

In the dark, early hours of the morning, concealing themselves among the shadows, four Wagarashi thugs approached the walls of the Wasabi compound. Silent, they believed, as shinobi. They crept closer, full of ill intentions. Motivated by greed and possible glory among their family.

They didn't need the hired shinobi to take out the rival racer. No. This was a matter to be handled by Wagarashi Family members; outsiders weren't needed to eliminate a single punk kid. Soon they'd enter the walls and, without a sound ever being made, kill the Wasabi Family's one chance at winning the race.

"Going somewhere?"

The harsh voice didn't startle them. They expected a guard dog or two to be out on patrol. This was no issue.

Moonlight shone off the steel of the Masakari. The grizzled Wasabi veteran was alone, for now. He or their battle may yet raise the alarm, and this mission would be for naught. Unacceptable. They would eliminate him quickly and quietly, then their mission would resume as planned.

The Wagarashi thugs sneered and drew their swords. One man against the four of them? Incompetent fool.

"This is the end for you, Wasabi dog."

"I'd say the same to you, Wagarashi scum."

He swung his battleaxe in a wide, almost three-hundred and sixty degree strike. They leapt back, evading the dangerous weapon. With his back turned to them, one follower thrusted his sword for his back. The Wasabi guard, a man of many battles, sidestepped fluidly and jammed the pointed pommel into his enemy's sternum.

The follower crumbled to his knees, weapon falling from his hand, gasping for air.

The Wasabi guard was given no time to finish him. Two other followers attacked simultaneously with downward strikes. Lifting his weapon up, he caught the blades with the length of his haft and, with greater might, pushed them back.

He made for another sweeping strike, growling as he did. Hold them here, he demanded of himself. The longer this skirmish lasted, the greater chance of reinforcements. His armor guaranteed he would survive a slash, a cut or a weak thrust from their swords. One blow from his axe meant losing a limb or a massive gouge in their flesh.

However, his weapon was heavier. Slower. The Wagarashi Family thugs were greater in numbers, and wielded quicker drawn weapons. How grievous might his injuries become if a few bug bites became hundreds?

It was then the Wagarashi thugs felt an unnatural chill permeate in the air. The Wasabi member felt it, too, though the intensity was greatly lessened around him. He understood immediately, and was relieved Boss Jirōchō hired a vigilant shinobi.

Cold, invisible claws began to slowly drill themselves into the thugs flesh. The air, while still, felt alive. Twisting, curling around them. Teasing them menacingly with their weakness. Chills raced down their spines as sweat began to bead on their foreheads.

What unnatural being was responsible for this?

"I expected this from the Wagarashi Family, but I assumed they'd at least send professionals."

The foreign voice was dangerous. Bladed. Dripping with toxic venom. But without a doubt belonging to a child. A girl.

So why was it so frightening?

"Yet all I see are thugs."

The four Wagarashi members growled and raised their eyes to the wall. The girl crouched above the Wasabi guard, silhouetted by darkness. None could decipher her appearance fully, but one reality became certain: This killing intent was her doing.

The air was thinning. It was hard to breathe. Hard to think, as if a heavy fog was disrupting their senses. The invisible claws dug deeper into their flesh. They could feel the monstrous hand clutching them loosely.

"What are you?" the leader hissed.

"Flee back to your masters. Now," she ordered instead of answering.

"Or what, child?"

"Or you'll learn a fate worse than death."

They hesitated—it was the greatest error they made that night.

The child suddenly, violently, transformed into a demon dragon. Crimson and lavender eyes, sharper than any man-made blade, full of hunger for blood, locked onto them.

None except the Wasabi guard could move freely. The intangible monstrous hand clutching their bodies crushed them in a vice grip, talons drawing blood that wasn't real; it refused to let them go until the dragon was allowed to feast on their souls.

Terror seized the four Wagarashi thugs. Inside the glowing eyes of the dragon their violent deaths were revealed to them. Heat like volcanic lava rushed past them as the dragon unleashed an earth trembling roar only they could hear and feel.

One follower collapsed back on the verge of hyperventilation. The follower the Wasabi guard struck lowered himself further to the ground, as if bowing before a god. The other two became statues, unable to breathe, think or move beyond trembling.

Finally, with what little sense they had left, the Wagarashi thugs dropped their weapons and fled from the compound, all but tripping over themselves and pushing their so-called allies out of their way.

The Wasabi guard turned back to the kunoichi crouched on the wall. She was still silhouetted in the shadows.

Again he nodded to her. In appreciation of how she handled the situation without further bloodshed, and gratitude for the aid.

Stubborn pride was an inexperienced young man's burden.

The kunoichi nodded back. Respectful. Then she vanished.

He'd known she or a member of her team would arrive. These four Leaf shinobi, especially their leader, were a vigilant and experienced team despite their youth. It gave the veteran hope.

Idate, the stubborn and prideful fool, was in capable hands, just as Boss Jirōchō had assured him this evening after his meeting with the kunoichi leader. He was pleased to see it with his own eyes.

As long as Idate didn't blunder this, he may yet prove himself worthy of Boss Jirōchō's trust.

Until then…

The Wasabi guard hefted his Masakari onto his shoulder and continued his patrol.

Vigilance was key—a lesson he would lecture his fellow guards on at the crack of dawn.

* * *

Amari returned to their room and resumed the last hour of her watch.

 _Tomorrow…_

* * *

"You stupid, stubborn, arrogant punk!" Amari cursed Idate while struggling to maintain her Shadow Possession at long range. The runner teetered on the edge of a rocky cliff. "If you'd have just listened to me…grr!"

A bead of warm sweat slid down her cheek. She gritted her teeth, trying to force the idiot to step back.

Her attempts were futile at this distance, thanks in no small part to Idate struggling against her jutsu. Hissing out a frustrated breath, she raised her voice again. "Stop fighting my control! If you keep it up, you'll plunge to your death!"

She had just about enough of Idate for a lifetime. First he went darted off in the wrong direction at the start of the race with no explanation whatsoever. Then he fell right into the enemy's double genjutsu right along with Naruto, the latter of whom she was able to talk sense into so she could release him from the genjutsu. And now he placed her in a position where she had no choice except straining her Shadow Possession on a mountainous cliff with minimal shadows!

This entire thing was a huge pain in her neck!

"One of you, hurry and grab him! I- I can't—"

He was still struggling, still fighting her control. Her Shadow was already at its thinnest length, to the point she was forcing the jutsu—an act every shinobi was warned to never do—just to save the arrogant punk.

Any second now the jutsu would break and he'd go falling off the cliff like the idiot he was. All he was missing was a sign to hold up with an exclamation of "Yikes" or 'Help me" on it.

She could feel her shadow trying to recede. She could see it slimming even further right in front of her and then expanding as she forced the jutsu to remain connected.

Naruto and Sasuke dashed past her as fast as they could. Idate was within arms distance within seconds. But she couldn't fight it any longer. The strain was too much for her body to handle, like trying to carry a refrigerator full of cement on her back down a flight of stairs.

Amari collapsed onto the stony path. Her weak limbs failed to catch her, leaving her to crash shoulder first on the warm stone. She was gasping desperately, greedily for every bit of oxygen she could get as she laid there, unable to move, feeling as if she was suffocating even as she knew she was breathing in oxygen. Her throat felt constricted, her heart tight.

 _This…is why you…never force a jutsu._

Every molecule in her body was screaming at her. Vicious, bloodcurdling screams. Her tight heart slammed against her chest, up into her throat, with explosive force she feared might make her puke. And _oxygen_ , where had the oxygen in the air gone?

"You damn idiot!" Sasuke reprimanded Idate.

Struggling to lift her head, she tightened her jaw against the pain and raised her eye just enough to see him through blurry vision. He gripped their client by the back of his shirt to keep him in place as he hung precariously over the edge. Naruto turned into two, one holding Sasuke and the other grabbing Idate as well. Both boys roughly pulled him—threw him—back onto the cliff path then rushed back over to Amari.

They knew what she risked to save Idate. They knew how her jutsu worked, its weaknesses and how their current terrain and her cries to get their client to stop struggling would affect her jutsu.

Forcing any jutsu could be the final fatal mistake of a shinobi. Usually it was only something a shinobi needed to remember when at low chakra or when using powerful jutsu like Chidori or Rasengan.

Although she hadn't been low on chakra, to use a jutsu like Shadow Possession when it had set limitations, and using willpower to force it beyond those restrictions, was downright reckless and dangerous.

 _He…didn't give me…much choice_ , she reminded herself.

Idate's blatant disregard of her warnings, his refusal to slow down when the risk of enemies ambushing her team was high and ignorance to the cliff he nearly ran off left her with no choice but to send her Shadow when they finally were in range.

Poor consolation as far as her screaming limbs were concerned.

A gentle hand resting on her back alerted her to Sakura's presence. She hadn't even sensed her teammate.

"Hey, you okay?" she asked softly. Then she gasped in fear. "You're entire body is quivering. And you're body is really warm to touch."

She grunted in acknowledgement of the truth.

"Every- everything inside me is burning." Her voice was strangled in agony. Had she been able to do it without adding onto her pain, she might have bitten her arm or clenched her hand into a fist to dig her nails into her palm. She couldn't, though. Mere twitches of her muscles only piled onto her pain.

Her heart, her lungs, her intestines, even her blood felt like it was on fire. Searing pain flowed through her from her main organs down to the tips of her fingers and toes.

"I…I don't think I can stand on my own," Amari admitted through the pain.

No, she knew for a fact she'd fall face first if she tried to stand up on her own strength.

She wasn't sure she even wanted to move. Well, of course she _wanted_ to move, but she was afraid even to have one of her teammate's move her would just make this far worse.

 _Doesn't matter_ , she told herself. _We have to keep moving no matter how painful it may be. We have to complete this mission._

"I'll brace you then so you can regain your strength," Sakura said without hesitation. Carefully, she slung Amari's left arm around the back of her neck and stood up, bracing the pain filled kunoichi who did her best to not be total dead weight and not scream—because, kami, everything within her was begging her to scream so she had some sort of outlet.

"Ggh!" she choked down a scream.

"Is there anything I can do to lessen the pain?"

"N- no! Don't…don't worry. I'll…" Amari's entire face, pouring with sweat, scrunched. "I'll endure it."

Naruto and Sasuke approached with concerned faces.

"Are you all right, Amari?" Naruto asked.

"No," she choked out. "But…I'm still alive, so that counts for something."

"Forcing her Shadow Possession Jutsu like that did a number on her internally," Sakura said. "What she did was like straining a muscle—only she strained her entire chakra network saving Idate. And because of how interconnected our Chakra Network is to—"

"Ggh!" a pained grunt cut off Sakura's explanation.

Her fellow kunoichi did her best to offer comfort through reassuring whispers and a soothing palm rubbing circles on her back as her entire body quivered through tumbling waves of pain.

"So it's affecting her like Hisashi's poison, in a way," Naruto said.

Sakura offered a nod. "Similar, but not a direct comparison. She hasn't been poisoned. This pain she's going through is like—how to describe it? Oh! Like a cramp when you drink too much water and then try to exercise. Only more extreme, obviously. It doesn't require Medical Ninjutsu to heal; she just needs to rest without using any chakra until it passes."

"Read Mimi's notes, huh?" Amari attempted to jest through labored breaths, but her laugh caused a shooting pain to erupt across her stomach, as if someone stabbed her with a kunai. "Argh!"

"There isn't anything we can do to ease it. The pain should pass soon. Until then, I'll carry her until she can stand on her own."

"Nothing I can't handle." Amari struggled to lift her chin back in the direction of Idate. "Come on, we still have a mission to complete. Sasuke, you take the lead for now."

"Got it," he agreed with a nod.

Orders given, they walked back over to Idate, who was sitting on the ground and rubbing his back. He scowled up at them. "Stop slowing me down, you idiots."

 _Ungrateful jerk._

"Slowing you down?!" Naruto boomed. "If it wasn't for Amari, you'd be splattered all over the ground right now!"

Idate shot up to his feet. "You only saved me because you are bound to your duty! There's no _need_ for me to thank any of you! "

"What did you say?!" Naruto jabbed his finger back at her. "Look at her! Look at the pain she put herself through to save you! Put your pride away and show some gratitude, you punk!"

Idate snarled but did spare a glance to see her pain etched features and her struggle to breathe without wincing. He said nothing, only looked away and hissed out a breath.

"Naruto, agh! Enough already," Amari ordered. Her best friend shot her a look of disbelief. He didn't want to let this go. But he needed to. They didn't have the time for an argument. "Arguing with him serves no purpose. Besides, you're only worsening his inferiority complex."

That was a needlessly barbed statement, but considering she just saved his life at the risk of her own she felt entitled to it. Idate's eyes found hers in a heated glare.

"Listen, Idate, the only reason why I let you come this far is because Mr. Wasabi trusts you."

Another wave of searing pain, this one enough to make her double over.

"You're okay. You're okay," Sakura did her best to sound reassuring and soothing, crouching down when she began gagging. No puke came out, thankfully. That would have been mortifying. She sensed Naruto's intensifying glare on Idate, a silent dare to say something snarky.

Idate did not.

Sakura took the Nara's hand into her own and allowed her to use it as a stress ball until the pain passed. It brought back memories of their night on the ship. Amari latched onto the peace she'd found then with Sakura to combat the overwhelming pain.

When the worst of it passed, she spoke up in a weak voice, "I'm assuming you have a plan, but if you keep ignoring us because of your clear disdain for shinobi, you _will_ die."

Without her Byakugan able to activate she could only flick her right eye back in the direction they came. _Those shinobi…why do I feel like I've sensed their chakra before?_

The feeling troubled her. If they followed them this far, then they were likely going on ahead just in case their genjutsu plan didn't work.

"Sakura, can you help me up again?"

"Okay."

Turning her attention back to their client and his sneer, she decided to finish up her speech. "That genjutsu trap you just fell for was a complicated attac— argh!"

She hunched forward slightly and grit her teeth through another wave of burning. Every muscle across her body contracted; she could feel a sheen of sweat forming in a futile attempt to cool her off.

When the pain was bearable enough to speak again, she did as quickly as she could. "I know this because my mother is a master of genjutsu. These shinobi we're dealing with clearly mean to kill you. Last night the Wagarashi Family sent thugs to finish you off before the race began."

Idate stiffened at the news.

"I know you have a race to win, but if you don't let us do our _duty_ and protect you because you ignore us, then you can expect to fail Mr. Wasabi and his trust in you."

That earned her a glare but no retort. _Direct hit._ In their short meeting with Jirōchō she could see how much Idate respected him. Was it dirty to use that against him? Perhaps. But if it got him to actually listen then she wasn't above using it.

"Now, why are we going North? What did you see at the port that made you come this way?"

He gave a long, reluctance filled sigh at her. "Shouldn't you shinobi know these things?"

"Damn it, just answer her question! You can see how hard it is for her to speak! Stop being so cruel!" Naruto shouted.

He rolled his eyes in agitation. "Around this time of year there are strong seasonal winds blowing hard across the sea. Back at the starting point, I noticed storm clouds on the horizon and how they were being blown towards us by the wind. Besides that, there's a port in the north where the ocean current flows straight to Nagi Island."

"Hmph. Who knew he actually had a brain," Sasuke said.

Amari nodded in acknowledgement of both boys assessments. "Then it seems North is our best bet. Let's move."

Idate turned around, sparing another sneer at her. "Try not to slow me down."

And then he was off at a run again, though his pace was noticeably slower than his previous one.

"I really don't like him," Naruto growled. He was barely able to contain his fury from the look of it. Another push or prod and she might not be able to stop her friend from laying him flat.

"You don't have to like the client. Just protect him."

"Fine."

Team Seven, with Sakura bracing Amari, followed after him and kept pace the whole way to the northern port. The genjutsu using enemies did not appear again, but that only made Amari more suspicious of their eventual appearance. _Though I can't say I'm upset they haven't shown up._

The state she was currently in would make her a burden to her team. But the fact their enemies hadn't tried to attack again when they were vulnerable proved to her that they laid their genjutsu trap and never once looked back. Not that she was complaining. The longer they waited, the more recovered she'd be.

"Hey, I can smell salt in the air!" Naruto announced.

"The sea is up ahead," Sasuke said. "How are you two holding up back there?"

"We've gained a rhythm and we're moving quickly," Sakura answered as they continued to ninja jump through the trees in tandem.

"The burning pain has been replaced by a tingly needle feeling, like when your foot falls asleep only everywhere." Even her face was tingly, and that was a strange sensation. "But I can feel my strength returning. I should be able to use my sensory abilities once we're on the boat."

"We'll definitely need it since those guys haven't shown their faces yet," her fellow kunoichi said. "They missed a good opportunity to ambush us when you were weakened."

Amari nodded. "They did, but that means they cast their genjutsu and kept moving ahead for the next attack. We'll need to be ready once we're on the water." _And if Idate stashed a ship in case of a storm, then I'd bet these guys scouted him doing so and have one of their own waiting for them._

A thought she'd have to wait for confirmation on.

As they made their way down to the beach where they'd be setting sail from, the silhouette of Nagi Island took over their horizon along with several dark and frightening clouds covering the path from Degarashi Port.

"We can probably make it to Nagi Island in about an hour from here," Idate informed as they reached the beach. He stopped for a moment and looked to the fisherman house settled next to the stairs. "Wait for a second," he said before running off to the house.

"And there he goes again," Naruto muttered, more annoyed this time than angry.

"Hey, Sasuke," Amari spoke in a whisper. There was something else bothering her that she hadn't had the time to talk to her teammates about until now. "Did you catch his surname when they announced him at the festival?"

He dipped his head in a small nod. "You noticed that too, huh?"

"Noticed what?" Naruto questioned.

She wasn't surprised Naruto didn't catch it. He wasn't one to remember names of people he didn't know all that long. She did remember, however, and she was far more suspicious of their client now that she knew his full name than she had been previously.

"Later," she dismissed when she saw Idate running back over.

The ship they ended up taking was already waiting for them on the beach. Although she knew little to nothing when it came to ships, it seemed to her untrained eye to be made for speed rather than heavy cargo transportation.

It was relatively small, able to be manned by their small group with Sasuke at the helm, Naruto and Sakura taking care of the sails and Amari sitting near Sasuke with her Byakugan activated so she could look for threats on their horizon and help guide him.

The tingly needles still pinned and pricked along her body, but the longer they sailed, the less it bothered her. As long as she continued to let her body rest and didn't strain her Byakugan eye she'd be fine.

Unfortunately, the time for resting was going to end abruptly at some point. The next attack was coming. Somewhere within the next hour the sword team would come again to try to take them out of the race permanently, and they needed to be ready for that.

But her lingering suspicion about Idate continued to bother her immensely. Now that she was alone with Sasuke and Idate was standing at the very front of the ship—about as far away as he could get from all of them without jumping into the water—she decided to bring it up again.

"It'd really make sense for him to be his little brother, wouldn't it?" she whispered to Sasuke.

"Yeah," he nodded, "it would. How many shinobi do you know that can run that fast _without_ chakra?"

"One. Two including Guy-sensei."

Again he nodded. "Exactly. He's had special training, no doubt about that, and the fact he knew how to release the first genjutsu is suspect enough. An entire stadium was hit with one, and some of the shinobi with more experience than us didn't even realize it happened." Sasuke shook his head, a deep frown creasing his lips. "Something doesn't add up with him. He can't be some regular punk. He's had to at the least spent time in a Hidden Village."

"Mm. I wonder if that means he's a rogue."

"Even if he is, I don't see any sense in doing anything about it."

Amari couldn't help but nod in agreement. "Me neither."

He was no threat to anyone. He was just a runner. A teenager who liked to act tough but when real danger appeared he did his best to run away. What she couldn't figure out was why he hated shinobi so much. If he had spent time in a Hidden Village, why did he detest them? Did it have anything to do with why he ran away?

Naruto, who had been discussing something in hushed voices with Sakura, suddenly burst out laughing and threw his hands behind his head. "Come on, Sakura! That idiot could never be a ninja!"

 _Ah, looks like they were discussing the same thing as us._

"Look who's talking!" Sakura fired back. "Last time I checked you got yourself pummeled by two kunoichi because of your stupidity!"

"Hmph," Sasuke snorted humorously.

Naruto recoiled a little. Sweat formed on his brow after he glanced Amari's way and found an intense stare. _Don't. You. Dare._

Shirtless Haku was not to be spoken of, especially in front of a client.

"Well, yeah…But I _did_ make it to the finals of the Chūnin Exams, you know," he did his best to shift the topic of conversation.

Idate suddenly turned around with surprise clear on his face. "You didn't really make it to the finals of the Chūnin Exams, did you?"

 _Interesting_ , Amari thought as she and Sasuke shared a single glance of piqued curiosity.

"You bet I did! And so did Sasuke and Amari!" Naruto declared. "I would have won it too if the Sand and Sound didn't interrupt it with their invasion! I'd be a Chūnin if it weren't for their attack."

Both Uchiha's suppressed their laughs. "You hear that, Sasuke? That means he'd have beaten you in his second round match," she teased, smirking down at him.

"Hmph." Sasuke rolled his eyes with a smirk pulling onto his lips. "In that loser's dreams maybe."

Idate's disbelief remained clear on his face and in his voice as he said, "Yeah, well, whoever your proctors were must have been real pushovers. Sounds like the Chūnin Exam has lowered its standards!"

Idate was suddenly overcome by embarrassment, shocked at himself. Everyone, save Naruto and Idate, smirked or smiled at his slip-up. _Idiot managed to walk himself into that without any of us actually having to set a trap._

"Heh, well well well, for someone with such a sour opinion of shinobi it seems you used to be one," Amari said. Her smirk grew when he tried to turn away to hide his embarrassment. _You're not getting out of this that easy._

Time to set a little bait so she could get him to admit a truth she was becoming certain of.

"As for proctors being pushovers, I'd _love_ to hear you say that to Ibiki Morino's face without cowering in your sandals."

Idate spun around instantaneously, appearing like a squirrel whose secret stash of nuts vanished.

 _Jackpot._

"Nice one," Sasuke said for only her to hear.

"What'd you say?" He left his post at the front of the ship and moved closer to them. She might have assumed he'd seen a ghost with the way he looked at them. "My big brother is still alive?"

That wiped the smirk right off Amari's face and replaced it with pure confusion.

"Of course he's alive. Why wouldn't he be?" Naruto asked.

"You really mean it? He's really alive?"

Was that relief? The two Uchiha traded looks and looked back to their client. Something was definitely wrong here.

"He's alive. He was our first proctor and led the defense during the Invasion. I was under his command. I mean, he has some scars, but he's definitely alive. Why—"

Amari snapped her mouth close and spun around to face the sudden surge of chakra she was sensing.

"Enemies?" Sasuke asked immediately at her reaction.

"Yeah." Honing in on the chakra, she scanned the headbands and the attire of their enemies. Her eye widened when she saw who they were. "It's those Hidden Rain shinobi we ambushed in the second round of the Exams."

Talk about a strange coincidence.

 _Damn, we don't even know their abilities or if they're the ones who use poison._ They had thoroughly outsmarted the first one they ran into without giving him time to show off any of his abilities. _And our second encounter never even got started because Mimi eliminated them with ease._

So they were facing shinobi they didn't know the abilities of at a time when they didn't have the element of surprise…Or did they?

"Sakura, take the helm. Naruto, protect Idate," she dished out orders as a plan came to mind.

Amari turned back to face her team. Sakura was already closing the short distance to take the helm. Naruto spun a kunai into hand.

"What's going on?" Idate asked, a hint of worry and confusion to the sudden change of conversation and their actions.

"The shinobi the Wagarashi Family hired are right behind us."

"Are you sure you're ready, Amari?" Sakura asked as she took over for Sasuke.

She nodded. The tingles were still there, but she and Sasuke were the best options here. Their eyes would give them an edge against any genjutsu, and what she had in mind required more from him than it would from her. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Hopping up onto the railing, she looked to her fellow Uchiha and nodded her head for him to follow. "I'll explain my plan on the way. You're going to love it."

Sasuke smirked and followed her off the boat and towards the enemy.

 _Looks like things are finally picking up._


	82. Chapter 81: Violent Rain

Chapter 81

Violent Rain: The Fight for the Future of the Land of Tea

As Amari expected, Sasuke thoroughly enjoyed her plan to sink the enemy ship.

It was a simple, preemptive head-on assault, combining his Fire Nature ninjutsu to set the wooden ship ablaze with her paper bombs to blow holes in its hull. Not a single blade was crossed between the Leaf and Rain. They attacked from the water, taking their cocky ambushers by surprise, until their target was a smoking, unsalvageable wreckage sinking down into the depths of the ocean.

Someday, hundreds of years from now, a diver would come across it and ponder on what battle had taken place there.

Their successful attack, while perfectly executed, served a secondary purpose: Force the Rain shinobi into the ocean. Then their only option left was pirating the Leaf ship.

Nobody wanted to be left out at sea, after all.

" _Heh, those losers never stood a chance against us."_

" _True, but this fight isn't over yet. Their best chance to fulfill their mission is to overtake our ship. Destroying it will do them no good. While it would delay us, they've seen we can walk on water, and that means we can carry Idate to shore._

" _Also, if they destroy it, they have no guarantee of having the chakra or chakra control necessary to reach Nagi Island,"_ she explained to Sasuke on their hasty return to their ship. _"We'll need to prepare for their counterattack. It'll come soon."_

Their enemies proved her right. The execution of their counterattack came within minutes of their ship being sunk. Attacking while submerged in the ocean, out of sight and out of reach, the Rain shinobi used their affinity to Water Style to turn the tables on the Leaf shinobi.

 _Because of course they were Water Style users._

Water Clones stormed the ship in vast numbers, emerging from the water and on the ship like long dead, cursed sailors taken by the sea, seeking vengeance on any seafarer to cross their watery graves. No matter how many they cut down, two more seemed to replace them; the coordinated strike wouldn't end until the originals were eliminated.

" _Idate! Stay close to Sasuke and Sakura. They'll protect you."_

" _I don't need their—"_

" _Put your ego away, you troublesome boy! These aren't illusions! They're Water Clones. And in case you haven't noticed, we're surrounded by an ocean. Think of the ocean as an infinite power source for Water Style users. These three, in these conditions, can create clones almost indefinitely in large quantities with little draw on their chakra._

" _Although Water Clones only possess a tenth of their original's power, their blades aren't any duller and they aren't less intelligent. If you stray too far, they'll ambush you and place suitable numbers between Sasuke and Sakura to stop them from saving your life._

" _Naruto can create a surplus of Shadow Clone's and has the stamina to maintain it for a while, but he's not without limits. And as I said these guys have a near on limitless supply to throw at us."_

" _Okay, so what's your genius plan then? If they can keep creating Water Clones, what hope do any of you have at getting me to Nagi Island safely!" he spat. "This is why Boss Jirōchō shouldn't have hired you Leaf shinobi!"_

" _Hey Amari, are you sure we can't hand him over to these guys and call it a mission failure? I'll tell Lady Hokage how utterly outnumbered we were by elite shinobi. 'Not even the Sharingan could save us, Lady Hokage. It was hopeless,'" Sasuke commented dryly._

 _Amari snorted and, wielding her tantō, cut her way through two Water Clones to stand back to back with her clansman. "As entertaining as that is, that's not an option, Sasuke. We protect the client. That's an order." Even if it was a huge drag._

" _Fine. Sakura and I will keep him safe. Sakura, form up in front of Idate."_

" _Right! Out of my way! CHA!" Sakura's fist broke two Water Clones and left them a useless puddle on the ship deck. A third tried to surprise her from the side, but she ducked beneath their blade, snatched their wrist and slammed them to the deck with a hip toss. She finished the Water Clone off by stamping on its neck._

" _Grr! I'm getting real sick of your attitude, Idate!" Naruto yelled from his position behind the client. "You would've run yourself off that cliff and died before reaching the ocean if Amari hadn't risked her life for you! You can call it our duty all you want, but it doesn't change the fact you owe her! So shut up and listen to our team leader! She's way smarter than you are!"_

" _Naruto, I appreciate you defending me, but please stop arguing. It's wasting time when I need your help. Switch positions with Sasuke," Amari ordered._

" _All right." Naruto and Sasuke cut a path through their enemies to switch positions. "What's the plan, Amari!" he asked enthusiastically as more Water Clones climbed aboard._

" _Create eight clones and prepare to dive in the water with me."_

" _Oh, so you're just going to abandon ship?!" Idate accused._

 _Ugh. Kami save her from the accusations of idiots._

" _Sasuke, Sakura, I know it'll be tough, but keep the client protected. It's our duty to protect him, even if he acts like a persistent rash."_

" _What'd you say?!"_

" _You're like a persistent rash—irritating. With a side of displeasure and discomfort, followed by localized pain in the area you infect, specifically my neck," she drawled._

" _Oh yeah! Well you're—"_

" _Losing my patience." Her voice was razor sharp. It alone was enough to silence Idate. "Naruto, back on point, I'll distract the goons in the ocean. They're keeping more Water Clones down there with them, so we'll have to be careful. Water Clones are more agile when submerged than regular people and Shadow Clones. I'll keep them busy with my tantō, right eye and Shadow Dragons._

" _While I'm doing that, I want you and your Shadow Clones diving down to the ocean floor. Make sure you all inhale deep breaths of air before you dive. Once you reach it, use your training with the Rasengan to rotate the water into a massive whirlpool."_

" _All right! I've been waiting for a chance to use all that training with Pervy Sage! Shadow Clone Jutsu!"_

 _Eight orange clad shinobi formed on the boat and joined the fight to destroy the Water Clones between them and the railing._

" _Ingenious plan, Amari," Sakura complimented. "The power of the current from Naruto's rotation will suck them down to the ocean floor and destroy any Clones they have in the water already. By the time they get out of it we'll already be at Nagi Island."_

" _Just be careful you don't suck Amari down with them, loser," Sasuke said._

" _All right guys. Stay focused. And remember the sacrifice I'm making in getting my hair wet for all of you."_

The jest had earned her chuckles and eye rolls from her teammates.

As she hoped, the eight clones were able to produce a massive whirlpool, powerful enough to tug the three Rain shinobi down into an underwater ravine as if pirate cannons were tied to their ankles.

Their enemies would live. Well, so long as a hungry shark didn't come by and their re-breathers didn't fall off, anyway.

It was another solid success that built confidence and optimism in the kunoichi. The only injury her team incurred was a cut to Sakura's bicep, gained by jumping in front of Idate. He ignorantly strayed from his protectors and almost ended up cut down by a Water Clone. The cut Sakura received wasn't too deep, thankfully; a minor injury that wouldn't scar.

Otherwise Sasuke and Sakura destroyed a total of twenty-three and nineteen clones respectively.

Idate's persistent disregard of her orders continued to irritate Amari to no ends, but she held true to what she told Naruto: He was their client; she didn't have to like him, she only had to protect him.

Their enemies dealt with, Team Seven and Idate sailed the rest of the way towards the storm cloud surrounded Nagi Island in peace. As they drew nearer to the island, light droplets of rain slowly began to patter on the wooden deck, steadily growing heavier the closer they came to land. The droplets grew thicker. The light, limited patter became a heavy chorus on a rapid crescendo that drowned out all other noise.

Gone were the clear skies and sunny rays of light. The sky became slate. An iron curtain of clouds imprisoned the sun and its dominion, and the rain relentlessly hammered the ocean, the land, the ship and all the people caught in its grasps. The ocean churned in rebellion, and the wind whipped against their sails. Thunder rolled overhead, and flashes of lightning curled their way through the iron curtain.

Finally, they landed on the shore. Soaked to the bone. Fighting a dastardly chill. But on solid land once more.

It was there one of her theories became reality—the Wagarashi Family hired more than a single team.

Amari didn't sense the attack until it was too late. Her use of genjutsu and Shadow Dragons against the Rain trio raised her body temperature again, agitated by the extended use of chakra so soon after forcing a jutsu. For that reason she didn't activate her Byakugan when they came ashore.

Like a predator stalking through the grass, the single Hidden Rain Jōnin waited until their guards dropped for the slightest moment. Then, when he saw his opportunity, he struck, springing his trap when he faced the least resistance.

He flattened the team from above with a powerful Wind Jutsu. Cuts of varying lengths and depths tore through their clothes and unzipped their flesh. Carried faster towards the earth by the wind, the rain became needles, sharp and painful. But that sensation only preluded the poisoned senbon he rained upon their prone forms.

Sakura, who had been next to Idate at the start of the ambush, attempted to protect him with her own body—again risking injury or death for his sake. But her smaller frame wasn't enough to shield their client completely, and the needles were as plentiful as the chorus of rain pattering all around them.

The runner fell unconscious soon after. Whether because the pain was too much or because the first attack banged his head, Amari couldn't say and didn't judge.

It was her fault they were jumped anyways.

 _We're lucky Lady Tsunade gave us that antidote. If she hadn't, we'd all be dead because of me._

Amari stared at the flickering orange flames of their campfire. The fire danced in her sullen onyx eye, placing an artificial fire in them she no longer had.

Every decision she made up to the ambush had been right. They protected the client from himself. They defeated enemy's intent on killing them or slowing down their progress without any serious injuries—excluding forcing a jutsu and being jumped. They even made it to Nagi Island quicker because of Idate's plan to go off the beaten path.

Every step placed another solid stone of foundation underneath her feet. But, as always, she screwed it up by overestimating her abilities, running too fast for the stones to match her steps until eventually, inevitably, she tumbled face first into the mud like a slapstick comedy routine.

Sasuke should have been sent to help Naruto, she realized in hindsight. With his Sharingan and kunai's he could have fended off the Rain trio. But instead of doing that, instead of placing him in a dangerous situation, she jumped in and abused her chakra when she _knew_ her body wasn't ready.

 _I'm such an idiot_. Amari hugged her legs close to her soaking wet body. _It's because of my actions I couldn't use my Byakugan immediately. If I had just trusted Sasuke and teamed up with Sakura, we wouldn't have walked like amateur Genin's into that trap._

Amari rested her cheek on her knees and sighed deeply through her nose. Some team leader she turned out to be. Idate was still down, and even if he wasn't they would have to let the antidote run its course. Her back still throbbed mercilessly, like she'd been stung by bees.

 _At least it wasn't Hisashi's poison._

Their new enemy's poison wasn't fast acting. It killed slowly, over time—no doubt how Jirōchō's men survived long enough to reach Konoha. Amari imagined they were walking beside death when Lady Tsunade healed them.

Fast acting or slow, it didn't matter. Team Seven was stuck here, in some empty cave in the middle of a rainstorm, losing precious time on an important mission. The fate of the Land of Tea was at stake in a race Idate should still be running, yet they could do nothing except sit here, hoping the other racer didn't win while they did.

It was so _frustrating._ She had been trying _so_ hard lately to listen to the genjutsu Itachi's lessons. Before his lessons she was fighting harder instead of smarter, focusing more on charging into a situation to win on brute force instead of using all of her abilities to overcome her enemies with minimal resistance.

Genjutsu, Shadow Possession, even Fire Style and Shadow Clones; it wasn't enough to simply know how to use the jutsus. If she wanted to become as great as Shisui, she had to use every shogi piece in her possession to their fullest potential.

There was still a chance for them to pull through, of course. The Rain Jōnin hadn't hung around to watch them die, far too content to monologue them about how pathetic they were and how the poison would kill them slowly. It was only a shame they didn't have one foot in the grave as he thought—a shame for him, that is.

When next they met, Amari planned to make him eat his words.

 _But first…_

"I'm sorry guys," Amari apologized quietly. Her teammates all hummed at the breakage of silence by her meek voice. "All of this is my fault. I should've never dived into the ocean to fight the three Rain shinobi. I should've entrusted that fight to one of you. If I had, we wouldn't be sitting in this cave, nursing avoidable injuries. I could've seen our enemy before he ambushed us and we could've countered it.

"But I didn't. Instead I tried to carry the weight of the mission on my shoulders alone. That's not how a team leader should act. Kakashi-sensei always trusts in us to handle ourselves. He wouldn't have made the same mistake."

Her eye fell to the stony floor that hurt to sit on. "I…I just wanted to prove Kakashi-sensei's belief in me right. I've admired him since I was found in that forest. He's been there for me when I really needed him, always encouraging me and telling me I had the ability to become great if I kept working hard. And despite my failure to protect Sandayū, despite knowing everything I'm dealing with internally, he still believed I could lead and take care of you guys."

Her fingers curled into her soaking shorts as she buried her face into her thighs. "But I screwed it up. I walked us into a trap that could have killed us like a complete _idiot_!"

Damn it! Every time she tried to move forward she found some way to screw it up and take ten steps backwards. Kakashi shouldn't have ever placed her in charge. She didn't have his years of experience. She still made amateur mistakes and acted like a kid instead of a shinobi.

This little breakdown was a perfect example of that.

"It's not even my quick thinking that saved our lives. Lady Tsunade's identification of the poison and her antidote are the only reason we're alive. You guys, the client, you'd all be dead because of me and my stupidity. Killed by some unknown shinobi on some abandoned shore away from anyone who might find us."

Naruto rested a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, don't beat yourself up about this, Amari," he soothed.

His words had the opposite effect. Her body tensed as if an electrical current surged through her. "Naruto, don't," she whispered in defeat. "Don't make excuses for me. Please."

She wanted them to be angry at her. They _should_ be angry with her.

"I'm not making excuses for anyone. We all walked into that trap like amateurs, Amari." She removed her face from her legs to look at her best friend. "You're still trying to shoulder the burden of the team alone when you don't have to. Don't be so rough on yourself. You've done a really good job as the team leader so far." He grinned full of warmth and pride. "I'm proud of you, ya know! You've come so far since we first met."

"But…" Her onyx eye returned to the fire, away from his warm smile, away from the comforting warmth that fought the chill inside her heart. "I almost got us all killed," she said weakly.

"Please, that guy wouldn't be able to kill us even if he tried!" Naruto boasted. "We've faced tougher enemies than him and come out on top. Plus you've been poisoned worse than this before and you still won your preliminary match. We're all made of tougher stuff than him!

"So what he got the jump on us once. So what we're behind schedule. Big deal. It wouldn't be a Team Seven mission without us having to overcome odds, right?"

But it _was_ a big deal. So why weren't they disappointed in her? Why weren't they angry? Why hadn't they demanded her to relinquish leadership?

"I hate to say it, but Naruto's right," Sasuke agreed. She turned to him. "That shinobi only walked away because he ambushed us. He's too overconfident for his own good. Besides, every mission we've had above a D-rank hasn't gone smoothly. Our clients have dragged us into messes we aren't prepared for, or they ignore us like this idiot does."

He dipped his head towards the unconscious Idate. He followed up the action with a relaxed shrug. "You're taking this harder than you should. It's not a problem. We'll pull through together. We always do."

Sakura nodded in agreement. "Sasuke's right. Like you said before, Amari, we still have a chance to win. The Wagarashi Family racer only reached Modoroki Shrine recently, after the Rain shinobi attacked us. He'll probably report it to their racer, feeding into his confidence. Because of that he won't push himself to exhaustion. Why would he when he believes the race is already won? We'll use that to our advantage, and when we come across that Rain shinobi," Sakura slammed her hand into her fist, "we'll crush him for underestimating us!"

Amari looked between her three teammates, surprised to see their confident looks.

Was this how they looked at Kakashi when things didn't go smoothly? Full of confidence in his leadership and their work as a team to always pull through? Talk about adding more pressure on her shoulders—a good pressure. The kind that reignited her fire and urged her to prove them right.

 _Guys…thank you for not giving up on me._

As long as they still believed in her then she couldn't give up. No matter how slim the chance or hope, it was all she needed to pick herself up from the mud, wash it off and reset her foundation.

Amari smiled. "Yeah, we will. As soon as Idate's up we'll get him back on the track towards victory. And when that Rain shinobi inevitably shows up, we're going to show him who the real pathetic fool is."

Sasuke smirked. "Damn right."

"You bet we are, Amari! He won't get in another cheap shot like that last one!" Naruto chimed, grinning.

"He's going to regret the day he messed with Team Seven!" Sakura said.

It was a drag things hadn't gone perfectly, but that was fine. Troublesome or not, she still had a mission to fulfill.

For her team, for the Land of Tea and for Kakashi's belief in her, Amari wouldn't give up. She owed it to them to keep fighting to the very end. Even if she had to drag Idate to the finish line herself and throw him through it, she would.

There was too much at stake here to quit. People were counting on all of them. Not just Jirōchō or her team, but this entire Land who lived under the reign of thugs like the Wagarashi Family.

No way was she letting them win.

Idate suddenly grunted in pain. Drawing their eyes back over to the runner, they found him struggling to sit up; every muscle in his body appeared to be trembling from the effort.

"Well would you look who's finally awake," Naruto said, no malice in his voice. "We were worried about you."

Sakura knelt next to him and supported his effort, helping brace him on his elbows first. "How are you feeling? Is there still a lot of pain?" she asked.

"Where is he? Where is Aoi?" Idate asked, concerned.

"Aoi? So that's the name of the Rain shinobi, huh?" Sasuke said, watching Idate out of the corner of his eyes. "He's gone. Took off without waiting for us to die."

"You know his name," Amari stated as Naruto turned around fully to face Idate. "You're also the brother of Mr. Ibiki and you know about the Chūnin Exams, which can only mean you were once a member of the Leaf, and in all likelihood so was this Aoi. Normally I wouldn't pry—it's too much of a drag to invade other people's private matters. But none of us are going anywhere at the moment and we need to know everything we can about our enemy. Information you possibly possess."

Idate didn't growl or argue. He stared at the stone wall ahead of him, a trouble expression on his face.

"He…was a sensei, from back in my Leaf Village days," he said at length. "After he betrayed the Leaf Village he became a Jōnin for the Hidden Rain."

He moved to sit up fully, and grunted again, face scrunching as his body's pain receptors reminded him of the damage dealt to him. Bandages wrapped around his thighs and biceps, marked by dried crimson stains, revealed his visible injuries, but they weren't the only ones. Like the rest of Team Seven, the senbon punctured his back like a sicker version of acupuncture therapy.

"Easy," Sakura tried to help. "You're still very weak from the poison. Don't push yourself too far."

 _She'll be a good medic if she chooses that path_ , Amari noted silently. _She has great bedside care even for someone who has irritated all of us to varying levels._ Her eye flitted down to the ornate knife clutched tightly in his hand.

"You've been clutching that ornate knife of yours ever since we were attacked," she pointed out. "It was also what spurred you to throw away your ruse and run away from us when we first met. It must be very precious to you."

"Yeah. It is. It was…a gift, from Boss Jirōchō." Idate lowered his eyes to the knife still, uncurling his trembling fingers for the first time. They must have been sore.

He grit his teeth. "Damn. All that training for nothing!"

Naruto shot up to his feet and clenched a hand into a fist. "Don't tell me you're giving up because of one setback! Leaf shinobi don't give up so easily!"

"Heh," he laughed bitterly. "You've got the wrong guy. I haven't thought of the Leaf since I walked away from it."

Amari narrowed her eye. "Explain yourself. Shinobi don't simply walk away from their homes or their family." Idate flinched. "Shinobi who abandon their Village are branded as rogue shinobi, yet you don't quite have the skills to be put in the bingo book, nor do you have any kekkei genkais worth recovering.

"It's possible no one wanted to put resources towards hunting you down. You must have been young when you left, so you wouldn't know any big secrets that could harm Konoha. And, as I said, you don't have any kekkei genkais worth recovering. The other two possibilities are you were kicked out and you're too proud to admit it, or you're believed to be KIA. Personally, I believe that final possibility for one reason: You believed Mr. Ibiki was dead."

 _The question I have then is if you're the reason he was tortured._

She would fish for that particular information carefully. No sense tearing open an old wound if this kid still felt guilty about it.

Idate stared tiredly at her. "You're not wrong. I did abandon Konoha. When I failed the first Chūnin Exams I took it pretty hard. I wasn't sure what to do. Aoi must have already made contact with the Rain by then because that's when he initiated his plan to leave by using me and my connection to my brother to get what he wanted. I didn't know it at that time, obviously. He told me everything I wanted to hear. 'Idate, you know there's more than one way to become a Chūnin' he told me. His way wouldn't require the Exams."

"What part did you fail at?" she asked.

"The written test. My brother was our proctor and the entire test hinged on the answer to the final question. Did we stay or did we leave is what it boiled down to. If we stayed, we risked sacrificing the entire team for our chance at a promotion. If we left, we only risked our own chance and could come back for the next exam."

"Hm, his question for us was similar, only it was the other way around," Amari noted. "So you chose to sacrifice the entire team instead of yourself."

"I didn't understand the question at all." He clenched his hands into fists. "I was so angry for him tricking us, even angrier when he told me again that I didn't understand what being a shinobi was about."

 _Because you don't._

"So when Aoi came to me, I saw the opportunity to become a better shinobi."

"A rank doesn't make you a better shinobi," Sasuke stated. "Ibiki's right: You don't understand what being a shinobi means." He lifted his chin towards Amari. "Amari's not even a Chūnin yet—none of us are. But out of our entire team, our Sensei picked her to lead this mission. Not because she's strong or because she's intelligent, but because we trust her with our life, and in return she trusts us with hers.

"I may be Chūnin level in strength, but I don't have her abilities as a leader. I'd spend more time trying to take every enemy on my own." He lifted his chin to Sakura. "Sakura finally has her head in the right place and has gotten stronger, but she knows she needs more time before taking on the leadership role. She's self-aware enough to understand that; it's an important quality for a shinobi."

The kunoichi blushed as Sasuke lifted his chin to Naruto. "And that knucklehead might be strong, but like me he doesn't have leadership abilities yet. Or a tactical cell in his brain."

"Jerk," Naruto frowned and crossed his arms across his chest.

"In time we'll get there," Sasuke continued without missing a beat. "But Amari's already there. She has the tactical abilities of a leader, strength and she understands the most important quality of being a leader: The team comes before the individual.

"She has her flaws; she tries to carry too many responsibilities on her own, she puts herself in dangerous situations for our sake. But this is her first real mission as a leader. She'll iron those flaws out eventually. Until then we'll watch her back, pick her up when she falls over and keep moving forward, because that's what trusted comrades do."

"Troublesome boy," Amari muttered, blushing at his encouraging words.

He chuckled then turned his serious expression back to Idate. "The moment you saw power dangled in front of you, you couldn't even help yourself from grabbing at it. Let me guess: your teammates were just useless to you, weren't they? So far beneath you that they'd just get in your way."

Amari's eye widened. Ah, so that's why Sasuke sounded so irritated at Idate. He saw in Idate his worst qualities when their team first formed.

"Yeah, well, what does it matter now?" Idate sighed. "I'm already a rogue-ninja, I guess. My teammates are probably still shinobi loyal to the Leaf. They're better off without me from what you're saying."

"Tch. Idiot," Sasuke grunted.

 _You still don't understand. Sasuke wasn't just saying that to put you down. He was trying to get you to acknowledge your mistakes and accept them so you could move on._

Amari let it go. If he felt this apathetic about it, she wouldn't waste her breath.

"What did Aoi have you do?" she asked.

"All I had to do to become a Chūnin was steal the legendary Blade of the Thunder Spirit, as well as a Scroll of Sealing. I'm not sure what was in the scroll. Jutsu, Intel, could have been anything really. I just wanted to be a Chūnin. I didn't realize I was betraying the Leaf to become one for the Rain."

"No way. You stole the legendary Blade of the Thunder Spirit?" Sakura questioned in shock. "That was a prized possession of the Leaf. A weapon wielded by Lord Second himself."

"Is it really that powerful? If he was able to steal it, it sounds like it was just sitting around somewhere collecting dust," Naruto said.

Amari nodded. "Yes, it was. It's said to be an incredible weapon, that whoever wielded it was practically invincible and unstoppable." She gripped her chin in thought. _Aoi may still wield this weapon. No matter what, I can't let him use it against us._

"The blade of the sword is apparently made purely of electrical energy—a literal lightning blade. If he still has it, we have to be careful with how we attack him. Without that sword he won't be a problem. But with it we could be looking at an extremely tough battle."

A battle against Lord Second's famous blade.

"Those were to be gifts to buy your way into the Hidden Rain Village," Amari stated towards Idate. "Obviously Aoi wasn't going anywhere in the ranks, not the way he wanted to anyways. Or maybe the Rain offered to increase his pay. Or maybe he's just a traitorous bastard with no loyalty to anyone except himself. Regardless, he used you, twisting your ego and desperate need to gain a promotion early to suit his needs."

Aoi pissed her off with his ambush. Now she intended to make him regret betraying her home and selling jutsu or secrets to a foreign Village.

"Yeah. I never saw the Leaf Village again after that day." His eyes fell to his lap. "Nothing I do goes right. I've never been of any use to anyone. But even so, Boss Jirōchō…Even though he knew I was no good, he still trusted me. He placed his faith in me."

His hand curled around the ornate blade. He slammed his eyes shut and grit his teeth, shoulders shaking in held back emotion. "And now look what I've done!"

" _I just wanted to prove Kakashi-sensei's belief in me right. He's been a shinobi I've admired since I was found in that forest. He's been there for me when I really needed him, always encouraging me and telling me I had the ability to become great if I kept working hard. And despite my failure to protect Sandayū, despite knowing everything I'm dealing with internally, he still believed I could lead and take care of you guys. But I screwed it up. I walked us into a trap that could have killed us like a complete_ _ **idiot**_ _!"_

Amari's features softened as tears spilled from Idate's eyes into his lap. She understood those feelings. How it felt to try hard and fail. To have people put their faith in her and feel as if she was letting them down. But it was those same people who helped get her back on her feet.

Who did Idate have? He distanced himself from everyone. Tried foolishly to do everything alone because of his arrogance.

Now all that remained of his pride and ego shattered like glass before Team Seven, revealing the boy beneath the stubborn attitude who simply wanted to be useful to someone. For someone to find worth in him. To have a purpose in this vast world so he didn't have to exist without reason.

No one deserved to feel like that.

Amari stood up. "What you've done?" she repeated, looming over the boy. "You've dedicated yourself to Boss Jirōchō and put all of your energy and time towards winning this race for him. A race that isn't over yet." She pointed towards the mouth of the cave. "He's still counting on you! You can't just give up when you still have a chance to prove to him that he was right to count on you!"

If she couldn't give up, he couldn't either. They still had people depending on them.

"Look at me, Amaririsu, I'm worthless! I cheated you all out of your money. I've talked down to you and treated you like trash when you've saved my life. I can't do anything right! Aoi said it and he was right: I'd be better off dead!" he choked out.

" _And all for what? To save some_ _ **pathetic**_ _girl who isn't ever going to be good enough to be a ninja."_

Amari snarled and snatched him by his shirt collar, tugging him up to stare into her fiery red eye. "Take that back! You are not worthless and you're not better off dead!"

"What are you—"

"Don't you dare talk about yourself that way, especially in front of me! You hear me!" She shook him.

"Amari, calm down. You'll hurt him," Sakura pleaded.

Amari ignored her. "Boss Jirōchō took you in. He gave you a home when you couldn't go back to yours. He gave you a family! You _owe_ it to him to keep fighting!"

" _I swear I will repay your kindness! I- I will keep track of everything I cost you and repay it all when I become a shinobi. I promise I won't be a burden! I won't—"_

 _The warmth of her new guardian's hand on her shoulder silenced her. She raised her head from the floor to the woman. Her red eyes, like a hug on a bad day, healed her fractured soul._

" _Amaririsu, you won't have to repay anything."_

" _But—"_

" _All you need to focus on is getting healthy, training and catching up on your studies." She shook her head. "Don't worry yourself one bit about repaying anything. This was my choice, and I have a good feeling about it." Kurenai Yūhi's smile wrapped her heart in an embrace. "Call it a hunch, but I think a lot of good is going to come out of this."_

 _You gave me everything when I had nothing. You took me in. You_ _ **saved**_ _me. All on a hunch..._

Amari stared hard into Idate's eyes. "Boss Jirōchō saved you," she hissed. "When you had nothing left in this world, when you were afraid and alone, he gave you a reason to _exist_. He gave you a goal to strive for. Something and someone worth living for."

" _However, it is also due to Kakashi's personal recommendation that I've chosen to put you in charge of this important mission. He was particularly adamant on it before he left. Kakashi usually plays his cards close to his chest; I expect you'll show me why he trusts you implicitly."_

Her fingers curled further into his shirt, tightening it around his neck.

"Boss Jirōchō has entrusted the future of this Land _to you_! He could've chosen anyone. I'm sure there are members of the Wasabi Family who would've preferred that he did; your attitude has been almost unbearable at times."

Her red eye glowed in the shadows of the cave. Idate shrank back as much as he could. "But I can see right through this mask you wear. You act tough to hide your fear. You act superior because deep down you doubt your worth. You hold a grudge against the Leaf because Aoi betrayed your trust, and because of him you're afraid to trust anyone. Even yourself."

Idate flinched and tried to turn his head away from the Sharingan. Away from the eye that peered into every shadowed crevice in his soul.

"But he _chose_ you. He _believes_ in you. And you would _spit in his face_ by quitting!"

"What do you expect me to do?" Idate pleaded. "I can't do this, all right?! Boss Jirōchō was wrong about me—"

Amari's hand cracked against Idate's face. The runner, whose cheek now bore a red handprint, looked stunned.

"Say that again, I dare you," she seethed, one hand still holding him up by his collar.

He didn't.

"I don't care how many wrong turns you made, or how many times you've failed or about how you've treated us. This race is your chance to make it all right. To prove it to the person who gave you a chance that their hunch wasn't wrong! That their faith was well placed! If you can't see the right road, trust Boss Jirōchō to lead you the right way."

"Sakura, don't," she heard Sasuke order gently.

"But Sasuke…"

"Hear her words for what they really mean. This isn't an affair for us to involve ourselves in. Let them handle it."

Amari released his shirt and watched Idate shrink back onto the floor. "Get up. This mission isn't over," she ordered firmly.

"I told you already: It's pointless! I can't do it!"

Naruto knelt down and grabbed Idate by his shoulders. "Stop saying that! You still have one person who's counting on you, who trusts and believes in you! One person is enough! That's all anyone needs!"

Idate looked away, conflicted.

"Don't even think of quitting. Who says this race is over? You have no way of knowing how things will turn out if you give up now," Naruto said, his voice softer.

"Yeah, but…"

"But what, Idate?" Amari prodded. "Stop making excuses for yourself to give up."

"I'm not—"

"You are!"

Idate fell silent.

"Come on, on your feet!" Naruto grabbed Idate by his shirt sleeve and tugged him up.

"Stop, Naruto!" Sakura grabbed her teammate's elbow. "He's still too weak to stand!"

"If he can't run then I'll carry him the whole way if I have to!" Naruto declared.

A better choice than dragging him, she supposed.

Idate freed himself and fell back onto his butt, shooting a glare up at the blond. "The other racer has already reached Modoroki Shrine!"

"So what? That just means we'll have to work even harder to overcome the odds," Amari said.

Naruto curled his fingers into Idate's shirt and tugged him so they were face to face. "You're not quitting. Understand? Boss Jirōchō is counting on you and you don't want to keep him waiting! Pull yourself together!" He tossed him back to the floor. "You're just going to quit _now_ when you finally have the chance you've been waiting for your whole life? To show _someone_ he was right to depend on you, to believe in you?!"

It was at that moment that Amari realized Idate—the boy who had spent the majority of this mission annoying or downright pissing off her team—had somehow managed to touch the entirety of Team Seven in some way.

Despite his attitude, despite his constant arrogance and ignoring of orders, this kid's story, the path he walked, the feelings he experienced, on some level they all empathized with him. And for that reason they couldn't let him give up. Because if he gave up, they would have to as well.

Naruto made a sweeping motion to his three teammates. "We're not giving up yet. Our mission is still on, not because it's our duty, but because we want to see you succeed for your sake and the sake of the Land of Tea. We're going to protect you if it's the last thing we do. But you have to trust us like we're trusting you! So come on!"

Idate stared at them both in awe. No one, besides Boss Jirōchō, had ever trusted him. No one had ever reached out their hands so persistently for him to take.

His eyes hardened. "All right! But I'll need all of your help!"

"Sasuke, Sakura, how are you feeling?" Amari asked, looking over her shoulder to the pair.

"I'm ready when you are," Sakura said.

Sasuke nodded. "Ready."

"Then the decision is unanimous," Amari stated. "The mission continues."

* * *

"Idate, look out!"

Amari Body Flickered in front of the runner. Wrapping an arm around his waist, she tackled him back and away from the blade of yellow lightning seeking his flesh. Wind rushed past her back. Throbbing pain followed.

Idate tumbled onto the wet dirt road as she spun on her toes, whipping three kunai at the Rain Jōnin named Aoi.

Using the same blade of lightning he deflected her kunai with ease. Behind him, on the wooden bridge connecting the two islands together, was the Wagarashi Family runner. He jogged at an average pace. Arrogance. He believed this shinobi would stop them from catching up.

He was wrong.

"Amaririsu, are you all right?" Idate asked. His voice was full of concern. No doubt he was looking at the long tear through her purple tank top and the pristine diagonal cut along her upper back.

"It's a surface cut," she assured, onyx eye never leaving their enemy. "Nothing to worry about and nothing that will scar."

 _It stings_ , she winced internally. _My back muscles are contracting against my will because of the lightning coursing through that blade. But it's not the worst pain I've ever felt._

Aoi was a tall man with slightly shorter than shoulder length green hair and violet eyes. He wore a sleeveless one-piece lavender on violet jumpsuit, accented by a single shoulder harness, from which his weaponized umbrella hung. In his right hand he wielded the hilt of a now empty blade.

 _So, he still wields Lord Second's sword_ , she analyzed. _The Blade of the Thunder Spirit. That'll make this a bit more difficult alone in my condition._

They'd all taken off together, with Naruto carrying Idate on his back all the way up the stairs to Modoroki Shrine—Idate hadn't been fully recovered when they left. But that changed when they reached the top of the stairs. With his strength returned, the runner hopped off Naruto's collapsed body, his pride unwilling to let them run the rest of the race for him.

She understood. He had to prove it to himself that he could do it, just as she had to prove to herself that Kakashi's faith and the faith of her teammates wasn't misplaced. In their conditions, though, her three teammates weren't going to be able to keep pace with Idate when he picked up steam, so she went alone with him as they followed behind.

They'd show up soon, of that she was certain. She just had to trust them.

"Well, well, well, what a surprise!" Aoi sneered. "Last time we met you all had one foot in the grave, and yet here you are. Are you the last, little Genin? Did you leave behind your comrades dead bodies to fulfill your mission, like a good little shinobi?"

"Hmph. My being here is proof you're a failure as a shinobi." The barb landed. His violet eyes narrowed. His nose scrunched in an ugly sneer. "I'll warn you now: This will be your last battle, ever. Once I'm through with you, you're going to _wish_ I killed you."

"Quite confident, for a Genin. I'm a Jōnin, an—"

"Elite shinobi? No, you're not," she interrupted, voice backed by steel. "You're just an average shinobi with a sword that doesn't belong to you. Without it, you're nothing. Just another shinobi hungry for more power, because your skills alone aren't good enough to be an elite."

"Why you!" he seethed, taking an aggressive step closer.

 _That's it. Focus on me. Get away from the bridge._

"You're no elite. What jutsu do you know? What strength do you possess? What kind of shinobi have you defeated?" She looked down at her left palm. "I've battled against Zabuza Momochi, the Demon of the Hidden Mist. I've narrowly survived an attack by Orochimaru of the Sannin. I've held my ground against three S-rank rogue shinobi.

"Where do you stand on that list, huh? When my next enemy demands to know where I have the gall to talk back to them, do you think I'll name _you_?" She chuckled cockily. "You'll be a footnote in my career as a shinobi, so don't delude yourself into believing you're an elite. You're not even in the same league as elites. You could never stand side by side with the likes of Kakashi Hatake, Might Guy, Asuma Sarutobi or Kurenai Yūhi.

"And in this battle, against an opponent who you perceive as a measly Genin, you'll finally get to learn where you really stand. It isn't above everyone as you believe. It's below them." She smirked. "So come on, traitor. Try to prove me wrong. I'll enjoy burning your pride into ashes."

Aoi's lip curled in a nasty snarl. Then he shut his eyes and took a breath to compose himself. He wasn't a complete fool, she'd give him that. "You've got quite the mouth on you, little Genin. It seems your Sensei didn't teach you to know your place." His eyes opened, a dangerous look in his violet orbs. "I'll seal that mouth of yours, permanently."

"Idate, stay close to me," she said.

"Right."

Yellow lightning expanded out of the empty hilt he wielded. "I wield the legendary Blade of the Thunder Spirit. No one on Earth is a match for this weapon."

"You fool," she replied. "Even if that sword was wielded by Lord Second, it's still a tool, and every tool, jutsu and person in this world has weaknesses."

"We'll see about that."

 _I can't let him get in striking range._

Aoi bolted in, blade at his side as he closed the distance to cut her down.

Amari gripped the hilt of her tantō and channeled chakra through her body against the tingling sensations. "Let's see how fast your reaction speed is, traitor."

The Uchiha Body Flickered in a direct line at the enemy shinobi, who's eyes could barely track her enhanced speed. But he grinned as she dove through the air at him, his blade of lightning swinging for her midsection as her tantō began to unsheathe.

Aoi's sword swung right through her, and yet touched nothing except air. His violet eyes widened. "A Clone?" he gasped as the kunoichi phased through his body.

"No," she answered. Feet landing in the wet dirt directly behind him, she twisted her body with enhanced speed and swung her blade. The metal tore through fabric and flesh in a single motion. "An Afterimage!"

Fresh blood coated her tantō and sprayed through the air. Aoi grunted in pain and turned to strike her yet again. Once more his blade appeared to cut straight through her without ever touching her.

"Over here!"

Another cut opened on the Jōnin, this one along his thigh. The man growled and grabbed his umbrella off his back, tossing the weapon into the air as he had done on the shore.

Amari skidded to a stop in front of Idate and sheathed her tantō, weaving through her handseals hastily to counter.

"Idate, don't move."

"Ninja Art: Senbon Shower!"

"Earth Style: Mud Dome!" she said, slamming her hands into the earth.

Senbon flew from the spiraling umbrella like needle-shaped hail in their poisonous hunt for flesh. Behind her she heard Idate's sharp intake of breath.

A half-circle of curved earth shot up in front of the pair, standing taller than the Nara by several arm lengths and wide enough to cover their left and right flanks. The needles rained into the mud shield, and from behind the safety of her wall she heard the enemy growl in annoyance.

Watching him through the wall with her Byakugan, she waited for the umbrella to be placed in its holder once more before lowering the walls.

"That's three moves down. I'm aiming for the fifth to end this battle," she taunted. "Think you'll make it that far?"

"You're quite the pest, I'll give you that," he replied. "I underestimated you before, but I won't make that mistake again. This time I'll be sure to finish you off."

"Idate," Amari ignored the enemy. "When I give you the signal, be prepared to return to the race."

"But, wait, what about you? Your chakra network, it's—"

"I'll be fine." She glanced over her shoulder with a smile on her lips. "Don't worry about me. Don't forget what this race is really about. This is your chance to prove to Boss Jirōchō that he was right to place his faith in you." She returned her gaze to their enemy. "This battle isn't yours to fight. It's Team Seven's.

"My Sensory abilities have allowed me to scout the path ahead of you. I don't sense a single shinobi presence protecting the Wagarashi Family racer, which means Aoi is their last line of defense. They were all so confident they didn't bother to set up traps along the way.

"So get ready to go. I may be slightly injured, but my team will be here any second now to help me put this guy down for the count."

"Okay."

"How touching," Aoi mocked. "Defending each other, looking out for each other, what _pathetic_ nonsense! Only a weakling needs to depend on others, trusting in them to give him the strength that he doesn't have for himself." He began to ground out his words. "For a man like that, it's always easiest to just run away. Isn't that right, Idate? I mean, isn't that what you did after you stole the Blade of the Thunder Spirit?

"After I captured you and your older brother, you sat tied in your chair, quivering in fear as I tortured him to give up the information in the Scroll of Sealing. And then when I threatened to torture you, you _begged_ and _pleaded_ not to be killed, swearing you had given up being a shinobi so you wouldn't die."

Amari growled. "So, you're the one that gave Mr. Ibiki those scars."

Aoi's eyes shone with evil delight. "That's right. Even with his brother's life on the line, he still chose his loyalty to the Leaf over Idate's life."

"Hmph, is that what you think he did? Considering they're both still alive, I'd say you fell right for his bluff." Amari narrowed her eyes. "Mr. Ibiki may be a loyal Leaf shinobi, and he may have a tough exterior, but he isn't so callous to abandon his brother's life. He twisted your weak will and mind against you. He probably predicted you'd try to use Idate against him, because you believed he'd cave if you did.

"So he waited for that moment to come and did the exact opposite of what you wanted. And in doing so you fell right into his trap, like a desperate idiot. You needed that information deciphered to earn your place in the Rain, so killing Mr. Ibiki wasn't an option. And if you killed Idate, Ibiki would never give you anything. You may have had them tied up, but Mr. Ibiki was still in complete control of the situation."

Aoi smiled unpleasantly. Full of irritation. "I'll have to give him credit for that much at least. He not only survived the torture and the fire, but he even retrieved the Forbidden Scroll, all without telling me what I wanted to know."

Amari perked up at the news. _That means Aoi never managed to give the Rain the information within the scroll. Mr. Ibiki really is a hardcore shinobi._ She set her brow in determination. _I'll just have to match his ability here and recapture the sword and this traitorous scum._

"What I really can't get over is that he did it all for _your_ sake—his worthless little brother," Aoi continued. "Someone who betrayed his own Village, who has only ever thought for himself, who trusts _no one_. Not even your brother Ibiki. Your own brother who would have given his life for you. You don't even trust him, do you? You don't trust the people in your own Village enough to go back to them and admit what you've done.

"You trust nobody, and _nobody_ trusts _you_."

"Don't listen to him, Idate," Amari stated, stepping forward. "Boss Jirōchō trusts you. He's counting on you to finish this race. And I'm trusting you to fulfill that wish. So. On your mark."

The phrase woke Idate up. He set up to run.

"Get set."

"Neither of you are going anywhere. I'll finish you both here!"

Amari watched the enemy shinobi charge in close to her, eye on the yellow blade and the shadow it casted with its light.

 _Dragon, Rat._

"Now die, little Genin!"

Shadow tendrils shaped like dragon heads lurched up from her shadow, wrapping around his left ankle and right wrist.

"What? A Nara Clan Shadow Jutsu? But how?!"

"Go!" Amari called to Idate.

The boy sprinted past her and Aoi. "I'll see you at the finish line!" he called over his shoulder.

"See you then!" Amari returned her focus and dwindling strength back to Aoi. The use of her Shadow Dragon, even at close-range, was setting her internal systems alight again. "What's the matter? I thought we weren't going anywhere? Do you think the Wagarashi Family will pay failures?"

"You little pest!" Aoi snarled nastily. "Making a fool out of me, I'll make your death as slow and painful as I can!"

The Nara smirked. "How do you plan to do that when I take your precious little toy away from you? You were never going to achieve the greatness of the Hokage, so you had to steal the Second Hokage's sword to create the illusion that you were all-powerful. But without that sword you're weak.

"All this time you've picked on the weak to assert your dominance and attacked when your prey was weakened to create an illusion of strength. You used a sword that does not belong to you to further that illusion, in doing so blinding yourself with your own childish arrogance. Unfortunately for you it's time to face reality. And your reality is to meet the fate of a traitor."

 _I don't have the strength to break both his ankle and his wrist_ , she panted inwardly. _I'd prefer to immobilize him to a single leg, but I can't risk him hanging onto that sword any longer. That's his greatest power, so…_

The Shadow Dragon wrapped around his wrist chomped down onto his flesh, tightening its flesh shredding vice grip around the bone until she heard it shatter. Aoi let out a horrid scream of pain. The hilt of the blade fell out of his hand.

Amari reacted faster than him. She released both Shadows and snatched the blade out of the air, but even with his wrist shattered Aoi wasn't finished. His knee rose and slammed into her chin, knocking her back into a painful tumble.

 _My body_ … It was beginning to tremble again.

"You insolent little brat!" Aoi boomed. She could hear his angry steps stomping towards her. "Once I retrieve the Blade of the Thunder Spirit I'll make you suffer! You'll be begging for mercy, wishing you had never played the role of the good little hero!"

As she made it to all fours, he stamped his foot onto her back, slamming her back down into the dirt. And still the Nara began to laugh hysterically.

"Is something funny?" he seethed.

"You stupid idiot. If you're looking for the Blade of the Thunder Spirit, you may want to go take a dive off that cliff before it gets any further downstream," she laughed.

"You _didn't_!"

Amari wiggled her empty fingers while giggling madly. "I totally did. Better lost to nature than in your grubby traitorous fingers." He buried his hand into her long, soaked hair and roughly, painfully, tugged her up off her stomach, certain she was hiding it beneath her body.

The Blade of the Thunder Spirit was gone. Aoi looked like he was about to spontaneously combust into a firework display of fury, outrage and disbelief. And quite frankly, it was satisfying.

Through her grimace, the kunoichi grinned at the enemy shinobi. "This is the first part of move five, by the way."

"Wha—"

Sakura appeared in the air behind him, leg swinging around with her twisting body.

"CHAAA!"

The blow landed. Aoi tumbled head over foot into a nearby tree, not unconscious, but dazed by the powerful strike. In an instant Amari found herself safely behind their two boy teammates, braced by Sakura.

"Nice move, Sakura," Amari complimented.

"Thanks. Where's Idate?"

"Sent him to finish the race after I got ahold of Aoi." She winced in pain. "But my chakra network didn't like that."

"So, does this guy have the Blade of the Thunder Spirit?" Sasuke asked.

"He did." All three of her teammates looked at her, expecting elaboration on the location of the sword. Amari blushed under their gazes. It took them an excruciating long second to realize why, and another to process the subtle change to the size and shape of her chest.

"Ca- can you guys look away for a second?"

Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura snapped their heads away, out of courtesy and mortification of what they'd all done. Amari quickly retrieved the cold hilt from the inside of her mesh top and bra.

"I- I didn't have a lot of time to hide it!" she tried to defend herself. "And I figured he wouldn't notice if my…" she trailed off, turning red as a tomato.

This was _sooo_ embarrassing! Even more than shirtless Haku!

Sasuke cleared his throat. "Can we…focus back on the mission?"

"I second that!" Naruto quickly agreed.

"I third it!" Sakura followed.

Amari didn't have the voice to fourth it.

"It doesn't matter how many of you there are." Aoi, unaware or uninterested in their states of embarrassment, rose to his feet. "I'll still crush all of you."

"Get real," Naruto taunted. "If Amari wasn't hurt, we wouldn't have even gotten a chance to clobber you." He slammed his hand into his fist. "But I'm sort of glad she is. We've got some payback to dish out!"

"Naruto, Sasuke, avoid using your Rasengan and Chidori techniques," Amari said.

"Huh? Aw, come on! Why?!" Naruto whined.

"I want him alive. When he betrayed the Leaf, he tried to steal Intel to give to the Rain. Intel that could have endangered the lives of our people." Her onyx eye sharpened. "I doubt he has much we don't already know about the Rain, but this is a chance to gather Intel on a possible threat. It would be stupid to let this opportunity go."

"She's got a point," Sasuke said. "All right. So, what's the plan, team leader? I'm sure you've got something already in mind."

"Hm," she hummed in amusement. "I do, actually. Sakura, get in close and land a few hard blows. Naruto, use your Clones to back her up. Then I want you both to knock him into the air. Sasuke, Naruto, hit him with your barrages to finish."

"You got it, Amari!" Naruto said.

"All right." Sakura set her down in a crouch then cracked her knuckles. "Let's finish this!"

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Two Naruto Shadow Clones joined Sakura in the leading charge. Bolting ahead of her, they jumped at Aoi, ready to pummel the enemy.

Aoi dispatched them both with senbon, but the smoke they left behind clouded his vision, preventing him from tracking Sakura as she Body Flickered around and onto the tree trunk behind him. She released the chakra from her feet and darted in, cracking the Rain Jōnin in the back with a stiff kick that caused him to stumble out from beneath the canopy of the trees.

Sticking close, Sakura landed fast and hard punches to his gut first. When he hunched forward, she socked him in the face with two haymakers that left him dazed as he tripped backwards. Sakura Body Flickered behind him again and kicked his falling body in the back to knock him slightly into the air. Then she Body Flickered in front of him with a fist flared with chakra.

"Naruto, Sasuke, your turn! CHA!"

She buried her fist into his gut. Aoi's eyes appeared to almost pop out of their sockets.

The release of chakra sent him up into the air. Sasuke and Naruto, who were already there to meet him, spun their bodies around and proceeded to punch, kick and repeat until their heels slammed into his stomach on landing.

Aoi gasped in pain and spat up blood as the final blow landed, consciousness failing him a moment later.

"Hmph, some Jōnin," Sasuke commented.

"Neji was sure tougher than him," Naruto said.

 _Yeah, but we got lucky_ , Amari internalized. _The fact is Aoi relied too heavily on the Blade of the Thunder Spirit. Then he became obsessed about its retrieval after he lost it. If he had been a_ _Jōnin like Kakashi-sensei, Asuma-sensei, Guy-sensei or Mom, well-versed in more than just one type of style of battle, this battle wouldn't have been easy._

 _That's why it's important none of us ever rely solely on one technique. Every jutsu is a tool, and every jutsu has a weakness. But if there's a situation where we don't have the chakra to use our main weapon,_ she looked at the hilt in her hand, _or if we're too injured to fight how we usually would, we'd die._

The Nara sighed and pushed herself onto her feet. _Still, this is the best result we could hope for. No sense bringing down the mood when we won the fight. I'll just have to make sure we all stay focused when we train so we don't become a shinobi like Aoi._

Slipping the hilt into her ninja pouch, Amari approached the downed shinobi. "Good work guys. Let's tie this guy up and go catch up to Idate. Sooner this mission is over, sooner we can all rest and recover."

They all nodded and pulled out their ninja wire. They tied Aoi's hands together behind his back, his arms to his side, his ankles together and then his feet and hands together then, with the help of Naruto's Shadow Clones, they carried him towards the finish line.

"I know I said I wanted him alive, but I'm just realizing we'll have to carry him all the way back to the Leaf," Amari said.

They all paused on the wooden bridge for the briefest of moments. All four Genin considered tossing him over into the rushing rapids below, but groaned as they pushed on with their captured enemy.

The walk back was going to be such a drag.

* * *

The race ended with the racers neck and neck, yet at the end of it all, despite all the setbacks they faced, Idate pushed ahead and won the race for the Wasabi Family. The entire place, full of the people who called Degarashi Port and the Land of Tea home, came unglued for his victory.

Team Seven watched the celebrations from one of the red Torii's arcing over the last stretch, smiles and grins on their faces as they breathed heavily. Aoi had almost woken up on the way, but with quick thinking on Sakura's part they put him back to sleep with a genjutsu.

Even if they slapped him he wouldn't wake up—a fact proven true when Naruto tried.

The Wagarashi Family did try to pull a fast one on them. They somehow captured a picture of Idate being carried on Naruto's back for part of the journey, claiming it was a violation and that Idate had to be disqualified.

Luckily for the Wagarashi Family, the Feudal Lord stepped in before she could strap them in a furious Sharingan genjutsu. Apparently the assistant to the Feudal Lord, they learned, was taking bribes from the Wagarashi Family, spurring his desire for them to win over the Wasabi Family.

Not only did the assistant lose his job, but the Wagarashi Family was forced to disband at the order of the Feudal Lord.

"Well, Amari," Naruto spoke up, clapping a hand onto her shoulder, "looks like it's mission accomplished!"

Amari smiled and nodded. "Yep. Which means we can finally take it easy." She sighed. "Man, today was such a drag. I hope they have ice cream here. I'll buy an entire jug, and then I'll take the longest nap you've ever seen."

The laughter and smirks of her team made everything feel right again.


	83. Chapter 82: Ibiki's Analysis

Chapter 82

Homeward Bound: Ibiki's Analysis

Amari took a deep breath of sea air as she stood guard over the bound, gagged and sleeping Aoi.

The prisoner complicated the journey home. Aoi's over-reliance on the Blade of Thunder Spirit and ambush techniques, as well as his overconfidence, led to his downfall at the hands of a Genin team. However, Aoi was still a shinobi. He ambushed her squad perfectly, and had the Fifth Hokage failed to identify the poison and antidote, Team Seven and Idate would've met a fatal end on that deserted shore.

Binds, gags and genjutsu weren't impossible to escape. Shinobi training consisted of capture and escape scenarios, after all.

Thankfully, unbeknownst to Team Seven, Boss Jirōchō and Tsunade arranged for a ship, equipped with a brig and a small guard detail, to retrieve her squad and the prisoner. Beside her the small transport vessel, flying a white canvas sail with a large and proud red Leaf Village symbol sewn into it, arrived and prepared to dock.

Relaxed, Amari couldn't help but smile as she watched a few gulls wheeling around above on the sunrise colored sky, now and then letting off their cries. A pelican, previously perched on a nearby docked ship, suddenly took off, flying up only to then nosedive at the water, causing quite the splash.

People occupied the port in varying densities and duties. Some were dock workers with early morning shifts, cleaning the walkways, checking the docked ships and the anchoring ropes preventing them from floating away. Crew members of some of the vessels prepared to set off, or prepared to dock, depending on the vessel. Out on the horizon, away from traffic and flow of ships, were fishermen on their way to cast their nets and lines.

Shops, hotels, taverns and restaurants were already open, or would be shortly. Shop owners or workers could be seen sweeping the floors, cleaning the windows or organizing merchandise. Decorations for the race were being taken down. Messes from the festivities cleaned.

Daily life continued. It never really ended, not for the average person.

Still, Degarashi Port seemed like an entirely different animal now. No more Wagarashi Family thugs milled about, extorting and bullying the populace. No possible threats monitored their every move from the shadows.

This place finally seemed at peace.

Or maybe she was. Ever since the Akatsuki incident and the Land of Snow her heart stood precariously on the edge of anxiety and grief.

" _Everyone still looks at me like I'm the same kunoichi who went toe to toe with Mimi,"_ she recalled telling her mother after being discharged from the hospital. _"The same fearless Genin who recklessly battled against the Akatsuki. I'm happy they're inspired to become stronger, but I don't_ _ **feel**_ _like that kunoichi anymore. She was strong. She refused to lose. I…feel weak."_

" _Mm. And you expected to jump out of bed and back into training?" Her mother rubbed her arm. "Little one, you've been in a coma-like state for a month now. Your body is guaranteed to feel weaker."_

" _But it's not just my body," she argued weakly, lifting up her hands to look at them. "My spirit feels sapped, too, Mom. I feel…broken inside, just like I did after Ryu died."_

" _If that's how you feel then we know what to do: We'll rebuild your foundation, one piece at a time—together." Amari shifted her teary gaze to meet her mother's red eyes, full of warmth and support. "You are not broken, little one. You are strong, with no short supply of stubbornness."_

 _The lightness of her mother's voice coaxed a sniffle and a giggle out of Amari. "Today is the first day of your recovery. It's okay to feel weak, physically and emotionally. It's okay to_ _ **grieve**_ _, Amari." Kurenai pulled her closer. "We'll get through this together. I promise."_

This mission, despite the injuries she incurred, helped to reinforce her foundation once more. It helped her reinvigorate her spirit. It healed the fractures in her confidence. And it was because of her precious people—as well as no short supply of stubbornness—that she found her way here again.

There was still a lot to learn, she knew, and plenty more internal struggles to deal with. But the success of this mission helped her take another step forward. Not a series of lateral steps. Not a hundred steps back. This was a step forward on her path, perhaps small, but every little step added up overtime.

 _I'll keep moving forward_ , she thought, humming a tune to herself as she reached her right hand behind her back and grabbed her left arm. _For Shisui, for my parents, for my family, my team and for the future._

 _"You and Mimi Inuzuka have already positioned yourselves as the next generation's guardians. You two must continue to inspire your peers to become greater than they are. It is the only way they will survive what is to come, should the worst happen."_

Itachi placed his trust in her that day to take care of Sasuke and empower her generation for the threats ahead of them. For him and Aimi, too, she would do everything she could to be the shinobi they believed her capable of being; a shinobi who inspired her generation to rise and stand against a threat to the shinobi world.

The burden of knowing even a fragment of truth was tremendous; it weighed on her conscious and heart. She had no place to complain, though. Itachi and Aimi carried heavy burdens as well, just as Shisui had.

And besides, she wasn't doing this alone. She had her cousin backing her up in spirit and a team to pick her up when she fell down.

 _I can do this._

She glanced to her gathered teammates. The trio waited patiently for the ramp to be set for them to board with their precious cargo.

Sasuke stood with his hands in his pockets, eyes gazing out at the horizon in deep thought. Sakura raised her arms above her head as she stretched out her back, interlocking her fingers at the peak and leaning from side to side. Naruto covered his mouth as he yawned, eyes sleepy after their long day yesterday but raring to get on board so they could get home.

 _I can do this. For them. For everyone._

Amari sensed the approach of Idate, Boss Jirōchō and a few of his trusted guards—the veteran with the Masakari among them. They all turned to face the group. Amari and the veteran shared a short nod of mutual respect.

"Hey Boss, Idate, what's up?" Naruto asked casually.

"I hoped to see you four off," Boss Jirōchō said, greeting them with a warm smile. "And to thank you once more for your help."

"Our pleasure," replied Amari, a light smile on her lips. She bowed her head. "Thank you for your hospitality, and sorry we only left a note behind. I didn't want to disturb you all with our departure."

"It's quite all right." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a scroll, stepping closer to hand it to Amari. "Here. Please give this to your Hokage with my compliments and gratitude. It's my payment, as well as a note praising the hard work all of you put into your mission."

She took the scroll awkwardly. "Oh, uh, thank you."

 _I was so focused on being polite I totally forgot he had to pay us! How would I have explained_ _ **that**_ _to Lady Hokage?_

"No, thank _you_." Jirōchō gave a slight bow of his head.

The veteran bowed his head. He glanced to Idate and grumbled beneath his breath, "Bow, you fool. The Boss is extending his respect to these four shinobi, as should you."

Idate opened his mouth to retort, but never got a word out. The veteran placed his hand on top of Idate's head and forced him to mirror the motion.

"Hey, don't be so rough!" the runner whined.

"Quiet. The Boss is speaking."

"The Land of Tea and the Wasabi Family will never forget what your four have done for us. It is with your help the Wagarashi Family's control has been broken, and through your examples Idate was able to learn valuable lessons in trust and respect. On behalf of the whole Wasabi Family, thank you."

"You're welcome," Amari replied.

"I want to thank you for all of your help as well," Idate said next, raising his head only after the veteran relinquished his hold.

"Yeah, well, like Amari said, it was our pleasure," Naruto said.

Heavy steps strode to the edge of the wooden ship behind them, drawing their collective attention to the man they belonged to.

"I've come to take the prisoner," Ibiki's gruff voice disturbed the peaceful air.

"Mr. Ibiki?" Amari mentally glanced to Idate. _Did you come to see him?_

"Uh, Big Brother?" Idate called out in surprise.

Ibiki didn't acknowledge his existence. He scanned over the four shinobi, examining them for any sign of injuries; he noticed the tear in the back of her shirt, and the bandages beneath, but his experienced eyes recognized it as a minor injury. Nothing to reprimand her for.

Then his cold eyes moved to the gagged and tied up prisoner next to them. His brow set in a stern expression. Distant recognition teased his mind.

"Who is that man?"

Amari smiled a sadistic smile. "A present wrapped up just for you, Mr. Ibiki." She created two clones, who set about lifting up their unconscious prisoner and carrying him up the ramp. "You remember Aoi Rokushō, right?"

Ibiki's unshakable scarred features changed for the briefest second. The corner of his lips lifted with evil intent, ugly and cruel. He said not a single word, yet that smile described _everything_ in excruciating detail.

Dispatching her smile for a serious look, she continued. "Apparently he was a Jōnin for the Rain. I'm not sure how much he can give us, or if he knows anything at all. But capturing him alive seemed like the best option. We've retrieved Lord Second's sword as well."

"I see," he said with a nod. "A wise decision, Amaririsu Yūhi. A wise decision indeed. Now, let's go. My men will take him to the brig."

"All right. Come on guys. Let's go home." She offered one last bow of her head to Boss Jirōchō and farewell to Idate before leading her team up the ramp onto the ship. Ibiki's men took over Aoi, allowing her to dispel her clones and relax.

"Big Brother! Big Brother, hey, wait!" Idate called out to Ibiki.

Ibiki stopped his retreat back onto the ship. "Who are you? Only one person ever called me that," he spoke in an emotionless voice. He turned back around to face his brother. "And he died three years ago."

Not another word was spared between them.

Idate smiled at his stone faced older brother.

The Jōnin turned around and walked up the ramp, eyes closed, a proud smile on his face. Idate bowed his head to his back. He'd finally learned the lesson Ibiki tried to teach him, and how Ibiki was continuing to protect him.

Amari smiled at the interaction and moved to take a seat while the ship prepared to leave port.

Hopping up onto the railing of the wooden ship on port-side, the Nara dangled her legs over the edge towards the water and let out a content sigh. Sasuke sat next to her, back braced against the cabin, right leg bent towards his body to prop up his right arm as his left leg dangled off the side. Naruto leaned onto the railing on her other side with Sakura doing the same next to him.

The ship set sail shortly after.

"So long Idate! See ya again someday!" Naruto waved.

"Take care!" Sakura said.

Amari smiled and offered a quiet wave. Sasuke merely raised his hand up in farewell.

"You got it! You guys come back anytime!" Idate replied.

"You take care of yourself, Boss!" Naruto said.

"Yeah," he smiled. "Perhaps next time we'll be able to play another game of shogi, Amaririsu."

She nodded. "You bet."

One final nod was shared between her and the veteran.

As the ship began to pick up speed, Idate jogged along the dock after them, waving his hand at the group. "Naruto, Amaririsu, thanks again!" he yelled to them.

They all raised their hands in farewell, smiling and grinning at the runner until he reached the end of the dock.

"You know, you really made an impression on that old guard, Amari," Naruto said.

"He definitely respects you," Sakura agreed.

"The feeling is mutual," Amari replied.

"Yeah, but you guys didn't even say anything to each other. He just kept nodding to you, and you kept nodding back."

"He said everything he needed to."

"Without speaking? I don't know. That sounds kind of weird."

"Maybe it's a bond shared between warriors."

"Mayb— Hey! Wait a minute, are you saying I'm not a warrior?!"

Amari giggled.

"Aw, come on! Not cool, Amari!"

"Don't make it so easy for me and I won't tease you like that."

Naruto crossed his arms and huffed. Sakura hid her laughter behind her hand.

"We'll be passing the Land of Water on our way back," Sasuke said after a beat of silence. "I wonder if you'll get another love letter on the way."

Amari flushed red, squeaking in shock as she almost fell off the railing back into the boat.

" _Sasuke_!"

"Maybe he'll give her another flower," Sakura teased.

"Or a shirtless picture," Naruto snickered.

There was an image she had almost forgotten. Only almost.

"Gu- guys! Come on! It- it's nothing like that!" she sputtered, face flushed.

" _Sure_ it isn't," Sakura sang.

The Nara deflated. "You're supposed to be on my side, you troublesome girl," she whined.

"Who knows, maybe Haku will help her give Kurenai-sensei grandkids," Naruto teased.

Amari's head exploded. Instantly. And as it did, she fainted, falling off the railing and flat on her back.

* * *

Ibiki, leaning against the mast, smirking devilishly, watched as the panicked members of Team Seven rushed to their unconscious teammate's side.

"Amari! Breathe! Breathe!" the kunoichi waved her hand in front of her teammates red face. Amaririsu mumbled incoherent nonsense. "Grandkids, Naruto? Seriously?! Were you _trying_ to kill her?"

"You brain-dead idiot!" the Uchiha boy scolded, knelt next to the downed girl. "What were you _thinking_?!"

"Aw man, not again!" Naruto wailed as he tried to shake his teammate awake. "Hey, come on Amari! Wake up! It's just a joke!"

 _Heh_ , he chuckled, _always interesting with these kids._

It wasn't without reason Ibiki volunteered to retrieve this young team. He had two, to be precise. Ibiki was aware his little brother would be running this race and, should he succeed, he hoped to see how he had grown since the incident three years ago.

Boss Jirōchō had done well with his brother, as had the influence of these four Genin in their short time around him. Idate had grown up well. He finally learned from the mistakes he made as a shinobi.

Ibiki was proud of him.

His second reason for volunteering was these kids, specifically their temporary team leader. During the Chūnin Exams she acquired his interest, an interest that grew with each new part of the Exam, from her report on Orochimaru, to her fight against Mimi Inuzuka—the other kunoichi to impress him.

Shikaku, Kakashi, even the Third Hokage saw the potential they both possessed, as well as what they symbolized among their peers. Amaririsu Yūhi and Mimi Inuzuka, they were the next generations leaders, even if they had yet to see this for themselves. Their skill and their Wills served as an inspiration their peers looked to follow; their bonds, their tenacity and their grit left an impression on all those they met.

 _It's no wonder the Fifth Hokage has taken a shining to them._

He had too. They proved themselves during the Invasion. No one could minimize their efforts to defend the Leaf, protect their allies and stop the Sand Genin. Ibiki was confident greater causalities would have been sustained had Kakashi and Genma never sent them to aid their forces—a personal note he did not hesitate to inform the Fifth Hokage of when asked.

So how had she grown since then, he was left to wonder.

Did the Akatsuki incident set her back, or had she persevered through the events that had taken place?

By his estimations, a Genin team on a B- or A-rank mission returning with minimal injuries, a stolen weapon of the Leaf and a captured traitor wrapped up in a bow displayed excellent progress.

Any fool could have chosen to eliminate Aoi, and the world would have carried on with one less traitor poisoning it. There would have been no judgement or reprimands for such a decision, especially when the whole situation was considered.

However, it would seem Amaririsu went out of her way, even possibly at the risk of injury to herself, to capture Aoi. Of course there was a distinct possibility Aoi held nothing of immediate interest; he was always a loudmouth, and the reclusive Rain Village likely wouldn't give him key Intel.

Yet somewhere in his mind they may find little details not known to anyone outside of the Village.

Amaririsu proved a capable leader, during the Invasion against the Sand, Sound and Cloud as well as here today. Leaders did not ask for decisions to be made for them; they bore the burden of their decisions, good or ill, as they united a team together.

As he watched the three members of Team Seven aid the dazed Amaririsu back onto the railing, Ibiki nodded to himself.

 _Yes, she will do well in the future._

* * *

Aoi awoke slowly. Immediately he realized he was no longer on solid land. Where those impudent Genin's put him was cold, wooden, dank and constantly moving—the brig of a ship, no doubt.

Ha! As if their binds and wooden prison could hold him. He'd make them regret sparing his life, starting with that blue-haired child. He would make her suffer the most for making a fool of him.

"Ah, so you're awake."

Aoi's plans for revenge suddenly and violently shattered. That voice… No, it couldn't be!

In the shadows beyond the prison cell, the silhouette of the demonic figure that voice belonged to could be seen, sitting at a desk, scarred features dancing with light and shadow from candlelight. He didn't look over at Aoi. But he was addressing him, voice gruff and unamused.

"It's been three years, Aoi. You haven't changed one bit: You're still a fool."

Aoi growled as he squirmed desperately on the floor. He winced and groaned in pain when he felt his flesh rip open. No. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real! This must be another genjutsu of those pathetic Genin.

"Yes, I know. Those binds are quite tight, aren't they? Team Seven are a vigilant squad, experienced in dealing with dangerous enemies. They weren't willing to leave your escape to chance; that razor wire is to encourage you to accept your fate. I'd advise you to stop struggling. I have no intention of healing your injuries."

"You…bastard!" is what Aoi tried to curse him. It came out as indistinct grumblings.

"And you _will_ accept your fate," Ibiki stated, still not looking at Aoi. "You don't have a choice. Soon the Rain will know you've been captured; you can't go back to them. They'll kill you on sight, suspecting you as a spy or an informant of the Leaf. However, that would be assuming you survive long enough to escape what I have planned for you."

Aoi writhed on the floor like a wounded animal, frightened at his sudden mortality.

Ibiki rose slowly from his seat. With methodical steps, he approached, boots making a dull _thud_ with every step, wood creaking in fear beneath them. Every step cast a longer shadow over Aoi, whose pride and arrogance dissolved into trembles of terror and wordless, horrified, muffled sounds.

No, no, no, no.

This was _real_! _He_ was _real_!

He recalled the stories he heard about Ibiki breaking prisoners as he watched him approach, stony faced. Step by step he was breaking, and the interrogation hadn't even begun.

Ibiki crouched at the gate separating them.

"Save your energy and stop trembling." Ibiki's scarred lips and haunting eyes took on the appearance of an excited devil. "You're going to need it, Aoi."

Aoi screamed.

* * *

Team Seven collectively paused everything they were doing and looked around as they heard a sudden, piercing, terrified scream erupt from below deck.

They shared a look.

Naruto chuckled nervously. Sakura rubbed her forehead, lips twisting uncomfortably. Sasuke shrugged.

"Ear plugs in tonight guys," Amari ordered as she walked through the quarters towards her bunk, located above Sakura's this time. "Mr. Ibiki is getting an early start on his work."

Naruto stepped onto Sasuke's bed and prepared to hop onto his own. "I guess what goes around comes around," he said to himself.

"Don't pity him," Sasuke replied. "He sold out the Leaf, tortured Ibiki and helped kill Leaf shinobi when he did. Good people lost their lives because of him. And he enjoyed it, too."

"Yeah. I guess you're right."

Amari prepared to hop onto her bunk, but stopped when Sakura's hand rested on her knee.

"How are you feeling, Amari?"

"Hm. There isn't any pain from forcing my Shadow Possession, thankfully. My back stings a little still. Hopefully it doesn't make sleeping impossible," she frowned.

"Would you like me to reapply the ointment? It may alleviate the pain more."

Amari considered toughing through it for the night; she didn't want to inconvenience Sakura with removing the bandages and reapplying them. But she didn't want to risk an infection, or suffer a sleepless night.

The warmth of Sakura's gentle hand on her knee also held its sway.

"Could you?" she asked.

Sakura smiled, nodded and patted the space on her bed. "Sit here. I'll take care of it." Her emerald eyes shot over to the other side of the room. "And both of you better turn over. If I catch either of you trying to peak at Amari, you'll _wish_ you were stuck with Mr. Ibiki."

Naruto and Sasuke quickly turned onto their sides to grant them privacy, and to hide their blushes.

Amari sat down with her back to Sakura and stripped her tank top and mesh top off. Bandages covered her from her bellybutton to the clasp of her bra. Sakura captured her wild hair and guided it to drape over her chest, unhooking the clasp of her bra afterward after warning Amari she would. The Nara held the undergarment against her chest while her friend worked to remove the bandages.

The ointment was room temperature instead of cold. Sakura painted it gently over the healing wound, and the pain slowly began to alleviate. Amari felt herself decompressing simultaneously.

"I don't think it's going to scar," Sakura informed.

"That's a relief," Amari sighed. "I have enough scars already."

She heard her friend hum lowly, in discontent. Then felt her clean fingers draw over the scars marring her left shoulder and back.

"I…never realized how badly the Lightning Blade affected you," Sakura admitted in a soft voice.

She wasn't referring only to the scars she was examining in closer detail.

"Had I been able to, I wouldn't have let anyone see it. Not even my mom or Kakashi-sensei. I told myself it was my choice and my burden. But…I think Kakashi-sensei knew the moment I made that choice what I would endure. He saw it all before we left the Land of Waves. My mom knew it, too."

"We were the only ones who didn't see it," Sakura mumbled.

Amari turned slightly, took Sakura's hand into her own and looked directly into her eyes. "Because _I_ didn't let you see it. Don't blame yourselves. I made the choice to hide it. It's just my way." She smiled. "I'm a troublesome girl, after all. Ask Shika. He'll tell you all about it."

Sakura giggled lightly and nodded. "I'm sure he will." She shut her eyes and shook her head. "Sorry. Trying to blame myself was selfish. But when I look back, it seems so obvious that you were suffering right in front of us. And we failed to see it."

"It wasn't as obvious as hindsight might make it. And you guys didn't fail me. I should've brought you guys in instead of hiding it. If anyone is to blame, it's me. I made a reckless call to save Haku. I hurt Kakashi-sensei doing it, too."

Amari released Sakura's hand and looked down at her scarred arm. "I made him strike me down. For a moment he thought he killed me; he has to live with that feeling, that memory, because of me. Nothing I can do can take that away. I wouldn't change what I did, because what I gained is greater than the pain I endured. But, like I said, if anyone is to blame, it's me."

The pink-haired kunoichi took Amari's hand into her own. They met each other's gazes, and in that moment they were once again alone on a ship bunk.

Sakura smiled at her. Amari felt the bird trying to break free in her chest again. The natural, vulnerable, scary and wonderful feelings were back again.

She smiled back, shyer. Timid. More vulnerable given her current state of undress. Goose bumps covered her flesh, her heart raced. It felt good. Scary. Comfortable. Uneasy. The warmth of Sakura's hand holding hers, the pretty smile on her lips entranced her. Her emerald eyes embraced her with warmth.

She wanted…

"You don't have to— Ah! Sorry! I thought you two were done!"

"You idiot. They'll tell us when they're done!" Sasuke swore at their teammate.

Amari flushed redder than the light of Amenominakanushi, eyes diverting to the floor. Sakura blushed, too, as the spell was broken, but immediately turned her rage towards their knucklehead.

"Naruto!" Sakura boomed. "You are _so dead_ when I'm finished bandaging Amari up!"

"It- it was an accident! You two went quiet, an- and I thought I heard Amari stand up, an- and I didn't want her to blame herself so much! I swear I didn't see anything!"

"You're lucky she kept herself covered up! That Master Jiraiya is a bad influence on you!"

"Wait! You have the wrong idea! I'm nothing like Pervy Sage!"

"Don't you dare turn over again or it'll be the last thing you ever do."

Amari heard Naruto gulp in fear.

With Sakura's help and quick hands she was bandaged up and dressed again in a few minutes. Embarrassed, Amari hopped onto her bunk with a quiet thank you. But only after poking Sakura affectionately in the forehead.

Later, when conversations and threats reached their end and everyone settled in for bed, Amari found herself smiling pleasantly in the darkness.

Maybe one of these days they could sort out these feelings.

* * *

Amari struggled not to fidget beneath the interrogating gaze of Ibiki Morino.

This certainly wasn't what she expected to encounter upon exiting their quarters for the open, upper deck. Sheesh, didn't this man realize how imposing he was? Walking into him first thing in the morning was like walking into a nightmare manifested in reality.

Contrasting her state of gradually building anxiety was the peaceful early morning sun floating on the horizon, casting rich pinks and oranges over the blue, cloudless canvas. Good wind caught the sail of their small vessel; they carved through the smooth sea with minimal resistance.

"Uh, Mr. Ibiki? Is something wrong?" she prompted nervously.

"We have an unexpected visitor," he said.

Her brow furrowed. "An enemy?"

"We're about to find out." He half turned and pointed to the mainmasts highest yard—a horizontal beam on which their sail was set. "Are they a friend of yours or your team?"

Amari expected a person to be sitting up there, but she saw nobody. She squinted in the direction of his finger. Then her eye widened.

"Kaito!" The hawk let out a cry and swooped down from the yard to her forearm. "Heh, sort of a short trip this time, huh?" she asked to the bird, gently rubbing a finger along his head and beak.

"So, an ally then," Ibiki's gruff voice reminded her of her current company.

The Nara nervously rubbed the back of her neck. "Um, yep. He's a messenger bird I use to keep in contact with a friend I made on our first real mission."

 _I have letters from a Mist shinobi and the Mizukage. A Village we do not have an alliance with right now who I'm speaking with in secret. And he's the Head of Torture and Interrogation._

Her anxiety levels were on a steep climb. Of all the people to be around, it had to be Ibiki and his soul piercing eyes? Even Kaito seemed to sense the tension, hopping quietly up her shoulder further away from the man and closer to the kunoichi.

"I see."

He said a lot with those two words.

"Well, I will leave you to read this _friend's_ letter."

Like observing a painting from a distance, he didn't know the finer details, but he knew enough. And he wanted her to know that.

Feeling brave, foolish and stubborn, Amari spoke up.

"Mr. Ibiki." Ibiki stopped and glanced over his shoulder at her. "I trust this person with my life. I know that probably means very little to a veteran shinobi like you since I'm only a thirteen year old Genin. I don't blame you if that is how you feel. I'd feel the same way in your position if I heard some young kunoichi claim she trusted a shinobi from outside of the Leaf with their life.

"But I do trust him. He and I are two sides of the same coin. We understand each other's pain better than anyone else can, and neither of us will ever knowingly hurt each other again after what we experienced in our first battle. When we write to each other, we aren't writing as shinobi; we're writing to one another as human beings, as friends.

"I'm not asking you to trust me on words alone, but I hope in time I'll prove to you that my trust in this boy isn't misplaced."

Ibiki gave the slightest of nods. "I'll be waiting then." He turned to face forward again. She couldn't see the amused and sadistic smirk on his lips as he said, "And choose where you sit to read this letter wisely. I will not be fishing you out of the sea if you faint again."

Amari sputtered and flushed at the reminder. She was pretty sure Kaito was laughing at her too, the feathered jerk. He had no idea how _embarrassing_ it was!

All the while the Nara never realized Ibiki gathered the Intel he wanted out of her.

Banishing her blush, Amari moved to the starboard side of the ship and sat with her back braced against the railing. Kaito hopped down and offered his back to her, allowing her to open his pack and retrieve Haku's letter from within. A second letter also waited, but that wasn't for her to pry into.

Kaito returned to her shoulder and peered down to read with her.

 _Amari,_

 _I am relieved to learn you have made a full recovery, and that there was no lasting psychological or physical damage left behind by the attack. I was worried for you…I still worry for you. Our bond and these words we share are deeply precious to me. I felt that way before these Akatsuki members attacked you, but I…_

The paper was stained by a thoughtful pause and erased attempts to put his thoughts into words.

 _I hold you in the highest esteem, Amari_ , Haku continued. _Although I owe you a lifetime debt for saving my life and Zabuza's, that is not the reason I care so greatly for you or hold you in such high regard. It is a small fragment of a much larger whole._

 _You are…unique. In heart and spirit. In your actions, in your love for those you hold precious and in the way you see the world. I admire your kindness and am inspired by your physical and emotional strength. You endure through your internal conflicts, finding ways to keep moving forward even when others would give up, and as you do you bring light to those steeped in darkness._

 _Forgive me if I've been too forward. But we can never know if this letter or the next will be our last words ever written to one another, and I would feel more regret if I never found the courage to tell you how admirable and unique you are when I had the opportunity._

Amari's cheeks were on fire, and yet she couldn't hide her smile or ignore the fluttering warmth in her heart. _Troublesome boy, making me blush_ , she thought affectionately.

 _I, too, hope an alliance will one day come from this. Lady Mei seemed pleased by Kakashi's reply; she has made writing a response a top priority and appears quite excited about it. I fear for Zabuza and Ao, though—he is one of her bodyguards and advisers—because Lady Mei has misheard them both on occasion, and whatever she believes she has heard from them causes her to threaten their lives._

 _Admittedly, I have found it humorous._

The confession wasn't written any differently than the rest of his letter, and yet it felt like they were conspiring together in a whisper so Zabuza wouldn't hear. It coaxed a giggle out of her.

 _Thank you for your trust. And thank you for giving Lady Mei a chance. She was quite humble when I told her how you felt about her; she wants to thank you in person in the future. And don't worry, I have not told Zabuza about you blushing. You're right in assuming he would never let either of us forget it._

 _Hmm, I think I am handling our return to the Land of Water well. As you said, my memories of this place are not all fond, though my childhood was not completely without joy and love. I have a few memories I hold onto, mostly of my mother. And Zabuza wasn't nearly as bad of a caretaker as you may believe. His training was demanding and his attitude cold, but there were moments where he treated me as if I were his child. He pretended to be annoyed by it, I think, but I always appreciated those small moments._

She could sense the fond smile on his lips through his words.

 _However, Mist Village is in a poor state. Worse than I remember it. The Blood Mist Exam may no longer be in effect, but the wide-spread effects of the Fourth Mizukage's reign of terror are everywhere here. Poverty, fear and past scars cannot be hidden by anyone. I see it in their eyes, in their body language and hear it in their voices._

 _Those who believe the rule of a tyrant or peace through force need only look here to see its cost. They need only look at our people, the abject fear and poverty they struggle in and any wise individual will see this is not a righteous or worthy path to walk. But there are those here who profited during the Fourth's reign who see it as the only means by which to lead._

 _Zabuza suspects they will one day betray Lady Mei, so I wait with him and watch from the shadows for their true intentions to come to light. And when they do, we will eliminate their influence of the Mist._

 _Lady Mei is very kind to me. I am one of three young shinobi she has placed in important positions among her counsel. There is Natsumi, her personal assistant and head of her intelligence gatherers; Chōjūrō, a member of the Seven Swordsmen who now serves as a personal bodyguard and adviser; and as you know I am Zabuza's second-in-command in the Anbu as well as an adviser._

 _We're the future of the Mist, or that is what Lady Mei tells us and others. When she asks for our opinion, she listens with an open mind and scolds any who interrupt us before we can finish our point. I appreciate her willingness to listen._

 _Zabuza has adjusted well. There is a mutual respect between her and Zabuza, even when they disagree on points. He does fear her, but not as a tyrant. It is a fear of… I'm unsure of how to put it. Lady Mei is a kind and compassionate woman, full of passion to create a brighter future._

 _Yet, simultaneously, Lady Mei is a kunoichi of incredible power. She is the Mist's strongest shinobi, of that I have no doubt. Zabuza doesn't live in fear_ _ **of**_ _Lady Mei, but he harbors a fear of her power. No, that's not right either. Those who killed my mother feared her power and mine._

 _Hmm. This is harder to explain than I originally believed. Let me try another way. When Lady Mei first approached us, I sensed her immense power; it irradiates off of her, like an invisible chakra cloak of strength and will, far greater than Zabuza's. And during that encounter I felt her killing intent. Within it I could feel the turmoil that hardened her into the remarkable kunoichi she is._

 _I would be afraid of Lady Mei if I was her enemy, and any enemy who does not fear her is a fool. I think that's the best way to say it. Does that make sense?_

"Completely," Amari said under her breath.

 _I imagine Kaito will forgive you in time and learn to appreciate his training with the Crows._

She could sense his amused smile.

Amari looked to Kaito. "Hey, are you ever going to forgive me for the training Atsuko put you through?" Feathers slapped her face. "I'll take that as a no," she mumbled in defeat, eye returning to the letter.

 _Atsuko was very kind, although she had a few curious questions. Nothing to be concerned about, I promise._

 _I'm sorry for the pain you've experienced in remembering your cousin. I wish there was something I could say or do that could help ease this burden you now carry, but I can only offer condolences, and those alone are not enough._

 _But you do not need to restrain your emotions when you write to me. Holding it all in is far less healthy, so if you feel comfortable talking to me about it, I will gladly listen._

 _One day I would like to hear more about your cousin. Perhaps when we see each other again you can tell me about him._

She looked forward to that day.

 _I have told Lady Mei of this Akatsuki group and all you could tell us. We'll keep our eyes open for them._

 _As for your A-rank mission to the Land of Snow, Kakashi and Atsuko are right. It's not wrong of you to wish you could have spared his life, but you are not responsible for Sandayū's fate, Amari. He made his choice, and there may be others who do the same. Don't dishonor their sacrifice by making them a burden._

 _"Please, don't allow his spirit to be another burden you carry. Remember him with joy,"_ she recalled Koyuki's plea.

She would do her best to listen to their advice.

 _This Kōri also made a choice to walk a path of evil. I know you, Amari. Had you seen something redeemable in her, you wouldn't have killed her. You saw through Zabuza's darkness. You helped set him onto a different path. Do you truly believe you could have changed Kōri?_

"No," she whispered.

 _Whatever you feel now, I will listen. Never forget that. Don't feel as if you are throwing your personal problems on me. As someone who cares about you, I want to help, even if the only thing I can do is listen._

 _I will be careful._

 _Try not to be troublesome, Amari. And stay strong. If anyone can overcome this, it's you._

 _Haku_

"Thanks, Haku."

Amari rolled the letter back up and placed it back within the safety of Kaito's carrier pack. There would be time to reply later.

She offered to summon a Crow to take Kaito to their home, but the hawk shook his head furiously and shrieked in obvious displeasure. Taking the hint, she let him rest on her shoulder until her teammates arrived on the upper deck, first Sakura and then Sasuke with Naruto the last to arrive.

She endured through their teasing about her newest "love letter" again before finally the subject changed.

"I'm _sooo_ bored," Naruto groaned as he hung dramatically over the railing. "At least if we were on land I could train, but out here we just have to sit around."

Amari rolled her eye. "First off, at our speed we'll reach the Land of Fire by the end of today, so enjoy this time of relaxation while you can. Once we get back Lady Tsunade will probably have D-rank missions for us to complete."

Sasuke sighed noticeably. "You know, I almost forgot about that."

"Secondly," Amari continued, "who said you can't train out here? Last I checked we all had the ability to walk on water."

Kaito cried out in agreement. Amari winced. Sheesh. He still hadn't learned volume control.

"Oh yeah!" Naruto snapped up, suddenly excited. "Come on guys! Let's spar!"

"I'll sit out," Amari said. Her three teammates looked at her as if she'd grown a second head, only the second head had cat ears and whiskers. "I know. I'm a workaholic. But I need to take it easy until I can have a doctor confirm if I'm fully recovered or not. Channeling chakra consistently to my feet and sparring might agitate my chakra network again.

"But if you three want to spar to stretch your legs, I have an idea to make it tougher on you."

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow up. "I'm listening."

"Well, if we just leave you three to fight, you'll probably forget about the ship we're on and the direction we're traveling. So instead of a free-for-all, only two of you will fight at a time, but every ten seconds the third member will tag in.

"So, for example, if Sasuke and Naruto start, after ten seconds is up Sakura will switch with Sasuke, and when the next ten seconds is up Sasuke will switch with Naruto. Then Naruto switches with Sakura. Sakura switches with Sasuke. So on, such forth."

"In this situation one of us will always be fighting for twenty seconds," Sakura analyzed. "And the ten second intervals give us little breaks in-between to keep up with the ship."

"Right," Amari nodded. "Think of it like a gauntlet. In those ten seconds you'll be fighting at high intensity with the constant threat of a second opponent; it'll be a good workout, a good exercise for chakra control and it'll force you to increase your battlefield awareness. But that's not all I'm going to do to increase the difficulty on you guys."

"Bring it on! We can take whatever you've got!" Naruto cheered.

"We'll see about that, because all three of you will have separate handicaps. Sakura, you can't use chakra to enhance your speed or strength. You'll have to rely on your physical capabilities as they are."

Sakura lowered her head in defeat. "Great."

Naruto snickered first, so Amari snapped her eye to him next. "Naruto, no Rasengan or Shadow Clones."

He slapped his hands to his cheeks and let out a cry of disbelief. Kaito was _definitely_ laughing at him.

"Sasuke, no Chidori, Fire Style or Sharingan."

Her clan-brother's eyebrow twitched in mild annoyance. "I understand the first two, but why the third?" he questioned.

"Notice anything about my stipulations?" she asked the group.

"No ninjutsu or genjutsu," he replied.

"True, but not the whole truth. The real stipulation is no techniques that require chakra, except walking on water. That I can't avoid, given our current training grounds."

Naruto deflated. "Is this a punishment for my joke?"

"No," she answered, shaking her head once. "It's training. Naruto, you rely heavily on Shadow Clones to give you numbers against opponents, but most of the time they end up being cannon fodder and deplete your chakra. You showed a tactical use during your fight with Neji, and you need to keep on that pattern. Fight smarter, not harder.

"Sakura, we used chakra to enhance your speed and strength as a quick but difficult way to improve your abilities. You will still need to train with it, but you also need to improve your physical stamina, endurance and strength.

"And Sasuke, while our Sharingan does not drain our chakra supply all that much, you should still treat it as a tool, not your trump card. Because there may come a time for all of us when we battle a powerful shinobi who pushes us to our very limits, and we may lack the chakra to use a single jutsu, or activate our eyes or enhance our speed and strength.

"Aoi's greatest failure wasn't just his arrogance. That played a starring role, I assure you, but his greatest failure was he had one trick. One power. The Sword of the Thunder Spirit. Once I took that away and he was forced to rely on his physical attributes, he didn't stand a chance against us."

Amari met each of her teammates eyes. "We cannot become a shinobi like him. Think of the Leaf's best Jōnin, or even our greatest adversaries; not a single one relies on one skill alone. My mom is a genjutsu master, but she is also capable of fighting hand to hand combat and dueling blades with Itachi and Aimi Uchiha, and trust me, they were impressive.

"I've seen Kakashi-sensei use Lightning, Earth, Water and Wind ninjutsu, and I wouldn't be surprised if he can use Fire Style too, which means he's capable of using all five Natures. That alone makes him a special genius shinobi, but he also has a Nara level of intelligence and the Sharingan. Asuma-sensei augments his trench knives with his Wind Nature like I do with my Fire Nature, plus he can use a Fire and Wind Style Jutsu. He also has great strength, battlefield awareness and speed.

"And Guy-sensei is insane."

That earned her snorts, snickers and giggles from her teammates. "So this time you guys are going to be fighting as if you've been cut off from your jutsus and your dōjutsu. And when we're back home there'll be plenty of time to refine our other skills and work on gaining new ones."

"Complacency and arrogance is our greatest enemy," Sasuke said with a nod. "All right. I get it."

"We can't afford to rely too heavily on one of our abilities," Sakura agreed.

"Definitely with that Orochimaru and those Akatsuki guys out there," Naruto nodded.

"Exactly. So, Sasuke, Sakura, you start first. Naruto will switch with Sakura after the first ten seconds, and then Sakura with Sasuke, then Sasuke with Naruto. All right? Keep up that pattern, keep the ship's location in mind at all times and I'll offer what help I can through critiquing you guys."

So the sparring began. Amari sat on the railing, calling out the switches at first and offering critiques to technique and moments of second guessing.

Eventually the trio found their rhythm to the point she no longer had to call the switches out. And as the sparring continued, they found their battle rhythm as well and began fighting far more seriously than before.

As Amari nodded to herself, still offering advice now and then, Ibiki watched from his silent post, hidden in plain sight. He, too, nodded to himself.

Yes, she would do well in the future.

* * *

"Mom, I'm home!" Amari called.

Silence answered her back as she slipped out of her ninja sandals. Still armed and carrying her traveling pack, Amari meandered quietly into the kitchen, checking the dining table for any evidence of her mother's return. Her letter still sat in the same place, untouched and unread.

"Must be out on her mission," she mumbled to herself.

Leaving the kitchen behind, Amari headed up the stairs to her room, setting her pack down next to her bed before beginning the task of disarming herself. The debrief with the Hokage had gone well; she handed over the Blade of the Thunder Spirit and Boss Jirōchō's scroll while explaining the major bits of the mission.

Their successful capture of Aoi, as well as the restoration of the Wasabi Family's power, earned Team Seven praise by the Hokage, who gave them the rest of the day to recharge and recover after their B-rank turned A-rank mission. Tomorrow they'd be back to work.

Such was the life of a shinobi.

Kaito mysteriously disappeared between their entry into Hokage office and their exit, and when she said mysteriously she meant one of the Crows retrieved him—a fact Osamu found quite humorous when he swooped down to inform her of the hawk's location before departing once more.

Amari made a quick stop to the hospital on the way home, where the doctors treated the lingering damage by her forced jutsu. The Hokage and the doctors gave her quite the reprimanding for it.

 _Troublesome adults_ , she thought as she set the last of her ninja gear down.

Amari made her way over to her closet first, grabbing her loose fuchsia V-neck and full mesh long sleeve before heading to her dresser, where she picked out a new pair of black shorts and undergarments. New clothes prepared, she took a trip to the bathroom to freshen up after their journey over the sea and across the Land of Fire.

She savored the shower for all it was worth. Savored the clean clothes and warm lunch she made afterwards even more. She missed being home. Missed the quiet, the peace, the simplicity of doing laundry and cleaning dishes.

 _It's nice to take it easy._

Of course she needed to keep working on the fūinjutsu technique. She needed to keep training. Keep pushing herself and her peers to get stronger. The Akatsuki were still out there. Orochimaru too. Plus the Foundation. Threats were everywhere, and none would be taking it easy.

But what was the point of life if you didn't _live_. Shisui implored her to not become overwhelmed by these burdens. He told her to focus on living, on chasing her dream, to take these selfish moments when she could.

 _Even you found time to have a girlfriend and enjoy yourself_ , she thought as she grabbed the novel she hadn't finished in the Land of Snow. _Even though you were carrying a heavy burden, you didn't let it steal your happiness. I'll train tomorrow. Today I just want to relax._

 _That's okay…right?_

She paused in her doorway, the small book hugged to her chest. It felt wrong, the more she thought about it. Itachi placed his trust in her to keep herself and her peers on a forward path. He was suffering, even if he didn't show it, and she wanted to relax?

How unfair.

Amari frowned and looked down at the book she was hugging. How did one balance work and life? She had never been good at it. Everyone called her a workaholic for reason, after all. And her Shika always said she worked too hard. But when she thought about the threats ahead, about Kasai and those who sacrificed themselves so she could be here, just kicking back felt like a betrayal to their sacrifice.

How did others do it so easily? How had Shisui done it? Or her parents? When so much was riding on their shoulders, how did they balance chasing a dream, living life and the work that needed to be done?

It seemed so difficult. But maybe that's what made it worthwhile.

Amari inhaled a deep breath and fought the urge to turn around to grab her ninja gear.

 _I'll just train twice as hard tomorrow_ , she promised herself.

With that promise, she stepped out of her room, headed down to the front door to slip her sandals back on before heading out to find a tree to read under.

In her heart she knew there wouldn't be many of these moments left to her. Sooner rather than later, the other sandal would drop again, and the Akatsuki, Orochimaru or an enemy she didn't even know would attack. And once more she would be battling for her life and the lives of her friends.

Such was the life of a shinobi.

On her walk through the Village, two black bowl cuts caught her attention. The shortest of the pair, still braced on a crutch, noticed her first.

"Ah, Amaririsu! Hello!" Lee greeted, the light in his eyes and smile no longer as clouded by depression as it had been before Lady Tsunade returned.

She offered a quiet wave and smile. Guy, however, did not.

"Amaririsu!" he bellowed with exuberance only he was capable of. She was surprised the nearby windows didn't shake. "What a pleasant surprise it is to see you this bright and youthful afternoon! How was your mission? Mimi said you were leading Team Seven in my eternal rival's absence."

"Oh, yeah, I was," she admitted, bashfully rubbing the back of her neck. "The mission went well. We toppled a corrupt and tyrannical family of gamblers strangling the Land of Tea and captured a Leaf traitor in the process."

 _I'll have to tell Mimi about it, and thank her again for believing in me._

Lee's eyes widened. "That's amazing!"

"I don't know about ama—"

"Of course it is, Lee," Guy said with a nod, as if she hadn't even spoken. "But would you expect anything less from your rival?"

"No sir!"

"Good!" Guy turned to Lee and lifted his pointer finger up. "If I have learned anything from my rivalry with Kakashi, it's that you should _never_ underestimate what your rival is capable of. Amaririsu will be a formidable opponent, Lee; she's only grown stronger since your first battle, as you know. So once the surgery is complete, you must train twice as hard to match her strength!"

"No, Guy-sensei, I will not train twice as hard."

"Huh? But Lee…"

"I will train three times as hard to overcome her strength!" Lee declared passionately. "And then I will train four times as hard to match you, Guy-sensei!"

"That's the spirit, Lee! But you will have to train harder than that. You're aiming to low. Don't just train to match me. You must embrace your hot-blooded spirit and surpass me! I know my eternal rival," Guy lowered his voice in seriousness. "He will not settle for Amaririsu becoming his equal. He will train her until she surpasses him, which means we must do the same!"

"Yes, Guy-sensei!"

 _Uh, why do I get the feeling they've forgotten I'm here?_

Walking away seemed rude, even if there was a high possibility they had already forgotten her. So she waited quietly, wondering if she should read while waiting. Would that be too rude? Or too much like Kakashi-sensei?

When Guy paused for the slightest moment to breathe, she capitalized on it.

"Uh, well, whenever you're back to health I'll be waiting for your challenge," Amari said.

Guy had definitely forgotten she was there. Lee, on the other hand, looked enthused by her offer. "It will be the first thing I do! No, the second! First I will train to prepare for our challenge, but then I will come straight to you!"

 _I feel like I'm going to regret saying that._

Amari smiled outwardly and nodded. "I'll be ready. We're rivals, after all. And rival is just another word for friend. You taught me that."

Lee looked like he was sparkling and ready to cry from sheer joy. "Thank you, Amaririsu!" he bowed his head.

Guy clapped a hand on Lee's good shoulder, grinning widely. "Do not worry about Lee, Amaririsu! I will do everything in my power to make Lee the perfect rival for a kunoichi of your caliber!" He gave her a thumbs up. "That's a promise!"

 _Yep. Definitely going to regret it._

Bidding farewell, Amari left the streets of Konoha behind for a cozy hill where she was finally able to slip out of her sandals to feel the blades of grass beneath her feet as she laid on the bed of green. In one hand she held her book above her head. The other she used to brace her head.

On that isolated hill, away from the Village and responsibilities, she lost herself in the fluffy romance of a redheaded space Commander and master thief. One day, she hoped, she wouldn't only read about love, but find it herself.

 _One day_.

* * *

Tsunade stood in her office at the big picture window behind her desk, looking out at the rest of Konoha with a thoughtful expression on her face.

Everyone to witness the Exams and Invasion held the same opinion; quite frankly, she was the only one holding out. She hadn't seen any of it, and being so new to her office meant she hadn't seen the full capabilities of the next generation.

This wasn't a decision to be made lightly. Lives could be lost. Their blood would be on her hands too if this gamble fell through.

But so far all of her personal bets against the decision were the only ones to fall apart. Even Ibiki, who she believed would harbor the greatest doubts, held firm in his confidence in the abilities of the Genins in question. She expected it from their Sensei's, but not every single proctor of the Exams; even Hiashi Hyūga praised them for their abilities and actions during the Invasion.

Tsunade bit the inside of her lip. It felt too soon. To push them into positions of leadership when they were still so young…

 _Are they really ready so soon?_

Had she been? Or Jiraiya or Orochimaru? Was anyone ever ready?

The Genins passed her tests without realizing she was testing them. So, what was she waiting for? For one of them to make the slightest mistake so she could have an excuse not to promote them? As some skewed way of protecting them?

 _I'm too late for that_.

These kids didn't need her to protect them from the reality of shinobi life. They faced it already, more than once. And with Orochimaru and the Akatsuki out there, these kids had no choice but to keep facing it.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Tsunade turned away from the window and walked back to her desk, her heels clicking with every step. She leaned her crossed arms onto the back of her seat and rested against the tucked in chair, a frown on her lips as she looked at the pictures of the Genins in question laid out on her desk.

Each experienced. Each intelligent. Each already seen as leaders among their peers.

"You'd want me to trust in the next generation, wouldn't you, Sarutobi-sensei?" she asked to the air.

After a brief moment of silence, she chuckled to herself.

"All right. I'll give them a chance."


	84. Chapter 83: New Guardians

Chapter 83

New Guardians: Another Step Forward

 _Haku,_

 _You weren't too forward, don't worry. I truly appreciate everything you wrote, even if you did make me blush, you troublesome boy. But you're right. We don't know if this letter or the next will be our last words ever written to one another. Sometimes it's easy to forget how dangerous the life of a shinobi is, and how abruptly it can end._

 _You, our bond, these words, I hold them all so close to my heart, Haku. I cherish these quiet little moments we share together, where nothing else going on matters except putting the feelings in our hearts down on these pages. It's like we're ice skating again, gliding peacefully from word to word, no longer burdened by the paths we walk or the pain we carry._

 _Thank you for this. Truly. And stop thinking you owe me a debt. I already absolved you of that. Your kindness, our bond, they are a special gift I'm fortunate to have._

 _If I'm unique then you are a precious, crystallized gem in this rough world._

Kami, she was blushing so badly just reading that line again.

 _You have a gentle spirit and a kind heart. You're generous and compassionate. Patient and open-minded. You showed us empathy and regret when we were enemies, and forgiveness and concern when we became allies._

 _I admire you. You're an inspiration to me, because this world has given you every reason to kill your heart. It's given you every reason to become a coarse and cold person. Yet you don't. You held onto your heart through the darkest of times, all but refusing to give it over to the darkness that permeated around you, even when it hurt._ _ **Especially**_ _when it hurt._

 _That makes you unique too._

 _Sorry if I'm being too forward. But you started it, troublesome boy._

 _Good to know Kakashi-sensei's response was well-received. I don't know what he said or what Lady Mizukage sent originally—wasn't my business to pry into. But I admit I was a little worried how the first letters would go. At least things seem to be going smoothly._

 _If you didn't find it so amusing I'd probably feel bad for the Old Man and this Ao guy. Although, I hope she doesn't mishear me whenever we meet. That'd be a drag._

 _You don't need to thank me for my trust. You earned it. And like I said before, Lady Mei sounds like a remarkable woman. Even Atsuko thinks so, and if that's not a glowing review then I don't know what is. I look forward to meeting her in the future._

Hopefully a near future, but she could be patient. Peace wasn't something to rush. Haste could waste this shining opportunity to create a powerful shinobi alliance unlike anything the shinobi world had seen before. Three Great Nations united against the future threats of the world, threats such as the Akatsuki and the masked man, even Orochimaru.

 _Hold onto those good memories you have_ , she continued to read. _I've learned how precious they can be the hard way. Even though they can hurt, losing them completely is far more painful, trust me._

 _I have no doubt Zabuza's training was tough, definitely with how out of our league you were when we met. And his attitude spoke for itself in our meeting, that's for sure. But it's nice to know there were moments when he did show he cared. I hope he still shows it otherwise I'll have to kick his butt when we meet again just to prove I can._

 _I'll show him how much I've grown in strength! And then there will be no doubt I'll be a woman someday!_

She refused to forgive him for that. One day soon she'd make him eat those words! Telling her she'd never grow to be a woman. _Hmph!_ No, he wouldn't eat those words. They'd have to be fed to him through a straw after she finished with him.

 _Although_ , the letter continued more bashfully, _I still haven't hit my growth spurt. I'm starting to notice everyone growing by centimeters; even Naruto has grown a little. He's almost my height now. Am I doomed to be short forever, Haku? Shisui said my parents weren't tiny, but what if one of my ancestors were? What if I've inherited the shortness gene?_

 _I don't want to be short forever…_

He was going to laugh at that, she was sure of it.

 _I'm sorry to hear about the state of Mist Village. Peace through force and tyranny should never be considered a righteous path. But even though it's tough now, as long as Lady Mei doesn't give up and continues to push towards her goal, the Mist will one day no longer be burdened by its past. I know it._

 _It probably sounds stupid, but tell her I believe she can succeed and not to give up. No matter how tough the road gets. Nothing worth doing is easy._

 _Hmm. If Zabuza is suspecting those people of betrayal, I bet he's probably right. He knows how to read a situation and people well, when he's not underestimating a team of Genin that is. Hehe! Tell him that next time he tries to tease you!_

 _Be careful, though. I trust in your abilities and that of Zabuza, so when they do show their true colors I know you'll have no issue eliminating them. But still, be careful. Watch for shadows within the shadows. For my sake._

 _When talks finally open between our Nations, I have no doubt Lady Mei will do well in showing the differences between herself and her predecessor. She trusts her instincts and yet also listens fully to what the inheritors of Mist Village have to say instead of listening only to the elderly who hold tradition above progress._

 _I mean no offense if I have caused any. Honestly, that comment is really targeted at my own Village. Specifically the Hyūga Clan. I've seen enough of the pain their traditions cause the next generation of shinobi among their Clan to hate everything their Elders have held onto._

 _It's so wrong, Haku._

So wrong, and one of these days, likely sooner than she realized, she'd be in that compound surrounded by those old men.

 _At least you and Zabuza are adjusting well. And at least there is a mutual respect between him and Lady Mei even when they disagree. Mutual respect goes a long way between allies._

 _Your description of Lady Mei's power and the fear any enemy fool enough to face her makes perfect sense. I get it. And when we meet I'll probably sense that power too._

 _By the way, Kaito totally isn't forgiving me. I asked and he slapped me with his wing again, the troublesome bird. And Atsuko wants him to earn arrogance? Sheesh, wouldn't humility be better? Or respect? I need to have a talk with her._

He'd probably find that funny too. Admittedly, she did too, even if Kaito's wing slaps were a total drag.

 _Telling me Atsuko had a few curious questions has only made me even more suspicious of what she asked. Why are all the birds in my life so troublesome?_

 _Thank you for your condolences. It may not ease the burden, but I still appreciate it. When we see each other again I'll gladly tell you all about my cousin, though you may want to be prepared for a long rambling on my behalf._

 _Thank you for telling Lady Mei about the Akatsuki. We have to be prepared for these shinobi; this organization is extremely dangerous, and I'm worried the disunity of the shinobi world will be our ultimate undoing. Don't take chances with them._

 _I'm trying my best not to make Sandayū and his samurai a burden I carry. Princess Koyuki asked me, as you have, not to make him another burden I carry. She wants me to remember him with joy. I'm trying. I haven't forgotten his joy, or his smile and love for the Princess and his Land. I'll always remember that. But I also remember those final moments of his when I do. His tears. The hurt he suffered. And my heart breaks._

 _I know you're right. I know he made his choice and there may be others who do the same. I guess…I guess the best I can do is become better and stronger to stop it next time. I don't think I'll ever forget it, though. Not anytime soon at least. Maybe someday in the future. Maybe when I find my peace._

 _I don't think Kōri could change. I think she chose her path of darkness long ago. Or maybe it was chosen for her. I don't know. And maybe it's better I don't know her circumstances. The only regret I feel is that there wasn't any other way it could end._

 _Even had we captured them, the Land of Snow didn't have the proper facilities to house those powerful shinobi, which means one day they would have escaped to cause others more pain._

 _After our battle, when I created my nindo, I believed I would be always be able to spare life, that I could find the light in my enemies and make them embrace it. Looking back, I was still naïve. I'll always try to find the light in others, that's just who I am. But I see now that there will be people I fight who I can't save. People who are too evil. People like us who I'll want to spare, but I'll have to kill to protect and preserve what I hold dear._

 _I wish it were different. I wish this world was different. Do you think we can change it? I hope we can._

 _I'll always listen to anything you say, too. You don't need to shoulder anything alone anymore. I'll always reach out to help, even if it's only a little._

 _I suppose I'll try not to be troublesome, but it's a bit difficult. I'm a troublesome girl after all. Apparently it's hereditary._

 _I'll stay strong and keep moving forward just because you asked so nicely._

 _Thank you, Haku. Thank you for always listening. Thank you for your kindness and patience. Thank you for this bond we have._

 _Amari_

Amari nodded to herself and prepared the letter for delivery. It would be some time still before she could send it; Kakashi still hadn't returned from his mission. At least her reply was ready, though.

She couldn't deny how her heart skipped around cheerfully, proud of her for courageously writing some of her affectionate thoughts down.

 _Shisui would be proud_ , she thought fondly. _And probably tease me until I burned hotter than the sun._

The thought of him snickering at her expense coaxed a giggle out of the girl.

 _I miss you._

"Amari! Could you get the door? Shikamaru is here," her mother called from down the hall.

"Okay!" she called back, sensing his presence when she sought it out.

Being a Sensory Type certainly had its perks.

Amari uncrossed her legs and hopped off her bed, her two sizes too large fuchsia top flowing as she quickly moved to place the letter on her desk before heading down the stairs to the door. Light knocks tapped on the door as she crossed the floor.

Another set of knocks, a little louder, followed barely a second later.

"Patience, troublesome boy! Aren't you meant to be the lazy one?" she called cheekily while unlocking the door. Swinging the door open, she found Shikamaru in the midst of rolling his eyes, dressed in his ninja gear. "Hey Shika."

"Hey 'Risu. And I _am_ the lazy one. You're the troublesome workaholic."

"It's hereditary," she quipped.

"Should've known," he sighed. "Great. Here I was hoping it was just a phase."

"You're doomed to be stuck with me pushing you to work harder forever." She gave him a closed eyed smile. "Get used to it."

Shikamaru snorted. "Not like I have a choice. My mom would kill me if I started slacking off now."

"Aunt Yoshino wouldn't kill you, Shika. She'd train you into the ground. It's different."

"Sounds the same to me."

Amari giggled and ushered her cousin in with a gesture. "Looks like you're going on a mission, but do you have time to come in?"

"I'm not really sure if it is a mission, but better to be prepared. You'll need to get changed too," he said, stepping into the Yūhi household. At the sight of her raised eyebrow, he continued. "We've been summoned by the Hokage. Not sure for what yet, but I'm sure it'll be a drag."

The kunoichi frowned. "Well, there goes my afternoon training."

"You didn't train this morning?"

"No, I did. I wanted to train a little more to make up for my day of relaxation yesterday."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Only you 'Risu. Only you."

She poked his forehead. "You love how troublesome I am. I'll go get changed. Be right back."

Amari retreated back up the stairs to her room to change into her ninja gear. Once finally dressed in her purple tank top, single sleeved mesh undershirt, forehead protector and equipped with her ninja pouch and tool box, Amari pulled her bandana over her left eye and descended the stairs to join Shikamaru.

Her mother stood with him, dressed in her shinobi gear as well but still barefoot like her daughter.

"Sounds like you've been training hard," her mother said to Shikamaru.

Her cousin rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. It's been a real drag, but goofing off and taking it easy isn't an option anymore. Not all the time, at least. With those Akatsuki guys out there and Orochimaru we've all got to step our games up. Otherwise they'll win."

Kurenai nodded. "I agree."

"That makes three of us," Amari said as she joined them. She pursed her lips in a pout. "Are you heading out on another mission already, Mom? You only got back last night."

Two fingers prodded her forehead, paired with a warm smile. "Team Eight have been assigned an important mission. We'll be setting off in the late afternoon, so I'll be around for a while longer. From the look of it, though, you'll be leaving on a joint mission with Shikamaru. Do your best, little one."

"I will." She latched onto her mother, hugging her tightly and receiving a warm embrace in return. "Love you."

"And I love you."

Amari released her bear-like hold and moved to the door to put her black sandals on. Shikamaru offered a short wave. "Later, Kurenai-sensei."

"Take care you two."

"We will."

With a final farewell and wave, the two Nara's left the Yūhi household behind for the Hokage Tower at a relatively brisk walk. Brisk by Shikamaru's standards, anyway. The Leaf was as active as ever. Noises of construction were still dominant; the hammering of nails and sawing of wood as homes or businesses were rebuilt, the odd yell of orders from a foreman, it'd all become normal background noise to the populace.

Debris clean-up efforts were on-going in certain districts, mostly those where entire blocks were flattened by the summoning snakes. Search and rescue operations were over; she heard the living and dead had all been accounted for. However the visible presence of shinobi in the recovery sites, as well as throughout the entire Village, on the walls and in their gaps of defenses, remained at an all-time high.

There were times Amari sensed the members of Anbu hidden amongst the shadows. Until their situation was settled, and the curfew was lifted, this was their new norm—daily repairs and heavy shinobi presence. She wondered how the civilians felt. As a shinobi it was part of her duty as well to be alert, even when on a walk to a mission.

Did they ever feel boxed in? Did the curfew bother them? The kunoichi never sensed animosity from her Villagers. They tended to regard all the shinobi they encountered, herself included, with deep respect and admiration. Still, she wondered if their military presence felt overwhelming.

 _Is it really all that different than before? We were a military presence before the Invasion_ , she reminded herself as she crossed through a market with Shikamaru. _Our interactions with our people haven't changed. We protect them. We treat them well and respectfully. We don't yell and scream at them. We don't act as tyrants or thugs. We don't impose fear onto them. Yes, things have changed; there is a curfew and increased visible shinobi presence. But our bond with our people hasn't changed. If anything, it's grown stronger._

The sound of a rubber ball bouncing along the street caught her ear. Looking over, she noticed a group of children, a collection of three boys and two girls, passing the ball between them. On one such pass, the ball bounced up and over one of the shorter boys, who tripped clumsily on his own feet as he tried to race backwards and catch it.

The ball bounced over to the Nara's. Shikamaru, with only the slightest glance at the bouncing object, caught the ball with lazy flair and waited for the boy who fell over to stand again.

"Hey kid, here." He lobbed the ball to the boy. The boy caught it in his arms. "Make sure you guys aren't kicking the ball too hard. It's not a fun game when someone has to fetch it."

"Sorry!" the boy responsible for the kick apologized.

Shikamaru waved them off and they continued on their way.

Before long they were climbing the stairs of Hokage Tower, past fellow shinobi busy with work of their own. She noticed a few members of the Medical Corps, distinguishable by their beige uniforms, among the regular forces shinobi they passed.

Upon reaching the outside of the office, the doors of which were currently shut, they were met by a familiar face.

"Mimi? You're here too?" Shikamaru asked.

The Inuzuka grinned at the pair. "Let me guess, the Old Hag summoned you two as well?"

"Yep. Wonder if we're impromptu sensei's again," Amari wondered out loud.

Shikamaru sighed. "Man, I hope not. That was a drag the first time."

"I don't know. I found it kind of relaxing once I got my hands on the Goofball and Konohamaru," Mimi said, cracking her knuckles. "Worked out _a lot_ of stress. Maybe they need a reminder to _never_ do that again." Aoko growled lowly. "He better pray we don't. If we ever catch him ' _researching_ ' Tenten, I'll make sure every breath he takes is agonizing."

"Can we stop talking about this please?" Amari asked hastily, nearly blushing at the memory. It was a futile fight. Heat rushed up her neck and to her cheeks.

The Nara boy snorted. "Heh, those idiots," he shook his head. "All right, is Lady Hokage in a meeting or something?"

"Yeah," Mimi nodded. "We're probably early. Or the meeting dragged on longer than she expected."

"Guess we have no choice but to wait then."

The wait wasn't long. Amari filled the time catching up with Mimi about the mission to the Land of Tea, making her fellow kunoichi cackle when she informed her of Aoi's fate.

"So, he's pretty much in a living hell," she finished. "We all heard him scream when he woke up. And I saw the sadistic sparkle in Mr. Ibiki's eyes. No way Aoi has gotten off easy for what he did."

"I wish I could have seen Aoi's face when he woke up to see that scarred face glaring down at him," Mimi grinned. She jabbed Amari's arm lightly. "Told you you'd kick ass."

"Hm," Shikamaru hummed. He crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against the wall. "You know, something isn't sitting right the more I think about it."

"What do you mean, Shika? About my mission?"

He shook his head. "Nah, you performed at the high level I expect from you." The unexpected compliment left her blushing shyly. "Hey, Mimi, have you and your team been sent out without Guy-sensei lately? Somewhere between C- and A-ranked. And were you put in charge too?"

"Yeah," Mimi nodded. "Before we were teamed up for the Academy my team had a B-rank turned A-rank. Why? What are you thinking, Slacker?"

"After Lady Tsunade's inauguration, while 'Risu was in the Land of Snow, I had a similar circumstance. I led Ino and Chōji on a C-rank mission that became a troublesome B-rank; probably close enough to being an A-rank, given what we were up against. You led your team. 'Risu led hers."

Amari furrowed her brow, seeing the pattern invisible to her eyes before. "You think we're being tested?"

"Why else would we all be here today?" he returned with a shrug. "In isolated incidents it's just the situation of the Leaf. Our Sensei's are busy with tougher missions, so it makes sense that we're chosen to lead our teams. You two are the top shinobi of our generation."

"My ego may have just swelled," Mimi jested.

"Careful. A big head won't fit through the doorway," he replied without missing a beat.

"Oh, the Slacker has some bite!"

"When he feels motivated enough," Amari teased.

"Anyway," Shikamaru rolled his eyes in amusement, "whether I like it or not, I'm a tactician. When we look at it from a strictly tactical standpoint, we're the obvious picks to lead our teams in the absence of our Sensei's. However," he narrowed his eyes, "something seems real fishy about this all happening around the same time."

Aoko barked. Sapphire eyes flicked to the door. "Someone's coming."

"Guess we're about to find out," Shikamaru said, reluctantly pushing off the wall.

The kunoichis nodded in agreement.

The Hokage's assistant, Shizune, opened the door and ushered the trio in with a smile. Nothing fishy about her, or the pet pig that followed her around. But as they moved to stand at attention a few strides away from the Hokage's desk, their suspicions flourished.

Lady Tsunade wasn't alone. To the right of her were Izumo and Kotetsu, with Shizune and the pig soon joining their group. On Tsunade's left were Genma, Anko and Ibiki—three of the four proctors from the Exams. Hayate would have been there, Amari assumed, had he not perished during the Invasion.

Definitely something fishy about this.

"Ah, welcome," Tsunade greeted the trio. "I know you're all probably wondering why I summoned you here today, so I'll cut right to the chase." The Hokage interlaced her fingers and set them on her lap. "Due to the Invasion of the Leaf, the final rounds of the Exams were suspended and left unfinished. Of the three of you here, only Mimi progressed to the next round."

 _Worth it_ , the Nara's thought in unison for separate reasons.

"And there is a minority opinion that none of the students should pass this time around, and that includes Mimi. However."

Tsunade reached into a nearby rectangular box—smaller in height than a shoe box but about the same length—from which she deftly lifted and equipped an ink brush, dipping the brush end into the container of ink within.

"I hear that the Third Hokage had nothing but the highest praise for all three of your performances. It seems he meant to recommend you for Chūnin."

The three Genin came to the same conclusion at the exact same time.

 _Oh._ _ **Oh**_ , Amari thought, astonished.

The Hokage began to write on the open scroll in front of her. "In fact, all those who observed your performances and all of your proctors felt the same as the Third Hokage. I, however, wanted to see for myself what you three were capable of when tested as leaders—a sort of trial run, you see."

"Now I get it," Shikamaru sighed beneath his breath.

"In the end, you each passed my tests." The Hokage finished her brushes dance, returned it to its storage then interlaced her fingers again, resting her elbows on the table as she met their eyes directly. She smiled at the group. "So, from this day forth, I hope you three continue to strive to reach a level of excellence worthy of that headband. Congratulations! As of this moment you three stand as Chūnin."

Amari almost didn't believe it, despite hearing it directly from the Hokage herself. It caught her off guard; a glance at Shikamaru and Mimi revealed they, too, were slightly off-kilter by the suddenness of it all. It'd been months since the Exams. Since then they'd dealt with the Akatsuki, dealt with the recovery efforts and gone on other missions. A promotion hadn't even crossed their minds.

 _Well, I wasn't expecting this to happen today_ , the Nara girl mused lightly.

The Hokage stood from her desk, pulling three smaller Chūnin flak jackets from underneath her desk for them to be gifted with. Ibiki presented Shikamaru with his, Anko presented hers to Mimi and Genma to Amari.

"Good work, kiddo," he praised, ruffling her hair. "Your parents would be proud of you."

She bowed her head. "Thank you, Genma-sensei."

"Keep in mind the qualities of a leader. You may be Chūnin now, but you three still have a long way to go to prove yourselves," Ibiki reminded roughly.

"Ah, go easy on them, Ibiki," Anko said, grinning like a fiendish cat at the man. "Let the squirts celebrate a little! You're the one who gave them a glowing review after all."

"Fine," he replied flatly.

The big, scary and scarred leader of Torture and Interrogation had a soft heart all along. Who knew?

Amari tried the new jacket on, but quickly realized quite the concerning and embarrassing problem.

"Uh, do you have a size smaller? This is _really_ big on me."

And heavy for a piece of clothing, likely from the materials used to protect the wearer from blades and explosions. She could handle that. Not the size difference. If her fuchsia top was two sizes too big, this jacket was at least three. The kunoichi could tuck her arms inside with a jug of ice cream and still have room to spare.

Realizing the attention of the room was on her, and how goofy she looked—like a tiny child trying on their parent's clothes—Amari began to shrink on herself, eyes falling and cheeks tinting pink.

The only person to show her an ounce of sympathy to her plight was Shizune, who looked at her with sympathy and understanding. Everyone else didn't bother to hide their amused smirks or grins. No one, not even her loyal cousin. Not even the Hokage could hide the quirk of her lips.

"Th- There is a smaller size, right?"

"That's our smallest size, actually," Tsunade informed.

Amari's shoulders, body and head sank in despair. Dark clouds formed over her head, from which bolts of violent lightning cracked as rain poured on top of her.

Stupid growth spurt. Why did she have to be small?

Mimi, Aoko and Anko shared in vigorous cackles at her expense. They were practically falling on top of each other, the big jerks.

Genma offered an amused but comforting pat on the head. "You'll grow into it one day," he tried to sound reassuring. It was hard to believe his sincerity when she could hear the stupid grin on his face.

"Shika…am I going to be small forever?"

"You'll hit a growth spurt one day, 'Risu."

"I'm thirteen."

"You're a late bloomer."

"What if I never become a woman?"

That question possibly killed Anko, Mimi and Aoko. They were still laughing, of course. Faces red, sucking in oxygen and grabbing at their sides, they looked alive and sounded alive by all means. But she was pretty sure they were dead. Or soon would be from laughter.

It only deepened her despair.

"What even made you think that?"

"A mean Old Man said I was pretty tiny for my age. Said I should be worried I won't become a woman," she explained in a despair consumed mumble.

"Ignore the idiot." She'd love to hear him say that to Zabuza Momochi and not quake in his sandals. "Height doesn't dictate if you're a woman or not. Besides, that jacket would only get in the way of your tantō. For your battle style it's not worth it."

She nodded in defeat. "Thanks, Shika."

"Anytime. Come on, I'm sure the Hokage has work to do, and I'm sure our parents and teams would like to know we got promoted."

"Oh man!" Anko exhaled, grinning from ear to ear. "Thanks for the laugh, Shortcake. I think we all needed that."

"My pleasure," she mumbled, chin still tucked to her chest.

A rough hand ruffled her hair. "Ah, you're worrying too much. I mean, you don't think Lady Tsunade was born looking like that, do you?" The Snake Mistress leaned into the dark clouds with a merciless curl to her lips. "Rumors are she had a flatter chest than you."

Something splintered. Amari did not know what it was, nor did she want to know, far too afraid and exceptionally mortified by the shameless woman whispering such salacious details in her ear.

Anko continued, unafraid of the Hokage hissing threats to her from behind a blush while planning a certain Toad Sage's death beneath her breath.

"Your mom and I didn't have huge busts when we were your age either, you know."

It was at that moment the shameless woman decided, with one arm wrapped around Amari's neck and her busty chest mere centimeters from brushing against the young kunoichi's face—through the mesh of which she could see Anko's dark-colored bra and contained cleavage in brain-melting detail—to grope her own chest as evidence to her next point.

"Now I can barely contain my chest and Kurenai's more woman than any man can handle!"

Oh kami, she was dying. Slowly. Sadistically. Exquisitely. But she wouldn't die alone. Shikamaru and Mimi were fated to die with her. And so were Izumo, Kotetsu and Genma. They would all die here together.

A small consolation, she supposed.

"Anko, don't forget you're talking to children," Ibiki chided lightly, smirking sadistically at the various shades of embarrassment the trio portrayed.

It wasn't their fault Anko wore a mesh bodysuit that left nothing to the imagination!

"They're teenagers, Ibiki. Inoichi would need to purge his own mind if he had a look in their heads," she grinned, lightly tapping Amari's temple.

"Have your fun then. I have other business to attend to." Ibiki bowed to the Hokage before departing.

The raindrops of her pseudo-rainstorm were evaporating on impact with her burning face. It'd be merciful if someone ended her misery now, however…

"Chin up, Shortcake! You'll grow into your chest sooner or later!" Anko clapped her on the shoulder.

Somehow her shameless words were encouraging. But Amari was pretty sure she was past the halfway mark on her journey to rejoin her family and Ryu. Was this how she would die? Not in battle against some insanely powerful opponent, but via Anko's unabashed talk about her meager, adolescent chest size?

What a tragic defeat for Amaririsu Yūhi.

"Uh, anyway," Mimi cleared her throat awkwardly and, after lightly nudging Anko away, wrapped an arm around the younger kunoichi hiding inside her jacket. "Let's go you two. Before this gets more awkward," she added under her breath.

"Way ahead of you." Shikamaru turned on his heel and didn't bother to dismiss himself properly. That troublesome proctor, talking so brazenly about woman subjects and groping herself in front of so many men and _him_ of all people. What a drag!

Amari couldn't function properly. She barely registered Mimi guiding her out of the room as her head and body attempted to tuck and hide in the overly large jacket like a turtle.

The whole way they felt Anko's grin on their backs.

At that moment, a strange premonition came over Amari, one that warned her that this wouldn't be the last time Anko's sense of humor nearly killed her. And that frightened her more than the Akatsuki and Orochimaru combined.

Once the door shut behind them, Shikamaru and Mimi sighed in relief.

"Let's never speak about that again," her cousin said.

"I second that," Mimi agreed. Incoherent mumbles was all Amari could form. "I'll take that as agreement."

"Hmm. Based on the flustered state of my newly promoted student, I'd guess Anko is up to her usual antics again."

The trio collectively looked to their right at the cool voice, and the silver-haired man it belonged to.

"Oh, hey Kakashi-sensei," Shikamaru greeted.

Kakashi raised a hand up in greeting. "Hey. So, Anko?"

"Yeah," two of the three sighed. The third could only nod rapidly.

"Do I want to kno—"

"No!" all three interrupted as quickly as they could, Amari all but squeaking out her answer.

Kakashi nodded at the flustered trio. "Okay."

He knew better. With Anko involved, his worst fears were only a paltry comparison to what she could cook up.

"Anyway, congratulations!" He eye smiled at them. "You each displayed your talents as shinobi and as leaders during and after the Exams. On one hand I suppose the promotion doesn't change anything. You three already stood as the leaders of your generation. Together you've inspired your peers and helped guide them through the Exams, the Invasion and the days since."

Kakashi opened his eye. "But, on the other hand, this promotion changes a lot for you three. You're no longer rookie Genin. You now hold a greater responsibility to your comrades and the Leaf when you are on missions. And the road you are on only gets tougher from here on out. Are you ready for that?"

The trio sobered from their embarrassment.

"We have to be," Shikamaru answered. "Like you said, Kakashi-sensei, we all hold a greater responsibility on our shoulders as Chūnin. Our only choices are to step up or step aside, and I doubt these troublesome girls will step aside. Guess that means I'll have to step up too."

"Can't get cocky or lazy now. Hard work is the only way we're ever going to be ready for the future. But hard work is Team Guy's specialty, right Aoko?"

Aoko barked in agreement.

"Doesn't matter how tough the road is going to get. I won't let down the people who entrusted their lives and the future to me," Amari said.

Kakashi nodded and smiled at them. "Good answers. All I have left to say is I'm proud of each of your growth. The Will of Fire burns brightly in all three of you, and it is that fire that will illuminate the path towards the future and inspire your peers to walk beside you. Keep it up."

"We will," Shikamaru said.

"Good. Amari and I need to speak privately for a moment, so you two go celebrate while you can. No doubt you'll be busy sooner than you think."

"Yeah, promotions mean more work. What a pain. Later, 'Risu."

"See you around, Amari."

"See you guys later," she bid her farewell.

"You know, it's kind of hilarious that you got promoted, Slacker," Mimi spoke as she and Shikamaru walked away. "After all that hard work you did to _not_ get promoted, you still ended up a Chūnin."

"Don't remind me," he sighed. "Man, why couldn't she just promote you and 'Risu? Why did I have to get lumped into this too? It's all such a pain."

Kakashi chuckled. "His heart isn't as invested in his complaints anymore."

"He'll blame me for that, I'm sure," Amari giggled.

"You do have an influence on him, and your peers." His voice became serious again. "Whether you realize it or not, your hard work and dedication have served as inspiration to Team Seven, Eight and Ten, as well as Team Guy. They're working harder than ever to follow the example you set.

"Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke all look to _you_ as inspiration in some way. And they aren't alone. Shikamaru's motivation, Hinata's grit, Ino's new focus, Zabuza's change of heart, Princess Koyuki's courage, the bond you formed with Haku, Hikari and Mimi; your actions and your spirit touch all those you encounter. It's a special gift of yours.

"You've grown by leaps and bounds since we found you in that forest, as a shinobi and as a person. I'm proud of you."

She blushed and smiled shyly, eyes lowering as her heart skipped a few beats. To hear those words from her mentor, the man she saw as a father figure, stripped away the kunoichi in her and left only the little girl behind.

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei."

"You don't need to thank me. You earned it."

Amari shook her head. "No, I do. I've only grown so much because I've had people like you to help pick me up when I fell down. After the Akatsuki's infiltration, the Land of Snow and Sandayū…you had legitimate reasons to question my judgement, my abilities and my emotional state. But you encouraged me. You _believed_ in me."

She bowed low. "Thank you, Kakashi-sensei, for always being there to guide me when I lose my way."

His gentle gloved hand patted her head. "You're welcome, Amari. And thank you."

"For what?" she asked as she came up from her bow.

He eye smiled at her. "One day I'll tell you."

"Troublesome adult," she said with a smile. The smile fell. "Will I still be a member of Team Seven?"

"Eventually you'll be leading your own team. Don't worry. Lady Tsunade may have promoted you three, but she's a cautious woman. You three won't be sent on A-rank missions with shinobi you aren't familiar with. In all likelihood, she'll keep you leading your teams or you'll lead teams of your peers on missions."

"Oh, that makes sense."

"Speaking of missions, Team Seven will be deploying to the border with the Sand tomorrow. I'll be there to help, but I want you to use this mission to gain more experience as a leader. All right?"

Amari nodded. "Okay. Oh, I have a letter for you."

"You mean this letter?" he asked, pulling out the Mizukage stamped letter from his pouch. "Atsuko met me when I returned. I'll read it as soon as I'm done debriefing from my last mission. Did Haku offer any hints on how the first was received?"

"He said she was very pleased."

"Phew," he sighed. "Hehe, I was almost worried there."

"Only almost?" she teased.

"Of course," he replied cooly.

Amari rolled her eye. "I'm going to head home and hang this jacket up. It's only going to get in the way of my tantō anyways."

Leaving the Hokage Tower behind her, Amari returned home, where she found her mother already waiting for her, a knowing smile on her lips.

The blue-haired girl mustered up a harmless glare. "You _knew_."

"I had a hunch when Shikamaru arrived," she replied with her smile still in place. Kneeling down, Kurenai wrapped her arms around Amari in a warm embrace. "I am so proud of you, little one. You keep growing up right before my eyes."

Amari returned the embrace, nuzzling her mother. "I'll always be your little one, though."

Her mother's body trembled with a short laugh. "True." Lips pressed against her temple before her mother relinquished her hold and stood up. "Before I leave, how about we go out for celebratory ice cream?"

"Yes!" she cheered, pumping a fist. "I'll go get changed!"

In a blink Amari vanished up the stairs and into her room.

"No Body Flickering in the house, little one!" her mother scolded through a laugh.

"Sorry!" she called back.

But could she be blamed for her excitement? This was celebratory ice cream they were talking about! The treat of the heavens!

She quickly hung her flak jacket up in her closet, removed her ninja tools and returned down the stairs with a skip in her step. Her mother watched her with love and amusement before ushering the excited girl out of the house to the Leaf's best ice cream shop—a prestigious and well-earned title in Amari's opinion.

Every bite of the sweet and enchanting cold treat was savored by the Nara. Each cold bite renewing the smile on her face as she and her mother spoke of everything and nothing—missions, her promotion, the delicate art of picking ones cup of ice cream, love, being a late-bloomer, books they were reading, her interaction with Anko…

Kurenai pinched the bridge of her nose and shut her eyes. " _Anko_ ," she chided the air.

Amari, all but hiding her red face in her bowl of ice cream, grimaced. "Why did she do _that_ when my face was… And there were men around! She almost killed me! Dead. There. Right in the Hokage office!" she squeaked in a whisper.

Her mother laughed lightly. She groaned and slammed her forehead against the counter.

" _Mommmm_! You're laughing at my _death_!" she whined.

A finger poked her side, making her squeak. Then another, coaxing a squeak then a giggle out of her. Forgetting her spoon and bowl, Amari turned in her chair and tried to snatch her mother's hand. The Jōnin proved too quick and masterful, breaking through her defenses, capturing her daughter's hands and poking her relentlessly until she was a giggling mess begging for a truce.

Kurenai took the offer and poked her in the forehead. "You sound very alive to me, little one."

"I sure felt like I was dying."

"You'll be fine." Taking a bite of her ice cream, her mother savored the sweet before continuing. "It may be hard for you to notice, but you _are_ growing, little one. For instance, you don't have to stand on your toes to reach the cabinets anymore."

"I…don't?"

She swore she had. Or did. But when she thought about it…

"Tell me again why you went shopping for new clothes recently?"

"Because my old clothes…were too tight and short on me. I thought I accidentally shrank them in the dryer."

"Because you're certain you'll be short forever?" her mother teased. "You won't be. Trust me, I've been in your position before. Puberty started for you while I was only your guardian; it could last another two to three years for you."

Amari scooped a spoonful of ice cream. "Puberty is troublesome," she said with her spoon in her mouth.

"Certain aspects of it are, yes."

"…Her words were strangely encouraging."

Kurenai chuckled. "Anko would say that it's a part of her charm."

"Charm is…a word for it." The smile and look her mother gave her left her red. "Wh- what?"

"You're growing up too fast."

"Wai- wait! That's not what I meant!"

"Mmhm."

" _Mom_!" she whined.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed by, little one."

"But that isn't what I meant!"

"Mmhm. Your ice cream is melting."

"…Troublesome adult."

Kurenai looked quite satisfied with herself, smiling and laughing at her flustered daughter.

Still, although embarrassing, the good-natured teasing was enjoyable. It felt like forever since they last were able to sit down and spend time together as mother and daughter. Amari scooted her chair closer to her mom just to be as physically close as possible, hoping to bridge the divide created by the consistent missions separating them. But the action was altogether unneeded. Appreciated, yes, but not necessary.

Just being together was enough to bridge the divide.

Still, these little moments were theirs to savor. Like heavenly ice cream, no matter how large or small her scoop was, she promised to appreciate every moment of it.

The light chime of the bell hanging at the door drew the attention of Kurenai and Amari away from their ice cream to the new arrival. Amari beamed at the man. "Uncle Shikaku, I didn't know you had a sweet tooth," she greeted.

Her uncle smirked, stuffing his hands back into his pockets as he strolled causally over to the group. "No one has a sweet tooth as big as you do, 'Risu. That's like expecting someone to love ramen more than Naruto."

"Hehehe!" she giggled.

"Greetings, Kurenai. Forgive my intrusion. I know you two have both been in and out of the Village consistently as of late."

"There's nothing to apologize for, Shikaku," her mother assured. "Take a seat. There's plenty of room here for another."

"Thank you, but I unfortunately don't have a lot of time to spare." He met Amari's eye briefly. "Has Kakashi filled you in on your mission yet?"

Amari, who had been excitedly kicking her legs back and forth, halted all movement for a neutral expression. "No. He said we'd talk about it later."

"Hm. He likely didn't want to hold you up too long so you and Kurenai could spend time together," Shikaku considered. "I'll leave him to tell you the news then. Stay sharp on that mission, 'Risu."

"I always do."

"Anyway," her uncle continued, stepping closer to her, "I have a gift for you, in honor of your promotion to Chūnin."

From his pocket he pulled out a small jewelry box and opened it with a flick of his thumb to reveal two silver hoop earrings. "Normally, when the next generation heads of the Nara, Yamanaka and Akimichi Clans reach Chūnin, a member of the Sarutobi Clan will present them with special earrings and have them take an oath. It's an old tradition, and the earrings show the recipients are considered adults among the Clan."

"But isn't Shika the next Clan Head?" Amari asked, confused and honored equally.

"Yes. Don't worry," he chuckled, "you don't need to swear any oaths. Your fate isn't strictly bound to the Nara Clan. Yoshino and I want you to walk your own path, 'Risu. I know that would be your mother's and father's wish.

"These earrings have a special meaning beyond our traditions. It is a gift passed down from a mother to a daughter."

Amari's eye widened. "Mama left these for me?"

"Yes. I'm not asking you to replace the earrings Kurenai gave you. Those, too, are a gift from a loving mother to her daughter and should not be discarded."

"I- I would never!"

"Good," Shikaku nodded. He took one of her hands into his, opened it and placed the earring box into it, shutting her hand gently over the gift. "Wear these with pride, little shadow, so that she may walk with you on this path you are on."

Amari hopped out of her chair and hugged her arms around her uncle's torso. "I will. Thank you."

"You are welcome, little shadow. Take care on your next mission, 'Risu. You too, Kurenai."

"I will," Kurenai said, smiling warmly at the uncle and niece.

Her uncle patted her head. "And don't forget to visit Yoshino when you can, otherwise she'll come find you. Trust me, you don't want that," he chuckled.

Amari giggled and nodded into his chest. "I know. I know. Just don't tell her I said that."

"Your secret is safe with me."

Shikaku left soon after. The last words she heard as he exited were some mutterings about the troublesome work he had to go complete.

After finishing up their ice cream, Kurenai and Amari left the ice cream shop and took what little time her mother had left to get her ears pierced with her new earrings, having them positioned behind her original hoops.

Her mother left afterwards to meet with Team Eight for their mission.

Left alone, Amari decided she had one very important person to visit before she was swept up by training, missions or other matters. She first stopped by the Yamanaka Flower Shop to grab some amaryllis flowers then returned to Ryu's grave, replacing her old, dried and dead flowers with the new ones.

"Hey Ryu," she greeted him as she sat down. "I have some big updates to tell you, Shisui and my parents about."

Explaining their mission to the Land of Tea and her new promotion took her some time, but she was happy to give her friend and family a positive update for once. And as she sat there, speaking in quiet and peaceful tones, she could feel his and her family's pride for her new promotion.

Eventually she left the gravestone behind to meet with her team. They gathered at the bridge with the red Torii's. After more congratulations, and a little whining from Naruto when he learned Shikamaru was promoted despite forfeiting, Kakashi debriefed them on the mission they'd be undertaking tomorrow.

The mission would take them to their shared border with the Sand, where they and a team sent by their allies would join together to eliminate a bandit base made up of rogue shinobi. Chūnin or higher were their expected threat, so nothing out of the ordinary for Team Seven.

"This mission," Kakashi continued, looking between his four students, "is important to both of our Villages, beyond disbanding this group of rogue shinobi on our shared border. As you all know, the Sand offered an unconditional surrender to the Leaf after the Invasion and formally apologized for the attack. But it will take more than that for the bond of trust between our Villages to reform."

"So, this mission is the Sand's and the Leaf's first step towards fully renewing the trust they severed," Amari stated. "That's why this mission is an A-rank rather than a B-rank. The danger of our enemies may pose should make us cautious, but it's the political side of it that raised the ranking to such importance." She hummed. "This is why Uncle Shikaku told me to stay sharp."

"This new bond of trust with the Sand is still too fresh to be concrete," Sasuke continued off of her. "If the mission fails, the alliance may fail too."

"And the other Nations may see our Villages as too weak, spurring another attack on the Leaf or even the Sand," Sakura said. "It's just as important for us to renew our bond with the Sand as it is to show a united front on our border to deter the Stone or Cloud from pushing boundaries."

"Man, this mission is a lot more complicated than I thought it'd be," said Naruto. "I thought we were just taking down a bunch of rogue ninjas, but this is some serious stuff. We can't afford to let this mission fail."

"Exactly," Kakashi nodded. "It's of the utmost importance we succeed. That's why I want you all in top form tomorrow. We'll be leaving early tomorrow, and depending on how smoothly this mission goes we'll be gone for at least a week, so make your preparations tonight."

"Got it," they replied.

After their eventual dismissal, Amari returned home that evening to prepare her gear for the mission tomorrow and then to pick up where she last left off in her fūinjutsu training.

Today she had taken another step forward on her path.

Tomorrow would be her first mission as a Chūnin.

She hoped to earn her place as a guardian of the Leaf.

* * *

 _Review Response to Guest: The Hokage is aware of the letters being sent, and though you are right that Ibiki couldn't forbid her or have much of a say in it because of that, he wasn't in the loop on the letters, so that was the first time he was encountering it. It's a very small circle who know. He's also a cautious man. Considering the Mist's history, his reaction and caution is warranted. And, as we saw, he's willing to give Amari a chance to prove herself._

 _Naruto using the Nine-tails chakra would've been funny. It's possible later on, when he and Kurama are on better terms, that the Nine-tails will be able to join in their training sessions._

 _The secret test was putting Amari, Shikamaru and Mimi in separate situations where they had to lead tough missions without backup from their superiors. They had to prove themselves as competent_ _leaders and earn their promotion._

 _Yep. Shikamaru got promoted, too._

 _Thank you for the review!_


	85. Chapter 84: Bonds

Chapter 84

Bonds: Those Who Betray Their Comrades…

Team Seven arrived at the rendezvous point early.

Within the border forest, concealed by a veil of vast and shapeless dawn shadows, they waited for the Sand squad. Beyond the tree canopies, the sun trekked towards its afternoon peak.

Skies were clear and the temperature was rising in synchronicity with the sun. A calm and beautiful morning by all definitions. Squirrels scurried about the forest floor; a herd of deer grazed deeper in the forest, away from the main roads; birds sounded off, some seemingly in battle with other birds.

The chosen meeting location was adjacent to a partially destroyed arch bridge, built with greyish-white stone; a demolition team was clearly responsible for the destruction. It could be a ruin of one of the last wars—a supply route cut off.

Or, perhaps more nefariously, the deed of the rogue shinobi they were here to eliminate. An attempt to force traveling merchants off the safety of the main road, right into their cowardly hands.

Beneath the bridge, curling around the large stones to obstruct its path, a calm river separated their shoreline from the opposite shore. It wasn't the true border dividing the Land of Fire and Wind, but it was close enough. The true border was closer to the endless sea of desert sand a handful of kilometers ahead of them.

Amari was fascinated by the difference of environments—and how they almost overlapped—where these two Lands met. They were entering a desert climate, where scorching, dry heat greeted them by day and chilling cold air coiled around them at night. The concept couldn't be more alien.

The air was already more arid, absent of the mild humidity a Land of Fire native was accustomed to. The shadows were colder, the halos of light warmer. The caress of the breeze, inconsistent in its presence, left goose bumps on her flesh.

But she wasn't here to sight-see or marvel at the diverse world. This joint mission with the Sand presented an opportunity, the chance to renew their alliance. To become true allies in more than mere words.

It was a small step, perhaps. But like her letters with Haku and Kakashi's with Lady Mei, every small step counted. Eventually they added up.

Amari hovered above her team on a tree branch, Byakugan eye activated beneath her bandana as she scanned their surrounding area. She hadn't seen any sight of their problematic rogue shinobis—a good sign they were unaware of the joint mission.

 _We have the advantage of stealth on this mission._

She hoped to keep it.

Team Seven remained unaware of _who_ the Sand sent to aid them. Veterans? Rookies? A mixture of both? Who they mobilized would reveal their attitude towards the alliance.

The Hokage assigned one of the Leaf's most famous, respected and feared elite's to this mission, plus his squad—whose reputation was growing due to their involvement in missions like the Land of Snow and Land of Tea. They were proof of the Leaf's dedication to the alliance.

The Sand didn't need to assemble a squad of grizzled veterans. But if they sent a squad of green as grass Genin, Amari would prefer the Sand Elders to spit in her face directly. Then she could strap them in a genjutsu hell for their disrespect and disregard for a peaceful alliance.

There was another factor to consider: How well the Sand and Leaf squads worked together. Would the Sand's squad leader refuse cooperation, seeing it as a sign of weakness? Would their styles of combat clash? Or would they work seamlessly together?

The concerns Amari harbored refused to wane. The success of the alliance was essential; they couldn't fail this mission. The consequences of a failed alliance were obvious—war. With the Stone or the Cloud, or both.

It was a war the Leaf alone no longer wielded the strength to win, not after the damage Orochimaru and the Sand caused.

Yet ever since they arrived, Amari couldn't stop thinking about the Invasion. The battles her clones fought within the Leaf, the innocent lives she couldn't save, the pride and arrogance of the Sand shinobis she battled.

The forest vanished. She was back on the streets, on the rooftops, battling and evacuating the civilians with Mimi. Everywhere she looked, she was reminded of what her home had been turned into.

A warzone.

Hell.

Districts were under enemy control. The evacuation of civilians took precedence. Every Leaf shinobi battling the Snakes and the enemy forces were buying the evacuation squad's time. Crows swept through the sky, through the streets.

 _Keep moving. Keep fighting. Save who you can._

She could smell the fire and smoke. Every breath she inhaled was consumed by the scents of war, death and destruction. People were screaming, crying out for help, for their loved ones or in fear and pain as they were mercilessly attacked or slain. Laughter. Curses. Orders being yelled to allies and enemies as battles raged all around her and Mimi.

Blood stained the streets, the walls of fractured homes that could never be mended and devastated shops, belonging to innocent men, women and children. Not even shinobis. A child's doll lay in the street, splattered with blood and trampled.

 _Don't stop. Keep moving. Save who you can._

Broken windows. Kunai and shuriken punctured into structures, the dirt and the corpses strewn in the streets. Limp bodies fell from the buildings. Mimi knelt by bleeding out shinobi, easing their pain as best she could. Sapphire eyes growing darker, sadder.

 _Save who you can. It's all you can do._

Buildings collapsed, loud and heart breaking as the giant serpents marched through the streets, held off by too few Leaf shinobi.

 _War is hell._

Amari exhaled a shaky breath and squeezed her eyes shut. She fought the tremble of her hands.

" _Shinobi don't have bonds for a reason,"_ Temari's heated lecture came to mind. _"We're tools. Weapons and soldiers meant to fight and defend our homes, no matter the cost. You let silly things like emotions get in the way of your duty."_

No matter the cost. No matter the sacrifice. Even if it meant the pointless and merciless slaughter of innocent children and civilians. Negotiations weren't an option, not to their blind eyes, all for the most foolish reason.

" _And do what? Beg your Hokage for a better deal? Don't be ridiculous. That would be a sign of weakness."_

Pride. _Pride_ was the reason some of those Sand shinobi killed innocent people that day.

People she hadn't been able to save.

Amari crossed her arms in discomfort. _I know bad blood is what prevents peace. I know holding onto it will only divide us. And yet…_ Her fingers curled into her biceps, her jaw tightened. _I can't forgive those shinobi who went out of their way to kill innocent people. I can't forgive the Sand Village of the past._

It was that last thought that made this mission all the more significant. If she couldn't forgive the Sand Village of the past, then those personally affected by the loss of a husband, wife, family member or child would _never_ forgive them. Ever.

The only way forward was redefining this bond. The Sand carried the burden of _proving_ they were different.

 _I'll be watching them closely._

Chakra signatures caught the dōjutsu wielder's attention. Snapping her eye to the four sources, conflicted emotions of inexplicable joy and caution began to bloom in her chest.

 _It's them._

Amari hopped down from the branch to join her team.

Kakashi looked at her with a curious expression. "See anything interesting?"

"No enemies. The element of surprise appears to be on our side at the moment," she answered. "Also, the Sand shinobis will be arriving any second now."

Kakashi nodded. "Good."

"It's about time!" Naruto declared. He turned his back to the river to face his team, placing his hands on his hips as if to assert his annoyance. "This is about our alliance, isn't it? And they're the ones who broke it originally, too! Shouldn't they have been the ones to arrive early?"

Naruto, too busy whining, failed to see the grains of desert sand hovering ahead of the arriving shinobis.

"I'm sorry if we were late." Gaara's gravelly voice cut through all three of her teammates like a kunai through paper.

Naruto flinched and tensed visibly then spun around, feet unconsciously stepping back and away from their former enemy.

"Ga…Ga…Gaara?!"

Unlike their first meeting, Gaara didn't look through them, eyes absent of remorse and light. His pale blue-green eyes met theirs. He looked determined. Set on a goal and purpose that was not surrounded by bloodlust.

When Gaara and Amari held each other's gaze, neither felt as if they were destined to clash. The call of battle, of warring ideals, vanished. There was no hatred, no bloodthirst, no necessity to destroy or purify each other.

It was odd, admittedly. Killing intent once followed Gaara better than his own shadow. It consumed the air around him. Sent chills down her spine.

This Gaara was different. In purpose and appearance. The foreboding black garb he used to wear was replaced by a burgundy variation, beneath which he wore long sleeve mesh armor. Otherwise his large sand gourd remained, along with the previous white cloth he wore wrapped over his right shoulder.

A quick glance to her teammates revealed their range of emotions, starting with shock and ending with hesitation and distrust. Clearly they hadn't forgotten that battle, or his insanity.

Kakashi noticed it, too. He offered an eye smile.

"Uh, there's nothing to apologize for. You four arrived on time. We were just early, that's all."

Gaara shut his eyes and lowered his head. "Not so."

Behind him were two Sand shinobi carrying rectangular wooden boxes over their heads as they waded through the river; the water reached their chests despite their height. They wore the Sand's military uniform, though the first had almost chin length brown hair while his partner wore the white ghutrah of the Sand on his bald head.

The first laughed apologetically. "Ehehe! Pardon us!"

"It looks like we owe all of you an apology!" the one who wore the ghutrah followed.

While older than her and her teammates, they were still young. Older teenagers, probably. Close to Itachi's age, yet far less experienced based on them wading through the water instead of walking on it. Also far less stoic.

 _I don't think anyone can beat Itachi in a stoicism battle_ , she mused.

Her eye was then drawn to the Suna kunoichi, who frowned down at the two older shinobi from her floating rock. "'Twas unneeded to wade through a river. I would have carried you above."

They only laughed nervously. Amari, for one, was thankful Hikari couldn't see the hint of fear in their eyes. But she didn't need to. Hikari could hear it in their trembling laughs perfectly.

"We kept you waiting." Gaara bowed his head to them. "We are sorry."

Amari cocked an eyebrow up, and felt the collective shock of her team.

 _He's not the same maniac I fought in that forest. He's a lot mellower._

Naruto suddenly bent down and grabbed a rock. Amari, seeing through his intentions, appeared next to him and snatched his wrist before he could throw.

"Naruto, what are you hoping to accomplish with that?" she asked, perturbed.

Her best friend grinned sheepishly and dropped the rock. "Uh, hehe. Nothing?" Kakashi stepped to his other side and pinched and pulled the top of his ear. "Ow ow ow ow ow!"

"You were trying to test his ultimate defense, weren't you?" Kakashi reprimanded.

"Oh, come on! That little rock couldn't have done anything to No-Brows!"

"That's not the point, Naruto," Kakashi sighed. "You were just complaining about how important this mission was to our alliance. Even if the rock couldn't have done anything, we're here to strengthen our alliance with the Sand. _Try_ to keep your worst impulses at bay, please?"

"Fine. I get your point," the boy grumbled.

"With that settled, and on the talk of strengthening bonds." Amari threw protocol to the wind and Body Flickered again. She reappeared on Hikari's cone shaped rock and immediately embraced her, lifting her up and twirling the slightly taller girl around.

Hikari giggled and hugged Amari back as they spun.

The Suna kunoichi hadn't changed at all since their last meeting. The long tresses of her cloud white hair flowed down her back from her top knot ponytail; her skin was still kissed well by the desert sun of Suna.

Beneath her black clothed forehead protector would be those shining amber eyes, beautiful and blind.

She wore her sleeveless light tan, bordering on white, shirt and the crimson and black shemagh tied around her neck. Her lower half was covered with her midnight blue mid-thigh length skirt and slightly shorter than knee-length black bike pants to compliment her black sandals. Unfortunately, no sudden cure cropped up to fix the bandaged and braced left knee of her friend.

Finally was the small gourd hung on her left hip, the cork missing so her Iron Sand could flow freely.

"I'm so happy you're here, Hikari," she said as she set her back down gently.

"'Tis wonderful to meet you again as well, Amaririsu." Hikari smiled warmly and kept her hands on the Nara's shoulders. "Your light is as warm and as beautiful as I remember it."

"And your happiness all but irradiates off you," she replied, thankful her blush couldn't be seen. "I've thought about you a lot, and worried."

Hikari tilted her head to the side, her long, cloud white ponytail swaying to rest over her shoulder as she smiled. Her hands blindly followed the Nara's shoulders down her arms. "You and your light have remained at the front of my mind as well." They found her hands and held them warmly. "It may sound strange, but I have missed you, Amaririsu."

"Keep up the flattery and my blush will melt me." Amari squeezed her hands. "I missed you too."

Hikari hummed pleasantly. "I wish to speak more with you, but we do have a mission to complete."

"True. We'll have plenty of time to catch up later." She glanced down at the two Sand shinobis in the water, who stared at her as if she squeezed the Shukaku and Nine-Tails into a group hug. "I'm surprised Temari and Kankurō aren't with you two."

"I'm enlisted with the regular forces as of now," Gaara answered, looking up at the pair of kunoichis with curiosity.

"And when he chose to enlist, I joined him," Hikari explained. She made a motion to the two. "They are Yaoki and Korobi, our subordinates."

"I'm Yaoki!" the one with hair introduced.

"And I'm Korobi!"

Kakashi raised a hand in greeting. "I'm Kakashi Hatake; I'll be leading this mission. This is Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke," he introduced with a gesture to the three on the shore then lifted his chin to Amari. "And that's Amaririsu. She's a Chūnin, so if I should ever be separated from the group, she'll be team captain."

"Hey!" Naruto greeted them.

"Nice to meet you!" Sakura followed.

A light squeeze on her hand returned Amari's attention to Hikari as Yaoki and Korobi greeted her teammates. "Congratulations on your promotion. 'Tis well-deserved."

"Thank you."

"Yaoki and Korobi are still rookies, so please, be patient with them," Gaara asked.

Amari hopped off the rock back to the shore. _It's clear Hikari and Gaara still have problems in the Sand. They may be rookies, but they're tense around them. It's like they're expecting Gaara or Hikari to lash out and kill them at any moment._

Still, the Sand sent two of their strongest shinobi's to help. It at least proved they were serious about this mission and the alliance.

The Leaf and Sand teams regrouped in the shadows of the nearby trees. Naruto hung casually upside down on one branch, arms clasped behind his head. Sasuke sat on a large branch shaped like a V. Everyone else stood among the trees, or floated in Hikari's case.

Through the gaps of the leaves and branches, Amari could see the mountain where the rogue shinobi's base of operations was reported to be located. It was a superior position. Traps were all too likely set around the perimeter, and depending on the position and size of their base, they may possess a lookout position to spot travelers or enemies from afar.

"Now that we're all together," Kakashi spoke up, "I suggest that Gaara's and Hikari's team approaches from the western side of the mountain, while Team Seven approaches from the east. Then, at midnight, we'll simultaneously attack the bandits at the summit. How's that sound?"

Gaara nodded once.

"'Tis a suitable plan," Hikari agreed.

"Hey Kakashi-sensei, why do you want to wait until midnight?" Naruto asked. "With all of us here, we could clobber these bandits no problem!"

"Don't forget, Naruto, these bandits are made up of rogue ninjas," Amari reminded. "From the reports we have, we're dealing with Chūnin, possibly Jōnin leveled shinobi. It's better we wait until the cover of darkness, when they will be most off-guard. Plus, if we run into trouble along the way, it'll give us all time to rest."

"And should their base of operations be well-defended, we will have time to consider multiple opportunities of entry to disable these rogue shinobi as effectively as possible," Hikari said.

"Even with our collective strength it wouldn't be wise to rush in," Sakura input. "These are shinobi we're going after. We'll likely run into traps if we just sprint headlong at them with no plan, which will put all of our lives in danger."

"All right, I get it," Naruto replied.

"I believe we should go with your strategy," Gaara stated. His eyes suddenly flicked to the shadows, simultaneously with Amari's.

Hikari's chin lifted slightly, brow furrowing. "Gaara, now is the time."

"Right. Please, we must speak with your team captains privately." Without another word he hopped down to the forest floor, with Hikari descending after him. Kakashi and Amari followed.

As she made her way down, Amari caught the slightest glimpse of a black bird. Then it melded back into the shadows. She nodded and kept silent.

The four shinobi gathered together. Gaara stood beside Hikari's floating rock. Amari stood beside Kakashi.

"We've been followed," Gaara stated plainly. "Hikari has sensed them on our trail for some time, as have I."

"I sensed them just a moment ago," Amari informed. "But I didn't get a good look at who they were."

"Someone's been tracking you? Is it the bandits?" Kakashi asked.

Gaara shook his head once. "No." He turned to look back at the shadows of the trees. "Hopefully they won't interfere. But we thought you should know what was going on."

"Sounds like you know who it is."

The jinchūriki's eyes fell. "The Elders of our Village fear and despise us."

"I fear they may try to interfere. 'Twould not be the first time they've tried to interfere with our lives," Hikari explained.

Amari set her lips in a hard frown. "You mean not the first time they've tried to kill you two."

"Yes," Hikari nodded in solemn agreement.

Gaara turned back to face them, his eyes on the ground. "I'm afraid we may cause you trouble, bu—"

"That's fine," Kakashi cut him off. "We can handle it."

"Huh?"

"Heh," Kakashi laughed at their looks of surprise. "This mission of ours, it'll only have real meaning if the Leaf and Sand complete it _together_. The more problems we face while we do it, the stronger our bond will become."

"And if these guys try to attack you two, then as far as I'm concerned they're not acting as Sand shinobi, but a rogue faction," Amari stated firmly. "That means they'll be attacking our allies, our comrades. Hopefully they mind their own damn business, but if they don't, we won't abandon you guys to fight them. We'll fight side by side as comrades and friends."

Gaara looked particularly stunned by their assurances. Hikari's shock faded for a warm smile.

"You are truly the Leaf's greatest treasure, Amaririsu."

Amari blushed. Kakashi chuckled and ruffled her hair. "She's definitely special." He looked up at the canopy. "All right, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura, we're moving out!"

Teacher and student departed back up into the trees to head off for their mission. Meanwhile Hikari and Gaara regrouped with Yaoki and Korobi to complete their objective.

"Amari, keep an eye out," Kakashi told her under his breath.

"Already on it, Sensei."

She hoped it was unnecessary. But…

* * *

'Twas lovely to reunite with Amaririsu once more. 'Twas even lovelier to be embraced by her after all this time.

Hikari had not known they would meet again on this mission. Still, when she sensed Amaririsu's presence, joy overtook her senses, followed quickly by concern. Quite some time had passed since the Invasion of the Leaf. Would she even remember her? Would she still be the warm light that embraced her in her darkest hour?

The twirling hug erased those fears. She hoped before this missions end they would be gifted time to speak more, to catch up on the events of their lives since their first meeting and where their paths were taking them now. She hoped to spend more time with Amaririsu.

However, their priority was the mission. And beyond that mission was surviving the large Anbu squad tailing them.

Hikari's ears caught the whistle of kunais slicing through the air, and the wrinkling of paper as the blades carried them towards their target.

"Gaara."

"I know."

Iron Sand erupted from Hikari's gourd, forming an impenetrable wall of Iron Sand in front of their squad. Simultaneously, Gaara's sand rushed violently from his gourd, streaming between their two comrades, shielding them from the attack.

Yaoki and Korobi both halted immediately, shrieking in terror as they believed the Sand's two greatest weapons lunged to kill them.

Explosions pounded against her Iron Sand, but did not penetrate. She commanded her Sand to coil around her, ready to strike or defend from any direction. 'Twould be necessary.

They were completely surrounded.

"Kunai and Paper Bombs? Is it the bandits?" Yaoki asked.

"No," Gaara answered coldly.

Hikari furrowed her brow. There were twenty-five Anbu agents surrounding them.

"Where is the rest of your squad?" she demanded. "There were thirty-five of you tailing us. Have the Council of Fools decided to eliminate the Leaf shinobi as well?"

"The Council?" she heard Korobi gasp.

"We have no intention of attacking an allied Village. Only eliminating the threat to the Sand," the leader of the faction explained.

 _At least the Council of Fools have not lost all sense_ , Hikari thought, relieved.

Amaririsu and her team were safe then. Fortunate for these Anbu agents they remained true to the alliance. If their orders were to eliminate the Leaf squad as well, Hikari wouldn't have hesitated to slaughter every single Anbu agent between her and Amaririsu.

As it stood now, she would listen to Gaara's wish and only incapacitate these shinobi.

" _If they attack us, please, don't kill them. I know they won't give us the same courtesy, but even if they cannot accept us, they are still our people. By killing them we'll only breed more hatred."_

" _Although I do not agree, I will heed your wish, Gaara."_

She still did not agree, but she understood. If they killed these shinobi, his reputation as a monstrous killing machine that lacked all feelings of mercy and remorse would only continue to grow. The Council of Fools would see to that.

 _But_ , she thought, clicking her tongue to map the area around her, _if he can show he has changed, if he can show he is not a monster, then perhaps the bonds of pain and death will fade. Perhaps then our people will see him as a person._

Hikari cared not how the Sand perceived her any longer. Gaara could see her again. Amaririsu could see her. She was content.

"I cannot decide which is more regrettable: Your inability to see we pose no threat to the Sand, or the Council of Fools foolish belief twenty-five shinobi is enough to eliminate us."

"You'll find we are more than enough."

"We shall see."

More kunai and paper bombs whistled through the air. Gaara and Hikari acted in synchronicity to block the weapons and protect Yaoki and Korobi—the pair unfortunately caught right between a battle not involving them.

The roar of the explosion deafened her perception of the shinobi ahead of her, yet the rippling sound waves pinged off the environment behind her. The Anbu did not advance yet, cautious of the two powerful streams of sand between them and their prey.

Then her Sensory Abilities picked up focused chakra. Specifically, chakra threads coming from the fingertips of the leader and one of his comrades.

"Gaara, be careful!" she warned. "They're controlling our puppets!"

Puppets equipped with water spraying gadgets. Water, Gaara's greatest weakness.

The puppets Yaoki and Korobi carried sprang from their containers, as if suddenly coming alive. Controlled by the Anbu agents, they flew effortlessly through the air, directly for Gaara.

Her friend shielded himself by encircling his body with a column of sand. However, the puppets pulled back the frontal assault at the last moment. They circled around him, tying their chakra threads around the hardened sand, imprisoning him with his own defense.

"Th- the puppets! What's happening?" Yaoki questioned in shock.

"Lord Gaara, no!" Korobi called out.

Hikari swept through the air, dodging an Anbu agent who sought to land on her rock and engage in close-quarters combat. He landed on a tree somewhere below her. Rough sand formed in her palms, transforming into a battle-hammer, the head shaped as a flat rectangle on all sides except for its two square ends.

She clutched her Iron Hammer tightly and, as another Anbu agent jumped at her, swung for the fences, slamming the blunt weapon into his chest.

Releasing the hammer, she let it fly through the air with the Anbu agent as its passenger until he cracked back first into the trunk of a tree. Hikari recalled her hammer with one hand, simultaneously sweeping the other through the air, surrounding herself with a veil of Iron Sand to ward off her enemies from direct attack.

Or, so they believed. 'Twas truly the preparation of an attack they had no hope of defending.

"Iron Sand: Infinite Darkness!"

The cloud took shape as hundreds upon hundreds of needles, aimed across the one hundred and eighty degrees in front of her. The needles shot through the air faster than the natural eye could track. At the same time, Hikari caught her Iron Hammer.

"Yaoki, Korobi," she heard Gaara growl. "Go! Run! This isn't your fight!"

The two rookie shinobi sounded frightened. The ninja tools in their tool boxes _clinked_ and _clunked_ together as they trembled, frightened by the Iron Sand needles flying remorselessly through the air, incapacitating Anbu agents left and right as Gaara's sand hovered over them in defense from cowardly attacks.

The Anbu, of course, had no intention of harming Yaoki and Korobi. They only wanted Gaara's sand to be close enough to frighten them. A dirty tactic, but incredibly effective.

Gaara's shout made they gasp in fear and bolt.

Hikari ascended into the canopy, a shield of Iron Sand darting to cover her right side as kunai rained down on her. The metal weapons bounced harmlessly off the congregated Iron Sand.

Snaking beneath the attacker, grains of Iron Sand began to shape into a short tendril; she wrapped it around his ankle. One tug and he was falling towards a branch below.

"Take this!" Hikari's hammer flew through the air again on a collision course of pain. The Iron Hammer crashed into his gut. Bark splintered beneath the Anbu agent, his gasp for air signaling his defeat.

With him down, that was twelve of the twenty-five shinobi taken care of. All across this elevated battlefield laid defeated Suna Anbu agents, Iron Sand needles incapacitating them, but hitting nothing lethal.

Below her, the sudden heavy pressured spraying of water caught her attention.

"Gaara!" She formed a series of sharp spears out of her Iron Sand. "Iron Sand: Iron Legion!"

The spears targeted the Puppet Masters, flying like thrown javelins. But they found only bark. The Anbu agents jumped and evaded the attack, extending their chakra threads to continue their attack on Gaara.

Hikari grit her teeth. These fools. Gaara sought to change himself, while they all remained the same. Full of hatred, resentment for the monster their leaders placed into her friend. Then they treated him like that monster. Isolated him. What did they expect him to become?

'Twas not the Shukaku fully responsible for the darkness Gaara harbored. These fools and their ilk held equal blame.

She caught her Iron Hammer, pivoted a quarter turn and remorselessly crushed another Anbu agent to dive for her. The Iron Hammer disassembled into a formless veil as she weaved handseals.

"Enough of this," she hissed. "I no longer wield the patience to endure your inexplicable ignorance!"

 _Lava Style: Lav—_

The shrillest, ear rupturing sound Hikari had ever heard viciously assaulted her eardrums. She screamed, though she could not hear her own voice. She covered her ears with her hands to no avail. The Iron Sand around her struggled to keep form and maintain a firm grip on her rock.

What was this? Where was this noise coming from?

The noise became softer.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" someone taunted.

She could not pinpoint them. She could only scream as the noise screeched and scratched her eardrums again. Louder and louder. None of her other senses worked. The world was gone. Empty. A void of nothing.

Slowly, the sound began to fade. Hikari clicked her tongue, trying to get a sense of where her enemies were. Where _she_ was. She breathed heavily, braced on her knees and elbows with her hands over her ears. Anbu agents were charging in from all sides.

Reacting on instinct, she cocooned herself within her own Iron Sand. 'Twas a mistake. A bluff she fell prey to.

"The Third Kazekage's Iron Sand is all but impenetrable," the person taunted. She could vaguely pinpoint them; her ears were ringing. If she could eliminate them…

"Yet the Iron Sand can't block out sound, can it?"

Her world turned into a void again. Screeching, piercing, cutting, stabbing, the sound based attack tore more screams out of her. She couldn't even feel the warm blood beginning to drip out of her eardrums.

The Iron Sand cocooning her steadily lost its strength. The rock she floated on began losing altitude.

 _Someone_ , she cried internally. _Please, make it stop!_

* * *

Amari could feel her fingernails digging into her palms. Surrounding Team Seven was a ten man squad of Suna Anbu agents. All intent on eliminating Gaara and Hikari. And their words, they were…

"Their power is an abomination. Don't you agree it shouldn't exist?" the leader of the group asked.

"The only abomination I see here is _you_ ," she hissed.

"You'd kill them willingly? They're Sand shinobi. Comrades," Sakura stated firmly.

"Don't bother rationalizing with them, Sakura," Sasuke said. "You're right. We have seen Hikari's and Gaara's power firsthand, and they are powerful. But we also know their stories."

"Yeah. We know it's because of people like you that Gaara became the person he was. And Hikari—"

"Is a mistake," the leader interrupted.

Amari snarled viciously. "What did you just say?"

"She should have never existed. Her mother should have never been allowed into the Sand, nor should she be the inheritor of the legendary Iron Sand. She bastardizes it's legend with every use. The Sand will not stand for it!"

" _That half-breed taints our Clan further by bastardizing its legacy! I will not stand for it!"_

Amari's fire turned black. "Bastardizes the legacy, huh? Taints the Sand just by existing?" She glanced up at Kakashi, who stood beside her. "Sensei?"

 _Send me_.

The wordless question—the request, the plea—received a single nod. "Yeah."

She nodded in gratitude then returned her attention back to the Sand shinobi. "Hikari and Gaara are our comrades on this mission. They're here to prove the Sand aren't the bastards who killed our people."

"Listen—"

"No, you listen!" she seethed. Amari pointed at herself. "I was there during the Invasion! I saw your people _kill_ innocent men, women and children, all in the name of the Sand's glory! Those people never hurt anyone, and yet they were slaughtered and butchered without remorse!" She swiped her hand through the air. "So don't tell me Hikari and Gaara are monsters when your comrades are a greater abomination than they could ever be!

"Hikari has carried the hatred and pain you people have thrown on her. You made her _accept_ that her fate was to be treated as nothing more than garbage! As some kind of bottom-feeder parasite nobody wanted to exist!"

"She—"

"Shut the hell up!" she yelled. The forest became eerily silent. "Your excuses don't interest me! The Suna Elders rhetoric can burn in hell, and so can they for all I care!"

That made the Anbu agents stiffen. Each member of Team Seven stood at the ready, prepared for the tension to finally be cut and this battle to begin.

They all felt the same as Amari.

"That girl, _my friend_ , never did anything to any of you. All of you are meant to be mature adults, yet all I see in front of me are immature, inconsiderate, self-absorbed _brats_. You're just puppets. The same puppets that killed _my_ people and intend to kill _my_ friend."

"Insolent child," the leader growled.

"I won't ever forgive people like you for the pain you cause. But fighting any of you doesn't interest me. You're not worth my time." Amari vanished, appearing briefly behind the leader. Pure killing intent paralyzed the man in place. Only he saw the demonic dragon appear in front of him, its claws curling around his body as its bloodthirsty eyes gleamed.

"Pray neither of them are dead. Because if they are, I'll personally make you _suffer_."

The kunoichi vanished again.

"Stop them!"

Branches whipped past Amari. Her Byakugan eye monitored the area around her; three Anbu agents were hot on her tail. Naruto wasn't far behind them. Kakashi stood behind the leader of the Anbu squad, hand on his shoulder, crackling with Lightning he would soon unleash on the fool. Sasuke and Sakura were already teaming up to combat their new enemies.

 _They'll be fine._

Amari kept pushing forward. Fear for Hikari's safety and rage driving towards her goal.

She dared them to get in her way. They would see how merciful she was feeling right now.

 _Hikari, I'm coming. Just hold on._

An Anbu agent jolted in front of her. "You won't interfere!" She grabbed the hilt of her sword.

Amari growled and grabbed her tantō. She channeled her chakra through her body as she landed on a branch. "We'll see about that!"

Blades jumped from their scabbards. Their search for one another ended in failure when the young kunoichi phased through the Anbu agent.

"A clone?!"

Amari's foot touched the bark behind her enemy. "Afterimage," she corrected coldly. Fire erupted along the tantō.

 _Uchiha Style: Halo Dance!_

She spun on her toe, sliced horizontally through the air and watched the stream of fire tear through her enemy's armor, to the flesh beneath. Next, she slashed a diagonally downwards strike down her back. The controlled flames burned through her armor; the Anbu agent crashed chest first onto the tree branch with a cry of pain. Two long gouges marked their armor, severe burns injuring the cut flesh beneath. She groaned unpleasantly as she laid face first on the branch.

Amari sheathed the blade, spinning back around. She Body Flickered again, a silent and almost untraceable bullet shooting through the trees.

As she appeared again, two other Anbu agents moved in with their katanas.

"Now it's over!"

Their blades cut through the kunoichi, or so they thought. Crows erupted from the body, immediately swarming the two Anbu agents—a Crow Clone of the kunoichi.

Their helpless screams filled the forest.

The real Amari continued unseen. At that moment, the entire forest came alive. Leaves rustled in every direction as legions of Crows swept through, both towards Team Seven and towards Hikari.

One such Crow took his perch on Amari's shoulder.

"Well executed, Lady Amari," Osamu complimented. "You've progressed well with your training."

"Thanks, Osamu. Hopefully we aren't too late."

"Allow me to aid you."

Before she realized it, she was being transported through the forest faster than she could Body Flicker. All anyone could see of her was a murder of crows darting through the trees.

 _Hang on, Hikari. I'm almost there._

* * *

 _Someone_ , she cried internally. _Please, make it stop!_

"With this tool the Sound Village created before the Invasion, and our Water Jutsu, you're both finished. Now die!"

Suddenly, as if a spark had ignited a pool of oil, Hikari's world illuminated by a single color.

By the light of Amaririsu.

"Rotation!"

Hikari saw her again. Her silhouette stood beside her, spinning rapidly to encase them both safely within a deflecting orb of green. Anbu agents were sent careening away, caught in the sudden rotation and ejected by its momentum.

The Suna kunoichi looked on in awe and unbridled joy.

"Amaririsu," she whispered her name.

The cloak of chakra surrounded Amaririsu even after she stopped spinning. With it active, Hikari saw the Leaf kunoichi, like a goddess of light, kneel down to her side to check her for injuries, as well as the silhouette of a Crow.

She heard her friend growl in anger. Likely at her injuries, but her warm hand found Hikari's and squeezed it gently. "Sorry I'm late, but you're not fighting alone anymore. You're safe now."

Amaririsu stood up once more. "You. The one with the Sound Village gadget. You've made me _incredibly_ angry!" She spoke with an even tone, and yet with menace and hatred. "I will break that toy of yours, and then I'm going to break _you_."

Hikari felt her body suddenly lift. In an instant she was back on solid bark. An instant later Amaririsu, cloaked in dangerous chakra, stood behind the perpetrator of her pain.

"Ninja Art: Shadow Dragons!"

Whoever the man had been, whatever strength he may have felt, all faltered when his arms and legs were broken mercilessly by Amaririsu's Shadow Dragons. He cried out in agony, and cursed the Leaf kunoichi before losing consciousness and falling towards the earth below.

She vanished again, dodging a Wind jutsu that ruptured the branch. Clangs of metal on metal served as a returning pulse to the blind kunoichi, her world no longer absent of color or sound.

"It's the Crows of the Leaf!" one agent panicked.

"Fight or shriek, it does not matter," a smooth male voice replied. "You will all suffer the same terror in the end. There is no escape for you!"

"We're allies!" the leader scolded either the Crow or Amaririsu.

"No, you're scum!"

Amaririsu's blade _clanged_ faster in a fierce duel. She could see her chakra silhouette, burning so brightly, as she struck and blocked and performed a twirling dance of two blades. She battled with finesse and tenacity, with flourish and fury.

'Twas the duality of a fierce warrior and a beautiful soul. It nearly moved her to tears.

"Those who would so willingly betray their comrades are the worst scum in this world! And that's why." Amaririsu performed another Rotation, blades ricocheting off the barrier of chakra. "I won't stop until Gaara and Hikari are safe! They're my comrades, my friends, and I won't let you hurt them anymore!"

 _Amaririsu…_

Chakra ignited along the Leaf kunoichi's blade. As she exited her rotation, she slashed the blade, flames encompassing the entire three hundred sixty degree radius around her. The smell of burning wood touched her senses first. An Anbu agent, too slow in his evasion, let out a cry, and soon the scent of burning flesh joined the air.

A massive surge of chakra caught Hikari's attention. She turned to it.

"Gaara, Hikari!" Naruto's voice, joined by a horde of Shadow Clones, penetrated the forest. "Hold on! We've come to rescue you!"

The original severed the chakra threads caging Gaara, allowing him to retreat to the shadows with Hikari. Crows, Clones and Amaririsu battled against the Anbu agents.

"Naruto? Amaririsu?" Gaara sounded perplexed.

Hikari reached out to her friend. Her hand ran along the rough bark until, finally, she found his soft flesh. "Gaara, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Hikari! Your ears…"

The warm trickle of blood ran down her neck, and her ears continued to ring without end. She offered a pained smile.

"I'll be okay. Don't worry."

"They're just kids! Don't be afraid of them!" the leader chastised. "Only one of those Clones are real, and the girl can't fight all of us at once!"

"It won't matter which one of me is real when you're pummeled into the dirt," the Narutos fired back.

"And I don't need to worry about fighting you all at once as long as I have my comrades to back me up!"

"And they're not alone!" Yaoki's voice returned.

"We're not going to run any longer!" Korobi followed. "Lord Gaara and Hikari are our friends and we won't leave them!"

The two rookies jumped into a dangerous battle without fear. Wielding blunt sticks, from the sound of it, they engaged the Anbu agents. At first their enemies were unsure of attacking them, but when it became clear Yaoki and Korobi would not back down, the Anbu attacked them with their blades.

"Lord Gaara, Hikari, we're sorry we abandoned you!" Yaoki apologized, back to back with his comrade, holding back a blade with his blunt weapon.

"But we're here now! And we'll fight by your sides!" Korobi declared.

Hikari smiled. So, this was how it felt to have people to protect.

Amaririsu dove down from her fight and lunged at the Anbu attacking Yaoki. "Dynamic Entry!"

The attack sent him flying down towards the ground.

"Thank you, Amaririsu."

"You're welcome. Now, attach your chakra threads to your puppets. I'll cover you."

"Uh, ri- right!"

"Naruto! I need a squad of four to Yaoki and Korobi." Three more Amaririsu's appeared. "Otherwise keep it up. Don't give them time to regroup."

"You got it!"

Hikari sensed the focused chakra threads reach the two puppets. She heard the distinct clicking and clattering of their movable wooden pieces shifting as Yaoki and Korobi guided their puppets back to them first, into a defensive position.

The four Naruto Clones and three Amaririsu Clones surrounded them as a physical defense against the Anbu.

"Keep your distance from the Anbu, Korobi and Yaoki. Attack and disable with your puppets. Our Clones and the Crows will keep you covered. Watch out for long-range Wind jutsus and be prepared to evade. My Clones will warn you if they sense or see an attack coming that you don't. Don't be afraid. You're not fighting this battle alone. Trust in your comrades. Trust in each other."

"Yes ma'am," they chorused.

"I'm heading back in. Watch each other's backs."

She raced back in. Dashing up a tree, running along the underside and shooting off, into yet another heated clash of steel.

"This is about the safety of the Sand, Leaf shinobi!" the leader hissed at her. "As long as the Shukaku is within him, Gaara will always be a danger to the Sand and its people! He'll destroy us all."

"Because all of you pushed him to feel that way! Your leaders placed the Shukaku in him, raised him in isolation, trained him to just be some tool and weapon you could unleash on your enemies. Meanwhile, your people don't even see _him_. They see the monster. He's just ' _that boy_ ' or ' _that kid_ '. You stripped him of an identity. Stripped him of compassion, love and friendship. And then, when he embraced darkness and became the monster you fear, you send assassins to eliminate him because you've lost control of the weapon you created!

"That's all you see in him, in Hikari! They're just tools to you! Weapons you want to control!"

"That's all shinobi are, child! Tools. Weapons!"

"No we're not! Beneath our armor we're still human beings. Behind the power they wield, Hikari and Gaara were still children! Children you and your people mistreated and abused!"

"Why is this so personal to you?" the leader demanded, through grit teeth.

"I told you already: They're my friends and comrades, and I won't let people like you hurt them anymore."

Feeling strength from Amaririsu's words, Hikari focused on her Iron Sand. Her control was back. 'Twas likely the Leaf kunoichi intended to win without asking help of her or Gaara, which was considerate of her. But she was not finished yet.

"Shall we join our friends, Gaara?" she asked.

"Yes."

Hikari stood. Gaara jumped down, landing behind the leader.

"Amaririsu, Naruto, Yaoki and Korobi, as well as the Crows who have gathered to protect us, thank you," Hikari thanked, coiling her Iron Sand around her once more. "You shinobi of the Sand, 'tis time you recognize that the Council of Fools have greatly underestimated our power."

"It will take more than a little water to kill me," Gaara stated. "These few grains of Sand I have will be more than enough to deal with the likes of you."

In conjunction, the pair launched their attacks; Gaara attacked with a single golf ball size bundle of hardened sand; Hikari unleashed a stream of Iron Sand, lashing their enemy's until the combined effort incapacitated all the Anbu agents.

"Osamu, remind me to _never_ fight Hikari's Iron Sand."

A soft and amused hum. "Lady Amari, it would be wise if you never battled Hikari whatsoever. She would be your worst match."

"Yeah. Hikari, you're a wonderful friend, but you would make for a troublesome enemy."

The chakra shroud vanished.

Hikari tilted her head and smiled. "'Tis good we will never be enemies then, no?"

"Definitely good."

"You big show offs!" Naruto jested, dispelling all of his Clones.

Soon after Kakashi, Sasuke and Sakura regrouped on the forest floor. The Leaf shinobis were all relatively unharmed, however Hikari and Gaara were in varying states of recovery and injury.

"What an unfortunate incident. But at least these conspirators were flushed out and subdued," Kakashi said at length, after hearing their side of the incident.

"As I thought, we've caused you trouble. Forgive me," Gaara apologized.

"It's not you who owes us an apology, Gaara," Amaririsu replied as she began to step dangerously towards the unconscious ring leader. "It's these bastards who caused all this trouble. Treating you like monsters, calling you mistakes. Tch! I'll—"

"Don't!" Gaara's words stopped her. "I know perfectly well what these men can be like. But still… Let them be. They're our people, even if they cannot accept us."

"If you say so," Amaririsu sighed.

Hikari smiled at her first friend. "And that 'tis why you will make an excellent Kazekage one day."

"Well, with that out of the way," Kakashi's voice was light as air. "Shall we return to our original mission?"

And with that, their mission continued.

* * *

 _Review Response to Guest: Yep, they were on different missions altogether. They weren't monitoring the teams._

 _You were spot on with your assumption. Gaara and Hikari are back._

 _Yeah, this was a filler from Shippuden that flashbacked to their days as Genin after Nagato destroyed the Village. Some of the filler wasn't bad, but I can understand how it can turn off people from watching it, having seen the filler episodes myself. Some of it was pointless, adding nothing overall. Other times it was entertaining. It can be a mixed bag. Personally, I have no issues with those who prefer to read the manga only or those who only watch anime and don't read the manga at all. For some it might be easier to access the anime on a tv show or streaming service. For others it might be easier to access the story by reading the manga. However someone consumes the story is fine by me. As long as they're being entertained, who am I to judge?_

 _Currently there is no Kazekage elected. Their Council is currently in charge._

 _The relationship between Gaara and his siblings will be shown later on. Hmm. I'd say Temari and Kankuro know he is a jinchuriki, given how well Naruto and Gaara connected. Hikari would know because she's a Sensory Type._

 _Once again, no need to apologize for any of that._

 _Thank you for the review!_


	86. Chapter 85: Friends

Chapter 85

Friends: The Bond between Leaf and Sand

The Leaf and Sand made camp together before midnight.

No fire warmed them, nor was there the scent of a cooked meal in the air; they did not want to draw unwanted attention. Bland rations replenished their energy, and the calm air encouraged rest. 'Twas the ancient training of shinobi to rest, eat or sleep when possible. So they did.

Team Seven, mainly Naruto Uzumaki, regaled them with stories of past missions, enamoring the Suna rookies by boasting of his heroic deeds, only to be corrected by Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno throughout. Amaririsu giggled and let him tell tales of grandeur.

Gaara listened, asking questions at times, but otherwise maintained his silence. He was learning, she knew, about their individual personalities and the bond shared between these people who helped save them from darkness. Hikari enjoyed their comradery and kinship; 'twas a source of great warmth and happiness, their laughter and the smiles she could hear in their voices, no matter how foreign the experience was.

However, the selfish desire to steal Amaririsu away so they might speak one on one refused to fade.

Eventually the opportunity came.

As midnight drew near, the group of shinobis began to prepare in their own ways. Yaoki and Korobi checked over their puppets; Sasuke Uchiha continued to rest, breathing steadily; Sakura Haruno went over the operation with Kakashi, as well as their back-up plans; Naruto and Gaara spoke quietly, voices absent of boasting.

'Twas Amaririsu who chose to sit at the edge of their camp to stargaze before the battle.

Hikari approached silently, each light footstep leaving behind an imprint of her sandals in the cool desert sand. The dry and sweltering air of the afternoon had long departed since the sun entered its slumber. The rise of the night commanded the temperature to plummet, dropping beyond average summer nights due to seasonal changes and their current elevation.

Such was the life in a desert climate. Hikari was far more accustomed to the change of temperature than her Leaf counterparts.

The wind howled over the vacant dunes. Otherwise all was silent.

"'Tis a different environment, no? This desert devoid of wonderful trees and dew covered grass?"

"A little."

Hikari stopped next to the seated kunoichi and tilted her head to the side, lips curling in amusement. "A little?"

"Okay, it's completely different," Amaririsu giggled bashfully.

"Mmhm," she hummed, warmed by her laughter. Hikari settled down next to her friend, extending her left leg out and crossing her right beneath it. "I imagine 'tis a shock for you. The Land of Fire is burgeoning with so much _life_ ; the trees, the grass, the flowers and wildlife, they are everywhere, whether you look up to the sky or down to the ground. And I imagine the colors you see the world with must be as plentiful as the grains of sand surrounding us.

"Here there is very little that survives the desert, and that which does survive tends to be harsh or deadly. 'Twas quite the shock, my first experience within the Land of Fire. I spent many hours at a flower shop, exploring each flower I could find, caressing their soft petals and savoring their scents." She exhaled an embarrassed laugh. "The store owner must have thought me quite a fool."

"I don't think there's anything foolish about that," Amaririsu argued softly. "A lot of us take advantage of our sight. We're so focused on our missions, or our work or even just mundane day to day activities that we…stop seeing the beauty of the world around us. It's just a backdrop, colorful and awe-inspiring, but unseen as we focus on our role in this play we call life."

"That is…beautifully tragic," Hikari frowned. "I pity those who do not see it."

"It's a lot easier to succumb to jaded cynicism and darkness than it is to stand in the light."

Yes, 'twas far easier to give oneself to darkness. She witnessed that truth firsthand.

Hikari reached her hand towards Amaririsu, touching her mesh covered arm. She glided her fingertips down the mesh until she found her friend's hand, then curled her fingers into the gap between Amaririsu's index finger and thumb.

"Still," Amaririsu started, gently holding onto her hand, "it's refreshing to hear you talk about your flower shop adventure. We've only experienced each other in either a brief meeting in the streets or during the Invasion. In a way, we hardly know one another. Yet, at the same time, we know some of the most intimate details of our hearts."

"True." Hikari shifted her body to face Amaririsu. "Before we must part ways again, let us speak openly and freely as Amaririsu Yūhi and Hikari the people, not the shinobis. 'Tis your bond that gave me hope when I began to lose faith. 'Tis your light that illuminated my world and gave me warmth when the cold darkness consumed my precious person.

"However, as you said, I hardly know you." She shook her head. "You were but a stranger to me who offered compassion and empathy when I was alone. Although I learned we share a similar pain, a similar burden, there is more to us than the pain we experienced. So," she lightly pulled their held hands to rest on her crossed leg, "who is Amaririsu Yūhi?"

Amaririsu hummed. "If you ask my cousin, he'd say I'm a troublesome workaholic."

"He is wrong?"

"No, not even a little," she giggled. "Hm, I think I'm still figuring myself out, to be honest. But I suppose that's not really an answer, not a legitimate one. Well, Amaririsu Yūhi used to be just Amaririsu. And before that she had a different name and family—a name and family I only began to recall after becoming a Genin."

Hikari tilted her head in genuine confusion and curiosity. "You were orphaned."

 _Just like me._

"My birth name is Haya Uchiha."

"You and Sasuke are kin?"

"Well, we're of the same Clan, but we're not blood siblings. I don't know if we're cousins."

Amaririsu told Hikari of her family, her wonderful cousin Shisui, the fate of the Uchiha Clan, the man named Itachi who sealed her memories behind a genjutsu and her time within the orphanage.

Despite the time that had passed, Hikari could tell the loss of her cousin was fresh, and the pain of the orphanage was a lingering burden she could not let go of. Pain quieted her voice, dampened her light; the clutches of agony and grief refused to remove their jagged and piercing claws from her heart.

'Twas painful to hear it, even more so to hear the details of the betrayal she suffered and the cutting guilt in her voice.

"Ryu spent his last moments encouraging _me_. He was the one dying, yet he was the one who showed strength, offering me words of comfort and a smile as his life slipped away while I…while I could only cry and beg him not to leave me alone."

Hikari squeezed her hand but said nothing. No words seemed suitable.

"That's when Kakashi-sensei, my mom and two other Leaf Jōnin found us. Ryu was already dead. I didn't learn until later that someone else was involved in that day. I don't know if they manipulated Kasai or if he always harbored that darkness; I doubt the truth could change how I feel. But without the sacrifices of the Crows, I wouldn't be here. I'd be kidnapped by that person…and I'd likely be someone who only left death and pain in my wake."

"But that path is not the one you embarked on, and for that I am grateful to the Crows for their noble sacrifices. 'Tis because of them we were able to meet one another as friends, and that meeting changed mine and Gaara's life for the better."

"…Troublesome girl."

Hikari grinned. Those two words were all she needed to know her friend was blushing, and 'twas gratifying to do so.

"It took me a while to get my footing after that. Kurenai Yūhi, the woman who would eventually adopt me, showed me warmth and compassion while she helped me find my strength. Kakashi-sensei gave me guidance and shared his wisdom with me. I met my Uncle Shikaku, Aunt Yoshino and cousin Shikamaru then, though I didn't know at the time they were my real family."

"This Shikamaru, he is the one who calls you a troublesome workaholic?"

"Yep, that's him," she giggled. "And that lazy bones isn't wrong. I spent the next two years dedicating my time to studying and training. I tried to give up more than a few times, but my mom didn't give me that option. She kept pushing me to be the best I could be.

"Eventually, I started to advance and became the number one rookie of my class. But it wasn't immediate, and not all my growth was positive."

"Oh? How so?"

"Because of what I experienced, I thought I understood better what it meant to be a shinobi than my peers did. I saw them as kids playing at shinobi, some of them as brats. Sakura and I weren't close at all," she chuckled. "And Sasuke and I didn't speak to one another."

"What changed you?"

"Meeting a kindred spirit and a grumpy old man."

Hikari snorted. "A grumpy old man?"

"He deserves that nickname for what he said to me."

"May I ask what?"

"…'You're pretty tiny for a twelve year old. I'd be worried if I were you. You may never hit a growth spurt and become a woman.' That jerk. I'll show him. I'll hit a growth spurt and leave an imprint of my sandal on his butt."

Hikari did not want to laugh; the words of this grumpy old man were quite rude, after all. However, Amaririsu's vendetta against him and promises of vengeance made it impossible.

The giggles attacked her relentlessly.

" _Hikari_!" the Nara whined. "Don't laugh! I'm seriously worried I've inherited a short gene!"

Amaririsu's plea kept her giggling. Hikari slapped her free hand to her mouth, not to silence herself, but to hide the grin stretching from ear to ear.

The groan of defeat kept her laughing a few moments longer.

"Forgive me," she apologized with a smile. "'Tis not this grumpy old man's words to make me laugh, but yours. I did not realize your height was such a serious subject matter."

"You know, I thought, 'Hey, if there's anyone I know who won't laugh at my lack of height, it's Hikari. She'll reassure me I have nothing to fear.' But _noo_ , you had to be troublesome."

"I suppose 'tis something you bring out of me," Hikari replied fondly. "Tell me of this kindred spirit and grumpy old man. They sound intriguing."

Amaririsu obliged her. She went over the battle between herself, the boy named Haku and Zabuza Momochi, explaining the intensity of the conflicted emotions she felt, which led to both a revelation of herself and an critical injury.

"I mistook understanding loss and grief for understanding the reality of shinobi life," Amaririsu explained. "I thought I was capable of killing then. That I could kill the kindness in my heart to do what was necessary, and in my arrogance and hatred I tried to destroy Zabuza for all the pain he caused me, my teammates and Haku. In the end, though, I only overestimated myself while remaining a naïve kid.

"Haku moved to sacrifice himself to save Zabuza. I jumped in front of Kakashi-sensei's Lightning Blade to save him, shattering my own foundation in the process. But it's because of that, and the scars I gained that day, I was able to open my eyes, find my nindo and change the path I was on. Plus I gained a really good friend out of it, so everything worked out for the best."

Hikari's fingers traced along the scars on the back of Amaririsu's hand. The texture of the scarred skin compared to the untouched areas was noticeable; each scar was different in shape, in curve, in length, and these few she could feel were single leaves on a burgeoning tree. Beyond the mesh sleeve were more. 'Twas inappropriate, but Hikari wished to trace them all, to learn the story they told and see her friend in her entirety—scars and flaws included.

"I think I would like to meet this Haku one day."

"You two would get along well. Maybe I'll be able to introduce you two in the future."

"I'd like that."

"After that, well it was the Chūnin Exams, which is when we met."

Hikari squeezed her hand and smiled. "A moment I would not trade for anything."

"All right, your turn. We still have time before midnight. So, who is Hikari?" Amaririsu turned the tables on her. "Before the Invasion, she was a stranger in need of aid, lost in foreign streets. During it she became a friend, a friend I would like to know more about."

"But you haven't yet told me about your adventures since we parted ways, or of your hobbies, your likes, dislikes," Hikari pouted. She wanted to know more, to learn everything she could about her precious friend.

"I will, but first I want to hear about the road you walked to our inevitable meeting."

Hikari continued to pout, but nodded. "'Tis only fair, I suppose. You shared with me many intimate and heartbreaking moments, and 'tis a privilege you would share your secrets with me. I will offer nothing less."

Speaking of her memories from her childhood, of the disdain of the Villagers, their verbal and physical abuse before her powers manifested, 'twas not easy. But, as she was for Amaririsu, Amaririsu stood a silent pillar of strength, comfort and empathy. She spoke of her first meeting with Gaara and the wonderful bond they shared, the happiness it gave her and light it brought to her dark world.

"Gaara made the cards I was dealt infinitely easier to bear. I did not and do not need the entirety of Suna to accept me. They may resent me until my dying breath, and I will still find happiness and joy in life, because I do not need their acceptance. I have Gaara." Hikari turned to her friend. "And I have you, Amaririsu. I have all I need to be content in this life."

"…It was selfish of me, but I kind of hoped you would come back to the Leaf."

"Come back to you, you mean."

Amaririsu's silence was the answer.

Hikari squeezed her hand warmly. "Selfishness is not inherently evil, Amaririsu. 'Tis not evil that you wished to give me a home or happiness away from the pain I have experienced; this desire of yours is sourced in purity. In warmth. I am grateful to have a friend such as you.

"But if we are being truly honest with our feelings, then allow me to say that I desired nothing more than to come back to your light." She turned her head back to the camp where their comrades waited, out of earshot of the two kunoichi. "Gaara did not approach me initially upon our return. I was alone for a stretch of time, and each day I cursed myself for not accepting your offer."

"If anything ever changes, it'll always be there."

Hikari turned her smile back to her friend. "And that 'tis why you are Konoha's greatest treasure." She squeezed her hand again. "Thank you. Truly. But Gaara and I have reconciled. We are as we should have been all these years we spent away from one another, and I hope to aid him on his path."

"I'm happy he can see you. I would have traveled all the way to Suna to kick his butt again if he left you alone."

Hikari exhaled a laugh and shook her head. "Never change, Amaririsu."

"Earlier, after we took down those Anbu guys, you told Gaara he'd become an excellent Kazekage. Is that the path he's chosen for himself? To become the Kazekage?"

Hikari nodded. "Yes. Suna has always treated him as a monster or a tool to be feared and resented. Gaara seeks to change that. He wishes to become someone more like you and Naruto Uzumaki." The Suna native frowned. "I will support his goal, but I fear I do not feel the same."

"Hm?"

"'Tis not us who should have to bear the burden of redefining this bond. 'Tis not us who treated children as monsters. Suna and its people are. No reason or excuse is valid. There was no reason to abuse me. No reason to shun Gaara for the Shukaku when _they_ placed it within him. Why should I seek to earn their adoration when 'tis them responsible for my pain? Why should I be the one who must attempt to change their feelings when I am who I have always been?"

Amaririsu did not answer. Not immediately. Together they sat, attached in the silence by their held hands.

"I can't fault you for the way you feel. Honestly, I agree," Amaririsu spoke up. "If the Uchiha Clan wasn't massacred, I wouldn't want to seek to redefine my bond with them either. Not after how they treated me. And if my sudden growth or rise in the rankings made them start seeing me differently I'd probably still resent them."

"Because you have always been you, as I have always been me."

"Yes."

'Twas comforting to know she alone did not harbor these feelings.

"Still, all I ask is that you don't shut yourself off completely," Amaririsu continued. "You don't need to go out of your way to prove yourself to your people. But don't sneer down at them. Don't justify your pain by inflicting it on others. You'd only be lowering yourself to their immature level. You're better than that. You're better than them.

"If they finally begin to see the real you, like Yaoki and Korobi have, don't shun them. It'd be easy to, and you'd have every reason to. Trust me, in your position I'd want to make those who hurt me squirm now that I have the strength to stand up for myself.

"But you and me, people like us, we can't hold onto that darkness. It'll corrupt us. It'll devour our joy. Our happiness. Our love. If we only ever hold onto the past pain, we can never move forward. We'll be shackled to our past, blind to our present and unable to secure a brighter future where we can find our peace. "

"Mm," Hikari hummed in her throat, lips tugging into a smile. "You are wise beyond your years, Amaririsu."

"Pain is an excellent teacher…and that piece of wisdom didn't come without a heavy burden."

Concern caressed Hikari's heart. Amaririsu's voice expressed in exquisite detail the weight and the exhaustion the burden had already caused her. The solemnity created a chasm between them. How could her friend feel so close yet so far away at the same time?

"Amaririsu?"

"Remembering my cousin didn't come without a price. I saw…I saw his death." Hikari's hand unconsciously squeezed her friend's as she gasped. "Seeing him die, seeing him in my memories again and knowing I could never have him back…I embraced my darkness. Or I was swallowed by it. I don't know. All I could see and feel was hatred, agony and despair.

"Nothing else mattered. Only killing the people I saw as responsible did. The person I became, I hardly recognize her. But she was me." Amaririsu's other hand rested on top of their intertwined hands. "That's why I'm asking you to not shut yourself off. You don't have to forgive those people, but please, don't hold onto your resentment. Don't let yourself be shackled by darkness. It's…frightening."

Hikari rested her free hand onto Amaririsu's. "For you, I will try."

"Thank you."

The questions Hikari wished to ask escaped her after that. She became focused on the placement of their hands—one pair intertwined while the other two laid on top of one another. Gently, almost unconsciously, she turned Amaririsu's free hand palm up. With the touch of a feather, she explored her friend's palm with her fingertips, tracing over the curved and straight creases that lined it.

Her friend exhaled a shaky laugh. "That sort of tickles."

"Do you wish me to stop?"

"No."

Hikari smiled. Those were their final words for quite some time. Together they sat in the cool desert sand as silent as the night around them, connected by physical contact and their bond. The Suna native treasured both.

She honed in on this moment, savoring every slight twitch of Amaririsu's hand as her fingertips tickled her. She trailed unhurriedly from one crease to the next to map out every little detail, from the smallest of lines to the longest—the latter starting a little below her index finger and stretching diagonally almost to the other side of her palm.

Amaririsu's hands were soft. Not silky, but not calloused sandpaper either. Her nails, which the Suna native explored as well, were not rough or broken either. The tops were smooth, and their edges rounded and maintained. She took care of herself, it told Hikari.

Her inquisitive fingers glided down Amaririsu's four fingers, then down the crevasse separating her pointer finger and her thumb, over the smaller finger and to her wrist. Slowly, she began to move to the new, unexplored territory of her forearm. Little bits of hesitation wormed their way into her fingers, uncertain of the boundaries she could cross.

"I…I am not making you uncomfortable, am I?"

"Nope. Tickles a little, but it's soothing."

"Mm." Her hesitation evaporated but her fingertips continued their languid, exploratory pace. She'd forgotten Amaririsu's mesh long sleeve was only one sleeved. It left more skin exposed for her to touch, to feel the softness of and learn from.

 _I have yet to find a single scar on this arm._

Her exploration was far from over, though.

The muscles of her forearm did not tense beneath her touch, nor did Amaririsu's breathing sound stiff. She was calm. At ease. The Leaf kunoichi's thumb rubbed gently up and down the side of the pointer finger of their intertwined hands, encouraging the physical contact.

She obliged. The dance of her fingertips steadily worked towards her upper arm; no scars, no stiffness to the strong muscles her fellow kunoichi possessed. 'Twas impressive. The physical conditioning Amaririsu possessed proved her cousin true.

"You truly are a workaholic, no?" she asked, a tease in her voice.

"Told you," her friend giggled.

Her hand moved up to her shoulder, onto the smoother fabric of her tank top, which was quickly replaced by a firm harness as she moved closer to her neck. Her exploration found the forehead protector, the metal cold and the engraved symbol a sort of swirl with a triangle end to symbolize a leaf.

In her journey she found a thread—a necklace. Careful not to simply follow it into inappropriate and intimate areas, she gripped the necklace between her thumb and pointer finger, lifted it slightly off the chest of her friend to follow it to the pendent.

Amaririsu sighed audibly in relief.

A playful deviousness possessed Hikari at that moment.

"Is your chest off limits?" she asked, voice trained to be innocent and features neutral, fingers gripping the pendent in examination. Quite the strange symbol. She would have to ask in a moment.

The sigh became a sharp intake of air.

"Would it be too inappropriate?" she asked again, still as innocent as could be.

"I- uh- I-"

"Hehehe!" The stutters did her in quicker than she hoped.

" _Hi- Hikari!_ You troublesome girl, you were teasing me!" her friend whined.

"Mm, I was," she replied, her amusement on display. "But you are to blame for it. While I am blind, I am still aware of the anatomy I was born with. Anatomy we share as girls." A stern look crossed her features. "Please, do not stay quiet out of politeness if I tread into areas that discomfort you. _Tell me_. Stop me. I cannot hear your thoughts or see your reactions. You must help me set boundaries in times like this."

"Right. Sorry."

"Do not apologize. We make mistakes. We learn. 'Tis the way of life. Now." She lifted the pendent up slightly. "What are these shapes? They seem…Hm. I wish to say incomplete, yet they make a whole."

"Well, they make me."

Hikari furrowed her brow. "I do not understand."

"Here." Amaririsu's free hand found hers. Guiding her index finger along the smooth circular shape, she explained, "This one is half the Nara Clan crest." She guided her finger over a dull needle point to the opposite side. "And this one is Uchiha Clan crest. Half and half create a whole. My papa," she guided her finger over the needle point again, "and my mama."

Amaririsu took her hand from the necklace, keeping a gentle grip on her wrist as she guided it to a new location. Her fingers brushed against a hilt above Amaririsu's right shoulder. "And that's my cousin's tantō. I've got him with me too."

Hikari hummed and smiled. She released the hilt, hand resting on her harness covered shoulder. "May I see you?"

"See…me? Do you mean with my chakra cloak?"

Hikari stifled a chuckle and shook her head. "No. As I have told Gaara countless times: There are more ways to see something than with your eyes. I would have to touch your face, so if you do not wish me too, I will understand."

"Oh. No, that's fine. Just let me move my bandana and turn more towards you."

She heard the adjustment of the fabric and felt the shift of the sand. When Amaririsu settled once more, Hikari detangled her fingers from her warm hand and traced her way up her arm, to her shoulder and then the base of her neck.

"You are the second person who has let me do this. Thank you."

"Take your time. I'm in no hurry."

"Mm," Hikari smiled.

Carefully, investigative, she worked her way up Amaririsu's neck to her jawline. All the way she felt the strands of her long, unrestrained hair tickle the backs of her hands.

"How long is your hair?" she asked.

"Almost at my waist. I'm thinking about cutting it a few inches; makes it easier to maintain when it's closer to the middle of my back."

"Color name?"

"Blue."

"And what does your shade feel like?"

"What does it feel like? Hm. I've never thought about colors in how they feel before."

"Take your time. I'm in no hurry," Hikari teased.

Air brushed against her hands from an amused snort.

Her exploration of Amaririsu's jawline led her to her ears, where two piercings on each ear were found. The soft tickles of her hair along her skin coerced Hikari to weave her fingers into it, if for only a moment or two.

"When you were in the Land of Fire, did you come across any streams?"

"I did."

"Did you dip a leg or arm or your whole body into it?"

"I dipped my feet in."

"Then you know how it feels when the calm current is brushing against you. I'd say that's how blue feels. It's gentle and inviting. It's soothing. It's like…having you run your hands through my hair."

"I understand the first example perfectly. I hope the second is a good sensation?"

"Definitely."

She did not need the verbal confirmation to her question, not really. She could feel Amaririsu decompressing beneath her touch. Both responses were gratifying.

"'Tis the perfect color for you then," Hikari nodded.

From her hair she moved back down her jawline to her chin. Her exploration continued upwards; first tracing over Amaririsu's soft lips with tender caresses, then up and along her cheekbones.

When her right hand brushed over scarred flesh, she frowned. She knew it would be there. They'd only spoken of the scar Kasai left moments ago, but 'twas far longer and far more distinct than she thought. Touching with only the pad of her thumb, she followed it over the shut eye, through the hair of her eyebrow to the bandana it disappeared under.

"Pretty bad, huh?" Amaririsu asked, unbothered.

Yes, 'twas bad her friend had been hurt in such a way. But…

"No. 'Tis a part of you, and you are very pretty, Amaririsu."

"O- oh! Um, thank you. I…I think you're really pretty too, Hikari."

"Am I?" Hikari tilted her head to the side in genuine question, hands tracing their way back down Amaririsu's face, neck and arms back to her hands.

"I think you are," Amaririsu's reply came softer, bashful but truthful.

Hikari offered her a reassuring smile. "Forgive me, 'tis not something I am used to hearing. Gaara was the first person to ever call me pretty, and many years have passed since I have heard such a kind remark about my appearance. However, if you both consider me pretty then I am content."

It made her feel less like the monster she once believed herself to be.

Their fingers entwined with one another again. For the final time on this night they embraced this innocent intimacy they were sharing in.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting you two," Kakashi's cool-headed voice came before his approach. Neither relinquished their hold. "But it's about time for us to move out. Are you two ready?"

"Ready whenever you are, Kakashi-sensei."

"I am prepared as well."

"All right. Let's get a move on then," he said.

* * *

The rogue shinobi hideout was a lone, wooden two story building at the peak of the mountain, surrounded by an uninhabited flat sea of sand and nothing else. From a small guard tower erected on top of the hideout, a single guard patrolled, observing the endless horizons for any approaching outsiders.

Strategically speaking, the guard tower gave quite the advantage to the bandits. In this terrain any soul crossing the desert, whether a small force or a large one, could be seen from the tower, allowing the guard to warn his comrades of the approaching enemy before they could be engaged.

However, this strategic advantage only mattered if the bandit on sentry duty was competent. The guard tonight was not. Either too arrogant to believe they'd ever succumb to an assault, or too tired to do his job properly, the sentry missed the nine shadows advancing silently towards his base.

"All right, hold here," Kakashi halted their advance and signaled the team to wait in a crouch. "Amari, can you tell if the bandits inside know we're here?"

"They're completely unaware," she answered. Through her Byakugan she scanned every corner of the base. "The majority are on the ground floor. Sixteen total. Some of them are sleeping. Others are awake but enjoying themselves. I think they're drinking alcohol. Their weapons, though, are all within arm's reach—battle-axes, swords, the usual bandit weaponry."

Her eye flicked up to the second floor. "The other four are on the second floor. They seem to be in deep discussions about something; they're seated around a table on the west side of the room, one of them looks particularly happy about whatever they're planning."

With all the money and valuables spread out on the table in front of him, she wasn't surprised.

Kakashi nodded. "Okay. Since we've made it here without being seen, we'll go with our original plan. Yaoki, use your puppet to take down the sentry quietly. After you do, Hikari and Amari will head to the rooftop and plant a paper bomb to breach through to the second floor.

"The explosion will wake everyone up, but they're attention will be drawn to the second floor. That's when the rest of us move in. Sasuke, you'll breach the door with a Chidori. Take down whoever you can with it. Sakura will be right behind you, followed by Naruto and myself."

All of Team Seven shared a nod.

"With all the shinobi focused on us, Korobi will then enter with his puppet to guard Gaara as he uses his sand to immobilize anyone we haven't already taken care of. If all goes well, this will all be finished in a matter of minutes. Sound good?"

"Yes," Gaara agreed.

Kakashi looked to Yaoki. "You're up then, Yaoki."

"Right," he replied.

Amari hopped up onto Hikari's rock and crouched on the edge. They weren't looking for a long, intense battle against these people. Even if there were Chūnin or Jōnin among them, this assault strategy was meant to snuff out the fight before it could really begin.

For once the element of surprise was on their side. Amari liked it.

Yaoki attached his chakra threads to his puppet, took a deep breath then made his move. The puppet flew effortlessly through the sky, sweeping around the sentry to attack him from behind, wrapping its multiple arms around his mouth and torso.

The sentry's cry never reached his comrades.

"Let's go, Hikari," Amari said.

"At once."

Hikari guided them up to the roof, their approach as silent as a snow leopard stalking its prey in a blizzard. Amari kept her eye on their enemies, waiting for them to suddenly spring to alert because of a Sensory Type hidden among them.

No one moved.

Once over the roof, Amari hopped down and silently moved to place a paper bomb in the most effective place. It wouldn't do to put it directly above the bandits. If these were the ring leaders, which she believed they were, they wanted to capture them alive. Blowing them up would be problematic.

Checking the angle of the moon, blanketing the earth in pale moonlight, and her position, Amari nodded to herself and placed the paper bomb down then hopped back onto Hikari's rock.

"Paper bomb is set. You ready, Hikari?" she asked as her friend lifted them higher into the air, further away from the blast radius.

"I am. As soon as I am able, I will incapacitate them with my Iron Sand."

"They won't be able to dodge. I'll make sure of that."

Floating a decent distance in the sky at their elevation allowed Amari to see the two Land's separated by this mountain. On one side, the Land of Fire and the plentiful trees her home was known; on the other, the vast and endless sands of the Land of Wind.

What a wonderfully diverse world they lived in.

 _I didn't realize how cold it was up at this elevation._ She shivered. _Sheesh, I should have packed a sweater._

Clasping her hands in Snake, she detonated her paper bomb.

The silence that once covered the night erupted in orange, hot fire. Echoes of the explosion rippled over the mountain, echoes within echoes cascading all around. Hikari visibly flinched, brow furrowing in discomfort.

Amari reached over and wrapped her pointer finger and middle finger around the Suna native's pinky and ring finger, squeezing them lightly once. Then she hopped off the rock. Cold air whistled past her ears as she plummeted towards the moonlight painted rug and debris covered floor.

The loud air obstructing her senses passed for coughing and curses upon landing.

"Wh- what the hell is happening?" someone asked through coughs.

"We're being attacked, you idiot, that's what!" another shouted.

Four shadow tendrils darted across the floor, ensnaring all four shinobi within her grasps instantly.

"My body, it won't…"

"Move?" Amari finished for the third member. "You're caught within the Nara Clan's Shadow Possession Jutsu. You don't have a hope in hell of moving. And you're backup is being dealt with as we speak. You hear that, right?"

Chaos roared beneath them as the main team assaulted the sixteen other bandits. Shouts of orders from bandits, fists and jutsus connecting with flesh; their defeat was louder than the explosion that preceded it.

"Not so fun when a stronger force ambushes you, is it? Now you know how those innocent people you've attacked felt."

"When I get free, I'll make you regret this!" said the man Amari assumed to be the leader.

"Then 'tis good you won't have that chance."

Hikari floated down into the room, grains of her Iron Sand, illuminated by moonlight, floating around her.

"Tha- that sand!" the leader gasped, horrified.

"The Leaf and the Sand will not tolerate your banditry any longer," Hikari said. She clicked her tongue once then said, "Iron Sand: Infinite Darkness!"

The infinite needles rained down upon the four men, seemingly hitting whatever they wished to an outsider, but Amari could see the pinpoint accuracy in every needle. Their enemies shrieked in agony and crumpled to the floor when she released them of her Shadow Possession, alive but wounded.

"Huh, this has gone a lot smoother than my other missions," she mused out loud. "Usually there's more trouble than this."

"Fighting our Anbu does not count as trouble?" Hikari asked, amused.

"Well, they were a real drag, but nothing we haven't dealt with before." She shrugged. "Besides, you and Gaara pretty much made mincemeat of them. I only had to seriously fight a handful with Osamu, the Crows and Naruto backing me up before that. And they underestimated me."

A frown creased her lips. "Now that I think about that, it really perturbs me they didn't take me seriously. They took me lightly because of my age, which made it so much easier to outmaneuver them."

Hikari chuckling softly drew Amari's attention to her friend. She was seated on the edge of her rock, the Iron Sand snaking around her as it returned to her gourd.

The fond smile on her friend's face made her exhale a laugh as she asked, "What's with that smile? Why'd you laugh?"

"I enjoy your company, Amaririsu."

Heat flushed her cheeks. "I enjoy yours too, Hikari."

"Sounds like the battle below has reached its conclusion. Shall we join them with these four?" Hikari asked.

"Yeah."

Amari created four Shadow Clones to tie the four men up. As they worked, she strolled over to the Suna native and wrapped her arms around her waist, lifting Hikari up off the rock and down onto the floor. Hikari hugged her arm.

Together, with Amari as Hikari's guide, they made their way down the stairs to regroup, the four bandits slung over her clones shoulders. The bottom floor displayed a chaotic scene despite the lack of movement. Bodies lay strewn across the room. Tables were broken or toppled over; one particularly had a bandit crashed through it, his battle-axe discarded haphazardly on the floor behind him.

Her team and Gaara's, however, were in perfect health. No scratches. No cuts. No wounds.

"Seems everything went according to plan down here too," she noted as she looked around.

Even when they reached the bottom step, Hikari did not relinquish her grip. Then again, Amari didn't want her to.

Naruto, who stood beside Gaara, grinned at her and puffed out his chest. "Hehehe! You bet it did! These guys didn't stand a chance against us!"

"No trouble with those four?" Kakashi asked.

"Besides having bad attitudes? No." Amari answered. "Captured them with my Shadow Possession then Hikari took them down with her Iron Sand." She lifted her chin towards the leader. "He recognized the Iron Sand. At a guess, he used to be a Sand shinobi since the others didn't seem to know what it was. Or he's an expert of Suna's history."

She looked around at the bandits the others were tying up. "Either way, the ambush worked perfectly, Kakashi-sensei. If any of them were Chūnin or Jōnin, they didn't get the chance to show us their strength."

 _It's better this way, though_ , she thought. _With such close quarters, and so many bandits, we could have had a lot harder time taking them all down if they were prepared for us. Who knows what kind of traps they may have set, or what kind of jutsus they possessed._

It could have been an uncoordinated mess on their side. If it hadn't been for Hikari, Gaara, Yaoki and Korobi being willing to listen to Kakashi's strategies, this battle could have been a lot different. Bloodier, even.

 _And the rift between Sand and Leaf may have grown._

But looking at the Suna kunoichi on her arm, the warm smile on her lips and the teamwork her allies showed, what could have been a disaster turned out into something wonderful.

 _Our bond grew, too_. Amari smiled and guided Hikari further into the room.

She looked forward to seeing how it bloomed in the future.

* * *

"Gaara, may I speak with you?" Amari asked.

Gaara, although visibly confused by her sudden approach, nodded. He seemed to sense the urgency and importance of the conversation the Nara wished to have.

The two teams, after apprehending the bandits, settled on resting at camp before going their separate ways. It was almost sunrise when Amari finally found the chance to approach Gaara.

Hikari sat with her fellow Sand shinobi, hand held in his as they waited for the departure. That was fine. She needed to hear what Amari had to say too.

"Is there something wrong?" Gaara asked.

"No. Or, not between us, I should say," she amended her statement. "Our quarrel ended in that forest. You're Hikari's friend, and any friend of hers is a friend to me."

The soft smile on Hikari's face didn't go unnoticed by Amari. Gaara's shocked expression did make her smile, though. "Don't look so surprised. You weren't the first person trying to kill me to become an ally. As long as you treat Hikari well, you and I won't ever have a problem."

"I owe you an apology—"

"No, you don't," Amari interrupted. "I'm not here to dredge up our past, Gaara. I'm not here to demand you to apologize to me or my friends—your current actions are worth more than words." His eyes widened a fraction at her statement. "I can see that you're different, it's in how you hold yourself and the actions you take. I can see it in how you treat Hikari, too.

"So, like I said, you don't need to apologize. You don't owe me one. Our battle showed me my weaknesses and helped me to push past my limits. And I was able to meet and save Hikari, which I'll always be grateful for."

"As will I," Hikari said.

Amari moved to sit across from them on the sand. Her features turned serious. "I need to talk to you about a group called the Akatsuki. They're a group of S-rank shinobi who infiltrated the Leaf in an attempt to capture Naruto because of what he contains."

Gaara's browless features became severe. "I see."

Hikari frowned. "You believe they will also seek the Shukaku."

"I do," Amari nodded. "It's too high of a possibility to deny. If the Shukaku had one tail and the Nine-Tails has nine, I have to assume there are seven others, which means they're all in danger as well. This group, the Akatsuki, they are an incredible threat to the entire shinobi world. But especially to you and Naruto, Gaara."

"Do you know the individuals who comprise this organization?" Gaara asked.

"I know only three. Kisame Hoshigaki, former Mist Seven Swordsman who wields the blade Samehada. His weapon devours chakra, even if it doesn't touch your skin. Then there are Itachi Uchiha and Aimi Uchiha."

"Uchihas?" Hikari gasped.

Kami, Amari hated this. Hated that she had to warn these two of Itachi and Aimi when she _knew_ they weren't evil. She didn't _want_ them to die. She wanted to save them, damn whatever Itachi wanted. But she had to do it. It was the only way she knew how to prepare these two for the Akatsuki.

"Yes," the reluctance slipped into her voice. "They are masters of the Sharingan and prodigious geniuses. Hikari, you're relatively safe from their genjutsu because you're blind. But Gaara, if you ever see them, you have to find some way to fight without ever meeting their eyes. One look and you'll be finished.

"Aimi can use Lightning and Fire at a high level. Itachi can use Fire, Wind and Water. Plus he has rogue Crows he can summon. Do not take them lightly, not even for a moment."

"We won't," Gaara replied. "Is there any way we can distinguish these people from regular shinobi?"

"Well, Hikari should sense their strength immediately. Especially Kisame. He has monstrous amounts of chakra, on the level of Naruto." She chuckled despite the seriousness of the conversation. "Fortunately, they all wear black cloaks with red clouds on them. The three I encountered also cut a line through the Village symbols on their forehead protectors, likely to signify their status as rogue shinobi. That makes them easy to see."

Amari sighed. "I don't have much else, other than that there are a minimum of nine, likely a few more than that, though. Hopefully, with the growing bond between our Villages, more information will be shared about this group. That way we can all be prepared for them."

"Yes, I agree." Gaara dipped his head in a small bow. "Thank you for telling us this. I will do what I can to prepare myself and our Village."

Amari hopped back onto her feet and began to brush the sand off the back of her shorts. "Don't mention it. I was just helping out my friends."

With that she left, never seeing the smile on Hikari's or Gaara's faces. Conversely, they did not see the guilt stricken look to consume her.

 _Itachi…Aimi…I'm sorry. But this is all I can do right now to protect the future._

She hoped her attempt to protect the future wouldn't cost them their lives.

* * *

Team Seven and the Sand squad parted with pleasant farewells and high hopes. Amaririsu and Hikari, specifically, shared in a final embrace that warmed the hearts of those who watched. Even Gaara could not deny the warmth of witnessing his truest friend be embraced so willingly by another, giggling as the Leaf kunoichi twirled her once through the air.

As Team Seven reached a hill of sand they would soon disappear behind, Naruto turned around and began shouting over the sands about their next meeting, waving both arms over his head and grinning wide enough for everyone. The other Leaf shinobis offered waves and smiles of their own.

Still, Gaara could not help the…odd feeling in his heart. It was strange. Foreign. Alien. But it did have a source.

"Yaoki, Korobi…" he spoke up in a hesitant voice, eyes lowered to the sand between them. "Tell me again."

The pair, who had been waving and shouting back to Naruto, stopped and turned to face Gaara. Their expressions spoke their confusion.

"Tell me again what you said back there. Just one more time," he requested.

His request caused the two Suna rookies features to fall.

"We're sorry we abandoned you," Yaoki apologized.

Gaara shook his head quickly. "No, not that! The other thing. Before that."

Understanding, like the sun rising over the desert, dawned upon the pair. They both shared a smile. "Oh, of course."

"We're your friends!" they declared in unison.

The foreign feeling touched him again. Warm and alien.

During the incident with the Anbu, there'd been a single moment where he began to doubt his goal. A single moment where it all began to seem hopeless. He'd seen the fear in Yaoki and Korobi in their interactions. And then the Anbu, the Elders, they refused to see him as anything less than a monster.

But perhaps…

" _Those who would so willingly betray their comrades are the worst scum in this world! And that's why I won't stop until Gaara and Hikari are safe! They're my comrades, my friends, and I won't let you hurt them anymore!"_

" _Your current actions are worth more than words."_

Yes. As long as he held true to his new path. As long as he continued to prove through his actions that he was not a monster.

" _They were the first to accept me for who I am. They're my friends!"_

" _Don't let what those Anbu guys said make you doubt yourself. Hikari, Amari, me, even Kakashi-sensei and the others believe you can do this. It's gonna take a lot of work, trust me. But keep pushing forward, that way we can meet as Hokage and Kazekage in the future."_

Then perhaps one day he too could be like Amaririsu Yūhi and Naruto Uzumaki.

Gaara's lips unconsciously tugged upwards.

Acceptance, that's what this feeling was. A new bond. Between him and his people. Between the Leaf and Sand.

Between friends.

* * *

 _Review response to Guest: Yep, Gaara already had that talk with Kankuro. Temari and Kankuro will still be around and be apart of a squad with Gaara; this was just a filler from Shippuden, where Gaara was with the regular forces at the time before the Sasuke retrieval arc, showing some of the first shinobi of the Sand who accepted him before he became Kazekage._

 _Naruto was probably quieter in the last fight, but Amari sort of had the yelling handled for him in that battle. Also, because the chapter really focused around Amari and Hikari's bond as the sort of symbol for the growth between Leaf and Sand, it was a sort of stylistic choice to make Amari the one who was most infuriated, especially after the Anbu called Hikari a mistake, saying she bastardized the legacy of the Iron Sand and then because they hurt Hikari visibly._

 _Nothing you said was impolite or came across that way. I like Naruto and Gaara's relationship, too, how it is in canon, so that will still grow the same. I'm glad you're enjoying Gaara's character still._

 _Thank you for the review!_


	87. Chapter 86: Calm Before the Storm

Chapter 86

Calm Before the Storm: Encounters and Training

Reconstruction in the Leaf felt like a never-ending task.

For every repair made, for every structure rebuilt, there was another that needed attended to. Amari didn't envy the carpenters or the laborers. Of course they had breaks, of course they had beds to sleep in and warm food in their bellies. But the work looked utterly exhausting.

Standing on the edge of a rooftop, hands clasped behind her back as she gazed out at her recovering home, Amari took the brief moment of reprieve to breathe in. Breathe out. The chilly air tickled the inside of her nose. The cold front their weather forecasters warned was carving through the Land of Fire finally reached Konoha, making it a little breezy out.

 _Winter is almost here_ , she thought. And in the coming months Konoha would experience its first snowfall of the season.

Compared to the Land of Snow, the Land of Fire's winter was much, much milder. Practically night and day, truly. The Land of Snow, without the generator Koyuki's father built, was a frozen land all season long, with intense blizzards throughout the entire winter. Unfriendly and miserable, to a Land of Fire native anyway.

Conversely, Konoha received a handful of serious snow storms over the course of a full winter. The majority of the winter would mirror today—chilly air, bested by warm, sunny afternoons. Uncommon days would see colder temperatures, maybe a blanket of clouds that never opened up, yet nothing below freezing; a sweater would be necessary for those days.

Then there were the rare days—the handful of snow storms, and the cold days that lingered afterwards.

Mounds of snow would pile atop rooftops and in the streets, slicking the roads sometimes with a thin layer of ice; wool clothing and accessories would become prominent; the odd snowball fight between children could be seen, accompanied by joyous laughter and giggles as well as vows of vengeance.

Amari smiled warmly at the thought and lifted her scarred hand to her head, capturing the rustling strands of her wild hair as the cold breeze rushed against her. She couldn't claim to handle the cold well. Already she hid herself beneath her purple long sleeve, mesh top and purple leggings beneath her shorts, and this was just a cold front. Hardly a winter storm.

Still, she looked forward to the first major snowfall of the year. When she ice skated with Haku, she vowed to make snow angels, and she would keep that vow no matter how cold it was or how goofy she looked.

 _I'd like to ice skate again, too._

Specifically with Haku, but if that hope was impossible, she could acquire another skating partner to savor it with. Or perhaps she'd go alone. It could be a peaceful time to think, to reflect on life, the universe or the multiverse like a learned scholar and philosopher pondering the essence of existence atop an ancient stone acropolis, or to escape thoughts altogether and fall into a trance caused by the rhythmic meeting of her skates and the ice, followed by the glide of the blade along the frozen surface.

But she was getting ahead of herself. No snow had fallen yet. No ice could be skated on at this moment. So she let the thought be taken by the breeze and breathed in again.

Team Seven had been hard at work since their return from the border two days ago. Amari found herself in a consistent rush from mission to mission, ranking from D- to C-rank missions in and around the Leaf.

Supplies at the front walls needed replenished, which called for a series of deliveries to the shinobi standing guard; a top secret Intel scroll had to be delivered to Ibiki Morino, who most Genin and young Chūnin were too afraid to approach; the shinobi supervising a nearby district under reconstruction required aid since an accident that injured three workers and the foreman of another site ensnared all of their attention.

Afterwards, it was time to return to the mission assignment desk to receive new missions and new duties.

Lady Tsunade demanded constant action from all shinobi, for good reason. The work kept a steady flow of income coming in, no matter how small the payment. Without that money the carpenters, foremen and laborers couldn't be paid. Without payment the work wouldn't be done. They'd be left in a state of disrepair—wounded prey to be taken advantage of.

It was a real drag, but it couldn't be helped. There was no sense complaining about it.

Personally, Amari's thoughts kept trailing back to their last mission. It was an important step forward in renewing their relationship with the Sand, which was great. Wonderful, even. Better relations meant a better chance at maintaining peace.

While all of that was important to Amari, as well as the Leaf as a whole, the kunoichi's thoughts mainly revolved around Hikari and their time together. She treasured it.

" _And don't forget to share some of those affectionate thoughts with them."_

As if guided by the memory, Amari's scarred hand found its way to her pendent, gripping the cool metal between her thumb and forefinger. It hadn't been planned. She didn't deliberate on any of her thoughts or actions; she didn't put them through filters to assess how much of her affectionate thoughts and feelings could be shown.

If she were being wholly honest with herself, which Amari tried to be, she didn't _think_ in those moments. She acted or reacted to Hikari without thoughts or filters. Without measuring statements or what her actions could be perceived as from the outside.

She acted and reacted with her heart—open, honest and vulnerable. It felt…oddly comforting. Freeing, she supposed. When in battle or on missions her mind acted in synch with her body—quick and sharp as her blades. To suspend her mind completely, well, she was probably lucky her tongue didn't slip up again like it did with Haku.

" _Well, you're cute for a boy, so consider those on the house."_

The Nara winced, cheeks flushing. Kami, that was still _so_ embarrassing! True to her heart, granted, but _super_ embarrassing all the same!

With Hikari and Haku, and Sakura, too, those reactions naturally slipped out of her. They lowered their walls, removed their masks and reached out into the darkness to speak or embrace each other heart to heart. Person to person.

When Shisui told her to share her affectionate thoughts and feelings, besides the obvious embarrassment at his troublesome antics, Amari felt like it'd be impossible. Like somehow just being open about her feelings…being Amaririsu the girl—vulnerable and scarred—and not the kunoichi—fierce and stouthearted—was an unattainable goal.

Maybe with others it would be. Maybe it was only so easy and natural with Haku, Hikari and Sakura because there was mutual affection. Amari wasn't sure. But she hoped to learn.

" _Life as a shinobi moves fast. Make the time to enjoy yourself as you walk your path, Haya."_

Amari exhaled a relaxed sigh. _I'll do my best, Shisui._

As always, though, she felt the tug between those desires and the workaholic in her, the latter of which possessed greater leverage in the tug-of-war, because what was the point of falling in love if the future was in danger? It was her duty to guide her generation, to inspire and prepare them for the threats ahead. The Akatsuki and the Masked Man wouldn't stagnate.

Whether they liked it or not, their generation had to step up and surpass their teachers to protect the future.

" _You and Mimi Inuzuka have already positioned yourselves as the next generation's guardians. You two must continue to inspire your peers to become greater than they are. It is the only way they will survive what is to come, should the worst happen."_

 _"I'm…I'm not even sure how to do that."_

 _"Yes you do. Walk the path you've chosen, continue to reach out to others as Shisui did before you, and your parents did before him, and you will inspire your peers to follow the trail you have illuminated."_

Amari shut her eyes against the whip of cold air. Where did she even begin? How did she prepare them? Did she tell them the truth? Could they even understand? Or would they think she was overthinking everything?

Were her actions enough? Would they be prepared in time? _Could_ she prepare them in time? What would happen if the worst came true?

The last time the worst happened the entire Uchiha Clan was massacred, and Itachi and Aimi were framed as villainous traitors. Could she save them? Could she protect all her precious people?

The Nara's grip tightened on her pendent. Her heart's palpitations grew in intensity and speed.

Slowly, she inhaled a deep breath from her diaphragm. Then exhaled it out. Another inhale. And exhale out again. It took another handful of deep breaths to leash her anxiety.

 _I don't envy you, Itachi and Aimi_ , her thought was quiet even in her own mind. _What kind of stress does your burden put on you? What kind of anxiety do you two deal with on a daily basis?_

There was no escape from her own. Either a savage nightmare viciously subjugated her dreams, leaving her a sweating, shivering mess, or her traitorous thoughts would derail, sending her into a downward spiral of anxiety and hyperventilation.

Rationally, Amari knew she couldn't let the nightmares or the anxiety stop her when people she loved sacrificed themselves to give her this chance. She couldn't and wouldn't let them down. But rationality meant little to nightmares or anxiety attacks.

Still, despite all the stress, this morning she felt the lack of faith lift like an early morning mist in the wake of afternoon.

The cold front made the air carry a devious mid-winter chill in the early morning, but Amari still rose early to begin her day with physical exercise at her usual training ground.

Warm beads of sweat began to tickle her face when two of her peers approached…

* * *

 _This cold air is murder on my lungs_ , Amari panted.

The kunoichi settled in a low crouch, arms braced on her knees, onyx eye squinted against a sudden rush of cold air. Her nose felt unpleasantly cold, the tip of which was redder than a honking clown nose. Her lungs seemed to ache and tighten with every new breath.

To battle the chill she buried her mouth and nose into her sleeves and inhaled, hopeful the air wouldn't be afflicted with the bitter bite of winter. Her exhale warmed up her sleeves, making the next inhale that much sweeter. Precious warm air, what a rare treasure it was in times such as this.

How did the Land of Water shinobi manage it? From what little she knew of its terrain—knowledge she based off of past geography classes and Haku's recollection of his home—bitter air and snowy winters were normal this time of year, especially in the higher elevations.

How did they train and fight when this air seemed to be sapped of oxygen?

Probably better winter clothing. Scarfs. Face masks. They likely didn't roll out of bed, throw on a warmer shirt and some leggings before heading out into the cold.

 _But_ , she thought, still sucking in oxygen like it was sweet bowls of ice cream, _this does double the difficulty of my training. It's forcing me to overcome a weather condition I wasn't fully prepared for, which could very well happen on a future mission._

She wished it didn't hurt so much to breathe, though. Make her nose red like a special reindeer? Sure. Make it cold enough that dipping her nose into a snow cone would be warm reprieve? Go ahead. Have the air sting her face? Why not. Just don't make it hurt to breathe.

 _Treat it as another obstacle to overcome. Doesn't matter if it's raining, snowing or sleeting; on a mission, in the midst of combat, I may have to endure terrible weather conditions to defeat my enemies._

The Nara exhaled a groan through a heavy breath. "But it's a real drag, that's for sure. Too bad I can't exhale fire out my nose." she muttered into her hands. Amari pondered the image of fire shooting out her nostrils then shook her head. "That has no combat purposes. It also looks really weird."

Standing up, she started towards the nearby river.

"Maybe a Fire Ball Jutsu will warm me up a little."

Amari stopped at the edge, weaved the handseals then inhaled a chest expanding, nose burning inhale.

 _Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!_

Intense flames erupted out of her mouth in a continuous orange stream. The heat danced over her face, teasing her cold nose with its warmth; it was magical. It felt as if ages had passed since she last experienced the caress of warm air on her skin when it was only a few hours, maybe.

Slowly, her insides began to warm. Her core temperature was on a steady, but temporary, climb towards its natural state; the distress of her cold hands and feet began to wane, the expanding warmth snuffing out the unforgiving chill with warm blood.

Ironically, the hot exhale of fire breathed new warmth throughout her body.

As she cut off the jutsu, Amari exhaled a heated breath out of her mouth and watched as a small cloud of condensation floated away from her. Steam rose from the river. But, like stepping out of a hot shower, the sudden absence of fire changed the biting cold into the sharpened, merciless chomps of a dragon.

 _I did_ _ **not**_ _think this through!_ Amari chastised herself, hugging her arms around her body helplessly. Of course the immediate relief of warmth was magical. But she failed to even consider the drop of temperature afterwards! She essentially stepped into a sauna only to then immediately step back out into a blizzard!

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

"Damn, Amari. That fire was intense," a familiar voice called from behind her.

Amari—trying and failing not to shiver—half-turned to see Kiba and Hinata approaching. Akamaru snugly hung out in the front of Kiba's zip-up sweater while Hinata twiddled her pointer fingers together nervously, lavender eyes gazing thoughtfully at steam rising from the river.

She nodded to the trio, a slight shiver in her arms. "I was trying to warm up, but, hehe, I totally forgot I'd be back in this cold afterwards." Hands rubbing her biceps, a full body shiver attacked her. "Man, this cold front has been a real pain this morning. Why didn't I just wear the cloak I wore in the Land of Snow? I wouldn't be so damn cold if I did."

Kiba and Akamaru grinned at her. Hinata tried to hide her amused giggle. Tried, but failed. Amari might have been mildly perturbed with her friend if it wasn't such a sweet sound; a sound which associated itself with other sweet noises, such as wind and string instruments of an orchestra playing a tear-jerking piece, the song of a robin on a sad day and the laughter of children.

Instead she could only sigh dramatically and watch another puff of condensation leave on the wind.

"Sure. Laugh at my pain as you all snuggle inside those warm sweaters. I'll just freeze to death over here." When Hinata moved to unzip her sweater, Amari rose a hand up and shook her head. She was really too kind. "I was only kidding, Hinata. Trust me, you don't want to be in this cold without that on."

The Hyūga's concerned features were too adorable. "But you—"

"I'm more durable than I look," Amari smiled. "I may not have prepared properly for this weather, but I'm using it now as a difficulty multiplier to my training. If I ever ended up stuck in harsh conditions without proper gear, I'd still have to fight. So that's what I'll do now."

"You've become pretty intense since the Academy, Amari," Kiba said, his grin in place. "I mean, that little horde of fan-girls you had used to leave you blushing and stuttering more than Hinata does when Naruto is around."

Pleasant heat warmed her cheeks. But she was not alone.

" _Ki- Kiba_!" Hinata squeaked in embarrassment as her face turned red.

"I almost forgot about them," the Nara muttered. "I thought I would die at their hands before I graduated."

Kiba snickered. "I guess that's the price of being the number one rookie and an Uchiha, huh?"

Doom crossed Amari's face. "Please don't say that! If being an Uchiha had anything to do with it, that means I may never escape it. In fact, it could get worse as I get older!"

"Knowing your luck, it's bound to get worse," Kiba teased.

Amari's head tucked into her chest as her body sagged forward in depression.

"I'm _doomed_ ," she whined.

The Inuzuka chuckled. "Nice to see some things haven't changed."

Sighing, Amari lifted her head and rubbed her hands over her biceps again. It was time to get moving. If she stood still any longer her fingers and toes would become bitter icicles.

"Anyway, what brings you two here this morning? I'm usually the only troublesome workaholic up training at this hour."

"While you guys were away, Kurenai-sensei told us this was where you usually trained before she left for her mission. We actually have a favor we want to ask you," Kiba replied.

 _I didn't even get to see her when we got back_ , Amari frowned internally. Another sign of the times. The Hokage kept the elites busier than a blacksmith in the middle of a war. According to Shikamaru and Chōji—whom she encountered in the streets of Konoha the day before—Asuma was out on a mission too, and she was certain Kakashi would find himself gone again sooner rather than later.

"I haven't seen Mimi since I've been back, now that I think about it," Amari thought out loud. "Are she and Guy-sensei out of the Leaf, too?"

Kiba nodded. "Yeah. Hana is, too. Mimi was sent out about four days ago to work on our northern border with a different team. She was pretty sure Lady Tsunade sent her and Guy-sensei away so they wouldn't bug her while Lee is in surgery."

"Or so they wouldn't pace a youthful rut in the floor at the hospital," the Nara mused, smirking slightly.

 _Stay strong, Lee._

She was looking forward to and dreading his first challenge in equal measure. Would it be something as simple as a spar? Or would he pick one of Guy-sensei's crazy challenges? Frankly, she wasn't sure which was more frightening.

"Ama- Amaririsu, will you, um, will you spar with us?" Hinata asked suddenly.

The request caught her off guard, admittedly. But she recovered quickly and nodded.

"I have no problem with that; I said you could come train with me and Sakura back after the preliminary rounds, after all." Right before her anxiety attack sourced by meeting Hiashi Hyūga. "My offer never had an expiration date. But judging by the serious looks on your faces, there's more to this than a friendly spar."

"Yeah," Kiba agreed. "Back when we all left the Academy, you were at the top of our class, but I felt like I wasn't that far behind. Shino, me and Sasuke were all right behind you in some capacity." The Inuzuka began to rub at the back of his neck. "But then the preliminary rounds came around and I got beat by Naruto—the one kid who used to be the class clown. I don't know if I got complacent, or if I wasn't taking my training as seriously as I should.

"I didn't get to see you and Mimi fight in the Finals. After he saved Hinata, that Kabuto guy knocked me out during Naruto's fight with Neji. But Shino saw it and he's been training harder than ever to match you two."

The Nara tilted her head to the side. "Speaking of Shino, did he not want to spar?"

"Oh, he _definitely_ wants to spar. But he's out on a mission with his dad right now," Kiba answered.

 _He's going to feel left out_ , Amari grimaced internally.

"After you and Kakashi-sensei were taken down by those Akatsuki guys, it became obvious I couldn't slack off any longer," he continued, face turning serious "I know there's nothing I could have done to help you. But when those bastards come back, I want to be ready!"

Kiba slammed his fist into his palm. "No way they're gonna get away with that crap twice. I've already tested myself against Mimi; she gave me everything she had, but now I need you to do the same, Amari. I have to feel your strength for myself, that's the only real way I'll learn the difference between our skill."

Amari looked to Hinata. "Is that how you feel, too, Hinata?"

The Hyūga offered a small nod. "I- I do. You- you've been an inspiration to me since our time in the Academy. You were always ahead of me. Always stronger. Faster. Smarter. You were amazing. You _are_ amazing, Amaririsu."

Amari's first instinct was to correct her, but she reined it in. This was important to Hinata. For her, she would be serious.

"I have to advance. We all do. If- if these Akatsuki members attack you or the Leaf again, I don't- I don't want to stand by while other people fight for me. We all have to be ready. So please," the flicker of Hinata's fierce will appeared in her soft lavender eyes, "don't hold back against me, Amaririsu."

"Then let's spar," Amari nodded. "I'll fight you one at a time, that way I can give you both my full attention. Is that fine with you?"

Relief and excitement crossed Kiba's face. "All right! Yeah! Thanks a lot for this, Amari."

"Yes, thank you, Amaririsu."

"You're welcome."

After short deliberation, it was decided Kiba and Akamaru would be the first to fight. Amari stood across from the Inuzuka duo on the training field, prepared to battle. Hinata stood off to the side, keen eyes watching the Nara.

"All right," Amari reached into her pouch and acquired a kunai, "when this kunai lands in the dirt, come at me with everything you have. Ready?"

Kiba grinned. "Let's do this! Ready, Akamaru!"

Akamaru barked.

The kunai flew into the air, flipping end over end. The blade reached its peak then began to descend back towards the ground. When it pierced the grass, Amari bolted forward, snatching the blade in her dash before Body Flickering across the field, reappearing in the air directly behind the Inuzuka duo.

Their keen senses tracked her the entire way. However, unlike Mimi, Kiba wore a look of surprise at the sight of it. The surprise didn't paralyze him, luckily. He jumped away and slid back on the grass to avoid the kunai.

"She's as fast as Mimi," he muttered beneath his breath.

Amari's foot touched the grass again and she was gone. Instead of attacking from behind she decided on a frontal assault, jolting into Kiba's personal space with a fierce expression. She landed a quick combo of punches, followed by a crushing knee to the gut that sent him tumbling through the grass.

"You're used to being the aggressor in a fight," she lectured as Kiba began to sit himself up. "In your fight against Naruto, you held every advantage in speed and strength. Those advantages were enhanced extremely by your All-Fours Jutsu. But you're greatest mistake was underestimating your enemy. You let arrogance and anger cloud your judgement. It became more about proving Naruto was weak than it was about winning the fight."

"Yeah, I know. Mimi said the same thing," Kiba grumbled.

"Did you listen, though?" Amari asked in return.

"It was impossible to ignore her when she had me pinned face first in the grass."

She smirked for a brief moment but then turned serious again. Doubt was creeping its way into his eyes.

"Attack me with the convictions you showed when you asked me to spar," she demanded. "Are you going to quit when an opponent is tough? Just let Shino or Hinata or my mom handle your problems and pout because you feel helpless?"

Kiba growled.

 _Good_.

"You failed to beat Naruto. So what? Do you know how many times Naruto has failed through the years?" Her eye narrowed at him. "You all laughed at him when he failed. You called him the dead last. The loser. But you know what Naruto did? He kept trying, even when he doubted himself, even when it seemed utterly impossible."

 _And that's how he inspired me and Hinata._

"And he kept failing, too. But Naruto did his best to fail _better_. Failure is how we learn to grow. So what are you going to do, Kiba? Are you going to tap out and moan about me knocking you down so quickly? Or are you going to stand back up and fail better this time?"

Kiba growled and worked his way back onto his feet.

"If it's the last thing I do, I'm going to land at least one solid punch on you!"

Spark ignited. Now Kiba had a goal to accomplish in this battle. A conviction to hold to.

Amari smirked. Onyx shifted to crimson.

"Prove it," she prodded.

The Inuzuka crouched down on all-fours. "Let's go, Akamaru!" The male ninken hopped onto his back and barked. "Man Beast Clone!" His partner transformed into a carbon copy of Kiba. "And now for Ninja Art of Beast Mimicry: All-Fours Jutsu!"

The feral transformation took hold instantly. The real spar was about to begin.

* * *

Kiba and Akamaru charged head-on at Amaririsu, their steps quick and light as they cleared the distance in mere seconds. Hinata watched in silence.

 _Kiba_ , she thought, a concerned downturn to her lips, _I hope you realize Amaririsu didn't say those things to hurt you. She said it to push you._

The Inuzuka duo came in at her sides, a pincer attack meant to cut off any attempt to escape. Amaririsu was too quick, though. Her dōjutsu read their movements, and her reaction time was greater than Kiba's, even with his speed and senses enhanced.

The kunoichi planted her hands on their shoulders and pushed herself above the attack, simultaneously redirecting them into a collision with one another. They tumbled into the grass.

"You're thinking too one-dimensionally," Amari scolded as she landed. "Fierce attacks are good, but you need to _think_ ahead, Kiba. In this state you should have been able to counter that. Calm the storm in your mind. Fight me like I'm a threat to the Leaf. If you lose your cool, you'll endanger the lives of your comrades."

Amaririsu skipped back as the duo performed a far more coordinated attack. Kiba launched forward first, then Akamaru hopped over him, clawed hand seeking flesh. Air whistled as the kunoichi evaded the quick strike. Kiba was already charging in again for another attack.

She dodged the punch and countered with two quick kicks to his stomach. As Kiba stumbled back, Akamaru sprang in from her side, a kunai in hand. Kiba recovered quickly and jumped back in as well, slipping a kunai into his own hand.

The deftness which Amaririsu equipped two kunai was inspiring. Two metallic _clangs_ pierced the otherwise silent training field. Her reaction time, her battlefield awareness, her judgement, they were all inspiring.

"If you don't land a single blow on me, I'll kill Hinata. That's the mindset you have to fight with if you have any hope of succeeding," she coached.

Then she twisted her blades. The sudden change tripped Akamaru and Kiba. Her blades moved so smoothly, so expertly, they twisted and controlled the Inuzuka duo like she was using the Puppet Master Jutsu.

In a barely traceable movement, her blades rested against their throats.

"Don't just fight to win. Don't just fight to land a single blow on me. Fight like lives depend on your success, because in the field lives _will_ depend on you, Kiba. Just like Hinata's life depended on us when the Cloud shinobis tried to kidnap her. Imagine I'm one of them and _fight_!"

She lowered her blades from their throats and kicked them. The Inuzuka duo stumbled away, but Hinata noticed a change as their eyes locked back onto Amaririsu. Determination. Fierce will. The lesson was finally clicking.

 _I…I understand_ , Hinata thought, brow furrowed as her Byakugan activated. _Amaririsu could use any number of combinations with her jutsus to defeat me or Kiba without blinking. It's clear she is the one controlling this battle._

 _However, she's teaching Kiba—she's teaching us that there is more to her strength than jutsus or battle prowess. This is what Kurenai-sensei wanted us to learn._

Kiba, she believed, was recognizing it too.

" _Hm? You two really want to spar with Amari?" their sensei asked, confused._

" _Yeah! Amari was a part of our class but she's already on the same level as Mimi," Kiba said. "Everyone who saw their fight talks about how incredible they both were. How they're the best of our generation. And she's been promoted to Chūnin, too. I have to spar with her. That's the only way I'll be able to see how strong she really is, and how far I have to go to catch up."_

 _Hinata nodded in silent agreement._

 _Kurenai smiled at them. A sparkle of pride in her daughter gleamed in her red eyes, as well as fondness for her two students._

" _It's true Amari has become the strongest of your class. And it's true Amari and Mimi are the strongest of your generation right now."_

 _Their sensei looked out at the horizon. "Amari's preliminary fight against Hisashi and the match between Amari and Mimi have become inspirations to your peers, and rightfully so. Those two battles have shown them the gap of skill between themselves and those two."_

 _She returned her gaze to them, smiling. "But it also showed them something else beyond their physical strength._

" _Huh? What do you mean, Kurenai-sensei?"_

" _Amari and Mimi have one distinguishing feature that separates them from the rest of their peers. It's not their heritages or their enhanced senses, although those do aid them in battle."_

" _What sets them apart from us?" Hinata asked._

" _Amari and Mimi share a crystal clear vision of who they were and who they want to become. They hold within their hearts a passionate drive to succeed. No, not just to succeed, but to excel," she corrected herself. "Every battle becomes a war they_ _ **must**_ _win. Their passionate drive makes them refuse defeat—it makes them refuse even death itself."_

 _"I'm not sure I understand what you mean," Kiba admitted, frowning._

 _Kurenai smiled. "You will. Seek Amari out when she returns, both of you. You'll find her at training ground three in the early morning."_

This was what their sensei meant.

Hinata observed her fellow kunoichi with reverence. Amari stood tall, red eye glowing in the shadows of the morning, wild blue hair being rustled by the breeze. She wasn't cold anymore. Amaririsu didn't even realize the weather anymore, Hinata believed.

 _This is what sets you and Mimi apart from us_ , Hinata realized. _There is more to your strength than your physical abilities. I…I've always known that. I watched you train with Kurenai-sensei when she first took you in. I saw you struggle and fail and cry more than everyone knows. You were so much smaller then. So much weaker._

 _But, just like Naruto, you kept trying. You kept failing better. Kurenai-sensei pushed you to find your strength the same way she pushed me to find mine. And soon you weren't just striving to be the best; you became the best, Amaririsu._

 _However, although I've always known there was more to your strength than your physical abilities, I- I could never understand what it was. What_ _ **I**_ _was missing. What I lacked._

She clutched her hand over her heart. _Not until you and Naruto encouraged me in my fight against Neji. I felt it then, what I see in you right now. I felt strength I had never experienced before, because you and Naruto believed in me. You two gave me your strength, your courage and your determination._

 _My fight against Neji became a war I refused to lose. For you. For Naruto. I was ready to lay down my life to prove to Neji and everyone else I could change. That I could be different. I could follow your examples and finally follow in your footsteps to become…to become someone I could be proud of._

 _And- and I did! But now I understand why you and Naruto have always seemed so out of reach. I can see why everyone, even Naruto, is inspired by you. I see now what Kurenai-sensei meant, and what I have to do to one day walk beside you and Naruto._

"All right. You better prepare yourself, Amari. Because I'm about to get serious!" Kiba declared.

"Hmph. Took you long enough. You're as thickheaded as Naruto," Amari smirked.

"Hehehe," Kiba chuckled viciously, "I'm going to make you regret that one, Amari. Come on, Akamaru!"

 _Still, seeing you here like this, seeing how far you've come and the strength of your Will, it makes me…_

Hinata smiled as affectionate warmth spread through her.

 _It makes me happy to know you!_

* * *

In their battle against Haku, Kakashi pointed out the distinct difference between his students and Zabuza's: Naruto and Sasuke held a strong urge to _win_ a fight, but Haku held the convictions to kill to protect what he considered precious.

Even though they all knew it was a life or death battle, the inexperienced Genin battled to win a schoolyard fight, not a bloody war.

This spar started as a schoolyard fight. Kiba disarmed himself with broken pride. Doubt burdened his every step. He used to be right behind her in the Academy, and yet somehow Naruto went on to defeat him in the preliminary rounds in an upset victory while Amari, Sasuke and Shino all went on to the Finals.

Did he slack off in his training? Amari doubted it. Her mother wasn't inattentive, and she never encouraged negligence and laziness in training; she was strict against sloppy form, emotionally supportive while pushing her students towards excellence.

Amari believed wholeheartedly that she surpassed her classmates in the Academy because of Kurenai's training. So, what happened?

By her calculations, Kiba should have access to Mimi's speed under the influence of the All-Fours Jutsu. Maybe a little slower because he didn't have Might Guy drilling him into the dirt consistently, but still fast enough to put her on her heels if he wanted.

But Kiba didn't, not at the start of this spar anyway. That came down to his mindset. His loss to Naruto, and obvious beating at Mimi's hands, left him unsure of himself. He was fighting like they were still Academy students—a mistake that could easily be fatal in the field.

They weren't Academy kids anymore. Those days were gone. The days of peace, where the Leaf seemed all but impenetrable and the future was full of average, easy missions had been ripped away, forcing them to finally face a crueler, more life threatening reality.

Shinobi life wasn't a game. It wasn't a schoolyard fight. And those without real convictions, without a strong Will, would be mercilessly crushed.

It took a little bit of pushing, but Kiba was finally attacking her like an enemy.

The differences between his original attacks and this new assault were night and day. He was focused. Serious. No longer allowing doubt or his ego to get between him and his objective: Land a solid blow on a superior opponent.

If he could land that single blow then anything became possible, even victory. But he would never land it by fighting her with a weak purpose. That's why she pushed him so much. Without a strong purpose, without a solid objective, he'd be aimless, floating through shinobi life without ever reaching the heights he was capable of.

 _I want you to be stronger, Kiba._ Amari blocked a series of fast strikes from the Inuzuka then broke his guard to leave his chest wide open. _Not just so you're prepared for future threats._ She landed a stiff kick to his abdomen, creating some distance between them as she prepared to counter Akamaru. _Not just so you're all ready for the Akatsuki._

Her foot glided back along the grass as she pivoted on her planted foot. Amari bent low quickly, ducking beneath Akamaru's slashing claw to land an elbow in his sternum. Grabbing his arm, she planted her feet and tugged the transformed ninken off his feet, tossing him over her body towards his partner.

 _But so you can be Naruto's rival too. I want you two to push each other to new heights, just like Mimi pushes me._

Akamaru twisted as he flew so he'd land on all-fours at the end of his descent. Kiba rushed beneath him, closing the distance between himself and Amari quicker than she expected. Again she was on the back foot, blocking and dodging his focused strikes.

Amari skipped back then Body Flickered directly at Kiba. Her body phased through him to the naked eye, but her punch landed squarely in Kiba's palm.

"Got you!" he grinned. "Now, Akamaru!"

 _His keen senses tracked me_ , she realized. _Instead of relying on his eyes, he used his enhanced sense of hearing and smell to counter._ Internally, she smiled. _He learned his lesson after Naruto tricked him. He's staying calm. Trusting his nose and ears like he should have in that fight._

Akamaru, spiraling rapidly through the air, drilled right for her back. Not content to stand and accept being shredded by sharp nails—Mimi and Aoko had done that enough in their fight for one lifetime—Amari jolted forward, feinting a punch with her free hand to distract her captor. Kiba snapped at the distraction, capturing the fake punch.

Triumph flickered momentarily in his eyes. In physical strength, with the All-Fours Jutsu enhancement, it was all too likely he could hold her here. Luckily, Amari was two steps ahead—literally and figuratively. Her right foot planted on his knee, causing Kiba's eyes to widen and his chin to lower.

Her left foot flew towards his chin, but found only air as Kiba dodged his head back at the last possible moment. Chilly air ripped past his face as the knockout blow sailed by, but she expected as much. Maintaining her momentum, Amari spun into a back-flip, twisting her captor's hands as she did into an awkward, less stable grip.

Her hands slipped free, and then her feet touched the ground again. To the Nara's surprise, Akamaru halted his rotation, landing on the grass and speeding around to her side, countering her planned attack.

"Now you're mine!"

Amari's Byakugan caught Kiba bolting in behind her just as she turned to face Akamaru's new attack.

An impressed smirk crossed the Nara's features. However, this spar was over.

Kiba and Akamaru froze in place, their fists and claws inches away from her body. "That was a good move, you two," she complimented. "The odds of either of you facing a Nara are next to impossible, so one of your attacks would have definitely landed if I was someone else. But you lost track of the battlefield and our position on it. This fight is over."

"Huh? What do you—" Amari tilted her head to force the pair to look down. A ray of sunlight splashed the grass through the trees right where they stood, providing a shadow for her to use. "Ah, you've gotta be kidding! I thought we totally had you with that combo!"

Amari hummed and released them. "You did surprise me. I didn't expect Akamaru to stop his attack completely. It left me off balance, and you both capitalized on it. Besides," she lifted her hands up to show the trails of blood rolling down the back of them, "you drew first blood so it's not a complete lost."

"Sorry about that," Kiba apologized.

"Don't be. If you didn't use the advantage of your claws against me then you wouldn't have been fighting me seriously." Amari pressed her wounds to her shorts. "Don't attach yourself to the preliminary rounds, Kiba. You lost one fight because you were too arrogant. Learn from it and move forward. Don't let it hold you back."

Kiba nodded. "I hear ya."

"I'd also advise you to spar more with Mimi when you two have time. She can teach you a lot more when it comes to your fighting style." Akamaru dispelled his transformation and padded over to Kiba. "But it's in your hands to push yourself, Kiba. My mom, Mimi, me, we can't make you stronger. We can only give you guidance on what you need to do; it's up to you walk the path to achieve your goal."

"I think I finally get what Kurenai-sensei meant. You've really helped me out big time, Amari. Thanks a lot," Kiba thanked.

Amari was curious what her mom had to say but didn't prod. She nodded then waved over Hinata.

"Hinata, you're up next."

Hinata took her position opposite of Amari, shifting into the Gentle Fist stance with her Byakugan activated already. Kiba, with Akamaru back in his jacket, stood to the side to watch the next spar.

"Don't hold back, Amaririsu," Hinata demanded.

"I won't."

Amari flipped yet another kunai into the air, dōjutsu eyes watching every twist and turn. It pierced into the ground. Hinata charged in. Crouching down, the Nara extended out three tendrils of her Shadow towards her opponent.

No words needed to be said between them. Hinata listened well to her lectures to Kiba; fierce will and powerful convictions hardened her lavender eyes. The sweet girl Amari adored had become a kunoichi ready to win this war.

The Hyūga girl sidestepped a shadow, gracefully spinning on her toes and into a skip away from the other two seeking to paralyze her. As she rotated around, three shuriken whistled through the air in deadly spirals intent on moving the Nara from her position.

Smart move. Hinata already identified her tactic to keep her at a distance and adapted to advance.

Amari retracted her shadows and equipped her tantō, holding her position despite the attempt to make her retreat. Metal clashed sharply with metal in quick deflections while dashing feet crushed blades of grass. As she deflected the final shuriken, sending it falling harmlessly onto the ground, fire ignited over her blade.

 _Please dodge, Hinata._

The kunoichi slashed her blade horizontally through the air, and from it a blade of fire rushed over the battlefield, heating the molecules of air it touched on its warpath towards her friend. Chakra spiked at Hinata's feet. She suddenly sprang over the blade of fire, corkscrewing through the air as she channeled chakra to her striking hand.

"Ha!" Hinata let out a cry of effort.

Amari pivoted out of the way, going low with her tantō for Hinata's bent legs. The blade neared, and she found herself fighting the urge to halt her swing. She couldn't hold back. She couldn't insult Hinata by coddling her.

She didn't need to hold back. Hinata twisted her body away from the Nara, planting the hand opposite of her opponent on the ground to brace her weight as she lifted her legs above the attack and twirled back onto her feet into her Gentle Fist stance. In perfect range.

Since when had Hinata moved so smoothly? There wasn't time to dodge. Amari came up out of her spin and, using the forearm of her free hand, blocked the first strike at the Hyūga's wrist, guiding it away from her limbs and center mass. The second strike was already on its way.

 _She's faster than she was against Neji_ , Amari noted, then internally shook her head. _Not just faster. There's no hesitation in her either. She's fighting without holding back._ Her crimson eye settled into a look of war. _That means I can't either. For her._

The original two arms to meet brushed off of one another as the second quick strike zeroed in on the finishing blow. At that moment, Amari's tantō suddenly flew into the space between them. Hinata's eyes widened at the unanticipated tactic, distracted by the sight of the rotating blade no longer in the Uchiha's hand.

Free of the blade, and footing more solidified, she first cut off the second strike with a careful but quick block. Then the Uchiha appeared to vanish. Hinata's eyes tracked her, though, following her in the vault over her head.

Amari, upside down, snatched her blade out of air and slashed. Her opponent ducked beneath the blade then scrambled across the ground to avoid the kunai she heard slicing the air straight for her, right in the blind spot of the Byakugan.

Upon landing, the Uchiha immediately began weaving handseals, her tantō once more back within its scabbard. Hinata rotated again on her toes, a fresh cut on her left cheek from the kunai she barely dodged.

 _Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!_

Flames erupted from her lips in a continuous stream. The tendrils of fire engulfed the area Hinata occupied, and Amari heard the sudden cry of shock from Kiba. She ignored it; her eyes could see clearly what Hinata had done. Canceling her jutsu, she barely dodged her body out of the way of the chakra palm intent on finishing this battle.

A burnt log sat where Hinata once stood. The Hyūga girl, however, was already back in close-quarters range of the Nara. The glancing blow stung; no serious internal damage, thankfully, but enough pain to make her wince.

 _You're fiercer than ever_.

Amari kept her feet as she was forced into defense. Her feet carried her backwards, her eyes honed in on every movement her dōjutsu could perceive from her opponent's body, translating the non-verbal language of hand-to-hand combat seamlessly. Well-timed blocks countered dangerous attacks while agile dodges kept her unharmed.

When she attempted to jump back to create room, Hinata dashed forward to keep her in range. Fierce. Focused. Amari could only beam inside her heart for her friend. Could she see herself right now? How powerful she looked?

 _I can tell you've been training a lot harder since you recovered._

Amari darted back and then in a half circle, seeking a better position to counterattack. Hinata cut off her rush, and simultaneously fell into her trap. Retreating back two steps into a small island of sunlight, the Nara planted her feet, ducked low to dodge her opponent's strike and slammed her fist into her stomach.

The gasp for air Hinata made did make her internally wince. But even as her opponent stumbled back, her fingers jabbed into Amari's shoulder, a glancing blow to her chakra point. Amari grimaced. Hinata's lavender eyes didn't lose their strength or their keenness.

A single shadow tendril shot forth like a warning strike from a snake. Hinata immediately jumped back, unknowingly playing once more into her opponent's hands.

The slight breathing room was all Amari needed to recover. Her shadow quickly retracted before it could even get close to her opponent. The Hyūga's eyes widened. She was certain the Nara would use the distinct advantage of shadows to attack her.

Amari created two clones instead, both dashing forward instantly with their original following slower behind them. Hinata slid back on her heels, stabilizing her feet in the Gentle Fist stance as she lifted her hands up.

With grace, she blocked the first clone's attack and slammed her palm into her chest, dispelling her instantly. She spun like a dancer on her toes, dodging the second clone's assault from her back. Hinata only retreated one step back, then planted her feet and parried away the clone's two arms.

"Ha!"

The Hyūga unleashed a flurry of strikes, finishing with a sweep kick and planting her palm into the grounded and bruised clone's heart.

Upon dispelling, Hinata twirled back onto her feet and lifted her arms up to block Amari's kick. Byakugan and Sharingan met. The red eye sharpened.

 _Demonic Dragon: Shadowed Death Jutsu!_

The Hyūga's body seized up for the slightest moment, eyes going dull. But as the Uchiha equipped a kunai and jolted in, the Byakugan eyes hardened awake.

Acting on what could only be drilled instinct from Kurenai's training, Hinata's palm sailed upwards, colliding against the hilt and edge of the kunai. A cut opened on her hand, a thin streak of blood splattered through the air, onto the blades of grass below. The blade was sent sailing away.

Body left completely open, Hinata struck. Palm after palm, some with chakra, some without, rained down on the Uchiha's body. As she stumbled back, her opponent grabbed her hand, tugged her forward and slammed her palm into her chest without chakra.

Amari crashed back first to the ground with Hinata crouched next to her, panting.

"I win," Hinata breathed out.

Amari smirked. "Nope."

The body burst into a flock of crows. Hinata whirled around, prepared to strike the materializing kunoichi. But Amari caught her arm by the elbow and placed her tantō at her throat.

"Bu- but when?" Hinata gasped.

"That tiny instant you were under my genjutsu. I hid my presence with the Crows while the Crow clone replaced me. Once you believed victory was yours, well, you know. That's how quick a battle can change. You can't let your guard down, even when victory seems certain."

Amari removed her blade, twirled it in her hand and sheathed it. As Hinata turned around, she wrapped her friend up in a hug, lifted her up and twirled her around in the air.

"I am _so_ proud of you, Hinata! You were awesome. "

"Amari- Amaririsu!" she squeaked in embarrassment.

Setting her down, Amari beamed at her, cheeks dusted by a light blush. "How many times, Hinata?"

"Eep!" Hinata's face, which had already been a brilliant shade of red, flushed red as a fresh cherry. "I'm- I'm sorry! Just one last time, Amari. I promise!"

If she was lucky, Hinata would never stop.

* * *

Amari exhaled a soft breath and looked out at the Leaf with a fond smile. Her peers were growing. All she had to do was keep pushing forward. Keep walking the path ahead of her. That was the best she could now to protect the future.

And as long as she gave her best then she could make her family, Itachi and Aimi proud.

 _I suppose I should get moving. Missions won't complete themselves._

After one last breath, the Body Flicker user vanished from the rooftop to continue on with her busy day.

* * *

Kakashi was aware of his borrowed time in the Leaf. Soon he'd be assigned another high-ranked mission, likely something that kept him away a minimum of two or three days. Maximum he'd be absent for a while longer.

No one complained. This was just the way things were. Most of the veterans had experienced war in some capacity, whether the aftermath of one or the front-lines of it, so they knew what to expect. Recovery took time, and missions were their means to acquire necessary funds.

It was their duty, just as it was the duty of their superiors in years past, to help guide the younger generation through these times.

So, despite knowing he'd be summoned at any given moment, Kakashi didn't let it impede on his role as Team Seven's teacher.

His students had come a long way since the bell test. Leaps and bounds were made in strength and attitudes, something he expected to take a little longer than it did.

However, their training was far from over. All four had plenty of room for growth. Skills needed sharpening, strength needed refining. Tactical awareness could be heightened. With the Foundation, the Akatsuki and Orochimaru lurking in the shadows, each with their eyes set on at least one of his students, he couldn't let them stagnate.

 _The Foundation…_

Kakashi hissed a breath to himself. It should have been a relic of the past. A passing memory. Yet it still lived. _He_ still sought his ends. He _lied_ to them all. More than that, he orchestrated a massacre of an entire Clan.

It had never sat right with him, Itachi suddenly killing his entire Clan. For every lie the Foundation leader claimed that night, Kakashi demanded the simple question: _Why_? Why would Itachi do this?

He was told Itachi hated his Clan, always had. A lie Kakashi wasn't willing to believe, but came to accept after time. What a fool he was. He'd _seen_ the relationship between Itachi and Aimi, had known he was close with Shisui Uchiha, and Shisui's parents through him. It never added up.

 _Because it was a lie._

It was Kakashi and Tenzō who were ordered to search for Kiyoshi Uchiha, Miyako Nara and their daughter by Lord Third. The Third had known, Kakashi suspected, who was truly responsible, but held hope that perhaps those three survived the slaughter.

They found her parents, dead in a street, where clear signs of an intense battle lingered. It was Tenzō who found Aimi's body double, who they had believed to be the real kunoichi at the time. Their comrade, Yūgao Uzuki, was the one to find Sasuke—the sole survivor.

And the daughter of Kiyoshi Uchiha and Miyako Nara was found by Kakashi. Alone in an undamaged home, in her bed, covered by a thin bed sheet, suffocated in her sleep. On her desk nearby, a family photo full of smiles and love, forever frozen in time, stared at the deceased child.

He had begun to accept he had never truly known Itachi Uchiha as he hovered in that room, observing the photo of the murdered family in a room occupied by their dead child. If he was capable of stealing this young girl's life—and other children like her—who had never harmed a single soul, then Itachi Uchiha truly was a wretched, two-faced bastard.

The bed sheet hinted maybe at regret, guilt or mourning. But Kakashi spat on his disingenuous regret, guilt and mourning.

For years he had blamed Itachi for the senseless slaughter, yet now he knew the truth. He knew who was responsible for that night, who had forced Itachi and Aimi to stain their hands with the blood of their Clan, while he hid in the shadows, making them all dance to his narrative.

And dance they did. Like utter fools.

"Um, Kakashi-sensei, are you all right?"

Naruto's voice awoke Kakashi from his dark thoughts.

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"You were staring pretty intensely at Amari. I was…" Naruto rubbed the back of his head in concern. "I was just worried something was going on, I guess."

Kakashi, closing the curtain on the darkness, offered an eye smile. "Ah, sorry about that, Naruto. I didn't mean to worry you."

His gaze fell back to the kunoichi, who sat on the training field studying her fūinjutsu notes.

 _He won't touch a hair on Amari's head_ , he promised himself. _And if he does, I'll cut that hand off._

Those who disobeyed the rules were scum. But those who betrayed their comrades, those who slayed them for power, they weren't only worse than scum—they were a scourge to the shinobi world.

A scourge he intended to eliminate. Some day.

"Guess I was just lost in thought about Amari's future," he explained a half-truth. "You've all got a difficult path ahead of you, and since she's been promoted it's only a matter of time before she's sent on a mission leading a different squad."

"You don't need to worry about that, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto stated confidently. "Amari did awesome on our last two missions. She's strong and smart, and she's had you and Kurenai-sensei training her. There's nothing she can't do! I bet she'll be a Jōnin in a few years."

Naruto's confident grin swept away the darkness. He smiled at his student and nodded. "Probably true. She definitely has the work ethic for it. Who knows," he shrugged casually, "maybe she'll even be Hokage."

The motivational tease landed.

"No way! I'm the one who's gonna be Hokage, Kakashi-sensei! She'll have to fight me for it!"

He smirked. "You do remember you lost the last spar against her, right?"

Naruto deflated. "That was low, Sensei. I thought you were supposed to be supportive."

The Copy Ninja chuckled but let the jesting go. He pulled Naruto aside last after directing his other three teammates for a reason.

"All right, Naruto, since you've learned the Rasengan with Master Jiraiya, there's something you need to know about it."

Excited cerulean eyes beamed at him. "What! What!"

"It's incomplete," he stated plainly.

Excitement shifted to confusion. "It's…incomplete? But it's so powerful! How could it be incomplete?"

"I assume Master Jiraiya told you it's the Fourth Hokage's jutsu, right?" Naruto nodded. "Well you see, Naruto, the Fourth Hokage never finished the jutsu. The Rasengan is pure Shape Transformation, and the concentrated chakra it uses is incredibly powerful. However, there's one final step the Fourth didn't have the time to complete. Any guesses on what that is?"

"Uhh…Hm." Naruto frowned and crossed his arms in thought.

 _Huh, he's actually thinking about it instead of asking for the answer._

"I'm not sure. Oh! Wait, is it Nature Transformation? Like Sasuke and Amari's Fire Style or your Lightning Style?"

Kakashi nodded. "Exactly."

"Hey, wait a minute, how do _you_ know the Fourth Hokage never finished the jutsu?" Naruto quizzed suspiciously.

"Oh, well, he was my sensei."

Naruto slapped his hands to his cheeks. "Whaaattt?! Your teacher was the Fourth Hokage! Why didn't you ever say anything?!"

"No one ever asked," Kakashi shrugged.

He briefly considered telling his student the Fourth's identity, but let it go. Time wasn't on his side, and Naruto needed to focus.

"Anyway," he continued, "if you want to surpass the Fourth Hokage, one step on that journey is finishing the Rasengan."

"All right, but how do I do that, Kakashi-sensei? I don't know how to use any Nature Transformation."

Kakashi chuckled. "You didn't know how to use the Shadow Clone Jutsu either, yet you use that all the time now." He lifted his chin towards his blue-haired student and then Sasuke. "Amari didn't know how to use Earth Style when you met her, and Sasuke couldn't use Lightning Style before the Exams."

Finally he looked to Sakura. The kunoichi was working diligently on the Medical Ninjutsu practice Mimi left her, attempting to revive dead fish sealed away in Storage Scrolls with rudimentary Medical Ninjutsu.

"Remember when I pulled Sakura aside at the start of training?" he asked.

"Yeah. I thought you were giving her pointers on that Medical Ninjutsu stuff she's working on."

"No," Kakashi shook his head. "Medical Ninjutsu isn't a skill I possess, unfortunately. I won't be able to help teach her with this. However, Sakura has relied on taijutsu enhanced by chakra since Amari began training. She's come a long way, and she'll go even further if she can get a handle on Medical Ninjutsu, but I want her to have more than one trick to rely on."

The veteran shinobi rifled into his pocket for a small square of paper. "You're going to notice Sakura's training getting more intense in the coming days, Naruto. Like you, she didn't know her chakra affinity, not until we learned it today."

"Oh, so you're gonna help me figure out my chakra affinity, that way I can apply it to the Rasengan, right?"

"Sort of." Kakashi revealed the small square of paper to the boy, no larger than his palm, earning a sound of confusion. "This paper will help us identify your chakra affinity. But don't assume knowing what your affinity is will mean you can transfer it straight into the Rasengan. You'll have to learn how to control it first."

Naruto furrowed his brow. "How's a piece of paper going to teach me my chakra affinity?"

"This isn't an ordinary piece of paper, Naruto. It's Litmus Paper, made from a special type of tree that is grown and fed with chakra. Exposed to even the slightest bit of chakra and it reacts with your latent element. For instance, if Amari was to channel her chakra into it, it would ignite and turn to ash, signaling her affinity to Fire Nature.

"When Sakura exposed her chakra to it, the paper turned to dirt and crumbled away, revealing her affinity to be Earth Nature chakra. A Water affinity will make the paper become wet, Wind will split it in two. Lighting will make it wrinkle, like this."

Kakashi channeled his chakra into the paper. Instantly it wrinkled at every point.

"Whoa," Naruto awed. "Wait, so that means Sakura will be able to use Earth Style like you and Amari, right?"

Kakashi stuffed the paper away and pulled out another. "In theory, yes. But don't forget that Sasuke, Amari and Mimi have been practicing their ninjutsu natures for years now, Naruto. You and Sakura will, well," he sighed. "You'll learn in a moment. First let's figure out your affinity. Then I'll explain more."

Naruto took the paper into the palm of his hand. A moment later an invisible blade seemed to cut the paper in half.

 _I expected as much_ , Kakashi thought. _He's inherited his father's affinity._

"Looks like your affinity is Wind Style. Now—"

"Ha ha, that's awesome!" Naruto cheered, pumping a fist into the air. "All right, so now all I have to do is apply this to my Rasengan and I'll surpass the Fourth Hoka— ow!"

Retracting his hand, he gazed lazily at his knuckle-headed student. He couldn't seriously think it was that easy, could he? Well, he was putting an end to that.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and glowered at his teacher. "Hey, what was that for?"

"For interrupting. Just because you know your affinity now doesn't mean you can simply apply it to the Rasengan," he scolded. "Weren't you listening? Litmus Paper is specially designed to react to chakra. Children learn to walk before they run. You have to learn to control your Wind Nature, to make using it as natural as using the Shadow Clone Jutsu before you can even think of applying it to the Rasengan."

"Okay, so how do I do that then?"

"Through experience, of course. Normally it takes years of training, but we both know that kind of time isn't on our side. Sakura will have to train harder than she has; don't be surprised if she seems more worn down in the coming days. What she has going for her, though, is her chakra control, which will only get finer as she trains for Medical Ninjutsu.

"You, however, have a different skill we can utilize to our advantage."

"You mean the Shadow Clone Jutsu, right?"

"Right," Kakashi nodded. "If you train for an hour you gain one hour of experience. If four of you train for an hour then you gain four hours of experience. The more clones you use, the more experience you can gain."

"Yeah, but it comes at a cost," Naruto said thoughtfully. "For all the experience I gain, I gain all of their fatigue too. It can be overwhelming." He glanced over to Amari. "When Amari pushes herself too hard with it she becomes like a barely functioning zombie. When I do it, though…" he trailed off.

"Master Jiraiya warned you about the Nine-Tails chakra, didn't he?"

His student nodded. "Yeah. He told me if I pushed myself too far with Shadow Clone training I could begin losing control over it. During the fight with Haku, after Amari's clone popped and Sasuke was put into that death-like state, I lost control. Pervy Sage has been teaching me how to control it; I was able to use it to summon the Chief Toad against Gaara and use a little bit more to finish the fight."

Naruto looked down at his closed fist. "But I haven't forgot how it felt to lose control against Haku. I felt…different. Like I was me, but I wasn't.

"Amari described that Curse of Hatred thing and how she felt when she was under its influence. That blinding hatred and anger, how you can't see anything at all, not even your friends… It reminded me of that moment."

 _I remember feeling that chakra again_ , Kakashi thought.

Torn between Amari's fight with Zabuza, and the sudden spike of the Nine-Tails chakra, he struggled not to lose focus. First save Amari, then Naruto and Sasuke. That was his plan. Then…

Her tormented agony consumed features attacked his memories. Her eyes rolled back into her skull as her body began to collapse.

 _Please…Not like this._

Kakashi exhaled a deep breath. No one escaped that battle unscathed. It changed all of them, and in the end his stubborn student's self-sacrifice could possibly even change the relations between Mist and Leaf.

Who could say? He never expected to be trading letters with the Fifth Mizukage. Or for their talks to be so personal. Sometimes, when they wrote of Haku and Amari, he felt like they were parents speaking of their children.

Those were thoughts for another day, though. Naruto required his guidance right now.

"Naruto, th—"

"But that just means I have to be extra careful as I train!" Naruto declared suddenly. "I'll focus on what I can do right now, within what limits I have. And as I get stronger I'll break those limits! I'll learn how to control my Wind Style so I can finish the Fourth Hokage's jutsu, and I'll learn how keep control of the Nine-Tails chakra!"

His student grinned and jabbed his thumb into his chest. "I'm the one who's gonna surpass all other Hokage's after all. So just tell me what I need to do, Kakashi-sensei. I'll learn to walk in no time! Then I'll be running before you know it!"

Initially caught off guard, Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle and smile. _I know you will._

"All right then, let's get started."

After ordering Naruto to create five clones, Kakashi directed them all to grab a single leaf from a nearby tree. To better harness his Wind chakra, he would spend his time attempting to cut a leaf in half using only his chakra. Simple in explanation, extremely difficult in practice.

Five clones was a safe number. He considered ten. However, the possibility of his impending departure ushered the veteran towards the side of caution.

Once Naruto was focused on his task, Kakashi started towards his final student. He already made his rounds to Sasuke and Sakura, the former of which he directed to refine his Lightning Style.

Amari sat alone, a pensive frown on her lips and a troubled look in her eye.

"Any luck with the Flying Raijin?" Kakashi asked as he crouched down next to her.

Silence answered him. He didn't mind. She was collecting her thoughts, and for good reason. The notes in her hand relayed a startling revelation.

"You've…you've completed it."

How? When? Sure he expected her to get it eventually, but not this soon.

"Not exactly," she answered slowly. "My Mama's notes helped me piece together so much more in a shorter amount of time, but…" Amari sighed. "I screwed something up. And the consequences could have been permanent without Atsuko and Osamu."

"Your mother's notes?" he asked.

"Atsuko didn't know you and Genma-sensei were teaching me this. When she learned after the Land of Snow, she gave me notes my Mama wrote as she learned the Flying Thunder Formation. She was on the cusp of figuring out the Flying Raijin, but she…" Amari tried to shrug. "Well, you know."

Kakashi could only nod. He did know. Just like the Fourth Hokage with the Rasengan, death prevented Miyako Nara from finishing the Flying Raijin. And now it rested in the hands of her child to finish putting the pieces together.

"You said the consequences could have been permanent. What happened?"

"I thought my Seal was finished, but something is wrong with it." Amari shut her eye and heaved a sigh. "This is probably going to sound stupid, but do you know if the Fourth Hokage ever…accidentally traveled to another world?"

"No?" he drew out the word in confusion then chuckled full of uncertainty.

Obviously this was a joke. Amari was pulling his leg, hoping to get a rise out of him. Traveling to another world? She must have read that in one of her favorite novels.

It was not a joke. Amari's cheeks began to tint pink, embarrassed.

"Well, hehe, I guess I've confirmed the theory of the multiverse."

Kakashi's doubt faded for immense concern. "Amari, what happened?"

"Hehe, I suppose parallel universe is technically more accurate, but that's getting to semantics, and you're wanting facts. But this is also really embarrassing and scary when I think about it, because I might not have been able to come back without Atsuko and Osamu."

Kakashi's eye widened. She was almost lost forever?

"Which is why I've been working really hard on this," she continued rambling. "I don't want to end up in another universe again. Not that the one I ended up in was bad! I met some nice people! Plus their universe had oxygen, thankfully. So it's not like it was a worst case scenario. I even got to help train the next generation of guardians there. Plus I have a picture and this thing they call an action figure of their number one hero."

She had _evidence_ of this parallel universe?! Oh boy. He hadn't expected any of this when he decided to have her learn this technique.

"I'm rambling, aren't I? Hehe," she laughed nervously.

"I…think a little rambling is understandable, given what happened to you," he said slowly. "So when you tried to use a faulty Seal, instead of doing nothing it sent you into a different reality?"

Amari took a breath. "Yes and no. A different reality would mean a different version of _our_ reality. Could be the war with the Cloud never ended, or the Sand never invaded. Or Orochimaru became Hokage."

"There's a reality I don't want to see."

"Agreed. But I didn't go to a different version of our reality. I went to a different world altogether. Or different in its development, maybe." The Nara scratched at her neck. "I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around everything that happened. There were constants similar to our world; gravity, oxygen, humans, for example. But there were variables that were so vastly different than our world."

"How so?"

"Like, the Five Shinobi Nations didn't exist. Shinobi existed in ancient times, as did Feudal Lords. But there is no mention of Kages, of the Land of Fire. Not even our Clans."

That was…startling, to say the least.

"And you're sure we weren't lost to time? That this wasn't hundreds or thousands of years into the future?"

"As sure as I can be. At first I thought I ended up on a different continent, one we've yet to discover. But their maps were different than ours, and extremely detailed; they've mapped their entire world and the shinobi world as we know it didn't exist.

"Yet they had similar technologies to ours, plus technologies I've never even seen before. They spoke our language but couldn't use their chakra. Their powers evolved differently. Instead of ninjutsu, genjutsu and taijutsu, they evolved to have what they called Quirks.

"One of them had the potential to emit Fire from one half of his body and Ice from the other half." She shook her head. "But everyone else I met had only one Quirk. They couldn't train to learn how to use multiple Natures like we can."

Kakashi hummed. "Constants and variables, like you said."

Amari nodded enthusiastically. "Right! They even had a tournament like the Chūnin Exams meant to give the students there a chance to stand out, to show their leadership abilities and their strengths. But they see the world so differently than us. Where we see the world through shades of grey, they treat the world as if it is black and white. Heroes and Villains. No in-between."

"That's foolish," he frowned beneath his mask. "The world is full of shades of grey."

A giggle escaped his student. "That's what I said. Lectured them on it, too. They were steeped in their hypocrisies, though. Questioned how the adults of our world could willingly train children to be soldiers when they were doing the exact same thing. Difference was they were blind to the war they were being trained for."

"Until you came along, right?" he asked in jest.

She nodded, a smirk on her lips. "They're the next generation guardians of their world. They needed to grow up if they have any hope of protecting their world. Mr. Aizawa praised me for giving his students a dose of rationality and reality. Mr. All Might agreed with my points, even if he would have preferred me to be gentler about it."

 _Even on a different world she goes out of her way to guide the next generation._ Kakashi smiled behind his mask. _But that's just your way. You can't help but reach out to others. That's what makes you special._

"Anyway," she continued, "I have to figure out what I screwed up in my Seal. As much as I enjoyed my time there, this world is my home and I don't want to leave it again. This is where my family is."

"We would be devastated to lose you."

He'd have to thank Atsuko and Osamu next time he saw them for bringing her back.

"I missed all of you the entire time," Amari replied softly. "I was alone again. Alone and afraid I'd never get home. And even if I could, I was worried about how much time might have passed. Months? Years?" She exhaled a breath and smiled. "But I'm back and everything is just the way I left it."

Kakashi ruffled her hair and chuckled warmly.

"Still, even if I figure the Flying Raijin out soon, I don't think I'll be very effective with it."

"What do you mean?"

"To use it originally, I had to dedicate all of my focus to it." She shook her head. "I won't have that luxury in an intense battle. I can't just ask them to wait while I focus on teleporting away."

 _Hm, so she won't be able to use it like Minato-sensei used to._

His teacher became known as the Yellow Flash because of how quick he could teleport between his Seals. He never seemed to even need to think about it.

"You'll get there someday," he assured her.

"I hope so. Until I do, though, the Body Flicker is my best bet." The cry of a messenger bird lifted their eyes to the sky. "Looks like you'll be leaving on a mission."

"Yeah. Well," Kakashi stood up to his full height, "it was only a matter of time. I trust you'll keep your teammates in line while I'm gone?"

"You can count on me, Kakashi-sensei."

"I know," he eye smiled at her.

Unbuttoning one of his flak jacket pouches, he retrieved his letter for the Mizukage and handed it to Amari.

"And here's my response to the Mizukage."

"I'll send it as soon as we're done training."

Kakashi departed for his mission after one final glance to his team. Everyone was training hard. Sweat dripped from their foreheads; they panted from exertion.

 _I'll make sure they're ready for the future._

Protecting and guiding the future generation, that was his duty. A duty he took gladly.

Little did he know of the dangerous four shadows on their way to the Leaf.

Four shadows seeking the two Uchihas for their master.


	88. Chapter 87: The Fires From Hell

Chapter 87

The Fires From Hell: Attack of the Sound Four!

The necrosis afflicting Orochimaru's arms was growing exponentially worse.

Barely a minute in the day elapsed without excruciating agony. It left him in sweats. Screaming bloody murder. Cursing the late Hiruzen Sarutobi for his final deed.

Kabuto had attempted every treatment he could; he crafted medicines to dull pain, explored his vast knowledge of Medical Ninjutsu for a cure—anything that could possibly heal or minimize his master's suffering. Nothing worked. Nothing he was capable of, at least.

No medical shinobi was infallible. Not even one of his genius and extraordinary skill. He possessed blindspots, weaknesses. But he concealed them behind illusions, and spent many waking hours researching textbooks and experimenting on test subjects, all to rid himself of those weaknesses and any possible blindspots.

Had Lady Tsunade taken their offer, perhaps things would be exceedingly different now. Perhaps she could have healed his master. But she didn't. She chose to hang her hat on the Leaf's ridiculous Will of Fire, on Naruto Uzumaki of all people.

 _I guess this is why they say you shouldn't meet your idols_ , he mused darkly. _You always end up disappointed._

All of their carefully crafted plans fell apart after the Invasion. Meticulous timetables rendered worthless, all because of Hiruzen Sarutobi.

How unfortunate. How unfortunate indeed.

This situation progressed far out of Kabuto's reach. The jutsu the Third Hokage used seemed all but irreversible—Forbidden Jutsu tended to lean towards such high costs more often than not. And despite his immeasurable talents, he was nowhere near as powerful as his master or as talented as Lady Tsunade herself. Not yet, anyway.

He could no more heal his master than he could reverse the failing health of the original vessel he desired.

 _Poor Kimimaro_ , he thought with little heart behind it. _You were such a willing vessel. Fully prepared to give yourself to Lord Orochimaru._

Then an unknown sickness rendered the vessel useless to Orochimaru. Even after all these years, prolonging his life with medicine to learn the cause, hopeful he may cure the disease in time for his master's desires, the mysterious disease remained unknown. Incurable. Unavoidably fatal.

It was too bad, really. Kimimaro would have been the perfect vessel for his master—no one could have stopped him.

 _Oh well_. Nothing could be done about it now. Kimimaro's disease left him useless. He was more of an interesting research project for Kabuto to run new tests on while he still clung to life.

Orochimaru changed his sights to a new vessel: Sasuke Uchiha. And it was in Sasuke's narrow-minded hands that his master's salvation rested.

Time was running out, however. The necrosis withered his master's patience, and the vessel he currently occupied was at its limit. If he didn't switch vessels soon, Orochimaru's existence, his intelligence, his charisma and strength, would be snuffed out—permanently.

Waiting any longer was no longer possible. Sasuke required a forceful shove to finally submit to his craving for revenge and power. He needed to be reminded of his true goal: Killing Itachi, even if it cost his soul.

However, there was a massive complication. A complication by the name of Amaririsu Yūhi.

A complication Kabuto failed to remove.

Her very existence obstructed their goal. She was a powerful Barrier Ninjutsu, thwarting Orochimaru's attempts to infiltrate and poison Sasuke's mind, burning him when he reached to close to the sun.

Amaririsu Yūhi kept Sasuke chained to the Leaf, playing their little kids game of shinobi. Eliminate her and you eliminate the problem.

 _Or…_

Kabuto smiled maliciously in the candle light of his room.

Or drag her into darkness. Twist her with an ace-in-the-hole and watch as Sasuke followed after her like a loyal pup following his master. Why settle for one vessel when you could also gain a new pawn?

They had everything they needed to bring the two Uchiha's straight to them. The perfect bait. The perfect trap.

The time to strike was now. Soon four of Lord Orochimaru's top agents would descend upon the Leaf and return with the new vessel and perfect pawn. Amaririsu would make for a fine addition to their ranks; an intellectual of her prodigious talents, with the ties she made in the Leaf—oh yes, they would use her to destroy the people and the Village she loved.

When they were done with her, she would hate them all. Hate them with every ounce of her burning Uchiha hatred. And in that hatred she would destroy every last Leaf shinobi, even her Mother Bear.

Kabuto buzzed with enthusiasm for Amaririsu's arrival. Both of them understood the same pain, the same betrayal. And the way she attached herself to others, he could already see them becoming like siblings; he would become the caring older brother and she'd be his smart little sister.

 _Only if the Sound Four don't screw it up._

If they did, well, he could…persuade a particular agent to go accomplish the mission entrusted to them. And they would not like that. Not one bit.

Failing their master at this key moment meant an unpleasant death.

 _They better act quickly._

Kabuto smiled vindictively.

 _For their own sake._

* * *

"Hehe! Looks like I win this one, Sasuke," Amari panted, body hunched forward as she braced herself on her knees.

Sasuke sat in the grass in front of her, leaning back on his hands, struggling to catch his breath. He exhaled a short, uneven chuckle. "Guess so."

Sharingan met Sharingan. Sasuke's faded for cool onyx. Amari's followed.

"Your perception is growing," she said. "Your eyes are beginning to keep track of me, even when I Body Flicker at my top speed. You saw through every single afterimage I created, and your reaction time has improved significantly." She inhaled a deep breath. "One more spar like this and I'm positive your Sharingan will advance to three tomoes."

Sasuke nodded. "It'll be nice not to be the one sitting in the grass one of these days."

Amari smirked. "Who said you wouldn't still be sitting in the grass?"

"Hmph," he snorted, the slightest curl of a smile tugging at his lips.

Maturing his Sharingan to three tomoes wouldn't make him invincible. The Sharingan was a single tool in their arsenal and needed to be treated as such; otherwise they'd rely too heavily on their eyes, expecting it to win them every battle when any intelligent opponent could find ways to counter it.

Amari wanted to remind her clan-brother of that but lacked the energy for a lecture. Besides, Sasuke learned the limitations of the Sharingan through his first spar against Lee, and through subsequent spars against her.

Eyes alone didn't win a battle. Even if he could see her, what mattered more was the ability to react quick enough to counter. Without that, he'd lose.

Like he just did.

In the same vein, she could not solely rely on speed to win her the battle. Physical speed alone was not enough. Amari recognized she was not the fastest shinobi—not yet! Rock Lee, for instance, using his Inner Gates would make her appear like an old turtle.

 _And with Lady Tsunade successfully completing his surgery, I have to be even more prepared for our inevitable duel._

Last time they met, his power and speed outmatched her. One excited mistake saved her from defeat—a mistake she _knew_ Lee would never make again. That wasn't his style.

 _Being his eternal rival is going to be a drag_ , she sighed.

One day she'd get Kakashi back for that. Somehow. When she figured out the appropriate punishment.

Amari settled down on the grass. She exhaled a small cloud of condensation and savored the light chill of the breeze against her warm, lightly flushed face. It felt good, how it elegantly entangled into her damp wild mane of blue hair, how it made the beads of sweat trickling down her skin, tickling the nerve-endings, feel colder. The cool blades of grass tickled her palms as she ran her fingers through them.

The afternoon rays of light that had illuminated and warmed the training ground when they first began sparring were mellowing out into an evening glow.

Alone, the two Uchiha sat together—Naruto and Sakura were busy on missions inside the Leaf or taking a breather after a long day. Not them, though.

Despite their apologies and the missions since, an awkward air remained between the two Uchiha. It didn't conflict with their daily interactions, yet when they were alone together there was a certain…tension lingering beneath the surface.

Amari wondered if this was how volatile breakups felt when the two individuals still worked together. They spat their venom, insulted each other and walked away…but the next day they were back at the same job, stuck in a professional environment like a piece of paper cut in half and then awkwardly taped together. And on that paper were the venomous insults written so neither could forget.

This awkwardness between them needed to be sorted out. Amari could barely stand it anymore. She held no grudge against Sasuke, nor did she hold onto the insults he hurled her way. So what was the problem? Why did things feel so different?

The best way to figure it out, to Amari's mind, was a communication of fists. If they went all-out in a spar then neither of them could hide their thoughts or feelings behind an illusion. They couldn't brush it off by saying they were _fine_.

She was right. The spar did the trick. Already the awkward air lost its clutch over them, and with the Intel she sought acquired, Amari formulated a plan to eliminate it for good.

"You're holding back."

Sasuke cast a confused look her way. "No I wasn't."

Amari shook her head. "Not in the spar. You have questions you want to ask me, but you're holding back, likely because you're afraid it'll devolve into what happened last time."

"Can you blame me?" he sighed. "Last time, the things I said—"

"Things _we_ said," she corrected. "We won't repeat our mistakes, I promise. Whatever is on your mind, whatever you feel, we need to talk about it. None of this is going away soon. We can't ignore it. _I_ can't ignore it. My parents, Shisui," _Itachi and Aimi, too_ , "they sacrificed everything so I could be here. So I could live. So I could carry on their Wills and finish what others started."

Again she shook her head. "But I can't do it alone. That's why…" Amari reached her pointer finger and middle finger forward in the Seal of Reconciliation. "We have to do this together. We have to be honest with each other. Speak openly. Truthfully. Lies and half-truths have shielded our enemies, divided us and obscured our paths."

" _Shisui realized his mistake. His attempt to take the burden of the Clan's fate alone cost him his life. But given the chance to continue to hide truths from you, he chose the opposite. He placed his trust and his Will in_ _ **you**_ _; he brought you in instead of pushing you away._

" _I've only ever pushed Sasuke away, out of hope I could protect him from darkness through lies and half-truths. But if I had been honest with him from the start, if I only brought him in instead of pushing him away, I wonder what could have been different."_

So much could have been different. If Shisui hadn't taken the burden on his shoulders alone, if Itachi had been honest with Sasuke, if the Foundation never existed…how different life would be. How different the world would be.

Honesty—that's where she could start with Sasuke. Itachi tried to protect him through lies; she would empower him with truth, equip him with the necessary tools to lift himself from the shadows into the light. Together they could battle the darkness of the Curse of Hatred and eliminate the threats to the future.

"We'll burn the shadows away. Together."

Sasuke completed the Seal of Reconciliation. "Yeah."

He took a moment to gather his thoughts. She crossed her legs and waited. The Nara could see the gears in his head turning, how the memories she shared left Sasuke unsure of himself.

Like Shisui and Itachi did with her, Amari peeled back the black veil shrouding the truth in lies and ignorance. He _lived_ on the lie. He devoted his waking and sleeping hours to it, only to learn the path he followed was purposefully leading him farther and farther away from reality.

Of course he lashed out. Wouldn't she? Wouldn't anyone? He may as well have found out the tragedy in his life was simple entertainment for a studio audience to delight in, accompanied by a laugh track as he discovered the truth.

What else was a lie then? What other lies were they controlled by? How did they distinguish lies from truth in this world where deceit and subterfuge ruled?

"In your memories," he began slowly, uncertain, nervous, "I saw the night Itachi casted the genjutsu on your mind. His tears, and…and I remembered something from that night. I unlocked my Sharingan and chased Itachi through the district, overcome by my rage and adrenaline. I knocked his headband off before I began to lose consciousness."

Sasuke shut his eyes, jaw tightening. "And right before I passed out Itachi looked at me…not as the murderer, but as my big brother. He looked at me with all of his suffering and regret, and…"

Amari's eye widened. "Itachi's walls crumbled," she realized.

Sasuke nodded his head once, eyes squeezed shut tightly.

"He contained all of his suffering behind a mask of indifference, portrayed himself as a heartless murderer to make you hate him, but…he couldn't maintain it. Not after seeing how much pain he caused you."

"How did I forget that?" he asked rhetorically. "He didn't use a genjutsu to lock away my memories like he did to you. I _chose_ to forget it. I twisted myself into the _exact_ person he wanted me to become!"

Silence fell over them.

"He manipulated me." Betrayal and heartbreak she didn't expect slipped into Sasuke's voice. "Why? To protect this Foundation or Masked Man Shisui told you about? So I would follow a path he could control?"

None of Amari's plans prepared her for Sasuke's own memories to betray the illusion he'd lived for so long.

"…Itachi isn't infallible, Sasuke," she began gently. "He made mistakes. Being a genius or a prodigy doesn't mean you're perfect; it just means people hold you to a higher standard, and when you screw up it's that much greater of a sin. Because a genius isn't supposed to fail.

"However, although I disagree with decisions he made, I wasn't the one stuck in that situation. I don't know how heavy the burden was or the anxiety he felt or if there was a better option available. There are variables and nuances I haven't discovered yet.

"But Itachi wasn't trying to protect the Foundation or the Masked Man. He hoped his actions would protect you."

"By lying to me? By spinning half-truths so I'd never see beyond his version of reality?" Sasuke pressed.

"Was his version of reality so bad?" she countered calmly.

Defeat overcame Sasuke's features.

"I'm not asking you to forgive him or Aimi for their decisions and actions, but don't doubt for a moment that _our_ safety and our lives were always at the center of them."

"…Why us and not our parents?"

The question stole her breath.

Amari shut her eye and exhaled. "You'll destroy yourself with questions like that," she replied quietly. "We can't change what happened or who we lost. We can only move forward— _for_ them. Live _for_ them. Hold the memories in your heart but don't let the memories hold you back."

Neither said a word for an elongated silence.

"This Foundation, what is it really? Where is it? Why does it even exist?" Sasuke asked at length.

"No one has given me concrete answers—Atsuko has kept tight lipped about it. I have theories, though." Sasuke nodded once for her to continue. "I think it's a Black Ops operation. More Black Ops than the Anbu, as in it doesn't exist."

"Not to the regular forces or every day person at least," he followed along.

"Precisely," she nodded. "Kakashi-sensei recognized the name instantly, but the way it struck him…I think it was meant to be disbanded. Maybe before the Massacre. Maybe after."

"So it's in the Leaf then," her clan-brother frowned.

"Wouldn't make sense for it to be a foreign organization," she said with a shake of her head. "Shisui and Kakashi-sensei knew them too intimately. Shisui said the leader believes the only path to peace is through forceful means. Called him an old warmonger, and said he would sacrifice countless lives to reach his ends."

Sasuke's eyes sharpened. He finally reached the conclusion she hit.

"He's behind the Massacre of our Clan, isn't he? Did he order it?"

"Even if he didn't order it, he is still responsible," Amari claimed. "By stealing Shisui's eye he set in motion the events that took place. However…Sasuke, I don't think the Uchiha Clan is completely innocent either."

"What do you mean?"

"As I said last time, Atsuko and Shisui both said the Uchiha lost their way. According to Shisui, they gave into the Curse of Hatred, and when I first talked with Atsuko she said it was not without reason that they lost their way. But their reasons did not excuse the darkness many of them embraced."

" _We can all paint ourselves as gallant knights of our own stories, and how easy it is to paint outsiders as atrocious villains who mean to sabotage you, but it takes greater courage to accept your failings and admit to the wrongs you have committed. Remember that, Young Haya."_

"Few Uchiha were equally loyal to the Leaf as they were to the Clan, that's what Atsuko told me. Itachi, Aimi, my family, plus some others, were a minority group who sought a peaceful solution to steer the Uchiha Clan from self-destruction."

How much farther did she go? How much of her theory did she tell Sasuke? He was listening intently, but what she believed…what if it spurred another argument? What if it divided them again?

Could Sasuke handle this?

"I…I think the Uchiha Clan were planning…"

 _Say it. Say it! You're the one who said we have to be truthful with each other. So say it._

"A coup d'état?" Sasuke finished for her. She could only nod. "Why would they?"

Not total disbelief, but not total belief either.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "It's only a theory, yet it's the only thing that makes sense to me based on what I've learned." She pursed her lips in a frown. "Shisui had a plan to stop it, but then the Foundation leader stole his eye. I still don't get why—"

 _"Kotoamatsukami is a mind-controlling genjutsu, so subtle you don't even realize you're under its influence."_

Realization struck her like a punch from Mimi.

"Shisui planned to use his Mangekyō Sharingan on the leader of the coup," she whispered. "To subtly influence the leader to guide his followers towards peace, either permanently ending all plans or to buy time for a new plan."

Ingenious. The Kotoamatsukami's power only required the person to be in his field of view, and if its power was greater than the Tsukuyomi, then it was likely the _ultimate_ genjutsu.

" _He didn't trust what I was going to do. They'll probably come after my left eye, too. Before that happens I want you to have it, Itachi."_

Her mind was racing. "But the Foundation leader stole his eye before he could, to gain the power for himself and because he didn't trust Shisui's plan would work." Anger sparked in her heart. "But it would have! The Kotoamatsukami could have stopped everything! The Massacre never would have happened. My parents, Shisui, they'd still be alive if he didn't steal his eye and poison him!"

Tears stung at her eyes. None of this had to happen. None of it! Which could only mean the _bastard_ knew what his actions would cause. He _knew_ the escalation would continue. He _planned_ it, maybe even used Shisui's eye to influence others to follow through with pressuring Itachi and Aimi onto the paths they were on.

Damn him! Damn the entire Foundation!

Sasuke rested a hand on her knee. Her furious and teary eye snapped to his calm onyx eyes.

"Then we'll burn the Foundation to the ground," he stated simply.

She nodded. "Yes, we will."

For the family stolen from her. For the protection of the future. The Foundation would burn.

"And this Masked Man," she added. "This person claiming to be Madara Uchiha, he tried to kill Shisui once to steal his eyes, and swore he would destroy the Uchiha Clan too."

"He missed two of us," Sasuke said dryly.

"That he did," Amari chuckled. She then exhaled a breath. "But this is bigger than us and vengeance, Sasuke. I _want_ to destroy them, I don't deny that. But the Foundation, the Akatsuki, the Masked Man and Orochimaru all pose serious threats to the shinobi world. We can't lose ourselves to the Curse of Hatred; that's the easy path to follow."

"Do you really think this Masked Man is the real Madara Uchiha?"

"Maybe?" She shrugged. "It's not impossible. If there's an immortality Forbidden Jutsu then it _could_ be the real Madara."

"But you don't believe it is."

The kunoichi shook her head. "No. I don't. He's definitely an Uchiha; Shisui said he wielded the Mangekyō Sharingan masterfully. This Masked Man may even be related to the real Madara—could be a grandson around Lady Tsunade's age, or even a great grandchild. Depending on how long they waited to have children could easily change the age of this man to be anywhere between our parents ages and ours."

But that was operating on the assumption he was actually related to Madara. Again, not an impossibility, yet she had nothing to confirm the theory. No DNA test. No side by side picture to compare facial structure. No way to simply ask a man of lies for honest truth.

"Best case scenario," she continued, "he's a rogue Uchiha using the name of Madara Uchiha to instill fear in those who learn it."

"A name won't protect them from us," Sasuke said.

"I can't argue there," Amari giggled.

Talking about this with him was…comforting. The burden of knowing, of carrying these theories and fears and truths without ever sharing them beyond a small circle of trust made her feel separated from everyone. Like she and she alone walked in reality while everyone around her was stuck in an illusion.

Perhaps it wasn't just Sasuke holding back. The secrets she carried made her pull back, too. Afraid he may see her as an enemy. Concerned no one would ever believe her.

To speak about it freely with him, and have Sasuke begin to see the bigger picture, it eased the burden a little. The future was still in danger, of course. Speaking about the threats to an open ear didn't end them, nor did it make them any easier to eliminate.

 _But at least I'm not alone in this._

Sharing the burden, it wasn't easy. Honestly, Amari empathized with Shisui's attempt to bear it on his own and Itachi's desire to keep Sasuke protected from the truth.

The more people she brought into her circle of trust, the more people she broke the illusion of peace on. She was showing them the darkness encroaching on their borders and within their walls, destroying the sense that the Leaf and the Uchiha Clan—their home and their Clan—could do no wrong and that they would always be safe here.

They weren't safe, though, and the Leaf and Uchiha's weren't without darkness.

Reality was harsh. It pandered to no one. That's why she _wished_ she could do this on her own. If she could change the world on her own, if she could eliminate these threats and protect everyone without anyone ever knowing they existed Amari would. In a heartbeat. Without even thinking about it. But she couldn't. Shisui couldn't. Her parents couldn't. Itachi and Aimi couldn't.

 _I can't afford to repeat that mistake. I have to build a circle of trust to share this burden and empower my peers and comrades with truth so we can prepare for the battles ahead._

That was her path. And somewhere along the line she'd seek out her dream to be a Jōnin Sensei then eventually settle down to find her peace. All they had to do first was save the future from these substantial threats.

No problem. No sweat. It was only the shinobi world at stake. What could possibly go wrong?

Amari snorted and shook her head.

"Uh-oh. What's that look about?" Sasuke asked humorously.

"Just my troublesome sense of humor," she waved him off. "Let's—"

An unnatural shadow formed over them. Amari's and Sasuke's heads shot up. Floating above them was a large person, their bulging gut betraying the powerful arms they swung back for a strike. And around their waist was a purple rope belt—a mirror of Orochimaru's.

"Rrgghhh!" the man bellowed as he shot towards them.

The ground exploded on impact. Slabs and shards of shattered earth flew through the air. Dirt and dust coated the training field around the area of destruction, obscuring the man within. Amari and Sasuke landed safely in the grass away from the attack, dōjutsu eyes activated, searching for the next strike.

"It was only a matter of time before he sent goons, I suppose," Amari muttered under her breath.

"Yeah," Sasuke agreed with a short nod.

The timing couldn't be worse. Although their talk gave their bodies and chakra time to recover, neither Uchiha was near peak strength after their all-out spar.

The dust settled. The man stared at them with a neutral and disinterested look from within a giant crater his attack cause, the likes of which Amari hadn't ever seen from any average shinobi.

She cast her Byakugan eye around. Three more shinobi, each wearing similar garbs—beige, grey or brown tunics with the large purple rope belts their master wore. It's like they thought it was stylish. Only one wore a Sound shinobi forehead protector, but neither Uchiha needed that to know who they worked for.

Through her dōjutsu she noticed a troubling development.

"Careful, Sasuke. They've all got Curse Marks," she informed for only him to hear.

The designs were different, but the corrupting chakra and its incredible power was practically the same.

He hummed in acknowledgement.

Communication was imperative. If these shinobi were anything like Zaku, Kin and Dosu then they'd be arrogant and attempt to earn Orochimaru's praise by winning on their own. Though worn out, if they kept their teamwork fluid and passed on Intel to one another about their enemies' skill-sets then this battle could become a lot easier.

Easier. Not simple. Not mundane. Less impossible.

Challenging was an appropriate description.

The battlefield was quiet despite the six individuals standing on it. No one uttered a word. Three crimson eyes and one lavender watched the four Sound shinobi intently, looking for the slightest tensing muscle that would signal the next attack, sizing them up on appearance alone for any clues on what their specialty might be.

No tools gave them away like Dosu and Zaku. Did that mean they wouldn't use sound-based attacks? Not necessarily, but Amari had her doubts.

Of the group of four, one definitely had body modifications Amari never believed to be possible. The dark-skinned boy with shaggy black hair tied back in a ponytail had six arms. _Six_. How was that even possible? He watched the duo with a cocky grin.

Great. Arrogant minions of Orochimaru attacking after a day of training. What a total drag.

Another of the four, who either had body modifications done or a conjoined twin sticking out his back, rested a hand on his hip; the conceited smirk on his face irritated her and increased her desire to punch him in the face. Maybe both faces. His light blue-grey hair was shoulder length, the bangs covering his right eye. He wore green lipstick and a dark-red beaded necklace.

That left the giant who first attacked them. With exception of the Curse Mark he appeared as a normal person, orange eyes with three orange tufts of hair stylized in mohawks. A necklace comprised off red circular pieces separating into long, metallic pieces hung from his neck.

Finally was the fourth member, a fair-skinned kunoichi with a slender build. She was the shortest of the group, however still taller than Sasuke and Amari.

One day she wouldn't be the shortest shinobi on the battlefield…hopefully.

The Sound kunoichi stared at them with impassive brown eyes. Her long, untamed dark-red hair draped down her back, the long bangs separated to frame her face while a third group fell between her eyes. On her head she wore a black hat with pipe like stripes—no doubt the hat was meant to keep her hair in place.

Their appearances alone didn't help Amari glean enough information about their enemies. Who were they? What made them "valuable" to Orochimaru? If he planted Curse Marks on them then there had to be something that interested the sadistic freak.

"So," she began slowly, eyes actively watching her enemies, "you're _Lord_ Orochi-jackasses new playthings."

Sasuke snorted at the insult. The taunt stirred a growl and a sneer from the six-armed shinobi and the conjoined twin shinobi. The towering man and the kunoichi showed no emotion.

Little details about personalities. Two of the four were easily provoked by insults. Massive egos were usually the most fragile, after all.

"Before we get down to business, I'd like to know the names of his new playthings. Or has he just started numbering you? Numbers _are_ better for replaceable pawns."

"Hmph, is she your sister or something, Tayuya? She's got your mouth," the six-armed shinobi said, eyes flicking over to the kunoichi.

That was one name. Three more to go.

Tayuya scoffed. "The trash isn't wrong. A number would be better for a disgusting insect like you."

The six-armed man could have incinerated her with his glare.

"Jeez, do you always have to insult others, Tayuya? It's no wonder you've never had a boyfrie—"

"Shut up, fatso!" Tayuya cut the Tower off.

Amari and Sasuke listened in amused bemusement.

"Team dinners must be fun with these guys," he whispered dryly.

"Fun isn't the word I'd use," she chuckled.

Tayuya, despite Amari's original dissection, seemed to have one of the larger egos of this group, which was saying something. Even the largest of mountains would seem like small hills compared to the egos that towered over these four shinobi.

And if the responses and subsequent silence of the Spider and Tower was anything to go by, this was a norm for the kunoichi. Dominant. Arrogant. Abrasive. Those were traits to exploit in battle. If she fought how she acted then she was bound to make an overconfident mistake.

Especially if she believed the two Uchiha's were trash.

"While listening to you bicker amongst yourselves is nothing short of stimulating," Amari's voice dripped with sarcasm, "I have _plenty_ of other things to do. So who the hell are you?"

"I am Jirōbō of the South Gate," the Tower answered stoically.

"I am Kidōmaru of the West Gate," the Spider followed.

Tayuya huffed impatiently. "Tayuya of the North Gate."

"And I am Sakon of the East Gate. We are the Sound Four," the conjoined Twin said, his smirk back on his lips.

"Never heard of you," Sasuke replied dryly.

 _Well…that was easier than I thought_. _I expected a snarky remark about how their names wouldn't matter since we'd be dead in a moment._ Her eye narrowed. _I figured they'd be here to take Sasuke to Orochimaru._

She wanted to call these four fools to their faces. Ask them if they really thought they infiltrated the Leaf without the Crows knowing they were here. That they weren't gathering forces to battle them off. But to flaunt that information to their faces when they appeared so confident would only help their enemies.

Attacking them out in the open like this? While the sun hadn't even set?

 _They must believe they're on Itachi's, Aimi's and Kisame's level to attack us so brazenly._

Atsuko or her agents were watching this unfold right now. Of course they could attack these pawns before anything happened but then they'd learn nothing of their abilities. What if one or more escaped the carnage? Knowing the strength and skills of their enemies would help them prepare countermeasures for future battles.

It was up to her and Sasuke to decipher their enemy's techniques or defeat these four outright. Like the battle against the Akatsuki, they had to hold these four here long enough to win or for reinforcements to arrive to eliminate the threat.

Sasuke, she believed, realized this fact too. Their all-out spar put them at a distinct disadvantage against these four. Victory wasn't impossible—entering any battle with a defeatist mindset would lose the battle before it even began. And the battling personalities and egos could work in their favor.

However, looking at this objectively, four of Orochimaru's henchmen powered by Curse Marks could and would make short work of them if they weren't careful.

 _I'm counting on you and your Crows to find us any reinforcements you can, Atsuko_ , she thought. _We'll hold these four here until then._

"Sasuke, you ready for this?" Amari asked.

"Ready when you are."

"Heh," Sakon chuckled, "don't tell me you two really believe you can take _us_ on."

"There's not a doubt in my mind."

Amari felt the hilt of a kunai press into the palm of her hand, sourced by Sasuke. She smirked and gripped the blade. _So that's the move you want to open up with, huh?_

"Trash always talks big before their inevitable fall."

"Funny. I was thinking the same thing about you four." Reaching into her pouch, she mirrored her clan-brothers action. Quietly, with sleight of hand these four couldn't see, she slipped a kunai into his hand.

"Couldn't make it in the big leagues on your own power so you have to rely on Orochimaru's," the kunoichi taunted with every bit of Uchiha arrogance she possessed.

Nerves were stabbed. In some way the four reacted, whether it was Tayuya and Jirōbō's brows furrowing in irritation or nasty snarls and clenched fists from Sakon and Kidōmaru.

She found a weakness. Now to exploit it.

"For a split-second Orochimaru thought you four might be worthwhile. Whatever unique traits you possessed intrigued him enough to keep you around. But, like a spoiled child who is given everything he wants, he lost interest in all of you. You weren't new and special anymore, which meant he needed to find the next new thing to hold his interest.

"Now look at you four. Measly puppets sent to retrieve the newest toy, because that's all you're good for. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, meet the Sound Four! Disposed tools of the all-powerful Orochimaru!"

Sasuke's body shook with a laugh. Amari grinned sadistically.

"You introduced yourselves as the Sound Four, like that name even means anything. Like _you_ mean anything. When this is all over no one will even remember you existed."

Sakon growled. "I've had just about enough of your mouth."

"Oh?" she taunted, raising her blade. "Sounds like I've hit a nerve. I'm going to enjoy destroying your superiority complex."

"Do you want to know the first thing I'd do if I joined Orochimaru?" Sasuke asked the group. They didn't reply. He twirled his kunai around on his finger then gripped it so the blade faced the earth. "I'd kill all of you."

"Let's see you try," Kidōmaru replied.

Sakon and Kidōmaru were the first to move physically, but they were already behind by one move. Kidōmaru charged Sasuke, bolting in within two blinks. Sakon was faster, _a lot_ faster. Although farther away from Amari than Kidōmaru was from Sasuke, he still closed the distance between them and moved to strike before his teammate could.

The two Uchiha's didn't spare a word to each other. They reacted. Amari spun on her toes, weaving out of the way of the punch and gripping the arm at the elbow with her free hand. Sasuke jumped and planted his hands on Kidōmaru's back, vaulting over him, kicking Jirōbō in the face as he tried to join in.

Releasing the chakra from her feet, the kunoichi pulled Sakon's arm up with her as she corkscrewed over his head. Simultaneously she spun the kunai around his arm. As soon as she landed she Body Flickered once around the Sound shinobi. In the meantime Sasuke slid between Kidōmaru's legs, quickly moving into a backflip to dodge a heavy strike from Jirōbō.

"Amari!" Sasuke called, throwing his kunai towards her.

She mimicked the action. They caught each other's blade. A single look traded between them signaled their next move: Pulling their arms back.

Sakon and Kidōmaru realized too late what unfolded. Their eyes widened. Light glinted off of the ninja wire loosely surrounding their bodies—one end attached to the hilt of the Uchiha's blades and the other held in their free hands. The tug tightened the sharp wire around their bodies, pinning their arms and legs to their body.

The Nara shot her shadow along the thin shadow created by the wire, ensnaring both enemies in a paralysis they couldn't escape.

"Sasuke, now!" she called, clenching the end of the ninja wire between her teeth. She began weaving another set of handseals, forcing their enemies to do the same.

Sasuke's hands were already in Tiger, the end of the ninja wire held between his teeth.

Fire erupted along the wire, chasing towards Kidōmaru.

 _Fire Style: Fire Ball Jutsu!_

A second trail of fire shot towards Sakon.

"Tayuya, Jirōbō!" Sakon called irritably.

The kunoichi of the team had yet to move.

"Tch!" she hissed out a breath and did nothing. Jirōbō threw two kunai at the Nara.

Lacking any good alternative—because being impaled wasn't an option—Amari released her Shadow, the ninja wire and canceled her Fire Ball Jutsu to dodge back and out of the way.

Tayuya crossed her arms, stubbornly holding her position. At the same time, while Amari slid back on the grass, Jirōbō charged after the Leaf kunoichi. His two male teammates used Substitution Jutsus to escape the ninja wire.

 _I can't let them separate us. And it doesn't seem like Tayuya's interested in fighting us. Probably thinks it's beneath her._

One giant, muscular arm came slamming towards Amari's center. She threw herself into a back-bend to dodge. Wind whipped over her body, the restrained power of this towering man enough to make her narrow her eye.

 _You're strength is like an Akimichi's, and by your size I can assume my regular strikes won't cut it. It'd be like punching a wall that punches back._

She braced her weight onto her hands, lifted her legs and kicked him in his gut, releasing chakra from her feet as she did. Jirōbō grunted in what sounded like annoyance instead of pain. He stumbled back.

Progress!

Amari used the momentum to twist herself back onto her feet.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Two clones bolted out of their clouds with the original right on their tail. The first clone flew in feet first, kicking Jirōbō again in his bulging gut, causing him to bend over at his waist like a bent sword. The real Amari leapfrogged her sister and used her enemy's head as a springboard.

"You little pest!" her enemy rumbled, turning around to face his true enemy.

"Don't ignore us, you giant freak!" the two clone's said in unison.

The second clone's foot landed a blow to his jaw. Jirōbō swung upright and howled in pain as the first impaled a kunai into his shoulder.

 _They'll keep him busy, at least for a little while._

Sasuke was caught in the midst of fighting Kidōmaru, the latter of which had a few new minor burns singing his clothes and marking his skin. Tayuya hadn't moved. If anything she looked annoyed at _her allies_ for this fight still going on.

 _I'll need to keep an eye on her_ , Amari thought, dashing through the grass towards her teammate. _She could be their trump card._

Before the Nara could reach her clansman she was forced to hit the brakes—Sakon cut her off. A sadistic and cocky smirk formed on his lips.

"Going somewhere, Leaf trash?"

"Yeah. Right through you."

He glanced to his kunoichi teammate. "What's wrong, Tayuya? You don't want to join the fun?"

"What? Can't take me on your own?" Amari prodded his ego. "For someone who likes to boast so much it's embarrassing that you have to ask your teammate for help."

"Hmph," Tayuya huffed in…agreement? Didn't matter. In the end she'd meet the same fate.

Sakon growled. "I'll wring your neck."

Amari smirked, locking her red eye with his. "And how do you plan to do that…"

 _Demonic Dragon: Darkness Flames!_

The earth trembled beneath Sakon's feet. A looming shadow fell over him as the cold claws of her demonic dragon clutched his body, digging their sharp talons into his flesh.

"When you're burning alive."

Black flames ignited at his feet. Sakon wiggled around, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead as fear crept into his eyes. The black flames suddenly, violently, engulfed him. He began screaming awfully.

The Uchiha left Sakon behind, wailing in an illusion he'd need a comrade to break him out of.

Tayuya seemed even more annoyed. Also darkly amused. No smile betrayed her impassive features, but the glint in her eyes told a different story.

 _You don't care about your comrades lives, do you?_

It shouldn't have surprised her.

The wails of Sakon distracted Kidōmaru for the briefest moment—a moment which Sasuke used to catch his enemy with a stiff kick to the face.

At that moment, Amari sensed a sudden shift in Sakon's chakra. The genjutsu, it had been released. She began to pivot on her toe to face him again.

 _How did he—_

She never finished her thought. Sakon was already on her, fist slamming into her vulnerable and open side. Not just one strike, but three within a single second. Amari grimaced and threw a counter-punch in an opening. Somehow, despite his hands never moving to block it, her blow never landed.

Her body was too open and her footing barely stable. Seizing the opportunity, her enemy struck, fists raining blows in triplets to her center mass, losing none of their strength despite their nearly imperceptible speed.

Sakon jumped up and slammed his foot into her chest, the power of the blow tumbling her across the field of grass like a ball down the side of a steep mountain. A body caught her and jumped. Even without her eyes or sensory abilities she knew it was Sasuke—too gentle to be an enemy.

"How's it going on your side?" Sasuke asked as they landed.

"Careful of Sakon. He has a second person inside him," she warned through deep breaths, wincing.

"What?"

"It was hard to see, even with my eyes, but that body sticking out of his back isn't just a sleeping conjoined twin. I don't know if it's a kekkei genkai or more of Orochimaru's messed up experiments, but that second person broke Sakon out of one of my genjutsu's and blocked a punch that would have sent Sakon flying."

Amari inhaled another breath. Winced again. Then continued to speak.

"During those attacks he landed on me I was able to see two other arms joining his punches. So either I'm seeing triple, or his twin is attacking from _within_ Sakon's body."

"Thanks for the warning. Do you have any good news?"

"We're alive?" she asked with a forced laugh.

"Heh," Sasuke chuckled.

They didn't get another moment's breath of respite. Kidōmaru, Sakon and Jirōbō—who finally finished off her two clones—charged them again.

Round two had officially begun, and of the group only Sasuke and Amari were showing signs of deterioration. Slower movements left them more open for strikes; tired strikes weren't backed up by their usual force, barely leaving bruise; jutsus they may have used to even the odds weren't as readily available because of their low chakra.

An indisputable victory was no longer an option. Survival and teamwork were all that mattered. They stuck together, covering tired openings, working in synchronicity to keep these powerful enemies at bay as long as they could.

The Sound Four may be tools of Orochimaru but Sakon, Jirōbō and Kidōmaru were without a doubt Jōnin leveled. Their arrogance and sadism kept them from putting the two Uchiha down in their weaker states. These fools provided opportunities a true shinobi never would have given their enemy, regardless of age or skill level.

It'd be their ultimate undoing one day. Maybe not in this battle. Maybe not against her and Sasuke. But someday their egos and desire to toy with their enemies would get them killed.

"You're beginning to slow down," Kidōmaru taunted Amari. "Look at you. You can barely catch your breath."

 _He and Sakon switched on me_ , Amari thought, frustrated. _Sakon realized my eyes were acclimatizing to his speed and twin's strikes._ She glanced in her Byakugan to Sasuke. _And Sasuke's eyes can't keep up._

This battle was falling out of her control. Sasuke was holding his own well enough, but every blow Sakon and his twin landed slowed him down. _Just a little longer. We just have to hold them here a little longer._

"Don't flatter yourself," Amari panted, kunais held in her hands. Her arms ached. Her legs were filled with lead. "Despite our spar depriving us of most of our energy, you and your buddies haven't been able to put us down yet. That says more about your weaknesses than it does about us."

Kidōmaru's nostrils flared. Then he smiled. "Fine. We'll finish this now!"

Jirōbō launched at her first. Although she was slowing down, she hadn't become slow enough to be caught by the brute. Amari hopped back out of range of his strike, skipping back on the grass, planting her feet and sending chakra throughout her body.

The Uchiha Body Flickered, sliding between the giants legs and cutting his ankles. Jirōbō grunted and tried not to topple over. Springing onto her feet, she jumped and impaled both kunais into the giant's back.

The scene of a small girl hanging onto a roaring giant's back could have been amusing in a different circumstance.

Amari pressed her feet into his lower back and catapulted off of him, towards Kidōmaru, pulling the bloodied kunai knives with her. She landed in a roll on the grass, moving smoothly and swiftly back onto her feet as she prepared to Body Flicker at her second enemy. Kidōmaru's neck was extended back, as if preparing to spit. Which he did.

His spit, however, didn't come out. Instead a spiders web flew from his lips—web her dōjutsu eyes noticed had chakra running throughout it.

The body of Amari burst into Crows, flying up into the sky out of range of the attack where she began to reform. Kidōmaru looked up at her with a vindictive smile.

"Game over, trash."

Jirōbō's massive frame and chakra appeared behind her. Amari didn't react fast enough. A giant fist slammed into her body, shooting her down into the earth in an explosion of destroyed earth.

The giant landed on top of her. Blood flew out of her mouth with a final cry of agony before everything went black.

* * *

"Kimimaro would have made a better vessel than you," Sakon scorned Sasuke.

Sasuke, dazed, head throbbing, could only listen as he was pinned chest first to the ground by the Sound shinobi.

"You haven't even tried to use Lord Orochimaru's gift on us. You think you'll ever gain the strength necessary to destroy Itachi if you stay in this mediocre Village playing shinobi?"

"I…don't…need his power," he ground out

He'd fight Itachi with his own strength, with his own power, with his own convictions. He didn't need Orochimaru's so-called gift. He wouldn't let anyone else obscure his path in lies and darkness ever again!

"Have you forgotten your purpose so easily? It's that annoying little pest over there, isn't it? She's distracted you from what really matters. She's made you believe the Leaf and these worthless people that inhabit it are good people. That they never committed any sins. Yet you've never questioned if they _knew_ what Itachi was going to do."

No, he hadn't. But he knew now. He knew the leader of the Foundation was responsible for the massacre of his Clan, and he and Amari resolved to burn it to the ground. And Amari hadn't distracted him from what really mattered. Unlike his brother, Aimi and even his father, Amari didn't hide truth from him. She didn't try to obscure his path and twist him.

Amari presented him with truth. She opened his eyes. She was the one to reach out to him and pull him away from the path he'd been manipulated into following.

Something this idiot would never understand. So why waste his breath arguing when he could let him believe he was getting in his head?

"What would you know about it, huh?" he shot back.

His onyx eyes gazed out to Amari, worry threaded into his heart as he tried to squirm free. That giant freak was still sitting on her. Tayuya was crouched next to her inert form. Was she getting the same boring speech?

 _Good luck convincing her_ , he thought cheekily.

"Lord Orochimaru knows more than you realize. He even has a little present for her, and once she learns what is waiting for her she'll come join us without second thought. It's inevitable."

Sasuke didn't like the sound of that. That wasn't just the usual arrogance. There was unnerving certainty in his voice.

"And I'd advise you to join her when she does, because this Curse Mark Lord Orochimaru has gifted with you is incomplete. Imagine all of its power without the painful drawbacks of the first stage. You would be on an entirely different level than you are now."

"All for the cost of my soul, right?" Sasuke spat.

"What's one soul to the avenged souls of your entire Clan? All great power costs something. If you linger in this Village you'll be a mediocre shinobi at best. But if you join Lord Orochimaru—"

"You fat _idiot_!" Tayuya screamed. "You _killed_ her!"

Sasuke's heart jumped into his throat. Tayuya looked absolutely beside herself with fury.

 _It's a trick_ , his heart told him. _They're just trying to trick you._

"I didn't mean to," Jirōbō replied, stepping off of Amari. "I was just trying to keep her down."

Sakon hissed. "Kidōmaru, is this some kind of joke?"

Kidōmaru, who crouched next to Amari's body, shook his head. "No. Tayuya checked her pulse—she's done."

Sasuke could see Amari. She wasn't moving. Her hands laid limply on the ground, the blades she once held settled at an askew angle as they balanced on her palms and the dirt.

 _No…_

Sasuke squirmed harder, reaching out with his one free hand to try to crawl forward. Towards his clan-sister. Towards Amari.

"This gluttonous idiot crushed the life out of her!" Tayuya seethed. "Do you know what Lord Orochimaru is going to do when he finds out you killed her?!"

"Our orders were clear, Jirōbō," Sakon stated. "You've jeopardized the entire plan!"

 _No…_

Sasuke felt his breathing grow erratic. It couldn't be. She couldn't be dead. Any moment now she'd spring up or reveal her Substitution Jutsu…

…Only she didn't. Every painfully long second that ticked by proved the body in the crater was the _real_ Amari.

 _Not like this_ , Sasuke begged, fingers curling into the dirt as he tried in futility to crawl from underneath Sakon's grip. _Please. Amari. Just get up! Breathe! Come on!_

Nothing changed. No matter how much he mentally begged. No matter how hard he tried to will her to live, nothing changed.

Tears stung at Sasuke's eyes. "Amari…"

Her bright smile, her giggle, her warmth, all of it extinguished by these _bastards_. He could already feel himself growing cold. Feeling empty.

 _Don't leave me behind like this._

He couldn't save her.

He couldn't protect her.

 _…I'm sorry…_

"Argh! Just take her eyes then," Sakon seethed. "We don't have time to lug around her body."

Sasuke stiffened.

 _…No…_

Fire ignited in his heart.

 _No. No. No. No._

He wouldn't watch them desecrate his clan-sister's body! He wouldn't let them steal her eyes!

 _No. No. No. NO!_

Blades began to stab at Sasuke's eyes. His breathing grew more erratic by the second.

This was _not_ how this ended. This was not how Amari was going to die. Not to these nobody scumbags. Not when she still had dreams to attain.

He failed to protect her one time too many. This time…This time he wouldn't fail!

"Get…" the word was ground out through a trembling voice.

"Stop squirming you little pest," Sakon chastised.

He couldn't stop. Blades cut and clawed at his eyes, it made his entire body tremble as warm tears cascaded over.

 _Amari…I won't let you die like this. I won't lose you too! For everyone who cares about you, for your family…for everything you've given me…_

Every last scrap of chakra he possessed pooled into his eyes.

 _I will save you!_

The blades plunged through his eyes, forcing them to widen.

Crimson pinwheels took shape.

"Get the hell away from her!" he roared.

He locked his gaze on Jirōbō first. The one who stole her life so callously. The one reaching down to take Amari's eyes.

Chakra pooled unconsciously into his left eye.

 _Amaterasu!_

Black flames from the darkest pits of hell erupted to life on Jirōbō's left arm—the arm reaching for her face. The giant stumbled back and away from Amari, wailing horrifically in agony, screaming bloody murder. Wanting to pat the flames out, but somehow knowing, instinctively feeling that if he touched them with his other hand, it'd be consumed by this hellish flame, too.

His flesh began to disintegrate, to melt and peel away within mere milliseconds of the flame coming into contact with his arm.

Subconsciously Sasuke recognized the black flames from their encounter with Itachi, the same flames that burnt straight through the stomach of the Mountain Toad.

Kidōmaru was quick to sever the burning limb above the elbow. The burning appendage began to burn the grass, too. No blood poured from his stub—the flames of the Amaterasu cauterized the wound.

The crimson fire in his left eye faded for onyx once more, but the right continued to burn.

"Touch another hair on her head and I'll kill you all!"

Sasuke acted on his own instinct, with the strange evolutionary gut feeling that somehow _knew_ how to attack with the flame that had disintegrated the severed arm. He locked his right eye on it, felt the profound power surging into the organ, persevered through the blades cutting at it.

He knew what to do, and with it the name of the attack jumped from that evolutionary gut feeling into something tangible.

 _Inferno Style: Flame Control!_

The black flames shot out across the grass, controlled by the Uchiha, chasing the three Sound shinobi away from his clan-sister. A halo of black fire encircled protectively around her body.

None would pass it, he promised himself. He'd burn them all away.

Panting heavily, he maintained his view on the flames of the Amaterasu, forcing the power in his left eye to stay active. Something warm, not a tear, but another liquid poured from the eye.

He could control it. He could use these flames to set them all ablaze and make them suffer.

Sakon stiffened above him. Against his will his body was forcefully tugged off of the Uchiha, by a different jutsu.

A Nara Clan jutsu.

"Atsuko, take 'Risu to the hospital immediately. I'll take care of Sasuke," Shikaku Nara's voice entered the battlefield.

The Uchiha caught the sight of Atsuko diving down into the ring of fire, landing on Amari and bursting into Crows. The flock dispersed into the sky faster than he'd ever seen them move before.

 _She's safe…_

As the crimson right eye faded for onyx, and consciousness began to leave his grasp, the flames of the Amaterasu died.

 _Amari…I'm sorry._

The last thing Sasuke felt was someone picking him up, and then all faded to black.

* * *

Shikaku hefted Sasuke's unconscious body onto his shoulder and cast a glance to his wife, currently binding the blue-grey-haired Sound shinobi in the Shadow Paralysis Jutsu.

It'd been years since he'd seen her don a shinobi uniform, since he'd seen her with that fierce expression she wore in battle, but Yoshino hadn't lost her edge at all.

"Ninja Art: Shadow Stitching Jutsu!"

Sharp tendrils of Yoshino's Shadow speared and threaded themselves through the flesh and limbs of their enemy, then attached themselves to the earth. The enemy shinobi grunted in pain but couldn't move.

His wife hadn't lost her talent for sewing, either.

Not that he expected her to lose either her edge or her talent. Once an individual lived life as a shinobi, that edge, that ability to switch from a relaxed state to combat ready never truly left you.

Shikaku glanced to the departing Crows.

 _'Risu…_

Something gnawed at his gut. A seasoned shinobi's bad premonition, if you will. But 'Risu was in Atsuko's care, being flown far away from danger. _Atsuko will ensure 'Risu is taken care of. It's up to us to protect Sasuke and eliminate these shinobi, or drive them out of the Leaf._

The veteran drew his eyes to the uncaptured three, sizing them up, eyeing their position on the battlefield and formulating several strategies to combat them.

Of the trio, only the kunoichi appeared on the verge of bursting several blood vessels in frustration. She glared at her teammates, each with varying levels of intensity, to pin varying amounts of blame for their failure, he assumed. If he were to guess on her fiery glares alone, the Tower and the captured shinobi were most responsible.

The Spider, ignorantly, eyed them with intense exhilaration, eager to fight him and his wife—a battle which would end his life, if he misjudged them to be weaklings or fools.

The Tower was resilient, he'd give the stranger that. To still be standing despite losing an arm took strength of will. Though he barely seemed aware of his surroundings—shock, no doubt.

 _Looks like we made it just in time._

'Risu and Sasuke did well to hold them here as long as they managed, definitely after what was likely an intense afternoon of sparring. It hinted at one of two possibilities: Either these pawns of Orochimaru were weak, or they decided to toy with the two Uchiha's, ignorantly operating under the assumption no Leaf shinobi could possibly stop them.

For the Nara to believe the former was too dangerous. By the reports from the Invasion, these four were the shinobi to encase Lord Third and Orochimaru in a Barrier Ninjutsu; their appearances matched the description Raidō Namiashi—one member of the Hokage Guard—and the Anbu provided.

That made the second possibility all the more likely. The fools, no wonder their kunoichi teammate kept shooting her teammates quite the nasty glares. They wasted precious time on pointlessly playing with their food, when they should have wolfed it down while no one was looking.

It was good fortune he and his wife were in the midst of discussing the latest news on the Hidden Stone's movements with Atsuko when her agent arrived, informing them of the Sound shinobi infiltration and the Uchiha's deteriorating conditions.

Shikamaru asked to join them, but the elder Nara had a feeling they'd be needing his son's new promotion after they settled this battle. Another seasoned shinobi's gut feeling.

 _"Rest while you can, Shikamaru. You'll be needed soon,"_ he told him before departing with Yoshino to the battlefield.

 _There's spider web on the ground over there_ , he analyzed then flicked his eye to the six-armed shinobi. _You're jutsu, no doubt, if the additional arms are anything to judge by._ The crater belonged to the Tower, which left the shinobi Yoshino captured and the kunoichi. Unknowns, for now.

"Orochimaru grew impatient, I see," Shikaku said out loud. "The necrosis of the Reaper Death Seal must be terrible."

No sympathy for the traitor. Just facts.

"Sasuke will be his salvation," the blue-grey-haired shinobi stated.

"And what is Amaririsu to him? Another pawn?" Yoshino demanded.

"An unfortunate casualty," the Spider replied.

Shikaku's gut twisted, but he ignored it. First he had to deal with these shinobi. Then he'd worry about his niece.

"Kidōmaru, Tayuya, Jirōbō, let's retreat," the captured shinobi said. "We'll deal with Jirōbō's arm and wait for Sasuke to come to us. If he hasn't arrived by midnight we'll just start killing the Leaf's hopeless citizens until they give him up themselves."

So, he was the leader of this group. And he only said his plan out loud so they'd know what the consequences would be if Sasuke did not leave the Leaf. An interesting tactic.

Flame-colored marks began to spread over the leader from behind his parted hair.

 _A Curse Mark?_

Shikaku Body Flickered to his wife and prepared his Shadow to attack. The power of the Curse Mark snapped the Shadow Stitching Jutsu and Paralysis off within seconds. Yoshino grunted as her Shadow slunk back to her.

The leader, free of the jutsu, vanished with his four teammates.

"Yoshino, are you all right?"

"Yes. The power of his Curse Mark cannot be underestimated in the next battle. I haven't felt intense power like that in many years."

"We'll make sure it isn't. It's too bad they escaped, but we've gained some Intel. No doubt Sasuke and 'Risu have more to tell us. That'll help."

"…Shikaku…do you think they—"

"No," he stated firmly for both of them. "Come on, let's get Sasuke to the hospital and check on 'Risu."

He had a feeling everyone's day was about to get more troublesome.

* * *

 _Review Response to Guest: Yep, she went to the My Hero Academia world. I doubt I'll have her or anyone interact with any Canon universe, instead have them or her go to possible alternate universes or reality later on._

 _I won't write a separate fiction for when she travels to different universes, mainly because they'll all end up in this story. The My Hero Academia visit was initially going to be written chronologically before the events of this arc, as it happened in the story, but I decided to save it for after this big arc as a sort of decompression from the upcoming events._

 _Yep, Kakashi has Naruto and Sakura learning their Nature's now. But Rasenshuriken isn't going to happen pre time-skip, mostly because he used a lot more Clones to learn it as fast as he did in Shippuden. He has Naruto only using five Clones instead of ten or more because he knew he would be leaving soon, which meant he wouldn't be able to monitor Naruto personally, and without Tenzo/Yamato there to use Wood Style to restrain him if he did lose control of the Nine-Tails, Kakashi chose to be cautious._

 _I haven't made a concrete decision on Sage mode yet._

 _Thank you for the review!_


End file.
